NOVEL WEB Chapter 18
I couldn’t sleep.
It was usually like that when the sleeping arrangement changed.
Even in my past life, I lived with insomnia, but I never felt uncomfortable.
“I thought you disappeared again. Did you sleep in the capsule instead of on the bed?”
Professor Cheon handed me a toast spread with strawberry jam and asked.
“It’s more comfortable in the capsule…”
The thing I was inside was none other than a Virtual Reality Capsule.
It seemed like it had seen some use, as it was an old one that hadn’t been thrown away yet.
“I’m sorry I can’t be with you this week because of work. I’ll be back before dinner, so is it okay if I order takeout for lunch?”
“I love takeout.”
I had never tried it at the orphanage. I’m curious about how it tastes.
Professor Cheon kept apologizing for how far the university was from his home as he left.
He didn’t really need to mention my rabbit-eared pajamas while he was at it.
After he left, I savored the toast he made for me and finally had breakfast after a long time.
‘What should I do now?’
Suddenly, time floated away.
Winter vacation wasn’t over, so I didn’t have to go to school.
There was no reason to stream desperately to earn money. Or should I at least try to earn potion money since it’d feel bad to rely on everyone?
Drifting in the waves of various thoughts, I remembered takeout and decided to search it up.
‘Chicken, pizza, tteokbokki, cold noodles… kim-pitang?’
There were some familiar foods and some with mysterious names.
I didn’t intend to order yet; I entered my card number into the AI to see how to place an order.
[Sehan Card entered: Already registered.]
[Owner verification process: NoName confirmed.]
I was recognized as Professor Cheon’s family, so nothing particularly special happened.
Just as I thought that,
[A bill has been sent to NoName from Korea Magic Corporation. Please make the payment within the due date.
• Billing Purpose: Unauthorized emergency lower circle (3) magic drafting
• Amount Due: 481,738 won
• Payment Due Date: 2051/01/31
For inquiries about the billing details, please contact the billing agency. +More]
A text that sent chills down my spine arrived.
“W-what is this…?”
For a moment, I thought it might be a phishing scam, but the format of the message and the official certification mark made my suspicions fade away quickly.
I checked the detailed breakdown with trembling hands.
[Detailed bill regarding the summoning circle ‘Risograpy’ and the use of three multi-magic spells]
It was the magic I had previously demonstrated to Ah-rin.
I had heard that using more than second circle mana at school required a fee, but since I could handle mana without restrictions, I mistakenly thought only certain spells required it.
Seeing the amount that amounted to nearly 500,000 won presented before me, my vision went dark.
‘Today is Monday the 23rd… So I have to pay by next Tuesday?’
Where am I supposed to get money from?
‘Ah…!’
The card Professor Cheon had given me.
And has the state determined that I have the ability to pay?
But I couldn’t bring myself to use a card meant just to buy a lunch on such a colossal payment.
“No way, I have to earn it somehow.”
Let’s think, Na-me. What good is that smart brain of yours?
Since I’m still a minor, it goes without saying that I can’t borrow money. I have a history of trouble with loan sharks and I don’t want to be involved.
So it looks like streaming is the only option, but the problem is I only earn about 50,000 won a day at most.
Even if I worked for 8 days straight, it wouldn’t be enough.
‘But there’s no other option.’
The second-hand capsule that had shared the night with me looks so inviting.
Such a tragic fate, really.
Without hesitation, I sank my body into the capsule.
*
[Donation Goal: ₩500,000 (0%)]
-Hello, hello
-Room Leader, hello
-Why does this person have a blank nickname? What should we call him?
-So we just call him Room Leader
“Hello.”
-Why didn’t you stream yesterday?
-You just abruptly ended the stream without any reason.
-What’s up with donations? LOL
-Wow
-50,000 won entry fee LOL
-Room Leader need some cash, huh?
“Yeah.”
-Must be paying rent
-Might have caught a disease that makes him need to smoke 40 packs immediately
-Isn’t a pack of cigarettes over 10,000 won nowadays?
-Yeah ;;
“I need to pay by next week.”
-Ah, I see.
-But we have no money
-Really LOL
“Looks like it’s an urgent situation.”
[‘DivingIsMyHobby’ donated 1,000 won!]
-So Room Leader will also play a game?
[Donation Goal: ₩1,000 / ₩500,000 (0.2%)]
-Room Leader just got wide-eyed from the donation alert LOL
-You’ll make pennies, when are you going to fill it?
“I’ll consider it.”
[‘GraduateStudentSaveMe’ donated 1,000 won!]
-You might not like games?
“Not really.”
-Are grad students not working right now?
-It’s winter vacation, you know.
-Grad students are on vacation?
-Even if there’s no vacation, you would have time to watch streams ;;
-What’s the point of streaming on Twish if you’re not going to play games?
It’s a bit difficult.
It’s true; as the viewers said, playing games is a necessary course for anyone streaming on Twish.
The ratio of Just Chatting streams was overwhelmingly low compared to other platforms.
Now I can’t switch platforms…
So this time, I decided to trust the crowd.
It’s like the panel on a quiz show using audience assistance.
“What will you give me if I ask for money?”
-Not even hiding the fact that you want money, LOL
-Room Leader usually has no filter
-Play a game
-If you stream Resonance, you’ll still hit at least 50 viewers, right?
That wasn’t very helpful.
So this time, I decided to ask a friend for help.
[HyejiAtNight – Game 2:31:54]
[(Sender) HyejiAtNight: How can I make a lot of money streaming?]
I sent a message to the only person currently online in my friend list.
I wondered if she’d reply since she was in a game.
But surprisingly, her response was very quick.
So much so that she exited the game.
[HyejiAtNight – Waiting Room 2:32:08]
[HyejiAtNight: What’s going on? Did you get hacked?]
[HyejiAtNight: That can’t be right—what? You vanished for half a year and now you’re talking about streaming?]
“I’m in urgent need of money.”
[HyejiAtNight: I can lend you a small amount.]
“I don’t want to rely on others.”
[HyejiAtNight: What’s that sound? Are you streaming right now?]
[HyejiAtNight: For a second, cover your stream and invite me to the waiting room.]
“Give me a moment to cover the screen, please.”
[NoName – Waiting Room 00:08:17]
A bland small room about 10 square meters.
[HyejiAtNight accepted the invite]
[NoName moved to HyejiAtNight’s waiting room]
Soon, a summoning circle spread out in a circle.
“Hey!”
A woman with a pink ponytail grabbed my shoulder and shook me vigorously.
“You logged in and disappeared, leaving us weird messages!”
Her nickname was ‘HyejiAtNight.’
Her name is Yu-shia.
She’s a celestial realm user, mesmerizing various male streamers with her alternate account.
But more than anything, she was a precious clan member to me.
Even if I couldn’t speak or move, just having her by my side was so important.
“I’m back. Sorry for not being in touch.”
“Have you decided to abandon the concept? Good call for our name!”
“It’s not a name, Shia; it’s Na-me. NoName.”
“Are you asking to be called Na-me?”
“Yeah. That’s my name.”
“Got it.”
Shia took my words lightly; she probably thought I was joking.
“I had a lot of questions for you. Most of all, where have you been, and why are you logging into VR now?”
She started to fondle my hair while asking, patting and twirling it around with her fingers. It was a habit she always had when we met.
“There’ve been a lot of things. I’ve been going to school and found a place.”
“Ah, you’re still a student? I thought you seemed young. Pyo Min-jun was always frustrated he couldn’t call you ‘uncle’!”
“I don’t really mind.”
“With your personality, that’s probably it. But what’s with the need for money?”
“I used magic recklessly. They said I have to pay a usage fee…”
“How much is it?”
“About 481,738 won.”
“What on earth did you do?”
Shia intended to keep me seated on her lap as we continued chatting.
My shoulders were lifted lightly, and my body floated, landing in her embrace.
“So you need to earn money, huh? How about we duo and rank up? Nothing beats climbing tiers for making money, you know. You’re still in Bronze, right?”
“Do you think people will donate?”
“If I share my account and stream together, we’ll get enough viewers. I was also planning to make a comeback. But I want to keep talking to you while we play, is that okay?”
“Sure, as long as it’s not too personal.”
“Great! Let’s act quickly! Starting today? I’ll announce that we’re streaming a joint broadcast now, so let your room know too. I’ll send the request for sharing after lunch at 1 PM. No backing out!”
The rambunctious pink-haired girl said everything she wanted and then poof, disappeared from the waiting room.
That’s how Shia was. She seemed particularly hyper today.
Gaming…
I thought of it not as just a game but as a date with her, which made it much more relaxing. That’s how I’ll brainwash myself.
“I’m back.”
-All the viewers have left already.
-Did you meet with a real-life friend? Or just a gamer friend?
-So what now? (I really don’t know.)
“I decided to stream League together today. You may or may not know, but I’ll be playing with ‘HyejiAtNight’. I’m thinking of trying to reach Master together.”
-????
-Is that the Hyeji I know?
-What nonsense are you spouting? LOL
-A suspiciously enticing stream.
The public sentiment is not good. I think I might have overestimated things.
“Then Grandmaster…? Challenger?”