Chapter 88: Flex (3)

“I don’t have any reason to refuse.”

-How about it, bro? Not a bad plan, right?

“Yes. But do you think there will be people who will join in on the plan?”

-As long as we have you and me, people will gather on their own. You know my connections, right? I think quite a few streamers will respond positively.

The basic outline of the ambitious plan that Dong-su hyung enthusiastically shared with me was as follows.

The scale of the Korea-China platform competition that was about to take place had grown tremendously.

The number of participating countries, initially set at two, had expanded to four.

Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan.

The fact that such an improbable lineup had been arranged was surprising in itself.

Using this Northeast Asia four-country platform competition, Dong-su hyung had devised an ambitious plan.

Which was:

“I don’t think anyone would donate the entire winning prize. It’s a team of five people, and 20 million won isn’t exactly pocket change…”

-That’s why I want to hear your thoughts. Surprisingly, there will be many willing to join. As you know, the internet broadcasting environment has changed a lot compared to the old PC days.

“That’s true.”

In the past, compared to cable or terrestrial broadcasts, most broadcasts using the internet as the main medium were considered minor.

But that’s not the case these days.

Many famous streamers had advanced to cable TV, and some had even succeeded in breaking into terrestrial broadcasts.

Although they were called influencers, most streamers wanted to expand their territory.

Dong-su hyung was taking this into consideration.

-It would feel really good to gather and hold a national competition with the aim of giving back to society…

“Then let’s gather opinions first. Moreover, the streamers who will participate in the platform competition haven’t been decided yet. And there’s another platform in the neighboring area.” ŕ

-Don’t worry. I’ve got a brilliant plan. Anyway, if I set up the plan, you’ll join, right?

“I’d be happy to.”

The more good deeds you accumulate, the better.

Since Dong-su hyung was being so proactive, there was no reason for me to spoil it.

After hearing my answer, Dong-su hyung nodded contentedly and then casually asked another question.

-Chan-sik, I heard you signed a contract as a promotional model for Classic today?

It seemed he heard this from Sung-jae.

Dong-su hyung spoke to me in a slightly excited voice.

-How were the contract terms?

Should I be honest about this?

Judging by his reaction, it seemed Sung-jae hadn’t told him about my contract terms.

As I hesitated to answer, Dong-su hyung continued speaking on his own.

-…I can roughly guess.

What are you guessing?

-Hey, I’ve been in this field for years. Of course, there’s going to be a difference in terms compared to yours. Don’t be discouraged. One day, you’ll…

I wondered if being honest would hurt his feelings.

Dong-su hyung’s voice, trying to console me, was amusing.

Barely holding back my laughter, I answered quietly.

“Yes, hyung.”

-What time is your broadcast today?

“I plan to start at 7 PM.”

-The content?

“The first part will be Dark Spirit, and the second part will be League of Storm.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

At that, Dong-su hyung almost reflexively said to me.

-How about a duo for the second part?

“Hyung.”

-Why?

“I’ve reached Challenger in League of Storm.”

-So what?

“Just saying. You should start your broadcast soon. It’ll be tough if I start my broadcast.”

When I subtly teased him, Dong-su hyung’s voice trembled.

-I’ve raised a tiger…

He can be really cute sometimes.

With that, Dong-su hyung hung up weakly, and I placed my smartphone on the bed with a chuckle.

Then, I buried my face in the pillow and closed my eyes for a moment.

I wondered how long I had slept.

When I came to my senses, the clock already showed 6:30 PM, and I yawned as I got out of bed.

I still needed to set up for the broadcast.

Today’s first broadcast was the same as last time: .

It remained one of the hottest games on Twipod, and the community buzz suggested it was spreading rapidly overseas.

With its high difficulty and flashy skills, it received high praise as a well-made masterpiece, and sales of were skyrocketing.

was also cruising along as expected, but the underdog’s rebellion always garnered attention.

Furthermore, the presence of was enough to evoke nostalgia among existing players.

I got into the capsule and checked various modules.

I updated the Twipod streamer module and checked for any changes in Dark Spirit.

I was being meticulous because a collaboration broadcast was scheduled for today.

The guest for the collaboration was Na-young.

I heard she was recently obsessed with but found it hard to clear even Episode 1.

Today’s main content was not my play but guiding Na-young through the game.

After finishing the first part, I planned to switch to League of Storm for a few solo ranked games and call it a day.

A perfectly balanced schedule.

Na-young was probably broadcasting right now, so if I logged in and started my broadcast first, she’d likely contact me.

I used the streamer module to set today’s broadcast title.

The broadcast title for today was:

-You’re doing it wrongㅋㅋ

…A title that anyone could tell was from a backseat gamer.

After adjusting a few more details, I started the broadcast on time.

7 PM was when people were usually home, ready to enjoy their leisure time.

As soon as I started the broadcast, viewers flocked in, as if they had been waiting.

-Watching from the military barracks. Hyung! Please cheer for Sergeant Kim Ho-chang when no one is around!

-ㅋㅋㅋ-army-.

-Shaha.

-Shaha.

-Did you come to help Na-young today?

-Hurry and start giving adviceㅋㅋ Na-young has already died 42 times in Episode 1

As always, the chat was lively.

I looked at the chat and smiled slightly.

Then I spoke in a cheerful voice.

“The broadcast starts now, you evil bastards. As announced on Triget earlier, the first part is a collaboration with Na-young, and the second part is League of Storm. Keep that in mind, and can someone let Na-young know that I’ve started?”

The broadcast for today had begun.

6.

Na-young joined my party exactly 14 minutes after the broadcast started.

She accepted my invitation and seemed quite upset.

Her lips were pouting, and her smooth brow was furrowed.

Currently, Na-young’s viewer count was 17,000.

Originally, it was 25,000 at the start, but due to her frustrating gameplay, 8,000 had left.

I greeted Na-young with a slight nod.

“Why are you so angry right from the start?”

Na-young took a deep breath and replied.

“No, it’s just that the game should be made so you can clear it. I keep dying while trying to kill just one mob.”

I had already confirmed Na-young’s physical skills while playing League of Storm.

Below average.

And her game intelligence wasn’t high either.

However, there’s nothing one can’t do with an excellent teacher.

“I’m here to help.”

“Honestly, Chan-sik, won’t it be hard for you too? It’s really difficult.”

“…Hmm.”

I guess she hasn’t been keeping up with Aktube lately…

It made me a bit sad.

Na-young sighed deeply as she looked at me.

“I asked the older girls, and they said it was hard for them too.”

The “older girls” she mentioned were Yoo-seon and Sae-rin.

Since the VR Star event, the three of them had gotten quite close, and I heard they kept in touch often.

Hmm, but was it really that difficult?

To be honest, I hadn’t thought much about the difficulty level.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ.

-But seriously, Na-young is really bad at games.

-Came here to cleanse my eyes.

-Will you return my eyes, teacher?

-I came over as a refugee from the other stream.

-Our Shia is all thanks to you^^ Because of you, Na-young started hating games intenselyㅎㅎ

Judging by the chat, it seemed Na-young had shown some spectacular gameplay.

Seeing is believing.

First, let’s quickly start the game together.

Today’s content format was very simple.

Using the system I had introduced during the one-on-one content last time, I would join Na-young’s story.

Then, I would show her how to defeat the monsters as a demonstration.

I had even prepared for today by practicing.

Since we were only going to progress through Episode 1, there weren’t many monster patterns to study.

Still, it was hard to believe so many people had struggled with it.

“Start the game. I’ll follow as a spirit.”

“…Sigh.”

“How far did you get?”

“…About halfway?”

Huh?

“Didn’t you start this morning?”

“Yeah.”

So, in 8 hours, she had completed only 50% of Episode 1.

Compared to the average clear time of 4 hours for Episode 1, this was a dismal pace.

Na-young looked at me with a dejected expression.

“If I can’t do it after a few more tries, I’ll just rest today.”

“Hey. You can do it too.”

-YadoON.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Look at that confidence.

-Spoiler) No, ah… no really. Oh.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

‘ParallelWorldMe’ donated 1,000 won.

[S… t… a… y]

Just how bad was it that everyone was this exasperated?

Na-young, seemingly moved by my words, nodded and immediately started the game.

Then a new system message window popped up in front of me.

[Your party member ‘Na-young the Dog’ invites you into her story. Will you join as a spirit?]

It seemed to be the message that appears when joining another person’s game.

As I nodded, the scenery before me rapidly changed.

[ – Na-young the Dog’s story]

…Why is her ID ‘Na-young the Dog’?

After a brief background change, a bonfire, an old man, and Na-young appeared before me.

The old man, who was sitting by the bonfire, looked at me and nodded, speaking in a dry voice.

“Huh-huh, a noble guest has arrived. The soul of a hero who once ruled the world… It seems you had luck with companions instead of skill. There is still hope in this story.”

Was this pre-programmed dialogue?

However, judging by Na-young’s wide-eyed reaction, it seemed it wasn’t.

“It’s the first time I’ve heard the old man talk like that.”

“Really?”

It wasn’t just Na-young who was surprised.

The viewers were too.

-Do those lines come out when summoned as a spirit?

-Definitely not.

-Earlier, there was a troll collaboration, and the old man trembled all over when he saw the troll spirit.

-Probably because it’s Shia.

-‘Shia’ just being ‘Shia.’

It seemed the reaction differed for each summoned spirit.

Although I hadn’t played through the episodes of , there were titles I had earned by capturing .

Along with the I wielded, it seemed to trigger this special Easter egg.

After lightly swinging my sword to loosen up, I spoke to Na-young.

“Let’s proceed right away.”

“Okay!”

Did my presence give her strength?

Na-young nodded with a noticeably more relaxed voice and stepped forward confidently.

As I followed Na-young past the , I heard his voice in my ear.

“Be careful with her. She is a presence that lulls the world’s hope to sleep. Please, do not be influenced by her.”

…What could she possibly do to make the old man dislike her that much?

How bad could someone be?

However, 10 minutes later, I had no choice but to regret that thought.

“Na-young?”

“This game is garbage. It’s a trash game. Oh, jeez…”