Chapter 4 - Chapter 4

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Translator: 8uhl

Chapter: 4

Chapter Title: Newbie Streamer Enters the Shadows

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Action-adventure open-world stealth franchise game, Assassin's Dawn: Shadows in the City.

This game had shattered records on launch day with over two million viewers and was still dominating Travel streams a week later.

Especially this entry in the series—Shadows in the City—had earned rave reviews from day one for its unprecedented freedom and city-based assassination gameplay, a departure from previous titles.

Players started calling it Assassin's Dawn: Breath of the City, or Do-sum for short, comparing it to what had once been the gold standard in open-world games.

'They say you can assassinate however you want.'

When assassinating, no matter how high up the target is, one strike kills them instantly.

But in exchange, the player has to scout everything themselves: the target's routines, the assassination site, entry methods, tools, and escape routes.

This sky-high freedom enabled all sorts of wild, creative assassination plays, keeping the hype alive without fading.

That was why, even a week in, it was pulling over 800,000 viewers.

Right on cue, the notification chimed, and Seo-jun hit the stream start button.

[Newbie doing first stream, first VR game, and first Do-sum. Tips welcome?]

That was the title Tae-woo had set.

'VR games aren't exactly new to me.'

But he said hardcore deep-sea explorers and game obsessives couldn't resist a title like this—it was the best way to draw a crowd. So he went with it.

Not that it felt super reliable.

As the five-second countdown appeared, Seo-jun looked away from the stream window and hit the game's start button.

In an instant, the lobby plunged into shadows, and a dark void filled with haphazardly sprouting European-style buildings from the industrial era.

The starting point was a back alley.

'Auto-progress?'

Seo-jun's body was parkouring on its own.

He dashed through the stench-filled street, vaulted a wall, and climbed up using window ledges.

Clink.

"Who's there?!"

He traversed a clothesline, stepped on a flowerpot on a balcony—and knocked it over.

But his body ignored it, grabbing a house flagpole and climbing higher.

Once on the rooftop, it leaped from building to building, heading somewhere.

The mood gradually brightened as he entered what felt like a red-light district—lights flared, and noise swelled.

Hahaha.

Hehehe.

Evoking the Belle Époque, ladies in ornate yet practical dresses and dapper gentlemen flashed in and out of view between buildings.

And suddenly, ahead of him, stood a solitary clock tower piercing the cityscape.

Seo-jun scaled its outer wall without hesitation.

'When I relax, it feels like I'm controlling it myself.'

But tense up and try to move? That's when the lack of control hit home.

He repeated climber moves, launching his body upward on tough sections.

Nearing the top, there were no more handholds on the wall.

Whoooosh.

Gravity tugged his chest in sequence; the world spun as his body plummeted.

Even in freefall, Seo-jun stayed limp, waiting.

His body somersaulted mid-air, then perfectly timed a right-arm extension—firing a wire.

Click.

The hook latched at the top.

Ziiiiing!

The wire reeled him in. Leaning into it, Seo-jun zipped up the wall like running on it, reaching the summit.

Dong, dong, dong!

Perfectly timed, the clock tolled; crows burst skyward with frantic flaps, startled by the sound.

Cool night air carried laughter from the pleasure district below, mingled with string instruments.

All the city's nocturnal dissonance blended into a symphony heralding the game's start.

As if saying, "This is the city you'll play in."

'Nice cutscene.'

After a moment to take in the view.

"Hey, Dane. This mission could get you killed."

A beautiful voice rang out.

His body turned toward it; a hooded woman emerged from the shadows behind him.

Golden blonde hair poked rebelliously from the hood.

"Heh. Christina. When isn't it dangerous?"

Seo-jun's mouth opened.

But the voice wasn't his—it was Dane's, the character.

"Well..."

"If you're gonna kill others, be ready to die yourself."

"Fine, got it. Still, be careful. They might be onto us."

"Don't worry. Head to the tavern."

Christina nodded, kissed his cheek, and whispered low.

"There is no truth. Suspect everything endlessly."

Seo-jun replied.

"Even chaos."

Then he fired a wire to a nearby rooftop, hooked it, and ziplined down.

Nearly there, he released, landed on a streetlamp, then dropped to the ground.

The moment his feet hit pavement, strength surged through him.

"Ah, ah."

Tutorial over?

Speech worked; limbs obeyed.

The chime sounded; the game UI popped up.

A path to Etorre's mansion and his location marked the map.

"Gotta assassinate him, I guess. Head that way first."

Seo-jun was new to everything but AOS games, but he had the gist.

He beelined for the blue marker.

Path blocked? Alert popped.

Grabbed the pipe, tensed slightly—felt like when Dane moved earlier.

"Guided like that, huh."

Relax fully? Slipped down.

Meant hop rooftops. What if he botched it? Curiosity peaked.

Dove between buildings.

Faint pain everywhere.

Hanging on the wire took no effort at first.

Held long? Fatigue crept in.

Splat on the ground again.

Enjoying the novel sensations, Seo-jun suddenly remembered.

'I'm streaming.'

But it'd only been a bit—how many viewers...?

He blinked at the number.

Streams could go all day with zero. Good game choice? Title magic?

Curious, he opened chat.

O.

Viewers chatting among themselves.

Realizing they'd seen everything embarrassed him.

"Sorry, just saw chat."

Three of four viewers active.

[WhiteHorseBulletPatient]

[BestDefenseIsWinterSkate]

[PublicToiletBrickThiefKing]

'Wild nicknames.'

Funny, but dizzying.

Trendy here?

Seo-jun recalled Tae-woo's advice, pushing it aside.

'No viewers? Practice commentary without obsessing over numbers. Got some? Chat casually without breaking flow.'

Small streams draw people for easy interaction.

Big streamers' chats fly by—easy to get buried.

Heading to target, he tried light chat.

"Yeah, guilty."

"You can check that?"

"Too much hassle."

No need felt.

'Active chat's good, but is this okay?'

Time to check other streams.

"Hm, here already. What next?"

Surprisingly helpful on this.

Opened the note; blueprint system activated, unfolding a cinematic 3D hologram.

Zoom, rotate, edit map—all possible.

Mansion layout, secret passages, enemy positions, infiltration routes to Etorre's spot—detailed.

Etorre: deep in, second-floor bedroom.

"Twenty guards. Inventory weapons... Assassin's gauntlet and sword stick?"

Sword stick: cane with hidden slender blade inside sheath, for assassinations/self-defense.

Blade shallowly embedded in cane for slashing; tip pointed like a sword.

Gauntlet: wrist blade on back, wrist-fired wire.

"Tutorial defaults? Kill Etorre—that's it?"

Let's do it.

Grabbed sword stick, strolled to front gate.

Instant backlash in chat.

"Why not front door?"

Quick pivot.

"Hm, front door no-go apparently."

Seo-jun puzzled at reactions.

"Heard you can do anything in this game. Why not front door?"

A quiet viewer finally chimed.

Explanation: Targets die in one hit regardless, but detection spawns tanky NPCs with way more HP—forcing hardcore melee against mobs. Most stealth to avoid.

But pros? Toss plans, storm front door.

Musou play.

No prep, but way harder than stealth.

Shadows in the City praised for nudging toward stealth via difficulty while keeping freedom.

"So tutorial impossible via Musou?"

"Not impossible?"

Seo-jun latched onto that.

"Shin Ha-yeon? Alright, let's try. Why not."

Seo-jun said confidently.

AI win's still a win?

Seo-jun marched to the front door.

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