—zzzzzzzzzzzzz
—lolololololololol
—lolololol
—fr lolololololol
—lol
The chat started getting completely flooded with nothing but "lol." Of course, it wasn't like I didn't understand those messages. After all, I had just died.
The problem happened right after I grabbed the spear.
"Hup! Hup! Hup!"
No matter how hard I tried, the spear stuck in the ground wouldn't come out. No matter how much strength I put into it, the spear remained firmly embedded.
Maybe I looked pitiful, because the user who had been right on my heels stopped attacking and just stared at me with a sympathetic expression.
"Hup! Hup! Hup...."
Thinking this was my last struggle, I put every bit of strength I had into it. But the spear still didn't budge. In the end, I had no choice but to give up on pulling it out.
"...Just kill me already."
"Good work."
The user who had been watching me with pity said that as he raised his sword. Just as I was about to die, a third party jumped into the fight.
"Alright, let's all die together nicely!"
Saying that, the third user swung the dagger they were holding.
Slash! Slash!
The dagger moved in an instant, cutting both my neck and the sword user's. And just like that, I died. Before the sword user died, he left these final words.
"Why do I have to die like this...."
The sheer injustice in his voice made me feel oddly guilty.
—Hup! Hup! Hup!
—Never underestimate the power of Throwing again!
—The streamer struggling desperately to pull out a spear was legendary
—A once-in-a-lifetime scene, straining in front of another user
—lololololololol
Honestly, even I thought it was funny, so I understood why the viewers were laughing. Still, when that kind of laughter keeps going, it's bound to get annoying.
"Alright, let's stop now."
When I quietly said that, most viewers shut up. But no matter where you go, there are always viewers who enjoy stirring things up.
—Nah, we're gonna keep going lol
—How can you hold back when this is so funny lol
—What are you gonna do besides getting mad lol
At the chat provoking me, I finally drew the sword I'd been holding back.
['Troll' has been banned from chat for 5 minutes.]
['WashingTsingtao' has been banned from chat for 5 minutes.]
.
.
.
After that, I handed out chat bans to about ten more viewers. Once I did, the chat, which had seemed full of trolls, became noticeably cleaner.
—Kyaaaa!
—The owner has drawn the blade!
—Emergency! Emergency!
Each viewer is precious, but trolls like that need punishment to come to their senses. I reassured myself like that and decided to continue the game.
"This time, I'm seriously focusing."
I said that and quickly finished choosing my weapon and class. The map I got in the new game was none other than the city map.
"Revenge in the city, huh...."
Since I had already produced a hilarious scene earlier, the moment the city map appeared, the viewers started getting restless.
—No way... can we expect the same kind of scene as before?
—Hup! Hup! Hup!
—Alright, let's go!
I had my pride too, so I moved while swearing to myself that I wouldn't make the same mistake again.
The layout of the city map is always the same, but the spawn locations of level cores are random every time. Even if you know where you got a level core before, it's completely useless.
I entered the nearest building first. Unlike before, I didn't go into a tall building. The reason was simple. I had realized something in the previous round.
'Tall buildings have lots of items and are good for survival. That's obvious.'
But I stupidly forgot one simple rule. I wasn't the only one thinking that way. Tall buildings are like bright lights. And we're moths drawn to those lights.
Surviving in a place that crowded was too difficult a mission for a beginner. So this round, I changed my strategy.
Even if I got fewer items, I'd loot smaller buildings and try to survive longer.
"Let's do some farming first."
I roughly swept through the first floor of the building. Items could be hidden, but paying attention to that level of detail was still too much for a newbie like me. Randomly searching a building without knowing exactly where items spawn was too inefficient.
After confirming there were no items on the first floor, I immediately moved upstairs.
"Another dud, huh."
After checking all the rooms on the second floor, I went straight up to the third. The third floor was the top floor of this building. There was also a rooftop, but items don't spawn there.
I calmly looked around the third floor once more and managed to spot an item tucked away in a corner.
"What could it be...."
Items emit different colors of light depending on their type. Level cores glow blue, mounts glow green, consumable items glow yellow, and enhancement-type items glow red.
The item I had just found was emitting a red glow.
"Alright... dum-da-da, dum-da-da."
I made an oddly old-fashioned sound as I checked the item's information. As soon as I did, the item's appearance, which had been obscured by the light, became visible.
"This is... a ring?"
After checking its appearance, I looked back at the item information window.
[Ring of Swiftness]
—Allows use of the skill 'Acceleration'.
*Cooldown, effects, etc. are identical to the normal skill.
—Ah.
—That's boring.
—How do you hit the jackpot in one try?
—Items with the Acceleration skill aren't that common, you know
The viewers sounded unimpressed after seeing the item's effect. Watching the chat, I smiled to myself.
'So it's Acceleration, huh....'
It was the movement skill I'd debated picking in the previous game. Since it was only a level 1 skill, its effect wouldn't be amazing, but early in the game, it would be a huge help.
And movement skills make a massive difference between having one and not having one.
"Guys, this is a good drop, right?"
I spoke as if I had no idea. I already knew it was a good item from reading the chat, but I couldn't resist bragging.
As soon as I said that, the reactions I expected came flooding in.
—You're flexing right now?
—Hey, where do you live?
—Streamer, could you tell us your home address?
—Ah, infiltration complete. Moving in.
Since they knew I was deliberately flexing, the viewers' reactions became even more animated. I grinned as I watched the chat.
A stream is a stream, and a game is a game. I put the ring on my finger and immediately went back down the floors.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Even though I'd only come down to the first floor, loud noises assaulted my ears. Fights were already breaking out everywhere, and quite a few people had died.
[Survivors: 43]
Just looking at how the survivor count had dropped below half told me how many battles had happened. Among them, I was on the lucky side. At least I hadn't run into another user while farming.
I immediately moved on to the next building and continued farming items without any combat. I enjoyed this peaceful farming, but the viewers didn't.
—Ah... this isn't the flavor I wanted...
—How can there seriously be zero fights like this?
—Streamer, are you using hacks by any chance?
—At least it's comforting that not many items are dropping
There had been so little combat that people were even suspecting hacks. Of course, capsule games have absolutely no hacks, so they probably knew I wasn't using any.
'Well, if it were me, I might've been suspicious too....'
More than ten minutes had passed since the game started, and I'd looted over ten buildings. Yet I hadn't encountered a single enemy. At this point, even I would believe someone if they said I was hacking.
In this ridiculous situation, I heard a sound reach my ears.
Step. Step.
Footsteps. I immediately moved inside a building and checked outside through a window. After waiting briefly, a user holding an axe appeared outside.
"Ha... my farming's been terrible...."
The axe user sighed and looked around. I carefully observed him.
'Looks like he hasn't gotten a level core... and as for other items... hard to tell.'
He might have already used some items, so it was hard to judge his exact farming level. Still, there were no visible items on him.
"At this level, I think I can win...."
The spear was still weak, so killing him in one hit would be impossible. But I had the Acceleration skill. With that, I wouldn't die in some ridiculous way like before.
—You can totally win.
—Why are you hesitating;; just go in
—Let's go!
—You've got this, just go in
The viewers were eagerly urging me on. Even so, I hesitated, and then a donation popped up.
['Beastman' donated 10,000 won!]
[Just charge in! Why are you gathering info from behind!]
A whopping 10,000 won.
The moment I saw the donation, I left the building without hesitation. There really is nothing greater than money.
"Huh?!"
When I suddenly burst out of the building, the axe user looked startled and hurriedly moved his axe. But weapon matchups exist.
Axes are big, slow, and powerful. The spear I had was fast and had long reach.
Thud! Thud!
My spear struck the axe user's chest in quick succession. Of course, the axe user didn't just take it. Even while getting hit, he swung his axe.
'At this rate, I might get hit?'
Right now, I was outside his range, but if I kept moving forward, I'd enter the axe's range. I couldn't suddenly stop either. No matter how I slowed down or twisted my body, entering the axe's range was inevitable.
'Then... I go even deeper.'
The blade of an axe is attached to the end of its shaft. If I got inside that, I could deflect the attack and counter. Having finished my calculation, I immediately used my skill.
"Acceleration."
[Using skill 'Acceleration'.]
As the system message appeared, my body felt noticeably lighter. I moved straight in, diving into the axe user's space.
"What, what is this?!"
Apparently not expecting me to rush in using Acceleration, the axe user shouted with wide eyes. I smiled faintly and moved my spear.
Thud!
"Guhhk!"
The axe user, pierced through the chest by my spear, turned into light and disappeared.
[Pilgong_ has killed Gukijjada]
[Survivors: 27]
Along with the kill log, the survivor count dropped. There had definitely been over forty people alive, but before I knew it, it was down in the twenties.
"Huh?"
At that moment, a blue sphere was floating where the axe user had vanished. It was clearly a level core, just like the one from the previous game.
"Wow... my luck is insane."
I hadn't encountered a single user during early farming. The first user I met had barely farmed any items. I won my first fight and immediately got a level core.
It was lucky enough to make people suspect hacks. I immediately picked up the level core and unlocked a skill.
[You have acquired a level core.]
[Please select a skill to activate.]
—Rannachal
—Throwing
—Acceleration
This time, unlike before, I chose Rannachal and activated it. I already had Acceleration, so there was no need to unlock it again.
Rannachal, on the other hand, seemed to have great synergy with the Acceleration skill I currently had. So I chose it without hesitation.
"Alright, now that I've got a level core, how about I go look for some people."
Up until now, I thought I'd naturally run into others while farming, but my thinking had changed. At this point, I needed to go find people myself.
'It's not like more farming will really give me anything good.'
There would still be items left, but considering their locations and types, it was too much of a gamble. It was time to start hunting.
Just as I was about to move, a system message appeared before my eyes.
[The number of survivors has reached 20.]
['Special Rule Addition Ticket' has been confirmed as activated.]
[A special rule will be added.]
The moment I saw this message, my face stiffened. Not because I knew what it was, but because I didn't. I quickly shifted my gaze to the chat to grasp the situation.
—Wow, someone actually found that
—If you're lucky, you can find it
—What kind of special rule did they add this time?
—Sea of fire?
—Could be an ice age
The chat was filled with talk about the special rule. Putting everything together, I could gather three pieces of information.
First, special rules are hard to find. Second, special rules affect the terrain in some way. Third, once a special rule is applied, the game changes completely.
'Why is there so much unfair nonsense when there's a beginner here!'
I came here to play a game, and now it felt like I was about to play a completely different one. As I was thinking that, another system message appeared.
[Special Rule, City of Night has been selected.]
[Night falls over the city.]