Chapter 290: Btog 290 Birthday Stream Part 4
Chapter 290: Btog 290 Birthday Stream Part 4
Author note:
The work environment has changed and I’ve been doing a lot less overtime. Once my daily routine stabilizes, I should be able to go back to posting weekly.
“Resuming!”
“Woohoo, *clapclap*~♪” {applause sound}
<What’s with that fluffy outfit?>
<Seeing you like this, yup, you are totally Touka.>
<Has Touka’s mental age dropped today or what???>
<When Nana gets involved, her IQ drops to about 50, so it can’t be helped.>
After a 30-minute break, I resumed the stream on WLO.
I’m currently in the starting town. Since it’s Suu-chan’s first playthrough, we have to start here.
“Having done some real exercise for the first time in a while, moving in this virtual space feels a bit sluggish.”
“We wouldn’t even notice a difference like that.”
“You won’t notice it unless you have Nana-sama’s precision which could detect things in mere millimeters.”
“As your dexterity stat increases, you become more agile and your movements become more precise. While it still doesn’t match the finesse of real-life movements, I’ve gotten used to it, so it’s all good.”
The virtual space inevitably has a lag because it involves unnecessary electric signals. The reason I never noticed this before seems to be because I haven’t done any real exercise in a long time.
Also, today the machine I’m using is different from my usual bed-type high-end VR system. Since it’s too bulky to carry around, I’m using a cheaper headgear-type system that’s available for guests at Touka-chan’s house.
The machine’s performance adds another layer of lag on top of what’s already present in the virtual world. But it seems I’m the only one here who can feel it.
Anyway, it’s not something I’ll keep worrying about, so I quickly moved on to the main topic.
“Suu-chan, you’ve already created your character, right?”
“It should be ready. Once the login process is complete, I should be able to join immediately.”
Character creation in WLO can be done before landing in the starting town, which means you can set your initial stats and appearance beforehand. So even if you can’t enjoy character creation at leisure, like today, you can prepare in advance.
…Well, this feature has only been available relatively recently. I don’t remember it being there during my time or when Rin-chan started. But convenience is always good.
“Sorry for the wait.”
A few minutes later, a familiar voice was heard. I turned around and saw a girl, as tall as Touka-chan, wearing beginner gear. No doubt, Suu-chan is inside this character. And I understood about 80% of her build just by looking at her.
“Oh… A beastman!”
“Yes. I tried going for a bear beastman.”
“That’s nice. I think it’s cute.”
“Hehehe…”
<Love the bear theme.>
<Whoa…>
<Was the starter gear always this light?>
<Bow! A bow character!>
<Nana only uses quirky weapons.>
<Really huge in every way.>
<The ears and tail are nicely small.>
<Round.>
<Isn’t that a bow, the top weapon we never see in Nana’s streams?>
<Doesn’t Suu use gun?>
<↑No, there are no guns here.>
<Beastmen really have a wide range of choice.>
“I wish I had chosen a non-human race too.”
“Well, Touka-chan, you’re most beautiful just as you are. I see, so this is how a bow feels”
It feels like a long time since I did archery in the Oni-folk village. But back then, the bow felt less like a weapon and more like a mini-game accessory.
In this game, the bow is second only to the sword in terms of weapon popularity. Come to think of it, I don’t know anyone who uses it, so I’ve only ever seen other players using it from a distance.
The beginner’s bow I have looks super cheap, almost like it’s just a bent stick with a string tied to it.
“I’m primarily a fps player, so I’m better with ranged weapons than blades, blunt weapons, or thrown items.”
“WLO isn’t really PvP-focused, so maybe that’s a little off from what you’re good at.”
Even though Suu-chan says that, she’s actually pretty formidable in close combat. When we went one-on-one with knives in Zero Wars, she gave me quite a scare. But that skill mainly applies when “killing people.” Since humanoid monsters make up maybe one-fifth of all the mobs, her talents don’t really shine in this game. It’s only natural she’d prefer ranged weapons.
“Alright, I’ll go buy a bow from a nearby shop!”
“I figured you would, so I’ve already prepared a weapon and skill scrolls for you,”
“You’re amazing, Rin-chan!”
<Competent>
<Going in circles>
<Telepathy, eh?>
<Nana’s so lively>
<So well-prepared>
I hadn’t tried using this type of weapon before, but looking at it made me want to. Sure enough, Rin-chan had prepared a beginner’s bow and skills for me. When I actually picked it up, it felt heavier than I expected; it didn’t feel like a toy at all.
“So, what should we do first?”
“Let’s stick to monster hunting. That’s what we did with Sister Nana, remember?”
“I can’t really recall.”
“You kept hunting wolves like crazy to meet the Red Wolf’s encounter conditions. But a bow might not be the best fit for wolves. How about we head east of the city?”
“Sounds good. Man, the battle with Aria feels like ages ago.”
That was on the second day of streaming. Well, technically the first day was on Rin-chan’s channel, so it was my first time streaming on my own channel. Rin-chan’s influence certainly helped bring in viewers, but it was that battle that really shot up my game’s reputation.
“What kind of monsters spawn to the west and east?”
“It used to be mainly rabbits, but apparently it’s been adjusted recently. Now it’s almost an even mix of wolves, boars, and rabbits.”
“What about named bosses?”
“It’s called [Lazy Meadow Rabbit・Remiarmy]. At level 12, both the experience and loot are terrible. It’s known as the weakest named boss.”
“Ew.”
“It’s not even hostile. It just lies down in random spots in the meadow.”
“But if you think about it, it’s really just that Doldora and Aria in the north and south are too strong.”
“True, those two are definitely too strong for the level and environment they’re in.”
Each of the cardinal directions around the starting city has its own unique monster habitat. There are named bosses in each area, but particularly the level 40+ boar boss “Demon Pig Doldora” and “Red Wolf Aria,” whose level varies depending on the player, are way too strong for areas close to a newbie town. Given that, it makes sense that the Remi-something rabbit is the weakest named boss in the vicinity.
“Sorry, Suu-chan, I kinda left you hanging there.”
“No worries, I was checking my gear and getting a feel for my avatar. It’s way smoother than Zero Wars, as you’d expect from a new game.”
I realized that I’d unintentionally neglected Suu-chan, who is one of the main focuses of today’s stream, because I was busy chatting with Rin-chan and the others. But it seemed like she took the opportunity to familiarize herself with her avatar’s controls. She’s got a soldier’s mentality, for sure.
“Doesn’t it feel clunky if your stats are low?”
“Compared to my real-world physical abilities, my avatar feels a little stronger. But yeah, the movements do get pretty rough. Since VR shooting games have insanely fast attack speeds and you’re controlling intricate machinery, they make sure the avatar controls are detailed. You can definitely feel the difference when your stats are low.”
“Even a tiny slip in your aim can throw off your shots big time. Just so the viewers know, Suu-chan is actually the best among us when it comes to pure VR aptitude.”
<Ah, I see>
<That makes total sense>
<Can’t argue with that track record>
<The monster who destroyed VR shooting games>
<Wow, Suu-chan is amazing>
<She didn’t do great in BATTLER but she was still strong>
“But the sense of freedom and immersion here is unparalleled. The completeness of this world, or simply how expansive it is, feels amazing.”
“Survival shooting games usually have sandbox-type fields, after all.”
“Zero Wars even has a sound-dampening field.”
“Such a difference, huh?”
I get what Suu-chan is saying. In Zero Wars VR, a sound-dampening field makes it so you can’t hear anything beyond a 360-meter radius, making you feel like you’re enclosed in a big building. Suu-chan has keen senses, not as sharp as mine, but still impressive. Otherwise, she wouldn’t dominate in shooting games like she does. Being in a completely open virtual space for the first time after always playing Zero Wars, it’s natural that she’d find this liberating.
“Anyway, if we stay here, we’ll just attract attention. Shall we head towards the east gate?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Feeling that the conversation might drag on, Touka-chan neatly wraps things up. We all go along with it, making our way through the main street towards the eastern field of the starting town.
A bear girl… is there a market for that?
By the way, Suu-chan likes characters with a pretty rugged build.
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