Chapter 4 – Oh, Happy Day! (4)

“F—.”

Well, I did expect this.
An internet community is basically the lowest and most chaotic of all ways of communication.
And with the world in this state after the Great Disaster, the anonymity of this society made this platform an even bigger monster.

And streaming meant that I needed to face that big disgusting monster head-on.

– Jokass : LOLLLLLLLLLL

– Noru_is_druig : LMAOOOOOO

– Speedwagon : I thought I persuaded you out of it.

– professor : Situation changed.

– Highwaynachoman : LOLLLLLLL

After I announced that I would start streaming, regardless of the bizarre safety concerns, the chatroom was in a frenzy again.
It is understandable since…

– Soygaybar : Lmaooooo, young one, life never goes the way you want it to~

– Noru_is_druig : It’s more interesting that way though

– Soygaybar : Did you check the stuff and money? I know I’m crazy, but I keep my end of the deal.
I’m not gonna go easy on you so be prepared LMAO

I was glad I found a sponsor quicker than I expected, and I was glad that it was someone I knew from the chatroom.

But why did it have to be Soygaybar? He was a verified psycho for the last 7 years! Pure evil! Statistics say that 100 out of 100 people think he’s bad news.
And I need to sign an rp contract with him!

I already felt like going “lol jk” and go out to the wastelands to look for scraps, but the red Jerry can sitting next to me was a sign that I can’t back out anymore.

– Speedwagon : That was really quick though.

– Soygaybar : I’m rich.
I couldn’t just bear to see someone die because they didn’t have a single can of gasoline.

– Jokass : Stop pretending youre normal you psycho

– Highwaynochoman : Stop pretending youre human you mutant

And that’s what happened.
After my announcement, I calmed the chat down by explaining that ‘My generator died, not thinking of joining a faction, and I can’t use the other generator without gasoline’, which was immediately replied with ‘Oh, do you want the rest of the money as gasoline then?’ and 8 hours from then, there was a can of gasoline in front of me.

“We’re saved!! We’re saved now, master! Electricity! Oh goodness, the holy electricity has come back to us!!!!!”

“You’re saved.
Not me.”

“Aw~ Don’t be so tenseee.
They’re still an acquaintance.
How bad could it be?”

“It’s because he’s an acquaintance that I’m more nervous.”

It’d be a lie if I said I didn’t have a little bit of hope.
He does texts that way, but maybe he’s actually a decent person.
We haven’t seen each other, but maybe the 7 years of friendship we had will let me off the hook! Hope like that.

– Soygaybar : Hmm….
It was about 700 thousand including the gasoline, so 3~4 traits sounds about right.

– professor : Mhm

– Soygaybar : “Legendary Stench”, “Exhibitionism Addict”, “Unique Diet : Garbage”, “Habitual Barfing”

– professor : I’m going to nuke your shelter.

Of course, that hope was shattered to pieces in an instant.

– Jokass : You are…..

– Soygaybar : 700 thousand.

– Jokass : One of the greatest people of all time!

– Noru_is_druig : For 700 thousand you gotta say ‘Thank you’ and bow for being that lenient LOLLL

– Soygaybar : Indeed indeed.

– professor : Go easy on me…..
I need to make a living off of this from now on….

Of course, I can just endure one month of rolling in that horrible place, but my generator will need more gasoline, and I’ll need to provide a consistent flow of Shilling for that gasoline.

It’s okay if I have terrible attributes, but at least give me something manageable.
Who’s gonna want to pay to see a naked guy that smells and eats poop.

– Soygaybar : Okay.
Then let’s try a famous one.
Seed 92749983, The ‘Murderer Billy’ world.
How’s that? Isn’t this one okay? It’s been verified to be popular with the audience.
That reminds me, I haven’t seen Billy these days.

– Speedwagon : Suicide.
A raider posted a photo of him in real life with his intestines pouring out from the massive razor knife he used in-game.

– Soygaybar : Oh….Umm….prof’s strong, so maybe he’ll be fine?

– Jokass : Piss off

– Holli : I think that’s a little too much as well…..

I knew that Billy guy would turn out like that.
It wouldn’t be normal if he stayed sane while he had a psychopath murderer inside his brain.
This was even worse than the previous set.
Definitely rejected.

– Soygaybar : …..Wow, I’m feeling really shitty all the sudden.
Do I look like a joke to you?

When I rejected his suggestion again, he started to lose his temper.

– Soygaybar : I gave you 700 thousand, and you’re saying no to this, no to that…..
Hey prof, have anything to say? Are you gonna dip with the money? You must’ve thought you could walk all over me, eh? Why don’t you just go ahead and reject this and that until you have the good ones?

– Holli : You should still ask for something that’s logically possible…..

– Highwaynachoman : Um.
How old are you Holli.

– Holli : Seventeen…..

– Highwaynachoman : 10 years old during the Great Disaster, and looking at your tone, you sound like you’re from the upper dome and just recently signed up to the community

– Jokass : Hey nacho, don’t pry.
Don’t cross the line.

– Highwaynachoman : Give me a sec.
She needs to know.
Miss, you might not know since you were raised in a nice household….
You know raiders post on the community too, right?

– Holli : ……Yes.

– Highwaynachoman : They charge 200 thousand for a kill request.
For 700 thousand, that’s three heads and a few limbs as an extra.

– Noru_is_druig : …..It’s also the price for 300 low-quality calorie bars.
It’s about 2 weeks’ worth of food for a small group.

– Holli : !!!!!

– Highwaynachoman : The 700 thousand that soybar over there gave is the cost of professor’s life.
Normally he’d need to say yes to anything he says, but he’s using the power of friendship here to push the limits.
The one in the wrong here is prof, not soybar.
You understand now?

– Soygaybar : Wow, nacho just stood up for me.
Is that a sign that we’re gonna make up?

– Highwaynachoman : Piss off.

“….Well, that was one nice speech.”

Everything he just said was right.
What I’m doing right now is basically begging for my life using the last 7 years of friendship.
Of course, I don’t feel guilty or anything.
Like all people of the wasteland, I don’t intend on making a losing deal, and since I already put the friendship on the line, I’m going to see it through to the end.
Since my life is the most important thing among the things I own, I need to sell anything to keep it.

Just as I was about to say something in the chat, like always, Speedwagon suggested a solution.

– Speedwagon : Then how about this.

– Soygaybar : What.

– Speedwagon : The thing that trended 3 years ago.
Randomize trait.

– Soygaybar : Don’t want to.
It’s a bad deal for me.
People used to do that for 400 thousand.
Even considering the inflation, I’m still one head short.

– Speedwagon : But instead of just the 4 traits, everything is random.
Job, race, traits, appearance…..
anything that can be customized.
And from that all random you can choose one thing to switch out.
Realistic mode is obviously on.

– Jokass : Huh.

– Highwaynachoman : That’s new.
And that would be about the right price.

– Soygaybar : Hmm…..
but what if he gets something really good? I think I’ll feel real shitty if that happens.

– Noru_is_druig : That’s why you could pick a trait.
Ruin the party.
And GG isn’t some easy game you can play with random traits in the first place.

– Soygaybar : That is a good point.
Let’s do it.
Prof?

– professor : deal.

I unconsciously sat up from excitement.

“Of course, it’s a deal! You are the god of this era, Speedwagon! Thank you! Thank you!”

“Uh… Is this really something you need to celebrate? If you’re unlucky, you’ll have a bunch of bad traits, and even if you’re lucky, that person can change the entire story.”

“Of course, this is better! If it wasn’t this, I would have had to start with a bunch of trash traits without any complaint, but I managed to push my luck and get at least a small chance to start with something good.”

This was honestly the best result I could have gotten with the negotiations.
And it doesn’t look like a bad idea for streaming too.
It’s not bad.
No, this is amazing!

Now’s not the time to be celebrating.
I need to write the contract before he changes his mind.

– Soygaybar : Mhm this is good.
This sounds fun the more I think about it.

– professor : Then is this the deal? All Random Stats / 1 Trait of Choice by ‘Soygaybar’ / One month of gameplay and streaming (5 months in-game) excluding minimum rest time / Realistic Mode / Agreed?

– Soygaybar : Agreed.
I’m pressing accept trade.

– professor : mk

When I pressed the accept trade button, a system message that said ‘The trade was successfully completed.’ popped up.

This was one of the biggest reasons why Shillings could become a widely used currency.
If both sides didn’t press ‘accept trade’, then the trade would be canceled, and a drone from the Gedroits company would take back the traded items.

If there was any unnecessary resistance in the process, your account was immediately banned.

In this world where the only way of long-distance communication was the GG Community, an account ban would mean you would be cut off from society.
Even the Dome, which even takes in people that are disabled, doesn’t take in people that have banned accounts.

Of course, people that tried to steal drone parts from the delivery drones also get their accounts banned.
In this case, they track the person’s biosignal and block all IP addresses within a 500-meter radius, so even in this hell of a world, Gedrotis drones can do their job in peace.

Anyway, the contract was created, so I can take a breather now.
It felt like the sense of panic overwhelming me sank back a little bit.

– Soygaybar : Now now, since the payment’s been made, why don’t we start right away? Everyone get ready!

– Speedwagon : /Gets popcorn/

– Jokass : Hurryyyyyy!! We can’t wait any longer!!!!

– Holli : I’m excited to see this!

+ player ‘Nutriagena’ has entered the chatroom

– Nutriagena : I’ve heard the news.
Is this the all random 1 bad trait realistic mode stream?

– korekorekorekore : This streamer has some good content.

– 朝樂氣多際 : I spread the news in my area chatroom too.

+ player ‘….’ has….

+ player ‘….’ has….

+ player ‘….’ has….

– Soygaybar : Now now, welcome newcomers.
I’m the sponsor of this stream! Soygaybar! This account is worth 700 thousand, so I hope you all enjoy it!

– Guns_N_Blood : Well this is a new type of energy.

– Jokass : Knock knock!!! Oy host!!! Open up!!!! There’s people waiting!!!

– korekorekorekore : Knock knock knock!!

– Nutriagena : Open uppp!!!!!!

“Master, are you ready?”

“Yeah.
I won’t be able to respond to external situations for a bit, so raise the protection field and shield a bit more.”

“Yessir.
Sweet dreams, master.”

Pshhhh- clunk.

As the pod’s door closed, the plushy interior wrapped around me.
It was a comforting yet strangely nervous feeling that I felt for the first time in 2 years.

“I really didn’t want to do this again…..”

Well, you never know where life takes you.
If this game can have a bad effect on you, it also means it can have a good effect.
Honestly, if you compare the Wastelands and the in-game world, the latter is definitely better for the mind.
This is why people can not stop playing it, even if they know it’s dangerous.

While thinking about this and that, the internal lights turned off after finishing the biopattern analysis.
With the feeling of my entire body floating, a woman’s voice started talking.

[Welcome.
Professor Park.
To the world beyond.
Will you start up Game of Gedroits?]

The familiar voice brought a little discomfort, but I pressed it down.
Don’t think about it.
My life is on the line here.

“Yes.”

As soon as the word left my mouth, a bright light engulfed me.