NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6
“Hello. My name is Shin Da-eun.”
If Da-eun were to start her self-introduction, nine out of ten times it would start with this sentence.
“I am 26 years old and I am a streamer broadcasting on Fischish.”
Following that would probably be some simple personal information.
Among streamers, there are quite a few who don’t want to reveal their profession.
Some of Da-eun’s acquaintances also hid their faces from the beginning or concealed their identity due to the negative perception surrounding the profession of streaming.
Once personal information is revealed, it can lead to all sorts of troublesome issues, and even though the perception has improved over the years, there are still instances where people’s expressions change upon learning one’s profession.
Da-eun had experienced all of this herself, so she could fully understand her colleagues who wanted to keep their careers a secret.
Nevertheless, the reason she revealed her profession was partly because she had shown her face since the start of her streaming journey, but also because she didn’t want to be tied down by such constraints.
That mindset permeated into her broadcasts, making freedom and healing the main themes of her content.
“It’s been five years since I started streaming this year, and my streaming alias is ‘Joanie’, derived from the word ‘Journey’ as I love to travel.”
She loves to travel.
That sentence occupies a significant portion of Da-eun’s life, enough to name herself Joanie.
Since her early days, she had traveled extensively both domestically and internationally during her free time, and her parents supported her silently, understanding her desire.
What does money matter when a child who lived in the hospital since birth is now healthy and roaming around?
In fact, Da-eun often struggled to persuade her well-meaning parents who worried and offered more support.
For Da-eun, Silia Online was a revolution.
“Wow…!”
The sunlight wrapping around her skin, the breeze gently brushing her hair, the soft sensation of the earth felt through her shoes.
Everything felt no different from reality.
Da-eun savored the fresh nature that was hard to experience in reality.
And she sensed it.
She was thoroughly captivated by this enchanting world.
*
A week since her first discovery.
“AAAH!”
“Healer, DIE!”
A week later.
“Just DIE!”
“Crazy boss! Get a grip!”
…A few more days passed.
“How did you die?”
“Beheaded in one strike. How about you?”
“He destroyed my heart.”
“Ouch… But why is your tone like that?”
“I, foreigner. Korean not familiar.”
“No way, it’s been ages since the big data auto-translation module was released; what nonsense is this?”
“I, did not understand. Korean difficult.”
“Crazy concept user…!”
Among the players, the Gravekeeper was regarded as a seemingly impossible boss, one that would potentially reveal key clues for a clear someday but was currently treated as unsolvable.
An NPC created to block players from progressing. Or perhaps a major blunder by Demoninus, the creators of Silia Online.
Many players had given up on strategies, leaving the remaining players largely divided into two groups.
Those who kept challenging for the glorious honor of the first kill or first clear.
Or those who had entered full enjoyment mode.
[The Great Fail Guild, declaration of giving up]
[Today’s Gravekeeper mad movie recorded]
[Shouldn’t it be changed to mortician instead of Gravekeeper?]
What kind of Gravekeeper buries people directly; come on—
[Comment]
-I create my own jobs
┗ It was self-employment, right;
[Gravekeeper solo clear in 2 minutes]
(Timer.jpg)
Not a big deal, lol
[Comment]
-???? What? How?
-Hacker, reporting you, bye;
┗ Does Demoninus look like trash? What hack?
┗ ‘Real’
-Isn’t the number one guild now not even hitting 2 minutes?
┗ Yup, that’s correct
[Strategy) Achieving Gravekeeper in under 2 minutes]
Firstly, no buffs or preparations are needed
Even if you apply buffs, you can’t even hit, and unless you’re a tank, it’s a one-hit kill anyway
Just equipping a weapon will let you last longer
As soon as you enter the boss room and go into battle mode, the very first thing you must do is go to the open ground
If you succeed in making it to the open ground, just sit down and enjoy the last supper
They wait until you finish eating
I succeeded in holding out for over 2 minutes with this method
By the way, sitting in a flower bed instead of the open ground will get you killed immediately, so be careful
[Comment]
-lolololol WTF
-This is absurd lol
-How to become a pretty ghost?
-I rushed here thinking it was a strategy, but what is this lol
-Was the Gravekeeper dumbfounded watching this?
-?? I followed this and as soon as I took out cooking items from the inventory, I died?
┗ Were you doing it right? It clearly said not to sit in the flower bed
┗ I made sure it wasn’t the flower bed, so what’s wrong?
┗ Do you have screenshots or videos?
┗ Yup; I didn’t take any
┗ Then I don’t know, just count it as stepping into crap
┗ Ugh; that smell of poop;
-Fact, they were an environmental activist
┗ ‘Killing those who ruin nature’
┗ That’s persuasive…!
In a community filled with all sorts of antics and banter.
However, the heat regarding the Gravekeeper was clearly cooling down.
[Basics of Magic Manipulation]
[Reasons the Gravekeeper ran away]
[About the Demon Race araboza]
[101 Reasons a Knight Can Never Defeat a Hunter]
It started to dwindle a few days ago and now there was a stark contrast in mention frequency.
Given the situation where there was neither a clear nor even proper progress, it was inevitable for the enthusiasm to fade.
If things continued like this, it would only be a matter of time before they would be forgotten by players as a poorly designed boss.
Yes, unless something unusual happened.
*
“Ugh… guys, is this really the right path?”
-Yup, I told you
-Just go wherever you want~
-Why ask when you don’t believe anyway? Third time
-I’m already a user who died of frustration
“Seriously, it’s weird!”
Typically, Joanie’s broadcast chat room atmosphere can be a bit mischievous at times, but overall it’s gentle.
Due to her serene streaming style, there isn’t really a reason to curse, and even when occasional troublemakers try to muddle things, they are swiftly blocked.
-Message deleted.
-Message deleted.
-Can this person make it by today? (Truly don’t know)
However, today’s chat room atmosphere was distinctly different from usual.
With no one to defend or agree, everybody was just throwing stones at her.
As she blocked those crossing the line, Joanie looked up.
“Is it right to call this a road?”
What is a road?
According to the dictionary, it is a space on the ground with a certain width where people, animals, or vehicles can pass.
Delving deeper can reveal different meanings, but setting that aside-
“It’s so dense…?”
In such a deep mountain, she hadn’t expected perfectly paved asphalt or tiled roads.
But isn’t a path supposed to be traversable at the very least?
Before Joanie’s eyes lay a landscape of thickly grown trees and grass, along with rugged mountain terrain.
‘I heard the way is rough, but I didn’t expect it to be this much….’
Joanie let out a deep sigh.
“Those trying it must have passed through here every time they died. Wow, I really have to respect that.”
It took quite a while to get from the nearest respawn point, and even upon arrival, an exhilarating hike awaited her.
Joanie thought that it wouldn’t be strange for an ordinary person to get annoyed and give up.
-So when are we going? When are we going? When are we going?
-At this rate, why not just rest overnight at an inn? It’s risky to hike at night since a tiger might eat you.
-You from the Joseon dynasty or something?
“Fine, I’ll go. Let’s go.”
Denying reality, she finally took a step into the rugged mountains.
“By the way, didn’t anyone think to pave the road? That would be reasonable.”
-The trial guild doesn’t have time for that.
“True, that makes sense.”
In that time they’d likely be smashing their heads against a wall again.
Joanie easily accepted that reasoning.
Huffing and puffing up the mountain, she took a moment to catch her breath and wiped the sweat from her brow.
“Wow, this is really rough. I feel like someone must have thought about setting fire at least once.”
-???
-What?
“Oh, no! I’m not saying I’d do that, I just mean there could be someone who thinks that!”
–<<< That person -When you say it’s someone you know, it usually refers to yourself. -If you want to be permanently hunted in Liberi, this isn’t a bad idea. “Permanent hunt…? What is that?” -If you kill too many NPCs or accumulate too many evil deeds, you receive one. -You get permanently banned from the Liberi roster and can’t rejoin. All NPCs become hostile. Can’t use respawn points belonging to Liberi, etc. many penalties attached. -You receive periodic quests from players to hunt you down as well. “…So it’s saying just to quit the game?” Considering only one character can be created, and re-creation after deletion is impossible, this was quite a harsh punishment. -Killing hostile NPCs isn’t a problem, but killing many village resident NPCs leads to this. -Seeing how you can’t respawn after one death, it seems like they added a system to discourage killing. “Oh, I see…” That such a system existed in Silia Online, known for its high degree of freedom. Joanie found it quite surprising. “I thought anything would fly in Silia Online.” -There’s speculation that it was to raise realism, but opinions seem to be mixed on that. -Still, it’s hard to obtain a permanent hunt. You receive warnings beforehand. -If you think about it, isn’t it psychotic to massacre NPCs in a game? What good comes from showing mercy to psychos? -So does that mean the great thief is a game only for psychos? Since it’s a game, such actions are plausible. -Is there even a comparison between that and this? That was a game that didn’t even use AI, and this one has characters that truly behave like people? “Hey, don’t fight. If you do, you get banned?” Joanie hurriedly shut the rapidly opening arena doors. She locked the door carefully and gave a stern warning while keeping an eye out for anyone trying to come over. “Aren’t those people all on a permanent hunt? If they got that, then they’ve paid the price so there’s nothing more to argue about. If you want to hold complaints, take it up with the game company, not my stream.” People enjoy games in different ways, so there’s no way to classify what’s right or wrong. Unless it’s bug-like play that exploits the system, can one really complain about utilizing the systems implemented within the game? In reality, it’s a complicated issue where many discussions ensue. Seeing the severe penalties, it’s clear the game company doesn’t want such plays; however, since the rule is enforced within the game and not externally, Joanie believed there would be no issue. Deep down, she also felt discomfort toward the indiscriminate massacre play style. “Anyway, we’re almost there, right? Feels like we’ve been walking for ages.” -Around there should be the exit -How come we haven't met any monsters yet? -It’s a blessing in disguise; if we met any, I’d have to see the burn again. -Oh... “....” That was true. According to the information, the monsters that appear in this mountain are of pretty high level, so it wouldn't be easy for her lower level to handle them. Especially since she’s not specialized in combat and lacks proficiency. “Don’t set the flag. Whenever someone says that something is bound to come-” Kieeeek!
“…for goodness’ sake….”
-LOLOLOL
-We’re DOOMED!
-DOM Hwang Chaa!!!!!!
Words become seeds.
Is there a situation more fitting for that proverb than this?
As soon as the words finished, a monster with the head of a chicken, the Cockatrice, appeared right in front of Joanie.
And it was a flying monster, which wasn’t even to her advantage.
“Um, I really don’t want to harm you; can’t you just let me pass?”
Kieeeek! Kieeeek!
“…Yeah, that’s a no.”
-They seem to have intentions of harming you though?
-Press ‘X’ to pay your respects
-X
Sadly, the Cockatrice didn’t seem willing to negotiate with Joanie.
Should she flee? That would merely result in her being caught and killed.
Accepting her death? Then, she’d need to travel that long distance again from the respawn point.
If she encounters monsters while on her way back, she might have to undertake the same journey again.
And….
“I hate pain.”
Joanie gritted her teeth and drew her sword.
The chat flooded with all kinds of opinions, yet her eyes were focused elsewhere.
“I can do this.”
As long as she calmly observes the movements and responds.
Her hand gripping the sword tightened, the knuckles turning pale.
Taking a deep breath, she exhaled.
She repeated that process about three times.
Kyaaak!
“…!”
‘Here it comes!’
The Cockatrice charged at her.
In Joanie’s focused gaze, the movements of the Cockatrice played out slowly.
The right leg pushed off the ground; the left leg followed.
The wings pulled back taut, ready to strike at any moment.
With a predatory gaze, the head separated from the body and glided towards her-
“…Huh?”
Thud!
The head of the Cockatrice, which had been lunging at her, suddenly soared into the sky.
The body without a head dropped to the ground, crimson blood erupting from the severed area.
Clink.
Joanie, unable to process the abrupt change in the scenario, stared blankly. Just then, a black shadow lightly settled before her.
“…Gravekeeper!”
The character she had seen so many times in the community was prominently standing before her.
-Wow, this is epic;
-This is the Gravekeeper: O_O
-What’s happening? Why is it saving her?
“…I don’t know either.”
But hey, she was alive, wasn’t she?
As the tension in her body melted away, she began to feel a sense of relaxation.
However, it was still too early to be relieved.
“….”
“Wait a moment!”
In light of the unfinished battle state and the sword directed at her, one could easily deduce the meaning.
Although it was a worn sword that looked ready to snap any moment, Joanie knew that countless players had been sent back to the respawn point by that very sword.
Tap.
Swallow.
One drop of blood clung to the blade and Joanie swallowed hard.
“Wait a second! Time out!”
When the other players tried to converse with the Gravekeeper, just like they had done before, there was no response.
One step.
Two steps.
The Gravekeeper drew ever closer.
At the feeling like the Grim Reaper was advancing, Joanie’s heart began to race like crazy. Out of nowhere, Joanie yelled.
“Hold on!”
Suddenly, the Gravekeeper halted.
“…’Granic’?”
At that moment, a girl’s soft voice unique to children flowed out from beneath the cape.
“…?!”
-???
-???
-????
-!!!!
Both Joanie and the viewers’ minds froze.