NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10
Chapter 10: I Can't Resist This
Ziiing—
“......”
I returned to reality.
As I got up from the virtual access device, I could feel a stark difference between my body there and here on Earth.
My stomach growled.
How long had I been in there?
I turned on my computer in the pitch-dark room to check the time.
“11 o’clock…”
Since I first started at 4, that meant I had spent a whopping seven hours inside the virtual reality game.
I sluggishly threw on some clothes and opened the door.
There was a cold delivery meal waiting outside.
Originally, I had planned to play for only about three hours, but meeting Yena had delayed me a bit.
‘Well, it was fun, too.’
The delivery meal was a lunchbox packed with meat.
I casually unwrapped the plastic, loosely covered the transparent lid, and placed it in the rattling microwave for two minutes.
The uneasy whirring sound filled the otherwise silent room.
I should probably get a new one soon.
“Maybe I should find a new place to live?”
I looked around.
I hadn’t noticed when I first set up the access device, but now the space felt undeniably small.
When all I had was a computer doubling as a table and a bed, there was still some room.
But after adding the access device, it was cramped beyond doubt.
Still, with just 20 million won, finding a larger place would be difficult.
Even if I managed to get one, my money would run out fast.
“...Hmm.”
Sitting at my table-slash-monitor desk, I ate my meal while thinking back on what had just happened.
After the duel, Yena had offered me a streamer position, which I declined.
The only reason I had gone along with her was to pay back what I owed her.
I had no intention of streaming for anyone’s sake.
‘Really? I think you’d be good at it.’
‘I don’t particularly like it. I just did it because it seemed fun at the moment.’
‘Then… alright. At least accept my friend request. I’ll reach out again later.’
‘Are we wrapping up here for today?’
‘Yeah. Though the viewers will probably go crazy…’
If you show everything from the start, there’s no fun in that.
She had grinned as she said her farewell, and then I had returned to reality.
I clenched the hand that had been gripping the window frame.
As expected, I still couldn’t break free from that place.
■
Sunlight filtered through the small window, tickling my vision.
Morning already?
My alarm was broken, so I couldn’t tell the exact time.
“Seven o’clock.”
Checking my computer’s clock confirmed it was indeed 7 AM.
Right on schedule.
I folded my blanket, had a simple breakfast with the bread I had bought in advance, and took a shower.
I had gotten the bread from a small bakery in front of my villa, where they always asked if I was a foreigner.
I just vaguely said yes.
From a different perspective, an otherworlder was technically a foreigner too.
Looking into the bathroom mirror, I saw Lily’s beautiful face staring back at me.
Going out like this would definitely attract attention again.
I tied my hair up and put on a black cap to hide my blue hair.
My face still stood out, but the most eye-catching feature in reality wasn’t my appearance—it was my blue hair.
As long as I didn’t stand out too much, people generally didn’t care about others.
I picked the most decent-looking outfit from my scarce wardrobe.
I should probably add clothes shopping to today’s to-do list.
“Alright.”
After finishing my preparations, I stepped outside.
A cool breeze greeted me.
■
[Met a newbie who cleared the tutorial without any combat assistance?!]
Youtube Yena / 970,000 views · 1 hour ago
“Nice.”
From a high-rise apartment with a panoramic view of the city and Han River beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows—
Yena, a partner streamer and the current trending sensation, nodded as she watched the video she had uploaded on Youtube.
It was only about ten minutes long, yet in just an hour, it had already hit a million views.
An unprecedented achievement in Yena’s Youtube history.
At this pace, based on her experience, it would easily surpass ten million views within two or three days.
She could already see people uploading clips related to Lily, raking in hundreds of thousands of views.
“I already took the biggest piece~”
The moment the broadcast ended, the editing team’s group chat was already halfway through the editing process.
Yena’s editing team had been working with her consistently for the past three years.
They didn’t even need instructions—they were always ready to get to work immediately.
─Let’s divide it into three parts. Part two is about 40% done.
─There’s nothing to tweak in the thumbnail, unnie. Lily is just too pretty.
─At this rate, we might break our all-time highest view count.
The editing team was already sensing victory.
Sure, the title was good, but there was no way anyone could resist clicking on a thumbnail featuring Lily’s face.
Sky-blue hair reminiscent of the ocean and deep blue eyes.
A face so mesmerizing that it captivated both men and women alike.
And an immaculate, pure white outfit.
How could anyone just scroll past that?
With a satisfied smile, Yena checked her Twitch community page, commonly known as Tgether.
It was already overflowing with posts demanding more of Lily.
Normally, she would have wielded the banhammer, enforcing a strict “no mentioning others” rule.
But now, it was the opposite.
This bait needed to keep burning.
Where else would she find this level of engagement?
Yena was convinced that this was the biggest moment of attention in her entire streaming career.
“If only Lily would become a streamer too.”
She didn’t seem like a newbie.
That level of skill wasn’t something a beginner could possess.
‘Then whose alt account is she?’
That was the prevailing theory in the community, and Yena herself was inclined to believe it.
But ironically, there was no “main account” that matched Lily’s movements.
Of course, professional players weren’t incapable of those maneuvers.
Even Yena herself could pull them off, and so could amateur trainees.
‘Given the right gear and stats, that is.’
A typical newbie with no enhancements shouldn’t be able to move like that.
Ding—
─I’ve compiled the donation notifications you had muted during the stream. Should I send them over?
A message from her manager on Discord.
Since donations were turned off during content segments, a mountain of them had accumulated.
The sheer number of viewers played a role, but more than that, Lily’s influence was massive.
An absurd amount of money had poured in.
I should send some to Lily too.
─Yes, please send it over.
■
“Hmm…”
“Thank you, customer~”
Ziiing.
After finishing all my planned errands for the day, I made my final stop at a phone store to buy a new phone.
A 24-month contract with the latest model.
The world had only changed for about three years, yet phone series had jumped past the twenties.
D 27+, was it?
It wasn’t even a company I recognized, yet apparently, this was the most popular phone in Korea.
So where did the S series I knew go?
“Did I spend too much money?”
I hadn’t originally planned to buy the latest model.
I just needed a regular phone that functioned properly.
But its impressive features got to me, and before I knew it, I had bought it.
Virtual reality devices had advanced, but phones had made just as big of a leap.
I checked my digital bank account on my phone.
The ten-million-won range had already crumbled.
I hadn’t exchanged my in-game currency yet, but I still had about ten million won worth of gold coins.
That should be enough to manage, right?
I reassured myself.
Yeah. Money comes and goes.
Back in that other world, I was rarely wealthy.
I never had the personality to hoard money, and even when I did have it, my life didn’t change dramatically.
As someone with celestial blood, even if I had no money, I remained clean and never suffered from hunger.
So, naturally, I never had to struggle to make money.
But things were different on Earth.
If I didn’t wash, I got dirty.
If I didn’t eat, I got hungry.
And there were way too many delicious foods here.
Good food cost money.
Living on Earth made me spend money like water.
“Eh! I’ll just earn more!”
I trusted in my abilities.
Even if I didn’t return to my old way of streaming, I could still…
KakaoTalk!
My phone vibrated.
The company names had changed, but KakaoTalk was still around.
Looking closely, I noticed a small angel and devil icon symbolizing Devil of Angel.
Considering Devil of Angel was practically a national game, it wasn’t surprising they collaborated with the country’s main messenger service.
Everywhere I went today, Devil of Angel merchandise was everywhere.
Yena 14:35
-Do you have time?
Time?
Was she talking about streaming?
I was planning to do it a couple more times since I owed her, but I hadn’t planned on doing it so soon.
I was about to send a rejection message but hesitated for a moment.
Yena 14:36
-A lot of donations came in, and I wanted to give Lily a portion. Can you log in for a bit so we can talk?
Yena 14:36
-If today’s not a good time, you can just send me your account number. If it were a small amount, I’d just give it to you, but it’s over 3,000…
Me 14:36
-On my way.
Yena 14:36
-Huh?
Me 14:36
-Logging in.
I couldn’t resist this.