Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Unboxing (2)
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Producer Kim sighed as he hurried away at the command to prepare a teaser trailer.
‘Ha, I wish they’d give us a bigger budget, and more editors too.’
He had a feeling this could draw in a massive audience.
‘Advertising through us…’
Producer Kim gave a wry smile. AJ Internet Broadcasting had recently become a hot topic thanks to the simultaneous appearance of Mad Rookie and Hyeon.
Following that, this unboxing broadcast was bound to make waves.
‘But what if the artifact fails to satisfy the viewers…?’
Their subscriber count would plummet. Just then, Producer Kim received a call from Director Lee.
-The more I think about it, the more absurd it is. Who do they think they are, advertising through us? We need to teach these punks a lesson!
But the director’s voice was full of laughter.
-I’m assigning several teams to you, so make a kick-ass trailer. Let’s show them who we are!
“Yes, sir!”
The order was given. An order to create the best possible trailer and teach Hyeon’s Smithy a lesson(?).
As Producer Kim contacted Nel again, he muttered to himself.
“The person doing the unboxing is important, too…?”
He hadn’t thought of that.
The more influential the person, the greater the viewers’ expectations would be.
He soon reported that the woman named Nel had agreed.
‘Who could it be?’
Producer Kim cautiously asked who the client was.
-It’s Dragon Knight Risel.
Hearing that, Producer Kim’s jaw dropped.
‘Th-The 21st ranked player in the country, Risel?’
Dragon Knight Risel was a huge deal.
Though he was only ranked 21st in the country, the new world of Ares had made him as popular as any celebrity.
Furthermore, while Dragon Knight Risel was clearly listed at 21st on the public rankings, he had never once shown his face.
‘I thought it might be Ian.’
Ian, the number one ranked archer.
He had expressed an immense desire to buy during the last broadcast.
But when comparing the broadcast impact of Risel and Ian, Risel was overwhelmingly superior.
Ian was already active publicly, while Risel was not.
*Gulp.*
‘This is… this is huge.’
Producer Kim swallowed a dry lump in his throat.
“I’ll do my absolute best.”
Producer Kim’s motivation flared.
He intuitively knew that the fate of AJ Internet Broadcasting was on the line.
-Please request any materials you may need.
“Yes!”
The best talents from various teams were assembled. After a series of meetings, they decided on the production approach.
After requesting materials from Hyeon’s side, they quickly completed the teaser trailer.
Watching the trailer before uploading it to Jeultube, Producer Kim had a premonition.
‘This is going to be a massive hit. No, it has to be!’
[Hyeon’s Creation Unboxing Teaser has been uploaded.]
The teaser was released.
***
The courtyard of Hyeon’s Smithy.
[Hyeon-nim, when will you craft for me? I’m waiting.]
[Ian’s still at it, lmao.]
[Lmao.]
[Ian’s pilgrimage, hahaha.]
The courtyard functioned like a community forum where people could leave posts. Not only Ian, but several other well-known archers and famous figures were visible.
[This is Callum, ranked 18th among archers.]
[This is Brown, ranked 2nd among mages. Please accept my crafting request. I’ve been posting diligently every day for two months now.]
[Wow, he’s persistent, lmao.]
[Brown’s been posting for two months, and Ian has been posting every day since the broadcast, lol.]
[The rankers’ pilgrimage, lmao.]
[That’s how badly they want one. You fools! Dream on, you think something like the Thousand Geun Bow will appear again?!]
[Right, their dreams are way too big.]
Just then.
[Hey guys, a teaser called ‘Hyeon’s Creation Unboxing’ just went up on Jeultube!]
A reply was posted immediately.
[For real?]
[??? Ian-nim, what are you doing here?]
[He appeared as if he was waiting for it.]
[Are you the resident ghost of Hyeon’s Smithy or something? Lmao.]
[Ah… W-wait, you’re not staring at Hyeon’s Smithy every day, are you?]
But Ian didn’t reply after that.
Why? Because he had rushed off to watch the teaser.
Like him, countless users clicked on the trailer.
*Click.*
The moment they clicked, the teaser began to play.
First, white text appeared on a black background.
[Hyeon’s Creation Unboxing Teaser]
The letters slowly scattered as majestic music began to play.
Along with the music, a tiny dot began to slowly zoom in.
The viewers could tell what that dot was.
[Hyeon’s First Crafted Sword.]
Surrounding it, dozens of screenshots of reactions from the auction house community appeared.
Soon, its detailed information popped up, then instantly switched to Hyeon’s second creation, the bow.
Like flipping a calendar, the artifacts Hyeon had sold so far were shown sequentially, accompanied by the grand music.
And then.
[KRRRUUUUUMBLE!]
The screen instantly transitioned to a shot of Mad Rookie slamming the head of a Penrus Fragment into the ground with the Thousand Geun Bow.
[The Creator of the Thousand Geun Bow!]
[The Creator of Sword King Barad’s Sword!]
All the text vanished again, leaving only a black screen filling the teaser.
Suddenly, white text flashed onto the screen.
[The Blacksmith Hyeon…]
Those letters scattered, and new text appeared.
[And the Client.]
At the word ‘client,’ the viewers tensed up. Who was the client who had beaten out so many others?
Soon, the name appeared.
[Dragon Knight Risel.]
The viewers’ eyes widened.
And that text, too, vanished, replaced by a final message.
[August 18th. A special broadcast. Hyeon’s Creation Unboxing. Find out on AJ Internet Broadcasting.]
Finally, the video ended.
With the release of the teaser, the community forums exploded.
[Can’t miss this, lmao.]
[I’m watching it live.]
[Dragon Knight Risel, you say? Whoa!]
[Damn, a Hyeon and Risel collab this time!]
[This is going to get a lot of viewers, huh? It’s the one right after the Thousand Geun Bow… lol.]
[Seems like it. AJ was going under, but Hyeon saved them.]
[I bet all the rankers who requested a commission last time will be watching. ‘Let’s see who you chose after ditching me!’]
[A jilted ex-lover’s perspective, lmao. How dare you dump me!?]
[Thinking, ‘They’re probably ugly, probably not that great,’ only to find out it’s Risel…]
The teaser’s view count continued to climb.
Internet news articles began to pop up.
[Blacksmith Hyeon Collaborates with Dragon Knight Risel.]
[What is the Second Artifact After the Thousand Geun Bow?]
[Hyeon’s Gamble. A Fall if Viewers are Unsatisfied, a Soaring Rise if They Are. Hyeon at a Crossroads.]
Viewers who had been anticipating the follow-up to the Thousand Geun Bow, and those who had seen the recording of that broadcast.
Added to them were the users who had been curious about Dragon Knight Risel.
They all watched the teaser with bated breath.
The view count for the teaser continued to rise, and articles were steadily published.
And when the live broadcast began, Hyun-soo was amazed by the viewer count that appeared before his eyes.
[Current Viewers: 186,313]
Hitting 180,000 viewers right at the start was an incredible number.
He could even see foreigners in the endlessly scrolling chat window.
That’s how immense the curiosity was about the Thousand Geun Bow, Hyeon, and the identity of Dragon Knight Risel.
Watching the broadcast begin, Hyun-soo let out a small smile.
‘Now, shall I prepare a big one from my end?’
Hyun-soo wasn’t just going to sit back and watch with his hands tied.
Since it was going to be revealed anyway, he figured he might as well provide some covering fire.
Hyun-soo logged into the auction house on his computer.
***
Just as there was a group chat for archers called ‘An Archer’s Friendship Lasts Until Death,’ there was also one for the blacksmiths ranked 2nd to 10th.
The group chat, named ‘The Smithy,’ included everyone from rank 2 to 10, excluding the number one ranker.
Moreover, most of them were owners of smithies ranked within the top 10 on the auction house.
Roun of Black Anvil, the 2nd ranked blacksmith, leader of the number one blacksmith guild, and owner of the smithy with the most subscribers on the auction house—in other words, Tae-hyun—was also watching the broadcast.
On the screen, a man standing 180cm tall and wearing a dragon mask appeared.
With his appearance, the viewer count began to climb even faster.
-Dragon Knight Risel looks handsome even with a mask on…
-What’s with that box?
-You don’t know what an unboxing is? It’s the box for opening a new product. That weapon is probably inside.
[Current Viewers: 203,013]
Even Tae-hyun was growing tense at the rapidly increasing viewer count.
A message appeared in the group chat.
[Nanssogong: I’m sure Mr. Roun made an offer, but the fact that he’s acting independently pretty much confirms it. Hyeon has no intention of joining any guild.]
Tae-hyun’s brow twitched. They already knew through their own sources.
They knew Tae-hyun had prepared a blank check.
[Nanssogong: By advertising through this broadcast, he’s hammering the point home. Hyeon is aiming for our spots.]
Tae-hyun had to admit it.
Soon, the 4th ranked blacksmith spoke up.
[Kokonyang: Isn’t it meaningless? Hyeon only appeared less than half a year ago. We, on the other hand, have been putting down roots for three years.]
Tae-hyun found himself nodding in agreement.
[Kokonyang: And it’s impossible for a single blacksmith, who we presume is working alone, to break into our ranks, which are made up of corporations with hundreds of blacksmiths.]
[Nanssogong: I agree.]
[Kongabeom: Me too.]
[Rakel: That’s right. The highest Hyeon can climb is probably 30th place. His ranking is built on fun and hype. He won’t be able to climb any higher unless he has actual consumers.]
Tae-hyun chimed in.
[Roun: I agree.]
He kept his words to a minimum. One never knew what the future held.
However, he shared their opinion.
On the TV screen, Dragon Knight Risel, who had been chatting with the MC, could be seen cutting the tape on the box with a small knife.
Tae-hyun smiled with an intrigued expression.
‘A Unique? Will it be the same as last time?’
Hyeon seemed quite confident.
It looked like he was planning to raise his rank with an artifact close to Legendary.
But just a few days ago, Tae-hyun had also managed to craft an additional artifact that was closest to Legendary.
And it went without saying for the number one ranker.
With a person like Roun already at Black Anvil, would people really subscribe to Hyeon’s Smithy?
Just for fun and hype?
Yes, there was a limit to how far that could take someone…
Just then.
“S-Sir!”
Tae-hyun looked puzzled by the commotion outside.
“I told you not to bother me unless it’s important.”
“The blacksmith Hyeon has just released the information for the sword he made for Sword King Barad on the auction house.”
Tae-hyun frowned.
Was that also a sword closest to Legendary?
That wasn’t enough to interrupt his viewing…
“It’s a Legendary grade.”
“…What are you talking about? Globally, only the blacksmith Smith can…”
The female employee quickly held out her phone screen.
Displayed on it was the detailed information for Sword King Barad’s sword.
The grade was written right there.
Legendary.
For a moment, Tae-hyun’s thoughts froze.
He looked down at the phone in his own hand.
The members of the group chat, who had been chattering away, had suddenly gone silent.
They must have received the same report.
Tae-hyun slowly rose to his feet.
*Ping!*
A message appeared in the silent group chat.
[Nanssogong: He’s coming up… Blacksmith Hyeon is, and he’s aiming for our spots…!]
[Kokonyang: I stand corrected. Hyeon is coming up.]
[Rakel: We might need to prepare…!]
Tae-hyun’s eyes wavered.
On the screen, Dragon Knight Risel was slowly lifting the sword out of the box.
‘It can’t be…’
The pommel of the sword was shaped like a dragon’s head.
As the blade was slowly revealed, the engraved characters for ‘Smelting Sword’ made Tae-hyun’s eyes fly open.
‘No…’
A chill ran down Tae-hyun’s spine.
Smelting Sword?
The Smelting Sword he knew of?
No.
Viewers were delighted and excited.
By what?
When a weapon we knew from reality was brought to life!
Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s Twin Dragon Swords.
China’s Moye and Gan Jiang swords.
Gram and Balmung.
Zeus’s lightning bolt and Hermes’s sandals.
For things that everyone knew to become real was a huge deal!
‘The viewers will…’
They would subscribe.
‘And if its grade is also excellent…’
They would be thrilled.
Amidst the perfect form of the finally revealed sword.
“Wow…”
The female employee next to him let out an awestruck gasp, oblivious to the mood. Then, Dragon Knight Risel spoke.
[Hyeon’s second Legendary artifact. The unboxing begins now.]
The world fell silent.
No, only Tae-hyun’s world fell silent.
And in that silence.
[Current Viewers: 343,190]
A fire was being lit in the hearts of the viewers.
The hottest fire of all—one of anticipation and excitement.