NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19 - I'll Kill Them All, Nyan
===
[General] So, when is Rion’s cousin debuting?
I’m really impatient, hurry up ggggggg
[Comments]
– rly lol why hasn’t she debuted yet?
– Her voice is amazing though
ㄴ I think she’d sell a ton if she did ASMR
– Let’s just swap Rion with her cousin
– Her way of speaking is so unique though
===
[General] I’m holding my breath until Rion’s cousin debuts
Huuuup
[Comments]
– Goodbye
– I’ll remember you!
===
[General] If Rion’s cousin doesn’t debut, I’ll take a dump
I’m dead serious
[Comments]
– Teacher is probably seeing this and definitely not debuting
– First, take the dump, then talk about debut
– At least tell us where you’re going to do it
– I’ll join you in taking a dump
ㄴ Then I’ll have to fap beside you
ㄴ ?
ㄴ [Are you guys insane, wtf]
===
***
“I’ll kill them all… I’ll kill them all, nyan….”
– lolololololol
– Since you thought of it, don’t add “nyan”
– Ma! It’s fine as long as it was funny! Right?
– Your professionalism as a virtual streamer is outstanding
– The way you lost your composure is so funny lol
I sat the dying Rion beside me.
Rion stared blankly at the monitor with hollow eyes.
Feeling sorry for Rion, I decided to say something.
“Don’t be embarrassed, Rion. It’s the job you chose.”
I held Rion’s hand with both of mine.
“So, stand tall. Just as I am noble, you too are a noble being. Even though you were so nervous during your first stream that it was hard to watch, remember that humans grow from failure. Feeling embarrassed is proof that you’ve grown since the past.”
Lift your head. Straighten your shoulders and be confident. You have the same excellent blood as me flowing in you, so you’ll get even better. Your unnie is always cheering on you. So work hard to become a popular VTuber, Rion!”
“Shut upppppp!!!!”
– The teabagging is unreal lolololol
– Your attempts at comforting are really awkward lolololol
– Hitting a corpse violates the Geneva Convention
– Nekozuka’s life is already at zero lolololol
– Stop hitting her! Stop the domestic violence!
– I heard Nekozuka’s family matters involve her being a battered wife
“Seeing you regain your energy is nice.”
I smiled gently.
“Ugh… If you weren’t the landlord, seriously… Ugh…!”
“How could you say that? I care about you so much.”
“Care? You care about me~? Do you know who cleans your room, huh?”
“You should feel honored. There’s no more prestigious task than cleaning my room. Isn’t that right, viewers?”
– That’s correct
– Teacher’s words seem to be absolutely right
– If you’re letting me stay, I’d clean the room at least lololol
– If you won’t do it, step aside; I’ll do it. I’m really confident I can do it well, please!
“See? Everyone agrees with me.”
“……”
“Rion?”
Rion fell silent.
But it didn’t seem like she was at a loss for words or deeply upset. Instead, she seemed to be thinking about something.
[So, what should we do now? Should we continue watching Rion-senior’s first stream?]
“…If you play it, you’re dead, nyan. Seriously.”
[Oh, how scary. Then, shall we wrap up the exposé stream here, Teacher?]
“Let’s do that. Rion, you may leave now.”
“…Huh? Leave? From here?”
“Goodbye.”
I disconnected from Discord and turned off my PC as well.
Passing by Rion, who still had a bewildered expression on her face, I entered the VR capsule.
As soon as I logged into Labyrinthos, an invitation message from Anna popped up.
I immediately accepted the invitation and moved to the custom room that Anna had created.
– Wow, the avatar is pretty
– So cool that she ditched Rion and came alone lololol
– Her character is truly remarkable lololol
“Teacher, Rion-senior says she’s coming too, what should we do?”
“Do as you like. She won’t have much to do even if she comes.”
-Clap!
I clapped my hands together.
“Since I’ve introduced myself through the exposé stream, it’s time to move on to the main topic. From today, we’ll be learning a new character.”
– Self-introduction?
– We got introduced to our *honey*♡
– But all we heard about was Rion
– Rion… was sacrificed…
“A new character? Not the Technomancer?”
“We’ve roughly mastered the Technomancer.”
That’s what I said.
The way to expand your character pool is to start by mastering one character.
If a character suits you well, you’ll master it easily, and if not, it’ll be harder.
Still, as you keep trying, you gain experience and understanding of the character, and eventually, it becomes part of your character pool.
And once you understand how to master one character, you’ll somewhat know how to master others too.
──That’s the most exemplary method, at least.
But honestly, this is something only pro gamers do, and it’s too much to ask from an ordinary user like Anna.
Anyway, Anna is aiming for a streamer league, not a pro league. There’s no need to perfect a character to such an extent.
More importantly,
‘In Anna’s case, the issue isn’t with the character.’
It’s the heart.
The heart is the problem.
“All the viewers know, right? That Anna is quite the scaredy-cat.”
– lolololol
– Isn’t this defamation or something? lololol
– True, she’s a total coward
– Please be even more blunt!
“That’s why I made her play the Technomancer.”
I’ve been getting her used to dying by making her experience various deaths through personal training.
But honestly, this isn’t the best method. Getting too used to dying isn’t exactly a good thing either.
Being too scared to make proper decisions is a problem, but…
Feeling a certain amount of fear is necessary to gain tension. Humans need a bit of tension to immerse themselves and focus.
So, while I want Anna to overcome her fear, I don’t want her to lose it entirely.
Fear shouldn’t be eliminated; it should be overcome.
And overcoming it cannot be achieved through training alone.
“That’s why real combat is necessary. But if she just keeps trembling in real combat, she won’t grow, so she needed a character that allows her to focus entirely on her own play.”
That character is the Technomancer.
A long-range character that can discard all her other party members and even attack unilaterally.
If it were close combat, fear would likely freeze her, but with long-range combat, the fear would naturally lessen.
“But I can’t keep making her play a ranged DPS forever. She’ll eventually have to face close combat, especially as her rank goes up and she’ll need to deal with enemies head-on.”
“So, what should I do next…?”
“Alchemist.”
I selected the Alchemist from the character pick screen.
“From today, try playing the Alchemist.”
***
===
[General] What they’re saying sounds plausible, but…
But is this person good?
[Comments]
– Idk
– No one knows…
– According to Anna, it seems like she’s good
– Considering how much Anna’s improved, she’s probably good
===
[General] So what’s her rank?
If she’s a woman, she’s definitely not a pro
Any female rankers with a voice like that?
[Comments]
– None
– Definitely not a VTuber
– Probably just a regular person?
===
[General] Someone tell them to reveal their rank
WTF they even hid their nickname with custom settings
I’m super curious
[Comments]
– Anna said she can’t because of privacy
ㄴ But they revealed everything about Rion lolololol
– If she’s just bronze but Anna’s been praising her, that would suck so much
===
[General] ???: Are you doubting my skills?
(Broadcast screenshot)
Then why don’t you come to a custom match?
[Comments]
– Wow
– So bold
– Sickkkkkkk~~~~
– This lady sure has a sense for streaming
ㄴ It’s gross when an old man calls someone “lady,” you know?
ㄴ Shut up, she’s my lady, don’t mess with her
ㄴ She’s my girlfriend though
ㄴ She’s my wife
ㄴ She’s my daughter
ㄴ She’s my master
ㄴ She’s a regular person who hasn’t even debuted, you crazies lolololol
===
[General] Just post VTuber stuff, you bastards
So, let’s just make Rion’s cousin debut as a VTuber?
[Comments]
– I saw this and filed a national petition
===
【Duel has been matched.】
【Satisfy one of the following victory conditions.
– Defeat the dungeon boss.
– Defeat another adventurer.】
It’s been a while since I’ve dueled. But it’s not a ranked match, just a custom mode, and I’m not even playing the Dark Knight.
The glasses without prescription feel a bit strange.
I’m not wearing armor, just cloth. The sleeves are long, so I had to tear them a bit because they were uncomfortable.
Tearing the clothes of a noblewoman is unthinkable, but…
This isn’t my true form, and this is a battlefield, not a social gathering, so it should be fine.
“Hmm.”
I pondered for a moment.
Picking the Alchemist to show Anna and the viewers was fine, but the Alchemist isn’t really suited for dueling.
The Alchemist has skills like
A character that uses bombs and reagents effectively, making it a mage-type support character.
It’s weak in one-on-one situations, not great for farming neutral mobs, and not even good at trying dungeon bosses.
After thinking about various things, my conclusion was simple. I’d just have to fight.
I started making a bomb and threw it randomly.
-BOOOOM!!!
A loud explosion.
Dust rose and filled the area.
While I was dazedly staring at the explosion smoke, I soon heard footsteps. They must’ve come looking after hearing the explosion.
I ran in that direction and threw a punch.
“Ugh?!”
My opponent’s head snapped to the side after getting punched in the face. Now that I saw it, my opponent was a Paladin.
If it’s a Paladin, there’s no need to hesitate. I threw another punch to their throat, and while they were dazed, I tripped them.
The Paladin fell.
I kicked the hand holding the greatsword, sending the weapon flying.
When the Paladin tried to get up with a pained expression, I mounted them, pinning them down with my weight. The mount position. Right, left, right, left, right, left, thud, thud, thud, thud!
By now, their HP should be low enough, so I shoved a bomb into their mouth.
Then, I quickly backed away.
-BOOOOM!!!
Another loud explosion.
With a spray of blood, dust rose and filled the area.
As I stared blankly at the explosion smoke, I uttered a word.
“Next.”