Season 2: Chapter 216: Ninja Mode (2)
In Fantasia's competition arena, a challenge event took place with one hundred chickens as the reward. One streamer caught everyone's attention.
"Wow... isn't that person Fry Guy?"
"Fry Guy?"
"Oh no. We're doomed. He's a ninja specialist."
A streamer known as Fry Guy entered capsule number forty-two. He specialized in playing ninja and assassin games. He wasn’t particularly famous for his live streams, but was quite successful on YouTube with shorts thanks to his knack for creating videos focused on super plays or flashy dodging.
"Hey, are you guys the Burger Crew?"
He casually waved to those who recognized him as he entered the capsule in a relaxed manner.
"Wow, Fry Guy!"
"I'm part of the Burger Crew!"
A few fans shouted in support.
"Bro, buy us some chicken!"
Click.
Just before the capsule closed, he gave them a thumbs-up and shouted, "Players, enter!"
Laughter spread lightly through the audience area at his performance.
The audience looked at the number of Fry Guy’s capsule and said, "Remember the number of his capsule for the betting content later."
"Good idea. Ah... oh? Over there too...!"
"Oh..."
Not just Fry Guy, but several other skilled streamers began gathering. Those who came to watch later were mostly casual players more interested in the game's new mode than the challenge itself.
"Battle Large ninja mode?"
"Ninjas playing Battle Large, I guess."
"Why does every battle royale have to include martial arts and magic now too…?"
Some expressed boredom with the concept.
Shortly afterward, the large screen displayed the following message.
[All players boarded]
[60/60]
Every challenger had entered the capsules prepared by Fantasia. A heavy electronic sound played and all the lights turned off, plunging the area into darkness.
'Hmm?'
Inside the capsule, Almond could feel that the lights outside had turned off.
Ding.
[VIP goggles detected]
[Please detach the right temple of the goggles and plug it into the port]
[The stream will be transmitted from this capsule]
'Ah.'
After entering the capsule, Almond wondered how the filming would proceed. It seemed that would be handled by the goggles.
Pulling on the right temple, something like a USB-C cable smoothly detached. It fitted perfectly when plugged into the port provided in the capsule.
— Huh?
— What's this?
— It's BornToB lol
— The stream changed?
— Oh
— Almond! Almond! Almond!
The sudden change in the stream caused some confusion among the viewers.
"Ah, can you hear me?"
— Yes
— Wow
— It's Almond again!
Everyone was told to wait on deciding their dinner just yet as the event was about to begin.
— Wow!
— BBQ, come to me!
— I want chicken!!
— Please, chicken. Please chicken
— Wait for it, ninjas. AlmondKage is coming!!
[MadDog has donated 10,000 won]
[But which capsule are you in? I missed it… I'm at the venue…]
— Wow, on site!
— MadDog lol
— Betting on site? Why ask?
— Is this an assassination attempt?
— What do you need to know for? So suspicious
Fans were worried that someone was trying to find Almond's location to approach him.
‘Is that it…?’
Almond wasn't free from such worries since he was at G-Star, but meeting fans was naturally expected. He just told them.
“I'm in capsule number one. Didn't it show on the camera earlier?”
— Yes
— It suddenly switched to BornToB's screen earlier
— Ah, he told us
— BornToB, LOL
[MadDog has donated another 10,000 won]
[Thank you! They said we could also bet! I'm all in on Almond! Hehe]
***
Meanwhile, the venue darkened as the lights turned off.
"Why aren't the lights on?"
"Ah, what's this?"
"What?"
As murmurs grew louder, bright white lights suddenly shone toward the broadcast booth.
"Hello, G-Star fans!"
The event's MC and a former pro commentator appeared.
"I'm Battle Large caster Oh Dong-Jun."
"Hello, I'm Yu Ji-Ho from Team M5."
“Wow~”
The crowd that was there to watch the challenge expressed their admiration.
Yu Ji-Ho seemed to be quite famous in Battle Large.
"Today, Fantasia has decided to generously give away free chicken for the G-Star challenge."
"Yes! And a big thanks to BBQ Chicken for sponsoring~!"
"It's 30,000 won chicken!"
Everyone gasped in surprise at the price of the chicken.
— Wow
— That's some serious chicken
— I'm already drooling
— We only trust AlmondKage!
Almond's viewers were already drooling at the thought of getting 30,000 won worth of chicken for free.
"So this challenge costs a whopping 300,000 won?"
"Yes! It goes to the fans of the streamer who wins first place! And there are also gifts for those present here, right?"
"Yes! It'd be unfair if you came all the way here and received less than those lying at home watching on Treevy!"
The sudden attack on home viewers sparked an uproar in the chat.
— ??
— Suddenly?
— Why attack the home viewers out of nowhere…?
— Where does that guy live?
— A world for winners…
"Guess who will win first place! Then, win some chicken! We'll give out the gift certificates right here!"
The excited audience raised their hands.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Loud sounds accompanied the hologram numbers that appeared on the audience’s side.
“Alright. From one to sixty, all you have to do is stand on the spot of the player who you think will win!”
“But we don’t know who went in where…?”
“It’s a secret! We don’t know either! But isn’t not knowing part of the fun?!”
“Booooo.”
The crowd booed, but still went to their spots. Number forty-two was already known to be Fry Guy and gathered many votes from popular streamers.
"Oh, forty-two? Who's in there?"
"We'll find out after the game ends."
"Did commentator Yu Ji-Ho place a bet?"
"Yes, I chose... number one."
A brief silence fell in the commentary booth.
"I just like the number one."
However, those in the know understood he had seen who entered booth number one.
— You saw it, didn’t you?
— Lol, he saw.
— This is why I don’t like those with quick wits~
"Ah, yes! Number one is great! It’s a lucky number for coming in first place! Now that everyone has placed their bets, let's jump into the game!"
— What's with the caster's tone? lol
— lol
— This is a Battle Large caster for sure lol
The game started.
[External sound blocked]
[External view blocked]
The cheers and commentary faded into the distance.
***
Whoooosh!
The game started with them in the sky, which was typical of Battle Large. Ninja mode featured a unique twist and replaced the modern parachutes with kites.
— Wow
— It's a kite lol
— Love the Eastern vibe
— Wow
"It feels similar to parachuting in terms of control. It seems I can't land exactly where I want?"
In the original mode, players would jump at their desired location while flying on a plane. However, the kite was already airborne independently.
— Can't we start at the arsenal then?
— What's this?
— Is it random??
— A strategy element is missing…
This change meant that planning a path like in the standard Battle Large mode was impossible. However, a tutorial message appeared.
[Control the kite toward your desired location. The kite won't descend until your signal.]
‘Ah.’
The kite wasn't the parachute, but played the role of the plane.
‘So, when do we descend?’
Almond moved the kite toward his chosen terrain.
"But there seems to be no arsenal. The map is completely different…"
The map was an ancient Eastern city-state, completely different from previous Battle Large maps.
As Almond approached closer, he noticed numerous dots, which turned out to be people.
Ding.
[Ninja mode includes NPCs. They mostly serve as obstacles to hide and take cover, so they're not of significant importance. However, some NPCs may sell you items. You cannot harm them.]
These NPCs were essentially part of the map, a feature that added the thrill of blending in and assassinating each other amid crowds like a true ninja battle.
— Someone's gonna try killing all NPCs lol
— Wow lol
— A real ninja battle
— You can hide among these people?
— This is awesome
Almond thought the biggest difference in this mode was these NPCs and headed toward the busiest place he saw.
"I'll head toward that bustling market street."
He directed the kite toward the crowded market area and signaled for it to descend.
Then—
“!?”
Ping!
The kite cut off and he descended rapidly.
[Learn the art of ninja landing.]
Following the tutorial, he formed a specific hand sign and landed safely from the fall.
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke erupted. Suddenly, he was standing on the rooftop of a building.
“Wow…”
— Awesome lol
— Fantasia really did a great job
— Wow~!
— The romance is killer!
Standing on the rooftop made him feel like a real ninja.
[Feel the chakra.]
Upon receiving this message, Almond felt an energy enveloping him.
Woosh…!
[Ninjas can use chakra to stick to walls, hang upside down from ceilings, or propel themselves away by releasing chakra in the opposite direction.]
‘This is…’
He had experienced chakra in LIL when playing as Storm Ninja Haruki. However, it seemed to be controlled by cognitive actions this time.
‘It moves as I think…!’
Given Battle Large's lighter gameplay compared to LIL, it didn’t demand as much advanced control skills and opted to interpret brain waves as actions instead. This method required higher capsule specifications and was prone to bugs, which was why it was rarely used.
‘Oh.’
For a player, there wasn’t a more liberating feeling than this.
[Use the ninja run. Running with your arms behind you like an airplane will allow you to experience tremendous acceleration.]
— Ninja run lol
— Oh… lol
— It suddenly feels like a school corridor race
— Crazy lol
‘This feels good.’
Tap-tap-tap!
In no time, Almond was dashing across the rooftops of the market street like a squirrel.
— He already fully adapted?
— I can almost see the chicken now.
— But isn’t he being too obvious as a ninja? Lol
[60/60]
Three minutes into the game, all the participants were still alive.