Streamer Crazy About Slaughter - Chapter 22
“d*e!!!”
Serin smiled faintly at the sight of someone throwing themselves at her as if they had been waiting for that moment.
‘How can they all act just as I expected?’
Claiming to be a Diamond-tier player.
Even while Serin thought that, the tingling sensation in her right hand was certainly impressive.
It was a deliberate failure of a parry.
The negative impact that resulted from it.
That feeling was definitely unpleasant. Even though it was intentional, her hand felt numb, as if the System was set up to make her physically feel the consequences of a failed parry.
‘If the side effects of failure are this significant, it’s understandable not to use parries.’
For a moment, she understood why the newbies, outlaws, and streamers she had faced until now hadn’t attempted to parry.
If she swung the Crescent Moon Blade in this state, its trajectory would probably be erratic, definitely not moving as she intended.
Bwoooom!
Conscious of the tingling sensation in her hand from the failed parry, Serin kept her eyes fixed on a massive pillar that was about to come crashing down on her.
The black pillar wrapped in a deep green light appeared grotesquely threatening from its very color harmony.
“Ha.”
As she pulled hard on the golden string bound to her Crescent Moon Blade, she directly gripped the rod that was being drawn towards her.
The numbing sensation that was likely to continue for a while made the acts of fine manipulation or launching the rod where she wanted nearly impossible.
In that case.
She just wouldn’t launch the rod.
Instead, she would reach out while holding it directly.
In that fleeting moment, Serin finished her thoughts and kicked off the ground, approaching the pillar that was rushing towards her and activated a skill.
Once again, red energy surged from Serin’s toes, signaling the use of her skill.
As her steps enveloped in red energy left a trace behind.
Serin moved, leaving behind what resembled red marks wherever she went.
—Bloodstep.
Bwoooom!
Serin narrowly turned her head to evade the green pillar that was about to crush her and quickly stretched out her right hand without hesitation.
—!
At that moment, Bulashy felt an unsettling chill as he faced Serin at such close range and froze.
What should this be called? Bulashy couldn’t find a way to express that moment.
He couldn’t even easily speak.
To put it simply, she seemed almost inhuman. Something wearing the guise of a person.
The instant their eyes met, it was as if he was bound by something, and no thoughts crossed his mind. That incomprehensible sensation sent chills down Bulashy’s spine.
‘…I’m going to d*e.’
Before the chilling rod made contact with his body, that was Bulashy’s final thought.
……
After that, just before their bodies completely touched, Serin felt something piercing through her rod.
“Gah!”
At the same time, a scream echoed in her ears.
But Serin paid no mind to that sound.
Killing a person should always be done cleanly. Finishing it off without leaving a trace. That was what mattered.
Moreover, if she had driven the rod into the opponent’s side, she had to twist it in to drive it into the heart.
Given that the rod was extremely short compared to other weapons, holding the rod herself required that level of resolve.
If she hadn’t had that resolve, being that close would be dangerous above all else.
As she felt a slight resistance through her hand and sensed she was piercing through flesh, that was the moment she was about to twist and stab the rod without a hint of hesitation.
Suddenly, the sound of fireworks exploding and a cascade of celebratory noises filled her vision, causing it to swirl.
Then an immense burst of light seemed to envelop her entire view.
“…?”
With her hand raised, she hurriedly tried to clear her vision of the light, but as she lifted her hand, she quickly scanned the surroundings for any sign of the light that had vanished without a trace.
‘Where did that bizarre guy go?’
As Serin thought about whether he might be hiding in a blind spot she was unaware of, she caught sight of a hologram positioned at the edge of her vision.
—Victory!
‘Victory?’
The moment she recognized that, strength drained from Serin’s hand holding the rod, and it slowly dropped down.
“…Right.”
Serin muttered softly as she relaxed her posture.
‘This was a game.’
With a blank expression, she cautiously poked at the rod she held.
The tingling sensation from the failed parry seemed to have dissipated with the conclusion of the duel, and she had returned to her original senses.
And the large burst of light that obscured her vision was likely the result of the opponent character’s vanishing.
Somehow, without realizing it, she felt she had been too focused.
So focused solely on killing the opponent that she had erased the thought of playing around with it from her mind.
The player who had bullied newbies had long since vanished from here.
And now, more than thoughts about that opponent, Serin had greater doubts regarding herself.
“Is he feeling some kind of trauma…?”
Serin murmured in a trembling voice.
No matter how evil the opponent was, they were still human. For her to unconsciously show such a life-or-d*ath appearance against that kind of person.
Like herself, in the Black Ark world, the moment she gripped the rod, she had thought she was holding a real weapon.
Now, as she fiddled with the rod in her hand, she felt a momentary identity with the version of herself in that world, even if it was distant reality.
As she continued to fiddle with the rod, she sensed a clear dissonance compared to the Crescent Moon Blade in that world.
Light yet subtly different weight.
“……”
After that, Serin, who said nothing, wore a serious expression as she unequipped the Crescent Moon Blade. Soon, shimmering like light, the golden string tied to Serin’s right hand and the Crescent Moon Blade faded from view.
Slowly, she clenched and unclenched her fist, trying to feel that sensation deeply.
Although it was different from her real self, there was still a similar feel to it.
Serin tried to remember the sensation of that moment.
The sense of omnipotence she felt because of her power.
It was like the greatest drug to her.
Simply possessing strength intoxicated her to the point of losing sight of her path.
It made her incapable of viewing others as human and consider them inferior beings. There was a time when she had thought of herself that way too.
After being brought to this world, in the moment she lost all of that, she had acted as if she had gone mad.
And now, her character in the game was obviously providing her with a minuscule sense of omnipotence at her very toes.
Clenching her fist merely made her feel a bit healthier, that’s all.
Yet, within that, she was unconsciously attempting to genuinely wield a weapon to k*ll someone.
Because she didn’t like the opponent’s attitude or behavior. That was a separate issue.
Slap.
As she playfully slapped her own cheek with both hands, she felt only a light tickle.
There was no pain or stinging sensation at all.
“Phew…”
Feeling that sensation, Serin let out a large sigh of relief.
“Game.”
Yes, it’s a game. Don’t think too deeply.
——
[Iron Tier 2 → Bronze Tier 5]
—1350 LP → 1500 LP
—Bonus LP awarded for consecutive wins.
——
As she closed another hologram that obscured her vision from the corner of her sight, she slowly went through the process to disconnect from Another World.
Soon, the sensation that wrapped around her familiar would envelop her once more, and her vision faded to dark.
———
Inside the cozy, pitch-black capsule that enveloped her, she took a moment to gather her thoughts.
“…Ha.”
She slowly inhaled and exhaled.
She leaned back against the capsule, trying to feel her body to ensure she was still aware of it.
There was nothing wrong with her senses.
She clearly understood that this was not that world, and her thoughts flowed as naturally as ever.
What could be a better way to make her aware of this reality? After a moment of reflection, a conclusion came easily.
“Shall I go outside?”
She just needed to go outside.
After falling into this world and spending her days cooped up at home, she felt it was time to go out and take a walk to refresh her mood.
Thus, Han Serin’s first outing in this world was decided.
——
A leading company streamer with 700,000 followers.
Ranking 8th in the global Another World.
The name she went by as a streamer on Twittee, and her name in Another World.
‘Plea.’
Referred to colloquially as ‘the crazy woman.’
The reason she was called that was straightforward.
For years now, she had been living completely immersed in Another World.
As the undisputed number one game and trendsetter, which continues to break records, there were certainly many others besides Plea who were passionate about Another World.
Weeks, months, even several months.
There were far more people than expected who played Another World obsessively for that long.
However, if there were others who played as much as Plea, there were hardly any.
Plea, or rather, Yoon Sua, had not played for less than 10 hours a day since Another World was launched three years ago.
Except for eating, sleeping, and relieving herself, she had lived a life solely focused on Another World—a true devotee.
For three years, she had really lived a life consumed by the game Another World.
That was why her most famous nickname was ‘the crazy woman.’
Naturally, Yoon Sua’s relationships fell apart as she immersed herself in the game, and there had been several attempts to forcibly pull her away from the game.
In truth, Yoon Sua wasn’t a woman who enjoyed playing games, and her acquaintances and family who knew her couldn’t understand her obsession with Another World.
……
Ding dong!
At the sound of the bell, Yoon Sua grasped her trembling hands.
Her gaze wandered anxiously as if she had some kind of anxiety disorder.
Clack.
“Hello?”
A woman in white clothing, relatively young, greeted Yoon Sua brightly.
“Y-Yes… Thank you for your hard work.”
Sua’s response came off weirdly to the woman’s greeting.
Slowly, she stepped outside, and the woman in white casually accepted it.
The woman quickly scanned the interior as she stepped in.
The inside was cluttered, resembling a garbage dump.
The woman in white was named Joo Ye Rin, affiliated with a cleaning service that periodically came to clean.
“I think it’ll take about 5 hours.”
Ye Rin said softly to Sua, who was trying to exit through the open door as if she had calculated the time in just a few seconds.
“Is that so!?”
Revitalized by the woman’s words, Sua abruptly lifted her head and spoke, to which Ye Rin responded with a smile, “Yes, that should suffice.”
Even seeing the interior that resembled a junkyard, Ye Rin’s bright smile appeared incongruous.
The one paying is the boss, after all.
That’s a truth that transcends eras.
And the money that Sua paid monthly to Ye Rin, who belonged to the cleaning service, easily surpassed that of a regular part-timer.
Therefore, even if the place were as messy as it was now, Ye Rin could greet her with a smile.
“Take a short break.”
Ye Rin softly said to Sua as she passed by her.
“Yeah!”
Sua cheerfully replied as the door closed.
Clack.
Just as Ye Rin entered, Sua stepped outside.
Instinctively, Sua, holding her smartphone, began searching for a nearby café.
The anxiety she had previously displayed with trembling hands vanished as if it were a lie.
She now looked like a beautifully put-together university student.
Even her leisurely steps were infinitely natural.
Thus, Sua began to walk towards the café, playing another version of herself.
At the same time, she opened NewTube and started watching a video that she had liked.
“Look at that moment when the character Lin executed a parry. More than anything, pay attention to her eye movement. She keeps her eyes on the opponent’s weapon as if she predicted the trajectory of the projectile and moved her head at the last moment. It’s truly astonishing… I can’t help but be amazed watching it again. That’s something that ordinary reflexes can’t achieve…”
On Sua’s smartphone, a NewTube video analyzing the recently popular user ‘Lin’ in Another World was playing.
Parrying or dodging? Those things she could handle effortlessly.
However, beyond those skills, there was one topic that had been weighing heavily on Sua’s mind recently.
‘Parrying four times in the air.’
The idea of executing a consecutive four parries in mid-air was something Sua, recognized as a ranker in Another World, couldn’t quite imagine.
“Can I… do it?”