[As night falls, a werewolf will be selected.]
[If the werewolf is hunted, all survivors win first place.]
[The selected werewolf will be greatly enhanced.]
Watching the messages appear one after another, I blinked. I had researched Battle Hill to some extent, but I had never heard anything about special rules.
Even the information I had picked up from the chat wasn't very useful in the face of the messages I was seeing now.
—Wow, special rules in just three games lol
—Seeing something this rare in only three games
—Insane luck
—Can't believe I'm seeing this firsthand lololololol
"Guys, instead of laughing, can you explain the situation to me?"
I didn't know what it was, but the viewers clearly did, judging by how they kept laughing and chatting. Even so, no one was actually explaining the special rule. They were just laughing.
Just as my frustration peaked, a donation came in.
['Explanation Guy' donated 1,000 won!]
[So, special rules are...]
It was the same viewer who had previously sent a long explanation about the bow. I slowly read through the donation message he sent. After finishing it, I leaned back in my chair.
"First of all, thank you to Explanation Guy for the 1,000 won donation."
To summarize his explanation:
Special rules are triggered by a specific item. And the reason people go crazy over special rules is very simple.
The drop rate of items that can trigger a special rule is abysmal. According to the developers, it's 0.001 percent. There's a reason it's set that low.
'I could tell just from the chat.'
The game changes 180 degrees. In this case, it shifts from a battle survival game to a game of tag. Battle Hill stops being Battle Hill.
As I was organizing my thoughts, another system message appeared.
[Selecting the werewolf.]
[Please wait a moment.]
With that system message, a loading sequence began. There were currently 20 players alive, and one of them would be chosen as the werewolf.
'Which side would be more fun?'
I checked the chat's mood first.
—Survivor is insanely fun
—But slaughtering everyone as the werewolf sounds fun too
—Still, nothing beats the tension of being a survivor
—I vote for werewolf
The viewers were split almost fifty-fifty. Honestly, I didn't really care which one I got.
'Still, being the werewolf sounds more fun if I had to choose.'
I was still a newbie. I hadn't farmed properly, and my level wasn't high. If I ran into the werewolf in this state, I'd die instantly.
The viewers were also hyped up because of the special rule. It would be a shame to get instantly killed in this atmosphere. And if I became the werewolf, there would definitely be an influx of viewers.
"Personally, I hope I become the werewolf."
—Nice, I like that
—You know what you're doing
—Please let him be a survivor!
—I hope you get what you want
Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any weird trolls. Then, right on cue, a donation came in.
['Beastman' donated 1,000 won!]
[Are missions allowed?]
"Thank you to Beastman for the 1,000 won. Missions aren't blocked right now."
Of course, I don't accept missions indiscriminately. I only accept missions that don't disrupt the flow of the stream. My regular viewers already knew that. What worried me were the missions from new viewers.
'There's definitely going to be at least one mission that messes with the flow.'
As I was thinking that, viewers, including Beastman who had just donated, started placing missions.
['Beastman' donated 1,000 won!]
[Mission: 50,000 won if you become the werewolf]
['Lily' donated 1,000 won!]
[Mission: 10,000 won if you're a survivor]
['Yujin' donated 1,000 won!]
[Mission: 10,000 won for first place]
.
.
.
I checked the donations and skimmed through the missions. Most of them wouldn't interfere with the stream's flow, but some definitely would.
'What on earth is this supposed to be?'
Thinking that, I checked the next mission.
['Troll' donated 1,000 won!]
[Mission: Say "I'm bald" three times for 5,000 won]
A mission completely unrelated to the current stream. If this were a just-chatting stream, it would be fine. You could just say it three times and move on.
What's more, this was the same viewer I had personally given a chat ban to earlier. I hadn't expected him to pull something like this even after being banned.
'Guess the name really fits...'
I brushed it off inwardly. I didn't have time to pay attention to trolls right now.
"Alright... let's see what I get...."
—Werewolf!
—Survivor!
—Survivor!
—Werewolf!
As we waited together, the werewolf was finally decided.
[You are a 'Survivor'.]
"Ah, a special rule after so long, and I end up a survivor."
—Ah, boring
—Can't believe you didn't get werewolf
—You'll carry anyway
—With your playtime, you should manage
A streamer named Ryamen, who streams on Quazijik, muttered to himself.
Ryamen wasn't a huge streamer, but he averaged around 50 viewers and had some recognition, having even participated in streamer tournaments.
On top of that, Ryamen was a Battle Hill veteran with over 1,000 hours of playtime. He had queued for a normal match to warm up after a long time away from the game, and by luck, a special rule had appeared.
'I was hoping to become the werewolf and rake in some donations.'
Thinking that, Ryamen clicked his tongue inwardly. Then, with a friendly-looking smile in his eyes, he continued the stream.
"It's a shame I didn't get werewolf, but let's do our best and keep going."
As soon as Ryamen spoke energetically, missions came in as if on cue. Seeing the missions land exactly as he had hoped, Ryamen smiled darkly to himself.
'Ha, they move exactly how I want them to, these cash cows.'
Usually, he acted like a good person, but Ryamen's true nature was that of a schemer. So while he spoke kindly out loud, he was constantly cursing inwardly.
"Alright, let's check the missions."
Saying that, Ryamen began checking the donations one by one.
['Hanbaek' donated 1,000 won!]
[Mission: 50,000 won for first place]
['Richel' donated 1,000 won!]
[Mission: 100,000 won for last hit on the werewolf]
.
.
.
There were several missions, but most of them were stacking additional money onto the same conditions.
'If I get first place and land the last hit on the werewolf, how much is that....'
After finishing the math, Ryamen's eyes sparkled. Even for him, that was a rare amount of money to receive in donations. With the appearance of a special rule, big spenders had finally moved.
That fact alone filled Ryamen with motivation.
"Alright, then let's start moving...."
"Awwo!"
Just as Ryamen was about to move while continuing his stream, a wolf's howl rang out nearby. The werewolf was close.
"Looks like it's closer than I thought."
Ryamen said that while checking his current status.
He had consumed a total of three level cores, spreading his skill points rather than investing everything into one. His weapon, a sword, was also enhanced through items.
'At this level, I think I can beat the werewolf before it's fully powered up.'
It wasn't arrogance. Ryamen had played Battle Hill for a long time and was confident in his mechanics. His farming state was also fairly solid. It was closer to confidence than hubris.
"Then I'll hunt it down quickly and move on to the next game."
He didn't know who had become the werewolf, but unless it was a pro, beating him would be difficult. That's what Ryamen thought.
"I'll head toward where I heard the howl earlier."
Speaking cautiously, Ryamen activated a movement skill and started heading in the direction of the earlier howl.
Even while moving between buildings, Ryamen stayed alert, watching his surroundings. As he moved, the howling grew closer.
'Are they testing the wolf's abilities?'
A wolf's howl was a system-generated sound that occurred when the werewolf attacked.
It both revealed the werewolf's location to survivors and granted the werewolf a powerful buff.
'If they're testing it, they must be a newbie.'
At the very least, it meant they had never been the werewolf before. In that case, it would be best to deal with them quickly while they were experimenting.
"I'll finish it fast once I spot it."
As he moved, a brown mass entered Ryamen's field of vision.
'Found it.'
There was no way something like that would exist in a city. That had to be the werewolf. Ryamen immediately drew his sword and moved toward the brown mass.
'The howling stopped earlier. Does that mean the testing's over?'
"Awwo!"
The moment that thought crossed his mind, another wolf's howl echoed.
'Close.'
Excited, Ryamen increased his speed. The moment the brown object came right in front of him, he swung his sword.
"Got you!"
With a loud shout, the sword cleaved straight through the werewolf, splitting it cleanly in two. Absurdly easily.
"Fur pile?"
Ryamen immediately realized that what he had cut was just a clump of brown fur. And the moment that realization hit, a voice came from behind him.
"Got you."
Crunch!
As the voice sounded, Ryamen's vision darkened, and blood-red letters appeared before his eyes.
[You were hunted by the werewolf.]
—Ah lol
—You lost that?
—Using werewolf fur to set a trap is kind of impressive, honestly
—Well, it's not like he played badly
Along with the game over message, the chat scrolled rapidly. Ryamen stared at the chat in silence. Then he said just one thing.
"That's it for today's stream."
Saying it coldly, Ryamen ended the broadcast before the viewers could react. In the now-closed stream's chat, messages continued to scroll emptily.
—Is this for real?
—Ending the stream like this?
—He must be really pissed about dying to the werewolf
—Well, we'll see tomorrow
Ignoring all of it, Ryamen exited the capsule. The first thing he did after opening it was punch the wall while swearing.
"Shit!"
Thud! Thud!
He hit it so hard that blood began to flow from his hand.
"Shit! That mission was worth how much money!"
Opportunities for donations that big didn't come often for Ryamen. And now, that chance was gone. For a schemer like him, it was enough to make his blood boil.
After punching the wall several more times, Ryamen ended up getting fined after a nearby resident reported him.
[You are a 'Werewolf'.]
"Oh!"
The moment the system message appeared, my body began to change. My once-average height grew to over two meters, my entire body became covered in fur, and my head transformed into that of a wolf.
I now had the unmistakable appearance of a werewolf, but what surprised me more than my looks was something else.
"My body changed, but it doesn't feel weird at all?"
I now had a tail and ears on top of my head, sensory organs that hadn't existed before, yet they felt completely natural. Even my increased height felt perfectly normal.
—That's how it normally is
—Otherwise you couldn't play
—Yeah
—It's always like that, don't worry about it
The viewers told me it was normal, but I was still curious as to why. Then, right on cue, someone in chat gave me the answer.
—You must have turned on body optimization when you first started Battle Hill
'Body optimization?'
I was pretty sure I had turned that on while setting up Battle Hill before starting the stream. I had thought it just made movement feel more natural, but I hadn't expected it to help in a situation like this.
"Alright, then let's get ready."
As I said that, I swung my hand at the wall. After becoming a werewolf, my weapon had already disappeared.
I was testing the power of my hands, my only means of attack.
"Awwo!"
Boom!
When I swung my hand, a wolf's howl rang out and the wall caved in. Even though it was virtual reality, the wall's durability was about that of concrete. To partially destroy a concrete wall like that meant enormous power.
'It's strong... but something bothers me.'
The werewolf's win condition is to hunt all survivors. Survivors, on the other hand, win either by surviving for a certain amount of time or by hunting the werewolf.
'In this werewolf state, killing survivors would be easy.'
It bothered me that it would be too easy. With power like this, just surviving would be enough as a win condition for the survivors.
'But if they specifically added a condition where survivors can hunt the werewolf...'
That meant there had to be something.
Somewhere on this map.
Something capable of killing a werewolf.