Chapter 14: Is there a manipulator who fakes manipulation as if it's not manipulation?

I didn’t know this when I was human, but right before I started being a W-tuber, the spit-out scandal swept through challenge mukbang W-tubers.

[OO’s video is manipulated.]

[Proof that XX’s video is manipulated.]

[Collection of spit-out evidence.]

There were plenty of W-tubers who made videos like these and sweetly harvested views.

They created very fine nets and caught mukbang W-tubers indiscriminately.

When indiscriminate overfishing occurs, the population is bound to decrease.

The seed of W-tubers who uploaded challenge mukbangs dried up.

Along with that, manipulation detection W-tubers also lost their jobs.

They tried to bite other W-tubers as being manipulated or change their profession using their accumulated Subscribers.

Most of them simply withered and died.

Then, a brilliant variant appeared.

A Slime that openly manipulated appeared.

Manipulation detection W-tubers raised their heads like meerkats.

But what are you going to say when it’s openly manipulated, regardless of detection or anything?

“This video is manipulated!”

“We know. We have eyes too. This is called a concept broadcast, you idiot.”

Only such reactions came back.

And so, surrounded by the love of people who were enthusiastic about sounds, the Slime continued its happy W-tuber life.

A tidal wave of <Insole Slime> dropped large quantities of people onto the peaceful SLimelove channel and passed by.

Even if there are only a thousand people, there are bound to be some extraordinary or peculiar ones among them.

If there are hundreds of thousands of people, there are bound to be geniuses and eccentrics among them.

“Even when viewed frame by frame, we cannot find any edit points.”

Of course, there are no edit points.

I don’t know how to edit well.

When I made the sugar video, I knew even less than now.

But they’re watching that video frame by frame.

Do you have nothing else to do?

Isn’t there something a little more productive?

Like watching my videos without thinking and pressing ‘Like’ and Subscribe!

“The amount of food put in is clearly too much to be contained in that head part, so it must be sent down or taken out. Of course, if it flows down to a part that doesn’t appear on screen, it can be easily solved. But what if the food doesn’t flow?

If you watch this video, I eat bitter melon.

If you look at the time, it doesn’t take 15 seconds to chew and swallow one bitter melon.

Unless a high-performance blender is installed inside the head part, the chunks are bound to be large.”

Is this the Slime Cyborg theory?

“-If you look here and compare the thickness of the body when it first turns and when it turns later, you can see that it hasn’t swelled up-.”

“-There’s an opinion that the food is being taken out with a hose-.”

“-It can be cut out with editing, but if you zoom in here, the image quality is poor, so it’s not certain, but-.”

It was a stroke of genius that I didn’t buy a good camera.

“-The reflection of light-.”

“-Cannot find the blurred part-.”

“-The color tone of the edges-.”

“For those who say I didn’t put it in my head but passed it behind, calculating the size reduction rate according to distance-.”

Do you really have to go that far?

Even a rock bream wouldn’t be dissected that diligently.

“Based on the above evidence, I don’t think SLimelove’s video is manipulated.”

It’s not manipulated, but it is manipulated!

“Then if you ask how on earth it was done, my answer is this.

In my opinion, there are two possibilities.

First, they awakened into a profession that converts what they eat into power. Or they awakened into a new profession called ‘Great Eater’.

You are well aware that Awakened consume more calories than ordinary people. Furthermore, if they have such a profession, they might have skills related to consumption.

Second, using drugs.

You know that there are diet alchemy potions that hinder nutrient absorption and awakening alchemy potions that rapidly consume nutrients to produce explosive power. I think there’s a possibility these drugs were used.

For the reasons above, I believe SLimelove’s video is not manipulated.

Thank you for watching.”

Like this, someone thoroughly analyzed my video.

Then, it wasn’t the people who tried to jump on the bandwagon.

The people who signaled the beginning of the spit-out challenge wave.

Those with good discernment started moving.

[15kg Sugar Mukbang Challenge. This doesn’t seem to be manipulated.]

Even these people claimed it wasn’t manipulated.

A rain of grace fell.

The fish that had dried up in the desert thrashed about.

[Let’s find out why SLimelove’s video is not manipulated.]

[Shock! Is this a real story, not manipulation?]

[Is there a manipulator who fakes manipulation as if it’s not manipulation?]

The tow truck also arrived.

[Is there a mukbanger that America was shocked by, China was terrified of, and Japan brought to its knees?]

[[Real Story] Sugar Mukbang Controversy Concluded. Seongnamu Famous Studio revealed, “If this is manipulated, I’ll hire them for 10 billion won annual salary.”]

What’s the problem with people saying my video isn’t manipulated?

My mom, worried about my health, might come to see my face!

Other than that, anything is fine.

Actually, ignoring it completely is the correct answer.

And it’s weird to film and upload a video saying it’s all manipulated.

Should I explain, “Everyone~ This is all manipulated. Don’t follow along~.”?

I put a warning sign in front, didn’t I? What more do I need to do here?

Should I explain what methods I used?

Then a magician.

After saying, “Everyone~. Cutting your body, setting yourself on fire, and entering the water with chains are all tricks. Don’t follow along~.”, should they reveal all their secrets?

From the start, I don’t have any secrets or anything!

Because it’s not manipulated!

Coincidentally, this happened while I couldn’t upload videos because I was leveling up.

As if I was flustered because it was revealed that it wasn’t manipulated.

As if I couldn’t upload because I was looking for a way to respond.

So the public opinion solidified in the direction that it wasn’t manipulated.

“I want to leave it alone, but….”

Whether they think it’s manipulated or not, it doesn’t matter.

The problem is that the number of anti-fans has increased significantly.

Why would anti-fans increase when it’s revealed that I’m a true W-tuber who doesn’t manipulate?

There are many people whose guts twist when others do well, but the bigger reason is this.

“15kg Sugar Challenge. I’ll try it too. Ugh…. Blech….”

Because my videos did well, crazy people started imitating them.

And I was pointed out as the cause.

No, I put a warning in the video!

[Warning!

Absolutely do not follow along.

This video was filmed by a skilled Slime.

If you follow along, there’s a high probability you will die.]

It’s okay because I’m a Slime, but if a human eats 15kg of sugar, they’ll die.

If someone dies because of that and it makes it onto the 9 o’clock news.

SLimelove might die with them.

You might ask what the problem is, since Gongdori will earn us tens of millions of won every day anyway?

I mustn’t forget.

The reason I’m active as a W-tuber is to gain a reason not to take off this Slime mask.

If the channel fails, a reason to keep wearing the mask….

“There is one?”

I can just wear the Slime mask for 3 years as a way to mourn SLimelove’s death.

Well, 3 years might be too much, but I can probably endure the 49 days the soul lingers.

It’s already July. 49 days later, it’ll be time to start preparing for the new school year.

A clash with my family is unavoidable.

Let’s just leave WTube alone.

The world is wide, and there are many unreasonable people.

For people who insist on following along and harming their health when anyone can see it’s crazy and they’re told not to, there’s nothing to do but leave them be.

Since SLimelove and Alchemy Slime are different people, it won’t harm the insole sales either.

Let’s just think about the waiting fans.

“I never thought I’d use this like this.”

I prepared something to explain why I haven’t uploaded videos lately.

“Ta-da.”

It’s a new Slime mask.

It’s a gift Gongdori left before leaving.

I adjusted the body lines to suit the nickname PengRhyme.

The color is a dark blue with a gradation. This time, there was enough material, so the color is deeper, but the mystery remains.

The biggest difference is the hands and head.

The hands were made to look like I’m wearing mitten-like gloves. If I spread my fingers, they stretch out like webbed feet, so there’s no difficulty in grabbing things.

The basic structure of the head is the same.

The mindset of absolutely not showing the inside remains.

If I lift my head, a gap appears for putting food in.

It just looks a little more like a penguin eating its prey.

I also attached large eyes to the head.

And these eyes.

They move.

Not just the eyes, but the entire head moves.

People who say it’s not manipulation?

Go on, figure out how this moves.

Because there’s no such thing as manipulation.

Although I do have the [Control] skill.

***

The former convenience store clerk who quit her part-time job after her channel grew significantly following the review of <Insole Slime>, now a beauty W-tuber.

She trembled seeing the traces of trouble left on the cute PengRhyme video.

She wanted to curse them out, but she was now a rising star.

She had to manage her image.

-Stop wasting food already. Don’t you think about the environment?

-Children are starving to death on the other side of the world.

Comments like these were common before.

Among the people who leave such comments, very few genuinely care about the environment and hunger. They only talk with their fingers, leaving food behind, favoring disposable items, and not spending a penny on donations. Everyone knows this fact, so you can just lightly ignore them.

-I’m scared children might watch and follow along. Please take the video down.

Comments like these increased noticeably.

Again, few people writing these are genuinely worried.

But it’s a sufficiently relatable concern.

I’m worried our innocent PengRhyme might get scared and hurt by these comments and stop uploading videos.

Should I put on the mask of a temporary account and wield a knife?

Just as the mouse pointer hovered over the logout button. Ding.

“It’s up!”

The convenience store clerk (former) immediately checked the video.

There was an unfamiliar penguin in the thumbnail.

She was slightly flustered but soon understood that PengRhyme had lost some weight.

It definitely changed.

Before, it felt like a penguin(?), but now it definitely resembles a penguin.

It even got round, black eyes.

When she clicked the video, an advertisement appeared.

She was a little impatient but watched it all the way through so PengRhyme would get as much revenue as possible.

Then the opening came on immediately.

[Warning!

Absolutely do not follow along.

This video was filmed by a skilled Slime.

If you follow along, there’s a high probability you will die.]

They give such clear warnings.

What more could they possibly want?

PengRhyme waved excitedly, as if happy to see them after a long time.

Is it just my imagination?

The mascot suit looks like it’s smiling.

Compared to the previous suit, the quality is definitely better.

PengRhyme first pointed to the sign hung around its neck.

[Do Not! try this.]

The phrase telling people not to follow along pained her heart.

How much must they have been harassed to even hang a sign like that?

PengRhyme lowered its hand below the table.

It felt like it smirked.

It was wearing a mascot suit, so that couldn’t be true.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The world’s spiciest chip.

The world’s spiciest jelly.

The world’s spiciest candy.

It piled them up like a mountain on the table.

Try to follow along if you can.

It shouted bravely without a sound.

While giving a smile with its eyes.

The convenience store clerk (former), whose heart was pierced, collapsed right there.

It was after the depression she felt before the video was uploaded had completely vanished.

***

By the ‘not manipulated’ wave,

the thought that ‘SLimelove might have received items from the Alchemist’ was deeply ingrained in many people’s minds.

The seed of that thought, spread like that, sprouted on a certain bulletin board.

[Aren’t Alchemy Slime and SLimelove the same person?]

-They’re both Slimes.

└Bullshit.

└Just because ‘Slime’ is in the name means they’re the same person?

It was a post destined to be trampled and disappear.

But it sprouted in the mind of someone who saw the post.

[Aren’t Yeonseul and sll really close friends?]

-What sll is wearing was definitely made by an Alchemist.

Is there anyone else besides Yeonseul who would make something like that?

If they made it for sll despite being insanely busy making insoles, aren’t they really close friends?

└Came here to mess around, but this actually sounds plausible, so I’m surprised.

This sprout wasn’t trampled.

This thought, which gained people’s attention and bloomed into flowers and fruits, spread its seeds.

These seeds, scattered by the wind, converged into two thoughts in the process.

Alchemy Slime and SLimelove are the same person.

Alchemy Slime and SLimelove are in a close relationship.

From speculation, two facts were born.

The result.

[Subordinate: Hey.

Subordinate: Are you Alchemy Slime?]