LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 26
Chapter 26 – Rogue Revival Movement – Make Rogues Great Again
《It’s me.》
The sound of a gulp, as if something was being swallowed, came through the phone.
《I wanted to apologize for ending the interview abruptly.》
“Oh! It’s okay, really. To be honest, I was so out of it at that time, I wasn’t in the right mood to continue the interview… But instead, you even promised to continue it next time! There’s no need for you to apologize.”
“Yes… Uh… That’s right. Thank you for understanding.”
It was unbelievable. Ark could still vividly recall that day as if it were yesterday.
Back then, when she Ark heard “I’m really sorry…” as the start of the conversation, she naturally thought it was just a setup for a more teasing.
‘Calling late at night just to apologize?’ she had thought.
However, whether it was intentional or not, Lee Yena, who had been clouding her words for a moment, immediately spoke in a casual, almost cheerful tone.
『And I also want to apologize for sniping. *Cough* Sorry? *Cough* Anyway, I want to apologize for sniping.』
After the coughing mixed in with the sound, there was another gulp followed by, “Yes…? Oh.”
However, she didn’t bother to pay attention to such talk.
The brief, sincere voice that was hard to believe, full of genuine sentiment, was apologizing for the sniper incident.
“No, seriously? A snipe?”
『Yes. No matter how much I think about it,』
-*gulp*.
『Since it’s a broadcast… I have to apologize.』
-*swallow*.
『Apologize? Yes. It seems like we should.』
-*gulp*.
Despite the distracting noises making it difficult to focus on the conversation –
‘Is this person for real?’
Ark’s already dazed brain couldn’t even process that.
‘After staying silent for six months, now they are apologizing for this?’
During her three years as a broadcaster, the second most shocking incident occurred. It was on par with catching a 14-year-old girl who persistently left malicious comments, or even more so.
The level of shock was so substantial that it required a serious comparison. Lost for words, Ark’s ears, which had been filled with disbelief as she repeatedly uttered ‘What?’, once again heard the lethargic voice of Lee Yena.
『Is that okay?』
‘What does she mean by “Is that okay?”‘
‘Would it be okay if I apologized?’
Amidst severe confusion, Ark simply blurted out the thoughts that came to his mind.
“What? Uh, no, what? So, it wasn’t okay, but since you mentioned that, it kind of feels okay now. Yes. You also helped me last time… yeah.”
On the other end of the phone, a faint sigh of relief could be heard.
『Thank you.』
Following the apology, came gratitude.
Behind the username AdtaMeokI, was Lee Yena, a seemingly normal person – a thought that began to separate the experiences of dealing with GetDevoured and Lee Yena in Ark’s mind.
As she started to consider the possibility that Lee Yena might just be an ordinary woman who doesn’t engage in malicious behavior, a thought dawned on Ark.『Then, I’ll be going. Fighting for the broadcast.』
-Click.
With a “Fighting” that felt just as powerless as before, the call ended.
‘What does ‘Fighting’ even mean to this person…?’
‘But then, when they apologized earlier… what did they say, ‘sniper’ or ‘will sniper’…?’
Although her keen intuition caught on that the apology she had just received was not for past actions, but rather a preemptive one for something to come in the future-
‘Did I mishear because of the coughing?’
Even though she got the answer right, she let the fact slip away without even realizing it. It was just that she couldn’t think of this current happening as anything other than a topic that would make an entertaining story on the broadcast.
“Ah.”
Of course, she would have to get permission – she thought as she picked up the phone she had momentarily set down and shook it.
『Today’s topic.』
『Is the broadcast okay?』
『If you feel even slightly uncomfortable, please let me know!』
Perhaps, the response would come after a while – Ark thought.
『Oh.』
『Yes.』
『Thank you.』
“Thank you…?”
Ark, who was tilting his head, soon decided to think, ‘Well, she was someone who was diligently sniping. It might be nice to have her story broadcast…maybe?’
Everyone has different values and thoughts. Ark didn’t know what GetDevoured was grateful for, but she happily replied after getting permission.
『I’m grateful! Have a good night 😊』
Indeed, there was a thought that Yena might actually be a good person.
.
.
.
*Click*
As always, Ark’s broadcast started at 7 p.m. on a weekday.
Ark, who hadn’t put on his VR equipment yet, sat at his desk with only his upper body showing, vigorously waving his hands to greet the viewers and signal the start of the broadcast.
– Ark hi~
– Ahaha~
– Ahaha
– Ma-ha (Master Ark hi)
– Hello, I am Master Tier Mage Ark~ Please show some respect and stand up.
– LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL How long are you going to keep greeting like this?
– Until I get demoted, perhaps.
– What does ‘until today’ mean?
– How are you going to handle this if you return to Dia?
“No worries~ I’ll finish the season as a Master, so wake up from your dream!”
Thinking back on it once again with a joyful heart, Ark, who had been giggling, clapped his hands with a serious expression and said,
“Oh. I’m skipping the café visit today to spill some stories. Oh! Wait!! Before we light it up, the café visit will happen at the end of the game. Okay?”
『Ah, lOL I’m already excited, what should I do?』
『I have no idea, let’s just spray it first.』
『(Fire) (Fire) (Fire) (Fire) (Fire) (Fire) (Fire) (Fire)』
Before the words could finish, the chat window was already filled with fire-shaped emoticons.
Seeing the chat more than halfway filled with fire icons, Ark exaggeratedly shook his head.
“Wait, if you look closely, it seems like they are lighting the fire without any reason now. Honestly, are you guys just enjoying setting things on fire for fun?”
『Hmm』
『Oops』
『Oops』
– User ㅇㅇ has donated 1,000 won! –
【Oh no, got caught, extend the broadcast time and run away】
It had become a daily routine these days, the chat window that was always open.
Ever since the incident with her boyfriend’s explanation, there seemed to be an unusual number of fiery incidents in Ark’s room. It was not an exaggeration to say that the ignition point was close to room temperature.
Many of the troublemakers who used to hang around in the forum had settled in the broadcast.
However, from Ark’s perspective, who enjoyed playing along with such chats in a somewhat inclusive manner, it was a welcomed change.
Lately, the average viewership was approaching 5,000, and the quality of the footage on G-tube was relatively good.
Unless it was a real large-scale fire, occasionally igniting in a playful manner was actually good for the broadcast.
“I was going to talk about the conversation with GetDevoured a while ago. Should I spill the beans?”
『???』
『Click-Seok』
『Who started the fire?』
『Hey, catch those guys over there!』
『What kind of cafe exploration is this? Let me out!』
『Hey, turn off the light over there!』
『Are you on the phone with GetDevoured? Finally pressing charges?』
『Phone call (filing charges).』
『Click』
『Teacher, please quickly explain the situation.』
The chat window was neatly organized in response to the discussion about GetDevoured.
Recently, following a clarification, a promotion match, and an interview broadcast, Yena’s image had changed from “Vicious Sniper GetDevoured” to the “Mysterious Nuna Who Resolved the Boyfriend Suspicion”, and it wasn’t bad at all.
Those from the forum naturally found GetDevoured to be a good trigger for broadcasting and a good bait for driving discussions, so there was no reason for them to dislike her.
Male viewers began to look at her more favorably simply because she was a skilled woman whom they didn’t try to criticize as just a “hack” like they normally would.
Even the female viewers who had criticized her for allegedly having a sexually harassing username began to turn a blind eye once they discovered that GetDevoured was, in fact a woman.
“Ah, honestly, I’m still considering it. I haven’t filed a complaint yet. Just poking around.”
『Isn’t this basically a confession or denial?』
『But what are you suing him for? For online harassment?』
『Defamation, obviously.』
『Defamation?』
『Isn’t it defamation, why wouldn’t it be?』
『Clearly, everyone can see that they’re just craving for attention, why isn’t it working?』
『If you look at her Discourse ID, isn’t it just a shortcut for craving a warm Americano?』
“Anyway, remember when she suddenly messaged me her ID and then voice-called me? And then out of the blue, they contacted me yesterday saying they wanted to apologize.”
『???』
『You think I’m dreaming?』
『You received a legal notice?』
『Now? Why?』
“So, is it time for her to leave? Why now? As I pondered, I thought, if I actually make the call, will she try something strange again? However, wanting to keep the faith in people, I decided to answer the call.”
– User ‘ㅇㅇ’ has donated 1,000 won!
【Not a Voice Phishing?】
“Really! I also thought right away, isn’t this a voice phishing scam? But do you know what the first thing she said when I answered the phone was?”
『Q.』
『Q.』
『Q.』
『Q.』
『Of course, Q.』
『The difficulty level is too low, teacher.』
Ark also thought that GetDevoured would have been less surprised if they had just gone with that route, and continued speaking with a slight smile.
“Phew. No, don’t laugh. I’m trying to unravel the story here. Anyway, you’re right. Honestly, even though I thought there was nothing strange, she wanted to apologize!”
『????』
『You called the police, huh? You went and reported it.』
『Ark, I’ll sue you if you don’t drop the act of not caring.』
『Why hide that you’ve sued her?』
『Didn’t you sued by Ahddameog? Did no one else sue her?』
“No, really, I didn’t sue. So I had to make sure, but no. Her voice is unmistakable. Part human, part fox. You all know it too.”
Even thinking about it again, Ark couldn’t help but think that if Gumiho existed in reality, this might be Yeena’s voice. If you listen absentmindedly, it feels like a voice that should forgive any mistake.
Even she, a woman, feels that way, so how would men feel? When she thought about it that way, she could understand why the evaluations of Ahddameog had excessively improved in her recent broadcasts.
『Yeah, that’s unmistakable.』
『Mhmm…』
– User ‘ㅇㅇ’ has donated 1,000 won! –
『But I still can’t believe that it’s Ahddameog…』
『Yeah, maybe he asked a woman he knows.』
『It’s even more surprising that he knows a woman in the first place.』
『My mind goes blank when it comes to Nuna…』
『Former rogue, right?』
『But seriously, no one else actually sued you, right?』
“Anyway, so I was just spacing out, but she apologize for cutting off the interview midway and for sniping. I was really surprised… I thought, wait, did I mishear that? Am I dreaming?”
『Why laws exist if everything ends with an apology!』
『Seriously LOL Doing a 6-month snipe and apologizing once, what a cost-effectiveness』
『It feels like you were dreaming』
『Wait, did you say something so logical?』
『If you were going to apologize, why did you act that way all this time?』
‘True.’
Acroso, who was unfolding the story while looking at the chat window, was also curious.
‘If she was going to apologize, why did she act that way?’
‘No, why apologize after acting that way?’
However, it wasn’t important at the moment.
“Ah, I’ll ask about that during the interview later. Honestly, I have a lot of questions too. But anyway, isn’t it just surprising? But there’s something even more important.”
Grinning, Ark put on the VR gear that was placed on the desk, facing the camera.
『?? What’s up?』
『What’s more important?』
『Let’s get in and play~』
Slowly coming into the broadcast screen, the KoK client – was already in the queue and entering the character selection screen.
『No way, lOLOLOL』
『???』
『Again…?』
With the average viewers approaching 5,000, Ark’s KoK queue was exaggerated, consisting half of snipers and half of regular people.
Although the main sniper, GetDevoured, refrained from sniping for a while, there was finally just one shot taken. The chance without a sniper in the queue was only in this first round, attracting attention.
“What’s important is that we caught the queue while solving this case. Frankly, GetDevoured stood out, burying the others, there are too many snipes these days, really. At least GetDevoured apologized and won’t do it again-”
With a satisfying smile, Ark looked at the client, and in her eyes, there was a familiar chat message.
『GetDevoured: Going underground with the rogue』
『???』
『??』
『Apology…? Did she apologize?』
-User 1 has donated 1,000 won!-
【Ark, that seems like a dream-like thing.】
『No.』
『The reason why just apologizing isn’t enough.』
『LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL Why did he apologize so bluntly? LOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL』
『Let’s go see a lawyer~』
『LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOL Ark got stunned again.』
-User 2 has donated 10,000 won!-
【Ark, did you turn on the GetDevoured broadcast…? Search for a warm americano】
In a daze, Ark searched for CravingWarmAmericano as dictated by the donations, only to come across an unfamiliar thumbnail of a strange screen and a broadcast titled “Rogue Revival Movement – Make Rogues Great Again.”
TL’s Corner:
Yep… Sniped.
LazyFox111 commented before that the MC’s username is kind of lewd. And he’s right. Even the author thought so too.