Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: The First Production Request (2)
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Writer Lim spoke up.
“P-PD-nim, the viewer count keeps rising. It started shooting up the moment his face appeared on the live broadcast.”
“How much has it gone up?”
“About 200 new viewers in just one minute.”
PD Kim Min-woo was taken aback.
Two hundred new viewers in a mere minute. What shocked him most was that this was unprecedented.
“It’s only ever dropped until now.”
PD Kim Min-woo was aware of one thing.
The viewers called their program’s interview segment the “Room of Truth.”
The name came from the fact that most people, whose cool images had been built up in viewers’ minds, turned out to be rather unimpressive once their true selves were revealed.
Now, some viewers would even turn off the stream as a joke if a new guest was just average.
That’s why, after a minute, the viewer count would typically drop by several hundred from what it was before the start.
‘I never thought Mad Rookie would be that handsome.’
Kim Min-woo let out a small gasp of admiration.
Standing in the lit space, Mad Rookie was tall, around 184 cm.
He was dressed in a neat suit, his hair slicked back coolly with wax.
The virtual styling space was a peculiar place.
You could input your desired style, and your clothes or hairstyle would change in a second.
It was a place where finding the clothes and hair that suited you best was easy.
“It would’ve had an even bigger impact if Blacksmith Hyeon had come out too.”
“You know the rumors about Blacksmith Hyeon.”
“Right.”
The current title of the live broadcast was ‘Mad Rookie, Wielding a Weapon Made by Hyeon.’
But unfortunately, the rumors about Blacksmith Hyeon’s appearance were terrible.
“Saying he’s a pot-bellied man in his 50s is the baseline. Some say he’s really short in person. Or that he’s a real-life dwarf. There are a lot of rumors like that.”
“Well, Hyeon created that image for himself, so there’s nothing we can do.”
Blacksmith Hyeon maintained an air of mystery.
And while the public was curious about this mystique, they were also prone to creating all sorts of rumors.
Speculation that he was unattractive accounted for over 90% of the rumors, especially since he never showed his face.
‘If he had that face, he’d be a truly OP character.’
PD Kim Min-woo gave a bitter smile.
While it was true that Mad Rookie and Blacksmith Hyeon were the hottest topics lately, if one had to rank them, Hyeon was overwhelmingly higher.
If Hyeon was a 7, Mad Rookie was a 3.
Mad Rookie was an incredible user in his own right, but Blacksmith Hyeon’s name continued to spread, even though he was just a blacksmith.
‘I guess that’s to be expected, since he made Sword King Barad’s sword.’
PD Kim Min-woo stared at the motionless Mad Rookie before snapping back to his senses.
“PD-nim, you need to start the interview.”
“Ah, right.”
Recently, AJ Broadcasting’s budget had shrunk so much that they couldn’t even afford to hire an MC.
So, PD Kim approached him to conduct the interview himself.
***
Having finished styling himself in the styling space, Hyun-soo stood there, quite tense.
He wasn’t naturally the type to stand in front of the public, so it would be more accurate to say he was a bit frozen.
Soon, the PD approached.
“We’re about to start the interview. Before that, could you look at the screen in front of you?”
Hyun-soo could see a large chat window floating in front of him.
-He’s so handsome…
-Came here to feel good but now I’m depressed. This broadcast is gonna give me depression. He’s so damn handsome, ffs…
“The reaction is great.”
Hyun-soo watched the viewer count increase in real time.
“Since this is an interview, I’ll ask you a few questions. How old are you?”
“I’m 23.”
“Ah, the prime of your life. You’ve recently been called Mad Rookie. Do you know why that is?”
“Yes, I believe it’s because I won the Super Rookie tournament.”
“I saw the video. It was mosaic-processed, but you were truly amazing.”
“Thank you.”
PD Kim was surprised at how smoothly the interview was going.
What he liked even more was that it was obvious the young man valued politeness.
‘He’s handsome, skilled, and polite. This is incredible. Absolutely incredible.’
The chat was also getting hotter.
-If that’s Mad Rookie, I can give him my heart. Will you be mad for me?
-LMAO he’s crazyyyyy
-Look at him sitting so straight in his chair for the interview. So cute.
-He’s sweating on his forehead. I want to wipe it off for him. Lick.
-Someone ban the licker.
-Licker has donated 20,000 won.
“We’re in the middle of an interview, and we’ve already gotten our first donation. 20,000 won.”
“There are donations?”
-He has no idea what’s going on.
-It’s more fun to corrupt the innocent ones, lol.
-Lick lick.
-Licker has donated 20,000 won.
-That bastard donates every time he licks, lol.
“Yes, all donations are given to our guest after deducting a service fee. We are an internet broadcast, after all.”
“Ah, that’s nice.”
As Hyun-soo smiled, PD Kim Dae-guk glanced at the viewer count.
‘10,000 people?’
It was just an interview, yet they had already reached 10,000 viewers.
‘Is this really lookism at its finest?’
PD Kim continued with his questions.
“What’s your occupation?”
“For now, I’m just focused on playing the game.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“I wish I did.”
This was all just a prelude, so it wasn’t that important.
AJ Broadcasting didn’t dig too deep, especially since users were very sensitive about their occupations.
After that, the discussion about Mad Rookie concluded.
“Mad Rookie, you mentioned you would be answering questions on behalf of Blacksmith Hyeon. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Just then.
-Blacksmith Hyeon has donated 100,000 won.
“Oh, it seems Blacksmith Hyeon is watching.”
“So it seems.”
Hyun-soo understood.
‘Nel?’
Nel was as sharp as ever. She was laying the groundwork to dispel any suspicion.
-Isn’t this Blacksmith Hyeon’s first time making an official appearance?
-So what exactly has he revealed? LMAO.
-Sir, I need an artifact crafted, please T_T
-What’s the grade of Sword King Barad’s sword?
Since the topic came up, PD Kim asked the question that would generate the most buzz.
“Hyeon-nim, you’re watching, right? Is it possible to release the information on the sword you crafted for Sword King Barad?”
PD Kim then glanced at Hyun-soo.
Hyun-soo deliberately waited about ten seconds before answering.
“Ah, I just got a whisper. He says he’ll release it on Hyeon’s Smithy during the main broadcast if the viewer count exceeds 150,000.”
-So he’s saying no, lmao.
-The last time this broadcast had over 150k viewers was 2 years ago…
“That’s what he says.”
Hyun-soo gave a bitter smile at the PD’s words.
“If I try my best, maybe we can surpass it…?”
“R-Right?”
Besides that, PD Kim asked Hyeon various other things.
The questions were more detailed than the ones for Mad Rookie.
“Your occupation?”
“Blacksmith.”
“Ah, that was a bit obvious. Your level?”
“It’s a secret.”
“Where do you live?”
“Seoul.”
“Your age?”
“It’s a secret.”
“Your height?”
“It’s a secret.”
PD Kim looked puzzled.
‘This is problematic…’
-Isn’t he hiding too much?
-Is he really an old man? LMAO.
-Age? Fifty. Height? 150cm. He probably can’t say that, so he’s keeping it a secret, lol.
As Hyun-soo heard the questions, he had a thought. This was dangerous. Too much mystery could end up damaging Hyeon’s image even more.
He made a decision.
“He says, ‘I will prove myself with my creations.’”
“…With your creations?”
-Whoa, that confidence…
-OMG…
-Yeah, who cares what a blacksmith looks like!
-Right, right. Who cares who Hyeon is! For a blacksmith, their creations are their face.
PD Kim was impressed.
‘He summed it all up in one sentence.’
Blacksmith Hyeon had addressed the rising complaints about him by declaring he would prove himself through his work, building anticipation.
The surge in expectation was immense.
At that point, PD Kim concluded the interview.
“Mad Rookie and Hyeon will be challenging a Time Attack Dungeon.”
A Time Attack Dungeon.
A dungeon that must be cleared within a set time limit.
Furthermore, clearing it faster than others updated the record, and it was a staple segment on this AJ internet broadcast.
“We will give you a total of 10 days. During that time, Hyeon must craft three artifacts.”
-3 items in 10 days? Holy…?
-That’s a crazy deadline, lol.
-Even top-tier blacksmiths would probably get all Common grade if they made 3 items in 10 days.
PD Kim’s demand was certainly quite excessive.
Ordinary blacksmiths relied on acceleration skills to speed up crafting.
The problem was that the faster you crafted, the lower the probability of getting a high-grade artifact.
Even for an average blacksmith, it took about four days to craft a single artifact.
And that didn’t even account for the rest they needed after crafting.
-Hyeon talked a big game, now he’s screwed, lmao.
-A master doesn’t blame his tools, but he does blame the clock, lol.
-If he pumps one out every 3 days, it’ll be Common, Common, Common.
Hyun-soo was already well-aware of the details of this Time Attack Dungeon.
“He says he’ll do it.”
“Yes, then in 10 days…”
Just then.
-Blacksmith Roun has donated 500,000 won.
-???
-The #2 ranked blacksmith?
-Holy crap, is that really Roun?
-Isn’t he the guild master of the #1 smithy in the country? Damn.
-Whoa, one of the Three Master Craftsmen!
The chat erupted.
It was due to the sudden appearance of the number two ranked blacksmith and the guild master of the current number one ranked blacksmith guild.
Soon, as if by agreement, the chat fell silent.
-May I set a mission?
Hyun-soo looked at the chat window. PD Kim watched him, swallowing dryly.
Ten seconds later, Hyun-soo replied.
“He says, ‘Yes.’”
-If any of the artifacts crafted in these 10 days is Rare, I’ll donate 1 million won. If it’s Epic, 3 million. If it’s Unique, 10 million.
“…?”
It was an incredible offer. So much so that it surprised Hyun-soo. There was also something he found strange.
“That’s a lot of money. Why are you offering so much?”
A moment later, Roun’s message appeared in the chat.
***
Black Anvil Smithy.
The number one blacksmith guild in the country.
Holder of the most smithy subscribers.
Roun stared at the monitor with a deadpan expression.
“I made the bet because it’s not an easy task to begin with.”
Black Anvil possessed data that Purum Inc. hadn’t officially released.
Crafting three artifacts in ten days was possible.
The problem was that it exhausted the character.
The longer auto-crafting was maintained, the lower the grade of the artifact would be.
Worse, he had to make one item every three days.
Crafting in such a rush usually resulted in a 10% lower grade and reduced effectiveness.
‘The second one crafted in a row is 25%.’
The one after that could have up to a 45% increased chance of being a lower grade, and the artifact’s effects themselves would be disappointing.
‘Why on earth are people hyping him up?’
Roun knew.
Until now, Hyeon had listed his auction items with long intervals in between.
In other words, he took his time to create good artifacts and only sold those.
Then, he used his mystique to build up his reputation.
Of course, it wasn’t his place to interfere.
He just needed to make a decision.
‘Blacksmith Hyeon. I think we need to recruit him, but how much should we offer?’
He knew Hyeon was currently receiving offers in the one-billion-won range.
Roun had said he would watch the broadcast and judge for himself.
‘I am a Master Craftsman-level blacksmith.’
The number one, the number three, and himself.
Only these three were called the Three Master Craftsmen, and their actual blacksmithing levels were indeed at the Master Craftsman grade.
‘Even I would struggle to get a Rare, let alone good effects, crafting like that.’
The damn system was the problem.
‘He can’t be a higher grade than us, so it’s impossible for him.’
Even if the grade was low, there was still something he hoped to see.
‘If the effects are good for its grade…’
In truth, the reason he set the mission on this broadcast was to gauge his worth.
‘How much should Black Anvil offer.’
He would only offer the appropriate price.
He wouldn’t go a penny over.
After all, the name of Black Anvil was that prestigious.
Roun typed in the chat.
-It’s because my expectations for Hyeon are high. However, I have a condition. If you don’t create an Epic item, can you release the information on Sword King Barad’s sword?
It was presumed to be Epic.
‘He’s deliberately not revealing it.’
Hyeon was a cunning one. People speculated it was Unique, but if it were, that would be a grand achievement.
There had to be a reason for hiding it.
Pretending it was Unique was probably better than revealing it was Epic.
Soon, Hyeon replied through Mad Rookie.
“He says he agrees.”
Roun was filled with anticipation.
“How much should I offer for you?”
His worth.
It didn’t matter how much it was. Roun had always bought every blacksmith with money.