Chapter 11: Chapter 10

LabyrinthosVR Gallery

[General] I don’t think this Dark Knight Smurf is just a high-rank player.

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They’re definitely good enough to be considered a smurf, but who the hell is this person’s main account?

They got featured on a Virtuber stream, and they play the Dark Knight like a freaking monster.

But isn’t there a lack of Dark Knight masters even in the pro scene?

I’ve been playing Labyrinthos for three years straight, and I’ve never seen anyone use the Dark Knight’s wall for movement like that before.

[Comments]

Play with mine, too ♡ ㄴ (Author) Get out of here.

Are there even any Dark Knight masters? ㄴ It’s a trash character, a tank with no mobility or CC, so nobody plays it. ㄴ If you use the wall skill well, you’re doing your part, but if not, you’re half as effective. ㄴ But isn’t the ultimate pretty valuable? ㄴ Not in the pro scene; they’ve found counters for the ultimate, so it’s falling out of favor. ㄴ The passive’s lack of friendly fire identification is too big of a drawback.

[General] Seriously, what’s with the limb severing, WTF?

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I don’t know if this person has a main account or not, but the way some people start simping for this kind of player is ridiculous.

I don’t care if they’re number one in another game; if you’re going to suck up to them, take it somewhere else. ^^

[Comments]

For real, what’s with the limb severing?

They act like they’re about to debut in the pro scene, LOL. ㄴ But didn’t they get an offer to go pro? ㄴ (Author) What does an offer from another game have to do with this, idiot? ㄴ Wasn’t the pro offer just a rumor? ㄴ Does getting a pro offer make it okay to be toxic? ㄴ This is the kind of person who would simp for them...

"I'm Here, Manager."

The sudden voice made Lee Jung-woo look up.

“You’re here early. Please, have a seat.”

Lee Jung-woo quickly shoved his phone into his pocket as he spoke.

He straightened his posture and met her gaze. Once again, he thought she didn’t quite fit the image of a Virtuber.

The biggest difference between a Virtuber and a regular streamer is appearance.

Virtubers use a model to hide their true appearance, revealing only the character's visage. It’s a profession often chosen by those who lack confidence in their looks.

Of course, that didn’t mean the woman before him was pretty enough to be a celebrity.

But it was clear that she hadn’t chosen to be a Virtuber because of her looks.

“I’ve heard from the boss. Leon, you want to retire.”

“…Yes.”

Leon nodded at Lee Jung-woo’s words.

“If you really don’t want to continue, I can’t force you. But you do realize that an office job isn’t necessarily easy, right? Are you sure about this?”

“It’s better than being a Virtuber.”

“Really? Why’s that?”

“The income is more stable.”

Lee Jung-woo could only manage a wry smile in response. He had no argument against that.

To exaggerate a bit, lasting three years in this industry makes you a veteran.

On the flip side, it also means that being a Virtuber is an uncertain profession with a dubious future even three years down the line.

And that’s being generous. Many Virtubers retire after less than a year of activity.

Even a corporate Virtuber with 500,000 subscribers could retire tomorrow in this field.

“I watched the video you edited. It was well done.”

“Thank you….”

“But I’d like you to handle management work rather than video editing, Leon.”

“Management work…?”

Leon blinked at the unexpected suggestion.

“Yes. While having more in-house video editors would be convenient, we can always outsource video editing if it becomes a problem. Right now, we’re short on management staff.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s a crucial need… We’re currently onboarding new talent.”

“New talent” referred to incoming Virtubers.

Virtuber agencies periodically recruit new Virtubers.

There are several reasons for this, but ultimately, it’s about increasing the company’s brand value.

No matter how talented a Virtuber is, the content they can produce alone is limited.

Some Virtubers excel at gaming, others at singing, and some are great at talking. Others might be skilled in ASMR, art, or planning events.

Each Virtuber has their own area of expertise, and their audiences vary accordingly.

Therefore, gathering a diverse group of Virtubers is akin to securing a broad viewer base.

It’s similar to how most companies develop a wide range of products to attract as many customers as possible.

The only difference is that the products here are living, breathing Virtubers.

“Is it confirmed?”

“Yes. It’s confirmed that new recruits will be joining. The process is already underway. If you stay as a Virtuber, you’ll be treated as a senior. Are you sure you don’t want to continue?”

“I’m sure. I’ve already made up my mind.”

Stubborn, huh…

This was something they would need to discuss further in the future.

There was still some time left on Leon’s contract, so there was a bit of time before her retirement was final.

“So, will I not be doing any video editing at all?”

“Of course, you’ll be doing both video editing and management work. We’re a small company, after all.”

“…Are you sure you’re not overworking me?”

“This situation is unusual. I’ve dealt with Virtuber retirements before, but this is the first time someone’s transitioning to an office job.”

And for a good reason. Most Virtubers didn’t have the educational background to transition into office work.

In that sense, Leon was special.

She had a degree in video editing and had earned the company’s trust during her time as a Virtuber.

Moreover, her experience as a Virtuber might help her excel in her new role. Lee Jung-woo secretly hoped she would produce excellent results.

It would be a waste to have her solely as a video editor.

“Let’s discuss the details as we wrap up your Virtuber duties, and we’ll go from there.”

After discussing a few more details, Leon stood up to leave.

“Oh, one more thing. The person in that edited video… are they a friend of yours?”

“Huh? That’s….”

She hadn’t intended to reveal anything about Aurora’s identity.

As Leon hesitated, Lee Jung-woo added another comment.

“I saw that person becoming a topic of discussion on community sites. How do you know them?”

[You have exceeded five hours of playtime in Gate Conquest Mode in real-time.]

[You will be automatically logged out for three hours to protect your health.]

“…? What’s this?”

I was momentarily dazed after being suddenly logged out.

“Oh…? Does Gate Conquest Mode have a different time flow?”

Since Gate Conquest Mode spans five rounds, it inevitably takes a long time to play.

And in this day and age, time is a precious resource. As a result, Gate Conquest Mode apparently runs on a different time scale compared to Duel Mode.

A quick search revealed that one minute in the real world equated to five minutes in Gate Conquest Mode.

In other words, the time flow was five times faster.

This was possible because it was a virtual reality world. Who knew they could actually implement something akin to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in real life?

However, there was one issue with this “time acceleration” system—it could negatively impact users' brains.

As a result, the law strictly regulates the usage time of the “time acceleration” system.

In the case of Labyrinthos, Gate Conquest Mode automatically logs players out after 25 in-game hours (five real hours).

“I’m totally fine, though.”

I didn’t feel any fatigue, probably due to my robust body. Honestly, I could probably go for 50 hours straight without a problem.

But if that’s the law, there’s nothing I can do.@@novelbin@@

I sat on the bed, feeling a bit bored.

‘Nothing to do.’

Despite the stereotype, even a hardcore gamer has times when they have nothing to do.

It’s not easy to fill all 24 hours, 365 days a year, with gaming alone. Sometimes, it’s due to physical limitations or a lack of funds.

Of course, I had no such problems, but my content consumption speed was fast. After finishing one game, I often found myself feeling empty like this.

“Should I wait for three hours…? Or should I find a new game?”

I considered it, but I didn’t feel particularly motivated. Having tasted the true flavor of VR gaming, I wasn’t in the mood for PC or mobile games.

Clicking away on a monitor no longer satisfied me. The vivid realism of VR had raised my threshold for stimulation.

I thought about looking for a new VR game, but the VR capsule wouldn’t even power on.

…It seemed that after using “time acceleration” for five hours, the VR device wouldn’t turn on at all.

…So what now?

With no other option, I lay down on the bed and started reading a web novel.

About an hour passed.

[Hello, sister?]

I received a call from Leon.

[Do you have any interest in teaching someone else how to play games?]

…?

What is she talking about now?