Chapter 19: Chapter 18

[General Chat] So when is Rion’s cousin debuting?

Hurry up; I’m really impatient!

[Comments]

Seriously, lol, why hasn’t she debuted yet?

Her voice is amazing.

ㄴ She’d probably sell a ton if she did ASMR.

Let’s just switch Rion with her cousin.

Her way of speaking is so unique.

[General Chat] I’ll hold my breath until Rion’s cousin debuts.

Huuup

[Comments]

Goodbye.

I’ll remember you!

[General Chat] If Rion’s cousin doesn’t debut, I’ll poop.

I’m dead serious.

[Comments]

Sensei will definitely not debut after seeing this.

Just go poop first, then talk about debuting.

Tell us where you plan to do it.

I’ll join you.

ㄴ Then I’ll handle something next to you.

ㄴ ?

ㄴ [Are you guys crazy or what]

“I’ll kill you all… I’ll kill you all, nyan….”

- Hahahahaha

- Now that I remember, please stop adding ‘nyan.’

- Hey! It was funny, wasn’t it! C’mon!

- You’ve shown such professionalism as a virtual streamer.

- Watching your mental breakdown was hilarious, lol.

I sat Rion, who was practically dying, next to me.

She stared blankly at the monitor, her eyes hollow. Seeing her like that, I decided to say something.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Rion. This is the career you chose.”@@novelbin@@

I clasped Rion’s hand with both of mine.

“So, hold your head high. Just as I am noble, you, my cousin, are also a noble being. Even though your first stream was so nerve-wracking that it’s hard to watch, humans grow through failure. The fact that you’re feeling embarrassed now is proof that you’ve grown since then. Lift your head. Straighten your shoulders and be proud. You share the same excellent blood as I do, so you’ll only get better from here. This sister of yours will always support you. So work hard and become a popular VTuber, Rion!”

“Shut uuuuuuuuup!!!!”

- That was some intense teabagging, lol

- Your way of comforting is really clumsy, hahaha

- Punching a corpse violates the Geneva Conventions.

- Nekozuka’s life is already at zero, lol.

- Stop it! Domestic violence, stop!

- I heard Nekozuka does housework, but is she a beaten wife?

“It’s good to see you’re regaining your energy.”

I smiled warmly.

“Ugh… If you weren’t the homeowner, I swear… Ugh…!”

“That’s harsh. Don’t I always take care of you?”

“Take care? You take care of me? Do you know who cleans your room, huh?”

“You should feel more honored. There’s no greater privilege than being able to clean my room. Don’t you agree, viewers?”

- Yes, absolutely.

- I think Sensei is completely right.

- If someone lets you freeload, you can at least clean their room, haha.

- If you won’t do it, move aside. I’d do it gladly! Please, let me!

“See? Everyone agrees with me.”

“...”

“Rion?”

Rion went silent.

But it didn’t seem like she was at a loss for words or deeply angry. Instead, she appeared to be thinking about something.

[So, what should we do next? Should we finish watching Senpai Rion’s first stream?]

“…If you play it, I’ll kill you, nyan. I’m serious.”

[Scary. Then shall we end the exposé stream here, Sensei?]

“Let’s do that. Rion, you can leave now.”

“…What? Leave? From here?”

“Goodbye.”

I disconnected from Discord and turned off my PC as well.

Passing by the still bewildered Rion, I headed into the VR capsule.

As soon as I logged into Labyrinth, an invite from Anna popped up. I accepted it and moved to the custom room she had set up.

- Oh, her avatar is gorgeous.

- She ditched Rion and came alone, lol.

- Her character is absolutely insane, haha.

“Sensei, Senpai Rion says she’s coming too. What should we do?”

“Let her do as she pleases. There’s nothing much she can do anyway.”

Clap

I clapped my hands together.

“Now that I’ve introduced myself through the exposé, it’s time to get down to business. Let’s start learning a new character today.”

- Self-introduction?

- We were introduced to our dear Sensei♡.

- All we heard about was Rion, though.

- Rion… was sacrificed…

“A new character? Not the magic engineer?”

“You’ve already got the hang of the magic engineer.”

That’s what I said.

The way to expand your character pool is to start by mastering one character.

If it’s a character that suits you well, you’ll be able to master it easily. If it doesn’t suit you, it’ll be tougher, but you’ll still gain experience and understanding of that character. Eventually, it’ll become part of your character pool.

Once you understand how to master one character, you’ll have an idea of how to master others.

──That’s the ideal approach.

But this is something only pro gamers do, and it’s unrealistic to expect Anna, who’s just a regular user, to go that far.

After all, Anna isn’t aiming for a pro league but a streamer competition. She doesn’t need to perfect a single character.

More importantly,

‘In Anna’s case, the problem isn’t the character.’

It’s her mindset.

Her mindset is the issue.

“The viewers all know, right? Anna is a big scaredy-cat.”

- Hahaha

- Isn’t that defamation by stating the truth?

- True, she’s a total coward.

- Please, say it more openly!

“That’s why I had her play the magic engineer.”

Through personal training, I’ve been subjecting her to various deaths to get her used to them.

But honestly, it’s not the best approach. Becoming too accustomed to death isn’t necessarily a good thing.

While being too scared to make sound decisions is a problem, a certain amount of fear is necessary to maintain tension. That bit of tension helps people immerse themselves, focus more, and perform better.

So while I want Anna to overcome her fears, I don’t want her to lose them entirely.

Fear isn’t something to be eradicated; it’s something to be conquered.

And conquering it can’t be done through training alone.

“That’s why she needs real experience. But if she just keeps trembling in actual gameplay, she won’t grow. She needs a character that allows her to focus entirely on her play.”

That’s where the magic engineer comes in.

It’s a long-range character that can abandon all other party members and even strike from a distance.

In close combat, her body might freeze up with fear, but with long-range combat, the degree of fear naturally decreases.

“However, you can’t stick with a long-range character forever. Eventually, you’ll have to deal with close combat. Especially as you climb the ranks, there will be times when you’ll have to confront the enemy head-on.”

“Then what should I do next…?”

“Alchemist.”

I selected the alchemist from the character pick screen.

“From today, you’ll play as the alchemist.”

[General Chat] What you’re saying sounds plausible, but…

But is she actually any good?

[Comments]

Who knows?

No one, really…

Anna says she’s good, though.

Judging by how much Anna’s improved, she’s probably good.

[General Chat] So what’s her rank?

She’s definitely not a pro if she’s a girl. Is there any female streamer with a voice like that?

[Comments]

Nope.

She’s definitely not a VTuber.

Probably just a regular person?

[General Chat] Someone, reveal her rank.

Damn it, she even hid her username with custom settings.

I’m so curious.

[Comments]

Anna said it’s for privacy, so no can do.

ㄴ She revealed everything about Rion, though, lol.

If she’s actually just a bronze player pretending to teach Anna, that’d be so disappointing.

[General Chat] ??? : Are you doubting my skills?

(Screenshot of the stream)

Then come to a custom match.

[Comments]

Wow.

That’s bold.

Let’s goooo~~~~

She definitely has a sense for streaming.

ㄴ It’s disgusting when old guys call someone ‘sis.’

ㄴ Shut up, she’s my sis. Don’t touch her.

ㄴ She’s my girlfriend.

ㄴ She’s my wife.

ㄴ She’s my daughter.

ㄴ She’s my queen.

ㄴ She’s not even a public figure yet, you crazy people, lol.

[General Chat] Stick to posting about VTubers, you guys.

So, should we just make Rion’s cousin debut as a VTuber?

[Comments]

I’ve already posted a national petition after seeing this.

【A Duel has been Matched.】

**【Please satisfy one of the following victory conditions:

Defeat the dungeon boss.

Defeat the other adventurer.】**

It’s been a while since I had a duel. But it’s not a ranked match; it’s a custom mode, and I’m not playing as the Dark Knight.

The non-prescription glasses I’m wearing feel a bit awkward.

I’m not wearing armor either, just cloth clothes. But the sleeves were so long and uncomfortable that I had to tear the outfit a bit on purpose.

A noblewoman tearing her clothes is something that should never happen, but…

Since this isn’t a social gathering but a battlefield, it should be fine.

“Hmmm.”

I pondered for a moment.

It was a good idea to pick the alchemist to show Anna and the viewers, but the alchemist isn’t exactly suited for duels.

The alchemist has skills like Bomb Making – Sun Moon Fire and Potion Making – Water Wood Earth.

It’s a mage-type support character that can craft and utilize bombs and potions. It’s weak in one-on-one fights, bad at farming neutral mobs, and not particularly good at taking down dungeon bosses either.

After considering various options, my conclusion was simple: I’ll just have to fight.

I crafted a bomb and threw it randomly.

BOOM!!!

A loud explosion.

Dust filled the air, clouding the area.

As I stood there watching the explosion smoke, I heard footsteps approaching. They must have come after hearing the explosion.

I rushed toward the sound and threw a punch.

“Ugh?!”

My opponent’s head snapped to the side from the blow. Now that I looked closely, they were a paladin.

If it’s a paladin, I have nothing to worry about. I followed up with another punch to the throat, then swept their legs out from under them while they were stunned.

The paladin fell to the ground.

I kicked the greatsword out of their hand, sending their weapon flying.

When they tried to get up, grimacing in pain, I mounted them and used my weight to pin them down. In the mounted position, I pummeled them with a series of punches—right, left, right, left, right, left, wham, wham, wham, wham!

By the time I figured their HP was sufficiently low, I shoved a bomb into their mouth.

Then I quickly jumped back.

BOOM!!!

Another loud explosion.

Blood spattered, and dust filled the area again.

As I stared at the explosion smoke, I said one word.

“Next.”