“This is it,” I murmured.
Stem, a sprawling digital hub, served as a comprehensive gaming platform.
It offered an extensive collection of titles, ranging from the creations of independent developers to blockbuster AAA games.
Among this vast library, the game ‘Chain Roller’ particularly caught my eye.
Likely owing to its burgeoning popularity among streamers, it had soared to the top of the download charts.
After clicking the payment button, I idly browsed other titles while awaiting the game’s download.
‘There aren’t many PC games here,’ I mused.
Indeed, popular PC games were conspicuously absent from the lists, with only a scattering of classic titles holding a few spots.
Instead, the dominance belonged to what were known as VR games.
‘So, VR games are the new mainstream now?’
It wasn’t merely my body that had undergone a transformation.
With this shift, the world itself had subtly diverged from the one I had known.
The most striking difference lay in these ‘VR games’.
Unlike my original world, which remained entrenched in PC gaming, this reality was thoroughly dominated by VR experiences.
‘Has only this particular technology advanced so dramatically?’
This wasn’t just about donning a VR headset and swinging a sword to a beat.
Had that been the extent of it, these games would never have supplanted PC gaming in the first place.
While I’d heard tales of players immersing themselves in full virtual reality for gameplay, I hadn’t yet experienced it myself, so I remained somewhat ignorant.
Consequently, games enjoyed with a monitor and keyboard were, at best, regarded as classic titles and, at worst, dismissed as ‘boomer games’ (TL Note: A Korean slang term, ‘teulttak-gaem,’ used to describe outdated or old-fashioned games, often implying they are only played by older generations.).
“If only it were a bit more affordable, I’d give it a shot.”
The price of a VR capsule was exorbitant.
While it varied by model, a new unit typically commanded the cost of an entire compact car.
Given its status as cutting-edge technology, the steep price was understandable, yet it remained utterly beyond the reach of my current finances.
Still, it wasn’t an immediate necessity.
My primary objective was to assess my gaming prowess.
‘For gauging true skill, ‘pot-style’ games are actually ideal,’ I concluded.
It wasn’t without reason that such games were dubbed “streamer skill detectors.”
Unlike RPGs where progress often hinged on monetary investment, these demanded pure physical dexterity and raw gaming ability to conquer.
[Download complete]
The download for Chain Roller had finished.
Upon clicking the ‘Run’ button, three figures materialized on screen, each bald and sporting roller skates.
I briefly examined the somewhat unsettling character models of the bald men before checking the available play modes.
“A three-player mode… and a single-player mode too?”
If my sole intention was to test my individual skill, the single-player mode would have been more appropriate, eliminating the variable of external players.
Nevertheless, I opted for the three-player mode.
‘This game was fundamentally designed for three players,’ I reasoned.
The very name, ‘Chain Roller,’ and the initial screen depicting three bald figures connected by chains, underscored its core design.
The single-player mode, after all, was merely an option for seasoned players of the three-player mode to chase high scores.
Therefore, to truly experience the game as intended, starting with the three-player mode was the most logical choice.
“Why do games like this always feature bald protagonists?” I wondered aloud.
It was a curious trend, reminiscent of the original ‘pot games,’ which were essentially precursors to cyber-torture experiences.
Entering the three-player mode, I found myself in a waiting room.
Contrary to its viral status on E-Tube, the number of active game rooms was surprisingly sparse.
This particular game, after all, was far more entertaining to watch than to actually play.
Most of the current players, I surmised, had likely seen streamers’ playthroughs and were merely here for a ‘trial run’ (TL Note: ‘jjik-meok,’ a Korean slang term referring to trying something out briefly, often just to get a taste of it).
“It would be rather unfortunate to be paired with someone truly unskilled,” I muttered.
Given its nature as a three-player cooperative game, the difficulty would skyrocket if I ended up with incompetent teammates.
I truly hoped for players with at least some aptitude.
“Game Genius Rydell?”
Among the listed rooms, one title prominently stood out.
Was it merely a concept, or could this truly be a seasoned veteran of the game?
Regardless, anyone confident enough to proclaim themselves a “game genius” must surely possess a certain level of skill.
Without much deliberation, I entered the room hosted by Game Genius Rydell.
****
“Uwaaaah! This changes every time I start a new game?!”
Rydell, having just restarted the game with her new teammates, Del-boong #3 and SilverHairSilverHair, stared up at the map, tearing at her hair in frustration.
Everything had shifted.
The obstacles, the entire course they needed to navigate—it was all utterly different from before.
The initial section, which she had meticulously practiced and mastered over four grueling hours, had transformed into an entirely unfamiliar layout.
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Del-boong! You fell for it again!]
[A legendary moment unfolds!]
[Guess you’ll get used to it after another four hours?]
[The map randomly changes every time a new room is created.]
“Everything is reset?!”
Rydell hastily opened a wiki page and searched for ‘Chain Roller.’
Just as her viewers had claimed, the game indeed generated a fresh map every time a new room was created.
“A map generator utilizing the latest AI technology… No, why would such advanced AI be implemented in a trash game like this…?”
Rydell collapsed onto her desk with a thud.
With every new game, the map and all its obstacles were completely reconfigured.
Much like the creators of other ‘pot-style’ games, the developer of Chain Roller was clearly a psychopath, having poured all their talent and passion into devising new ways to torment players.
“No, if you knew that, you should have warned me beforehand! You all must have been aware!” Rydell exclaimed.
To ensure an authentic and spontaneous playthrough, she had deliberately avoided watching any gameplay videos or guides.
Her viewers, however, had undoubtedly seen other streamers play this game.
They would have naturally known about the constant room resets.
Yet, to her astonishment, not a single person among the flurry of chat messages had bothered to inform her.
[It wouldn’t be fun if we told you;]
[Couldn’t be helped]
[You said no spoilers, remember?]
[But she genuinely didn’t try it beforehand, did she?]
[Rydell’s authenticity is unmatched, as always.]
If there was one thing her viewers excelled at, it was their insane unity when it came to playfully teasing Rydell.
Witnessing their unwavering camaraderie, Rydell felt her eyes well up with tears—though not entirely from joy.
“Hah, well, there’s nothing for it,” Rydell sighed deeply, yet forced a surge of artificial energy into her voice. “My caffeine’s kicked in, so it’s time to run again…!”
‘I’ve faced far worse unfairness than this,’ she thought to herself.
Despite being hit with the ‘unfairness’ (TL Note: ‘eok-kka,’ a Korean slang term referring to an unfair or unreasonable situation, often used in gaming) of a map reset, a full-time streamer had to brush off such setbacks.
Lingering on such frustrations would only make the experience dull for both her viewers and herself.
[So, it’s a complete restart from scratch.]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋIs she going to fail to clear it and just bail?]
[Are you pulling an all-nighter tonight?]
[I was planning to go to bed after seeing you clear it, but that’s ruined now….]
[Looks like you won’t clear it before work tomorrow.]
[Thumbs up if you’re glad to be unemployed and don’t have to go to work.]
“No, no, not at all,” Rydell retorted, her voice dripping with forced cheerfulness. “Thank you for allowing me to play this wonderful game for even longer. I was just thinking I wanted more, so thank you, dear developer.”
[I can hear teeth grinding…….]
[I see veins popping on her forehead.]
[If she gets furious today, she might go on a ban spree, watch outㄷㄷ;]
‘How am I supposed to navigate this section, anyway?’ Rydell pondered.
The previous iteration had featured pillars of fire erupting from the floor.
Initially, she had been repeatedly knocked back by these fiery jets, but through memorization and practice, she had learned to pass them with ease.
However, with the creation of a new room, everything had been reset.
Now, large iron spheres hovered ominously before them,
Their number easily exceeding twenty.
This was an entirely unfamiliar pattern, leaving her at a loss for how to proceed.
“Alright, since this is new, let’s first familiarize ourselves with the pattern,” Rydell announced. “I’ll go ahead, so please follow behind me… SilverHairSilverHair-nim?!”
No sooner had Rydell’s words left her lips than SilverHairSilverHair bolted forward.
“SilverHairSilverHair-nim, please wait a moment. Listen to me… Oh, never mind! I’ll just go!”
With SilverHairSilverHair already charging ahead, Rydell and Del-boong #3 scrambled to follow.
‘Could they not be a viewer from my stream? Or perhaps they’ve muted my broadcast,’ Rydell mused.
She had, of course, assumed both her teammates were her viewers,
Which was why she had been issuing instructions through her broadcast microphone rather than typing in chat.
Unlike Del-boong #3, whose username clearly marked them as a viewer,
SilverHairSilverHair continued to charge directly toward the obstacles, heedless of Rydell’s pleas to stop.
[SilverHairSilverHair doesn’t seem like a stream participant?]
[Aren’t they just a regular user? You can’t password-protect the room.]
[Someone’s playing this trash game even if they’re not a stream participant?]
[Are they a troll?]
[Could just be a trash game enthusiast.]
‘Did a regular user simply join because I couldn’t set a password?’ Rydell wondered.
Unless SilverHairSilverHair was deliberately trying to troll, this seemed the only logical explanation.
Yet, in truth, SilverHairSilverHair hadn’t actually done anything wrong.
They had merely joined a game, and it just so happened to be Rydell’s room.
“Alright, even if they’re not a stream participant, it doesn’t matter,” Rydell declared. “I’ll just try it for a bit… Ugh!”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than a massive iron sphere slammed into Rydell.
With a resounding ‘thud!’, Rydell’s bald character was sent hurtling backward.
“This pattern seems entirely random, doesn’t it?”
Rydell, after several more attempts, parted her lips slightly in disbelief.
More than twenty iron spheres,
Hovering and darting through the air, they did not follow any discernible, fixed pattern.
Astoundingly, they seemed to recognize the player characters, contorting their movements into chaotic, unpredictable assaults.
Some spheres attacked on the beat, others off, creating an utterly disorienting barrage.
“This is ridiculous.”
Rydell gritted her teeth.
Even for a ‘pot-style’ game, the difficulty of this initial course felt unreasonably high.
[The balls are just following people?]
[Wow, that’s unlucky….]
[This is genuinely unfair. Isn’t this a late-game pattern?]
[Should we just open a new room?]
‘Should I?’ Rydell pondered internally.
Seeing Del-boong #3 getting mercilessly battered by the iron spheres, it seemed the stream participant’s skill wasn’t particularly great either.
Moreover, SilverHairSilverHair didn’t even appear to be a viewer.
Perhaps it would be better to end this quickly rather than drag it out…
“Yes. I’ll try one more time, then we’ll reopen the room.”
Determined to end on a good note, Rydell concentrated intently, attempting to navigate the obstacles.
“Eek?!”
Despite clearly dodging all the visible spheres, an iron sphere suddenly flew in from her blind spot, striking Rydell’s character.
No, it *should* have struck her.
“Huh?”
The chain connecting them tautened, sharply pulling her body forward through the air.
Consequently, the iron sphere narrowly grazed the bald character’s scalp and passed by.
[SilverHairSilverHair: Oh, I just noticed the chain-pulling function;;]
[SilverHairSilverHair: I’ll help you.]
Both the numerous viewers and Rydell, engrossed in the spheres, had forgotten.
They had forgotten about SilverHairSilverHair’s character, who, despite having charged ahead first, had not been knocked back even once.
“Huh? Huh?”
As she stood dumbfounded, a series of iron spheres flew in one after another.
She should have been hit, but—
When SilverHairSilverHair pulled the chain, Rydell’s character shifted sideways.
Another perfect dodge. Rydell’s mouth hung slightly open.
It felt as if someone were using a hack. She stood still, yet her character moved on its own, dodging all the iron spheres.
[What the??]
[Is it a bug?]
[You can pull the chain. People usually troll with that.]
[No, it’s hard enough to just dodge, but they’re using the chain to force a dodge?]
[And SilverHairSilverHair is dodging everything in the meantimeㄷ]
[SilverHairSilverHair: Just hold down the forward key.]
[SilverHairSilverHair: I’ll carry you.]
