Chapter 202

Chapter 202

Cha Jin-Hyeok sensed that he had come to a crucial crossroads.

‘I’ve already revealed my face... and everyone knows my house is in Yeonhui-dong.’

Many things were bound to become inconvenient.

“At least I have you, Guardian Tree. I’m lucky for that.”

-“Do not forget, Master. The best defense is a good offense. Hehehe.”

The Guardian Tree had changed a bit compared to how it had been before Jin-Hyeok’s regression, but Jin-Hyeok thought it was a desirable change.

-“Today, I smashed two hundred cell phones. Destruction is pure bliss!”

Only authorized persons could use cell phones within a one-hundred-meter radius of Jin-Hyeok’s house. It was not just cell phones; all electronic devices were prohibited. If someone approached the restricted area with an electronic device, the Guardian Tree’s barrier would destroy the device. Some had criticized this as an overreach of power, but faced with the substantial power of Chul-Soo Land, they had to bite their tongue. Updated from n0velb(i)n.c(o)/m

-How much stalking must have happened for our kind Chul-Soo to set up such a barrier?

-Please, let’s keep our fandom within the bounds of fandom.

-Protect our Chul-Soo at all costs!

Public opinion instantly swayed in favor of Chul-Soo Land. Even politicians could not openly criticize Kim Chul-Soo, as they were conscious of their votes.

Before Jin-Hyeok’s regression, his fan club was called the Mommy, short for Moon Army; this club was more intense and had a significantly larger fanbase than Chul-Soo Land.

-“But shouldn’t we call that fiery little one? What was her name? Elly? Ally? She might get sulky.”

‘Ah, right.’

Jin-Hyeok wanted to maintain a good relationship with Elly. It wasn’t so much out of necessity, but rather because he felt like it.

‘But there is no reason for me to summon her. Should I just call her? That seems a bit odd.’

The concept of meeting someone without any particular reason had not yet settled in his mind. So, he sought a reason.

“I should look for content for my Eltube channel.”

-“Oh! If it’s a massacre, I welcome it! And if it could happen near here, that’d be nice. I’d be able to join in!”

Jin-Hyeok did not respond to the Guardian Tree. He used to find its words quite annoying, but now, he seemed to have gotten used to it. Though no one was listening, he explained as if he were justifying himself, “The recent content has been quite provocative and intense.”

Of course, there was no answer since no one was near him.

“The content I have planned for later is also pretty provocative.”

The battle with Sephia and Grandel of the Black Alliance was sure to be intense and provocative.

“Too much intense content in a row can actually cause viewer fatigue.”

-“To whom are you speaking?”

“Balancing intense content with calm, everyday content is essential for a good Streamer, isn’t it? Of course, too much calm content can become boring.”

-“Are you ignoring me right now? I’m feeling so lonely.”

“I need content that is not too provocative nor too calm. Maintaining that fine line is important.

-“My pride is hurt! I guess I will have to smash some monster heads!”

Jin-Hyeok still had not noticed the Guardian Tree’s corruption(?). He was busy making excuses. “I should practice filming everyday content by summoning Elly.”

Like a duck on water, calm on the surface but fiercely paddling underneath, Jin-Hyeok was busy looking for a justification for his content. “Finding joy in calm, everyday content is twice as tough as extracting fun from intense, provocative content.”

It seemed he would need a lot of practice. That meant calling Elly more often.

***

‘The videos themselves don’t seem particularly special.’

They lacked extraordinary visual flair or intense excitement. Jin-Hyeok could not quite grasp the sentiment people talked about. He thought he still had a long way to go, assuming that there had to be some profound intensity in the videos.

‘He’s just doing ordinary activities like camping and going to the beach.’

Even after watching half a dozen videos, Jin-Hyeok could not find anything that he could learn immediately. Perhaps, Marshmallow’s sentimental videos were too sophisticated for his current level. However, as luck would have it, Marshmallow, who rarely did livestreams, started one at that moment.

‘Viewers are flocking by the millions.’

Jin-Hyeok tried to watch the stream.

[Access Denied.]

[You are automatically entering the Storyteller’s Relay Room.]

Just like how Jin-Hyeok had Yu-Mi as his Storyteller, Marshmallow had his own Storyteller too. Nearly a billion people had already joined the Relay Room.

‘Wait, it’s just him eating! A billion viewers for a mukbang? Is that even possible?’

Jin-Hyeok was astonished. Moreover, it was one billion viewers in the Relay Room, not Marshmallow’s actual livestream. Direct communication with the Streamer was not possible in the Relay Room.

‘Wow...’

Jin-Hyeok was shocked.

‘So, to enter the actual livestream, one must donate a substantial amount to the Storyteller in the Relay Room.’

Jin-Hyeok had no idea how much that would be. The amount wasn’t posted anywhere either.

‘Most of the viewers are in the Relay Room. The livestream is limited to just one hundred people.’

Experiencing Marshmallow’s livestream for the first time, Jin-Hyeok could not recover from the shock.

‘Wait, this means that the ones in the main livestream are...’

They had to be the VIPs of the Trinity Club. Jin-Hyeok had two VIPs who sponsored him. Even that made his donation levels incomparable to other Streamers. Yet, Marshmallow had one hundred VIPs supporting him.

‘So, he put most of the viewers in the Relay Room and just communicates with only the hundred people in his livestream.’

It felt like a glimpse into his own future as a Streamer.

‘Those one hundred people are Marshmallow’s royal supporters.’

It was like a slap to the face.

‘It’s not about his content, but about the persona.’

The chosen one hundred VIPs seemed to cherish Marshmallow. Jin-Hyeok saw messages like ‘This is why I’m a Marshmallow fan!’

‘Being loved for the persona...’

Jin-Hyeok had always thought that content alone was enough, but Marshmallow’s livestream seemed to offer something more.

‘For Marshmallow, he is the intense content. Just by eating some food, he can attract a billion viewers in no time...’

Jin-Hyeok now understood why Yu-Mi always insisted that he needed to create his own persona. Marshmallow’s livestream was a profound revelation for him. Marshmallow had become his new mentor, and a new competitive drive to surpass him someday was ignited within Jin-Hyeok.

‘I remember there was a Player who was content being in third place.’

That Chul-Soo was gone. Now, Jin-Hyeok’s goal was Marshmallow.

‘Ah, but first, I need to surpass Egan Paul.’

Jin-Hyeok felt the need to attract people with more varied content. He was not sure how much it would help, but he planned to show his face more often. Anyway, he decided to summon Elly and film some therapeutic everyday content. He was trying his hand at sentimental vlogging, unsure of the outcome.

Only trying would tell.