Chapter 3
1.
[Cheat Program - Ver 0.1]
“…A cheat program?”
I stared blankly at the translucent window floating before my eyes. When I called out for a status window, something really did appear. The problem was, it wasn’t actually a status window.
There were no levels, stats, or skills. Instead, right at the top of the window was a phrase that looked suspicious to anyone who saw it.
“This is really throwing me for a loop….”
I cautiously reached out and poked the translucent window floating before me.
[Game]
The instant my fingertip touched it, a new category unfolded beneath the program. There were exactly two items inside.
└[NOVA Syndicate]
└[LIFE]
“Huh?”
I understood Nova Syndicate. It was the game the original owner of this body had been caught using cheats in. The problem was the second item.
LIFE.
Its dictionary meanings were ‘being alive,’ ‘life,’ and ‘living thing.’ Even with only a high school education, I knew that much.
But why.
Why was this inside a game category? At that moment, a Short I’d glimpsed earlier suddenly came to mind.
‘The simulation universe hypothesis?’
The theory that the universe we live in isn’t real, but a vast virtual world created by someone. I’d dismissed it as nonsense back then, so why had seeing this brought it to mind?
‘Who gives a damn?’
Whether the world was a simulation or not, what did that have to do with me? There was only one thing that mattered right now: my life was going to shit in real time.
I reached out and selected the LIFE category first. More subcategories unfolded beneath it.
└[Nullify Cheat Detection and Penalties] [◉]
└[Maintain and Adjust Appearance and Weight] [◉]
“…What’s this supposed to mean?”
It wasn’t hard to understand what either item meant. The question was why they were under the LIFE category.
I tapped both items with my finger.
[You do not have permission to change this setting.]
All I got in response was the impersonal message that I lacked permission.
‘I don’t know….’
I didn’t know why my body had changed like this, or why I’d suddenly gotten something like a status window. There was no way I’d understand the criteria for how its categories were organized, either.
What mattered right now wasn’t the name. It was what it could do.
‘Does nullifying cheat detection and penalties mean… that even the fact the original owner used cheats will disappear?’
The biggest risk in streaming as the VTuber Bullet was getting suspended. That would be irrefutable evidence.
But what if I hadn’t been penalized? Then at least I’d still have a chance.
‘Let’s check whether I’ve been banned first.’
Forty-eight hours had passed since the cheating controversy broke.
Besides, although Peanut Man had hosted this ‘Battle of Ruin,’ it was officially supported by the game company. Given the public outcry, the results should’ve come out by now.
I sprang up from the bed and sat down in front of the computer.
Whirrr—
When I pressed the power button, the low hum of the fans filled the room, and the monitor lit up.
“Damn it.”
I tried to log in to Nova Syndicate, but I didn’t know the username or password. I’d only been able to access the streaming account because it logged in automatically, so there was no way I’d remember those details.
‘Can’t be helped.’
In the end, I started with account recovery. I checked the username and reset the password. Only then could I finally log in to the account on this body.
“Please, please….”
I clasped my hands tightly as I stared at the loading screen. If I’d been banned, the next screen would show my disciplinary record, not the main menu.
“Oh…!”
The black screen disappeared. Beyond it was not a notice of punishment, but the utterly ordinary main menu of the game.
“Yes!”
I threw both arms over my head and bounced up and down in my chair.
“Ugh….”
But my joy was short-lived. A sharp, throbbing pain rose from my chest, and I immediately clutched it with both hands.
“Ah, I need to be more careful from now on….”
For some reason, I felt embarrassed. My face grew hot, and I fanned myself with one hand while grabbing the mouse with the other.
Not being banned was good news, but it was too soon to let my guard down. It was possible they just hadn’t penalized me yet.
Ding—
[Mailbox - 1]
Then, with a notification chime, a red exclamation mark appeared over the mailbox. The color was ominous, and the mail had arrived as if it had been waiting for me to log in.
‘No way. It can’t be, right?’
With trembling hands, I moved the mouse and opened the mailbox.
[Important!] Account Investigation Results
Hello, Bullet.
This is the Nova Syndicate Operations Team.
We investigated your account in connection with the allegations of abnormal play raised during the tournament.
Our investigation found no violations of our operating policies in your game records or account logs. We also found no evidence of client tampering or the use of external programs.
Accordingly, no penalties will be imposed in this case, and your eligibility to participate in the tournament remains unchanged.
Thank you.
Nova Syndicate Operations Team.
“Huaa….”
Only after reading the whole message did I let out a ragged breath. That was when I realized I’d been holding it without even knowing.
‘So, in the end, it hadn’t been detected….’
I’d had a feeling it might turn out this way. But seeing it with my own eyes finally let me relax.
‘That takes the biggest risk off the table.’
The problem was what came next. I had to decide how to act from here on out.
I’d avoided the worst. But that didn’t mean everything was resolved.
If anything, things would be harder from now on.
Whether I’d meant to or not, I’d caused trouble for everyone around me. The tournament had become mired in controversy, and Peanut Man, the host, had even apologized, feeling responsible. My teammates must’ve been unable to practice because of me, and the atmosphere must’ve been a mess, too.
‘What am I supposed to do about this…?’
I let out a deep sigh.
I bit my lower lip and tapped my fingers on the desk a few times.
‘No matter what excuse I made, people weren’t going to think well of me. The cleanest way out would be to prove I hadn’t cheated, then withdraw from the tournament….’
I couldn’t do that.
Why?
I’d already been branded unlikeable by countless streamers and viewers. If I dropped out of the tournament now and went back to streaming on my own, that’d be suicide.
Forget big servers; I wouldn’t even be able to join a proper collab. And even if someone became interested in my stream, the controversy and my image would be a barrier to entry.
‘I’d slowly wither away and disappear like that.’
Rather than end up that way, I had to cling to the tournament by any means necessary. There was a reason small-time streamers kept hovering around collabs like mosquitoes.
Kevin Kelly, the former editor-in-chief of <Wired>, once said, ‘Creators can make a living with just 1,000 fans.’
Just as he said, if I could bring in even a few new viewers through this tournament—and secure at least a handful who’d support me—I could somehow survive.
[Cheat Program - Ver 0.1]
‘Because I have an ability.’
I’d avoided a ban. Now it was time to find out what this status window could actually do.
[Aim Assist - Lv.1]
[ABILITY READ - Lv.1]
When I opened the Nova Syndicate category, two abilities appeared. With levels beside them, it felt like I was actually playing a game.
To be honest, I was a little disappointed. Since it was called a cheat program, I’d expected abilities that reeked of blatant hacks, like an aimbot or ESP.
‘I guess there really is a reason there’s a version number beside it….’
I had no idea how to upgrade the version, but since I’d gotten abilities, I might as well try them out.
[Entering the Training Range.]
I entered the Training Range and picked a random hero. A moment later, I spawned a practice dummy that moved from side to side in front of me.
‘Let’s see how much aim correction it gives me.’
I deliberately aimed somewhere completely off target and pulled the trigger.
Tatatatata—
The bullets sliced through empty air with a crisp rattling sound.
‘Just as I thought, this doesn’t work.’
It wouldn’t force a completely missed shot to hit. Then I’d try something closer.
I moved the crosshair beside the dummy’s body and clicked the left mouse button. At that moment, my wrist tilted slightly.
Bang—!
The bullet didn’t hit the head. But it struck the body cleanly. I could feel something trying to pull my aim toward the head.
‘Was it correcting my body to make the shot, rather than moving the crosshair itself?’
It didn’t feel like my body was being moved against my will. My wrist and fingers all moved as I wanted them to. But if you asked whether I’d truly intended to move them that way, the answer was no.
Tatatatatatang—!
Even so, this alone was more than enough to satisfy me.
Nova Syndicate was a hyper-FPS game, so hitting the head wasn’t easy. If I could just land this many bullets on someone’s body, that was plenty threatening.
‘Let’s see if I can test this next.’
I was about to test the second ability, ‘ABILITY READ.’
[Aura Is the Best : Bullet, what are you doing right now?]