There was a brief commotion.
After calming the viewers, I resumed the game.
And this time, I managed to reach the first floor safely without being banished back to the eighth floor.
Even though my attention was briefly diverted elsewhere.
No, actually, I was somewhat distracted by that matter even while playing.
Still, when I approached the game with the mindset of taking an exam, it wasn't particularly difficult.
If it had been about memorizing the year of some historical event, the name of a concept, or a mathematical formula...
It might have taken me longer.
But since this was a game, it was easier to memorize things.
Hmm, it seems interest does affect one's ability to memorize.
If I had thought of this as academic work, I would have approached it like studying, finding it boring while trying to memorize the anomalies.
But since it was a game, I could remember things after seeing them just once without much effort.
Of course, I couldn't memorize normal hotel corridors like a photograph without any anomalies.
But once I experienced an anomaly, I had to pay the price of starting over from the beginning.
So it was impossible not to remember.
Even without such penalties though...
Anomalies like flickering lights or open elevator doors are things anyone would recognize.
You can identify them immediately even without experiencing them firsthand, right?
Ah, but luck was also on my side.
When my sister said from behind that I was doing well and might beat the game at this rate...
My composure wavered momentarily, and I made a very basic mistake.
What was my initial mistake?
I didn't notice the pattern in the room numbers, and a monster suddenly appeared.
On one side, rooms start from Room 1 and increase sequentially, while on the opposite side, they start from Room 10 and decrease.
I should have kept that in mind as I moved forward.
But I forgot one, specifically between Rooms 804 and 807.
If I had encountered such an anomaly earlier, I could have turned around and run before the monster appeared.
But having already walked more than halfway down the corridor, I couldn't turn back and escape the monster.
So what choice did I have but to run forward?
Fortunately, before the door opened, I was running close to the right wall, closer to the stairs.
So before the monster that jumped out from the room on the left could grab me, I was able to descend the stairs.
There's a reason they emphasize taking the inside track in races.
Even that slight increase in the monsters' path meant they couldn't catch me in the end.
Viewers who had played this game before me were quite amazed by that play.
- SilverPanthea: ??? You can avoid them and continue?
- ThiefFromNextDoor: Wait, you can just dodge and keep going? That's one thing, but she's not being sent back to the eighth floor???
- CRCE: LOL I guess they didn't set a reset trigger since you either die when a monster appears or you're lucky enough to turn around and escape
- Tteehwak: Wait, isn't it supposed to be 100% instant death if you don't turn around when a monster appears? Can you just ignore them and pass by?
- QueenLexia: If you turn and run as soon as a monster appears, you don't die immediately. People have tested this.
- QueenLexia: But even considering that, usually the monster follows and kills you... This really was lucky. The escape direction was exactly toward the stairs.
- Sistato: Luck aside, that quick reaction to turn the screen was so cool... Didn't even see a single frame of the monster LOL
- QueenLexia: Yeah that's why she survived. If she had hesitated even for one frame, she would have been caught and killed by the monster.
"Wow, Noel. If you had been caught just now, you would have been eaten alive, right?"
"Yes. There would have been chomping and crunching sounds as I was sent back to the beginning. Thankfully there are no gory scenes, but the sound effects almost seem like someone recorded the noise of eating wrapped food."
Just as the tension was finally easing, I made a careless mistake.
My sister doesn't actually exist.
Whether she's a ghost or an illusion, I'm not sure.
But that's not what matters right now.
I've already told viewers that my sister isn't here,
yet here I am responding to her. Won't they think I'm seeing things?
My sister is a precious person who has been my support during difficult times.
But the viewers are also important people who have supported me until I got this chance to become a professional gamer.
How could I choose between them?
Still, I came up with a cowardly solution:
Act like my sister isn't there when streaming, then apologize to her after the broadcast ends.
Based on her reaction, she seems to understand that she's not visible to ordinary people.
So she'll probably understand.
I just hope she doesn't leave because she thinks I'm too angry.
But if I respond to her like this, my act will be exposed.
Won't the viewers think I'm actually mentally ill and start disliking me?
- Tteehwak: Yeah that's right, they recorded vegetables and meat being wrapped and used that for the sound effect
- Alcamo: LOL was there such a behind-the-scenes story?
- Iasme40: It shows up in the end credits of the sequel where they're having a company dinner. They said all the monster eating sounds were based on that recording
- QueenLexia: Ugh I really think it's better that there are no gory scenes... The screen going black is preferable
- SilverPanthea: For real LOL horror and gore are different things...
Surprisingly, the viewers didn't seem to make a big deal about me talking to my sister.
Ah, maybe they think I was responding to their chat.
If that's the case, that's fortunate.
By this point, I was starting to understand how to handle the situation.
The viewers just think I'm teasing them; they don't know my sister doesn't actually exist.
So later, I can just say my sister came over and continue as usual.
I'm not trying to take the viewers for fools.
If I just adjust the camera angle properly and say my sister's voice is too quiet to be heard...
The viewers will understand.
People generally like to interfere in others' business, but they're also insensitive in these matters.
If I make it plausible enough, everyone will just accept it.
Honestly, saying my sister's voice is too quiet to be heard is much more believable
than saying I'm seeing ghosts or hallucinations, right?
Once I reached that conclusion, I felt much more at ease.
I don't need to completely hide my sister, and I won't cause unnecessary worry to the viewers.
"See? This time I made it to the end without resetting. It was fun though. Like you all said, I think psychological horror is much scarier than just grotesque or cruel things suddenly jumping out. You know, that pressure of having to start over from the beginning if you make a mistake."
So I was able to share my game completion thoughts candidly.
I did have some emotional struggles earlier.
But that was just because I was playing a horror game and was fully focused.
Surely no one would take my momentary change in expression too seriously?
- SilverPanthea: Wow, you really cleared this in just 30 minutes...
- GFE2047: Isn't this a record? Don't others take like 3-4 hours?
- DonkatsukGukbap: Srun does it in 10 seconds though...
- GFE2047: That's using a bug though
- DESTRA: By that logic, Noel used a bug too, right? Not intentionally, but she skipped the monster encounter
- StageDiver: Let's not rank people over something like this...
Ah. The viewers' attention was drawn elsewhere.
Competitive spirit is something that's easily triggered in people.
Even when it's not about their own abilities, people find vicarious satisfaction through those they like.
From small things like "my dad is a doctor" or "my mom is a lawyer,"
to broader examples like "the soccer team I support won the championship this year,"
"my favorite singer reached #1 on the Billboard chart,"
or "Joker has been winning the League of Champions World Cup for 10 years straight."
It's all about that pride.
Everyone likes me, so I understand they can get heated about this.
And of course, there will be people who prefer other streamers and want them to excel more.
Just like how Kia Cats and O-Sung Puppies baseball fans argue about which team is stronger when they meet.
And Hanwha Chicks fans give up on both bragging and complaining, just laughing instead.
Hmm, maybe that wasn't the best example.
Anyway.
Understanding something and letting it slide are two different things.
As the streamer, I needed to mediate this.
"Everyone, please don't fight. I wouldn't have been able to escape the hotel without your help. I probably wouldn't even have known this game existed. I had fun thanks to you all, but did you enjoy it too?"
- Tteehwak: Noel's reactions were so perfect, it was fun
- YellowStone: ???: My reactions probably aren't very interesting (actual quote)
- NoelReactionThief: I've clipped everything, I should upload it to the fan cafe LOL
- SilverPanthea: We can't keep this goodness to ourselves... Noel, why don't you make a YouTube channel? To upload your stream videos
Well, they seemed to understand my point quickly, and the controversy subsided.
But unfortunately, the topic shifted to something that made me embarrassed.
So I had to respond with a flushed face.
"Ah... I could make one, but the problem is I don't know how to edit videos."
YouTube channel.
It's not a bad idea.
Since I'm already showing my face on stream, it would help attract more viewers.
But I know nothing about video editing.
And I can't afford to hire an editor yet since I don't have a stable income.
"I'll upload videos after I learn how to edit."
- Tteehwak: I think it would be fine to just upload clips for now
- SilverPanthea: Since there are no VODs, it's hard when we want to see your face or hear your voice ㅠㅠ
- BB14: Noel doesn't understand the sadness of not being able to see her face whenever we want...
- Tteuttatteuttattta: Just look in a mirror, she's right there
- BB14: You heartless bastard with no sense of romance
But the viewers kept urging me to upload videos.
And they even said they'd already uploaded clips to the fan cafe that I could use.
At this rate, I'd be the villain if I refused.
"O-okay, I'll use the clips you've shared... Thank you for watching. Oh, wait a moment. Gabi..., my friend just sent me a message."
So I reluctantly accepted, but then
I received a CocoaTalk notification at this late hour.
When I checked, it was Gabi saying she wanted to meet my sister.
- Ju Gabi: Since she's someone who watched over you during difficult times, I'd like to meet her once and thank her
- Ju Gabi: Next time she comes in the evening, could you call me too? I don't have anything particular to do in the evenings these days
Seeing that message, I froze for a moment, not knowing how to respond.
Gabi wouldn't be able to see my sister anyway.
Arranging such a meeting would be impossible.