By its very nature, a community allows people to freely join and leave.
This implies that individuals can gather and disperse with surprising ease.
Consequently, a community lacking a focal point, or in other words, without a spark to rally around, stagnates and eventually withers away.
Yet, if even the faintest spark exists, the very nature of a community ensures that it will ignite fiercely and rapidly.
Just as it did now.
[Third Life (TL Note: A common concept in Korean web novels and games, referring to someone reborn or having multiple lives, often implying immense experience or foresight.) <- What is this guy?]
[Ah, I wish I had a third life too.]
[But is that really possible?]
[Someone should run a fraudulence check; AI has advanced so much these days.]
[The True Veteran's Chronicle: Unemployed feat. Third Life]
Initially, the spark that ignited was somewhat subdued.
It was merely a flicker on the ashes of a fire that had already burned itself out.
It had flared up once before, concerning Yura.
Then again, for the record-breaking feat.
A fire can only burn so many times, after all.
Having already raged for hours, there was seemingly nothing left to fuel a third blaze.
Thus, it seemed destined to fade into obscurity without much incident.
That is, until someone penned a remarkably lengthy post.
This post served as a flashpoint.
[Author: Fraud Detector]
[Title: Proof that the video used hacks]
[As everyone knows, Rio World has a Tower Climb mode.]
[Naturally, within Tower Climb mode, there's a Speedrun mode.]
[As the name suggests, it's about who can clear it the fastest.]
[The previous record was set by the current Rank 8 player, clocking in at 5 minutes and 13 seconds.]
[But this new record is in the one-minute range?]
[Here's why that's impossible.]
[1. First, as shown in the video, the level.]
[(Screenshot of level from slime-hunting video)]
[See? Level 0.]
[Everyone might be baffled, asking, 'Why? What's the problem?']
[So, let me explain.]
[Level 0 means all stats are reset.]
[While Rio World strives for realism, and initial stats vary slightly per individual, they usually fall within the range of an average person, plus or minus an athlete's baseline.]
[But does it make sense that they traversed that passage with those stats?]
[And while surrounded and being hit by slimes?]
[Was it really possible to run through and clear it in just one minute?]
[A full sprint might seem possible, but there are slimes.]
[Even an active obstacle course runner would struggle to avoid them while running, so how is this possible?]
[Seriously, even an athlete's grandfather, let alone an actual athlete, would collapse from exhaustion. What is this, really?]
[2. Unbelievable Reflexes]
[If you look at the original post, it claims you can survive being surrounded by slimes simply by dodging with footwork.]
[This is absurd because:]
[Slimes deal strong DoT (Damage over Time) damage.]
[If you're swarmed like that, the DoT damage would undoubtedly be considerable, so how did they survive?]
[If the level is 0, their HP would also be at a reset level.]
[No matter how weak slimes are, being surrounded by that many would mean death.]
[There's even a video (Link to MyTube video attached) of some madman in India trying to clear slimes bare-handed and dying to three of them.]
[This is because slimes are strong in area attacks.]
[Their individual attack power might be low, but they spray a lot of liquid when attacking.]
[Each of those registers as DoT damage, and with bare-bones stats, you'd just die.]
[I even tried an experiment myself.]
[(Video attached)]
[No matter how I tried to dodge, in that confined passage, I inevitably took DoT damage and died.]
[But this person survived, somehow dodging without dying?]
[Do you really think those reflexes are possible with level 0, raw stats?]
[I'm skeptical.]
[I experimented with a Level 10 character, and even they could dodge fairly well at first, but couldn't keep it up past the midpoint.]
[But Level 0?]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[It just makes me laugh.]
[Alright, alright.]
[Up to this point, it's within the realm of physical ability, so let's try to understand it.]
[Perhaps there's a genius of the century we don't know about.]
[But how do you explain this?]
[3. Unemployed]
[(Video of burning slimes with magic)]
[Mages might wonder why this is an issue.]
[Right, for mages, it's not a problem.]
[Many mages, upon first encountering Rio World, can cast spells immediately.]
[You don't even need to be a top-ranker; some skilled mages can do it.]
[But a mage possessing such stamina and physical abilities?]
[Isn't that complete nonsense?]
[Furthermore, my calculations show that magic of that power, at Level 0, would require squeezing out every last bit of mana at once.]
[In other words, without the mage class's unique traits and magic assist abilities that Rio World grants upon casting spells, they supposedly pushed their power to its absolute limit in an unemployed state, purely through mental prowess?]
[This kind of feat is only seen among top-ranked players in Rio World.]
[(Video attached: Rio World Mage compilation)]
[There are actual scenes of top-ranked mages doing this.]
[So, just in case, I looked them up.]
[Their face isn't registered with the association.]
[Do you know what that means?]
[There are three possibilities:]
[A Hunter who doesn't even need to officially register their face with the association.]
[A criminal.]
[An ordinary person.]
[However, 'criminal' or 'ordinary person' are immediately disqualified.]
[Why?]
[A criminal wouldn't openly operate like this, would they?]
[And ordinary people struggle just to navigate Rio World, so how could they be there?]
[That leaves a Hunter who doesn't need to officially register with the association.]
[These usually fall into two categories:]
[1. Association Shadows (TL Note: Covert agents or operatives working for the Hunter Association.)]
[2. Hunters the Association simply doesn't need to bother with.]
[Which one do they seem like?]
[In my opinion, it's the second.]
[It absolutely cannot be the first.]
[What kind of Association Shadow would reveal their entire face and upload a game video?]
[Especially one that gains so much attention?]
[So, it's the second.]
[It can't be the first.]
[And if I were to provide additional evidence, would you please look at this picture first?]
[⁝]
[(Various arguments claiming it's a fabrication)]
[⁝]
[Three-line Summary:]
[1. A Level 0 character doing that makes no sense.]
[2. It's impossible given the game's system.]
[3. Conclusion: It's a fabrication.]
[Damn, this deserves a massive upvote! LOL]
[I'm staying neutral (TL Note: A Korean slang term, 'jungnipgieo bakda,' meaning to 'put it in neutral gear,' signifying an intention to remain impartial or observe objectively.) for now. We don't know yet, do we? It's all just speculation, no confirmation.]
[└ You're staying neutral on *this*? Are you perhaps Mr. Backseat Gamer (TL Note: A Korean slang term, 'hunsu-jwa,' referring to someone who gives unsolicited advice or 'backseat gaming.')?]
[└ Do I need permission to stay neutral these days?]
[Ah, so Mr. Backseat Gamer, was he a Mr. Hacker-Adviser all along?]
[I was so impressed watching it, but it's hacks *again*?]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋ What did you expect from someone who just watches streams? If they really had that skill, they'd be playing professionally, not watching broadcasts.]
This was a considerably long and scathing critique.
As I read it, only one thought crossed my mind.
" 'That's plausible.' "
Indeed.
It was plausible.
After all, this wasn't reality, but a game.
Such misunderstandings could occasionally arise.
Though it was all unconfirmed inference, didn't such inferences combine to form the basis of evidence?
Thus, I could easily forgive this much impertinence.
However.
Hmm.
It felt a bit unpleasant.
I enjoyed offering advice.
But I disliked having my advice doubted by others.
'What should I do about this?'
****
If there was one inherent problem with the current information age, it was that no conflict, no fire, remained confined to its initial skirmish.
Modern society was an era where the internet allowed access to anywhere.
A fire that first ignited in a community spread its sparks far and wide, eventually settling even in Yura's fan cafe.
It was a natural progression.
After all, wasn't that viewer a fairly well-known presence on Yura's streams?
[Is this where Mr. Backseat Gamer resided?]
[I've come on a pilgrimage.]
[Yura, Yura, when's the competition?]
Fortunately, fewer sparks flew towards Yura herself.
From the outset, there was no strong connection to Yura.
And there was little ground or justification to strongly link them.
Amidst this situation, Yura entertained a somewhat dangerous idea.
The reason lay in the competition rule draft before her.
Yura's primary motivation for holding the competition was to earn money.
Thus, until her manager had something to say about it, she had allowed outsiders, not just her broadcast viewers, to participate.
Participation was permitted upon paying a certain entry fee.
Although she had tweaked the rules slightly at her manager's insistence, the objective of this competition remained remarkably straightforward.
What if that particular viewer, who was practically the very reason for the competition's inception, were to participate in such a tournament?
The MyTube dynamic would be absolutely phenomenal.
Though they say there's no 100% in science.
Yura was 100% certain.
This was money.
However.
"Argh! Why did a hacker controversy have to arise?! If it weren't for that, I would have invited them!"
The emergence of a hacker controversy was truly regrettable.
Yura, despite appearances, was a broadcaster working in the gaming industry.
If she were to invite someone embroiled in a hacker controversy—a taboo in the gaming world—to not just a regular broadcast, but a 'competition,' merely to draw attention.
Then things would become truly awkward.
It could escalate beyond a situation that could be somehow managed, as it was now.
Therefore, she had no choice but to be extremely cautious regarding hacks.
'They haven't even been definitively judged a hacker yet… what a shame.'
Whether they were truly a hacker or not would only be known by revealing their hand.
Yet, even Yura, who usually enjoyed risky gambles, did not touch gambles that could lead to utter ruin.
As Yura was lamenting with a click of her tongue.
[Title: Backseat Gamer Verification]
Another post with the exact same title appeared.
She clicked it reflexively.
The post immediately opened.
The content was simple.
[I'm suspected of being a hacker, huh?]
[(Image of a comment: 'If I fight a hacker, I'll definitely win.')]
[(Image of a comment: 'No matter how much of a hacker they are, they're worse than me.')]
[What will you do if I'm not a hacker?]
[Me vs. You, 1 on 1.]
[1 million won bet, wanna go?]
[If you beat me, I'll give you 1 million won.]
The post featured several malicious chat messages preserved.
The meaning of this post was simple enough for even elementary school students to grasp.
It was a declaration of war.
And a provocation.
Scared?
