Chapter 13
They even created a dedicated map in virtual reality just for the beta tester selection.
The background of the map was the place where the Crown Prince, my steadfast ally, held his coronation ceremony.
I would never forget that moment when the Cardinal of the Church personally blessed the crown and passed its weight onto the Crown Prince.
“Master, please look over here.”
“···.”
Pulled out of my memories, I looked at the camera in front of Aka-chan.
No, wait.
Since Aka-chan is the Akashic Records, she doesn’t need a camera to record.
Somehow, staring at the camera made me feel like I had to introduce myself with my name and age, and I let out a sigh.
“How did things…”
How did it end up like this?
It’s too late to regret now; I’ve come too far.
I’ve already gone through several rehearsals for the live selection.
‘I can’t reveal the name Aurora.’
In the world of Akare, “Aurora” had already been immortalized as a great hero from a thousand years ago.
Although I had erased all images and crystal ball recordings of my actual self related to that name.
‘If I mess this up…’
Using the name Aurora might get me labelled as a self-insert.
In reality, I’m not even a self-insert character, but the character itself…!
“Hoo…”s
But if someone asked me if I had any other names to use besides Aurora, I didn’t have an answer.
My original name from my world? I could never use it.
Using a male name for a female character would cause too many misunderstandings.
‘I don’t want to use any other name.’
Aurora was the name given to me by the teacher who helped me, a worthless person, adapt to this world.
“Do I just push through head-on…?”
Even my original name on Earth had changed to Aurora.
Hiding it now would only mean postponing the issue.
Trying to satisfy everyone’s expectations—couldn’t that be considered greed?
Isn’t achieving that level of accomplishment something only an omnipotent god can do?
Thinking such trivial thoughts, time passed quickly.
Only one minute remained until the scheduled live stream.
I channelled mana into a magical device that looked like a lottery machine, activating it.
Approximately ten million balls floated inside the glass sphere.
‘Since I’ve come this far.’
Ignoring the shame welling up inside me, I decided to just give it my best.
Ten seconds before the live stream, Aka-chan signalled that I was in a close-up shot, so I composed my expression.
-You are our hero. A hero must stand tall in any situation.
Recalling the advice the Crown Prince had given during the departure ceremony.
-In a world without warriors, you are the symbol of hope. And hope must always be warm.
I smiled brightly, conveying the warm hope that the Crown Prince had taught me.
To stand tall, be warm, and deliver a positive sense of hope.
That was a hero’s duty, their mission, and the resolve to overcome their inner fears.
[00:10] [00:09] [00:08]…
The countdown began.
***
[Sweet’s broadcast has started. – Talk 32 minutes ago]
[Sweet’s broadcast title: Let’s watch Akare Live together]
The countdown ended.
At the same time, the screen switched to reveal a fantastical place.
“That’s similar, isn’t it? That, what was it… Ah! Right. The Hall of Heroes.”
Sweet recalled Daehyeop Kim’s broadcast he had seen during his travels.
The starting area where you interact with a maid to choose your profession.
Of course, it was similar to the Hall of Heroes, but it was a completely different place.
The screen zoomed in.
The previously vague shapes of people and an unidentified machine were clearly captured on screen.
-Hello. I’m Aurora, the Director of the Akashic Records.
The woman standing next to what seemed to be a lottery machine slightly bowed her head.
“What the heck? She looks exactly like the wizard from the trailer, doesn’t she?”
―――
Right?
Damn, she’s beautiful.
No wonder she seemed familiar.
Is she a woman?
―――
The biggest factor that contributed to the fame of the Akashic Records was the trailer video.
The highlight of that trailer was, without a doubt, the final scene.
The scene where the wizard and the Elder Lich fight was called “otherworldly quality,” sparking a lot of buzz.
-As previously announced, we will be holding a beta tester lottery today… Is this a recorded broadcast? No, it isn’t. The chat… it’s moving quite fast. Haha… It’s overwhelming.
Aurora, the Director, gestured in the air, and upon closer inspection, there was a translucent window there.
“That must be the live chat window.”
Even with slow mode enabled, the chat was moving extremely fast.
It was at a speed where you’d wonder if reading the chat was even possible.
Moreover, Chinese, English, and even Japanese could be seen from time to time.
-First, I’ll explain the lottery method.
Snap!
When the Director snapped her fingers, the floating balls inside the lottery machine fell.
Then, the lottery machine’s power turned on, and the numerous balls began to rotate rapidly.
-The lottery will be conducted in 10 rounds. We will select 100 people at a time, and for the winners, we will send the notification email immediately.
“What is this, a lottery draw?”
Sweet expressed his doubts, but there was a hint of laughter in his voice.
As if he found the situation itself amusing.
―――
It’s better than a lottery.
Are they only doing the lottery today?
I hope they do a Q&A after this.
―――
After briefly scanning the chat, Sweet focused back on the live screen.
-Simple, right? Then… let’s start with the first draw.
Countless balls began to bounce in all directions inside the giant sphere.
After about 10 seconds, 100 balls came out.
Snap-
When the Director snapped her fingers again, the 100 balls floated into the air.
The 100 balls were shown up close, briefly displaying the unique application numbers on each ball, one by one.
“Ah, it looks like my number isn’t there? Did anyone see 11995?”
―――
“Nope, not here.
Why are you even hoping?
What? No winners in Sweet’s room?
Did you think you’d win? Haha.”
―――
Sweet’s once hopeful smile faded.
―――
This guy’s expression, lol.
It’s hilarious how disappointed he is.
Such an honest young man.
―――
“It’s fine. There are still nine more chances, right?”
Even after two more draws, Sweet’s number didn’t come up.
―――
User ㅇㅇ donated 10,000 KRW.
- Don’t worry, Sweet. I just sent 100 threatening emails to Akare asking them to pick you.
―――
“···.”
―――
Wow.
Thank you.
You’re the only one.
You’re so loyal.
―――
As the lottery continued, Sweet’s speech drastically decreased.
The teasing chats and donations aimed at him multiplied exponentially.
-I see that many of you are asking questions in the chat. It seems that… many of you want a Q&A session. We’ll do a short Q&A after the lottery. So, for now, please stay focused, okay?
Aurora, the Director, showed an awkward smile, and the chat suddenly erupted, causing it to freeze momentarily.
―――
First-ever sweaty Director, lol.
She’s incredibly pretty though.
Director-nim’s charm is killer.
―――
“She seems to have quite the flair.”
―――
User ㅇㅇ donated 10,000 KRW.
- Isn’t it just virtual reality, anyway? How’s that any different from a V-tuber? I bet she’s ugly in real life…
―――
Thud-
Before the TTS (Text-to-Speech) could read out the entire donation, Sweet blocked the trolling donation.
―――
What?
What did he just say?
Is this that kind of stream?
There’s so much trolling here.
―――
The fact that there was an influx of anonymous viewers meant that there would also be a rise in trolling.
Anticipating this situation, Sweet had set the minimum donation amount to 10,000 KRW.
If the minimum was set to 1,000 KRW, the donations would have long turned into a playground for trolls.
“Everyone, just ignore the trolls. If you can’t, I’ll put a stop to it.”
Having regained control over the chaotic atmosphere in the chat, Sweet refocused on the live broadcast.
The fourth draw, the fifth draw, the sixth draw, and the seventh draw came and went.
Contrary to his expectations, Sweet’s number didn’t come up.
Wondering if he might have missed it, he even checked his email.
But there was no sign of a winning email.
―――
User Sweetbaragi donated 100,000 KRW.
- I won, haha. I posted a screenshot on the cafe.
―――
“What?”
Not believing what he saw, Sweet quickly accessed his fan cafe.
At the top of the freeboard, there was a post with the highest number of likes and dislikes at the same time.
“You really did win…”
If it had been a simple bluff, he would have thoroughly ignored it.
But considering the 100,000 KRW donation, giving the appropriate reaction was a must.
―――
100,000 KRW is no joke.
Damn, I’m so jealous.
Sweet’s expression = My expression right now.
Hey, Sweet, wipe that sour look off your face.
―――
The draws continued quickly thereafter.
The eighth draw, the ninth draw.
Even by then, Sweet’s number didn’t appear.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect much anyway.”
―――
I’m not expecting anything (Totally am).
Honest guy, his face says it all.
Are you still pretending to hope until the very end?
Do you think you’ll get picked? Sweet, just give up.
―――
Although Sweet acted like he had given up,
He was actually hoping more desperately than anyone else.
To the point where this non-religious man was frantically calling out to God and Buddha in his heart.
Had that desperation reached the heavens?
“Huh? Just now, wasn’t that… my number that just passed by?”
Among the countless balls, a ball with Sweet’s number fell out of the machine.
***
Holding a live lottery draw was no easy task.
Of course, the lottery itself was just a matter of drawing the numbers.
But filtering through the rapidly flowing chat to find readable messages,
And as the Director responsible for Akare, providing the model answers.
‘I was just supposed to conduct the lottery.’
During the entire draw, the chat was flooded with questions about Akare, which kept bothering me.
[Communicative Director]
Most of all, Aka-chan’s gaze from behind the camera, holding up a sign like that, was particularly piercing.
“With this, we’ve finished the last draw. Welcome and congratulations to the new beta testers.”
Even though I had only conducted the draw, I felt completely drained.
I just wanted to end the live stream and lie down on my bed, browsing the gallery.
But every time that thought crossed my mind, Aka-chan’s sharp eyes pierced through like a ghost.
Was she letting out all the pent-up frustration from being worked to the bone?
Even sending her a glance of reconciliation didn’t work.
“As promised earlier, I’ll now proceed with a brief Q&A session. Feel free to type your questions in the chat, and I’ll answer them.”
Because it was an impromptu Q&A, I hadn’t prepared anything.
Suddenly, the virtual reality space changed from the lottery location to a different map.
It was a background map you’d typically see when a game director starts a communication stream.
A monotonous beige-coloured room with a unified design, a white base table, and a desk.s
On the table was a laptop with the live chat window open.
‘Just how serious is Aka-chan?’
From the moment I mentioned the Q&A, she had prepared all this.
I scanned through the chats that were quickly flowing by one by one.
They were coming in so fast that I might not have been able to read them all.
But since my body was beyond human capabilities, I didn’t miss a single one.
―――
Was the trailer filmed in virtual reality?
―――
“Yes, the trailer was filmed in virtual reality.”
Just as I read and answered the question and was about to move on to the next one.
[Communicative Director]
[Human-like Director]
‘When did she make those?’
Seeing that Aka-chan had increased her signs to two, I spoke again.
“I personally played the role of the wizard. It was a tough schedule, but I’m satisfied with the high-quality result we achieved through hard work.”
The chat window exploded with messages like “The Director chose the wizard class!” but I pretended not to see them.
I also deliberately ignored other questions related to ‘virtual reality.’
I couldn’t explain how we implemented virtual reality.
Even if I did, it’s not something others could replicate anyway.
―――
Is there a particular reason you exclusively pre-released it to the streamer, Daehyeop Kim?
―――
The moment I read that question, countless “Gasp” messages filled the chat.
“We really wanted to show off the game we created. We put in so much effort, and we were proud of it. Of course, we were thankful to that streamer, and also felt a bit apologetic. That’s why we made that decision.”
After taking a moment to catch my breath, I looked back at the chat.
One question, in particular, caught my attention.
―――
There are a lot of opinions saying that the wizard class is inferior to the martial artist class. Do you agree?
―――
“No? If anything, it’s quite the opposite…”
I shut my mouth belatedly, but it was already too late.
Ah, this is a nightmare.
Truly.
—
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