Chapter 3: Hack?

Why do people play games? When asked this question, responses vary.

Most answers include things like hobbies, habits from childhood, a sense of accomplishment from winning, or competitive spirit, among others. But the answer that encompasses all of these is simple.

Fun. Everything boils down to fun. Games are popular because they’re fun, and people play because they’re fun.

I wasn’t much different.

My introduction to games was trivial. My friends were playing, so I joined in. The first game I played was a famous one by N Company, *MapleStory*. Hitting mushrooms and snails with a simple system brought me an inexplicable sense of pleasure as a child.

I quickly got hooked on this new form of entertainment. It started with RPGs, but soon I began playing all kinds of genres.

I defeated monsters to make my character stronger and ruthlessly eliminated opponents with guns and swords. Sometimes, I became a grand commander, maneuvering vast armies with strategy.

Hours passed without me noticing as I pursued the objectives set by each game’s genre.

A decent level of understanding and concentration allowed me to immerse myself deeper into the world of games, and I grew up experiencing the true essence of gaming.

Of course, it wasn’t always fun. Being human, I also grew tired of games and occasionally felt a sense of futility. Most of those moments came when I faced defeat.

As time passed, I grew older and lost my passion and interest in games.

With the increasing pressures of life, the time I had for gaming dwindled, and my enthusiasm waned further.

Still, on holidays, I’d routinely turn on my computer, as if it were homework.

I couldn’t muster the energy to try new releases, so I logged into the old games I used to play.

Although my skills had dulled, I still showcased my experience and occasionally claimed victory.

After playing for a while, I felt somewhat liberated from the issues weighing on me.

The game gave me a brief respite, allowing me to face reality with a bit more strength.

Beyond just fun, that’s another reason I love games.

When I’m playing, the worries that burden my mind disappear.

It was the same today.

I woke up to find I had inexplicably become a woman, with no idea how to return. I couldn’t contact anyone from my past life.

I didn’t know what happened to the real “me” or how I should move forward.

With all these thoughts making my head feel like it was going to explode, I turned on the game.

And the game quickly worked its magic.

Bang!

A satisfying gunshot sliced through the air. In the top right corner, a kill log confirmed I had taken down an opponent.

Though my teammates soon fell as well, it didn’t matter.

I was glad.

Perhaps it was because it had been so long, but everything felt good. As I focused on the game, even my blurry vision became clear, and I could see far into the distance without any issues.

I briefly wondered if it was because I was in Ji-eun’s body, but that thought quickly faded. It didn’t matter right now.

I pulled the trigger again.

“No way, that’s not fair!”

A woman sat there, seething as she stared at the screen. On it, a replay showed how she had just been killed. A character’s head was pierced by a bullet and collapsed helplessly.

[Killed like a bug!]

[Died within 30 seconds of starting this time.]

[That stream is weird, the screen keeps showing in black and white.]

[Me.]

[How many headshots is she going to take?]

[Dead Artist Sua ᄃᄃ]

[Season 1258423 – Major Rage]

[Rock.]

[Can’t play for the life of her.]

[Talking a lot after losing a sniper fight.]

[So disgraceful, Sua.]

“It’s not that I’m bad; it’s that the other person is just really good!”

The woman looked frustrated as she stared at her monitor.

At first glance, it might have seemed like she was talking to herself, but the person she was addressing actually existed. It’s just that they were connected via a network.

There were microphones and various other sound equipment, along with lights shining from behind.

She was a broadcaster—in particular, a streamer.

The word “streamer” comes from the streaming of music or videos, meaning the act of downloading and playing them in real-time. In simple terms, she’s just an internet broadcaster.

She could communicate with viewers who watched her broadcasts live through the internet from anywhere, at any time.

The woman who had just died to Jieun was also a streamer.

The streamer’s name was Sua.

She ran a game-centric broadcast on a major international streaming site called Switch and had several viewers.

And she was being ridiculed by those viewers in real-time.

“Sua, didn’t you say you’d carry this round? LOL.”

“Just wait a sec, LOL, I said I’d carry, LOL.”

“1/10/3 stats in Gold rank? You could win there with your eyes closed.”

“100 kills, 3 assists. Your team can’t keep up with your incredible skill.”

“Is there really a Diamond player getting stomped in Gold? Is there really a Diamond player getting stomped in Gold?”

“Come on, fix your act.”

“Change the title of your stream.”

To be fair, all the ridicule she was receiving was her own doing. Just look at the title of her stream.

“Smurfing in Gold, aiming for Platinum.”

It was just minor bait to attract viewers.

A simple promotional message to let people know the content she was running, asking them to come and watch.

This was actually mild compared to the extreme baiting tactics some other streams used, which could be outright provocative from the title alone.

In the brutal world of broadcasting, you needed something special to stand out.

Capturing the attention of viewers who would jump from one stream to another based on their preferences wasn’t an easy task.

Still, Sua had managed to do it to some extent. She had a pretty face, a pleasant voice, and decent gaming skills.

With all the elements that viewers liked, she had built a stable base of regulars.

Her occasional “raising a smurf account” content received fairly decent reactions.

It wasn’t a huge success, but at least it kept the viewers from leaving, making it a solid, middle-ground kind of content.

In reality, content based on smurfing (playing against lower-skilled players) wasn’t exactly seen in a positive light.

It made it hard for newcomers—the most important part of any game’s growth—to survive.

Also, in an industry where image was everything, specializing in smurfing…

The image of being a game streamer who specializes in “smurfing” could carry some risk.

Sua was aware of this, which is why she only did this content occasionally, and she had set up a safety net under the guise of leveling up an alternate account.

The current situation was something she was experiencing for the first time while running her “smurfing” content.

[That person is good. How many times has he saved the game already by himself?]

“Exactly! I’m telling you, that person doesn’t belong in this rank. Isn’t he a pro on a smurf account?”

Amid the mocking chat messages, Sua caught a glimpse of someone defending her, and she began to justify herself.

It wasn’t just an excuse—Sua genuinely believed it.

Agent of War.

That was the name of the game she was currently playing.

Agent of War, shortened to AoW, had been out for a few years, but it still held its place as a popular game.

The genre was hyper FPS. It stood for “First-Person Shooter,” but the genre was something people had never seen or heard before.

Typically, when people think of FPS games, they think of blood-soaked battles and gunfire. AoW shattered that perception.

While it kept the aiming system of traditional FPS games, its battlegrounds were filled with flashy magical effects, not just bullets.

Inside the game, there were numerous characters called agents, each with their unique skills and characteristics.

A fireball-throwing wizard, a ninja throwing shurikens, an assassin slashing with daggers—characters you’d expect to see in completely different games were all mixed together.

Some called it a “kimchi-pizza-sweet and sour pork” mashup, but the wide variety of characters allowed for diverse gameplay.

These features appealed to older gamers craving something new, and eventually, AoW secured a spot among the top PC bang games, rising to the ranks of popular titles.

However, as time passed and new agents were added, along with more complex skills and abilities, the game became increasingly difficult.

Players had to memorize each agent’s unique skills and weapon traits and learn the layout of maps that changed with each round.

The addition of skills to an FPS only heightened the chaos, making it even more mentally exhausting compared to older games.

In such a chaotic environment, accurately aiming at enemies and coordinating with teammates required considerable skill.

It wasn’t uncommon for new players, who thought the game looked fun, to get their heads blown off by agents flying through the air or disappearing and reappearing, only to quit shortly afterward.

Needless to say, AoW had become a game full of veteran players.

Sua’s skill level was at the lower end of Diamond rank.

Out of nine tiers, from Iron to Challenger, she was in the sixth one from the bottom.

As an old user who had been playing AoW since its early days, her skills were fairly decent.

While her viewers joked about her getting “carried,” they probably knew deep down that she had shown her skill throughout her streams.

Even the chat, which had been buzzing with criticism, seemed to somewhat agree with her perspective.

[Could they really be a pro?]

[A pro smurf entering the game, LOL.]

[Do you think pros are that common? They’re too busy practicing.]

[Pros start with super accounts, they wouldn’t be in this rank.]

[They are really good. It might be a smurf after all.]

“Their aim is unbelievable. Look at this.”

Sua once again replayed the clip of her being killed for her viewers. In the kill cam, shown from the opponent’s perspective, Sua’s agent was effortlessly taken down.

If she had lost after a fierce battle, she wouldn’t have felt so frustrated.

But the opponent toyed with her, displaying acrobatic moves before landing a perfect headshot.

And they did it with one of the hardest-to-master weapons, a sniper rifle.

**Mollru 13/0/4**
A mysterious player with no deaths. The strange nickname somehow irritated her.

[Look at this player’s stats, Sua, they’re insane.]

[This has to be a smurf, no question.]

[Hurry, search them up!]

“Moll…ru? How do you even pronounce that?”

Following her viewers’ suggestions, Sua searched the player’s stats, feeling a sense of relief.

If it really was a high-ranking player’s Smurf account, it would give her an excuse. Judging by her viewers’ reactions, it seemed likely.

Sua searched their stats and gasped softly.

“Wow… who is this person?”

**13 wins, 0 losses.**

The record was completely blue with wins. After winning all five placement matches to determine rank, they continued an undefeated streak, each game carried decisively.

Sua was simply swept up by this overwhelming flow. By now, even the viewers stopped mocking her.

[What is this?]

[It’s really a pro smurf, LOL.]

[Oh, Sua didn’t play badly—how could she beat a Challenger smurf?]

[They’re not just using one agent, they’re playing multiple roles too.]

[This mysterious top player in the Gold rank is definitely YouTube material.]

[Let’s add them as a friend and ask who they are.]

It was obvious to anyone watching that this was a smurf.

And since the player had been toying with Sua, a Diamond-level player, it was clear they were from a higher rank.

Sua and the viewers began speculating about their identity.

[Isn’t it Junghun? He’s the only one who plays sniper at a high level.]

[Junghun doesn’t play this well, LOL, he’s barely getting carried in Master.]

[Is it Madduck?]

[They’re not just using sniper; they’re also using daggers and bows. Can anyone guess who this is?]

[This has to be Weapon Master Daesik.]

[Hwang Daesik.]

[Daesik is protecting AoW! Daesik is protecting AoW!]

[Daesik, though…;;]

Before they knew it, the chat had shifted to a debate about the mysterious player’s identity.

Sua too stopped speaking, deep in thought about who it could be.

But then one message broke the mood.

[Isn’t it just a hacker? Even Grandmaster-Challengers can’t play like that.]

“Hacker?”

Sua’s voice echoed through her booth via the microphone.

The next episode coming soon.