―1
―2
―1
―Damn, I'm late!
As soon as I turned on the stream, people started coming in. Even though I wasn't a major corporation, having viewers pop in the moment the stream went live was really nice.
―But didn't you retire?
―Maybe he instinctively turned it on?
―Then why is the screen black?
―This is 99% a mistake.
The people who had been shouting numbers 1 and 2 at first were only now starting to question why I had turned on the stream. Most of the chat agreed it was probably a mistake. After three minutes of starting the stream, I turned on the mic I had left off.
"Ah, can you hear me?"
―Yeah?
―What's that?
―I think I hear voices?
As soon as I turned on the mic, viewers started saying weird things in chat, like they were hearing hallucinations.
"From this reaction, it looks like the sound is coming through fine…" I murmured to myself while clicking the next setting. The stream changed from a black screen to a normal room. It was quite different from the studio apartment I'd used for past streams.
"Hi everyone!"
―What's this?
―Did you move?
―Wait, did you retire from streaming just because you were moving?
While chat was narrowing in on "moving" as the reason, a viewer gave the correct answer.
―This is one of the default rooms in the capsule.
I didn't reply immediately. In streaming, it's better to wait a little after a correct answer rather than responding instantly. After a moment, more chat messages started confirming the answer.
―Oh? Didn't you get a capsule?
―This is the capsule home?
―Wait, are you streaming from a capsule?
Thinking the flow was right, I finally spoke.
"Yes, as many of you have said, this is currently inside the capsule."
―Woooh!
―So you're switching to capsule streaming?!
―Does this mean the stream continues now???
As soon as I said it was inside the capsule, the chat exploded. Curious, I checked the viewer count—it was about 1.5 times my usual number.
'Looks like capsules really sell well.'
I hadn't expected viewers to surge just by turning on the stream for the first time. It was a good feeling, but I had to keep the stream going, so I spoke.
"I haven't decided whether to switch fully to capsule streaming. For now, today's stream is just a test to see if everything works properly."
―Still, it's nice to hear your voice.
―I thought I wouldn't get to see you anymore…
―If you end the stream suddenly here, we'll come after you.
"Don't worry, there's still a lot to test, so no ending the stream yet."
As I said that, a sticker suddenly flashed across my screen.
['KimchiMandu' donated 10,000 won!]
[Huh? Why are you here?]
I greeted the familiar name warmly.
"KimchiMandu, thank you for the 10,000 won. How long has it been since you last came?"
KimchiMandu was a longtime viewer. Not someone who donated huge amounts at once, but someone who had been watching my streams since the beginning and had continued coming even after the capsule launched, almost three years straight. Over time, the visits had become less frequent, and recently, they hadn't appeared in any streams.
"Well, since we have some long-time viewers here, let's continue the test a bit more."
For the next three hours, I fiddled with the capsule's settings, following viewers' advice on controls and setup. After three hours, I said,
"Okay, can I end the stream now?"
―What?
―You've been setting this up all this time and now want to end it?!
―Boss, are you really running the business like this?
―If you end the stream, we'll come find you.
"Well, it's already been three hours for a test stream, so it's been a decent time."
I had originally planned to only test today, but it had already been a long session, and I hadn't eaten anything yet, so I was getting hungry. Just as I was about to end the stream, a mission popped up.
['KimchiMandu' donated 1,000 won!]
[If you play the Physical Test, 100,000 won!]
"Huh?"
A sudden mission, a strange reward, and it came from KimchiMandu.
―Wow!
―Nice, KimchiMandu!
―Aren't you going to do it?
100,000 won was enough for a week's food. I thought about it briefly and accepted the mission.
"You mean the Physical Test?"
The Physical Test was one of the capsule's built-in games. There were 10 levels: 1–3 were easy, 4–6 normal, 7–9 monster level, and level 10 had never been cleared. My physical ability wasn't bad, so I expected to reach level 5 or 6.
'I was going to do it eventually anyway.'
I had planned to try it on the next stream, but there was no harm in trying now. Plus, 100,000 won was at stake.
'I can't pass this up.'
I opened the interface and started the Physical Test. The exit of the room lit up.
"Do I go there?"
―Yes
―Go right in
I checked chat, then opened the door and stepped inside. The surroundings instantly changed into a black room. The only light came from the ceiling, so I couldn't gauge the size of the space.
"This is so realistic…"
As I observed, an interface appeared in front of me.
[Physical Test]
Test your physical ability!
[START]
A very simple interface. There was no guide or instructions, though plenty of info was online. I didn't know any of it. I only knew minimal information and hadn't looked at stage details. I had planned to check later.
'Well, I'll just figure it out as I go.'
I stretched and said,
"By the way, I don't know anything about the Physical Test."
―Huh?
―What do you mean?
―You're attempting a difficult Physical Test with no information?
As soon as I said I had no info, chat went wild. Apparently, the game was far harder than I had imagined.
"Well, this is how you learn—by experiencing it."
I pressed start. The ceiling light brightened, illuminating the whole room.
'Looks like that's just for atmosphere at the beginning.'
Immediately, I closed chat to focus. A system message appeared.
[Starting level 1]
[Survive!]
Moments later, arrows shot from the walls. They moved slowly—probably because it was the first level.
"This is easy enough."
I dodged sideways. Level 1 seemed like a tutorial. The arrows hit the wall, and the next message appeared.
[Starting level 2]
[Survive!]
Same message as before, but something was different. Arrows came from the right, left, and front.
'Height is almost the same.'
I ducked to the floor. Since the arrows were at similar height, this was enough. They flew past harmlessly. I got up, waiting for the next level.
[Starting level 3]
[Survive!]
More arrows—about 8 this time, still at similar height. Lateral dodging alone wouldn't work. You had to move up or down.
'If your head doesn't think fast here, it's over.'
I ducked, and the arrows flew past. A short break followed.
[Press 'START' when ready]
I reopened chat.
―Yeah
―This is basic stuff
―If you didn't have this physical skill, your stream would have ended long ago
―lololololol
Most chat agreed it was expected. But I still felt a bit left out.
"Well, I cleared it fast—can I at least get some praise?"
―Aww, really?
―Our streamer needed compliments
―Good job, good job
I immediately regretted asking. Chat flooded with teasing messages.
"Fine, I'll move on to the next stage."
I closed chat and pressed start.
[Starting level 4]
[Your body feels heavy]
[Survive!]
My body now felt heavier, like carrying a watermelon. Arrows shot again, varying in height.
"The difficulty just spiked."
I looked for gaps. Unlike levels 2 and 3, lying down wouldn't work; I had to move through the gaps. Arrows were also staggered in timing.
'I need to move fast.'
I dashed through the gap, arrows narrowly missing me. I ran to the wall without stopping, and arrows hit the wall beside me. If I had been a moment slower, it would have been over. A message appeared.
[Move to the center to start the next stage]
I moved slowly to the center, guided by a green light. Another system message appeared.
[Starting level 5]
[Arrows speed up]
[Your body feels heavy]
[Survive!]
Now arrows were faster and I felt heavier. But the directions were the same.
'Just run in the same direction.'
Then an unexpected interruption.
['Physical' donated 1,000 won!]
[Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]
"Donation… damn it."
TTS read it aloud, breaking my concentration. I miscalculated and got hit by an arrow. On my screen appeared a crimson message:
[GAME OVER]