Chapter 184: Gathering In the Unexplored Gold Mines Part 1

Right about now, I’m too scared to even open my SNS app.

The second day of GGC ended with a literal storm of applause, how long has it been since then? Some people ended up going back home completely unsatisfied, while others went back to hotels in order to regenerate and get ready for the third day of GGC that was in front of them.

As for us, our team was invited to the after-party alongside other people who participated in the second day of GGC. I don’t know just how long we have been there, but the next thing I knew was that I was back at my hotel room with some amount of time to spare before actually turning myself in for the day.

「…… So tired.」

When was the last time I was feeling this tired? Ahh, yeah…… It was during that one time I went as far as to go to Kyushiu in order to obtain some rare sh*tty games.

I know that it was because of our fight against Silvia Goldberg, but we have been in the center of the spotlights way more than I would have liked. Even Pencilgton seemed to be overwhelmed by our sudden popularity spike at some point. I thought things like that were normal to her.

「Will I ever be able to sleep like that……?」

No, that won’t happen, most probably. The multiple cans of Blood Riot that I chugged now wore off completely, leaving me so tired and so sleepy that I felt that I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep even if I wanted to.

I take off the helmet that protected my precious privacy and fall on top of the bed.

Party, party…… I remember that one of the Pro Gamers was talking some nonsense about renting the party floor of this hotel in order to have ANOTER after-party. I know that sometimes Katsu smelled like a filthy rich-boy, but this sh*t was actually on a whole new level of acting like bourgeoisie.

「Oho, not to mention that this bed is suddenly a whole lot harder than it was yesterday……」

It would also be kind of hard to actually say goodbye to this guy right there. So I walk towards the VR device and place my hand on it affectionately.

It’s not that I got attached to this guy or anything…… But I must admit that playing ShanFro on it was rather comfortable. If it was not so overly over-priced then who knows? Maybe I could even invest in one of those things myself in the future?

Also, once I get back home I need to get back into the swing of things and set myself back from this game. Maybe ShanFro would be a good candidate for that? I could also buy another game on my way back, that’s always an option.

「But is there any good game out there right about now……?」

I have heard that there are a whole lot of hidden gems out there on the market right about now, the games that may look uninteresting but turn out to be really enjoyable once you get into the swing of things. That being said, for each such hidden gem there is also a potential landmine, a game that looks interesting but once you start playing it turns out to be nothing all that special.

When it comes to me, my experience with sh*tty games somewhat dulled my senses. I cannot detect a landmine unless I step all over it. But then it is already too late.

「…… Might have to do some research.」

Oh, it’s just the absolute crap…… Damn, that’s just stupid. Why can you make a cake out of a monster? Who would eat that?

When it comes to players all over the world, there are a whole lot of things that they can spot that no one else would even bother to look up. Sometimes it is really helpful, and sometimes it’s ridiculous……

「It’s about time the Western companies started to reclaim their spot as one of the best game makers, but as far as I know their definition of sh*tty games can be quite different from ours……」

I mean, when you look up the meaning of “sh*tty” in Western culture…… It’s really amazing just what kind of results you can stumble upon. Not to mention that you can buy some really questionable games for a full price, and people would still not complain about the value of their money they just happened to waste. But if that’s the case, why did you buy a full-price game without doing your research first?

And then there are games that make you question if it was really the 21st century technology that allowed to create it. In some cases it looks just like magic at work, and it often times show in the fantastic reviews.

Then again, reviews are not equal to one another. Depending on what review you read, it can either make the game or break the game for you. There are some reviewers that totally despise sh*tty games and would burn them in a second, and there are some sh*tty games connoisseurs who are even more devoted to their hobby than I am. How crazy is that?

「That’s right, it might be a good idea to see how the attack on the Kutanid city has progressed thus far…… But wait.」

Ah.

「Heya, Sanraku-kun! Your ever so reliable and absolutely stunning Onee-san came to pick you up! …… But dude, you look like sh*t. What did you do? Did caffeine cut your life too much? You look as if you’re about to collapse at any moment now.」

「I just realized something…… People can laugh and cry at the Abyss, but in the end the Abyss will always laugh at you that much harder.」

「Ah, my head is flled with nothing but caffeine for the moment……」

Remember, kids: caffeine should always be used responsibly and in proper dosage. And no, caffeine will not shorten your lifespan or make your brain less wrinkled, but it can surely fuck you up in a lots of different ways.

「How the heck do you even eat this thing?」

「Honestly, heck if I know.」

「How about you, Katsu?」

「I’ll go first, so you guys can just follow. That way you’ll at least avoid compromising yourselves, right?」

「In any case, sorry to make you do that, but we’re not really sorry…… Kuku, kukukuku.」

Silvia Goldberg’s brilliant unbeaten streak has finally come to an end.

The moment when Silver Jumper reached the top of the Chaos Tower and touched the Chaos Cube that was located there, the sudden news started to circulate all over the world in an instant.

The name of the person who ended the champion’s reign was Uomi Kei. Incidentally, it was Uomi Kei who also managed to lose two rounds straight to the last of the macho man, getting beaten in less than ten minutes.

At that moment, I simply could not stop laughing. Was it because Katsu was so happy that he managed to beat Silvia Goldberg? As for that Macho Man…… I’m sure that right after his victory, he went straight to his girlfriend to brag about that to her.

「You should have seen your face the moment you logged out.」

「You looked just like one of those Haniwa figures.」

「Nbugh!」

As soon as he came back to us, Pencilgton walked towards him and slammed his back with her hand while laughing uncontrollably. Oi, stop that, it looked rather painful.

But, oh well, as long as everyone is happy with the results, it’s all that matters, right?

「Now then, whatever shall we do with that fact?」

「Well, for now I think that a big smile and “Congrats on your first victory” should be more than enough, wouldn’t you say?」

「Are you trying to recreate your Johnson game but this time around in real life?」

Although our playstyle was not the most representative out there, as for Pencilgton and I…… It’s a good thing that we are hiding our identities. God only knows when some crazy manager might jump the gun and try to scout as or something as equally crazy as that.