A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 89

[Rene]

[I’m streaming with Tuni]

[We Chained | 2368 viewers online | 01:43:51]

“I’m sorry…”

[…It’s okay.]

─ You don’t look okay at all.

─ LOL!

─ It’s shoes! (That’s actually what I said)

─ Are you a 5-year-old who can’t stand being curious? [Deleted message.]

─ I told you it’s not a good idea to play this kind of game with Rene, LOL.

─ Honestly, I think it’s just karma, LOL.

─ Even if we didn’t go to check the treasure chest, I think we would’ve fallen anyway.

─ For real, LOL.

So far, Tuni and I have fallen 8 times while playing this game.

And out of those 8 times, 7 were because of my mistakes.

…No.

Can we really say it was a mistake to find the treasure chest and check what was inside?

Yeah.

I don’t want to admit it, but this was purely a skill issue on my part.

Plus, Tuni saved me a bunch of times when I almost fell in the middle of the game.

If it weren’t for that, I’m sure I would’ve fallen at least twice as much.

Yet, for some reason, the believers seemed to be enjoying it more than when we were doing Jumping Up… but I still felt guilty towards Tuni.

“Should we stop this game…?”

[…Let’s do it just one last time. But, Rene, there’s one condition.]

“Yeah…?”

[Just please follow my lead, no matter what happens. Is that okay?]

“Yes…!”

That much I can easily handle.

★

[Tuni]

[We’re escaping from here together, Rene!]

[We Chained | 361 viewers online | 01:51:22]

The game called We Chained is a platformer where the goal is to step on platforms and reach the top.

And the unique part of this game is that you’re chained to the characters of the people you’re playing with.

You can use that chain to help others who fall off the platforms.

But that’s just looking at it positively.

To put it accurately, We Chained is a game where you ‘can’t help but help’ those who are falling.

If you don’t help someone who’s falling, you yourself will also fall to the ground and have to start all over again.

In other words, it means that no matter how good you are, one mistake from someone else can make you fall back to the starting village.

Moreover, this game ties players together with a chain, meaning you can’t move freely, and if your timings are slightly off, it leads to disaster.

Look at it in a good light and you can say that if you mess up, someone else can help you.

But to put it bluntly, you can’t clear the game just on your own skills.

“Phew…”

Tuni slowly caught her breath.

Honestly, I found Rene frustrating in this situation, but I couldn’t get mad.

It was Tuni herself who had suggested we play this game, knowing that Rene isn’t great at this genre.

And… above all, the fans watching the broadcast. The reactions from the “Puddings” weren’t bad.

─ Our Rene is truly sorry, teacher.

─ The two of them are really having a good time, LOL.

─ Fun? Really?

─ I think Tuni should’ve gone first in situations like earlier instead of Rene, and today, your decision-making seems a bit off… is something wrong?

─ Shut up with your long messages, damn it.

─ The fact is, watching our Rene play once is more interesting than those text walls, LOL.

─ The reactions today are really hilarious, for real, LOL.

No matter how frustrating it is, if the fans are enjoying it, a streamer’s destiny is to keep making content unless it crosses the line.

Tuni understood that fact well.

“Rene, are you ready?”

“Yes….”

─ Why is the atmosphere so serious, LOL?

─ Do you think I can be serious with such a clueless person? [Deleted message.]

─ Yes! (Not getting it)

─ If a treasure chest shows up midway, you’ll rush for it again, right?

─ Still, that’s a bit much, LOL.

The one good thing is that thanks to Rene precisely following Tuni’s instructions, there were hardly any mistakes.

Of course, there were some, but with Tuni’s skill, it was easy to help out.

Thanks to that, we were able to reach the spot we arrived at just before grabbing the treasure chest without any trouble.

But from here onward was unknown territory.

Everything could happen along the way.

However, knowing that Rene was listening for once made Tuni feel calmer than ever.

“I’m going…!”

Tuni’s character made its way forward with a sound of footsteps.

The sounds coming from behind were proof that Rene wasn’t going off into some strange place.

─ You sound like a mom taking care of her kid, LOL.

─ What if Tuni turns out to be a married woman?

─ My horns feel strange…

─ You freaks.

After about ten seconds of walking.

In front of Tuni and Rene appeared multiple paths of railway tracks.

The gaps between the tracks were just wide enough to barely reach if you jumped the maximum distance.

But that meant Rene and I would have to jump nearly at the same time to avoid falling.

If one person jumped first, the person behind would get caught in the chain and fall.

“Let’s go right away, Rene. We need to jump at the same time. I’ll count to three.”

One, two… and just as Tuni was about to shout three.

[…Wait a second.]

Rene stopped Tuni.

And at that moment, an enormous train passed by at incredible speed.

─ Whoa, damn!

─ For real, her instincts are beast-like.

─ Boy, that’s a close call, LOL.

“Wow, that was really close. Thank you, Rene.”

[It’s okay.]

─ Whoa, but seriously, wasn’t Rene just super cool earlier?

─ I heard a ‘kayo’ sound… [deleted message.]

─ She was really cool, for sure.

─ ‘…Wait a second.’ << Wow, damn.



“Um… Honestly, I admit it! Rene, that was incredibly cool!”



[Huh?]



“That moment when I was about to jump, and you said, ‘Wait a second…’ really saved me!”



[Was that cool…?]



“Yes. If you were a guy, I think I would’ve fallen for you. Everyone, admit it!”



─ I agree, LOL.



─ I’m already turning into a girl…



─ I’ll stay a girl until polar bears go extinct.



─ Tuni becomes a girl around that person…



─ Can’t the two of them just date? [deleted message.]



“Even the Puddings said you were cool, you know?”



[…Puhuu. T-thank you. Ahem. It’s just my personality, really…].



─ LOL. Oh damn.



─ She just turned shy from a single compliment, LOL.



─ Breaking news) The chat in the other room is flooding with question marks.



─ I hate myself for thinking that was cool.



─ I bet if you offer her candy, she’d follow you around, LOL.



─ Tuni, do you still think she’s cool?



“…I think I might have spaced out for a moment.”



Rene was really cool to Tuni.



But the moment she heard that laughter, like the comments in the chat said, Tuni’s feelings cooled down significantly.



To put it precisely, the feeling of being cool changed to a feeling of cuteness.



‘How can she act like that for real?’



It definitely felt cool at first.



Tuni swallowed that thought and started playing the game again.



Rene followed behind Tuni, and even though she made a few mistakes, the two of them managed to move forward steadily.



Eventually, they reached the final zone of the game.



─ Oh wow… Great Tuni.



─ Tuni is really good at games like this.



─ Damn, did she bring that clueless person here, LOL? [deleted message.]



─ Tuni, is she a god? Tuni, is she a goddess? Tuni, is she a goddess?



─ Honestly, Rene did well following along too.



─ It got a little too easy all of a sudden, so it’s less fun…



─ For real, can she act a little more clueless? LOL.



“After falling this much, aren’t we done? Why would we fall here too?!”



[Huh?]



“Oh, some Puddings were saying it’s not fun if they’re not falling.”



[…S-should we fall?]



“No no no no! If that happens, I might just cry!”



That statement was half-serious.



I had dragged Rene all the way here, and to have to start over again would definitely break Tuni’s spirit.



─ Huh!



─ Rene, please fall!



─ What the hell are you doing!!!



─ If you don’t fall right now, I’ll take off my pants!



“Shut up!!!”



[Hiiick….]



“Oh, I’m sorry! I forgot to mute my mic… I wasn’t talking to you, Rene, I was talking to the Puddings.”



[Yeah…].



─ What was that voice just now?



─ I’m standing, Tuni… [deleted message.]



“Ugh, seriously… Anyway, we’ve almost reached the end, so let’s hang in there, Rene!”



[…Yeah.]



Either way, Tuni and Rene took a step forward once more to clear the game.



“One, two, three!”



[Three…!]



They jumped over the infrared detector.



“Towards the smiling side! Angry side! Crying side! Angry side!”



[Yes…!]



They solved the puzzles.



“Inertia drift!!!”



[Huh?]



They dodged the obstacles and drove the cart.



Having overcome countless hardships, Tuni and Rene were now facing the end of the game.



The last thing to welcome them was a massive, majestic temple.



As though praising their journey thus far, the voice of a kind grandfather NPC began to flow out.



With steady steps.



There were no strange gimmicks even as they walked forward.



Only enormous statues and beautiful decorations welcomed them.



And in the distance, a gigantic door slowly opened.



Beyond the open door floated a golden orb.



It was clearly the end of the game, visible to anyone.



[Wow…!]



Tuni and Rene rushed towards it without waiting for the other to go first.



And in front of the giant door, there was a treasure chest placed.



[Oh.]



They had ignored every treasure chest along the way until now.



No matter how much Rene regretted it, Tuni wanted to avoid getting into trouble by veering off course.



Rene, knowing Tuni’s feelings well, didn’t express any discontent, but wasn’t entirely without disappointment.



And now, the last treasure chest appeared before Rene.



“I guess this is the final gift of the game for you, Rene.”



Tuni smiled as she said this, knowing that Rene was feeling regret.



Rene smiled back and replied to Tuni.



[Since I made you go through so much trouble until now, I think it’s better if you open it this time, Tuni.]



“Rene… Thank you…”



─ How heartwarming.



─ LOL.



Tuni, moved by Rene’s words, opened the treasure chest with that kindness in heart.



[…Huh?]



“Wait?!”



The ground collapsed, and they were sent back to the mid-region again.



“…Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!”



─



─ I almost threw up from holding in my laughter, LOL.



─ It’s delicious!



─ How did that get triggered?



─ Honestly, it was so obvious, LOL.



As the chat pointed out, this was a pretty common first-sight death pattern and trap in platformer games.



And truthfully, Tuni felt a slight sense of unease about it too.



But the guilt from ignoring every treasure chest until now and Rene’s warm gesture of offering the last one covered up that unease.



In the end, Tuni fell victim to that predictable trap.



[…I-I’m sorry.]



“Oh, it’s fine! I had a rough idea, so I should have just suggested we skip it… this game is so mean, right?”



[Less so…].



After all, the two of them invested an extra 40 minutes to finally clear We Chained.