Chapter 80

EP.80 The Saint Thirsty for Praise

The saint inside the screen narrowly avoided the incoming rapier by just a sheet of paper's width.

In a situation where the slightest less or more movement would have been problematic, she was making the best choices to overcome the difficulties.

I sipped my drink and watched the scene.

My right hand held the mouse, but my left hand rested on my chin.

Even without my manipulation, the saint displayed a magnificent movement.

The psychological warfare, which can be considered a measure of skill in close combat, continued to unfold like the flowers of spring before my eyes.

Receiving bonuses for resistance to rigidity and ignoring hit abnormalities due to perfect timing commands, the saint moved half a beat faster than before, seeking an opportunity to counterattack.

However, the silver-armored knight, as if anticipating this, once again thrust three rapiers at her with a speed that was hard to see.

The saint turned her body half a circle to escape the range of the three rapiers.

She avoided the attack that would have stopped her counterattack, but at the cost of showing her back.

It was a move that anyone could see was forced.

Facing the enemy and giving up her own field of vision was nothing short of suicidal.

But she had anticipated it.

She had anticipated it.

The saint demonstrated an evasion maneuver that no one could have thought possible, as if she had eyes on the back of her head.

I could predict the direction and speed of her next attack because I had seen it so many times.

No, it wasn't just a prediction anymore.

It should be called confidence, or even foresight, to fully convey its meaning.

The iron spikes that flew at her lost their purpose, slicing through the air aimlessly.

It was a miraculous scene.

At that moment, I clicked the mouse button.

The saint's continuous movement, which had been turning in a full circle, suddenly froze.

The incoming rapier also remained motionless, as if time had stopped.

The saint, drenched in sweat, and the silver-armored knight, along with the sunlight shining down on them and the sound of insects chirping, everything came to a halt.

In the center of the screen, which illuminated the frozen world, an emoji forming a cross appeared.

It was the pause button.

Yes, this was a video.

From the final match of the tournament.

I nodded and opened my mouth.

"Here, this is where I did the best in the match…."

Even as I spoke, I couldn't hide a slight unease.

Why did I end up in such a situation?

Sigh. I couldn't help but sigh.

I had a subtle feeling inside me.

Not just today, but ever since the tournament ended.

It had been over a week.

Of course, I hadn't done anything wrong.

On the contrary, it was because I had done too well that it became a problem.

The issue lay with my twisted personality.

I want praise.

"…."

In fact, it's something everyone must have in their hearts, to varying degrees.

The desire for recognition isn't something only I possess.

So, I hadn't done anything wrong.

If there was a mistake, it was on the part of the people who didn't give me a single word of praise after watching my play.

Why wouldn't they just give me a compliment?

If they had, I wouldn't have been doing this embarrassing thing for over a week, replaying the same scene and asking, "Didn't I do really well here?" dozens of times.

[Again with this;;]

[Zzz zzZ]

[Everyone, just take a nap]

[●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇]

[●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇ ●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇ ●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇]

[●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇ ●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇ ●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇ ●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇ ●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇ ●▅▇█▇▆▅▄▇]

[So, when are we actually playing the game ㅠ_ㅠ]

Of course, the viewers' reactions were cold.

I can understand why, having faced the same broadcast pattern for seven days now.

But then, they could just give me a compliment.

[Wow, our room leader did great]

[Oh. Really. Amazing.]

[You should give her a medal lol]

[You did really well~]

"…."

Just like the viewers were tired of it, I was also desperate to break this monotonous flow of the broadcast.

I had realized that pretending to be unaware and trying to诱导 praise wouldn't work anymore, so I decided to gather my courage and open up a bit.

Pretending to be proud of my own play.

Embarrassing. But still….

"I don't want those empty words. I want something more, something more sincere, something that comes from the heart…."

[Heart?]

[Gas?]

[Shy]

[Chichi]

[Op1pai]

[Boobs]

[Stop talking about weird stuff lol]

[How can I forget the room leader's chest? ㅡㅡ]

[LOL]

[You really played well (the play)]

[Putting unnecessary parentheses makes it sound even more like you're talking about your chest lol]

Yes.

This was the problem.

Chest.

If it weren't for that damn chest exposure incident during the final match, I would have been basking in people's praise for my tournament-winning play.

I, a mere priest user who had been struggling at yellow, had won the championship by dramatically defeating a renowned red user and a top contender with just two blunt weapons in hand, in a perfect narrative.

But my brilliant play was almost buried,

and then I lost the timing,

and in the end, I was forced to play the video of that moment myself, asking, "Didn't I do well?" in this embarrassing way, just to satisfy my desire for praise.

I felt like a child throwing a tantrum, asking for a pat on the head because I did well.

I know I sound childish, but what can I do with a personality like this?

Actually, there were some praises.

After searching the entire community almost all night, like pearls in the mud, there were indeed some posts expressing admiration for my skills.

But that's a different story,

I wanted to hear it directly from my viewers.

If they had asked, "Why did you play so well?" and said, "Our room leader is the best" and "Shouldn't you switch to a melee class?" with a fuss, I would have smiled and said, "I was just lucky," in a humble way, which was my original goal….

But as I couldn't stand everyone talking about my chest, they somehow picked up on what I wanted and deliberately held back their sincere praise, even gritting their teeth.

They're all of one mind only at times like this. Bad people.

Hmph.

I absentmindedly glanced at the soju bottle I had tucked into my chest.

What is this?

I had been in a bad mood and had been tormenting myself in the early morning,

and it looked even bigger, swollen and red, which only made me feel more resentful.

I closed the video of the tournament scene.

The viewers, who seemed to be celebrating that it was finally over, were annoying.

Some people, finding the room leader's sulking cute, were inciting others not to praise her, which made me a bit angry.

Still, I couldn't bring myself to press the block button.

After all, these people, though they sometimes seemed to be crossing the line, never actually did, and each one of them was precious to me, so no matter what, I couldn't block them.

[Delicious, chewy, giant chichi chomp chomp]

[Chestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchestchest]

[Boob battle wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww]

[Boobs wobble wobble boobs wobble wobble boobs wobble wobble boobs wobble wobble boobs wobble wobble boobs wobble wobble boobs wobble wobble boobs wobble wobble]

"…."

A wave of sorrow swept through my body for no apparent reason.

If someone is expressing, "Hey, praise me," so humbly and shamefully, shouldn't you give them a compliment?

Just once, no, even once might not be enough, but if you had praised me a few times for doing well, I would have hidden my endless greed and smiled, "Ehehe, it was just luck," and treated you all as usual.

I wouldn't have been so upset and wouldn't have been drinking with a straw in broad daylight, but anyway, it's your fault. Of course, the drink is delicious, but it's your fault.

"Nobody, gives me praise… everyone was really bad."

A few chat messages appeared, suggesting that the room leader seemed to have a different personality today.

When you drink, you all become like this.

And even after that, not a single sincere compliment about me appeared.

I finally gave up.

No, you made me give up.

I won't do it.

I won't do it!

"I'm going to leave…."

The decision took a long time, but the action was swift.

With question marks filling the screen, people were asking what I was talking about and begging me not to go,

but I, like I had been treated, cheerfully ignored them and pressed the end broadcast button.

"…."

I did it in a fit of anger,

but I had nothing to do.

I've said it many times, but I am a wretched human being with no hobbies other than games.

What should I really do now?

For a moment, I thought about drinking more, but even if I did, I didn't want to drink several bottles of soju in broad daylight.

I had already done that, and if I did it again, even this healthy body might start to show problems, so I needed to exercise some restraint.

I put the empty soju bottle in the recycling bag.

The bag was almost full, so I needed to go throw it away.

….

Well, maybe I'll go out for a while.

I had just received a notification that the tournament prize money had been transferred to me last night.

Thanks to that, my wallet was quite full.

At least I wouldn't be unable to do anything because of money.

I quickly got dressed and prepared to go out.

The saint in the mirror smiled and waved goodbye as I left the house.

Author's Note

Thank you, PIA1622036448826, for 1 coin.

Thank you, Heunglover, for 10 coins.

I'm late… I'm sorry… I have nothing to say…

I can only ask for your understanding… ㅠ_ㅠ.

Thank you for reading, and I'll be back tomorrow night!