A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 102

[Rene]

[I will judge the Heretic.]

[In This Desolate World | 4653 viewers online | 01:49:59]

It’s pretty average.

I guess this might be the best word to sum up my situation right now?

There’s nothing particularly scary in the game, nor is there anything special.

From what I’ve heard, if you aren’t scared, this game feels just like a standard action game… well, it seems even praising it with a B-grade is a stretch.

But personally, I found it fun and right up my alley.

—Why is this first Warhammer so easy?

—Was this game always this easy?

—I should be panicking and not able to move properly, but WTF;

And then there was that discomfort I felt earlier.

I finally figured out what that discomfort was.

—Didn’t you say you couldn’t play games?

—I’ve died twice so far!

—This game isn’t that damn hard, after all.

—But Rene manages to make easy games difficult…

Just like in the chat, I somehow felt like there was no obstacle in progressing through the game.

When I debuted as VTuber Rene, I mentioned not to expect me to be good since I’m terrible at games.

Why is this happening…? That question got resolved faster than I thought.

Up until now, all the games I played, except for New Dimension, were computer games.

Games controlled by keyboard and mouse. Or gamepads.

But now, I’m playing ‘In This Desolate World’, a virtual reality game.

Rather than using keyboard and mouse or gamepads, I have to physically move my body to play the game.

In other words, I wasn’t bad at games; I just couldn’t play computer games.

I never thought such a flaw existed in my previous thoughts.

Somehow… I felt good about it.

“Fuhuhu….”

—What nonsense are you laughing about now?

—I’m scared, Rene…

“Oh, no… I just thought that it seems my specialty is using my body…”

—?

—Whatwhawhawha?

—This damn btch, lol.

—I’ll pull my pants down 〔deleted message〕.

—Is this really not on purpose? lol

—Fact is, this btch really can’t think that much…

—You sure know how to get on my nerves.

—I wonder if it’s a specialty even on the bed… 〔deleted message〕.

—Oh yeah, this btch, let’s see this through tonight, okay?

—This is a virgin, huh…

—As expected, genius btch Rene…

—Heeung

—I’ll be doing something else for a bit, Rene (and it’s weird, lol). 〔deleted message〕.

“…Huh?”

The chat room erupted in chaos again.

Why do these people have so many complaints about me?

Whatever I do, it’s my fault, my mistake, I’m wrong, I’m bad.

I even just said something totally normal, and yet they’re calling me a btch.

According to Tuni, it’s strange for me to be so accommodating…

If it were any other stream, I would’ve been banned long ago.

Do these people even realize that? Of course, they do, right?

Then, could they maybe speak to me nicely?

Well, if they continue watching my stream, it’s clear they don’t hate me, they probably like me instead.

So, I don’t particularly feel bad or anything, but…

Sometimes I can’t help but wonder why these people act this way.

Eventually, they’ll complain about me even just breathing.

★

[Rene]

[I will judge the Heretic.]

[In This Desolate World | 4711 viewers online | 02:39:11]

It’s now almost been three hours since I started streaming.

In other words, this game I’m currently playing has also reached the three-hour mark.

With non-stop playtime bringing the total to around seven hours, it means I haven’t even finished half the game yet.

“Hmmm….”

I think it’s about time to wrap things up here.

Setting aside the broadcast time, it’s almost dinner time.

More than that, this game has such a dull color palette…

Honestly, if I keep looking at it, I start to feel tired.

Of course, the game itself aligns quite well with my taste, so I think I’ll see it through to the end, but I should take a short break for dinner.

“Guys, would it be okay if I finish the broadcast after defeating the next boss and go have dinner…?”

—What dinner?

—If you’re just going, stop asking and go.

—For real, lol.

—Stop blabbering and just see the ending, okay?

—I’m fine watching while eating.

—Seems like you’re trying to bail on us here.

—If you’re not scared, speedrun it, gogo.

Fortunately, the Rebongi gave their cheerful approval.

“Yes… Then I’ll be back after dinner…”

I really wanted to eat the spicy pork rice that Bora’s mom made for dinner, so I’m relieved.

—?

—Is she really crazy?

—If you’re going to ask that, why did you even bother, Teni?

—Why do I get the feeling that VTuber Rene is increasingly resembling the trashy, btchy streamer Rene…?

—TAS mentions are prohibited, haha.

—Scary Story) This stream forbids TAS mentions, but there exists a streamer who can mention just one without managerial sanctions…

—Rekiyaaahhh!

—So scary…

—If Teni asks, it’s just out of politeness, okay?

—For real, do these idiots still think that’s a real question? lol.

“So… Should we go this way? That side seems a bit easier…”

—Is this Teni trying to assert dominance right now?

—Ah! You’re asking me? (x) Ah! Teni is just hungry and trying to head for food! (o)

—If you were born in ancient times and had power, you’d definitely be a dictator…

—Yeah, if you’re going to eat, enjoy it, and let us know what you had later…

—Don’t naturally progress the game as if nothing’s happening, you crazy btch.

—It’s better if this idiot just moves as she pleases, lol.

As I continued to progress through the game, the BGM that had been ringing in my ears changed.

This usually indicated that a boss was about to appear.

[Mocking Herald – Alraune]

As expected, the boss appeared.

This time, it was a blue-skinned woman with flowers in her hair.

Long, thin threads were connected to her fingers, which were digging into the ground.

[Ahhhh….]

And the Heretic moved without releasing a single sound.

As if waiting for my attack.

…Then it makes sense for me to strike first.

Concluding that, I immediately crouched down and took a step forward.

Although I still had a far way to go, thanks to my boosted abilities from progressing in the game, I didn’t feel as frustrating as in the beginning.

Even while I was running toward her, the Heretic still didn’t move.

Could this be some kind of bonus stage?

It wouldn’t be strange if such a thing existed.

Swallowing those thoughts, I swung my Warhammer with all my might toward the Heretic.

“…Huh?”

From beneath the ground, it appeared.

The feeling of impact didn’t matter at all as my fingers flew through the air; I didn’t check the Heretic’s HP and quickly stopped the game.

“Guys, um, would it be okay if we ended the stream here for today…?”

—?

—Didn’t you say you’d beat this boss, you crazy btch?

—Seriously, cut down the nonsense…

—No matter what, that’s not acceptable.

The chat room was filled with negative responses to my suggestion.

But I really didn’t want to.

It was honestly too much.

“C-Could we, really not…? Hehe….”

—Oh no, is she trying to charm us again? Teni, lol.

—You’re so cute, I almost let it slide, damn it!

—Wow, I really thought my brain just melted for a second.

—If it’s not at all scary, then why are you acting like this???

That thought still hasn’t changed.

The game itself isn’t scary at all…

What scares me isn’t the game.

But the believers definitely don’t seem willing to compromise.

…Considering how well I’ve treated them usually, I really want to argue that this is too much.

But regardless of how the situation unfolds, the only escape from this continuous circumstance is for me to keep playing this game.

“Really…? Really not possible…?”

—Yup.

—Hurry and finish so we can eat, Teni, lol.

In the end, with the stubborn attitudes of my believers, I had no choice but to bend.

“Eek?! W-Why isn’t it dying?!”

—?

—What’s happening, lol?

—The virgin screams are gourmet…

—She’s talking fast now, hilarious…

—I was fine until just now, but DAMN! lol.

—That’s considered a pattern, so the attack won’t hit.

I eventually screamed and fled, and after feeling overwhelmed, I couldn’t take it any longer and ended the game and the stream.

★

Rene hates… no, she utterly despises whatever that ‘thing’ is.

To put it precisely, it’s a creature so dreadful that simply saying its name is a trial, almost insufferable.

Despite her myriad experiences as an Inquisition Officer, the position of ‘that’ in her heart has remained steadfast.

For Rene, it stands as the worst kind of creature, one that absolutely should not exist.

And this aversion stems from the influence of her past life.

Running away from home, Rene ended up… living on the streets.

Having fled during her student days without a penny, she couldn’t even lay down comfortably to sleep.

Typically, her days were spent trying to find a spot to rest on subway trains or in parks.

Then… that incident occurred.

When he woke from his slumber to find ‘those’ crawling before him.

Naturally, he swatted his hands in an attempt to chase ‘them’ off.

Had this been where the story concluded, that would have been just about it.

However, ‘those’ did not flee from his flailing arms.

Instead, they crawled towards him.

Seeing ‘them’ approaching at an alarming speed, he sprang up and ran without even glancing back.

After about five minutes of sprinting?

He paused to catch his breath and bent over, and that was when he noticed ‘that’ clinging to the hem of his pants, wriggling.

As if they had locked eyes, ‘that’ lifted with a flapping sound.

That was how far his memory of that day stretched.

Thus, that memory firmly took a place in his mind as an unbearable, awful recollection that he would never want to bring back.

A trauma-like memory that has crossed lives, influencing Rene to this day.

The home must always be spotless, no matter what.

Though I don’t tidy up, I never skip the cleaning.

No matter how busy I am, I clean the entire house every two days and make sure to throw out any trash that even slightly accumulates according to schedule.

When I first met Bora, when I said, “I don’t clean, I just don’t organize,” it was a statement devoid of falsehood.

Ultimately, the conclusion is that for Rene, it is the worst of adversaries.

In a game where she faced ‘that’… No, far larger than an ordinary ‘that,’ the only option left for Rene was to run away.

Of course, if that ‘thing’ had been one of the heretics from that other world, the story would be different…but ultimately, ‘In This Desolate World’ is still just a game, making that distinction meaningless.