Chapter 4: Not a suspicious person

“What’s the point of giving a gift if you don’t tell me how to use it?”

The more I investigated, the more my dissatisfaction with the organizer grew.

“Why on earth didn’t they tell me something so simple?”

‘Anyway, this is why superficiality is a problem.’

Playing the game was a simple process: purchase a capsule and access the service provided within it.

So I looked up how to buy it, and it just popped up when I searched their company name…

Because of that, I hadn’t even started yet, but I was already full of preliminary knowledge.

I decided to think of it as saving myself the trouble of looking it up later.

Putting aside my growing frustration once again, I looked down at the enormous box that had arrived.

Was it about the size of a single bed?

The capsule I ordered in the morning arrived around the time I was eating dinner.

The capsule arrived much faster than I expected, making me realize anew just how immense the game’s popularity was.

I casually picked one of the empty rooms and asked the delivery driver to set it down there.

The driver explained that all I had to do was open the box and plug it in, then left.

The fact that I just had to connect it without any separate installation process felt like they had paid a lot of attention to convenience.

I opened the box, removed the packaging material, and took out the capsule and manual.

Just as the driver said, the manual mainly focused on additional convenience features and safety precautions, beyond basic connection instructions.

I didn’t properly read anything beyond the essential parts.

I wanted to start right away.

I quickly powered it on, opened the door, and threw myself inside.

“Oh.”

Perhaps because I chose the most expensive one, it was as comfortable as a bed.

Enjoying the capsule’s cushioning, I closed my eyes as a floating sensation came over me.

Perhaps this was the process of entering virtual reality?

[Scanning for service provision.]

Up to this point, it was as described.

But do I need to relax my body?

[Scan Complete.]

When I opened my eyes at the electronic sound announcing completion, the space was entirely black.

I could move my limbs freely, but it felt like I was hovering in the air.

[Would you like to proceed with character customization? (If you decline, your scanned appearance will be applied as is!)]

I had no time for that.

I just wanted to try it out as soon as possible.

“Decline.”

[Customization ended.]

As customization finished, colors filled the pitch-black space.

The surging colors took shape as my hands and feet no longer hovered in the air.

“So I’m back here again, like this…”

I looked around.

It was the appearance of a loyal research lab, severely lacking in natural colors, true to its purpose.

At this point, isn’t it practically dedicated to me?

The scale of the gift was too grand.

[Welcome to your first visit, Subject Lee Ro-ah.]

Although it wasn’t my first time, the electronic voice welcoming me was very pleasant.

[We will now grant you a Talent.]

It’s here.

Talent.

Special People.

True to the game company’s name, it was the name for the superpowers usable by all players in virtual reality.

[Talents are the foundation for all services to be provided in the future, in addition to the currently active Weapon Survival.]

There were superpowers in addition to weapon skills, and this was the reason why the game was named Weapon Survival.

‘What will I get?’

While some Talents, like water and fire, have many users, there are also Talents with only a single user.

Whatever appeared, they said all Talents were what you made of them.

It meant they would never be granted at a level of performance that made them unusable.

With a pounding heart, I waited for the Talent that was about to appear.

[Your Talent is…]

“…So it’s this?”

I wore a meaningful smile.

I was confident that if I went up to someone and spoke to them like this, I would definitely be suspected.

[Please set your nickname.]

A nickname, huh…

Let’s try to make one that suits my Talent.

****

The girl’s neck flew through the air without any warning.

The girl was immediately ejected to the game lobby.

“No?! Is this even possible?!”

–?

–?????

–What is it?

–Why did they die?

–Huh?

The chat window was also full of question marks, mirroring her reaction.

“What happened in a normal game…?”

What on earth did I die to?

Streamer Sua.

Her voice was clearly filled with surprise.

The current meta favored hammers.

In particular, water-element Talents, which could self-supply both hammers and one of the essential materials, produced cheating synergies, allowing Sua, who could utilize them, to easily rise to the ranks.

There were some who cursed her as a “honey-sucker,” but what did it matter?

But Sua no longer wanted to play ranked games.

‘It’s boring.’

All day long, she would hide and just hammer away, strengthening her weapon to snatch first place in the late game.

Doing only this all day long felt like it was driving her crazy.

And then, if she occasionally died early due to bad luck, her mental state would shatter along with the points she lost.

‘Why do you guys watch this stream?

I just hammer all the time?’

Once, out of extreme curiosity, she had asked her viewers.

–Because you’re so damn good.

–Because those extreme late-game 1v1s don’t just win themselves.

–Skilled female streamers are rare.

–You’re fun, have some confidence.

It felt embarrassing to pat herself on the back, but if it weren’t for her skill and wit, such a boring stream wouldn’t have gained this much popularity.

Anyway, that’s why she played a normal game.

She absolutely didn’t want to use a hammer.

She confidently went out, having proudly chosen a pistol that made it easy to get kills from the start.

–How can someone die to a dagger lolol

–Can you even die to a dagger lolol

–Noob lolololol

–They say this person with a ranged weapon died to a dagger noob lololol

–This kind of thing… is a ranker’s average?

–That chat above crossed the line lololol

“No, you guys were surprised too!”

–Ah, that’s that lololol

–For us, your death is more important.

–Fr lol

–Lolololol

That was the current situation.

The viewers, who had been just as flustered moments ago, had suddenly changed and were now teasing her.

‘These scoundrels.’

The kill log appeared.

It brazenly declared that the weapon that killed Sua was a dagger.

“It can’t be a hack…”

–Sua, you’re so shameful…

–Sister, you’re disgraceful.

–Again with finding the culprit.

In solo, you’re the only culprit, you know?

–Just…

“It must be a Talent, right?”

–There’s nothing else.

–Everything that seemed like a hack in this game was actually a Talent.

–Anyway, if there were hacks in a VR game, your life would be in danger lolol

–Fr lol

–So what now?

Guest appearance like last time?

Sua’s eyes gleamed at the viewer’s suggestion.

“No.

First, let’s watch the replay.”

–Review on.

–Uwaaa, stop shaking off the ants!

–Ah, please.

–Fr lol

Sua ignored the chat with effort and activated the replay function.

Such minor efforts were what had brought her to her current position.

“What was that person’s nickname just now?”

–NotASuspiciousPerson

Seeing Sua’s serious expression, the viewers finally answered without joking around.

After bringing up the replay window and waiting for a moment, the replay button for the game she had just died in became active, indicating the game had ended.

–It’s up!!!

–Let’s go~

–LFG LFG

The video began with a sense of omnipotence, looking down from above.

–Seriously, how did they make the replay function?

–It’s amazing no matter how many times I watch it.

–You can switch freely between 3rd and 1st person.

Sua immediately switched to first-person and descended from the sky.

The target’s nickname was, of course, NotASuspiciousPerson.

–Did you just see that?

–The customization is so pretty.

–Here we go again.

Do you really trust appearances in a game?

–It’s a game where you can even customize a goblin, and you trust that lolol

“Quiet.”

–Gasp.

–Understood.

–Her Majesty commands everyone to shut up.

At Sua’s single word, the chat window fell silent.

The customization of NotASuspiciousPerson, seen during the transition from third-person to first-person, was abnormally beautiful, and their face held a very relaxed expression.

Every time she ran silently, her pure white silver hair swayed violently.

–How can just running turn into a photoshoot lolol

–Even if we don’t know the person inside, the customization is legit.

–But why did they make their eyes like that?

–Slitted eyes with a suit?

They chose a fun concept, for real.

–Fr lol

–Suspicious…

‘Is it just my imagination?’

Sua tilted her head.

It felt like she knew something, but she couldn’t say for sure.

It was the very early game, before even the restricted zones were set.

NotASuspiciousPerson’s gaze landed on a familiar customization.

[SUASua]

And it was the back of her head.

NotASuspiciousPerson, without slowing down, thrust their dagger straight at Sua’s neck.

Even after that, NotASuspiciousPerson’s rampage didn’t stop.

They didn’t stop their surprise attacks, just like they had done to her, until they earned enough credits for weapon upgrades.

“Haa…”

A sigh escaped Sua’s lips.

She wasn’t in the right state of mind to stop the replay.

–??????

–?

–What are you doing?

–Why didn’t I know this?

–Daggers do have bonus movement speed, but not that much.

–Something’s weird?

In the battle royale genre, sound is the most crucial information.

But there was no way she wouldn’t have heard footsteps from that distance.

“Sound…”

There was no sound.

Not even footsteps, let alone the casting sound that occurs when a weapon is used.

“There’s no sound.

I checked just in case, and the volume is normal.”

–Huh?

–It’s true?

–Oh, seriously.

–OMG, what kind of Talent is this now…?

–Talent, is it you again?

Talent, is it you again?

–So broken!

So broken!

–Crazy…

While she was momentarily dazed, the replay had already reached the late game.

Normally, she would have ended the replay now that she knew the cause of her death, but this time was an exception.

“Let’s watch a bit more.”

–Yep.

–We’re watching too.

–I was just about to say that.

–Everyone, take a seat!

She became curious about the user named NotASuspiciousPerson.

There were two survivors: her with a dagger and the opponent with an axe.

Sua, wondering when she would charge, closed and opened her eyes for a moment.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she charged towards her opponent.

–If the dagger noob charges forward…

–They’re doomed, doomed.

–To just blindly charge with a Talent like that…

–What a waste of Talent, for real.

–Fr lol

It was the moment when everyone, including her, was about to be disappointed by the subpar play.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, The man’s neck flew through the air.

–OMG.

–This person was completely insane.

–Dagger viral marketing, this is too much.

Daggers are weapons with a skill set focused on movement speed and powerfully set damage.

While they might seem good at first glance, despite being a combat-preferred weapon, they were quickly made obsolete shortly after release due to their short duration and short reach.

Sua and a very small number of viewers clearly saw it.

Relying on the dagger’s explosive but brief movement speed to dodge the opponent’s weapon trajectory and slash.

“It’s amazing…”

–Ooh la la.

Her seductive voice was a bonus.

****

[Your Talent is ‘Noiseless’.]