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Malicious Sniping Stream (22)
It was well known that Oh Taeseop, the representative of Mystery Circle, was obsessed with “romance.”
But honestly, I didn’t think it would be this bad.
“Excuse me, did CEO Oh Taeseop also hear when I slipped and called this game a trash game?”
― “Ah, that? When I mentioned it on the phone earlier, he was thrilled. He said it means you’re really enjoying the game, and he was satisfied.”
…Ha. Should I be happy about that or not?
「StarWar9thRunNoob donated 1,000 won!」
▶ LMAO this dev’s enjoying watching players suffer hahaha
Hearing the huge amount of money going into my bank account, I knew this wouldn’t be easy.
But at this point, my pride’s on the line.
A week to clear it?
Buddy, you’ve got the wrong person.
“Everyone, I’m not sleeping until I see the hidden ending. No matter if it’s the sponsor, I can’t stand being told it’ll take me a whole week.”
「Wooooooahhhhh」
「God Yoo-seong」
「He’s crazy hahaha」
「Sweet, we’ll get to see the hidden route speedrun this weekend」
「Idiots, why do you think it’ll end in 2 days? Better take Monday off work too hahaha」
Whether it takes 3 days or 4, I don’t care.
The important part is that they’ve messed with my gamer pride.
“I’m going to laser-focus. Aside from trolling, I’ll allow all backseat gaming.”
Alright, the road is long.
I end my call with the MCN and return to the game.
“I’ll follow the recommended route. No objections, right?”
「ㅔ」
「ㅔ」
「ㅔㅔ」
Since there’s a recommended route, I don’t have to waste time searching for hidden paths.
In short, I can pour all my focus into the gameplay.
‘I’ll show you who I really am, dear sponsor.’
Time to smash Oh Taeseop’s so-called “romance.”
― Mysterious Mountain. (Takes 6 days) <― Recommended Route
You smell blood. With no signs of human presence, this may be the habitat of low-grade beasts.
Kagero’s hand sweeps across the map to select the route.
―Step, step.
Kagero walks into the map.
The event begins.
「“…Blood. Was it the right choice to come here, away from human settlements?”」
The background: a mountain forest.
Kagero, trudging through branches, suddenly stops with a grim expression.
―Boom! Boom! Boom!
A heavy rumbling shakes the ground.
Following the sound, I see snapped trees.
「“Chirp, chirp! Chirp!”」
「“Kwahahaha! Got you!”」
A giant beast snatches up a sparrow.
「“Krrrrrk! Krrrk!”」
「“Screeeech! Screeeeeech!”」
「“Hehehe, such cute little snacks. Don’t whine. Once I swallow this one, I’ll make sure to taste all of you too.”」
Wolves and deer bite the beast, but its thick skin doesn’t even flinch.
Kagero steps forward.
「“Hm? What’s this, a human counterfeit? I’m in a good mood today. If you want, I’ll even share the feast with you!”」
Choices flash:
-
Accept the beast’s offer and eat the animals.
-
The beast is humanity’s enemy. Reject the offer, declaring your dream. ― Recommended Route
No need for chat delays—better to keep the flow.
I pick option 2 without waiting.
「“I will become human. I can’t dine like you.”」
「“Keh, heheheh! Don’t make me laugh. No one eats animals better than humans.”」
「“No. It’s different. The way you eat isn’t the human life I seek.”」
「“Oh? Then I have no choice but to personally show you what a human life really is!”」
―Whoosh!
The beast swings its arm.
[S-rank Hunter Choi Seorin’s “Shadow Fragment” is used.]
Kagero, mimicking Choi Seorin, dodges swiftly.
「“Hahahaha! Perfect! Doppelganger, be my prey and live like a true human!”」
The cutscene ends, and I regain control.
I roll lightly, testing the body’s movements.
「“Die!!”」
If I rate this fight’s difficulty: bottom tier.
With Choi Seorin’s body, I can move like Viktor, the protagonist of StarWar.
A cakewalk.
Or so I thought—
[Choi Seorin’s “Shadow Fragment” weakens.]
…Wait, seriously?
Right before the attack connects, Seorin’s power fades.
「User OOO donated 1,000 won!」
▶ First time seeing this game hahaha the devs are evil af
With the Doppelganger body, I can’t do much.
All I can do is barely dodge while watching the beast’s every move.
But hey, the first idea is always the hardest—
In the end, it’s all about pattern recognition.
‘The key must be the shadows!’
I learned this in the first fight:
To use Kagero’s power, I need the enemy’s shadow.
A perfect, unbroken outline—not mixed with tree shadows.
‘There!’
An open clearing.
Plenty of sunlight.
I taunt the romance-addicted dev.
“Come on, CEO. Too obvious. This is the weak point, right?”
Here, the beast’s shadow is crystal clear.
[You have acquired the shadow of C-rank Beast “Geisel”!]
The beast throws a punch, and Kagero mirrors it.
His right fist balloons like a swollen balloon.
―BOOM!
Fist clashes against fist.
The blast kicks up a cloud of dirt.
「“A fake shadow dares to be cocky!”」
Wow, this game’s downright nasty.
I copied the beast’s massive body, but it feels alien.
Like my 60kg weight doubled to 120 in a blink.
「“Hahaha! Did you think copying my body would let you win?”」
A normal player would stumble and fall, unable to adapt.
But me? I’m not normal.
「“W-wait! How can you move my body so easily?!”」
I remember something from a manga about boxing.
Each punch in a combo should carry intent—killing intent—until the opponent’s breath is cut off.
―Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham!
Each blow lands with care.
From bottom to top.
Smashing its organs one by one.
“What do you think? Not like the other players you’ve faced, right?”
「“Ugh! Uuugh!”」
No reply.
Its eyes roll back as it staggers—
―Crash!
It collapses like a fallen tree.
「Damn, he’s good」
「I felt the wall there. Took me 31 tries to beat this fight hahaha」
“Other streamers watching, take note. This is the level it takes to land a Mystery Circle sponsorship.”
「A week? Lol he’s gonna finish this in a single day」
While bantering with chat, I notice something surrounding me.
「“Chirp! Chirp!”」
「“Pant… grrr…”」
「“Screeech!”」
Sparrows. Wolves.
Deer and other animals.
「Omg they’re so cuteㅠㅠㅠㅠ」
「Seriously adorable hahaha can’t you take them with you?」
Hmm.
Maybe I can use them as allies?
But all they do is nuzzle my face.
“Where’s my reward, you little shits.”
「?」
「?」
「Lol trying to pay with cuteness」
「Exactly hahaha if we saved you, you owe us a reward, not just cuddles」
「I’m sorry lil crittersㅠㅠ」
「If you wanna nuzzle, at least give a reward first hahaha」
‘So that’s it for this event?’
Nothing’s happening, so I turn to leave—
―Core Target (Recommended Route)
An arrow appears above the little wolf pup’s head.
「?? What’s that supposed to mean?」
「Doesn’t it mean you should kill it?」
Some dopamine-addicted viewers immediately jumped to violence.
But I had a different thought.
「Isn’t it telling you to copy the shadow?」
Exactly.
CEO Oh Taeseop, who values game polish above all, would never hand out “cuteness” as a reward.
[You have obtained the Perfect Shadow of G-rank Animal: Wolf Pup!]
As if confirming the answer, dazzling effects appear.
Kagero bids farewell to the animals and leaves the mountain.
“I wanted to get the other animals’ shadows too, but it just ended?”
「Lol you can only pick one」
Unbelievable.
So the hidden route condition was:
First, fight the beast.
Then, out of all those animals, pick exactly the wolf pup’s shadow?
“This game is insane…”
「For real lol」
「He’s realized hahaha」
「No wonder veterans never found the hidden routes in other games—it’s always like this」
Normally, in a sponsored stream, you’d avoid calling the game “insane.”
But this sponsor? He likes seeing players suffer.
So it’s probably fine.
“Alright then. Since this is a clear-in-one-run, let’s move fast.”
Kagero steps off the map.
The map reappears, multiple events lighting up.
― Seoul (South) (14 days) <― Recommended Route
A road that feels like it’s been walked hundreds of times. Though it’s the first visit to a human area, it doesn’t feel unfamiliar.
Event selected.
Kagero walks into the map.
The scenery shifts again.
―Step, step.
In a shaded spot where shadows conceal the body.
Kagero spots a residential neighborhood, humans walking past, and hesitates.
「“…What should I do? Should I borrow a human body again?”」
A perfect target stands there—
a man staring blankly, practically begging, “Please, copy my body.”
But the navigation points elsewhere.
<― Recommended Route.
Avoid the hunter in plainclothes.
“…Wait, that guy’s a hunter?”
Monster slayers, apparently.
[Use Perfect Shadow Fragment of G-rank Animal: Wolf Pup.]
Best to slink away as the navigation suggests.
「“…That’s no dog, is it? What’s a wolf doing here?”」
The hunter eyes me carefully, closing the distance.
I dart forward on all fours.
「“Got you, mutt! …This wolf seems suspicious.”」
The hunter outpaces the pup easily, reaching with both hands.
「“Need to check if it’s a mana-mutated specimen.”」
He grabs my torso, pulling out a syringe.
<― Recommended Route.
Escape the man and head into the house next door.
Hmph.
They tell me the answer, but not the solution path?
「“Wait a second!”」
Doesn’t matter.
I twist sharply, shake him off, and vault the wall.
「“Persistent little thing…”」
Not easy to shake him.
The hunter follows over the wall, chasing Kagero in wolf form.
Let’s see… Getting caught is clearly a fail.
Where to—
「“Who’s there?”」
A girl, probably the house’s resident.
She stands in front of the hunter, as if shielding Kagero.
Ally, for now?
「“Please cooperate. I sense mana from that wolf, so I need to run tests.”」
「“…Mana?”」
「“Yes. Left unchecked, it may transform into a beast.”」
The girl looks down at Kagero.
Somehow, my chest vibrates near the heart—an eerie sensation.
「“This one’s fine. I’m responsible for its care at my house.”」
「“…You mean it’s been tamed?”」
「“Yes. I’m a hunter too. Here’s my license.”」
The hunter squints at the badge, then his eyes widen.
「“Choi Soyoung… You mean, the late Choi Seorin’s…”」
「“Yes. Her daughter. If you’re done checking, may we go inside?”」
「“…I… I see. My condolences.”」
「“Thank you. Safe travels.”」
Smiling brightly, she sees him off.
Phew…
Crisis averted?
「“…There won’t be a second chance. So tell me the truth.”」
Suddenly, the girl seizes wolf-Kagero by the throat with both hands.
「“Why do I feel my mother’s mana coming from you?”」
The Doppelganger wielding an S-rank hunter’s power—
and that hunter’s daughter.
I figured this was just part of the story.
But chat’s losing it.
「Yoooo hidden route!!」
「Wait lol that line change was the trigger??」
「Holy crap the veterans guessed right」
「Catching the connection to her mom right away is the key」
「Yeah, if you do other events first, she doesn’t notice at all」
Hmm.
I scan chat, piecing the story together.
So if Kagero’s too strong from extra events, Soyoung can’t sense Seorin’s mana?
‘In that case, the攻略 won’t be too hard.’
Just follow “recommended routes” for pathing.
As for fights—well, I was always confident.
The ad, premised on hitting the hidden route, seemed destined to succeed.
…Or so I thought.
「“…Speak! What are you hiding about my mother?!”」
“Uh, she needs to loosen her grip if he’s gonna talk.”
「“Ah, r-right. Fine, I’ll let go—so answer properly!”」
…Wait, what?
Why am I able to converse with a pile of game data?
<― Recommended Route.
In the hidden route, this NPC is powered by Smart AI.
Through appropriate words and actions, raise her Affection to ‘60’.
「??」
「?」
「?」
「Smart AI??」
「What the hell is this??」
The viewers are freaking out at the “Smart AI NPC.”
But my panic’s elsewhere.
‘…Wait. You expect a basement-dwelling gamer to pull this off?’
Through appropriate words and actions, raise her Affection to ‘60’.
“…Affection points?”
I—I’ve never even dated.
Dear sponsor, this is a joke… right?
