Chapter 5

Chapter 4

The News Star

“Uaaaaah!!! Doran, that bastard!! Not only did he force me to take a quest I didn’t want, but he even killed me in the team? Damn! Why do all the names of thieves, robbers, and bandits start with ‘do’? Now I get it! Doran, you bastard! From now on, your name itself is a curse!!”

I burst out of the capsule and, to vent my anger, opened the window and screamed at the top of my lungs.

The rain was pouring heavily, and the sound of the rain drowned out my voice, so I didn’t get any complaints from the neighbors.

Thanks to this, I was able to rant to my heart’s content for a long time. After calming down, I checked the time. It was not even 4 a.m. yet.

Even though the rain was supposed to continue until late in the afternoon, allowing me to rest without worrying about my family, I couldn’t log into the game for 12 hours during this golden holiday!

“Minus 3 levels… The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Doran, Doran, Doran!”

I headed to the bathroom first. I wanted to wash my face to cool down my head, which was hot with anger.

As I splashed cold water on my face and listened to the refreshing sound of the water, I gradually calmed down.

If I washed my hair, which I hadn’t washed for two days, I would feel even better, but I was too lazy to do it.

“…It’s not the time to curse Doran.”

Doran was much stronger than I expected and fought well. I was just a sidekick and didn’t need to do anything. Doran alone wiped out all the enemies. We were on the verge of completing the quest thanks to Doran’s strength.

Yes, Doran did a great job.

The problem was the unexpected situation that occurred in the middle.

The appearance of the top-ranked player.

“That witch….”

Why did Yura appear there?

She is a black mage. The Temple of Yatan is an important stronghold for black mages, so it’s not strange for her to appear there at any time.

Why did Yura treat me as an enemy?

I was an intruder in the temple, and she was a devotee, so she had the duty to protect the temple. It was inevitable that she would be hostile.

Now I understand.

‘When I accepted the quest, the black mages in the temple must have received a separate quest to stop me. The true enemies were not the NPCs but the players. That’s why Doran was so strong. No wonder the S-rank quest felt too easy.’

I came to a conclusion.

‘Witch… You received the quest because I triggered it. You, a heartless woman, didn’t even know how to be grateful and tried to kill me as soon as you saw me…’

After I died, Yura must have completed the quest. Yura was strong, and Doran was quite exhausted.

It’s really frustrating.

In the first place, Yura got the quest because of me, and Doran was so exhausted because I was weak. Yura just sat there and reaped the benefits. I put the cake right in her mouth.

“Bad woman….”

To interfere with and steal a quest from a minus-level noob when she is a top-ranked player with over 200 levels!

I returned to the capsule and sat down, then connected to the internet and searched for Yura.

Just typing “Yura” brought up hundreds, if not millions, of related links on the internet.

After skimming through the high-exposure blogs and large community posts, I quickly understood the public’s perception of Yura.

Despite her nickname “Blood Witch,” she was loved and respected and was an object of envy.

Her stunning beauty and perfect gaming skills, along with the ideal image portrayed by the media, earned her praise from people of all ages and genders. Her fan clubs in overseas servers alone numbered over a thousand.

Her popularity easily surpassed that of top Hollywood actors.

‘Is that normal in today’s world?’

If the protagonist of Satisfy, which is more spectacular, thrilling, and dramatic than any movie, had less popularity than a mere actor, it would be abnormal.

Nowadays, most of the hundreds of TV channels broadcast Satisfy-related content. The high ratings at any time of day led to the creation of dedicated Satisfy news channels.

Of course, this is not limited to South Korea. Satisfy has over 2 billion users worldwide, and the global broadcasting market is in the same situation.

As a result, even the most popular movie actors have much less exposure than the top-ranked players (rankers) of Satisfy, which directly affects their recognition.

Especially Yura, whose beauty made her even more recognizable than other rankers, thus allowing her to embrace both money and fame.

She is a complete contrast to me, who ended up in debt because of Satisfy.

‘I’m just called a game addict, but you’re living a fantastic life thanks to the game.’

Enjoying a game you love while being recognized by the world?

I’m incredibly envious. If I were Yura, I wouldn’t find any regrets in life.

“…Did you have to steal a quest from a pitiful guy like me?”

She’s not called a witch for nothing. She’s truly a wicked woman.

Crunch!

I clenched my teeth and brought up the holographic keyboard. I started leaving comments on posts related to Yura.

‘Yura is trash. She interferes with low-level players’ quests. Her on-screen persona is completely different from her real self. Her personality is terrible.’

‘Yura isn’t that pretty in real life. I saw her myself. Her plastic surgery is obvious. Her nose looks like it’s stuffed with chalk. Her face is always scowling, and her TV smiles are all fake.’

‘Why do people like Yura? She’s a complete bitch. The number of people she’s backstabbed is countless. She backstabbed me too.’

‘She’s a low-level quest saboteur, despite being a top-ranked player! Don’t be fooled by the image created by the media!’

“Hahaha… Hahaha!”

I told people everything I experienced and felt about Yura.

It felt good to spread the truth to the masses who had been deceived by false information, like a great journalist.

Tap. Tap tap.

Continuous comment spamming!

My ten fingers, tapping the holographic keyboard that emitted a faint glow, moved freely and energetically, like a pianist playing a lively tune.

In the dark room, sitting in the capsule with a smile, my current appearance would be perceived as beautiful and mysterious if someone saw it.

“Bro… Have you finally gone crazy?”

I was giggling and spreading the “truth” when I heard a sudden voice and turned to the door.

Sehee, with sleepy eyes, peeked through the slightly open door and looked at me.

“Scared me.”

While I was calming my heart, Sehee, who had entered the room, crossed her arms and said,

“I heard you giggling while I was going to the bathroom. I was worried that you had finally gone crazy in real life after being obsessed with the game, so I came to check. Are you crazy? I hope you’ll say no.”

“…To your brother. I’m not crazy.”

“It’s a relief that you’re not crazy yet. Phew, you stink. Your hair is a mess. Take a shower and live a bit. Clean up your dishes quickly! Why are you eating alone in your room? It would be better to eat together… No, never mind.”

Sehee, who spoke harshly, was still tidying up the empty rice bowls and side dishes I had carelessly stacked on one side.

‘She’s as kind as she is pretty. I’m glad I’m not like her.’

As I watched her with a smile, Sehee, feeling my gaze, turned and glared at me.

“Instead of just sitting there, help clean up if you have nothing to do. No, I’ll clean up, so go take a shower. You look terrible.”

“I’ll do it myself, so just leave me alone. Why did you get up in the middle of the night to clean up? Go back to sleep.”

“I saw you laughing creepily and got goosebumps, so I couldn’t sleep. Clean up and come back. I haven’t seen your proper face in a long time… No, no! It’s just that you’re dirty, so clean up and come back!”

Sehee, who is a high school freshman, is 9 years younger than me.

As the beloved youngest sibling, I should at least follow her request, right?

‘If I had known it would end up like this, I would have washed my hair when I washed my face earlier.’

I headed to the bathroom, despite the inconvenience, and quickly washed my hair with soap and dried it with a towel.

But why is my hair so stiff?

“…Was it laundry soap?”

I brushed my hair and returned to the room, feeling that the stench of a bachelor had faded, replaced by a refreshing scent.

Did she even spray air freshener? She’s so meticulous.

In the short time it took to wash my hair, the room was neatly cleaned.

For a kid to do this much after waking up in the middle of the night, she’s really diligent. Whoever takes her will get a great wife.

I confirmed that Sehee was sitting in the capsule and lay down on the bed.

“Want to use the internet? Go ahead.”

Since I can’t log into the game anyway, I decided to be a good brother and let her use the capsule.

To my surprise, Sehee sent me a look of disdain.

“Bro… Were you a keyboard warrior?”

“Keyboard warrior?”

What kind of nonsense is this?

As I tilted my head, Sehee quietly got up and pointed to the monitor floating in front of the capsule.

“Why are you cursing a much younger girl and spreading ridiculous rumors? Even if there’s a reason, your actions seem too despicable. I’m really disappointed in you, bro.”

Her tone was calm, but I could tell she was genuinely angry.

Recalling my mistake, I quickly checked the monitor.

The list of comments I had spammed on Yura’s posts was displayed.

Damn! I should have closed the internet window!

“Sehee, this is….”

“Low-quality.”

I tried to explain to Sehee.

But she went back to her room, locked the door, and didn’t give me a chance to speak. No matter how much I knocked, the door wouldn’t open.

I realized that the last bit of dignity I had as a brother was completely lost at that moment.

This is all… this is all because of…

“It’s because of that witch!”

I complained in front of Sehee’s door. My voice must have risen without me noticing, as I was hit on the back by my mother, who was startled by the commotion.

My back, which never toughens no matter how many times it’s hit, hurt….

I applied a cooling patch to my red back and finally fell asleep.

The next day.

“Haaa….”

I opened my eyes and checked the time. It was 11 a.m.

My parents must have gone to work early in the morning, and Sehee had already gone to school three hours ago.

“I only slept for six hours. Being diligent has its drawbacks… Why did God make me so diligent?”

I scratched my butt over my underwear and headed to the kitchen. I wanted to prepare