Chapter 2 : Divinity (2)

“WooSeok, what’s wrong? Is it because of some inappropriate chats?”

Yena leaned in, her face close to mine, concerned as I stared blankly into space.
Her dark eyes reflected my image back at me.

Caught off guard by her sudden proximity, I could only stare back, speechless. She seemed to realize how close she was, too, her face flushing crimson as she quickly changed the subject.

“S-So! Today’s content, Battle Stage, let’s begin!”

[– What was that? What’s with the atmosphere!!]
[– Some girl barges into a guy’s stream and hits on him? Kick her out, please!]
[– I oppose this couple! The moment they get together, I’m going to terrorize Yena’s house.]
[– Just reported her for sexual harassment. The government is quick to act on stuff like this, so good luck with that.]

“How would you even know where I live? Hah! As if a guy without a boyfriend could do anything!!”

This world’s Yena is truly innocent…
Gesturing wildly at the air, sticking her tongue out, her expressions change like masks.
Though not drastically different from her usual demeanor, she seems somewhat more uninhibited.

Still, even in a different world, Yena is still Yena.
Playful, a mischievous imp who pushes boundaries just enough.

The one friend among those fair-weather companions who actually valued *me* for who I am.
The friend who introduced me to gaming when I was disillusioned with people.

[– A BJ who curses at her viewers? Pew pew!]
[– A BJ with 20,000 viewers and not a single penny in donations? Pew pew!]
[– A crazy BJ who invites the hottest guy on and only talks about herself? Pew pew!]

“Stop it already!”

[– Nope, I wanna see WooSeok.]
[– Just leave already!]

“Hmph, it’s my stream anyway! WooSeok, ready to start?”

Ignoring her viewers entirely, Yena launches the game. A large number appears on the screen.

Does the game change with the world? The screen before me looks remarkably different from any game I know.
In my original world, diverse games like this didn’t exist, just League…

10, 9, 8, 7, 6…

As the countdown progresses, our surroundings begin transforming into the game environment.

“I’m not very good at this, are you sure?”

“Trust me! I’m a Path challenger!”

“Won’t it be adjusted to your rating, then? I’m unranked.”

“Oh.”

[– Idiot alert!!]
[– I can’t bear to see WooSeok get hurt! I’ll die!]
[– Get this woman away from him!]
[– Yena’s class showing through, making him play with Challengers.]
[– Since she started without warning, 20,000 viewers failed to snipe him, lol.]
[– Guess he doesn’t have much gaming experience, being a guy and all.]

Thanks to advanced future tech, Yena and I are suddenly inside a massive airplane with 300 people, buckling our seatbelts as someone who appears to be an instructor emerges.
With stark white skin contrasting sharply with her bulky muscles, and camouflage paint smeared across her face, she starts yelling something unintelligible. Of course, even the NPC is female.

“Yena, are there no subtitles?”

“Ah, right, I forgot to turn on your initial settings.”

After getting my permission, she fiddles with some personal settings on the screen, and I can finally understand what she’s saying. It’s still hard to hear over the wind rushing past outside.

I try to focus on the world-building, which I usually love, but Yena tugs at my sleeve. Her mouth moves, but the wind from the now-open hatch makes it impossible to hear.

“We have to jump now!”

“Wait until the last second?”

“Jump on three?”

“I can’t hear you!”

“One, two, three! Now!”

She deploys her parachute and leaps out, leaving me alone on the plane with the instructor. The NPC instructor gives me what I swear is a pitying look.

[– Did she just ditch WooSeok?]
[– Legendary, lol.]
[– Yena’s practically crying now, apologizing profusely, lol.]

Thankfully, even though Yena’s gone, I can still see the chat from our shared stream. Though I’m a bit bewildered.

“Uh… everyone?”

[– WooSeok, we’ll help you!]
[– Just tell us what to do!]

“Should I jump?”

[– I swear we won’t tease you, ever.]
[– Just seeing WooSeok’s face makes me happy.]
[– So, how big is it?]
[– Dude, not now.]

Leaving the chat to descend into chaos once more, I stand at the hatch. This is my first survival game… can I really do this when I can’t even aim a gun?
The plane is still moving at high speed, and the wind rushing through the open hatch buffets me fiercely.

“Trainee! Are you afraid!!”

Ah, so I’m a trainee, then. The instructor’s booming voice comes from behind.

[– He got stuck with the drill instructor.]
[– Isn’t it bad if you jump right away or if you get called on when you don’t know what to do?]
[– Yeah, the instructor will just kick you out, you’ll get a ‘coward’ title, and your footsteps will be louder.]
[– That’s harsh for a first-timer.]
[– With his high tier, it’s game over. Snipers ready. ON.]

Why didn’t they tell me that earlier?
These internet trolls…

Still, the constant stream of supportive comments makes me feel less alone, even if I’m separated from Yena. The instructor is still yelling something at me, too.

“It’s alright to be afraid. It’s perfectly normal to want to jump last. This instructor supports you, trainee! Ahem! This isn’t really allowed, but you look so pathetic, here you go!”

[– ?]
[– What?]
[– Where’s the instructor who was supposed to kick him out?]
[– First time seeing this, lol.]

The hulking, gorilla-like woman approaches and hands me a small mobile phone. The battery bulges out grotesquely, and it even has an antenna – it looks like something you’d find in the middle of nowhere. I’m admiring its retro design when the instructor continues.

“Press the call button, and a rescue team will come. Press it immediately in an emergency. Understand!!”

“Uh? Yes…”

“Good! I’ll escort you to the landing zone. Feel free to pick a weapon from over there if you like.”

[– Ladies, I’m confused. My heart is pounding.]
[– What’s an A-cup got to be excited about? But yeah, I don’t get it either.]
[– When did the devs add this?]
[– Is this because he’s a guy? Look at how thirsty they are.]
[– Hey, I found something funny. That phone’s call button connects to the devs, lol. I know the number because I’ve tried this before.]
[– And aren’t those weapons just for display? I tried to steal one once and got shot.]
[– You too?]

“What should I choose to survive, then?”

[– Honestly, I wouldn’t shoot a guy like him, but to really enjoy the game, how about the M-16?]
[– No, he needs to loot the supply drops. Gaming noob.]
[– Isn’t sniping easier? Guys have less stamina, too.]
[– Breaking News: Yena heard they were going to the landing zone and ran there without looting, and died, lol.]

I can practically picture her, panicking and getting shot…

“Oh, should we restart the game?”

[– No.]
[– I’m curious about that call button.]
[– There are a lot of unpatched weapons. Can’t you try those? I’m a hardcore fan of this game, so I’m really curious.]
[– Right? Why even display the railgun if we can’t use it?]

Since I’ve already started, I decide to show them just how bad I am, and look around. My eye is drawn to a weapon tucked away in a corner.
The moment I see it, my heart skips a beat. Almost as if in a trance, I walk over and pick it up.

[– A bow?]
[– A bow in a shooter game?]
[– I love everything about WooSeok.]

Yena) [– Guys, please donate… I worked so hard to make this collab happen…]

[– Didn’t WooSeok say not to?]
[– It’s so cringe when you come on someone else’s stream begging for money, Yena…]

Ignoring Yena and her viewers’ antics, I grip the bow, strangely drawn to it. The sound of a drumbeat, like the one I heard before I blacked out, echoes in my mind. It feels as if a forgotten sense has been reawakened, like holding something I’ve carried with me my whole life.

[– Just holding a bow, and he looks like he’s in a photoshoot.]
[– It hurts my heart to get this for free.]
[– My life is divided into before and after I met WooSeok…]

Yena) [– If it hurts so much, then donate, you punks!!]

“Hmm! Excellent choice of weapon. Just as expected of the talent I selected!”

The instructor nods approvingly and claps me on the shoulder.

[– She looked totally confused when he grabbed the bow, lol. Changed her tune the second their eyes met.]
[– WooSeok is a true legend.]

“Then, I wish you all the best!”

The plane touches down, and I disembark, bow in hand. The feel of grass beneath my feet and the humid tropical air washes over me.

I never dreamed I’d experience something like this after capsules became commercially available. These days, even travel is done through capsules…

As I walk through the grass, I notice another peculiar thing.

“I can see so far…”

[– That’s the game’s visual enhancement. Your physical abilities are boosted a bit.]
[– Isn’t it just a small amount?]
[– It might seem significant if it’s your first time.]
[– And it’s a Challenger tier because of Yena, so it won’t be easy to see.]

All the trolls are gone, replaced by a chat full of unexpected support, and I can’t help but smile. It’s funny how different it is from *that* girl’s chat. Thinking about it makes me angry again.

[– Don’t smile! I’m gonna die from cuteness overload!]
[– How am I supposed to look at other guys after seeing this face?]
[– People who say this usually mean ‘if he was a girl I’d date him’.]
[– So you wouldn’t date him?]

“My hearing is amazing, too. Is this all part of the enhancement?”

This feels like some kind of third sense has awakened.

“Look, I can sense a large creature coming from over there.”

[– WooSeok, if it’s that big, we’d hear it, too. We’re synced with you.]
[– This side of WooSeok is cute, lol.]
[– Can you just keep streaming? Kick Yena out and let WooSeok take over.]

The viewers claim they don’t hear anything. But I definitely feel a massive presence beyond the bushes, something stealthily approaching.

“No, really, there’s… Now!”

As I speak, something sleek and slithery bursts from the shadows, narrowly missing me. My body moves instinctively, dodging a series of attacks with an agility I never knew I possessed. Before I passed out, my movements in the capsule were clumsier than in real life. I could barely run for 20 minutes without getting tired. But now, something is different. My body responds perfectly to my thoughts, which themselves seem sharper, more refined.

[– Isn’t that the legendary monster of this map? The one the temple NPC rambles about?]
[– Yeah, we’ve seen silhouettes, but never the real thing.]
[– We’re seeing so much new stuff on WooSeok’s stream. And this game is over five years old, lol.]
[– Right? Choi Yena, are you watching this? Dragging a newbie into *this* for his first game?]
[– But those movements… he’s a newbie?]
[– How did he even *hear* it? I have my volume and view settings maxed out and I didn’t see or hear a thing.]

I can’t explain it. My body is moving on its own.

From the darkness between the trees, vertical yellow eyes scan me. A flickering tongue makes a chilling sound as it slowly encircles me. I somehow know it’s waiting for an opening, ready to strike.

I’m terrible at games and anything physical, but…

“I guess I have to fight it, huh?”

[– Your weapon is a *bow*. Remember?]
[– Don’t get caught, WooSeok! I think I might turn into a monster enthusiast if you do.]
[– I can… understand!]
[– I… see!]

My heart pounds in my chest. Like an old, rusty weapon restored to its former glory, it beats wildly.

A new game, unfamiliar feelings…

“Here I go!”

I shout boldly, reaching behind my back as I face the giant snake, and then I realize the problem. I don’t have any arrows.