Crocodile Tears and Beast Hides
Ah, if that reporter had come along, we could've smashed right through it!!!
"Sorry for sending an apology letter by mail since we didn't have a way to contact you...?"
Dear GutRipper,
We sincerely apologize for the unauthorized use of your footage in our uploaded video.
We have immediately deleted the video as per your request.
Regarding your tip, we regret that our poor communication skills may not allow us to provide much assistance.
Thank you for reaching out.
— Ghoul King, CEO of PlayPeople
Racing to the mailbox after hearing my auctioned items had sold, I was greeted not by gold, but by this apology letter from PlayPeople.
And not just from any random staffer—it was from the CEO himself, the infamous Ghoul King.
Well, I'd posted in the gallery that I'd consider it if they apologized, after all that nagging about whether I'd rice-bomb their strategies.
"The video uploaded to our channel featuring your... Ugh, spare me the boilerplate crap."
Blah blah blah.
The flowery, polished apology didn't touch me one bit.
The folks at PlayPeople in Jeong Hana's world might feel wronged, but the ones I knew were notorious for rampant content theft, building their empire on crap like this.
No matter how pretty the words, it just came off as crocodile tears.
"Still, they apologized, so no need to boycott 'em."
Honestly, I wanted to fire back with a "fuck off," but it'd just be a hassle for me. Guess I'll let it slide generously this time.
"P-President! President! We got a reply!"
The Ghoul King's head snapped up from his dozing at the shout from a gaming employee.
"A reply? From who? SuperReporterMan?"
"Yes! But..."
"Outta the way!"
Ghoul King shoved the employee aside and grabbed the keyboard and mouse.
"If this guy joins us, not just Korea but the whole world..."
His glee evaporated into a long sigh as he read Jeong Hana's impeccably polite letter.
I've confirmed the deletion of the YouTube video you mentioned.
However, regarding the tip you provided, my poor eloquence means I won't be of much help.
Thank you for contacting me.
— GutRipper
Jeong Hana had rejected Ghoul King's offer.
Not just rejected it—she'd done so with such perfect etiquette that there wasn't a single nitpick to be had.
"Argh... What the hell is with this kid? We're offering money, and she turns it down?"
"M-Maybe the amount was too low?"
"50 million? Too low my ass! What're you talking about?!"
Ghoul King bellowed but scratched his stubbled jaw in regret.
'Fuck... Shoulda offered 100 if I knew she'd say no. Most amateur streamers would sell their soul for 50.'
Lost of Fantasy was PlayPeople's hot new cash cow.
Not just popular in Korea—it had launched worldwide and was exploding in popularity everywhere, so the demand for "info" was universal.
In that context, Jeong Hana's knowledge was honey from the honeycomb. One solid upload, and views would pour in from Korea, Europe, the US, everywhere.
"Ha... Went too cheap."
100 million won wasn't chump change.
Lost in belated regret, Ghoul King scratched his goatee a few more times.
"Gongmang, tail this kid on your coverage from now on."
"You mean SuperReporterMan's target?"
"Yeah, she knows way too damn much. And keep sending letters. Bump it to 100. If she still says no, then... whatever, she said you can hit the dungeon at 55, right?"
"Yes, the Bloodrock Spire or something like that."
Ghoul King flashed a satisfied grin.
"Right, that one. Foreigners are whining it's tough too. Watch how she does it closely. And Kang Min-seo! That girl streaming 24/7! Keep eyes on her too!"
"B-But Kang Min-seo won't let us use her footage. Didn't she just make us apologize forever this time too...?"
"The idiot... We don't use her stream feed directly. Just watch and recreate with our chars. Use your damn head."
PlayPeople's infamy was well-earned.
"A path here? That's why I wasted two hours yesterday?! Argh! So freaking annoying!!!"
"No way, this existed? Half my thief life down the drain."
Sky was in awe during yet another collab stream that wasn't quite a collab with Kang Min-seo.
At level 56, Kang Min-seo headed to a dungeon called Bloodrock Spire.
At this level, only full-time gamers skipping sleep filled the slots, so her DPS spots were locked with familiar fixed members.
"Sky! You can't just pick locks to break into people's houses like that!"
"Eh, too late now. We're armed robbers anyway, right? Storming their tower, beating the homeowners senseless..."
Sky, Ramju Thunder, and Daydream to round out the DPS trio.
Tank Kang Min-seo.
And the healer spot? Naturally claimed by Jeong Hana, as if it were a given.
"But Min-seo, you sure we can pull this off properly this time?"
"Hey, Reporter gave us the shortcut just now! Should be fine. No more spinning our wheels for an hour hunting the named boss like yesterday."
"What'd we even kill with Nina yesterday? Anyway, it won't be like that, right? Man, yesterday we wasted an hour pathing without a single drop. Pissed me off."
"Beast Gatekeeper? Yeah, we nabbed that and called it."
Kang Min-seo sighed deeply, utterly fed up.
No one disputed Daydream—yesterday's streamer party had tasted hell.
"Ugh, guys! First time in that dungeon yesterday—how was I supposed to know the way? Stop bullying! Pah!"
Kang Min-seo griped naturally now—Bloodrock Spire was a labyrinthine nightmare boasting the shittiest paths imaginable.
But Jeong Hana moved like it was old hat, leading the way with total familiarity, making everyone question their assumptions.
"So, where'd you snag this study-abroad reporter knight? Knows everything."
"Ah... Met her in-game. Knows all the strats, super helpful."
Kang Min-seo loved partying with Jeong Hana—it was effortless.
Not just her; the other streamers genuinely felt today's run was smoother than yesterday's.
"Weird part is, I prepped by checking foreign wikis. But everyone's slacking harder than us..."
"Whoa! Daydream! Don't pop that!"
"Shit!"
Mid-chat, Daydream fat-fingered an AoE, aggroing all six guarding monsters at once.
"C-CC? What... what's that...?"
Kang Min-seo sweated bullets but spammed skills on instinct.
'Oh! CC for AoE damage and mitigation? But can I tank this?'
She unleashed Thunderbolt spam to grab aggro.
But Jeong Hana hadn't specified pairs for nothing—her HP yo-yoed dangerously.
"Stun? Square wha—oh."
What the hell was "square"?
Sky blanked for a second, but Jeong Hana slapped a square-shaped mark on the rearmost archer trainer's head, clicking it instantly.
"B-but what's stun?"
"Stab it once, turns 'em dumb for 30 seconds. Yeah, enjoy your idiot life now, trainer."
"30-sec stun? Total bullshit!"
"Hits break it."
Kang Min-seo was floored.
'No wonder it hurt upfront. Those two backline archers are brained out for 30 secs?'
Sure enough, the two rearmost archer trainers—one CC'd by Sky, one by Jeong Hana—did zero damage.
"Whoa... No wipes."
Jeong Hana's quick calls saved Kang Min-seo's party from wipe, letting them catch a breather.
"Dude, no sorry? Our reporter warned you."
"Eh... no one died."
"As if! Daydream, Reporter saved our asses!"
"Uh..."
Daydream bristled a bit before chuckling.
"Sorry, bros and sis."
He also typed "Reporter srs sorry" in chat to Jeong Hana.
"Don't apologize for real. Daydream."
"Bullying again. Ugh, never apologize to tools."
"I'm the tank right now, not a tool!!!"
Kang Min-seo laughed off the WWE banter and hopped up.
She'd learned to eat the mage's free water bread for regen after clearing a pack, per Jeong Hana's guide.
WWE indeed.
The streamers froze mid-ribbing as Jeong Hana suddenly called out Daydream.
'Uh... pissed?'
Fair assessment.
Jeong Hana had said pull two. She'd saved Kang Min-seo from six. Ignoring instructions for AoE? Anyone would rage.
"Wha—no, I apologized..."
"...Huh?"
Tense Daydream approached the fresh beast corpse as instructed.
"Wait, this is prime loot? Bros, sis—this skins for real!"
"For real? Skinnable?"
Expert Profession mats sold big at auction.
Even early game, everyone knew that much.
"Ah... That's why the map's so tall with floors 4 and 5."
"Ooh, so yesterday's pickaxing wasn't wasted. Jackpot, total jackpot."
"Alright! Daydream takes hides, I take ore, Ramju herbs?"
"Whaddabout me?"
"Sky bro doesn't have Expert Profession, right?"
"Ah, should've learned a trade. Damn, wasted on lockpicking."
"~Bro! Sell at auction, I'll hook you up with gold."
"I didn't ask... but sure, if you're offering."
"But Min-seo, this'll make bank—no cut for Reporter?"
Big money talk.
And it wasn't just the streamers chatting with Kang Min-seo thinking that.
Ghoul King, lurking her stream for a while now, was thinking the exact same.
"Daaamn, spilling this for free? Easy peasy. Saved 100 mil."
Of course, Jeong Hana had reasons for sharing freely.