Chapter 104

CHAPTER 104

Chapter 104

For a moment, it seemed that Park Hyuksoo was so flustered that all color drained from his face.

Taewoo, who had just arrived, had no idea what was going on, but said he'd go order drinks first.

"Uh, uh..."

Watching Park Hyuksoo repeat the same syllable over and over, Seo Jun smiled.

Saying he wouldn't sign the contract was a joke.

Since they had unnecessarily kept everything hidden as a surprise, he had decided to tease them a little in return.

"Mr. Seo Jun, please reconsider just once! We only have three days left!"

Well, whose fault was it for contacting him so late?

They'd probably waited until his viewer count dropped before reaching out, which was why the schedule had become so tight. On top of that, they had hidden the collaboration partner under the excuse of it being a surprise.

This was a small act of revenge for that.

Still, their judgment had been correct.

If the collaboration partner was Taewoo, there wasn't really any reason to refuse.

He had never done a collaborative stream before.

And after revealing that they were friends during Alpaca's after-party, many people already knew about it.

"Please, just reconsider once! Did something happen? Did you two have a fight?"

The words This shouldn't be happening were practically written all over Park Hyuksoo's face.

"I'm joking. Nothing happened."

Only then did Park Hyuksoo let out a deep sigh of relief.

Then he muttered quietly to himself, but Seo Jun's exceptional hearing picked it up.

"I thought we were going to miss the bull market..."

A bull market?

What kind of bull market was he suddenly talking about?

"Hello. I'm streamer Kim Taewoo. I'm terribly sorry for being late."

"It's fine."

Taewoo returned with the drinks and took a seat.

Unlike Seo Jun, who found meeting in a work-related setting somewhat unfamiliar, Taewoo didn't seem particularly flustered.

Then—

Taewoo whispered into his ear.

"What are you doing here?"

"I got invited too."

"Ah. Then why did they schedule the meeting with both of us together?"

Hmm.

This idiot had definitely forgotten it was a two-player co-op game.

At first, Seo Jun had only been joking about not accepting the offer, but now he was starting to feel like maybe they really shouldn't play together...

At that moment, Taewoo's eyes widened as though he had finally remembered something important. Then, in an awkward voice, he said,

"Haha... just kidding."

As if anyone would believe that.

Taewoo belonged to an MCN.

That meant he didn't have to worry too much about sponsorships.

The agency handled all the negotiations and summarized the advertising details for him.

All he had to do was listen, make a decision, and do what they recommended.

That convenience was exactly why people joined MCNs.

Still, forgetting whether a game was single-player or co-op was a bit much...

Every time Seo Jun thought about it, he genuinely wondered how this guy had managed to survive as a streamer for seven years.

Maybe being a streamer was actually an easy job.

"So what's the game's story about?"

For the sake of the late-arriving Taewoo, Park Hyuksoo started explaining the basics again.

Then—

"So you want the two of us to play a co-op game together?"

"Yes. Also, there will be another team of streamers playing on the same day."

"Hmm. There's no competition with that team?"

"Huh? Why would there be competition?"

"Wouldn't it be fun to bet on who clears it first?"

"Haha..."

"So who are they? If they're people I know, maybe I could—"

Park Hyuksoo hurriedly interrupted.

"Well, if competition helps promote the game, that would certainly be nice for us, but..."

He trailed off.

"...wouldn't it actually have very little effect?"

True.

Their goal was promotion. That couldn't be forgotten.

If everyone became obsessed with clearing the game as fast as possible, it would be difficult to properly showcase its appeal.

From Park Hyuksoo's perspective, that was something he absolutely had to prevent.

"I suppose it depends on who the other team is, but probably."

"Then why..."

"Because it's a fight we'd win no matter what. Hehe. You know how good this guy is."

Taewoo trusted Seo Jun.

Sigh.

The same exhausted expression returned to Park Hyuksoo's face.

He looked tired.

"Haha..."

"I'm kidding. Anyway, it sounds fun."

"That's... a relief."

Seeing him already look completely drained, Seo Jun suddenly felt a little guilty about teasing him earlier.

"Anyway, getting back to the topic. The theme of our game's first chapter is horror. Fortunately, Mr. Seo Jun, you said you're easily frightened, right?"

"...What?"

"...What?"

At that moment, Park Hyuksoo suddenly wanted to see the company CEO.

CEO.

I think we're doomed.

Seriously.

"This is our fault."

Mountain after mountain.

His head was beginning to throb.

"It was our fault for writing the email in such a confusing way, for not realizing something was off and checking it, and for making the schedule so tight..."

"Come on. It's not like you've done this kind of thing before."

Taewoo's attempt at comforting him only made Park Hyuksoo sigh even more deeply.

"For your first time, you've done pretty well."

Had he?

"You picked me and this guy, didn't you? That alone means you've done your job."

Park Hyuksoo let out another enormous sigh.

Not feeling fear. Not just a little—being completely incapable of feeling it!

If it were anyone else, he could dismiss it as empty bravado.

But this streamer had never once shown off or exaggerated.

Looking back at his streaming history, everything he said had sounded ridiculous at first, yet it had always turned out to be true.

He didn't seem like the type who would bluff about something like this.

More importantly, it was clearly Park Hyuksoo's fault for sending the email incorrectly.

He should have emphasized "as a streamer" or asked the question differently altogether.

"Hooo..."

Letting out another earth-shaking sigh, Park Hyuksoo smacked both cheeks with his palms.

Anyway.

It was still possible to back out now if they really wanted to, but finding an alternative would be difficult.

There were other candidates, sure, but would they even accept?

With only three days left—no, now just two days and eight hours?

Let's think positively. This might actually be a good thing.

Right.

The other team was definitely made up of streamers who were easily scared.

Maybe getting completely different reactions from each team would make for even better content.

Having somehow finished rationalizing everything, life returned to Park Hyuksoo's eyes.

Then he said,

"Let me make a quick phone call."

"Sure."

Come to think of it, he didn't need to make the decision himself anyway!

That was why his eyes had regained their spark.

About thirty minutes later, Park Hyuksoo finished the call and sat back down.

"Good."

"So you're going ahead with it as is?"

Seo Jun asked.

"Yes. I don't think it's a bad idea."

They couldn't change things anyway, so they might as well push forward.

That was the team's decision.

Park Hyuksoo handed Seo Jun and Taewoo the contract containing the conditions he had previously explained.

"The conditions are that you'll stream the game for at least four hours on release day and upload two videos to iTube within one week."

"Yep, that's right."

"Confirmed."

Fortunately, the meeting ended smoothly.

Well, he wasn't sure if smoothly was the right word.

The results would tell the story.

Had they bought into a bull market?

Were they headed for delisting?

Or would they break through an all-time high?

"One last thing. It's usually better to decide this in advance. In co-op games, there's generally a support role and a role that directly handles the mechanics."

Especially in two-player co-op games.

"So it'd be best if the two of you decide beforehand who'll be the support."

The roles would switch fairly between chapters, but they wouldn't change within a chapter.

Though honestly, it wasn't that important.

The roles were separated, but cooperative games usually weren't designed so that one person had to do significantly more work or handle harder tasks.

"Oh? I'll handle the mechanics. Seo Jun, you can be support."

"Why? I'm better than you."

Listening to their conversation, Park Hyuksoo found himself nodding.

There probably wasn't anyone better than that streamer.

"What are you talking abou—actually, that's true. Fine. You are better. But usually the better player should take the support role. It makes the game easier."

"I don't mind if it's harder."

"I do."

The atmosphere felt like it was about to turn into an argument, so Park Hyuksoo hurriedly corrected their misunderstanding.

"Even if you're the support, it doesn't mean the role has less importance or is easier. It really doesn't matter. So..."

Seo Jun immediately said,

"You heard him. So you be the support."

"No."

Hmm.

Were they misunderstanding something?

Park Hyuksoo looked at them and asked,

"But why are both of you so unwilling to be the support?"

"Just because?"

That was Taewoo's answer.

"Because he wants to do it."

That was Seo Jun's answer.

Ah.

I see.

Park Hyuksoo smiled brightly.

Will this sponsorship actually succeed?

He could practically see his company's delisting notice floating before his eyes.

Please let this work.

The next day.

[Creating Level 10 AI.]

Inside the training grounds.

Within a virtual world, a woman summoned a Level 10 AI.

Only those who had defeated a Level 9 AI possessed the qualifications to challenge a Level 10 AI.

Which made it obvious that her skill was exceptional.

However—

Anyone who knew her identity would agree that merely calling her exceptional was far from sufficient.

Shin Hayeon.

An early-generation professional gamer who had won the World Championship three consecutive times, reclaimed the throne last year, and finished as runner-up this year.

The term early-generation pro gamer referred to players who had been competing since tournaments first appeared six years ago.

And those who had survived from the beginning until now were treated as legends.

Six years might not sound very long.

So it could seem strange that merely lasting that long earned someone legendary status.

But in the beginning, there were very few players.

In other words, over those six years, the virtual reality market had exploded from a niche interest into a full-fledged social phenomenon.

Overwhelming growth.

A talent pool that expanded exponentially every year.

How many professional gamers had retired because they couldn't withstand that new wave?

That was why people called the survivors legends.

Among them, Shin Hayeon was an icon who had won four of the past six championships.

And now she stood before a Level 10 AI.

[Jin Seo Jun]

The person who had stolen the Level 10 AI ranking she had held for years was a streamer who had only started recently.

Shin Hayeon knew that streamer's true identity.

"Am I almost done? Maybe not?"

Tilting her head slightly, she adjusted her grip on her sword.

"If I fight it again, I'll probably remember."

Slowly leaning forward, Shin Hayeon suddenly burst into motion.

The duel began.

Sword clashed against sword.

She unleashed every attack she could.

Reviewing one by one how the AI had responded in previous fights.

Gradually, the AI's health began dropping from twenty, one point at a time.

In contrast, Shin Hayeon's health hadn't decreased at all.

She had surpassed the AI's level long ago.

Yet there was a reason she hadn't reclaimed the Level 10 AI ranking.

The tip of her sword stopped just in front of the AI's throat.

"This should be all the patterns worth seeing. Maybe one last run?"

As she sank into thought, a message notification appeared in the corner of her vision.

[Remaining HP: 1]

[Baek Doyul: Hey.]

"This isn't even real anyway."

Winning had no meaning.

Shaking her head, she stopped the game without finishing the match.

Baek Doyul.

One of the people who had won this year's championship.

Naturally, Shin Hayeon's brow furrowed.

[Shin Hayeon: It isn't.]

[Shin Hayeon: ?]

[Baek Doyul: Some streamer took a game title that only I had.]

[Baek Doyul: And I figured you'd be interested too.]

For a moment, Shin Hayeon alternated her gaze between the frozen AI before her and the message window.

Then she sent a reply.