Chapter 10 - Please Start Living in the Real World
===
【Labyrinthos VR Gallery】
[General] Doesn’t look like this Dark Knight is just a low-level smurf?
(Highlights)
(Highlights)
(Highlights)
Sure, they’re playing at a smurfing level, but who’s their main character?
Apparently, they were caught on a VTuber stream, and they’re ridiculously good at the Dark Knight.
But isn’t there a master in the pro scene who plays the Dark Knight just as well?
I’ve been messing around with this game for three years, and it’s the first time I’ve seen someone use the Dark Knight for wall movement like that.
[Comments]
– Touch mine too♡
ㄴ(OP) Get out.
– Is there even a Dark Knight master to begin with?
ㄴIt’s a tank with neither a charge skill nor CC, so no one plays it.
ㄴIf you use walls well, you do your part; if you don’t, you’re half a person.
ㄴBut isn’t the ultimate pretty strong?
ㄴIn the pro scene, the ultimate’s been countered, so they don’t use it anymore.
ㄴThe passive not distinguishing between allies and enemies is too big of a drawback.
===
[General] But seriously, why cut off limbs? Damn it.
(Screenshots)
(Screenshots)
Who cares if they have a main or not, they’re incredibly rude, and now there are people subtly defending them, right?
I don’t give a damn if they’re ranked first in another game, so if you’re going to defend this jerk, go back to your own gallery.^^
[Comments]
– Seriously, why cut off limbs?
– Anyone would think they debuted in the pro scene, lol.
ㄴBut didn’t they receive a pro offer?
ㄴ(OP) What does receiving a pro offer in another game have to do with this, idiot?
ㄴWasn’t the pro offer just a rumor?
ㄴSo, does getting a pro offer make it okay to act like a jerk?
ㄴThese kinds of people really stan that sort of thing, huh…
===
***
“I’m here, Manager.”
At the sudden voice, Lee Jungwoo looked up.
“You’re early. Please have a seat.”
As he said that, Lee Jungwoo quickly tucked his phone into his pocket.
Adjusting his posture, he met her eyes.
Then he thought, once again, how unsuited this person was for being a VTuber.
The biggest difference between VTubers and streamers is appearance.
VTubers hide their real appearance behind a model and only show the character’s image. That’s why it’s a profession often chosen by people who aren’t confident in their looks.
Of course, it’s not that the woman before him was pretty enough to be a celebrity.
But at least it was clear she didn’t become a VTuber because of her looks.
“The boss told me. Rion, you wish to retire?”
“…Yes.”
At Lee Jungwoo’s words, Rion nodded.
“If you don’t want to continue, there’s no helping it. But office work isn’t easy either. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
“It’s better than being a VTuber.”
“Really? In what way?”
“The income is more stable.”
Lee Jungwoo could only chuckle bitterly at that. There was no arguing against that….
To exaggerate a little, just surviving three years in this field makes you a veteran.
But on the flip side, it also meant that the future of a VTuber was uncertain even three years down the line.
That’s actually quite a generous estimate. There were plenty of VTubers who retired after less than a year of activity.
Even a VTuber from a major company with 500,000 subscribers could retire tomorrow in this industry.
“I watched the video you edited. It was well done.”
“Thank you….”
“But I’d prefer it if you handled management rather than video editing.”
“…Management work?”
Surprised by the unexpected word, Rion blinked.
“Yes. It would be more convenient if we had more in-house video editors, but we can always outsource the editing if necessary. …Right now, we’re short on management staff.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s quite urgent…. We’re in the process of onboarding new talents.”
By “new talents,” he meant new VTubers.
VTuber agencies regularly recruit new VTubers.
There are several reasons for this, but ultimately, it’s to enhance the company’s brand value.
No matter how talented a VTuber is, the content they can create alone is limited.
There are VTubers who are good at gaming, those who sing well, those who excel at talking, and others with talents like ASMR, drawing, or planning.
Each VTuber has their strengths.
And the audience for each VTuber is also different.
So gathering as many different VTubers as possible means securing a diverse audience.
It’s much like how most companies develop a variety of products to attract as many customers as possible.
Except, in this case, the products are living beings called VTubers.
“Is it confirmed?”
“Yes. The new juniors joining is confirmed. It’s already underway. If you stayed on as a VTuber, you’d be treated as a senior, but are you sure you want to quit?”
“…It’s fine. I’ve already decided.”
Stubborn, aren’t we….
This was something they’d need to discuss slowly over time.
There was still a bit of time left on Rion’s contract, so there was some time before she officially retired.
“So, I won’t be editing videos at all?”
“Of course, you’ll still edit videos and do management work too. We’re a small company, after all.”
“…Isn’t that exploiting me a bit too much?”
“This is an unusual case. We’ve had VTuber retirements before, but this is the first time someone’s transitioning to an office role.”
And it had to be that way. Most VTubers lacked the educational background to transition into office roles.
In that sense, Rion was special.
She had a proper degree in video editing, and the trust she’d built up through her work as a VTuber for the company was significant.
She even had experience as a VTuber, so there was some hope she’d leverage that experience to excel in her new role.
It was simply too much of a waste to keep her solely as a video editor.
“Let’s discuss the details while wrapping up your VTuber work.”
After discussing some of the upcoming tasks with Rion, Lee Jungwoo noticed that she was getting ready to leave.
“By the way, that person in your edited video—are they a friend of yours?”
“Huh? That’s….”
She’d decided not to disclose any information about Aurora.
As Rion hesitated, Lee Jungwoo threw out a question.
“They’ve been a bit of a hot topic on community sites. How did you meet them?”
***
【Gate Assault Mode play time has exceeded 5 hours in real time.】
【For your health, you will be automatically logged out for 3 hours in real time.】
“……? What’s this?”
Suddenly being logged out left me momentarily dazed.
“Huh…? Does Gate Assault Mode have a different time flow?”
Gate Assault Mode is conducted over five rounds, so the playtime inevitably stretches out.
And in today’s world, time is also a valuable resource. So Gate Assault Mode has a different time flow from Duel Mode.
A quick search revealed that one minute in real life is a whopping five minutes in Gate Assault Mode.
In other words, time flows five times faster.
It was a technology made possible by virtual reality. I hadn’t expected they’d actually be able to implement something like the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
However, there was one problem with this “Time Acceleration” system: it could have adverse effects on users’ brains.
Because of this, there were strict legal regulations on the usage time of the “Time Acceleration” system.
In the case of Labyrinthos, if you used Gate Assault Mode for 25 hours in-game (equivalent to 5 hours in real life), it would automatically log you out.
“I’m perfectly fine, though.”
I was so fit that I didn’t feel any fatigue. Honestly, I could probably go for 50 hours no problem.
But if that’s the law, then there’s nothing I can do about it.
I sat idly on my bed.
‘I have nothing to do.’
People might think I just play games all the time, but there’s actually a lot of downtime.
It’s not easy to fill 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with just games. Either your stamina gives out, or you run out of money.
Of course, I didn’t have any issues with either, but the downside was that I burned through content quickly. So there were plenty of times when I’d feel empty after finishing a game.
“Do I have to wait 3 hours…. Or should I look for a new game?”
I considered it, but I couldn’t muster up the enthusiasm. After experiencing the true essence of VR games, I wasn’t in the mood for PC or mobile games.
Tinkering around on a monitor just didn’t feel satisfying. The vividness unique to VR had raised my threshold for stimulation.
I thought about looking for a new VR game, but the VR capsule wouldn’t even turn on.
…It seemed that after using “Time Acceleration” for 5 hours, the VR device itself wouldn’t power on.
…So what do I do now?
With nothing else to do, I lay down on my bed and started reading a web novel.
About an hour passed like that.
[Hey, unnie?]
A call came in from Rion.
[Have you ever thought about teaching someone else how to play a game?]
……?
What was this about?