Initiating new character creation.
Scanning user's body.
Hearing the mechanical voice again after four years sent a chill down my spine.
As I instinctively resisted the sensation of floating, a familiar-looking girl materialized before me.
Seeing her suddenly create a new character, I realized Victoria must have disliked games in the past too.
It was as if she'd bought the VR device to use as a coffin, leaving a strange, complicated feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Body scan complete.
Commencing customization.
At the mechanical voice's announcement, the girl before me lifted her head.
Though this was the body I'd inhabited for the past four years, seeing it from a third-person perspective felt deeply unsettling.
Glossy ebony hair, jewel-like eyes, and dark circles contrasting with her snow-white skin.
She possessed undeniably cute features that would typically qualify her as a "beautiful girl," but her unique, decadent aura made her appear only gloomy.
You can freely customize your appearance to your liking.
Customization exceeding 20% requires a premium pass.
At the mechanical voice, I unconsciously raised my hand.
When I first started, I had no intention of altering my appearance at all. But seeing my own gloomy reflection had inexplicably angered me.
So, I decided to simply remove the dark circles.
While a 20% customization could transform someone into a completely different person, for someone like me who had never even worn makeup, let alone undergone plastic surgery, this was the limit of my capabilities.
Customization complete.
Please set your desired nickname.
The completed character was undeniably beautiful, the kind anyone would praise.
Whether the speculation about her being an aspiring actress was true or not, simply removing the dark circles under her eyes had transformed her aura.
Yet, as I gazed at my own cute face, my stomach churned.
It was because that innocent-looking face was an exact replica of the face I had seen before being dragged to the battlefield.
I could never forget the memories of that day.
The moment I boarded the Trans-Siberian Railway, utterly clueless. The foolish girl who was dragged to war without even resisting.
"Suka..."
The curse slipped out involuntarily, fueled by the unbearable injustice of that memory.
I hated my past, foolish self so much that I couldn't bear it any longer.
Just then, a grating notification sound pierced the air, and my vision abruptly shifted.
I couldn't help but stare blankly at the subsequent message:
"The nickname 'Suka' is available."
"Character creation complete. Transferring to the library."
"This actually worked?"
The sheer absurdity of it all made me burst into hollow laughter.
Apparently, since this was the Korean server, it hadn't recognized my Russian word as foreign.
Still, I had no intention of creating another character.
After all, this might be my last time playing a VR game anyway.
"Time to start the broadcast as promised."
My new nickname was decided: "Suka."
In modern Russian, it meant "bitch."
Ssukka's Personal Broadcast
Starting a broadcast wasn't particularly difficult.
Universe, a massive conglomerate, dominated the VR device market, game development, and internet broadcasting, making it a true elephant in the industry.
Thanks to this, I was able to create a personal broadcast channel almost immediately, without any complicated registration procedures.
Fortunately, I had already linked my smartphone and VR device, making it easy to contact Shin Ara.
Gold Spoon Rookie Debut ᄒᄋ
I'm here! You can start now!
Wow, premium tag on your first broadcast?! ᄃᄃ
I want to upgrade my VR device too!!!!
The only problem was that far more viewers had tuned in than I expected.
It seemed Victoria's coffin was quite expensive, likely due to the premium label attached to the broadcast for its high-definition special features.
So, when a major corporation dominates everything, even this kind of abuse is tolerated.
The thought that even internet broadcasting was now being monopolized by the wealthy made this scene feel particularly unpleasant.
If I'd known it would turn out like this, I should have set a password for the broadcast.
Among the chat messages scrolling up on the right side of the screen, it was impossible to distinguish which ones were from Shin Ara.
"Ah, hello?"
She's a girl?
Aren't you going to reveal your character?
Your voice is so cute! I'm cautiously guessing middle schooler.
"My character? I didn't really customize it. Can't you see it?"
I can't see anything.
It's showing a first-person view right now.
Wait, this person also has the VTuber tag?
"Ah... I didn't expect anyone to actually watch my broadcast. Since this is just a test run, could you please just skip over it?"
No way, I can't stand it!
But if they have the VTuber tag, isn't their avatar already heavily customized anyway?
True, it's probably not even their real face. There's no point in watching.
Still, the fact that people were watching my broadcast wasn't entirely bad.
The viewer count was only a little over twenty, but I liked being able to communicate with them through the chat.
In a way, weren't all these viewers like Shin Ara, serving as "possession prevention safeguards"?
Having such faith felt like it gave me the courage to move forward.
So, what's the broadcast concept?
Just remember this... Not playing FPS games on a premium rig is practically a crime.
"Ah. I'm going to try playing games. I've been really scared of FPS games because of some personal reasons, but I've decided to overcome my trauma this time."
What the hell are you talking about?
Then you'll definitely play Frontline Archive, right?
"Frontline Archive? What's that?"
It's the FPS game with the highest concurrent players.
Frontline Archive
Are you going for the military-trained middle school girl route?
Frontline Archive is rated for mature audiences only!
"Ah... I guess there's a popular game going around these days."
After getting the recommendation for Frontline Archive, I checked the game library.
Fortunately, "Frontline Archive" was one of the games pre-installed on the VR device, making it easy to find.
True to its description as the most popular game with the highest concurrent players, even the trailer was terrifyingly intense.
I clicked on it without any preparation, and the sudden burst of gunfire nearly stopped my heart.
Kukdas has donated 1,000 coins!
Ssukka-nim? Shouldn't you start with a healing game first?
Just then, the sound of coins falling chimed, and a mechanical voice echoed from somewhere.
Someone, unable to bear watching, had sent me a message through a donation.
It was almost certainly a donation from Shin Ara, who must have been worried about me.
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The nickname "Kukdas" was a bit annoying, but thanks to it, I barely managed to regain my composure.
Ah! What kind of healing game is this?!
I'll say it again... Not playing FPS games with a premium VR device is a crime!
VR games are trash unless they're FPS.
Let's play Front Arcana while we're being nice.
No vibe.
I'm gonna smash Kukdas to pieces!
But the viewers' reactions were far too aggressive.
It was as if they'd hurl insults if I didn't play Front Arcana.
I couldn't believe that just over twenty viewers could set the chat ablaze like this.
There was absolutely no way I could take Shin Ara's advice and play another game in this atmosphere.
"A-alright, I'll try Fronaca then. I wanted to play an FPS game anyway."
I had no choice but to decide to play Fronaca.
Since my ultimate goal was to play an FPS game, this was just a direct route, not a wrong turn.
Besides, as the saying goes, "It's better to get the beating over with sooner rather than later."
Ignoring Shin Ara's well-intentioned advice felt wrong, but I had already made up my mind to move forward.
"I-I've started it up. What should I do first?"
Just treat the conquest mode as a tutorial and start there.
Wait, what kind of device has such incredible graphics?
Damn... she's not a middle schooler after all... I'm out. ᄉᄀ
Calming her trembling body, Victoria launched Frontline Archive.
After skipping the obviously terrifying intro video, she found herself in what appeared to be the game's lobby.
The interior resembled a military warehouse, teeming with soldiers milling about.
The palpable atmosphere of the battlefield made her heart pound wildly.
"C-conquest mode? Do I just go to the area labeled 'Conquest Mode'? Is that right?"
Yeah, since you have to use the default equipment at first, you can just jump straight into conquest mode.
ㅋㅋㅋㅋ She's really scared.
Isn't the concept too difficult for the first broadcast?
Guided by the viewers, I forced my trembling legs to move forward with great effort.
Though I didn't know their names or faces, Shin Ara and the other viewers were now the only people I could trust.
When I finally reached the Occupation War Division, a female NPC stood behind the desk.
As I stood before the desk with an almost tearful expression, the NPC, who had been reviewing documents, looked up and asked, "Are you applying for the Occupation War?"
"I, uh... that's not exactly..."
"There's an ongoing Occupation War. Would you like to join as a reinforcement?"
"Huh? Yes?"
"Your participation has been confirmed. May fortune favor you."
Too nervous to even ask her to wait, I could only stand there, frozen in place.
It felt like being dragged back to the day he was sent to the Eastern Front.
The same cold indifference, where a mere soldier's opinion wasn't even considered.
The situation, eerily identical to the memories in his nightmares, began to suffocate him.
Why is he acting like that?
Is he okay? He looks sick.
If it were really serious, he'd be automatically logged out, lol. He's just faking it.
Soon, his vision went dark, and the scene before him began to shift.
The voices of the bustling soldiers faded away, replaced by the clattering and rumbling of a train that filled the surroundings.
Looking down, he realized he was already holding a cold firearm.
Wiping away tears with the stiff sleeve of his military uniform, he noticed other soldiers on the train, just like him.
Rage, terror, madness. The expressions on the faces of the surrounding soldiers were sickeningly familiar.
In the end, the trauma I had desperately suppressed began to surge like a violent wave.
"No... no..."
My vision narrowed, and even the chat messages from viewers disappeared from sight.
It felt like I had lost my lifeline, and the trembling in my body refused to stop.
No matter how hard I tried to regain my composure, the horrific scenes only grew clearer.
Overwhelmed by crushing regret and fear, my sanity rapidly crumbled.
"I... I don't want to..."
I desperately wished it was a mistake, but I couldn't deny the truth.
I had once again been transmigrated into a hellish war game.
The acrid stench of gunpowder, the savage roar of artillery, the thunderous shouts, and the agonizing screams.
Thrown back into the battlefield, I finally collapsed under the weight of overwhelming despair.