NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20
Nicang was personally not a bad student at all.
For one, she scored major points by trying to play Camilla by herself, but even putting that aside, it was true.
First and foremost, there was her enthusiasm. Here, we’d call it her competitive spirit.
You could feel her putting her all into every single game, which helped me immerse myself in the game even more.
I’m not sure if it’s the secret to becoming a popular streamer or whatever, but having that competitive spirit was a good thing. It’s really tough on a teacher when a student doesn’t have any eagerness to learn.
There used to be someone like that, too. They asked me to teach them Camilla and then just ran off after a mere 30 minutes.
Similar to Nicang, we went through a process of finding a fitting playstyle based on the build I researched, but after a few games, they suddenly said an urgent matter came up and just quit the game.
I brushed it off coolly, but that incident left a pretty deep scar on me. Since then, whenever someone asked me to teach them Camilla, I preferred to stick to posting strategy articles on the gallery rather than giving personal lectures.
Hmm, now that I think about it, this might be the first time since then.
The first student… well, they bailed, so I guess I can consider Nicang my direct disciple.
I wanted to show the fun of Camilla and felt proud that she wanted to play her, which made my sudden teaching session happen, but maybe it was because the student exceeded my expectations that I couldn’t hide my excitement.
I made my way back to the fridge.
“Ahem, ahem….”
As I scanned through the various canned beers, I couldn’t help humming a little tune.
It’s a good day. Earning money from the broadcast, and there’s someone wanting to play Camilla… On such days, there’s no reason not to drink.
“Should I go with this one…?”
Another light can.
As I felt the cold air through my fingertips, I returned to the monitor.
With a can of beer in one hand.
*
Streamer Nicang and Seolha Yi were against the notion of mental philosophy.
Not in a philosophical or occult sense, but in a mental and psychological way.
Things like “If you have patience and perseverance, nothing is impossible in this world,” or “If you keep at it, it will work out someday,” were the words she hated the most and would scoff at.
“Some things just can’t be done.”
That was how her life had been.
Simply wanting something desperately or wishing for it doesn’t make it happen. There are countless things in the world that can’t be done as one wishes, so to speak, things that are out of one’s control, and we are merely individuals swept away in that vast current.
Nothing is truly achievable. There are so many things in the world that you can’t do as you wish, a so-called unavoidable reality, and we are all just individuals swept away in the vast current of it all.
This was the realization of 17-year-old Seolha Yi, who had to give up on her dreams due to an injury.
If everything you wanted could be done just because you wanted it, then everyone would be living their dream jobs and realizing their true selves.
But as everyone knows, such a world doesn’t exist. Some, no, most people live lives far removed from their dreams and ideals. The belief that you can achieve what you want solely through mental strength and grit is the biggest proof that it’s wrong.
For Seolha, adults who clucked their tongues saying “Napoleon said there’s no such thing as impossible, but these kids just lack mental strength” were no different from one another.
The elder folks pushing the mindset of sheer will and mental power.
Napoleon too was born with some sort of talent, and it was purely coincidental timing and luck that allowed him to achieve such great feats. There’s no way it just happened because he tried hard without any backing!
Of course, there’s no denying that he worked hard as well. He cut down on sleep—his famous four-hour sleep method is well-known—and surely put in the effort.
But that was something only Napoleon could do. If anyone else, without any ability or talent, or even with talent in a different field, was put in his spot, could they have achieved anything near what Napoleon accomplished?
Seolha didn’t think so.
People each have their own exceptional fields they’re born into, and those talents vary greatly.
Just because a dolphin excels at swimming doesn’t mean it can practice flying and actually soar through the sky.
That’s what she thought, but…
“Is this actually happening…?”
How could something she thought was impossible be happening?
Seolha stared blankly at what was in front of her, feeling a mix of confusion and surprise.
Camilla was standing intact while the greatsword warrior Lennok was sprawled on the ground.
The pilot controlling Lennok was Kayak, and the one controlling Camilla was Seolha herself.
The fact that she managed to knock down an opponent she had only seen as a massive wall gave Seolha quite the thrill.
[What the heck?]
[How did that just happen?]
[That was almost 0.8 Kayak!]
[Kayak possession mode, whoa!!]
[Calling in Kayak against Kayak!]
‘How did I do that?’
Seolha replayed her recent gameplay briefly in her head.
They reviewed the game.
So, dodging the incoming Kayak’s sword strike with a forward move while chewing through damage with W and approaching to use the Q skill…
I don’t know. That play just now was like something primal done by a finely honed instinct.
In that moment of extreme focus, they must have unknowingly made the best move.
“Was it not a dolphin, but a hawk…?”
[Huh?]
[Suddenly talking about dolphins]
[What are you saying?]
[Total nerd moment, suddenly talking to themselves]
Perhaps Seol didn’t objectively understand what she was saying about herself.
Overestimating or underestimating oneself is a common occurrence.
In fact, most people in the world live their lives doing things unrelated to their talents, never tapping into their own potential.
In that regard, Seol was incredibly lucky. Today, she had broken the limits she had set for herself, shattering the rigid notions she had subconsciously held.
Of course, Seol didn’t grasp this luck on her own. Someone had told her. Your limit is not just that; you can achieve beyond that.
The one who said that was now respawning and dragging a great sword as they walked over.
– That combo just now would work on celestial users too.
– Nice job, let’s do a few more just like that.
It was like a personal trainer immediately following up with feedback, shouting out for just one more.
Seol thought about the person, who was completely unreadable.
“Is this person a dolphin or a hawk?”
Maybe a dolphin with wings. No, it could be a chimera.
For a moment, that ridiculous thought brushed through Seol’s mind.
– Oh, and.
– I’ll switch to voice chat. Typing is really hurting my fingers.
[Why didn’t you do voice chat earlier? LOL]
[Finally, I can hear your voice!]
[How on earth did you type so fast while pressing commands?]
[I don’t know, it’s amazing that my fingers aren’t getting tangled!]
[When watching pros’ streams, they do type that fast sometimes.]
“Yes, take your time joining.”
Fingers hurting, huh? Seol’s teacher seemed to be human after all.
This humane aspect was a pleasant change.
Earlier, there was a fleeting thought that they might not be human, but a machine.
The ongoing one-on-one matches, and the simultaneous feedback in the chat, really made them seem more like a machine than a human.
Kayak’s actions were no different from an AI that analyzes players’ problems in real time and conveys them via chat.
The person’s actions were no different from an AI that identifies player issues in real-time and notifies them via chat.
But the AI doesn’t have fingers. So there’s no need to type that their fingers hurt.
“Hello-o.”
It wasn’t possible to subtly let out a languid voice like that.
Before long, Kayak connected the call via the link that Seolha had sent.
Perhaps longing for the warmth of a person after the repetitive training, Seolha greeted her warmly.
“Teacher! You’ve arrived!”
“Yes, the Mike… um, it’s not very good. I was going to just chat… but my fingers hurt and sitting in front of the computer is making my shoulders hurt too… so I thought it would be easier to just speak… and came in.”
[Why’s the tone like that?]
[Huh… huh… huh…]
[Did you just wake up?]
[It’s really tough since dinner.]
[What’s with the sultry voice….]
[The soup is bubbling…]
Rarely did the intense reactions in the chat make sense.
Kayak’s voice over the call seemed to drag on as if it were scraping the ground.
Even Seolha, conducting the call, was taken aback by the tone and took a moment to respond.
“Ah, I see. It’s definitely easier to talk over voice….”
“Right… um…? Oh, just a moment.”
Kayak, with her somewhat limp tone and poor sound quality, asked for a moment.
The sounds that followed were all too familiar to Seolha and the viewers.
Chiiik—
Dtal-kak—
The sound of a can that contains carbonation being opened.
It was a somewhat late hour. The sudden appearance of Kayak. Impulsive education. A sluggish tone.
…By this point, even someone clueless had to sense something odd.
[? Is this person drinking?]
Seolha’s question, stemming from that, was more about confirming something rather than genuine curiosity.
“Teacher, may I ask what you’re drinking right now?”
Kayak’s answer came about five seconds after Seolha’s question.
“Oh… it’s just a drink.”
“Yeah….”
Seolha didn’t bother to ask if that drink was something fermented from barley that would lift their spirits a bit.