MGSFV?! Chapter 565: Streamer Baa Got... Overwhelmed; Who Isn't a Romantic After All
[Didn't expect that mentioning 'Otto' would actually motivate you all again.]
After much thought, someone couldn't help but post this bullet comment in the stream.
[Huh?]
[...Oh, now that you mention it, it really is strange. Why would I believe something said by that person?]
[I've confused myself now (not really).]
"..."
She was secretly watching...
Well, not that secretly—Rita, who was driving up front, caught a glimpse in the rearview mirror of Elysia sitting upright and staring forward.
Miss Elysia sometimes had these ambiguous but amusing gestures (which completely failed to conceal her true intentions).
If Elysia had known Rita's thoughts, the two might've had a very interesting exchange.
But right now, Elysia's attention was elsewhere.
Through her peripheral vision, she'd seen the stream on Hokuto's phone and the comments flowing across the screen—and she was clearly pondering something.
When it comes to Mr. Otto's "credibility" attribute...
What's strange is that—even though you know for sure he hasn't told you everything and there's no way things will unfold as he claims...
From that angle, Otto's credibility is clearly in the negatives.
Yet, you still naturally accept certain parts of his words, knowing he didn't lie.
In short: Even if Otto's credibility score is negative, people still believe him to some extent.
In practice—
The streamer, "Baa," was being egged on by chat and picked herself back up again.
"If everyone else can clear it, I believe I can too..."
But before she even finished her sentence—
She crashed. Again.
"..."
Faced with the all-too-familiar "Try Again" option, she fell silent.
Then she took a deep breath.
"Huu~ huu~~"
"No big deal... Victory and defeat are common in war. If once doesn't work, try twice. If twice doesn't work, try thrice. It'll work eventually..."
Just a few failures—failure is the mother of success. She believed these failures were merely the final tests before triumph.
As long as she didn't give up, she definitely would—
BOOM!
Another merciless crash. Her expression stiffened slightly.
BOOM! BOOM!
A string of defeats left her unable to maintain composure. Her mouth struggled to form any words.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each determined "Try Again" was shattered coldly, causing her to start doubting everything.
Wasn't this "final test" before success dragging on a bit too long? How long exactly were they planning to test her??
Fortunately, she was using a VTuber model—viewers couldn't see her stiffened expression.
Still, her "utter silence" added plenty of heat to the stream.
[Streamer Baa, why aren't you talking??]
[Baa, say something already!]
Especially since... she was still stuck in phase one.
Not everyone could be like Elysia, proclaiming themselves a "technical streamer."
So even if there really was an alternate ending for clearing it with manual controls, it might simply be beyond her capability.
It seemed... she couldn't do anything at all.
"..."
Yet she still pressed "Try Again."
Even though she wasn't sure what the point of such persistence was.
[Captain Otto**...]**
[When you knew you almost certainly couldn't clear it on your own, what made you keep trying over and over again?]
"Huh??"
She was a bit startled.
But the battle restarted immediately, demanding her attention.
Still, she couldn't help thinking about the question that had flashed across the screen.
Why?
Because she's a streamer and has to keep the show going?
...Can't deny that might be the main reason.
It's unrealistic to expect everyone to be as pure as Elysia.
But then...
Why did she feel like—even without those reasons—she would still keep going?
Heh. That's not realistic.
She quickly dismissed the thought in her mind.
"..."
BOOM!
Already struggling with controls, and now she was distracted—this run ended even faster.
Hyperion was down to a sliver of health. A single graze could finish it.
She hesitated briefly, then leaned toward giving up. That on-screen comment from earlier became the final straw.
After all—
This wasn't practical.
She'd persisted long enough. The show had more than enough effect.
Continuing further wouldn't earn her applause, nor would anyone expect her to reach that unlikely success.
This... was all she could do.
So she stopped dodging and let the incoming attack strike.
Only this time—
A fatal laser was blocked by a tiny aircraft that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
That was power from a parallel Ai-chan.
And from those who had left behind their "blessings" so that others could help in return.
[Don't give up! I grinded this for ages—I know your pain. But I made it, so I hope you can too. Go for it!]
"..."
Then came the flood.
[Long story short, try again!]
[Don't stop here. Keep going.]
[Urah! Fight for all that is beautiful in this world!!]
More and more lights gathered from all directions toward Hyperion.
After some time—
It was even more spectacular than when Elysia cleared it.
Elysia had to be among the very first people to clear the stage.
She faced a hopeless difficulty with nearly no assistance.
Even though she often wiped on "Hard" mode in story chapters—
Well...
First, Hokuto had spiced up this world's "Hard Mode." Second, it's normal to wipe when you're learning the mechanics for the first time.
She was, after all, one of the fourteen who had cleared a game Bronya personally designed.
And even when she wasn't playing Honkai Impact 3rd, she regularly streamed all kinds of other games.
So her foundation was solid.
Naturally, she was able to clear this Bronya-designed stage.
As for those without such gaming foundations—
"Wait a while. The stage might become easier later."
That's what Hokuto had said during the official stream.
Because it's always the forerunners who clear the way through thorns so the later ones can walk a smooth road.
Nothing teaches that truth better than experiencing it yourself.
They appeared in the form of hope, and fell in ordinary ways—taking hits from stray bullets or crashing into enemy mobs.
Plain, simple, a little funny.
Like all her "Try Again"s from earlier—seemingly meaningless.
But...
When she saw those lines of "blessings," formed by fireworks symbolizing those who came before...
[We're with you. Charge!]
[Mei... I... I don't want to die...]
[This world isn't beautiful. Jjjjj. Since you understand that, fall here (lol)]
[Weak. Still need my help... But let's share the joy. Hehe, I'll be waiting up ahead.]
[A splendid stage awaits countless future audiences. Dance with me!]
She...
Any captain who had endured this seemingly futile bullet-hell loop to get here—
"..."
As Hyperion's engine roared once more—
It was on the brink of collapse.
But droplets formed streams. Streams became oceans.
New strength surged within it.
This unknown Captain...
Will you choose to give up here?
Do you truly believe all this is meaningless?
Then—
At least, let me speak for myself: I'll take that bullet for you.
[Don't give up! Keep going!!]
[Someone helped me before, so I'm here to help you. That's all—don't overthink it ().]
[This world isn't beautiful at all (crying)]
[I once walked the same path as you. So know this: It's not just you. We're here—and they are watching too.]
So...
She wanted to move forward.
She placed her hand back on the controls.
[This moment—you understand now, right?]
[This is humanity's legacy—an ever-burning flame (jjjjj)]
[You guys are really something. So many of you grinded to this point, now the stage feels easy.]
Her hands trembled slightly, but she felt more in-the-zone than ever before.
She was still dodging, still fighting.
Not just because she'd never wanted to be part of that "light" more than now—
But also...
Giving up now would just feel... wrong.
Why?
There was no need to search for that answer anymore.
They chose to believe.
Maybe... some will still stop.
But not her.
...
[So many, so many—Streamer Baa is being filled up by other Captains.]
[Seriously... can't someone post some normal comments at a time like this?]
[What a spectacle. Even more than I expected. Worth tuning in.]
[Come on, with Honkai Impact 3rd's daily active users, tons of Captains must've already cleared this. One spit per person could drown Existentialism.]
[Am I the only one who deeply respects the first person who cleared it? They truly fought alone—retrying again and again. And after such a brutal clear, still left a sincere blessing for strangers who came later.]
Such game mechanic design—
The hardest part is always the beginning.
Once a few people clear it, the difficulty drops to where average players can manage manually.
Then it grows exponentially—soon anyone can coast through.
[Hearing it like this, the "first" really is admirable.]
Elysia: ...
The first one to clear?
Could it be that guy who said... "It's all Otto's fault"?
Hmm, maybe she'd better keep that a secret.
No need to ruin everyone's idealized image of "the first."
[Actually... not sure if I should say this, but I think the first ones who helped us might've been fake "blessings" created by the devs.]
[That would be a reasonable mechanic design. Otherwise, if no one ever clears it, the devs would be super embarrassed.]
[Still, even so, the heartfelt messages left by players don't lose their value.]
[...Now that you say it, that does make sense.]
Yeah.
The idea's beautiful—but what if no one clears it initially?
Note: First group, not first person.
Given the stage's difficulty, one or two clears wouldn't be enough to turn the tide. It needs a buildup—quantity turning into quality.
So, the devs adding in some fake "blessings" for players' sake? That seems totally reasonable.
It's the most logical, realistic move.
But...
Is that really how it happened?
"Mr. Otto... ahem, Hokuto, is that what you did? Inserted some safety-net code just in case?"
Elysia was beginning to believe the theory.
Because if it was Hokuto's code...
Then the whole "It's all Otto's fault" thing wouldn't be surprising.
Totally in character.
So, with that thought, she stopped sneaking glances and directly turned toward Hokuto to ask:
"Is that the case?"
Hokuto didn't respond immediately.
He paused for a long moment.
"If you're trying not to ruin my beautiful illusion, then don't say anything," Elysia said, thinking she already knew the truth.
But Hokuto shook his head.
"Actually, I was just thinking... the truth is a bit too... you probably wouldn't believe it."
"Huh?"
Elysia blinked—then realized.
Wait... does that mean?
"You mean... it's really as I thought? Weren't you afraid no one would make it?"
"...Of course I considered that," Hokuto nodded.
"Then why?" she couldn't help but press.
Why take such a risky gamble?
"Well, the reason isn't complicated."
Elysia blinked again, face serious.
"Because I believed..."
Hokuto looked at her intently—then, after a pause, smiled and finished his sentence:
"...in all of you."
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