Chapter 24 Part 2: I shouldn’t have done that

Cheongha quickly drove the buggy.

“First, I need to get inside the circle.”

No matter how well you hide inside a house, if you stay outside the circle, you’ll eventually die.

Now that I’ve got a vehicle, I don’t have to worry about suddenly dying while walking outside the circle.

After that, I should enter the playable area and find any building to hole up in.

It’s a given that in any game, defending is more advantageous than attacking.

As she entered the circle, she saw a car in the distance that seemed to have someone else in it.

“I should take a detour.”

Seeing that, Cheongha immediately turned the steering wheel.

You could shoot while riding in a car, but that was only for users in the passenger or back seats.

The person driving couldn’t fire a gun.

If the other side wasn’t solo like her, but playing duo or squad, she’d be completely overwhelmed.

Rather than get caught like that, it was much better to take a completely different route, even if it was a bit further.

Rat-tat-tat-!

As if proving her anxiety, bullets rained down on Cheongha.

“Kyaaah?!”

Startled by the sudden noise, Cheongha let out a scream without realizing it.

[-First time hearing the streamer scream]

[-Not sure how many times I’ve said it, but her voice is seriously amazing….]

[-Sounds like a character voice from some gacha game..]

“……Please be quiet.”

Hearing the viewers’ comments, the avatar’s face turned slightly red.

Even if they were compliments directed at her, hearing them constantly was bound to be embarrassing.

“……Anyway, let’s head that way.”

To hide her embarrassment, Cheongha naturally changed the subject.

Fortunately, the other side didn’t seem intent on a serious engagement, as no more bullets flew her way.

---

Everyone has a plausible plan.

—Until they get punched in the face.

It was a famous quote left by a renowned boxer from her past life, which she barely remembered now.

[Oh, what a shame. Should have tried a little harder!]

{24th Place}

“Ah……”

Just like the quote said, contrary to her initial plan, the game ended rather anticlimactically.

The reason was simple.

While trying to enter a building as planned, her head was blown off by a sniper shot from the rooftop.

‘To think someone had already gotten there first…’

Still, perhaps because there was some proper combat this time, her accumulated damage increased, but her rank was significantly worse than before.

‘I thought the plan itself was decent, though.’

‘Hmm, I should try it again next time.’

However, the viewers watching the stream seemed to think differently.

[-Had a feeling, and sure enough lol]

[-Well, time for the horror game, right?]

[-Failed immediately, right?]

[-Get ready for the horror game]

[-How about Penny?]

Seeing the chat celebrating right in front of her, Cheongha’s expression immediately hardened.

“What?”

“Why me?”

[-??]

[-What, are you gonna bail?]

[-Trying to gloss over it.]

[-The proof is above, Your Honor]

“Exactly, you never said I had to succeed this round, did you?”

Cheongha started her defense against the viewers questioning her.

Cheongha pointed her mouse at the mission displayed on the screen.

[Mission: Place within the Top 5 (Horror game upon failure)]

[Reward: 200,000]

[Time Remaining: 1 hour 43 minutes]

The success condition for the mission was placing in the top 5.

The only failure condition was the time limit; there was no mention of how many rounds she had to clear it in.

In other words, it meant she just had to get into the top 5 before the full 2 hours ran out.

[-Ah, too bad]

[-Not wrong]

[-But amidst all that, she actually has a point]

[-It’s fine though, still plenty of time left]

[-You know the streamer’s skill level, cut her some slack on this one]

“……Well, there’s a lot I could argue about, but.”

“Could you please stop talking as if I’m guaranteed to fail?”

‘I’m already on edge because of that, why are they saying such ominous things?’

Isn’t there a saying that words become seeds?

To focus on the game, she wanted to eliminate as many anxiety factors as possible.

‘Honestly, how many more rounds of this game can I play in two hours?’

‘Surely I can make it at least once?’

---

However, for someone trying to survive on such optimistic thoughts alone, the world of gaming was far too harsh.

Gunfire erupted!

“Uh…..?”

Along with the gunshots, her health instantly started depleting.

Quickly turning around, she saw someone who had appeared behind her out of nowhere firing at her.

[Ah, so close! You could have made it into the top 5!]

{8th Place}

“……Huh?”

In the bewildering situation, her mind went blank.

“Wait, I was on the rooftop!”

“How did they appear without a single sound?!”

“Hey, wasn’t that a hacker just now?!”

The chat window responded to her outcry.

[-Didn’t you just run into a smurf account of a hardcore player?]

[-At first glance, it looks like hacking, but hardcore players are that good too.]

[-idk?]

[-Couldn’t they just parkour up?]

[-Or just get back on the plane]

“Damn it……”

Whether the opponent was a hacker or a disguised expert, she didn’t have time to dwell on it further.

She wondered how many times it had been now.

32nd place, 56th place, 83rd place, 22nd place.

These were the ranks she had achieved in the games she had played so far.

The reason for the inconsistent ranks was mostly her lack of situational awareness.

There was no way to drastically improve that quickly.

It was simply due to her lack of experience playing FPS games.

[Time Remaining: 12 minutes 14 seconds]

The remaining time was now just 12 minutes.

‘Can I clear the mission in that time?’

‘That’s probably impossible.’

Getting into the Top 5 within 12 minutes was something even Solnamu, whom she met before, or current pro gamers would find impossible.

Besides, given the nature of the beginner zone where progress was already quite slow, the games didn’t proceed that quickly either.

If you added the matchmaking time, it could take even longer.

‘No…’

As the clutches of the horror game loomed closer, Cheongha quietly swore under her breath.

It felt like her throat was burning in real-time.

[-Streamer, let’s just call it quits now…]

[-Give up]

[-What horror game will you play?]

[-Had a feeling, and sure enough lol]

[-Just hurry up and press the button]

The viewers also seemed to be predicting her failure, as the prevailing opinion was to give up.

Saying you won’t know until you try is only possible when there’s at least a sliver of possibility.

How could a beginner like her do something even pros couldn’t?

Rationally speaking, simply giving up on this mission would be the better option.

Still—

“………I don’t know.”

“Still, let’s play one last round.”

For some reason, she didn’t want to give up.

She had already given up on her idol life once.

Not just the profession of an idol, but all the connections she had made, everything she had built up in her life.

But if she gave up on this too, she felt like she wouldn’t be able to establish herself not only as an idol but also as a streamer.

Cheongha started the last round, holding onto her final hope.

[-Oh, persistent.]

[-Give it a try.]

[-Is it just me, or is the streamer kind of cool right now?]

[-Yeah, she seems different from usual, cooler?]

And so, Cheongha played one last game.

After jumping from the plane with her parachute, she picked up every single item she could find, without being picky.

She even picked up the shotgun she hated so much, trying her best to survive.

[Too bad, try harder next time!]

{42nd Place}

But reality was reality.

The kind of movie-like event where the protagonist’s struggle ultimately leads to victory didn’t happen.

At the same time, the time limit ran out.

[Mission Failed]

Along with that message, the mission posted in the mission window glowed red and disappeared.

“I lost in the end.”

[-Still, the streamer did well]

[-Even if she’s bad at the game, it’s good to see her stick with it until the end.]

[-Now, there’s a sense of reliability in every word she says]

As Cheongha wore a bittersweet smile about failing the mission, the viewers began to console her.

Someone who doesn’t just cling to money, but participates in the game with all her might and leads the broadcast.

There might be people who don’t watch someone like that, but there probably aren’t many who would dislike them.

[Jumin A donated 5,000 won]

[-Still, it’s good to see you working hard without giving up. Keep fighting in the future.]

“Yes, thank you.”

As a somewhat favorable atmosphere formed among the viewers, Ren’s eyes regained some vitality.

‘Yes, if it keeps going like this, maybe I can smoothly move past this—’

[-So, what horror game?]

[-That’s that, and this is this.]

[-Agree lol]

[-The touching moment is over, time to return to reality]

[-Trying to gloss over it lollll]

[-How about Penny?]

[-Why is this person so obsessed with dolls?]

“Ah.”

However, unfortunately for her, her viewers were not so easygoing.

Having lost even the last thread of hope she was holding onto, Cheongha wore an expression as if the world had collapsed.

‘I thought it was a rope of salvation, but it turned out to be rotten.’

“….What horror game should I play?”

With no way left to escape, Cheongha decided to meekly accept reality.

‘Somebody help me.’

Cheongha muttered inwardly.

But there was no one to grant that wish.