[May I speak?]
At the sudden, ethereal voice, Ox felt his mind seize up, his trembling eyes searching for its owner.
‘What is this? There are clearly only two female participants….’
Yet, the voice he had just heard belonged to neither of them. It was younger, perhaps, and almost sweet enough to be cloying.
Scanning the voice channel quickly, he was astonished to see V’s account light up, indicating she was speaking.
“…Ah, yes. You may speak! Everyone, please calm down a little, and let’s hear what the participant has to say first!”
Wait, it was a female user?
Honestly, judging by her demeanor and the obsessive depth of her game knowledge, he had assumed she would be a rather older individual. This revelation completely defied Ox’s expectations.
– Wow
– What’s that voice?
– Her voice is so cute lol
– Huh
– Wasn’t that a hairy old man? lol
The viewers, too, expressed their astonishment, falling silent in an instant.
Though it was surprising, this was a turning point!
Knowing that suppressing public opinion unconditionally only invited greater backlash, V’s true identity couldn’t have been more welcome from Ox’s perspective.
[Yes. I’ll explain quickly. All the points mentioned in the post are, ultimately, valid plays. Other class builds also have similar mechanics and ‘dirty tricks’ (TL Note: ‘Japgisu’ refers to small, often unconventional, but effective techniques or tricks in gaming), and it’s hard to argue that they deviate significantly from the game developer’s intentions. Therefore, calling it a bug exploit seems incorrect. That’s all.]
Her explanation was concise and clear, yet the atmosphere in the chat window had softened considerably compared to before.
Though it felt a bit awkward to admit openly, the fact that V was a woman with a cute voice had been the decisive factor.
Even from Ox’s perspective, there was nothing that warranted overturning the results; it had ultimately been a matter of public opinion and justification.
[…Hmm, the play is important, not the voice. Please look at the play. Anyway, thank you.]
A remark that sounded somewhat disgruntled came back, but perhaps because it offered a refreshing change for viewers who had been growing frustrated with the proceedings, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
Just then, the troublesome sponsor once again began to interject.
*Ding!*
[Godoomer has sponsored 1,000,000 Gold!]
– How do you prove it’s a play not outside the game developer’s intention?? If you just let it slide because she’s a girl, you don’t deserve to be an ambassador;
From Ox’s standpoint, it was truly a difficult situation.
Was this truly something worth throwing such a huge sum of money at just to pick a fight?
Just as he was about to make a definitive decision, V suddenly spoke, rattling off words like a machine gun, her tone brimming with indignation.
[Well said. The Extreme Lightning Skill was mentioned in an announcement on July 28th, four years ago. The Puppet Disturbance Skill was in the patch notes on January 17th, two years ago. And the cancel combo and after-delay changes for the Phantom Puppet: Dark Skill were mentioned in a hotfix on April 3rd of the same year. If this isn’t the game developer’s intention, then what could it possibly be? Besides that, there’s also…]
“W-wait a minute. What month and day was that?”
Ox stammered in surprise, and the broadcast’s chat window began to flood with question marks.
‘July 28th… July 28th… It’s actually there?’
Astoundingly, just as V had stated, the game developer’s mentions of the skills could be confirmed in the patch notes and announcements for those exact dates.
Ultimately, every word she had just uttered was not mere bluster, but the unvarnished truth.
‘A-a madwoman.’
Ox himself had enjoyed Aekpa for quite some time, but the V before him was, quite literally, showcasing a completely different caliber of expertise.
Her grumbling voice was quite endearing, perhaps because she wasn’t very old, but the chat’s reaction had starkly changed from before.
After all, they had just realized that V belonged to the category of what people called ‘the real deal.’
“Uh, well, everything she said is factual. So there’s no problem, is there? The participants had all agreed to it from the start.”
*Ding!*
[Godoomer has sponsored 1,000,000 Gold!]
– No, what was posted in the article wasn’t just that, it’s really frustrating; is this really the level of viewers we have?
Though the amount was still astronomical, no one else came forward to support Godoomer’s opinion.
He had attempted to wield the double-edged sword of public opinion recklessly, but his actions seemed to overlook the possibility that he himself could become the target.
– Seriously, their stubbornness is insane;
– Why is their mindset so repulsive?
– The game developer mentioned it, so what do you want them to do?
– I know that guy is Ddaengbul’s fan. They’re just mad their master got stomped, lol.
This was the moment. Ox, like the veteran he was, having built his channel without controversy, knew precisely when to bring the matter to a close.
Finally, Ox, who had been waiting for the opportune moment, shook his head, firmly dismissing Godoomer’s opinion.
“We will refund the sponsored amount in full, without any fees. Honestly, it was a bit unreasonable from the start. Since it’s hindering the content’s progress, I apologize, but I will have to remove you.”
Even the post-processing was clean, ensuring no future issues.
Thus, the controversy subsided, and only the most crucial result remained.
The twelfth participant, V.
Having already left the voice channel, she had captured all the attention of this Imperial Showdown.
****
‘This is ridiculous….’
Despite my earnest explanation of the philosophy behind the Puppeteer’s skills, people weren’t listening to a word I said.
They just kept fussing about my voice being cute or whatever, and honestly, even though I expected it, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.
This was truly amazing. This was advanced knowledge that no one could just teach anyone else….
“Sigh.”
Moreover, setting aside the broadcast’s viewers, there was someone else making an even bigger fuss.
It was none other than Temu Mountain Sword God, a channel user who knew that V’s true identity was me.
*Ding!*
– Temu Mountain Sword God: What the f***
– Temu Mountain Sword God: You were really a girl??
– High School Grad Middle Schooler: Yep
– Temu Mountain Sword God: Wow
– Temu Mountain Sword God: Hold on a sec;
– Temu Mountain Sword God: You know I said all that stuff to you thinking you were a guy, right?
– Temu Mountain Sword God: If you were offended, I’m sorry.
– Temu Mountain Sword God: It really wasn’t sexual harassment, okay…?
Seeing Temu Mountain Sword God seemingly recalling his many remarks, I chuckled faintly, reflecting on his past actions.
Indeed, Temu Mountain Sword God had a particularly foul mouth among the channel users and was prone to making all sorts of crude remarks to those he was close with.
Given that the person he had been friendly with, whom he thought was a man, turned out to be a woman, it was understandable that he would be concerned about various things.
– High School Grad Middle Schooler: It’s fine. I don’t care.
– Temu Mountain Sword God: Thanks thanks
– Temu Mountain Sword God: But then, Mint Soboro Bread, Full-time Farmer, and Cute Wren — those bastards — they all knew and just let it happen??
– Temu Mountain Sword God: F***, I feel so betrayed;
– High School Grad Middle Schooler: Nah, only Cute Wren knew, the others didn’t.
– Temu Mountain Sword God: ?
– Temu Mountain Sword God: Then why on earth
Sensing that Temu Mountain Sword God was misunderstanding something, I decided to let him experience the reason firsthand to help him understand.
*Ding!*
– High School Grad Middle Schooler: ㅠ
– High School Grad Middle Schooler: I honestly felt, like, sexually? Humiliated.
– High School Grad Middle Schooler: My head is pounding and I feel dizzy.
– Temu Mountain Sword God: No, it’s a misunderstanding, please, we’re not *that* kind of friends, are we?
– High School Grad Middle Schooler: Then you write it too.
– Temu Mountain Sword God: Wow
– Temu Mountain Sword God: It all makes perfect sense now.
Having gained enlightenment, Temu Mountain Sword God left to write a post on the channel, and I, too, participated in the ensuing Imperial Showdown, successfully concluding that day’s broadcast.
The final victor? Naturally, there could be no other candidate than myself.
‘Hmm.’
In the second segment, I used a secret, nostalgic map-teleportation bug, evoking a deep sense of nostalgia among old users. In the third segment, I won by receiving the unanimous vote of the participants.
Since all the participants were dedicated “concrete users” (TL Note: “Concrete users” refers to a loyal and hardcore fanbase) who were genuinely passionate about Aekpa, they couldn’t help but experience the greatness I possessed firsthand.
‘…I guess I’ll just binge-read the channel posts.’
[Title: High School Grad Middle Schooler << If she’s super cute, it’s fine.]
[Temu Mountain Sword God]
[Content]
I love High School Grad Middle Schooler.
I support you.
I adore you.
You know my heart, right?
I’m always on your side.
(Submissive Pose Emoticon)
[Comments]
– Lol
– Honestly, if you thought he’d eventually go crazy, upvote, lol
– The signs were there, honestly.
– He was always a high-risk case, anyway.
– So even Temu finally succumbed.
– Just how cute is High School Grad Middle Schooler to make him act like this…?
[Title: Temu, you’ve seen the light.]
[Mint Soboro Bread]
[Content]
Come to High School Grad Middle Schooler’s channel.
[Comments]
– Honestly, this guy is the scariest…
– Seriously, he’s basically a full-blown cultist now.
– At this point, it’s dedication, damn.
– Mint Soboro Bread hasn’t been in the game lately, what’s he doing?
┗ Mint Soboro Bread: I’m a bit busy, sorry
┗ And yet that guy is posting ‘super cute’ morning, noon, and night;
[Title: High School Grad Middle Schooler << I’m curious.]
[Thief Crab]
[Content]
‘I’m itching to ‘observe’…’ (TL Note: ‘Observe’ here implies a strong desire to see or meet the person.)
[Comments]
– Nope, only I get to see them.
– They’re already my lover, so peace out.
┗ Cute Wren: Halt (TL Note: A shout used in Zen Buddhism to stop someone or express disapproval)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
┗ ? Lol
– Seriously, I’m dying of curiosity…
– I want to see them too, please give us High School Grad Middle Schooler.
The number of channel users taking an interest in me was increasing day by day, which could truly be called a desirable phenomenon.
After binge-reading all the posts on Shin Yirin’s channel, I casually browsed the Aekpa Gallery (TL Note: An online community forum for the game Aekpa) and found a trending post that piqued my interest, so I clicked on it.
[Title: V << Is this perhaps the former gallery master (TL Note: ‘Gallery master’ refers to the top user or administrator of an online community gallery) wldks_08…?]
