Chapter 7 : A genius of shit games that came down like dancing (6)

“Uuung~”

I stretched out once, feeling my body loosen up in a strangely satisfying way every time I did these stretches.

Feeling that pleasant tension, I sat down in front of the keyboard.

Chain Roller.

The first stage — a place where countless steel balls came flying at you.

It felt pretty manageable.

Honestly, it would’ve been incredibly easy if I were doing it alone.

But dragging along the two other players who kept struggling was a whole different challenge.

‘The game feels a bit too easy, though.’

Was it because I was good?

It didn’t seem like I was bad at this, at least.

Since becoming Yoo Seoyeon, this was my first time playing a game.

It was hard to objectively evaluate my skill.

It didn’t feel like solving a tough math problem after a long struggle — more like breezing through simple arithmetic.

It didn’t feel like my skills were exceptional — the game itself just seemed way too easy.

‘Maybe this is what being a genius feels like…’

But I’d never had any talent worth calling “genius” before.

So even if I suddenly had that kind of talent now, it was hard to tell if it was real or not.

Like someone who’s never seen gold having trouble distinguishing between gold and brass.

At any rate, this was a game known for its high difficulty — and I had managed to drag along two struggling players through it.

Wasn’t this the kind of thing even skilled gaming streamers would find impressive?

Then again… maybe that steel ball stage just wasn’t all that hard to begin with.

“Ugh, it’s hard to get a feel for this since it’s my first time playing.”

I’d only seen a few highlight clips of other streamers playing Chain Roller.

And I hadn’t seen the steel ball stage in any of those videos.

It seemed like that stage itself had a low chance of appearing.

Since I hadn’t heard any other streamer’s take on it, I had no way of knowing if it was considered difficult or not.

[Rydel: Silver, have you seen this course before?]

As I was thinking that, Rydel sent me a message in chat.

[WokeUp_Silver: First time seeing it?]

I replied to Rydel.

This was my first time playing the game, and I hadn’t seen this stage in any other streamer’s videos either.

“This is getting a bit hectic.”

What unfolded before me was a combination of countless arrows and anti-gravity fields.

One thing was certain — pure reflexes wouldn’t be enough here.

‘That anti-gravity field’s gonna be a problem.’

A zone labeled “Gravity Reversal Area”.

The moment you touched it, you’d start floating helplessly in midair — completely exposed to the incoming arrows.

The biggest problem was that once you started floating, you couldn’t control your movement.

In the previous steel ball stage, my feet stayed on the ground, so dodging was possible as long as my reactions kept up.

But here, I couldn’t rely on reflexes.

Once I was airborne, no amount of button mashing would change my trajectory.

“This is more like a pattern recognition stage.”

More precisely — it was about timing.

I needed to figure out the timing of the anti-gravity field’s strength changes and the arrows’ firing pattern, then leap in at the exact right moment.

Not just the timing — my speed and angle upon entering the anti-gravity zone were just as crucial.

In short, I had to launch myself into the gravity reversal zone…With perfect timing, at the perfect speed and angle.

[WokeUp_Silver: Looks like the gravity changes strength — watch the floating objects.]

[WokeUp_Silver: Should be doable if we time it right.]

Stages like this could get absurdly difficult.

If the game made the required speed, angle, and timing super tight, it’d turn into a nightmare.

Even the smallest mistake would send you right back to the start — and there’d be no way to adjust midair.

[Rydel: Silver… are you sure this is your first time on this course?]

[WokeUp_Silver: Yeah;;]

[Rydel: Ah…………]

[Rydel: I thought you were a veteran after the way you dodged those steel balls.]

[Rydel: Seriously, how did you manage that?]

It seemed like Rydel had found the previous stage way harder than I did.

[WokeUp_Silver: You just… watch and dodge, right?]

Looking at it now, my response seemed kind of dismissive.

But honestly, there wasn’t much more I could say.

Really — just watching and dodging was all I did.

After hearing my response, Rydel stopped sending messages.

It seemed like he’d accepted my answer.

‘Alright, let’s take a closer look.’

I focused my eyes and concentrated on the screen.

The floating spheres above the gravity-reversal zone — they were probably there to help us gauge the timing of the anti-gravity’s strength shifts.

And then there were the arrows, flying across the screen.

‘Those are definitely gonna knock us back.’

In Chain Roller, there’s no game over.

Well… not until an enraged player smashes their computer in frustration, anyway.

The bald character I was controlling couldn’t die in this game.

But when hit by an obstacle, it would get knocked back and fall to the ground.

Those arrows weren’t there to kill the player — they were just there to knock you away.

And judging by the game’s track record so far, that knockback force wasn’t going to be gentle.

The developers who made this sadistic game wouldn’t be kind enough to give you an easy retry.

“…Huh? Wait a second…”

Was it instinct?

The floating spheres.

The arrows flying between them.

All these obstacles working together to block my path.

The timing of the spheres and the arrows — those were my hints.

But the gravity-reversal zone and the arrows — that was the puzzle I needed to solve.

What I needed to figure out was the perfect timing to avoid those arrows.

As I focused harder, the floating spheres and arrows began to slow down, almost like they were moving in slow motion.

And faintly — just barely — I started to feel the right timing to clear this stage.

Was it just an illusion?

Or was it real?

‘Well, there’s only one way to find out.’

My gut told me there was a tiny gap in that chaotic storm of arrows.

It stood out like an odd splash of paint on an otherwise perfect masterpiece.

Or like a brief moment of silence in the middle of a chaotic, third-rate song.

If I could aim for that gap, I could definitely clear this stage.

“…Wait, no.”

The sound of clanking chains broke my concentration.

Had I focused too hard?

I’d overlooked something crucial.

‘This isn’t a single-player game.’

I glanced back at the two players behind me — Rydel and Delbung3.

We were chained together — I couldn’t leave them behind even if I wanted to.

I had to account for their movements when timing my own.

And since we couldn’t overlap, our collective surface area increased, making it even harder to dodge the arrows.

No wonder the clear times were shorter in single-player.

This wasn’t so much “co-op” as it was dragging around extra baggage.

“…Huh?”

As I stared at those two standing there cluelessly.

“…Ah.”

A different idea popped into my head.

Sure, those two were obstacles in this stage — but they were also a variable that didn’t exist in single-player.

A variable that could lead to an entirely different solution than the obvious one.

I wasn’t sure if it would work, but…[WokeUp_Silver: Shall we give it a go?]

It was time to test it out for real.

***

「Did Silver see something?」

「Probably just wants to give it a try.」

「Staring at these arrows is making my eyes fall out…」

「I’m losing my mind over here~」

The chat buzzed at my message.

“Hm. Shouldn’t we observe a little longer?”

Rydel mumbled when she saw my message.

She’d seen plenty of obstacle-timing challenges in games before — but this stage was on another level.

No matter how hard she squinted at the arrows, all it did was make her dizzy.

She couldn’t see any patterns at all.

And factoring in the randomly shifting anti-gravity field.

It was like facing one of those infamous killer questions on a brutal exam — the kind that saps all your strength and leaves you too demoralized to even try.

「Let’s just leave it to Silver.」

「Bus driver taking us for a ride, lol」

「They wouldn’t suggest going if they hadn’t seen something, right?」

「They’ve spotted… the Thread of Opportunity!」

「Lol, they probably just wanna take a crack at it.」

「Once we’re floating, we can’t even dodge — bet they’re just gonna brute-force through.」

The chat reaction split into two groups.

One side believed that WokeUp_Silver would somehow carry them through.

The other side — the majority — thought there was no way.

They assumed Silver was just planning to brute-force their way through the stage.

Even with the incredible performance Silver had shown earlier, it seemed impossible to find a clear solution this quickly.

So the prevailing theory was that Silver would just charge in and hope for the best.

“…That’s not an unreasonable assumption.”

It wasn’t exactly wrong, either.

This was only the second stage — not some ridiculously high-level floor.

Even if we fell all the way down, we’d just have to clear the first stage again.

Though that first stage had the infamously difficult “Dodge the Iron Balls” section.

At least Silver had clearly proven they could handle that part with ease.

“Well, if it’s your first time, you learn by crashing into things. Guess we’re going, then?”

Just as Rydel was speaking—[WokeUp_Silver: Rydel, Delbung — stand here for a sec.]

Silver suddenly started giving them specific directions.

[WokeUp_Silver: No, not there. Move back just a bit.]

[WokeUp_Silver: Yeah, right there.]

[WokeUp_Silver: A little to the left, please.]

‘…Wait. Do they actually have a plan?’

The careful, detailed instructions put a flicker of hope on Rydel’s face.

If Silver was just planning to rush in blindly, they wouldn’t be giving this much attention to positioning.

「They’re being so precise — this feels like high-level play lol」

「Could it be…?」

「Are we about to witness greatness?」

「If they clear it in one go, this is gonna be legendary」

「No way, right? That’s impossible…」

The stream’s focus had shifted entirely to WokeUp_Silver.

Even Rydel couldn’t help but fixate on Silver’s next move.

If not for the chat window on the side of the screen, she would’ve forgotten this was a livestream altogether.

[WokeUp_Silver: When I count down, just run forward, okay?]

[Rydel: Got it.]

The tension rose.

Even the chat quieted down in anticipation.

[WokeUp_Silver: 3…]

[WokeUp_Silver: 2…]

[WokeUp_Silver: 1… Go!]

“Alright, let’s do this!!”

Rydel’s heart pounded as she shouted, adrenaline surging.

The three players charged forward at precisely the right moment.

“We’re clearing this on the first try!!”

Rydel swallowed hard, eyes glued to the screen.

The timing of the start was perfect.

Vwoooosh!

All three players entered the gravity-reversal zone at once—And shot high into the air.

Thunk!

Thunk!

Thunk!

And less than a second later, all three bald-headed characters were pinned against the wall by arrows.

「LOOOOL」

「What even was that?! 😂」

「Instant wipe! 1-second KO!」

“…Ah.”

Rydel let out a soft, defeated sigh.

「Yeah, there’s no way this was gonna work.」

「Clearing this on the first attempt would’ve been crazy.」

「This stage is brutal — it’s not their fault.」

「Even pros wouldn’t clear this in one go.」

The chat deflated, their excitement quickly cooling down.

Rydel’s own racing heart slowed as reality sank in.

It was kind of unreasonable to expect a first-try clear.

But still…As expected — but there had been a sliver of hope.

Rydel felt her grip on the controller loosen just a bit.

‘No, I can’t let this get to me.’

Even if the momentum died down, even if the excitement faded—A streamer’s job was to keep the energy up.

Just as Rydel was about to speak—[WokeUp_Silver: How many stages are there in total?]

That question made Rydel glance at the chat.

The screen flooded with the number “10.”

Normally, backseating and spoilers were off-limits — but this time, neither the viewers nor Rydel seemed to care.

[Rydel: Looks like there are 10 stages.]

[WokeUp_Silver: Ah.]A brief silence.

Then —Rydel’s eyes widened at the next message.

[WokeUp_Silver: I think we can skip a few stages.]