Chapter 43: No Paradise in Flight

<I just found a strange bug while playing the game>

(Weirdly moving Camilla gif)

Why is she moving like that?

When others get scared, they run away, but she’s the only one acting weird, like she’s having a seizure.

Is this a motion error or something?

• What is this? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
• Camilla trapped in fear ᄃᄃᄃ
• Wow… look at the morphing
• I want to go over and hug her tightly ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
• I just want to hug her so tight that she can’t move and make her do this and that, wa-ra-ra-ra
• This isn’t a bug, it’s an Easter egg.

When Camilla gets scared, she actually shakes like that until it wears off.

• Easter egg, huh?
• It’s not just the motion; the fear time is actually 0.1 seconds longer too.
• This girl really feels ‘fear’ ww
• It says in the settings that she’s scared of spirits, but they applied it like this.
• She dances well on the battlefield, but she’s afraid of ghosts? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
• No, ㅋㅋ then wouldn’t a counter like Lilina or Jerome be a huge counter to Camilla?
• It’s not a complete counter, but Camilla does take a loss because the fear lasts longer.
• Is there any hero that doesn’t have a counter against Camilla?

There aren’t many that can win against her in a 1v1, right?

• What kind of Easter egg is this?
• The in-game motion is whatever, but shouldn’t they fix the fear lasting longer?
• That’s why Kayak always posts on the official site asking for it to be fixed.
• With this, isn’t IONIX indirectly telling us not to play Camilla?
• Ah ㅋㅋ why would anyone play with a trash hero like Camilla?
• But her appearance and concept are just my type…
• Camilla was the number one character in the popularity poll from seasons 1–3, does she look like a trash character to you?
• She’s a beautiful trash ᅲᅲ….

When the horror game was selected as today’s game after the auction, I did have a small concern.

After all, I’m a streamer, and I thought that if I didn’t make the broadcast a bit more entertaining, the viewers might not enjoy it.

Horror games have always been in demand in the internet streaming world.

So, what makes horror games appealing from a broadcast perspective?

Popular streams always have a reason behind it.

Some watch for the skilled player, some because they just like the streamer, or because it’s a unique stream that’s not done anywhere else, etc.

What do viewers want from streamers when it comes to horror games?

Why do they recommend these games to streamers without playing them themselves?

The selling point of horror games is simple.

The surprise and fear when hidden elements of the game are revealed.

Trembling but never letting go of the keyboard and mouse.

Pressing forward bravely, but unable to hide a shaky voice.

And if you happen to burst into tears, that’s not a bad method either.

However, you shouldn’t stop the game midway just because you’re crying.

Therefore, as I installed the horror game recommended by someone who donated suspiciously large sums of money, I thought for a moment.

‘Should I pretend to be scared on purpose?’

For me, this was a perfectly reasonable and somewhat important question.

When you think about it from the other person’s perspective, it’s a simple matter.

You’ve spent a significant amount of money to get a streamer to play a horror game, and if they don’t react as you expect, what do you do?

Would you donate to that person again?

Or would you continue watching their streams after that?

Of course, you could.

You might find it refreshing that they aren’t startled by the in-game horror elements,

or you could admire their unexpected physicality as they do a speedrun of the horror game.

Or, you could simply feel satisfied because the streamer you like played the game you recommended.

But… “I don’t think this person is that type.”

That’s the problem with the mysterious person who recommended the horror game to me.

First off, they followed my stream just yesterday,

and their donation today was their first one,

so they weren’t someone who had been watching my stream regularly.

In fact, thinking about it, these kinds of worries might actually be meaningless.

I could play the game and, unexpectedly, get so scared that I start crying without even realizing it.

But I didn’t think that was likely.

Although I had never played a horror game myself, I had watched others play a few times.

Every time I did, I thought to myself, “Why are they so scared? It doesn’t seem that scary.”

Logically speaking, it makes sense.

I’m a tough guy who doesn’t believe in ghosts, a man of steel, so there’s no way I’d be scared by a horror game.

It’s not a horror movie, it’s just a game.

I couldn’t possibly tremble in fear during a game.

So, it brings me back to square one.

Should I pretend to be scared, maybe throw in a little acting, or should I just go with the flow and do it naturally?

As I pondered this, the game was finally installed.

“I don’t know. I’ll just go with the flow and figure it out as I play.”

That was the conclusion I came to, but I decided to set the stage a little.

Just in case the acting felt awkward, I could get back to playing normally.

“Well, you know, I’m probably not going to get scared. I’ll play it, but I’m pretty fearless…”

[There are some people who don’t get scared at all.]

[You have to get scared a little for it to be fun.]

[This game is seriously scary, even Taker cried last time.]

[Taker is already a real man, though. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Funny how the people who say stuff like that are always so scared.]

[ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[I can already tell you’re going to start whining and say you can’t do it.]

“Hmph, you’ll see.”

I spoke confidently to those who didn’t believe me.

“Kieeeeeeek!”

I screamed at the top of my lungs and ran away.

I don’t know what exactly that thing was,

but it gave off the feeling that if I got caught, I was dead.

I had never played a horror game before,

and this was my first time with this one,

but the eerie background music was clearly warning me that something dangerous was coming.

I began to desperately flee from whatever it was that resembled a ghost.

Of course, aside from clearing the game, I also ran away because I was genuinely scared.

What was up with that terrifying creature?

Was it the music?

My heart was pounding so hard I thought it was going to leap out of my chest.

[This is crazy~~~~]

[What’s with all the screaming? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[You said you weren’t scared.]

[You said you were confident, and you chose hard mode yourself.]

[Ugh, the way it’s charging at me is terrifying.]

[Delicious!]

[Kayak is good at this game too ᄋ]

[Is this considered good?]

[She’s scared but does everything, so I guess she’s good ㅋㅋㅋ]

[I think I’ll sleep with my mom tonight.]

[The crawling thing was a fake ㅋㅋㅋ could still run though.]

[The breathing I hear behind me is so real ᄌᄂ ᄃᄃ]

[That’s why the game reviews are so good ᄋᄋ…]

[Listen to how refreshing the scream is.]

[But I still haven’t died even once.]

“Ugh… How far have you come, stop chasing me!”

Originally, the character’s movement speed was set so slow that it was incredibly tense.

If I slipped up even a little, I’d surely get caught by the ghost.

To avoid the ghost, I kept running in circles around a specific area and then hid in a closet to wait for the ghost to leave.

“U-uh, if I hide here, you won’t find me, right? This is my first time playing a public game, but I’ve watched others play. Usually, when you hide here, they leave.”

[Ah ㅋㅋㅋ hiding in the closet]

[Hiding here is a classic move.]

[If you prep, it’s boring though |–]

[This is my first time playing, so it’s not really prep.]

[The playtime says 0 hours, how could you prep?]

[You’re doing really well for a first-timer? Normally, people die 3-4 times in that section.]

[This person might look like that, but they’re a talent prodigy.]

[Don’t retreat, fight back!]

As expected, the ghost didn’t seem to have the ability to find the person hiding in the closet, and the eerie background music and footsteps slowly faded away.

Wait, why does the ghost even have footsteps? Isn’t that historically inaccurate?

Anyway, that’s not important right now.

“Hey, can I lower the background music a bit? Is that okay?”

[????]

[You said you weren’t scared though ㅋㅋㅋ]

[Such disappointment, tch…]

[Well, I’m not scared, blah blah, I’m fine…]

[Hmm… Is that really all?]

[Kayak, you’re ‘banned’ from our Abyss Gallery.]

“It was just a suggestion. I’m not really scared. I’ve been pretending to be scared because I thought you’d get bored. Should I just play for real now?”

It was a cheap move to just lower the sound.

After a strong backlash, I muttered under my breath and grabbed the mouse again.

Then, as I opened the closet door and stepped back outside…

Thud!

“Ahhh! Ah! What the heck! Oh, really! Ughhhh!”

With a grand background music, I met the ghost standing right in front of the closet, and just like that, it was game over.

With its creepy laugh and sudden face right in front of me, I thought my heart was about to drop.

[Ugh, ᄉᄇ]

[What’s going on?]

[Ahhh!]

[Even I was surprised by this.]

[That reaction is so satisfying ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Wow, you were hiding, and it’s standing right in front of you. Is it a psycho or what?]

[Probably because it’s hard mode ㅋㅋㅋ look at the difficulty to clear.]

[Her swearing is so sexy…]

[Is she serious though? ㅋㅋㅋ]

And so, back to square one. The game returned to the starting point.

“I-I…”

I wanted to quit this cursed game right then and there, but I couldn’t, considering I had already received tens of thousands of won for this.

Wiping away the tears that the viewers wouldn’t see, I walked deeper into the darkness.