It was a moment where I thought I had explored all the places worth looking back at.
“Looks like there’s only that place left…”
“It’s time to head there.”
Out of nowhere, Nicang and Riri were exchanging serious lines like they were plotting something. At first, I thought they were just putting on a broadcast skit— a sort of comedy banter.
Well, after spending a good amount of time streaming, it wouldn’t be weird for them to wrap things up with a performance about heading to that place.
[Ah lol, that’s the only place left]
[Like a ghost, it’s the only booth left]
[Where’s that, you nerds?]
[Ah, you don’t know ‘that place’?]
[Wasn’t it already visited?]
[With this squad, we *have* to go there, right?]
But seeing the viewers vibing with their words made me think my assumptions were totally off.
They weren’t planning to end the stream. So where the heck were Nicang and Riri talking about?
My questions were answered directly by a booth that suddenly came into view.
“Ah.”
How could I have forgotten this place? This was the booth we absolutely had to visit—a gathering spot and our roots, if you will.
It was Eonix’s booth, the creators of Abyss.
“Alright, let’s check out the Eonix booth before we call it a day.”
“Honestly, this is some premium streaming, right? We’ve been at it for so long. Want more content? No can do! It’s exhausting. Just wandering around in these glitzy outfits is draining my energy!”
The size of a booth usually reflects the game’s company’s scale. The booths of major corporations take up the whole space, while those of smaller or indie developers shrink down accordingly.
– “I will definitely kill you.”
– “Go ahead, give it a shot!”
In that aspect, Eonix’s booth was not just big; it was magnificent. A screen hung from the ceiling, playing the cinematic trailer for their flagship title, Abyss, while the booth for the newly released mobile version of Abyss was decked out with official merchandise.
Eonix had skyrocketed from an unknown small company to a major player known by everyone around the world. It was a moment to truly appreciate their newfound status.
It was quite a moment.
For someone like me, who has traveled against the currents of the world in a single morning, it was a refreshingly new scene. I briefly forgot about Nicang and Riri, completely engrossed in exploring the booth.
A mobile game that had become a hit enough to launch a mobile version, with official merchandise of overwhelmingly high quality compared to the rare user-made illegal goods.
Eonix’s booth had the most attractions of any booth I had seen so far. I was able to reminisce and compare it to memories of the past, which only made it more special. At least from my perspective, that was the case.
However, what surprised me most at Eonix’s booth was not the advanced technology or the must-buy merchandise.
“Oh wow, it’s Kayak!”
“Kayak, you’re here?”
“Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak!”
It was the Camilla legion rushing towards me.
“What in the world….”
To be precise, they were cosplayers dressed as Camilla.
The legion of Camilla cosplayers that I couldn’t see at the entrance of the booth suddenly rushed in as soon as I stepped inside.
*
What criteria do cosplayers have when deciding, “I will cosplay this character”?
There could be various requirements. It could be that they look remarkably like the character, or they have a deep affection for that character, or the character is so popular that there are always people cosplaying every year.
Currently, Camilla met most of these criteria.
She was the number one in the Abyss female character appearance ranking. In the annual Abyss character popularity voting, she has never failed to be in the top three, as recognized by the users.
The character itself has always been popular regardless of the game’s ups and downs. Even during the game’s dead phase, there were still people cosplaying as Camilla from time to time.
The design alone attracted a significant number of new users.
Of course, most players ended up quitting the game or picking another hero due to the outrageous difficulty of playing Camilla, but still.
If that was the case during the dead phase, how much more so now that Abyss has become a globally popular game?
With Camilla’s popularity on the rise among cosplayers, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that nine out of ten people with a white wig at events like this were likely cosplaying as Camilla.
Every time there’s an event like this, you can bet your bottom dollar that nine out of ten people wearing a white wig are going to be cosplaying Camilla.
That’s why the Abyss booth was crowded with Camilla enthusiasts.
Meanwhile, amidst the fervent cosplayers joyfully embracing the Camilla character, there was one individual who garnered half-star status.
A living legend, those who’ve seen her claimed she was like Camilla had stepped right out of the screen—the very embodiment of Camilla descended upon reality.
Not only was her appearance striking, but her saga also had deep ties to Camilla. She was like a prophet who united a million Camilla users and spread the Camilla gospel among the pros.
Unknowingly, Kayak had become a near-revered figure in this suspiciously devoted crowd of Camilla lovers.
As soon as they spotted Kayak—the living avatar of Camilla—they rushed at her like enthusiastic fans, of course loving the real-life manifestation of the character they adored.
It was akin to an impromptu massive fan meeting. Kayak, the focal point of this whirlwind, could only feel bewilderment. She was being unexpectedly worshipped by self-invited attendees.
Sure, she had seen this kind of blatant adoration before, but that had been online, in chatroom banter and posts. Hearing such reverent praise right to her face? That was a first.
“…How long do I have to endure this? It’s a bit much,” she muttered.
Kayak squirmed in agony as she soaked in the praise.
Of course, for onlookers, it was quite the spectacle. Watching Kayak squirm and grimace at the compliments while surrounded by admirers was nothing short of entertaining.
Nicang and Riri decided to sacrifice Kayak for a moment and take a breather. Kayak shot them pleading glances, but they were all in for the ride, not letting up.
Riri muscled her way through the crowd to join in the praises of Kayak. It was her own version of revenge for the clown being unexpectedly assaulted.
For the viewers, the current situation was pure, unfiltered content gold.
The current situation was nothing short of the best content possible.
Right now, the number of viewers watching Nicang’s broadcast had reached 20,000, but most of them were primarily watching Kayak’s stream. It was a funny scene, even if they weren’t fans, but what about the viewers who usually watched Kayak?
[Surprise worship ㄷㄷㄷ]
[They really pulled off surprise worship ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Reality surprise worship;;]
[It’s like a pseudo fan meeting]
[There are so many Kayak fans?]
[All my same-age female friends love Kayak ㅇㅇ]
[Camilla cosplay is really popular]
[Is it you again, goat?]
[Cosplayers have it tough, huh]
[Why are there so many Camillas? ㅋㅋ]
[Just looking at them drains my energy]
[The girls at the gallery are super popular too]
[Kayak doesn’t discriminate against gender ratios]
[There’s really no reason to dislike it ㅋㅋ]
[I wonder what it’s like to live a life surrounded by worshiping girls]
Kayak referred to them as a legion of fanatics. Their enthusiasm seemed boundless.
After chatting about Kayak in almost a praising manner and getting autographs, they suddenly brought Kayak into the booth and plopped them down in front of a computer.
Then they said.
“Can you do a one-on-one?”
“A one-on-one?”
“Yes, a one-on-one with Camilla in mirror match.”
After hearing their request, it turned out they were all reasonably experienced Camilla users who had some background in the Abyss.
They said their wish was to spar with Kayak in a mirror match and lose.
“Why would you make a wish like that….”
While it was common for streamers or pro gamers to do one-on-ones with fans, given Kayak’s previous experiences, it felt like a somewhat uncomfortable wish.
Still, since it was a wish, it felt wrong to turn it down, although it also made Kayak wonder if it was alright to do a one-on-one while they were occupying the booth.
“I’m a staff member, so it’s fine!”
So it was. At that point, Kayak had no excuse to back out. It was something they could easily do as part of fan service.
Thus, a somewhat hastily arranged content titled “Defeat Kayak” was born.
There were a total of 14 challengers. Nicang and Riri, who were broadcasting the process live, also joined in the fun after a long time to compete against Kayak.
Of course, as expected, Kayak emerged victorious in all matches, and the event came to a close.
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