Fenrir Translations
"La la la la, la la la… Ah, ah. Mic check. Mic check. Hello, it’s Harmony."
It was 8 PM in real-time.
As Harmony’s stream went live, viewers began flooding in. Messages poured in like waves from the two chat windows visible on the screen.
One chat window was for viewers connected via VR, sharing the same in-game speed as Harmony, while the other was for those watching the stream in real-time at normal speed.
Recently, a feature had been introduced that allowed real-time rendering to let those using VR devices watch the stream at the same speed as in-game, but it was still considered in need of fine-tuning.
The viewer count, which had been rapidly climbing, soon hit 5,000, then began to rise more slowly.
Harmony’s Dark Zone gameplay had attracted a steady audience, and even though it was somewhat sudden, she had managed to pull in additional viewers, increasing her base by tens of percent.
Whether these new viewers would fully integrate into her community was uncertain, but in truth, it didn’t really matter much.
"Um… As for Dark Zone, I’m not sure. If I do play it today, I’ll either go solo or recruit some people from the cafe to clear some missions."
She then calmly began to explain the situation.
Having spent several days with Yujin, almost living and working together, she was quickly aware of the recent public sentiment and had taken steps to address it.
The chat quickly became noisy, but this was unavoidable. And the reason she had started the stream today was to provide a clear answer to this very issue.
Before the situation could spiral out of control, she swiftly began to speak.
"Since this is just a talk session before we start playing, I have some news to share with you all. Rest assured, there’s nothing wrong between me and Yujin."
A small gesture.
In response to her action, several photos and what seemed to be a document appeared in midair, along with a link on the far right.
As the chat, now filled with question marks, descended into confusion, Harmony added fuel to the fire by explaining in a calm voice.
"Some of you might be curious about what this is. To put it simply… uh, this is a statement directly from Icarus International regarding Yujin. You’ll all be able to see it yourselves in a few days, but I got permission from the person involved to show it to you first."
The first page zoomed in.
The paper bore the faintly engraved phoenix emblem, the mark of Icarus International, and on it, bold black text stood out, clearly legible.
An authoritative format that no one could dispute.
The content was clear.
-[RE: Dark Zone User: Eugene’s Alleged Use of Illegal Programs.]
-[In the past few days, our customer service center has received various inquiries regarding this matter. However, after analyzing movement and action logs, we found no evidence of any attempts to use illegal programs.]
-[Additionally, after conducting further verification using our own devices, we confirm that no illegal programs were involved during any of these processes. The results are officially certified by our headquarters.]
-[The physical examination and testing process were recorded on video as evidence. To protect the individual’s privacy, the user’s appearance during testing has been edited with an avatar overlay.]
-[For further details…]
Back when Dark Zone was still connected to the internet network.
During that time, the sheer number of hacks was overwhelming, and even more hackers flooded the game. But thanks to numerous patches, they were all wiped out and never returned.
Even users who stubbornly denied using hacks couldn’t hold their ground when challenged to prove themselves at the headquarters.
So, paradoxically, certification directly from the headquarters carried unparalleled authority and reliability.
Although much of it was in text form and took some time to fully understand, the outcome was more than worth the effort.
Seeing the chat reaction unfold as expected, Harmony spoke up.
"Okay, okay. I can’t show you everything here, but the reason I’m bringing this up today is that Yujin will be doing a stream in a few days to show you this herself."
"Not only that, but employees from Icarus will also be joining to testify that Yujin didn’t use any hacks, so please look forward to it and tune in."
A brief silence—though the chat window was still chaotic.
Usually, this would be the point where donations or questions would start pouring in, but surprisingly, that didn’t happen.
So Harmony preemptively answered the questions she had anticipated.
"The reason I’m mentioning this on stream is simple. It’s almost impossible for Yujin to go around officially explaining this herself."
"Even if the site does some promotion, it’ll take time, so I just decided to mention it here. It’s mutually beneficial, you know?"
Wrapping up, Harmony closed the "Just Chatting" session with a final comment.
"So, for now, I’m not sure if I’ll be playing Dark Zone today. I’ll play a warm-up game first and then see how things go before deciding."
And then the game started.
It was a pixel-art game with an odd aesthetic. The in-game visuals were strange enough on their own, but the unicorn standing on the ground, along with the purple horizon and the suddenly chaotic chat atmosphere, made the scene even more bizarre.
"Alright! Today’s warm-up game is… Horse Run! A game where you control each of a unicorn’s legs with your keyboard to reach the destination! I found this gem online recently, and it’s fresh off the press! Let’s get started───!"
<Hoguwat donated 40,000 won!>
"Ah, Hoguwat! Thank you so much for the 40,000 won donation!"
Then she added:
"But please know that your donations will be well spent on things like editor salaries, rent, food, phone bills, and savings, as well as buying more of these wonderful games. Thank you so much for your donations today!"
<Rangsohimhuhep donated 1,000 won!>
That one donation summed up the thoughts of all the viewers.
Of course, after that, she continued to enjoy her "crap games" for over five hours, maintaining discipline among her viewers, and it was clear that this was just the beginning of the stream.
"I never thought I’d be preparing for a stream."
"It’s a good experience. It’ll be fun."
How did it come to this?
I wasn’t sure how, but as the stream drew closer, I couldn’t help but feel slightly incredulous. I had simply played the game as instructed by those mysterious people, and in just ten days, so much had happened….
It was a lot, really. In a way, it was ironic.
Still, I didn’t feel nervous. I had been through far too many intense experiences to be shaken by something like this.
If I had any doubts about myself, it might have been different… But that’s why I spent the past few days thoroughly verifying everything at the Icarus building.
As expected, there was no evidence of hacking—specifically, no signs of illegal program usage… Not that there was any reason for there to be.
In fact, the staff were surprised that hacking was still a topic of discussion, which spoke volumes. There wasn’t much more to say.
Harmony, checking something, added:
"Looks like the server’s been allocated, so I guess you’ve applied as a streamer. Do you plan on streaming regularly?"
"If I don’t have anything else to do, I guess it wouldn’t be a bad idea."
If I lived in the U.S., I might have run a shooting range or joined a tactical consulting firm, but unfortunately, this was Korea, not the U.S.
…Yet Harmony’s expression was oddly expectant. She seemed like she was eagerly anticipating something. I had said it offhandedly, so why was she reacting like this?
"So, what time will you stream? Are you going to have a regular schedule?"
"You’re going too far."
"I think it’d be really cool, though…"
Then she continued:
"Since it’s just the two of us, I’ll say this… It’d be better for me if you became an independent streamer. Right now, it’s almost like my stream depends on just one player—Yujin."
"That’s true."
"Even though VR games have made things easier, there are still those who would criticize a permanent stream partner out of nowhere…"
Is this the kind of stress streamers have to deal with? There’s a lot to consider.
If I were to start streaming, I’d definitely need to prepare thoroughly in this area. Maybe that’s why I wasn’t so serious about answering her earlier.
The room, once completely empty, began to fill with furniture and a microphone at Harmony’s command. She was clearly experienced.
As I watched, I couldn’t help but feel slightly overwhelmed, mentally folding away the thoughts of “Is this too much?” as I only intervened when something seemed too out of place.
Time passed, and eventually, the room took on the appearance of a heavily modified version of mine.
I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to start my first stream with such a setup, but if it felt off later, I could always purchase and apply better interior designs.
"There are two more chairs needed, one for each of the other two people who will be joining."
"Oh, right. The seats for the Icarus staff, right? How did you manage to get them…?"
"I got to know them during the physical assessment."
"Ah, right, you mentioned going to their building."
Something seemed off in the conversation…
But there was no need to correct it right now. I was curious to see how she would react once she knew the full story.
Despite having exchanged numbers and talked quite a bit, I hadn’t even made a single phone call yet.
Anyway, I decided to leave that for later. The stream setup was now complete.
The minty-colored cat looked at me with a satisfied expression and continued explaining.
"Everything’s set. You could start streaming right now without any major issues. I’ll teach you the finer settings later, so feel free to ask any questions."
"You’ve been a huge help. Thank you."
"I’ve gotten plenty of help from you too, so don’t feel burdened by the favor."
At that, I just nodded slightly.
The stream was coming soon.
nice