A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 24

“But, Rene, why do you say you use a voice changer for the viewers?”

“Oh, um… well, with this, I thought I could grab their attention, and later, when I reveal I’m actually a woman… maybe it’ll create a stir and attract even more viewers…”

“Um, excuse me, Rene. Are you perhaps a fool?”

Hearing Rene’s story, Tuni involuntarily blurted that out.

It was, of course, her unfiltered truth.

“Um… am I a fool…?”

Rene’s eyes shook restlessly.

As if she couldn’t understand why she had to hear such words.

“No, it’s not that I don’t understand at all…”

That too was an honest opinion.

Even Tuni thought Rene’s logic didn’t have any glaring flaws.

It’s true that a broadcast with a voice changer could attract some interest, and if she revealed she was a real woman when her audience grew larger, it would certainly create a buzz.

But the biggest problem here was.

“To draw future viewers while casting away all the viewers you could get immediately is just plain silly.”

It felt absurd that someone needing money right now was only looking toward the future.

If you consider the preferences surrounding voice changers, it’s clear the dislike would overwhelmingly outweigh the favor.

In other words, it meant sacrificing one guaranteed viewer to lose the potential of nine new viewers.

She should increase that one viewer to two. Then three. Then four.

She had to keep growing, growing, growing, until she reached at least the level of a mid-tier streamer for her plan to have any feasibility.

And for someone like Rene, who needed money urgently, such a plan was practically self-sabotage.

“There are two scenarios where a streamer’s content gains traction and their steady viewers increase. The first is when it’s not a small fry like us, but a major corporation. Because even trivial matters spread like wildfire with so many viewers. The second is when the content is simply so captivating that it can draw attention, regardless of scale. But that kind of content is usually provocative.”

And Rene’s plan fit neither category.

Tuni brought Rene back to the harsh reality.

“I think if Rene says, ‘Actually, I’m a woman!’ it’s highly likely that only Rene’s current steady viewers will be surprised, and that’s it. Personally, it doesn’t seem like an extremely provocative story, and also, there aren’t many people who would know about it from the start. Of course, in time, it’s not impossible, but you said you need money right now, right? Considering that… it’s a failed plan.”

“Wow, I thought it was a perfect plan…”

Hmm. This person is really a fool.

Tuni’s impression of Rene shifted once again in her mind. Of course, to the negative.

‘If she just turned on the camera, her view count would double.’

At this point, even Tuni or anyone else would start to suspect something was off.

She seemed to have no intention of turning on the camera, even though doing so would likely increase her viewers significantly.

Even if she didn’t turn on the camera, if she had just claimed from the beginning that she was a woman, she could have probably kept at least 50 percent of the viewers who had left by now, but instead, she lied about using a voice changer.

And then there was the matter of living in a well-furnished apartment while claiming to be broke.

‘Is she just doing this to mess with others? Some people are struggling to pay rent right now… Is life just too easy for her, making it boring?’

Of course, the real answer was simply that ‘Rene is silly.’

“Anyway, I feel like your direction is quite wrong, Rene.”

“Thank you…”

She had no way of knowing that Tuni felt that way.

★

“See you next time, Tuni! I’ll see you tomorrow, Rene!”

“Yeah. See you later, Bora.”

“I-I’ll see you tomorrow, Bora…”

“I told you to just call me casually, really!”

“I’ll try my best…”

“Then I’ll take my leave. I hope we can meet again next time.”

“Oh, goodbye…”

After sending off Bora and Tuni, I was left alone, pondering.

What should I do moving forward?

Thanks to Tuni, I realized my perfect plan wasn’t actually perfect.

Of course, Tuni could have been wrong, but… no. Honestly speaking, I think Tuni is 99.99 percent mistaken.

Still, she is my streamer mentor after all.

If my mentor says something, even if I’m skeptical, I should at least trust and follow her for now.

So what should I do from now on?

My mentor has a rather strict policy on training, and while they told me my approach was incorrect, they did not say how to fix it.

In other words, they’ve guided me on the path, so I have to figure out how to overcome this challenge myself.

Let’s break it down.

Pushing the voice changer concept is not wise.

There are quite a few people who feel uncomfortable about the voice changer program.

It’s an act of discarding today’s viewers for the sake of tomorrow’s future viewers, which could jeopardize whether my plan will truly succeed later.

Of course, if I were to consider a longer timeframe, there might be some potential, but for someone who urgently needs money like me, it yields absolutely nothing.

In summary, pretending to be a guy using a voice changer only brings me harm… no, to be precise, it’s a purely harmful action.

“Hmm…”

So what’s the best way forward?

Should I suddenly reveal I’m a woman?

But given that I’ve already explicitly declared I’m a guy using a voice changer, how many people would actually believe that?

I had researched before starting the stream and I knew that in situations like mine, simply claiming to be a woman wouldn’t convince people; solid evidence would be necessary.

A photo of my ID wouldn’t suffice either.

That would just raise the suspicion that I borrowed an ID from someone else.

Thus, to properly authenticate myself, I’d have to turn on the camera and show my face…

Honestly, I’m not confident about that.

I don’t go out much, but every time I do, the countless gazes I attract come pouring in.

As soon as I turn to avoid those stares, it’s as if the people looking at me immediately divert their eyes, as though they’d seen something unpleasant.

Indicating that my appearance is quite strikingly different, I suppose.

But turning on the camera, at that moment, all my remaining viewers would clearly leave.

“Hah…”

I hate my oddly distinct appearance.

But separating that from the fact, I don’t think I’m ugly.

No. Actually, I think I’m quite pretty.

After all, my looks embody the tastes of none other than the goddess of beauty herself.

Yet, for some reason, people find it hard to accept my appearance.

Both in this world and on Earth.

At least lately, Bora has been telling me I’m pretty often, so that’s a relief. It fills my self-esteem.

…Anyway, for those reasons, turning on the camera is off the table.

I can’t turn on the camera, I can’t convince people even if I claim to be a woman, and continuing to use the voice changer is foolish.

…No, it’s a dead end.

Should I just give up streaming? I’ve only received 1,000 won in donations so far anyway. Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to spend that time sticking eyes into dolls instead?

“Why did I even say I used a voice changer in the first place…?”

If I hadn’t made that lie, maybe things would have been different.

“…Wait a minute.”

So ultimately, the problem arose because I lied about using a voice changer, right?

Then, if I can turn that lie into the truth, wouldn’t that solve the problem?

“Am I… a genius?”

Realizing this incredible fact, I immediately began preparing for my stream.

It was a time for reversal.

★

[Rene]

[I’m sincerely sorry. I apologize.]

[Talk | 12 viewers online | 0:00:13]

─What’s this?

─Did she finally apologize???

─Rene / Preventing controversy ㄷㄷㄷㄷ

Strange messages started pouring in.

Why do I need to apologize for killing heretics?

They should be the ones apologizing to me.

Despite my efforts, they don’t seem to have any intention of changing and just keep blaming others.

Well, anyway, it’s impressive that 12 viewers tuned in right as I started the stream.

It seems that a lot of viewers were quite fond of the Inquisition Officer recap I held yesterday.

Tuni had said that these kinds of people need to be made into definite “fans.”

Not just viewers who come because the stream was fun, but fans of the streamer ‘Rene.’

And the things I will talk about from now are the first steps to turning them into my fans.

“Hmm, hello…”

─?

─What’s this? Who’s voice is that?

─What’s with this male voice ㅅㅂ

─Bro, my horns are weird…

The chat window was heating up.

Who is she? What does she mean? Get lost, dude. The chat was refreshing at an incredible speed for just twelve viewers.

Of course, I had anticipated this.

What they were now seeing was the same dark screen as usual.

But the voice they heard must be a voice they were unfamiliar with.

“I am… Inquisition Officer, Rene.”

Once I had that thought, the method felt almost absurdly simple.

What’s the problem with my stream right now?

It seems like they’re bothered by the fact that a guy is broadcasting using a voice changer to sound like a woman.

What’s important here is not that I’m a guy, but that I used a ‘voice changer.’

Therefore, the solution is simple.

I’ll use a voice changer to produce a male voice.

Since they all think of me as a guy, if I just use the voice changer to sound like a real man, the problem is resolved, right?

This way, no one will get unnecessarily upset about the voice changer.

What a flawless plan.

While I came up with it, I nearly scared myself with my own brilliance.

“I, Rene, used a voice changer to pretend to be a woman to garner the viewers’ attention. I deceived and misled you all.”

─What the hell are you saying ㅅㅂ

─You said you were a guy from the beginning, now you’re acting ㅇㅈㄹ ㅋㅋ

─Deceiving and misleading (no one was deceived)

“The truth is, I sincerely regret that, and I’ll broadcast confidently in my own voice from now on.”

★

[The truth is, I sincerely regret that, and I’ll broadcast confidently in my own voice from now on.]

“…Am I really that stupid?”

Tuni’s voice echoed, filled with a hollow emotion.

It was sincere.