Chapter 162
Egan Paul’s vision was blurry. He felt as though he were adrift alone in a vast ocean, enshrouded in thick fog. The dark sea, laden with mist, whispered to him.
‘Kim Chul-Soo needs to be gone.’
‘With Chul-Soo gone, you will be number one.’
‘Only if Chul-Soo is gone.’
The yearning for first place was the driving force behind Egan Paul at that moment. He turned on his livestream and wrote a title, almost instinctively.
[Let’s start the relocation of the Golden Guardian Tree.]
Numerous viewers logged on to Egan’s livestream.
-Did he just say he is going to relocate the Guardian Tree?
-Wait a minute, that’s our Server’s Named Lumberjack!
-A Named Lumberjack? Is that even real?
-Of course. You just don’t know. Every Job has its master.
-How Named is he?
-He’s not a top-tier Named Player, more like a rookie, but if he actually succeeds in felling the Guardian Tree, he will definitely rise to fame.
Some viewers recognized the visage of Rumbol, the Scenario Lumberjack.
-Wow, this livestream is going to be legendary!
-Right now, the Guardian Tree has focused all its energy on the southeast part of Seoul. It must be weakened.
-What a brilliant strategy. The invasion of the other areas was just a decoy.
Egan explained the current situation with considerable composure. He declared his intent to move this treasure, monopolized by Korea and Chul-Soo, to the great United States.
“I promise to research it further so that more people can enjoy freedom and peace.”
The viewers of his livestream were enthralled. Yet, Egan was not as thrilled. He still felt as though he were drifting in that foggy ocean.
‘I just want to create stimulating and excellent content for my viewers.’
He knew saying these things would excite the viewers, but this was not a narrative he had genuinely constructed. A realization dawned on him that someone was intervening with his consciousness, controlling him.
‘The Guardian Tree has protected Seoul well all this time.’
Thanks to the tree, Seoul was considered the safest city in the world, its real estate prices soaring far higher than New York. Seoul was a city where countless people could roam without worry. To cut down that Guardian Tree to relocate it somewhere else was an absurd idea. New novel chapters are published on
‘I honestly don’t even know if it is possible.’
Egan wondered if this was the right thing to do and even contemplated how this livestream content could be unethical. However, the voices kept echoing in his mind.
‘You have to surpass Chul-Soo.’
‘You have to beat Chul-Soo.’
‘Do you want to be in second place forever?’
Egan knew very well that being anything but first was meaningless. Although the world of livestreaming was not a zero-sum game, it was undoubtedly structured so that the winner took all. He had no desire to be relegated to second place.
‘But this is not right.’
His last staged livestream had hurt no one. It was a deal that had left the United States, him, and the Scanorbian warriors all satisfied. However, this one was different. Nearly ten million citizens would lose their guarantee of safety.
‘Stop these pointless thoughts.’
‘Focus on the livestream.’
‘Look, the viewers are excited, aren’t they?’
Various thoughts and consciousness clashed within, unsettling Egan’s mind. His enthusiasm dipped, and the livestream was less smooth than usual. Meanwhile, Rumbol approached the Guardian Tree.
“Even as I get this close, it can’t stop me. How pitiful,” said Rumbol, raising his axe. “Prepare to be cut down. Take it as an honor. My name is Rumbol, the man who will be known as the Lumberjack of the Guardian Tree.”
Just then, lightning bolts began to fall from various points in the sky above Seoul.
Crack! Crack!
The sky turned a shade of purple, and a kind of massive, never-before-seen cloud formed over Seoul. Meteorologists marveled at the sight.
“A s-supercell!”
Various media outlets poured out information about the supercell.
-A supercell is a form of thunderstorm and a type of cumulonimbus cloud that...
-An exceedingly large thunderstorm...
-Significantly larger than independent thunderstorms...
It seemed as if a calamity had descended upon Seoul. A monstrous cloud, reaching heights of ten thousand meters and a width of a hundred thousand meters, seemed to have unleashed hell over Seoul’s airspace with its purple lightning and explosive updrafts.
-Typically, strong tornadoes occur around a supercell, but no tornado has been observed around this one.
With all his might, he swung his axes once more. At that moment...
Crack!
He felt as if something had pierced through him.
‘Huh?’
His vision darkened, and then he saw nothing at all.
‘What in the hell...?’
Rumbol could no longer move. He had died on the spot.
? ? ?
The first to muster courage was none other than Bong King.
‘I can’t fall behind MiNaTV.’
Today was Mi-Na’s day. On a day when the power of content was overwhelmingly strong, a Streamer who was focused on delivery rather than interaction had the advantage. So, Bong King had to take the plunge. He approached the Thunder Dragon. “What exactly is going on here, Mr. Thunder Dragon?”
[“Humans of Earth are fascinating. Are you not afraid of me?”]
“Could you please explain what just happened, Mr. Thunder Dragon?” While requesting an interview, Bong King also lightly poked Rumbol. “Hey, are you ok— Ack!”
Bong King also became unable to move. The residual energy remaining in Rumbol had paralyzed him.
‘I can’t lose consciousness,’ he thought, desperately struggling to remain alert. ‘Chul-Soo keeps livestreaming even if he faints! I can do it too!’
While he knew he could never be exactly like Chul-Soo, he had already become a Streamer with an incredible following. Yet, he still felt the need to follow in Chul-Soo’s footsteps, however distantly that may be. It was a matter of pride for Korea’s top-ranked Streamer.
‘Wait, why did she have to come now?’
The second-ranked Mi-Na also arrived at the scene. She outdid Bong King and succeeded in securing an interview with the Thunder Dragon, asking, “Didn’t you say that you were not going to directly get involved in the situation?”
[“I did not get involved. I merely wrapped myself around the Guardian Tree and took a break.”]
“But the Lumberjack died.”
[“It is likely due to his attack being deflected. I did nothing. It seems he died due to the deflection of my mana field while trying to cut down the Guardian Tree.”]
Not long after, Jin-Hyeok arrived at the Guardian Tree.
? ? ?
With Rumbol’s death, the situation seemed to have come to a temporary end.
While passing by Bong King, Jin-Hyeok whispered, “Well done, Bong King.”
Hearing those words, Bong King immediately closed his eyes. He had fainted while still standing, but a thin smile remained on his face, and his livestream did not disconnect.
-Did he just faint?
-He fainted, but the livestream is still going? LOL.
-I thought only Chul-Soo could do that, but Bong King can too?
Bong King had met Jin-Hyeok’s standards. Jin-Hyeok walked on, brushing past Mi-Na as well. “Mi-Na, you did well too.”
He had carefully watched the livestreams of both Mi-Na and Bong King on the way. They each had their unique style and had creatively showcased the same content. They were like skilled chefs producing different dishes from the same ingredients.
It was also impressive that neither had let the Thunder Dragon’s overwhelming presence overshadow their content and had managed to secure interviews with her. Their beautiful competition to outdo each other was quite striking.
“Hey.” Jin-Hyeok stood in front of Egan.
Many people had assumed that Egan was in the same boat as Rumbol and that Jin-Hyeok would give him a fitting retribution.
Sensing Rumbol’s demise, Egan too felt he was fated for the same.
‘I’m going to die too,’ he thought.
The Fall of Yeonhui-dong had ended in failure. A notification indicating the failure of the Scenario arrived, and Egan prepared for his end.
‘Let’s die with style. At least for this moment, I can be remembered as number one.’
Even if briefly, Egan wanted to be remembered as a Streamer who had surpassed Chul-Soo.
Jin-Hyeok raised his hand
Slap!
His palm fiercely struck Egan’s cheek. “Hey.”
Jin-Hyeok seemed incredibly angry.
‘Of course, he is angry. We tried to cut down the Golden Guardian Tree, the most precious treasure to him.’
Slap!
Another slap across the face.
Jin-Hyeok scoffed as he spoke. “Are you seriously calling yourself a top-ranked Streamer?”
‘What the hell is he talking about? I don’t think he is angry at what I thought about.’
“Why is your livestream so poor? Is this the best you can do with such content? You call yourself America’s number one? Where is your energy? What exactly are you thinking while livestreaming? Have you lost your mind?”