It’s not that kind of malicious broadcast

Indeed, it was a situation I had long awaited.

The need for the eagerly prepared lecture had completely vanished—every queue was overflowing with rogues to the point where people were fighting over who would play as a rogue.

Moreover, wasn’t all of this thanks to the collective fruits of their labor?

The extensive content prepared—starting from “How to Choose a Rogue” to the “Advanced Tea-bagging Course” which would have easily lasted three hours, including the special method for lighting a fire, had gone up in smoke. But well, it didn’t matter much.

It was a situation where it wouldn’t be odd to declare the closing of the shutters today and throw a party. Despite that, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of something weighing on my chest.

I wanted to say I didn’t know why. But a quick look inside revealed that I hadn’t yet come to terms with, nor accepted, everything, and thus, I couldn’t feel completely happy.

Really, wasn’t I such a tiring person?

With a faint sigh, I lowered my head.

When I extended my hand skillfully like a follow-through motion, there was nothing to catch. I belatedly turned my eyes to confirm—

Ah… the soju glass. It was given as a gift.

My wandering gaze eventually settled on the chat window and the number representing the viewers currently online. It was always hard to comprehend—an unreal, staggering number.

How did so many people end up gathering here?

And to all those people, to all those grateful souls, what could I offer?

While I fell into silence, lost in such thoughts, the chat and donations were overflowing with various ideas and suggestions.

… They seemed to misunderstand the nature of my dilemma. But considering my usual actions, I couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

Perhaps thanks to the viewers who had been collaborating with me for a while, some decent ideas emerged. Suggestions like doing an educational broadcast by drawing gold viewers or carrying out proxy play from Gold to Diamond.

Especially the latter one… it seemed perfect for the current situation. Just looking at the screens of those who had already succeeded in picking a rogue would prevent pick disruptions.

Considering that the biggest issue was people declaring, “Don’t pick the rogue if you can’t even play it in lower tiers”, it seemed like an even better idea. Showing that even local rogues could carry by receiving a bit of guidance would serve as a useful counterexample when arguing with such people. Similar to saying, “You memorized the strategy, so you can pick it…”

Starting even from tiers lower than Gold seemed like a good idea too. Demonstrating that even in tiers where no one understands Korean, one could achieve victory with a bit of clumsy physical play if they learned a little strategy seemed like a good plan.

Moreover, it would cover the postponed comprehensive strategy lecture as well.

Yes.

It would benefit rogue players, and more importantly… it seemed like a tremendous help in making the rogue the mainstream. It was a good, undeniably good idea…

Were these people really here to watch the broadcast they wanted?

I wasn’t sure, but it didn’t seem like it.

Today, that feeling was particularly unpleasant.

“Shall we gather our collective intelligence? Everyone knows by now that Rogue 2 Underground is the answer. So why does this cause disputes in solo queue?”

I casually tossed the question out and pulled out the VR device from the box next to the desk. Time to change my underwear first.

This… was this the left arm? There were so many parts that it was hard to tell. Next time, I’ll have to label them.

Hmm… Ah, this is the abdomen. I remember now. And this… no, what on earth is this?

I regretted not staying on the call with StarPork; it took quite some time to finish setting up alone. Still, compared to before, it was a significant improvement.

There didn’t seem to be anyone who noticed even though I was quiet. As I glanced at the chat window, the opinions were roughly coming together. It felt a bit… a bit sorry for asking and then not actually checking it.

If I summarized now—

“So, in summary, many people think that pro teams are pro teams and solo queue is solo queue. Few think it’s okay to trust and operate with Rogues in a hastily assembled team… something like that.”

Looking at it this way, it seemed like Brain Proxy was the right choice after all.

No, definitely not.

Surely, the person who applied for this must have liked the broadcast, rogues, and maybe even me… But the moment they made a mistake, they would get roasted by everyone.

I didn’t want that.

The Rogue Revival Movement was nearing its end. Maybe it was already over. Even if something remained, it felt like just adding a ribbon to a finished product.

Just as a startup preps itself before an IPO, social movements need to clean their blemishes just before reaping the fruits.

And—

『Proof』

Originally, I had intended to show them someday.

There were many attacks in the community, comments like, “You’re just hyping up a useless, skill-less girl while pretending to teach pros.”

It was unpleasant, but I let it slide. However, for the viewers who got into arguments on my behalf, I couldn’t just stand idly by anymore.

And in a game world where the tier directly correlates to one’s status, there was only one way to settle disputes about skill.

“Shouldn’t it be enough to prove it in solo rank?”

The decision no longer could be postponed. It had to start today. As for the most efficient method to revive the Rogue Revival Movement… that could wait for now.

* * * *

– Thump. Thump.

The narrow underground passageway became even tighter. The sound of dripping water echoed like thunder through the twisted maze filled with pitch darkness.

Occasionally visible but soon disappearing again around another bend. The only visible elements were the damp, grayish-brown bricks of the walls and the darkness that filled the end of the sightline.

Therefore, to find out what lay beyond the next corner just a few steps ahead, one would have to stick oneself forward directly. Unless you had the talent to see through bricks.

Such restricted visibility naturally led to fear.

What could be lurking just beyond that wall? What predator might be opening its maw in that darkness? In the urgent battlefield where one must overcome these fears and stride briskly forward, there was no time to cower in fear.

Yet, one could never ignore it entirely. After all, there was a reason humans who felt instinctual fear of darkness and the unknown had survived until now.

Of course,

– Clank.

Some people just didn’t care about such things.

A knight, adorned in heavy armor, emerged through the darkness, advancing forward as if he was merely on a neighborhood stroll. The greatsword slung diagonally over the right shoulder looked almost like a traveler’s pack, given the knight’s posture and demeanor.

Their steps were like those of a child who knew nothing of the world and thus feared nothing. If you watched him long enough, the nonchalance seemed almost visible.

It was hard not to label him as an idiot who would pay for such carelessness with his life—

But one should never underestimate an idiot who suddenly appeared in the heart of a battlefield awash with blood and steel. There must have been a reason for his success in reaching that point.

This is what the rogue hidden in the shadows thought. Those in this battlefield were among the few and the chosen. There had to be an intent behind it.

Thus, the rogue held his breath and waited. Waited until that seemingly reckless knight passed him by and headed toward the room where orcs were gathered.

And then, to pursue.

The moment the battle with the orc began, he just needed to stab it in the back of the head. The dagger in his hand still felt unfamiliar, but he could easily guess how to use it.

It was a weapon he considered inferior and thus never picked up.

‘What’s so hard about this? Seriously, making a fuss over nothing-‘

Having watched a few strategy guides, its operation seemed obvious. Just run around, open some treasure chests, and swing the dagger if an opportunity to backstab presented itself.

‘At any rate, it’s a class where you can just babysit someone to open chests, then easily win the game when luck turns. The rewards after opening three or more chests are what garner attention. Compared to the thrill of a warrior bravely wielding an axe on the battlefield…’

While he didn’t initially think of sweet-talking himself into grasping a dagger, it wasn’t anything exceptional. Many who recently put on the rogue’s hood and ran into battle thought the same.

At the very least, he belonged to the top 50% of rogues due to his earnestness in watching videos like ‘Breaking News! Analyzing Orthodox’s Stellar Performance as a Rogue in Worlds!’ on WeTogether.

So, he didn’t forget to secure a safe distance of five steps when chasing. Always ready to escape from a knight’s attack.

Slowly. He would wait until the knight began fighting the orc pack and then strike from behind. Three steps forward. Two steps. One step-

《Well now.》

But that last step never came. Seeing the knight turn abruptly, he froze, his ears catching a soft, and somewhat disappointed-sounding, voice.

‘What? Why-‘

《I can see you hiding there.》

-Boom!

At the sound of the ground being struck, the rogue’s vision was filled with a massive sword. It came swinging down fiercely.

He had to dodge and make plans for later—but where could he move? He didn’t dare step back, unable to gauge the end of the blade’s reach.

‘Too narrow-!’

But it was already too late to dodge sideways—the terrain was bad. The narrow passage he chose, thinking it a good spot for the dagger, was now choking him.

Just before his head was crushed by the greatsword, the rogue used an evasion skill in fright, his form momentarily disappearing and reappearing three steps back—

A chance to make plans later was never granted.

The knight had long since canceled the first attack. And without any hesitation, the knight used inertia to rush forward, closing a three-step distance in less than a second.

And, somehow, the knight predicted precisely where the rogue would reappear. The sword was already swinging through the air. So when the rogue reappeared, his head was already touching the giant sword.

《Also, that’s a dash skill…don’t use it like that anymore.》

It was the last piece of advice before his vision went dark.

TL’s Corner:
Knights are the Rogues’ weakness. Or to be precise, Yena is a rogue’s weakness.