Chapter 365

Chapter 365

Every moment of Cha Jin-Hyeok’s Play was a piece of content for his livestream.

‘Should I just say I was enlightened?’ Although Jin-Hyeok wasn’t sure what type of enlightenment he could say he had gained to provide his viewers with vicarious satisfaction, mentioning it would only benefit his channel.

“Yes, I have gained enlightenment.” Jin-Hyeok wanted to convey this to the public more effectively. “Though, calling it enlightenment might be a bit of an overstatement, Ilina.”

“...”

For a Streamer, the most effective way to sell their achievement to the viewers was to approach the livestream with humility.

“Many people support me, and thanks to your dedication, Ilina, I’ve gained a small but significant opportunity.”

Ilina was at a loss for words. ‘Generally, those who grow so quickly often lack humility.’

While humility was not universally seen as a virtue, it was indeed a secret to longevity. Ilina had seen many promising talents fall by the wayside due to their arrogance.

‘Chul-Soo is already a finished product.’ Ilina was excited, wondering what kind of monster Chul-Soo would become with a bit more experience.

For Jin-Hyeok, the significance of this livestream didn’t end at the figure of over 2.2 billion viewers.

-Did you guys check Popularity Nation?

-His approval rate skyrocketed.

-How high did it go?

-It has dropped a bit now, but it was close to ninety percent at one point.

Chul-Soo had received an astounding eighty-five percent favorable rating on Popularity Nation, the highest among all Players registered on the website.

Vilsmark was aware of this too. ‘Things are going too well for Chul-Soo.’

Vilsmark used a Ruler-exclusive communication Skill to request a private conversation with Ilina. This Skill allowed a person to communicate with another person anywhere within SSP’s influence through virtual space and holograms, creating an environment akin to that of a face-to-face interaction.

Being a top-tier Ruler, Vilsmark said in a somewhat reproachful tone, “Chul-Soo’s popularity is soaring across the universe, especially in Arvis, Ilina.”

“Is that a problem?” she asked while smoking her cigarette, her tone slightly defiant.

“You know very well that it is.”

She exhaled a puff of smoke. “I don’t understand why the three empires are trying so hard to curb his growth, Commander Vilsmark. And I see that you’ve been playing interesting pranks with my subordinates without my knowledge.”

“...”

“If it had been someone else, I would have cut out their tongue long ago.”

“I’m sorry. I regret going behind your back. I will formally apologize to you later.” Vilsmark deeply sighed. “Even a child could see that you think highly of Chul-Soo.”

“...”

“If I ask you to help us in acting against him, you’ll refuse, won’t you?”

“As long as Chul-Soo does not act to the detriment of the Arvis Server or the Mazique Empire, I have no intention of harming him.”

Vilsmark nodded. He knew Ilina well and understood that forcing her would only backfire. “I hope you won’t make him stand out any more than he already does.”

“Even if I do nothing, he will shine on his own, Commander Vilsmark.”

“I’m saying don’t help him in any way. Just like how you and Chul-Soo had a conversation about his enlightenment.”

“...”

“Your affectionate gaze, your admiring expressions, your praise for Chul-Soo... The viewers saw all of these things vividly.”

Ilina stood up, approached Vilsmark’s holographic avatar, and blew smoke into his face. “I will try to restrain myself.”

***

Sandyem was hiding deep within the Galui Rocky Mountains, observing the situation from a safe distance. When the Magic Investigation Team bombarded the area with their spells, he scoffed.

‘They’re doing all this just to catch me? And if they were serious about bombing the place, they would have sent the Knight’s Order, not the investigation team.’

-Yeah, he’s still in the top ten, I think.

-Whatever. It’s still plummeting, haha!

***

Jin-Hyeok grinned. “Han Sae-Rin, you were right. It happened just as you said. It was a good move.”

Sae-Rin had joined Jin-Hyeok at the base camp.

“It’s not particularly remarkable. Most Ruler Players anticipated this crisis. They only had two strategies to choose from,” Sae-Rin said.

“So? What should I do now?”

“What do you want to do?”

Ilina sat across from them, silently exhaling smoke from her cigarette and appearing indifferent to whatever conclusion Jin-Hyeok and Sae-Rin would reach.

“Well... I don’t want to produce a similar scene again,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Even the tastiest food would become bland if eaten repeatedly. Jin-Hyeok did not want to show the same content with the same presentation again.

Sae-Rin stroked her chin and said, “Blowing up the entire mountain could be quite interesting for showing your overwhelming power...”

“Wait, are you being serious right now, Ruler? Do you think Chul-Soo could blow up the whole mountain?” Ilina asked.

Sae-Rin tilted her head slightly. “You think he can’t?”

“But Chul-Soo is just a Streamer...” Ilina said. ‘Didn’t he almost die to gain the enlightenment?’

Confusion flickered in Ilina’s eyes, and then Sae-Rin clarified. “Chul-Soo did not use all his power then.”

“What?”

“He had enough energy left to summon the Thunder Dragon.”

“That’s impossible. I understand you want to think highly of him, but...”

Sae-Rin shrugged and turned her gaze to Jin-Hyeok. “Hey, Chul-Soo, if you only focused on the destructive power and not your channel, could you have blown up the mountain?”

“I don’t think I could’ve done it in one attack, but I’m sure a few blows would’ve done the job.”

“So that means yes?”

“Well, I guess I could, but I would never do that.” From Jin-Hyeok’s perspective, a Streamer who Played without thinking about their channel was not a real Streamer. That was just meaningless labor for him.

“So, destroying the mountain wouldn’t be physically taxing for you, right?” Sae-Rin asked.

“I have the Guardian Tree, so I wouldn't be tired from it.”

Ilina watched their conversation with a grim expression, her cigarette unlit in her mouth.

“So... Sir Chul-Soo... You weren’t tired at all?” she asked.

“Was there anything to be tired from?” Jin-Hyeok replied.

Ilina was speechless. ‘He is not bluffing!’

She involuntarily stood up. It seemed she had to reconsider her firm beliefs.

‘There comes a point where the Level gap between Players becomes meaningless,’ Ilina thought. That was around the early Level 400s. Most of the top-ranked Players in Arvis were around this Level. ‘But if one surpasses that...’

It seemed that when the Level gap translated into an overwhelming difference in abilities, a new phase would arrive. It was a moment that shook her very understanding of Players.

Unable to light her cigarette again, she asked with a trembling voice, “Then why didn’t you summon the Thunder Dragon? If your physical condition was as you say, you could have easily escaped without flying...”

Suddenly, she came to a realization and felt compelled to ask something she had been unconsciously denying. “Wait... was there never any need to run in the first place.”

She came to a conclusion herself.

“You have been... hiding your strength.”