348. Space War (1)

Keueung.

Waking up from my sleep, I recalled the last round of the group play from earlier.

Everyone worked together, overcoming various hardships, and in the end, I shattered the chest of the camping user with my god-tier sniping skills.

I won so spectacularly, then foolishly fired my gun and faceplanted on the floor.

Ah, if I had perfectly executed a superhero landing, it would have been totally badass.

Aaaaaaaah!

Even though several hours had passed, I kicked the blanket hard, fueled by the vivid memory.

The problem is, without legs, it’s just a blanket with movements akin to a cat wriggling inside.

I wish I could kick it hard to relieve stress, but I can’t, which is so frustrating.

I hugged the pillow next to me with my severed arms and legs, which now felt like a part of my body.

Playing battle arenas with someone as skilled as Chacon is fun, but playing games with pretty women is also enjoyable.

Especially when they’re giving me buffs from the side, the game feels much more fun.

I had so much fun that I mustered the courage to give a final greeting with a flushed face.

I should ask to play games together again next time.

Now, let’s close my eyes and sleep.

.

..

…

I was about to close my eyes and sleep, but you know those days?

When it’s clearly time to sleep, but your mind is wide awake. And thoughts start creeping in.

It feels like you’re losing out if you sleep. Plus, the feeling that something fun is about to happen.

벌떡. (Beoljjeok.) *Thump*

I can’t sleep.

I subtly leaned forward and looked through the glass separating my room from the medical device monitoring room.

Empty.

No one’s there.

Actually, I just need Anna and Pinkeu to be gone.

Given my situation, 24-hour surveillance is unavoidable.

They’re being considerate of me now, so instead of watching my room directly, they’re monitoring my condition 24/7 through the chip implanted in my body.

The doctors must know that I’m awake through their monitoring.

But that’s only known to the doctors. Unless there’s a health issue, they don’t tell anyone else what I’m doing.

They’ll turn a blind eye even if I sneakily turn on the virtual reality connector at this hour.

Of course, if my health deteriorates from playing games all night, they’ll let Anna know.

Even without arms and legs, I naturally turned on the power to my choker next to the bed and activated my prosthetic arms.

Now, even if my arms aren’t attached to my shoulders, I can control the prosthetics like they’re my own limbs.

I turned on the connector and got ready right away.

==

As soon as I entered the virtual world, I opened my virtual world friend list.

Quite a few friends now.

Well, it still doesn’t exceed 20 people.

I have many friends in each game, but I haven’t added many friends in the virtual world itself.

Since it’s not particularly uncomfortable playing with friends from games, there was no real reason to add friends specifically in the virtual world’s private room.

,Most of them are logged out.’

Most of my friends living in Korea seem to be asleep.

,Hmm… Let’s see, which country would be most active right now?’

It was the UK. The time in the UK is 9 PM.

It’s the time when dinner has settled and the energy is kicking in.

Meaning it’s the best time to play in the virtual world.

That’s probably why most of the Mead Engineering University people are logged in.

Of course, next to all their names is the message that they are playing Liole.

Thinking about it, it’s almost time for the raids to come out.

Everyone seems busy preparing for the raids lately. Come to think of it, I need to start selecting raid members soon.

Of course, the selection criteria are solely based on my standards!

.

..

…

Heok!?

I shook my head and got up as soon as I realized that an hour had passed in an instant while watching RyuTube Shorts.

Damn those Shorts. I watched them mindlessly, and a precious hour just disappeared.

Playing a game with long sessions isn’t ideal at this time, so it’s best to play a quick round of Space War.

I used to enjoy playing a couple of rounds of Space War with the 아저씨 (ajeossi) before bed.

Now, even if I play ladder games, no one can match me anymore.

The difference between an average person and a pro is significant in any game.

Of course, there are very rare people who overcome that difference, but they hardly exist.

When I play Space War ladder games, I usually encounter more regular users than pros, so I’ve been subtly and consistently playing Space War by occasionally playing a few rounds with the Space War pro 아저씨 (ajeossi) who are taking a break.

,Should I go into Nine University for a change.’

It’s called a university, but in Liole terms, it’s just a guild.

I play the game, but I don’t often go into the Nine University room.

If you ask why, it’s just because there’s no reason to go in? I just play a few rounds, so there’s no need to go in.

But is it because of the 새벽 (saebyeok) *early morning* vibes? I went into Nine University for the first time in a while.

And immediately regretted it.

,Huuuk… I want to be good too…!!! Uaaaaaaang!’

Since I always play games with 아저씨 (ajeossi), I naturally don’t play StarCraft with female streamer. In the first place, I’m no match for them.

But the person I occasionally contacted was Vita.

The reason I like Vita is, of course, her boobs.

But that’s not the only reason.

Her touch and squishiness are better than others. That’s not the only thing.

She has a slight masochistic tendency, but she doesn’t just see Space War as a way to make money like other female streamers; she’s genuinely competitive.

I like people who approach games with sincerity and a strong competitive spirit, not just doing it half-heartedly.

But.

I don’t know how to comfort a grown woman who’s crying her eyes out.

Good.

I quietly go back to my room.

I subtly raise my right hand, open the window, and cli-

,Arangaaaaaaaah!!!!!!’

,Heugyat!?’

==

Recent record: 0 wins, 8 losses. A whopping 8-game losing streak.

That record isn’t just from casual games with 풍선 (pungseon) *balloons/donations* on the line; it’s from important tournaments, where she suffered an 8-game losing streak.

No matter how mentally strong someone is, their mentality is bound to waver after losing 8 consecutive games in a tournament.

It’s not that Vita became bad at Space War because she neglected it.

It’s a problem that arose because she got better.

After playing and learning with Arang several times, Vita, who was originally a Tier 5 in the Space War university system, was promoted to Tier 4.

Vita initially thought there wasn’t much difference between Tier 5 and Tier 4.

She came up to Tier 4 and her win rate in sponsor matches wasn’t bad.

But it was different in tournaments.

The Tier 4 players, who played in much higher-level tournaments, were even stronger than Vita had imagined.

The last defeat was even more shocking because she lost a game she was about to win.

The scary thing about Space War is.

The viewers.

They shower praise on great games and harsh criticism on bad ones.

One of the 8 losses was a reverse sweep. It was a game that everyone thought she couldn’t lose.

She made decisions that she would never normally make.

Vita was scared.

It was already after she had suffered a 7-game losing streak.

It was clearly a favorable game. A game that would end if she just attacked. But she was scared.

What if I make the wrong decision? What if I overextend and fail?

Even though it was clearly advantageous, negative thoughts didn’t stop, and she eventually couldn’t make a decision, giving the opponent time, and ultimately suffering a reverse sweep.

In a tournament watched by over 100,000 people, countless viewers swarmed Vita, who had played a disgusting? no, a truly nauseating game, and showered her with criticism disguised as blame and insults.

Even for Vita, it was hard to endure.

Tears started to flow, and the viewers pushed Vita even harder for her actions.

Someone was seen in Vita’s eyes, who couldn’t even think straight and was just crying.

A child with an aura that was so small, cute, and pretty that it caught her eye even from afar.

It was Arang.

Vita immediately ran to Arang and dove straight at her.

Of course, Arang subtly dodged to the side.

쾅!!! (Kwang!!!) *Bang!!!*

Vita, who crashed into the wall and collapsed to the floor, pouted her lips and looked at Arang.

Arang sighed at Vita and patted her head.

,Huuuk…! Huk…! It’s not like I want to lose! But my hands are shaking, my head is shaking, and I didn’t want to lose, so that’s what happened…!’

,Annoying.’

The grown-up Arang didn’t voice her thoughts and just patted Vita.

She was annoyed, but she planned to receive plenty of compensation.

,Vita 언니 (eonni). Pass me the authority.’

,Okay…’

Arang, who had been granted access to Vita’s broadcast, checked Vita’s broadcast status.

,Looks like she lost in the tournament.’

At dawn, when the sun would rise soon, 10,000 viewers were criticizing Vita.

Even though Arang was on screen, insults were still being posted.

Of course, most of the viewers stopped doing anything as soon as they saw Arang, but if 1 out of 5 people is trash, what happens when 10,000 people gather?

There are 2,000 pieces of trash.

,Huum… There’s a lot of trash.’

Arang sighed loudly at the chat that was still coming up even after her words were broadcast.