Chapter 13

A certain player who had been watching the first stream.

‘He’ noticed this stream because he had managed to wake up unusually early and had started browsing streams as a hobby.

The title ‘Shukuna’s First Stream’—a new stream scheduled to start at 6 AM, which was about to begin.

“Starting a stream from the second day…”

He muttered, “That’s unusual.”

This was because it was common for such streams to start from the beginning to attract viewers looking for something new.

Looking at the stream information, it was clear that the player was already level 14.

(To have reached level 14 in just one day, when new players flooded in and saturated the game yesterday…)

This was the shock he felt, having spent the previous day watching and supporting the initial streams of new players.

Curious about what kind of player this was, he clicked on the thumbnail of the upcoming stream.

In the game *WorldLive-ONLINE*, which prides itself on live streaming during gameplay, the actual number of streamers is less than 10% of all players.

This is due to the fact that the game’s main selling point and the initial target audience’s purpose were misaligned.

What is the biggest drawback of a VRMMO? It is the inability to perform any actions outside the game while immersed in it.

MMOs are already time-consuming and can feel like work, and VRMMOs, unlike PC or console MMOs, have the additional weakness of being limited to one activity at a time.

If you can only do one thing, you seek high quality. You seek unique charm. This is where WLO emerged like a comet.

Overwhelming graphics, top-tier AI, and a realism that maximizes the use of the five senses.

The beta test generated explosive buzz, and the result was that those who valued quality rushed to buy it.

Therefore, the number of players who decided to purchase the game specifically for its streaming feature was not that high.

However, the streaming feature functioned well thanks to the streams of famous live commentators and professional gamers prepared by the official team.

In particular, the rise of VR-only professional gamers who gained fame outside of tournaments was remarkable.

Players like *Lynne of HEROES*, *Faima of Freedom Bombers*, and *Masayoshi of Fan Creation* have become leading streamers with their name value and overwhelming playtime.

Their followers have gradually increased, and so have the general streamers.

At the same time, the number of viewers outside the player base has steadily grown.

WLO’s streaming feature was finally becoming a hot genre.

“Aa, aa, test, test.”

He had been lost in thought for a moment and was brought back to reality by this soft, gentle voice.

Looking at the screen, the broadcast had already started.

The image showed a young girl of the Oni race with black hair and red eyes. While not often chosen due to their peaked appearance, they are one of the more popular races for their looks.

It was her first time, so her waving at the camera and doing a microphone test, combined with the cuteness of her avatar, was endearing.

*First-time viewer*

This had become almost a life’s work for him, entering comments.

Streaming is an entertainment form that only exists with both the streamer and the viewers.

In other words, it becomes enjoyable only with comments.

That’s why he always leaves a comment when watching a stream, believing it to be the greatest support he can offer.

As expected, the girl’s face brightened when a few other viewers also left comments.

“Ah, welcome, first-time viewers. It’s my first stream, so I’m not sure if I’m doing it well, but can you hear me clearly?”

Drawn by her honest reaction, comments started pouring in even though only a dozen or so people were watching.

He also left a harmless comment.

“Good. Ah, thank you, first-time viewers. Let’s get started. I’m Shukuna. If you watched Rin-chan… I mean, Lynne’s stream yesterday, you might know me?”

“Huh?”

It took him a moment to process the words coming from the streamer, Shukuna, who was trying to sound calm.

Rin-chan? Then Lynne, and the association with *HEROES*, and the comments flowing in revealed that the girl in front of him was a newly minted professional gamer.

He knew that *HEROES* was getting a new player.

However, he wasn’t particularly interested in e-sports and was only a fan of Lynne as a streamer.

Moreover, he hadn’t watched Lynne’s stream from the previous day, as he was busy exploring other new players.

(Regrettable… So, she’s been streaming since yesterday, essentially.)

Among the few viewers, there were already some Shukuna fans, and he regretted missing out.

(Still… She’s equipped with level 14-appropriate gear. A club, so she must have the Blunt Weapon skill? That’s rare for a girl.)

Regaining his composure, he took a closer look at Shukuna’s equipment.

Wearing a steel plate, chain mail, and leather pants with a belt, she might have the Throwing skill, as the leather pants allow for the equipping of throwing items without changing performance.

Her weapon was a club, popular among Oni but rare for a female player, giving her a rugged and solid appearance.

(Imbalanced or something… She’s good.)

She dashed into the field and instantly killed a pack of wolves.

By accurately hitting their weak points and soft spots, she one-shot all of them and then casually resumed interacting with the comments.

(Too good at combat. What was that? Is she maxing out her stats skillfully? To smash the skulls of wolves moving at that speed…)

Most impressively, the moment she spotted an enemy, her eyes turned fierce like a beast, and she instantly defeated them before reverting to her large, clear eyes.

It was almost as if something had possessed her.

(She has potential. No doubt about it.)

His long history as a viewer could sense Shukuna’s potential vividly.

After laughing at her sudden comment about breaking bodies and getting hyped during an unexpected boss battle, he was completely captivated, which was only natural.

☆

“Well, let’s resume at 1 PM.”

He was a crafter supporting the top-tier raiding clan *Dragon’s Fang*.

He began moving, having prepared his equipment.

He was going to meet a new player who had obtained materials from an unslain named boss monster, under the pretense of helping them, with the hope of becoming friends with Shukuna.

Fortunately, his expertise in crafting should be extremely useful for Shukuna.

If things went well, he might even be able to craft items using named boss materials.

“I don’t usually plan ahead.”

You only seize opportunities by taking action.

With a few ulterior motives, he raced from the fourth city, *Feas*, to the starting city.

He was a top-tier NEET in the game, spending most of his day watching streams and crafting equipment.

Even such a top player supporting the front lines from the shadows was just a fan in this context.

It takes about 8 hours to walk from the starting city to the fourth city.

Starting the RTA, he would cover the distance in a little over 4 hours.