The Inquisitor gave a suspiciously deep insight on magic.

Right after the defeat, that lengthy advice came crushing down on Sweet.

Sweet found herself in a position where she was constantly bombarded with advice while streaming.

Wait, there are actually so many people daring enough to lecture the number one ranked Mage?

While many might think this way, the reality was far from it.

Even the E-sports star who’s referred to as the GOAT in his field or the legendary figure in basketball couldn’t evade criticism and advice due to their public exposure.

However, Sweet had consistently maintained her number one rank in an RPG focused on growth, proving herself all the while.

– Prove it.

It was a line from the recently trending teaser for the Reore Championship featuring the GOAT.

When translated into English, it becomes “Prove it.”

In overseas contexts, ‘Prove it’ is often used as a form of provocation.

Translating that back to Korean could read like ‘Well, you? Go ahead and try.’

In Sweet’s highly dynamic broadcast, “Prove it” became a cost-effective remark.

A single line capable of shutting down countless sarcastic jabs and doubts in an instant.

So, who’s currently ranked number one among mages?

Who else but me?

So, if you want to trash-talk me, go ahead and prove it.

Just recently, Sweet’s attitude had been this consistent.

[Akashic Record Gallery]

―――

[Title] Sweet whose ‘prove it’ has been put to the test…jpg

(Sweet practicing Chain Lightning for half a day)

This insane person has been practicing Chain Lightning all day long.

Seems like that crazy girl has poisoned Sweet.

Upvotes 1026 Downvotes 5

―――

[Comment 861]

What’s with all this? Someone explain!

ㄴGot wrecked and got advice, pretty pissed off.

ㄴEvery day she’s like “Prove it” and now she’s being proven wrong.

ㄴ(what the heck)

―――

Of course, Sweet hadn’t actually been ‘proven wrong’ yet.

She still held the number one rank among Mages.

But regardless, suffering two consecutive humiliating defeats to the same opponent was undeniably more shocking than losing her rank.

―――

[Title] Akagal Urban Legend) A player with suspiciously deep game knowledge exists.

Warning! Item number 7 on this urban legend document does not exist.

If item number 7 appears, please die in Virtual Reality immediately.

Apart from the space where Akare’s death lingers, there’s no safe place.

1. She knew that when a Priest prays at the church, they receive daily buffs.

2. She knew how to use the Priest’s ‘Heal’ skill as a ‘Deal’ skill against Undead.

3. She was aware of the existence of ‘Unlucky Golem Training.’

4. She has been hunting Cults since her days as a Priest.

5. For reasons unknown, she harbors a deep hatred for Cults.

6. She knew the prior job requirements for becoming an Inquisitor.

7. Assuming she is ㅁㅁㅁ, all urban legends are dispelled.

8. She possesses an unnaturally professional knowledge about ‘Mages.’

.

.

.

(A clip of Aurora who dislikes being treated as a goddess)

(A clip of a Cult worshiping and praising Aurora)

(A clip of Aurora wearing a Mage uniform)

.

.

.

(A meaningful frog clip with its chin rested on its hands)

Upvotes 3681 Downvotes 1

―――

[Comment 1672]

Who the heck is ㅁㅁㅁ?

ㄴㅁㅁㅁ is ㅁㅁㅁ.

ㄴYou should NEVER mention ㅁㅁㅁ.

ㄴIs it just me or is the text all jumbled?

ㄴI see number 7 here, what should I do?

ㄴHurry and die in Virtual Reality.

ㄴThese crazy nutjobs are so united, LOL.

ㄴIs this some cosmic horror thing?

ㄴOnly one downvote? LOL.

―――

Again, the theory that “Pera and Aurora are the same person” gained a lot of upvotes.

I thought we were done discussing that theory.

Yet due to this incident, it has resurfaced.

At this point, should we consider it an annual WWE-level event?

“Ugh…”

Letting out a sigh as I saw the most upvoted urban legend-styled post.

“Humph, it’s only their unity that’s impressive.”

Usually, when such posts pop up, it’s hard not to downvote, right?

Can you really just ignore it when, on a snowy night, you step outside to find the entire world blanketed in white?

And can all 100,000 people who saw this post really resist leaving their footprints on that pristine canvas?

Of course, I was the first to step on it, but…

Ugh, that’s not the point right now.

The comment section was filled with ridicule like ‘Downvote of anguish’, ‘It’s transparent, it’s so transparent’, ‘What does a single downvote even mean?’ and so on…

“99.9% probability that the Downvote of Anguish was clicked by the goddess.”

“……”

“Silence is the affirmation of guilt.”

“The way you express yourself is as fluid as clear water, Akachan.”

If you were to embody the Akagal, wouldn’t it be Akachan?

That thought made me find Akachan infuriatingly adorable.

“Is the update preparation going smoothly?”

“Yes. No issues at all.”

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the update for the new area, Elderheim, as announced during the roadmap showcase.

After the Elder Lich Raid, there was hardly any content aside from the Second Awakening, so tomorrow’s update was just in time as the vanguard began to feel bored.

―――

What’s with the term ㅁㅁㅁ? (I really don’t know) [58]

Why is the gallery looking like this LOL [13]

This is the domestic ㅁㅁㅁ gallery [43]

Why can’t they just say Pera is Aurora’s alternate account? [127]

But wait, is that not just a theory? [25]

―――

“This is just a noisy ruckus, huh?”

If I were to spend time again like last time without Pera’s engagement, this rumor would naturally fade away.

No solid evidence has emerged yet.

And probably won’t in the future.

But, whether or not I shared some magic tips with Sweet?

I absolutely didn’t regret it. After all, I wouldn’t be able to log in for a while due to the upcoming update.

Time to stop checking the Akagal and get ready for the update.

As I started to leave, one post suddenly caught my eye.

―――

[Title] Analyzing Pera’s Activity Patterns from a Statistical Approach.txt

I’m not actually a graduate student majoring in statistics.

I’m just a random guy who enjoys playing around with stats from my room.

While researching the Inquisitor Pera’s movements, I discovered a pattern.

From the moment there is an ‘mention’ in the In-game Gallery and Akagal, her activity noticeably decreases.

To the point of disappearing altogether.

Then, as the mentions gradually dwindle, she mysteriously reappears.

The important thing here is that there’s a specific pattern to her appearances and disappearances.

When there’s a major update on the horizon? Her activity drops like a rock.

e.g., Elder Lich Raid.

On the other hand, once the update happens and she feels a bit freer, she reappears right away.

e.g., Second Awakening rumors, after the second-half roadmap showcase.

Now, with the ‘New Area: Elderheim Update’ approaching, the Inquisitor Pera has mysteriously gone quiet after Sweet’s broadcast yesterday.

Is this mere coincidence?

Hmm… LOL.

I really have no clue.

Upvotes 1655 Downvotes 6

―――

[Title 809]

Why does this post have six downvotes?

ㄴIt’s because Aurora is off to work.

ㄴSeems like she quit the gallery.

ㄴWhat do you mean Pera is Aurora’s alternate account?

ㄴWhere did you even hear that? LOL.

I don’t like conspiracy theories but I’ll upvote anyway.

ㄴAfter reading it again, it’s so interesting that I upvoted it 10 times.

How did you do that?

ㄴWhat’s this about a downvote conspiracy?

ㄴThis is definitely a conspiracy…

―――

This post can downvote without any worries.

It already has several downvotes.

I quietly downvoted it and moved to my workspace.

***

Lee Hyunwoo, 23 years old.

After an early discharge due to acquiring a hearing impairment from the military.

The young man who harbored dreams of becoming a singer-songwriter ended up disabled.

The nightmare began with shooting training.

That day, the earplugs issued to Hyunwoo were defective.

He reported the faulty earplugs, but his concerns were dismissed due to lack of replacements.

What began as shooting training became a hell for Hyunwoo.

The deafening gunfire threatened to rip his eardrums apart.

Even when ringing in his ears felt like it was shaking his brain, it never stopped.

Thus, he ended up with acquired hearing loss.

Was he really going to have to give up on the dream he had yearned for?

The unexpressible anger and injustice swelled up within him.

Yet, Hyunwoo couldn’t do a single thing.

The military compensated for Hyunwoo’s hearing loss.

Only ‘compensated.’ They could never restore the lost dream of a young man.

Brrrr—

His phone on the desk vibrated.

Though it had been a while since he woke up, he hadn’t heard the vibration, and it had been left unattended for quite some time.

Nevertheless, the phone kept vibrating and, not long after, brought Hyunwoo’s gaze towards it.

[Mom – Son]

[Mom – (Orphanage Vlog Video Link)]

[Mom – Take a look at this]

[Mom – I heard this is trending nowadays]

[Mom – This is Virtual Reality. I don’t understand it well, but…]

[Mom – Apparently here, visually impaired people can see the world, and those with leg disabilities can walk.]

[Mom – I bought one of those capsules? It’s a new model for your house.]

[Mom – The installation crew worked hard to move it and set it up in your old workspace.]

[Mom – Don’t forget to eat, I prepared side dishes before leaving.]

[Mom – Hyunwoo.]

[Mom – I hope you don’t give up on your dreams.]

[Mom – Always cheering for you.]

[Mom – My lovely son.]

After staring at the phone for a while, Hyunwoo wrapped his hands around it as if hugging something precious.

It was just a simple text, but it felt as if his mother was speaking directly to him.

···!

Although he couldn’t even hear his own whimpers, it was okay.

Just moments ago, he received warm encouragement from the most precious person in his life.

“Whoa…”

After calming his racing breath, Hyunwoo headed toward his workspace.

Ever since enlisting, he had neglected it post-discharge due to his hearing impairment.

Despite that, the workspace was surprisingly clean, as if someone had been taking care of it regularly.

“This is the capsule…”

Muttering to himself, Hyunwoo followed the manual to open the capsule.

The first virtual reality game, the Akashic Record.

He knew of its existence but never imagined he would actually try it out.

In the first place, Hyunwoo had never shown much interest in games.

But this time felt different.

What if what his mother said was true: ‘In Virtual Reality, disabilities can be overcome?’

Then perhaps he would get to hear the sounds he longed for.

With half excitement, Hyunwoo climbed into the capsule and connected to the Akashic Record.

Customization? What’s this?

Thinking it was roughly a process to set his appearance in Virtual Reality, Hyunwoo quickly adjusted it to resemble reality before moving on.

Because right now, customizing was the least of his concerns.

After going through all the processes, he finally transported to the Hall of Heroes.

As he emerged beyond the statue, a Maid slowly opened her mouth.

“To those who have reached the Hall of Heroes, what do you seek by coming here?”

Overwhelmed with emotion at the voice of a person, Hyunwoo’s mouth slowly parted.

“Oh, really… Huh? I can hear my voice.”

“……”

“Oh, what’s wrong with me? Sorry, I suffer from hearing loss in reality.”

Bowing his head in apology, Hyunwoo pondered over how to respond to the question.

What do I seek by coming here? There’s only one answer to that.

“I want to make music.”

“Is that all?”

“Um…”

What more should he say?

After some thought, Hyunwoo brightened up and quietly replied.

“I wanted to bring joy to people through my music.”

Hyunwoo recalled the reason he was able to endure.

The first thing that came to mind was, of course, his parents.

But even more, the memories of going to karaoke with family when he was younger lingered on.

Music enjoyed with the precious people from happier times. The bright and hopeful melodies.

That was the driving force behind Hyunwoo’s resilience.

“I want to help those who are struggling and in pain with my music.”

“Is that so?”

At this very moment.

“I shall show you the Specter of Records. If that is the path you wish for, then call upon me.”

Two hidden secret classes within the Hall of Heroes were simultaneously unlocked.

Warrior.

And Bard.

The third supportive class succeeding the Priest and Cultist.

It was the moment when the existence of the Bard was revealed to the world.