“I really wish we could set clear rules for the penalties!”
“Rules for the penalties?”
“Yeah, like at least decide in advance under what circumstances someone gets penalized.”
“Wouldn’t it be enough if I just point out when you mess up?”
Kim Suhyun asked with a look that said, “Do we really have to do this?”
Vivian, ever so cheeky, wagged her index finger side to side and clicked her tongue.
“Tsk, tsk. You just don’t get it yet. It’s better to set these things beforehand.”
“Why?”
“If the standards are vague, it’s guaranteed to cause trouble later on. In one way or another.”
“Is that so? Fine, do whatever you want.”
Though Kim Suhyun still looked puzzled, Vivian’s point wasn’t entirely wrong.
Without clear standards, ambiguous situations could spark debates over whether a penalty should be given or not.
“So, I was thinking—how about one penalty for every death?”
In other words, every time you die once during the match, you get a penalty.
Admittedly, it was a bit extreme.
Kim Suhyun tilted her head.
“One penalty per death… that’s a bit much.”
“I’m willing to accept that. The goal is to improve skills, after all.”
Vivian said with a casual air, sneaking a sideways glance at the screen.
“What do you guys think?”
From the viewers’ perspective, there was no reason to refuse.
Just the appearance of the mysterious cheater Mercenary Road was exciting enough, and now she was even volunteering to take penalties.
She was practically setting harsh conditions on herself.
Most viewers laughed, saying, “She’s digging her own grave lol.”
Some said they wanted to make the most of this joint broadcast by inviting such a big name.
Checking the reactions secretly, Vivian smiled triumphantly inside.
Things she usually couldn’t say out loud were now conveniently wrapped up as “for the sake of the broadcast.”
“Let’s decide on the penalties later… Now, shall we get started with the segment?”
Vivian’s eyes gleamed fiercely as she sat down.
Kim Suhyun admired her professionalism inwardly, but the truth was quite different.
In reality, Vivian, who usually despised snipers, was secretly hoping some would show up today.
With a huge audience, the match was quickly set.
As always, Vivian chose the spider hero, her face tense as she started the game.
Praying desperately to get sniped.
But then—
“Wow, this is no joke.”
“…”
“A perfect game? You’re pretty good.”
“…”
The result was a crushing victory.
And just as Kim Suhyun said, the performance was flawless.
Vivian led the team to victory without dying once.
“I-I’ve always been this good!”
She forced a small smile and quickly started the second game.
But by the end, her expression had stiffened.
Again, she won without dying once.
Strictly speaking, her contribution was less than before, but the team was lucky.
A teammate played so well she basically got carried.
“Having good teammates matters too.”
Kim Suhyun muttered, as if there was nothing to criticize.
Vivian started another game.
Third, fourth…
By the fifth match, she wore a look of enlightenment.
Zero deaths in the first four games.
And twenty minutes into the fifth match, still zero deaths.
That’s how games go.
Sometimes you hit a losing streak, other times you’re on a winning streak.
But for Vivian, who had her own plans, this string of victories was frustrating.
Not that winning was bad, but why hadn’t she died even once?
She even toyed with the rebellious thought of “Maybe I should just die on purpose,” but intentional deaths were out of the question.
Viewers are sharp.
Hoping not a single one of tens of thousands would notice was wishful thinking.
Then it happened.
“Ah~ today’s matches are going so well… wait, wha—!?”
Vivian, muttering in a lifeless voice, suddenly screamed.
An enemy hero hiding on a hill had sneaked up and ambushed her while she was wandering the field without a care.
Startled, she scrambled to react, but let out a scream close to a howl and fell instantly.
HoHokoko2: What was that just now? You seemed totally distracted.
TwoMaro: Yeah, never seen you die like that before.
From the viewers’ side, these comments were natural.
RhcbRhcb: So, did she die on purpose? That’s kinda not cool.
DoublePeace: Wow, dying on purpose to get a penalty… she really is something else.
SMer: Wow… I didn’t expect that from Vivian. Disappointing ㅠㅠ
OpOpLove: Change your nickname before you talk, you crazy people;
The chat, which had quieted for a moment, erupted again.
Vivian, who was extremely wary of the idea that she died on purpose to get a penalty, couldn’t help but feel flustered.
She frantically waved her arms and started to explain.
“Wait, wait, wait! Hey, Kim Suhyun! That was a mistake, a mistake! I was just having a good game today and spaced out for a second, that’s why I died!”
“Hmm… maybe, but a death is a death, right?”
“No! I admit I was careless, but it was a mistake! It’s not fair to give me a penalty for that!”
“Yeah, it was a mistake. But not making mistakes is also a skill.”
Kim Suhyun stated the obvious, pointing at the screen.
Vivian’s eyes went wide as she glanced at the chat.
Viewers who had suspected intentionality suddenly agreed: “Either way, she has to take the penalty.”
Seeing her desperately trying to avoid it only made them more insistent.
‘What a lucky break!’
Vivian almost burst out laughing but held it back.
If she gave in now, the controversy about dying on purpose would flare up again.
Even she knew that much.
So instead of gobbling up the opportunity, she decided to sprinkle a little doubt.
“Ah, seriously! This isn’t right. Taking a penalty for this is just not fair. Let’s be honest here.”
dkssudgktpdy: Yeah, I agree she should take the penalty.
“I don’t care! I’m not taking the penalty! No way! I won’t accept it!”
OpOpLove: What’s with the tantrum? We said it’s a strict rule. Even if it’s a mistake, a death is a death.
Vivian whined like a spoiled child, and the atmosphere heated up quickly.
Just as she intended, the debate about intentional death died down.
Watching the chat, Vivian suddenly zipped her lips.
Then, with a slightly annoyed look, she focused on the game.
Since she had the advantage, the match ended quickly.
Vivian, now fully focused, won the ensuing team fight decisively and pushed on to destroy the enemy base.
Meanwhile, the chat kept flooding with demands for penalties.
When the victory message popped up, Vivian suddenly let out a long sigh.
She lowered her head halfway, closed her eyes tightly, and rested her chin on one hand.
Like Rodin’s Thinker, she wore a look of deep contemplation.
After a while—
“Uh… Vivian?”
Kim Suhyun, standing awkwardly, finally spoke.
“I think it’s best if you just take the penalty.”
Vivian opened her left eye, as if she’d been waiting for this.
“No, I mean…!”
“I get that you feel wronged, but you said it yourself. Even if it was a mistake, a death is a death.”
Vivian was about to shout back but glanced at the screen.
She checked the chat briefly and bit her lip.
“Fine! Fine! I’ll take the penalty, okay? Damn it!”
She said it with a tone of resignation.
“Sigh. The games were going so well today… but one mistake ruins the mood…”
Still, she didn’t forget to glare at the screen with a look of frustration.
“Alright. I’ll take the penalty. But I’m warning you—if you suggest anything weird, just try it.”
The chat exploded again.
Since the viewers were to decide the penalty, everyone had their own ideas.
“Eat fifty raw eggs? No way. As a professional food streamer, I don’t want to mess with food.”
“Perm your hair? Come on, have some decency. It’s just one death…”
“Slap on the palm? Hey! I have to play! If my hands hurt, I can’t game!”
“Not stuff like that—how about one push-up per death instead?”
Vivian shook her head but quietly made a suggestion.
The viewers reacted harshly.
They’d been waiting eagerly for the penalty, and now she was trying to weasel out of it.
“Transparent chair, spider impersonation, dancing, stripping… you’re banned. Calf slap, butt slap…!”
As Vivian read through the list, a strange look crossed her eyes.
“Wait. Let’s just keep it simple and vote. I’ll pick a few from what you’ve suggested and put them up for a vote. You guys pick, and I’ll do the penalty with the most votes. How’s that?”
No one could complain.
Vivian knew she couldn’t satisfy every demand, and the viewers knew it too.
“First one: butt slap. Second: push-ups. Third: singing. Fourth: transparent chair… Done! Just posted it.”
Vivian immediately set up the poll and stood up from her seat.
“Ah! Let’s make the time limit exactly one minute. Just one minute, got it?”
She stretched out fully, then bent her knees and slowly lowered herself onto the floor.
She got into a crawling position, inching forward toward the camera facing her.
“What are you doing?” Suhyun asked, curious.
“Hm? Oh, my body feels a bit stiff. My back hurts, and my hips are really tight—like, totally locked up.”
Vivian twisted her head from side to side, then suddenly pushed her chest forward and straightened her back.
As a result, her hips naturally lifted high into the air.
By the way, today Vivian was dressed quite revealingly.
She wore a white tank top that left her shoulders and upper arms completely bare, and her shorts were short, thin dolphin shorts that fully exposed her thighs.
With that outfit on, she deliberately lifted her hips as high as she could.
So it was only natural that the soft, curvy, and tantalizingly firm shape of her backside was fully on display.
After holding that pose for a while, Vivian shook her hips gently, then stood up as the minute was up.
“Shall we check the votes?”
Vivian glanced nervously at the screen.
The results were surprising—an overwhelming majority had voted for a single option.
Out of 40,000 total votes, a staggering 96% chose option number one: “Get one smack on the butt.”
It was a landslide.
…Well, considering she’d just blatantly shown off her charms under the guise of stretching, maybe it wasn’t so surprising.
Vivian’s lips twitched, and she quickly cleared her throat.
“A smack on the butt… well, it’s a fleshy area, so it’s better than getting hit on the palm. Let’s go with that.”
She nodded and hurried over, placing both hands against the wall.
Then she stuck her hips out.
“What are you doing?”
“…Huh?”
“You’re not going to hit me?”
“The… ruler?”
“Ruler? There’s no ruler. Just hit me with your hand.”
“?”
Suhyun looked at Vivian with a baffled expression.
Even though this was a broadcast, something about the whole setup felt off—like it was all playing out according to some carefully scripted plan.
But Vivian’s face remained expressionless.
Up to this point, everything had gone exactly as she intended.
The idea to use the broadcast was clever, her acting was solid, she handled the unexpected well, and the flow was smooth.
But there was one thing Vivian hadn’t accounted for.
Suhyun possessed a unique, almost supernatural ability called the Third Eye.
Especially now that it had evolved to EX rank, the Third Eye could read not only emotions but also thoughts and hidden intentions—if she wanted to.
That was why Suhyun had sealed it away for so long.
“Come on~ It’s fine, just hit me~ Let’s get this punishment over with quickly so we can move on to the next round~ I’m feeling good today~”
Vivian’s eyes sparkled as she hummed playfully, but Suhyun just stared at her silently.
After a moment,
“…Hoo.”
A small smirk tugged at the corner of Suhyun’s mouth.