Streamer Crazy About Slaughter - Chapter 13

“……It’s not hacking.”

Han A, who was trying to calm her emotions at Han Serin’s careful words that seemed to represent her, took a moment to collect herself.

‘Stay calm… Just stay calm.’

Han A cautiously composed herself and quickly began to organize her thoughts.

First, she was currently broadcasting. The user named Lin hadn’t been definitively confirmed as a hacker yet, and if it later turned out that she had wrongly implied something or projected the wrong attitude, she could end up bearing the repercussions of wrongly accusing the user Lin.

Moreover, considering that Another World, the game company, had strict security protocols, she had to keep in mind that it was quite possible that Lin might not be hacking at all, given that they were openly connected to the game like that.

By glancing at the rapidly rising holographic window in her line of sight, she could tell that the chat had gone wild without needing to check.

‘That’s right. Streaming requires caution at all times; the saying that you can get taken out in one blow isn’t just a saying.’

Honestly, she had already mentally labeled the previous user ‘Lin’ as a malicious viewer due to their prior chat messages.

However, based on Lin’s unusual appearance and the cautious way they spoke, there was something that felt off about easily dismissing them as a “hacker.”

“Ah, umm!”

After clearing her throat to collect her emotions for a moment, Han A carefully opened her mouth again.

“Um, ‘Lin’?”

Without much of a response to Han A calling them, Han Serin simply stared at her.

Could it be that they were offended by the recent comment about hackers? Han A felt a tinged impatience as she noticed Han Serin’s slightly stiffened expression.

“If what I said a moment ago… offended you, I apologize. But, do you happen to know that a video involving you, Lin, is trending in large communities or on YouTube?”

“If it’s that, aren’t you referring to the video where I catch the outlaw called ‘…Jukdeunga’?”

Han Serin hesitated to mention the nicknames directly, vaguely mumbling it. She wondered what kind of nickname “Ashibal Jukdeunga” was and if the game really didn’t censor such trivial things.

Seeing Han Serin’s reaction made Han A think, ‘So she does know about it,’ and she opened her mouth again.

“Yes, that’s right. In that video, the control you showed and the way you dodged projectiles were, well, how should I put this? Ah, right! It was so impressive that everyone is currently misunderstanding the reality.”

Han A, who couldn’t outright say that their dodging looked “just like a hacker,” mumbled instead. However, Han Serin understood the implication behind her words.

Still, Han Serin nodded slightly at Han A’s attempt to continue the conversation, encouraging her to go on.

“From what I see of Lin, I don’t think they’re a hacker… So I hope you won’t misunderstand or take offense at what I say next! Is that alright so far?”

“Yes… Well, actually, I also wanted to prove that I’m not a hacker. Please, continue.”

Han A’s mood brightened significantly when Lin, who had only been nodding, replied with slightly more relaxed phrasing after swallowing hard.

“Well, then, just to confirm, please don’t misunderstand. The things you showcased in that video were truly your ‘skill,’ right?”

“Indeed. That’s correct.”

A straightforward answer without any hesitation.

In response, Han A briefly entertained the thought, ‘Could it really not be hacking?’

But quickly, she resumed speaking.

“So, is there a specific reason someone with such incredible skill hasn’t participated in the arena until now? Otherwise, if you had just done a PVE party, you would have become quite famous.”

The question Han A posed was fundamentally inquisitive and pivotal. Beyond whether the impressive skill was believable or not, it focused on how someone so visually striking hadn’t become well-known.

Unlike her previous direct answers, Han Serin hesitated for a few seconds before completing her answer after brief contemplation.

“…I just liked hunting monsters by myself.”

Honestly, even while giving that answer, she doubted whether anyone would believe such a statement.

However, since that was indeed the truth, she had no other explanation to offer.

In the world of the Black Ark, she was the one who spent countless days just hunting monsters.

What’s more, hadn’t she herself just started this game today? There was incredibly little room to refute why she wasn’t already famous.

“Ah, I see.”

Han A looked at her with a blank expression, just as expected.

No matter how one looked at it, her demeanor didn’t seem like someone who believed what had been said.

‘…Whatever, it’ll work out.’

Even if it was for verification of the hacking claim, it would likely just be practical PVP, and she felt confident in proving her own strength there.

Even if her words sounded a bit odd, Han Serin thought that her skill would be sufficient to validate it.

“Hmm…”

Han A pondered whether she should believe this or not, ultimately deciding to ask the simplest question.

Somehow, instead of defining a malicious viewer and participating in the arena, the situation had turned into one where she was interviewing the user Lin, but it didn’t quite matter.

The viewers would likely be curious about what she wanted to know anyway.

“So, um, if it’s okay to ask, what is your arena tier, Lin? Even though you just said you don’t enjoy arenas, you could tell me your tier from the last season!”

If the tier was high, she could honestly begin to understand everything.

“Since I have no arena records, my tier doesn’t even show up. I don’t have a tier from the last season either.”

Another immediate response. It was as if she had anticipated the question.

Han A blinked her eyes blankly at Lin, taking in her appearance.

Even upon another glance, the silver-haired female character was so well-designed that Han A almost wanted to ask how she was created.

‘Right, she’s not a hacker. There’s no way she does PVP in the arena, just grinding monsters consistently.’

Yet, she had utterly dominated a notorious PK user, known as an outlaw, in the video.

Despite being in the highest tier, even top-ranked players struggled with timing, and her brother, ‘Jakjak Jugeo,’ who was undoubtedly a ranked player in Another World, couldn’t help but marvel at her skill when watching the first video.

And after replaying it countless times, since he had never heard of or met Lin, he effectively concluded that the user must be a hacker.

‘So… this is what you want me to believe?’

Still, Han A couldn’t manage to voice the numerous doubts swirling within her.

Lin’s confident demeanor and direct responses compounded to make it difficult for Han A to reach a conclusion easily.

‘Ugh… I don’t know, I really don’t.’

Curiosity arose about what the countless messages flooding her line of sight might contain.

As silence filled the space while Han A had briefly immersed herself in thought, it was ultimately Han Serin who broke the quiet.

“Han A? So, are you not going to participate in the arena with me?”

“Suddenly… Ah, the arena?”

Woken from her thoughts by Han Serin’s sudden call, Han A blinked in confusion, caught off guard.

“Suddenly? Wasn’t the reason you invited me originally to participate in the arena together? You mentioned you wanted to see my skill.”

“W-well, that’s true. It’s just that Lin, you… You were typing in the chat too… aggressively.”

Han A looked at Han Serin with a questioning gaze, wondering if there was any remorse regarding the chats, yet Han Serin appeared completely unfazed.

“It’d be faster for you to experience that I’m not hacking firsthand.”

“…I understand.”

Han A, nodding vacantly, wasn’t even sure what answer she was giving.

She was simply responding to whatever was flowing in her mind as it was too complicated to sort through.

Ding!

The icon of two crossed swords appeared in her line of sight, and Han A accepted the duel request from the user Han Serin.

……

Fidgeting with her hands, Han Serin lightly tuned in to the sensations throughout her body.

It was a familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar feeling, perhaps?

Before filling her stomach with delivery food, she had spent about five hours going through monsters, knowing her character’s skills relatively well.

And those skills were practically identical to those in the worldview of the Black Ark. The techniques of the Crescent Moon Blade were things she was already familiar with.

Continuing to gauge her opponent, Han A began to swing her dual swords.

Clang! Clang!

She merely flicked aside Han A’s attacks while wielding the Crescent Moon Blade effortlessly.

Seeing the dubious look in her opponent’s eyes, it seemed they still suspected her of hacking.

From the recent Q&A, it would make sense that even she might feel the same way.

Thus, she needed to showcase her true “skill” right now.

An overwhelming victory that physically dominated her opponent would only raise more suspicions about hacking.

So, she needed to show how to handle true techniques.

As she finished her thoughts, a smile crept onto Han Serin’s face as she took a step forward, twisting the trajectory of her Crescent Moon Blade that was glittering in mid-air.

“Uh?”

In response to her sudden movement, Han A, caught off guard, swung her dual swords at empty air.

Watching this, Han Serin stepped back, pulling at Han A’s right arm.

As a result, the golden thread connected to the Crescent Moon Blade tightened, beginning to bind Han A’s right arm.

As Han A, who was only now trying to pull her arm out, exerted force to push herself off the ground, she leaped back.

“Ah!”

With her naturally bound arm being dragged down, Han A stumbled and fell to the ground.

As she blushed and tried to get up right away, Han Serin yanked at the golden thread around her right arm and promptly executed one particular technique.

It was a technique that, although she found familiar, felt strange to execute with this character in virtual reality.

— Dance of the Ghost.

Flowing perfectly with her own will, Han Serin started moving step by step, light as a feather.

A red aura, distinctly different from her memories, blossomed from her feet as she slowly began to perform the technique.

Showing her skill not through overwhelming power but rather through technique, she didn’t unleash it with an intent to lethally harm her opponent.

Soon, the red aura spread through the golden threads binding Han A’s arm, causing her Crescent Moon Blade to tremble slightly at the tip.

And soon, connected through the golden thread, Han A began to move in a strange manner, reminiscent of a marionette dancing.

Even Han Serin, who was observing, thought, ‘Can it be utilized this way?’

Using a technique typically employed to k*ll their opponent but executing it intentionally weakly felt peculiar.

“Ugh, ah? S-stop! Lin, Lin!!?”

Ignoring Han A’s pleas, the streamer’s voice echoed as Han Serin continued to weave her way slowly through the space.

The technique called Dance of the Ghost was originally intended for rapid movement and fervently swinging the Crescent Moon Blade, a rather deadly technique meant to shred the opposing target.

However, she was using it at a painfully slow pace.

Unconsciously, her body, which wished to perform the technique rapidly, was strictly controlled, moving only according to her will.

“Please stop! I’m serious! I’m really scared!!”

Dancing slowly, as if decorating the air around her, Han Serin’s concentration wavered at hearing the scream-like voice.

Had she perhaps gotten too absorbed in it? Only then did she take another look at Han A, who sat there in a daze.

“…Um, Han A?”

Seeing Han A in a trance-like state, with fear written all over her face, Han Serin thought… ‘This isn’t right.’

‘No, I didn’t intend to frighten her this much.’

As she looked at Han A, her expression became disjointed as she began to stutter.

“…Wh-what is this? W-what on earth is it? You’re too, too scary… Lin!! I-I yield. So please stop, I’m really scared!”

In her attempt to shake off the label of a hacker, she felt like she was showing an even stranger aspect instead.

Having accessed Another World, she had already joined in on the stream that appeared at the top of the menu for streamers. Thus, now in Han A’s room, she subtly brought up the holographic window and opened the chat box.

The responses she saw were all something to behold.