Chapter 22 : The Saint is worried (8)

[Victory!]

Game Time: 28 minutes 23 seconds.
35 kills / 0 deaths

A victory message, shining gold.

I clicked on it, and the waiting room, now bathed in silver light, appeared.

‘Much cleaner than before.’

I sat down and looked at my hands.

Moments ago, they were covered in blood, but now they were clean and white.

“Sigh…”

Was this the afterglow of battle?

I didn’t particularly enjoy killing.

I just discarded hesitation to survive.

But…

‘It was fun.’

I felt like… old memories were resurfacing.

‘A little more.’

I felt like I could learn something if I played a little more.

I clicked the “Match” button, a smile playing on my lips.

A girl with long, pink braids swung her spear.

Clang, clang, clang!

The man with the greatsword barely blocked, then stepped back.

A fleeting opening.

The spear pierced his shoulder.

“Gah!”

As the girl retrieved her spear for the finishing blow…

Bang!

A gunshot, and her strength drained. A sniper, from a rooftop.

“Ugh.”

She barely managed to brace herself with her spear, but the greatsword was already falling.

A clean blow, no time to defend.

The sickening crunch of bone. Then, the death notification.

“Ah, f*ck! This is bullshit!”

A young voice echoed from the red-tinted screen. The chat scrolled rapidly in response to her mournful cry.

-A Diamond player getting wrecked in Platinum lol.
-Yup, not a girl, it’s a dude~
-Just unlucky. That sniper was good.
-There wasn’t even a bullet trajectory.
-The school rooftop is a well-known sniping spot, how did she not check?
-She’s going to drop to Gold at this rate.
-Seriously lol

As the chat showed, she was a man, or at least, that’s what the viewers thought. But her cute appearance and 163cm height made some viewers treat her like a girl.

“Ugh… ugh…”

I tried to ignore the familiar chat messages, but the trembling shoulders betrayed me.

And the viewers, noticing my distress, intensified their mockery.

SelfHarmLancer donated ₩5,000!
<Died because he’s a Lancer.>

Lie donated ₩1,000!
<Give up, that’s the Diamond wall.>

GoEasyOnHerGuys donated ₩2,000!
<Are you crying? Are you crying? Lol>

Various voices accompanied the donations.

“I’m not crying…”

Even my childish voice, which I was self-conscious about, was an asset for streaming. It had helped me become a moderately successful streamer, but the goal was to be known for my skills. The constant losses were chipping away at my confidence.

A moment later…

‘It’s not over yet.’

The resurrected Lancer ran back to the battlefield.

‘Closer than I thought.’

I could already see the school gate.

The sniper would probably still be there. Even if they moved, I had the advantage inside the school building.

Ignoring the crunching sand under my feet, I picked up speed.

IfYouGiveUpItsOver donated ₩1,000!
<It’s over.>

“What’s over…?”

“Ah…”

I had been so focused that I lost track of time.

[Calculating scores.]

[Calculation complete.]

(18 vs 17)

[Defeat!]

[Game Time: 60 minutes]

4 kills / 2 deaths

“Ah…”

A small sigh escaped my lips.

The chat scrolled rapidly at his disappointment.

-One kill difference.
-That’s a thick piece of paper lol
-Seriously lol

Just one kill. But a loss was a loss, and his points decreased.

‘…If only I hadn’t died there…’

YouGonnaMakeIt? donated ₩1,000!
<Are you really going to make it to Diamond today?>

A child’s voice.

-Jammin lol
-That’s always funny lol
-It’s a fake Diamond climb, she’s actually going for Gold.
-LOL

[TL Note : Due to his small stature and childish voice, the viewers often treat him as a girl, hence he’s addressed as both him and her from time to time. He is originally a man]

While other voices annoyed him, that child’s voice was particularly grating.

‘Is there no way to block just the kid’s voice?’

He sighed and pressed the “Confirm” button. The waiting room, bathed in green light, indicated his Platinum rank.

Astolfo donated ₩10,000!
<A cavalryman without a horse can’t win lol>

“Ah, thank you for the 10,000 won donation! Where would I even find a horse in the city?! And I’m a Lancer, by the way.”

EmiyaSniper donated ₩5,000!
<I… want to be Diamond…>

HolyGrail donated ₩1,000!
<I used to think Platinum was better than Gold, because there are always people who can’t even make it to Platinum, no matter the era. That’s an undeniable truth, and there’s no hope on the battlefield, only despair, victory only exists upon the suffering of the defeated… but then I woke up and found myself on the verge of Gold.>

-lol
-What are these memes lol
-That face is priceless lol
-Seriously lol
-The lost 10 hours lol

[Promotion Match] Reaching Diamond Today! [Kano]

[Viewers: 7,472] [Stream Time: 10:32:24]

Kano Info
Followers: 642,437

“…Why… did 10 hours pass…?”

He had been one win away from promotion…

-That’s Last Ragnarok for you.
-Getting a house is so hard.

Reaching certain ranks in Last Ragnarok came with benefits.

New players started in a rusty, dark waiting room.

Bronze was somewhat bearable, and Silver had a decent waiting room.

Gold and Platinum weren’t much different, but Diamond was where things changed.

A whole dimension opened up beyond the waiting room, which players called “home.”

The quality improved with rank, with Challenger having a luxurious resort-like space.

-Isn’t he in danger now?
-Last Ragnarok PVP is brutal.
-95% of players are homeless in this game.
-Real-life housing crisis in VR lol

Reaching Diamond was the goal, the dream, for Last Ragnarok streamers.

“Sigh.”

Kano.

A moderately popular streamer who started with the game’s launch, with a cute appearance and dedicated fans. He was almost considered a major streamer.

“…If I lose one more time, I’ll be demoted, right?”

-Exactly on the line.
-That’s a demotion.
-If he doesn’t die, he might be safe.
-If he gets demoted from Platinum 1, shouldn’t he go to Platinum 2? How can he drop to Gold 1?
-Makes no sense.
-This is reality-reflecting VR…
-Why even play this broken game lol
-Lots of content.

As the chat showed…

Platinum was a difficult rank for most Last Ragnarok players.

Kano played seriously, but he had never reached Diamond.

The reason was Last Ragnarok’s harsh, “realistic” ranking system.

Games weren’t long for no reason.

Even if you killed enemies, if you died, it was over. Reflecting reality, the point penalty for dying was significantly higher than the points gained for killing.

But if that were all, people would be questioning why less than 5% of players were Diamond or above, two years after launch.

Ding.

<Last Ragnarok is a highly polished game. It accurately reflects reality. Think about it. Demotion in rank is like death, or even worse. But just a one-rank drop? I think even that is too lenient.>

(Video of a handsome, gray-haired man with glasses explaining the game.)

-F*ck that guy lol
-I still remember that.
-The director doesn’t understand human hearts.
-It’s crazy that he actually said that on stream lol
-I heard the original plan was to demote you to Iron, no matter your rank.
-That would be insane lol
-Hardcore ranked mode?
-Getting sent back to the starting village is standard lol
-But it sucks when it happens to me lol
-That only applies to Platinum and above, I’m eternally stuck in Gold, so I don’t have to worry.
-Ah, the streamer is almost in Gold now.
-Seriously lol

“…I’m still Platinum!”

He puffed out his cheeks and grumbled, implying, “Go easy on me, I’m serious,” but the viewers didn’t stop.

-Aren’t you starting the queue?
-Scared?
-Chicken~
-Seriously lol

GoEasyOnHerGuys donated ₩1,000!
<Are you crying? Lol Are you crying? Lol>

“I’m not crying!”

He grumbled and clicked “Match.”

Clang.

[Match Found]

-He took the bait lol
-Worth the trolling.

As the scenery changed, Kano’s expression turned serious.

A reception counter and an elevator at the end.

‘A motel?’

His teammates’ silhouettes appeared.

‘What should I do?’

His hand hovered over the spear icon, then he picked up a black gun.

-Sniper?
-Isn’t the streamer a decent shot?
-Lancer’s specialty is piercing, so he’s accurate.
-You need at least one ranged attacker in urban warfare.
-Melee is enough.

Play it safe. Even if he lost, as long as he didn’t die, he wouldn’t be demoted.

‘Should I go straight to the rooftop? No.’

Kano looked around again. The terrain became clearer. The motel was smaller than he thought.

‘It’ll be hard to escape if I’m spotted here. A bigger building…’

StandUpStraightKano donated ₩1,000!
<There’s a Priest on your team lol>

KanoToGold donated ₩1,000!
<You’re screwed lol. Welcome back to Gold!>

“Huh?!”