A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 141

[Rene]

[Participating in Health Project Content]

[VR Arm Wrestling | 6546 viewers online | 00:15:31]

[Rene said she’s in a priest relationship with Tuni… is that true?]

“Yes, that’s right….”

[Can you tell us what that means?]

“It’s just as it sounds… thanks to Tuni, I was able to become a streamer…. Without Tuni, there wouldn’t have been a streamer named Rene, so she’s my master….”

It was both disappointing and unfortunate.

I knew Tuni would be in this content, and I hoped we could meet at the very end, but here we were, facing off in the first round.

─ A clash of masters! ㄷㄷㄷㄷ

─ So Tuni was the one who shaped her debut?

─ Just subscribed to Tuni’s channel!

─ Master (Every time I meet her in New Dimension, she knocks my head silly.)

─ What a garbage girl…

[Tuni also mentioned feeling grateful to Rene, right?]

“Yes. I believe I grew as a streamer thanks to Rene, and I got to participate in this Health Project channel’s content because of it. I’m really thankful.”

─ She only had nice things to say, haha!

─ That dimwit was hard to teach (actual quote).

─ Really?

─ She didn’t say it like that;

… I never thought Tuni viewed me like that.

To be honest, I thought our relationship was one-sided on my part.

I was really grateful.

Well, even though the chat was busy slandering our relationship… I was accustomed to such comments, so it didn’t bother me much.

[Ah… they say you can’t talk about your relationship without mentioning New Dimension.]

[That’s right. Rene is known for PK’ing players belonging to cults in New Dimension. And Tuni started as a priest character in New Dimension.]

[Thanks to that, I’ve heard you’ve died a lot.]

It might have been true back then.

Thinking of how hard I fought when Tuni was a heretic….

[But you’re still leveling a priest character, right?]

…Huh?

That can’t be.

Tuni definitely said she repented and quit being a heretic.

[… Yes, that’s correct.]

[So you’re intentionally avoiding playing New Dimension when Rene is online?]

“Yes. That’s what ended up happening… Honestly, I could just avoid it, but I never know when or where Rene will pop up….”

─ Hahahaha!

─ “Heart of the Beast”

─ Wow, that’s some serious gamer mentality, haha!

─ The spirit that defies outside pressure…

[Alright, let’s move on to the match! Lastly, can we hear both of your resolutions before we begin?]

“…I will win.”

─ Damn

─ I just got chills;

─ What’s with that voice?

─ I’ll kill Tuni, who betrayed me… That was all I could think about from the start…

[There’s no way I’m losing. I have no intention of losing.]

[Then, let’s begin the duel between masters! Starting now!]

★

“There’s no way I’m losing. I have no intention of losing.”

That was the truth of Tuni.

Of course, that didn’t mean what we talked about just now was a lie.

Watching Rene’s broadcast, Tuni learned a bit more about streaming, and because of that, she could grow as a streamer.

Getting the opportunity to collaborate with a major channel like the Health Project was also thanks to Rene nominating her after appearing on your channel.

That’s why Tuni sincerely felt thankful to Rene.

Just as Rene calls Tuni her master, Tuni thought of Rene as a master in her heart too.

She recognized various parts of Rene and admired her.

…But that was that, and this is this.

Initially, Tuni tried to avoid the world of New Dimension due to 3D motion sickness, but now she truly started to love it.

The ‘priest’ job she experienced for the first time was by far her favorite.

And for that self… Rene brought down her Warhammer, urging her to repent every time they met.

There were no passes for someone she knew.

When it came to this, Rene was unmistakably strict.

In the end, Tuni ran away.

She used the excuse of wanting to level a different job during Rene’s off-hours…

Of course, that didn’t mean Tuni held any ill will towards Rene, but it was more than enough to think about taking revenge someday.

Finally, the opportunity for that revenge had arrived.

[Two of the contenders chosen by the Health Project trainers are right here! They met from the very first round!]

[Indeed. Obviously, the strongest contender is Serim, but both Rene and Tuni are also among the contenders.]

[How do you see this match, the seasoned player?]

[Personally, I think Tuni has a slight advantage. Both Tuni and Rene have handled their fitness from the last stream without any issues, but their focuses differ, right? The exercises Tuni did focused a bit more on the muscles used in arm wrestling. Of course, I can’t be certain how much Rene has trained in that area.]

Tuni was confident she could reach the finals in this Arm Wrestling Championship.

With her stamina and strength inherited from her family lineage.

Plus, Tuni had a habit of continuously exercising.

Although most people expected Serim to win, Tuni believed she could even beat Serim.

Sure, Rene had trained pretty seriously in the past too.

But ultimately, what mattered was the present.

If both had been training, Tuni felt her recent commitments put her at an advantage.

That was the conclusion she reached.

“I’ll show you, Rene. Just how miserable it feels to be powerless in front of strength….”

[Alright then, both of you, please get ready!]

As the caster, SeoWoo said those words, Tuni extended her hand towards Rene.

Rene reached out her hand to Tuni as well.

Rene’s avatar wore a helmet similar to what Tuni had seen in New Dimension, clad in full body armor.

The fact made Tuni flinch slightly, but she quickly shook off the fear.

It was the result created by the confidence that she could win here.

From the hand she gripped with Rene, she felt a warmth that one wouldn’t expect from full body armor.

The armor was merely a type of avatar, and this game aimed to simulate the arm wrestling environment as closely as possible, so it made sense.

〔3〕

And.

〔2〕

With the countdown.

〔1〕

The game.

〔Start!〕

Had begun.

“Haah…!”

In one go.

Without even a chance to rebel.

I’ll flip this in an instant.

With that determination, Tuni poured all her power into her right hand.

Then a bang! sound should have echoed.

The phrase ‘You Win!’ should have appeared before Tuni.

…But nothing changed at all.

No sound rang out, nor did any system phrase appear in front of Tuni.

And… Rene’s arm didn’t budge even slightly.

[Oh, the two players! Is it a stalemate as they measure each other’s strength?]

[…No.]

[Yes. This is a perfect victory for Rene.]

[Ah, I see!]

[Yes. Despite Tuni trying her hardest to push down her arm, Rene doesn’t seem to be affected at all.]

[Indeed, this aspect of the game is convenient. In real life, you’d have to read the expressions and movements of each other’s arms to judge, but here it can be observed as numbers. Moreover, you can even tell what technique is being used based on the arm movements. It seems really good for the players to practice with it.]

[Ah, um…. That’s true!]

─ What kind of sudden game promo is this? Lol

─ Teacher, this isn’t a sales pitch!

─ Wow, but Rene isn’t budging at all!

─ Simply, Tuni makes me feel sorry for her…

─ She keeps getting her head slammed in New Dimension too, ㅠㅠ

─ It’s a survival of the fittest here.

─ Didn’t they say both are championship contenders? The gap is huge;

─ Usually, the one who fusses like this ends up losing, you know? ㅇㅇ;

Tuni didn’t hear the caster or the commentators’ voices.

The chat’s reactions were impossible to see.

Tuni was simply in despair, staring at her opponent who was utterly unmoving despite her best efforts.

‘Why…?’

Faced with the unbelievable result, Tuni quietly lifted her head to gaze ahead.

Of course, she hadn’t given up on victory, nor had she loosened her grip.

And what was in front of Tuni… was death.

“…Ah.”

A sound escaped her lips involuntarily.

That brief breath carried countless emotions.

The crimson light glimmering from beyond the helmet.

She was speaking.

‘Is this the end?’

It was the angel announcing Tuni’s defeat, heralding her end, an insurmountable mountain.

[Tuni.]

And the grim reaper said.

[Let’s talk later, take your time….]

This would be your end.

Swoosh… thud.

Such sound effects fit perfectly as Tuni’s arm slowly… and gently fell.

It was Rene’s victory.