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Chapter 43

[I just found a weird bug while playing the game]

(strange movement Camilla gif)

Why is she moving like that? The others just run away when they’re scared, but she’s having a weird seizure all by herself.

Is this a motion error?

– What the heck is this, lol
– Camilla just lost it, oh no!
– Oh… look at that morphing!
– I wanna go give her a tight hug, lol

Yeah, like really, I just wanna hug her tight so she can’t move and go “lalalala” all over the place.

– This isn’t a bug; it’s an Easter egg! When Camilla gets scared, she actually shakes like this until it wears off.

– ?? An Easter egg?
– Yep! Not just the motion, but the fear lasts like 0.1 seconds longer, too.

– This girl actually feels ‘fear’, really wwww
– It says in the lore that she’s afraid of spirits, but they implemented it this way.

– She dances well in battle but is scared of ghosts, lol.
– Wait, lol, so if you use Lily or Jerome against Camilla, isn’t that a huge counter?

– It’s not a huge counter, but Camilla definitely suffers since the fear lasts longer.

– Is there anything that isn’t a counter against Camilla? Not many can win against her 1v1.

– Why the heck did they make this Easter egg? Okay, the in-game motion is one thing, but shouldn’t they fix that fear duration?

– This is why Kayak keeps writing on the official site asking them to fix it.

– At this point, isn’t Eonix telling us to not play Camilla?

– Haha, why would you even play such a trash hero like Camilla?

– But her design and concept are totally my type…

– Camilla was the number one character in popularity polls for seasons 1 to 3. Doesn’t that make her Z-tier?

– Pretty trash… T_T

*

When the horror game was selected as today’s game at the end of the auction, I pondered a bit.

After all, I’m a streamer; I thought that if I want to keep my viewers engaged, I must make the broadcast a bit entertaining.

Horror games have always had a demand in the streaming world. What could be the alluring points of such horror games for the broadcast?

Broadcasts that draw in a lot of viewers usually have their reasons.

Some viewers watch the streams of high-skilled players, others like the streamer themselves, or maybe it’s a unique broadcast that you can’t find anywhere else.

What do viewers desire from streamers when it comes to horror games? Why do they recommend streamers to play them instead of playing it themselves?
What do they want? What’s the reason they recommend streamers instead of playing the game themselves?

The selling point of a horror game is simple.

Getting surprised and scared by hidden elements within the game.

Shaking like a leaf yet never letting go of the keyboard and mouse. Pressing forward bravely, though the trembling voice can’t be hidden.

If a tear falls, that wouldn’t be a bad method. However, one shouldn’t quit the game just because they’re crying.

So, as I installed the horror game recommended by someone who paid an absurd amount, I paused for a moment to ponder.

‘Do I have to pretend to be scared on purpose?’

For me, it was a perfectly logical and significant dilemma.

If I flip the script, it’s simple enough.

I spent a hefty sum to get a horror game played by a lovable streamer, only to get no desired reaction.

Would you sponsor that person again? Or would you keep watching their broadcasts afterward?

Of course, you might still watch. You could find it refreshing that they weren’t startled by the game’s horror elements, or they might impress you by showing unexpected physical skills while speedrunning through a horror game.

Or you might just be satisfied that your favorite streamer played the game you recommended.

‘I don’t think that person is that type, though.’

The mysterious sponsor who shoved a horror game my way didn’t seem like that at all.

After all, they started following my stream just yesterday, and today was the first time they sponsored me, so they couldn’t have been an existing viewer.

In reality, pondering about this might be meaningless.

I could end up playing the game and becoming so terrified that I might end up sobbing uncontrollably, making my earlier worries seem ridiculous.

However, I thought the chances of that were low.

While I hadn’t played horror games myself, I had seen others play them a few times.

Every time I wondered, why are they so scared? It doesn’t seem that scary—

Logically speaking, there’s no way a tough guy like me, a true warrior of the Republic, would be scared by a mere horror game.

It’s not a horror movie; it’s just a game. There’s no way I’d be trembling over a game.

So here I am again at the starting point.

Should I intentionally pretend to be scared for the viewers, maybe add some acting, or just keep it natural?
Should I intentionally act scary and throw in some drama, or just play it naturally?

As I mulled over that, before I knew it, the installation of the game was complete.

“I don’t know. I guess I’ll just play and see how it goes.”

Having reached that conclusion, I decided to say a few words to lay the groundwork in case my acting felt awkward, so I could immediately revert to normal gameplay.

“Um, but even if you make me play a horror game, it probably won’t be fun. I’ll play, but I’m pretty fearless…”

[There are people who don’t get scared at all]

[To some extent, you gotta get scared for it to be fun]

[This one’s actually scary; last time, Taker cried]

[Taker’s always been a scaredy-cat haha]

[Funny how the ones saying this are the most scared]

[So true lol]

[You can tell they’re already about to whine about not being able to do it]

“Hmph, you’ll see.”

I said confidently to the skeptics of my statement.

*

“EEK!”

I screamed at the top of my lungs and ran for my life.

Whatever that was, it definitely gave off the vibe that if it caught me, I was done for.

Having never played a horror game before and being new to this one, the eerie background music screamed danger.

I started sprinting away from something that looked like a ghost.

Of course, part of the reason I ran was because it was genuinely scary.

What the heck is that thing? Is it the music? My heart felt like it was about to jump out of my chest.

[This is hilarious~~]

[What’s with the scream lol]

[But you said you weren’t scared]

[You picked hard mode with confidence]

[Oh man, just watching that thing chase you is terrifying]

[Delicious!]

[Kayak is good at multiplayer games too, huh?]

[Is this what being good is?]

[Being scared but still doing everything, isn’t that talent? lol]

[I guess I’m sleeping with Mom tonight]

[The crawling was all a fake-out lol, they can run too]

[The breathing sounds from behind are so real omg]

[Now I get why the game has good reviews…]

[Look at that satisfying scream]

[Though I haven’t died yet, so far so good]

“Ugh… how far will you chase me? Stop already!”

It felt like the character was set to move pretty slowly from the start. Just a little slip-up, and I was sure the ghost would catch me.

Desperately trying to lose the ghost, I circled around a specific area and hid inside a closet, waiting for the ghost to pass.
I waited until it was time to go.

“U-um, if I hide here, you really won’t find me, right? It’s my first time playing a public game, but I’ve watched others play a lot. Usually, if you hide here, they come back, right?”

[Haha, hiding in the closet like this!]

[Hiding like this is kind of a national rule, though.]

[If you come prepared, it’s no fun -_-]

[Since it’s my first time, it’s not really preparation, is it?]

[I saw your playtime was at 0 hours, what kind of preparation is that?]

[For a first-timer, you’re doing really well! Normally, people die 3-4 times in that section.]

[This person may look like this, but they’re a talent monster.]

[Don’t back down, fight back!]

As expected, the ghost didn’t seem to have the ability to find the person hiding in the closet, and the eerie background music gradually faded along with the footsteps.

Wait, why is there even a sound coming from the ghost? Isn’t that a bit off historically?

Anyway, that wasn’t important right now.

“Uh, you guys, um… can we lower the BGM a bit?”

[????]

[You said you were confident, though! Haha!]

[What a letdown, tsk…]

[Whatever, I’m not scared, so whatever… uh… what?]

[Hmm… is that all?]

[Kayak, you’re getting ‘kicked out’ of our Abyss gallery.]

“I was just saying that. Honestly, I’m not that scared. I’ve just been pretending to be scared because I thought you guys would be bored. So, should I get serious from now on?”

Come on, just because I want to lower the volume a bit, that’s a bit petty.

Facing a strong backlash, I muttered to myself and grabbed the mouse again.

And the moment I opened the door of the hiding closet and stepped outside again…

-Ku-goong!

“AAAH! What the hell! Seriously! Uuuhhh!”

With the dramatic background music playing, I encountered the ghost standing right in front of the closet, and just like that, game over.

It lunged forward with its chilling laugh, and I thought my heart was going to drop.

[Oh, hell no!]

[What the heck?]

[AHH!]

[Even I was surprised by that.]

[The reaction is amazing! Hahaha!]

[What a psycho standing right in front after hiding, crazy!]

[I guess it’s hard mode! Look at that clearing difficulty!]

[Your swearing is so sexy…!]

[Isn’t this genuine? Hahaha!]

And we were back to square one. The game reset to the starting point.

“Th-this….”

I wanted to quit this damn game right away, but with the money I had accepted, I couldn’t do that.

Wiping away the few tears that had slipped out, unseen by the viewers, I stepped into the darkness.


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