Chapter 155
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: EP.155 Kim So-jeong
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Reflexes A, mission performance A+, crisis response B- .... With her current specs, she's not quite at the level of a national representative prospect. But if she gains a lot of experience, she could become a solid dealer who fits right into a Ranker clan. And considering that her Raid Leader is the hero Han Minguk .... I think we need to keep a close eye on her growth potential.”
The Tactics Team 2 Leader of the Rose Shield Clan said. The profile she mentioned was Kim So-jeong's.
And the clan's Tactics Team 2 Leader had compiled profiles not just for Kim So-jeong, but for all the heroes in the GGW raid team, including Oh Hyun-ah. Han Minguk's profile was included among them.
Oh Hyun-jung, who had been listening to the Tactics Team Leader, nodded vigorously and spoke up.
“Melee Dealers are definitely in higher demand than supply these days. There's even that old saying about them just wrapping bandages and staying quiet ....”
“That's old talk. These days, there are actually more Healers relative to the numbers.”
Hyun-jung the secretary, who had naturally chimed in, quietly shut her mouth.
In any case, the secretary's words weren't wrong. You could tell just by looking at the position distribution among Hero Academy graduates. That's why reports showed a sharp increase in graduates changing classes to join clans compared to before.
“Oh! And this morning's report: Hero Kim So-jeong acquired the Unique Class Destroyer.”
This time it was the Tactics Team Leader speaking. Hyun-jung's eyes went wide at her words.
“...Pardon?”
“Raid Leader Han Minguk submitted the report, saying she got a class stone from the ‘Flame Canyon Orc Citadel.’”
“That raid team's .... really lucky, huh? Are Unique-grade class stones really that common now?”
Hyun-jung voiced her thoughts on the report she'd heard.
Everyone else in the room shook their heads in unison. If class stones were that common, their market price wouldn't be so high.
But ever since the report that Hyun-ah had snagged a Legend Class from Vietnam's expansion event, the GGW raid team had been pulling Unique-grade class stones one after another.
At this rate, they looked ready to outfit their entire raid team with Unique or higher classes.
In fact, about half the heroes in the raid already held Unique Classes.
Ironically, that was more than in Rose Shield Clan's first-string raid team—the one tackling 【B-1】 difficulty dungeons, no less.
“When God made Raid Leader Han Minguk, He must've packed in everything a human needs.”
“Well, hopefully he'll put that talent to good use and save us too.”
“We'll just have to support them well.”
Agreeing with the Tactics Team Leader, Hyun-jung nodded once more.
In any event, the reason Hyun-jung had gathered the clan's Tactics Team Leaders for this discussion was to select the optimal raid members for the upcoming monster battles to achieve the best results.
That's why she'd received the evaluation report on the smoothly operating GGW raid team.
Currently, Rose Shield Clan had received several solid transfer offers from various clans, including Ranker clans. They were heroes who wanted to join Rose Shield of their own accord, and some were even top-tier heroes in Korea's top 10 rankings.
‘For now, the level gap means they can't team up with GGW ....’
Their intentions were obvious.
No doubt they were eyeing Han Minguk and the GGW raid team's terrifying growth trajectory, trying to reserve a spot in advance.
But from Rose Shield's perspective, there was no need to shell out big money to recruit such heroes. The GGW raid team was thriving on its own like model students.
Still, the reason Hyun-jung had set up this meeting was the hefty name value of those transfer-seeking heroes.
“So, no matter which of these heroes showing interest in our clan we recruit, they can't match GGW's efficiency right now, right?”
“That's correct.”
“Even if they could, the backlash from existing members against roster changes would likely hurt the raid's atmosphere more.”
“Well .... ultimately, it all comes down to Raid Leader Han Minguk's decision.”
“Even with Rankers?”
Hyun-jung asked hypothetically in response to the Tactics Team Leaders' words.
Rankers like Kang Chae-young, Choi Si-yeon, and Kim Eun-ha. What results would come from them syncing with Han Minguk? The Tactics Team Leader pondered long and hard before slowly shaking her head.
“Short-term, they'd definitely help. But long-term? Impossible to predict. Raid chemistry and synergy are unknowns no one can fully grasp ....”
Would they rally tightly around Han Minguk, or would the ego-heavy Rankers clash with him in a power struggle? It was unpredictable.
Of course, the former was more likely, but ....
There seemed no reason to disrupt a well-oiled team's chemistry. And so, Rose Shield Clan decided to manage their dungeons solely with existing heroes, without recruiting new ones.
They'd already lost their Ranker Clan title anyway, so the dungeons they oversaw weren't numerous or high-level.
“Hi!”
“Hello!”
Minguk's head turned at the bright greetings. Ahead of the dungeon, Hyun-ah and Yuna were chatting loudly while staring at their tablets.
They were on a video call with someone. Minguk, who had been subtly checking their actions, let out a hollow chuckle.
He could instantly tell what they were up to. The two were streaming live on the internet for an audience.
- Uh, wh-whoa?! Sis! Behind you! Behind!!!
- Eek lololol just now I saw a brilliant halo in my eyes! Is this the Heavenly Eye?!
- It's a guy! A guy!!!!
- Why are you all freaking out? Like you've never grabbed a guy's wrist before? Everyone, stay calm! Oppaeeeeeee!!!
Hyun-ah's head naturally turned back at the near-screams flooding the chat. Sure enough, Raid Leader Minguk was blinking at her.
Hyun-ah's face darkened as she stared at him for a moment.
‘Uh, oh no?!’
It hit her that she hadn't consulted the raid leader about doing a stream. Yuna seemed to realize the same, her expression stiffening.
After a brief hesitation, Hyun-ah cautiously asked Minguk.
“...W-we prepared a hero stream, wanna say a word to the fans?”
“Sure, why not.”
Hyun-ah sighed in relief at Minguk's straightforward nod. Good thing he wasn't mad about their little stunt.
“Just talk here?”
“Yeah, the camera's facing this way.”
“...Camera? That's a drone?”
Minguk's eyes widened. A black box was hovering silently in the air without propellers.
Unfortunately, viewers' chats had to be checked on the tablet, but it seemed perfect for outdoor filming.
A quick glance at the tablet showed the chat in total chaos. No surprise— a guy had appeared. Just like viewership explodes with a pretty female guest.
‘I used to want to be a BJ streaming Galaxy Girl War back in the day ....’
Minguk licked his lips as he read the welcoming chats. Old memories surfaced unbidden.
Back when he'd bet his life on Galaxy Girl War for world first kills while living as a NEET, he'd dreamed of making money via streams. Foreign streamers were raking it in with that content.
Plus, he was Korea's Ranker #1 player in GGW.
But ....
Government groups wielding "sexual commodification" slapped restrictions on "Girl" in the title, banning personal streams of games featuring too many "girl"-like female characters.
The absurd part? That nonsense law passed in a flash.
Minguk couldn't earn a dime from GGW as a result. Streaming would've just meant fines.
He could chat with viewers via in-game features, but no revenue there. Luckily, this world had no such limits. If anything, it seemed to encourage sexual commodification.
The donation alerts exploded the moment Minguk appeared.
1,000 won, $3, $50, 10,000 won. Messages piled up like songs queued in a karaoke room.
“Whoa .... Look at the donations exploding now that a guy's here. You all are way too obvious, aren't you?”
Hyun-ah pouted at the chat.
When she and Yuna streamed as a duo, donations trickled in rarely, like beans in a drought. But with Minguk, they poured in nonstop.
She got why broadcasters loved male hero guests.
“R-Raid Leader, say something.”
Yuna prompted him, noticing his lack of reaction despite the donation frenzy.
“Oh! Haven't watched a stream in ages, got lost staring.”
- Lolololololololol???
- No wonder he was quiet lolol
- Aww! Too adorable!
Starting with Yuna's cue, Minguk chatted casually with viewers alongside the two women. The rest of the team hadn't arrived yet, so time was plentiful.
Topics mostly covered hero missions and GGW raid team matters.
He answered personal questions frankly if they were fair game.
Unintentionally, this won massive fan favor. Most male streamers played mysterious, revealing nothing.
“So, what's with the stream?”
After about ten minutes of viewer Q&A, Minguk asked Hyun-ah and Yuna.
“Oh! You know I run the GGW Diary, right?”
Minguk nodded. He'd checked it occasionally, reading Hyun-ah's posts.
It was her personal SNS scribbling raid happenings to connect with fans, doubling as promo for GGW raid team.
‘And the views are ....’
Insanely high.
GGW's objective skill was just clearing 【B-1】 dungeons.
But as a new raid with an ultra-rare male hero leader, plus explosive growth from its members, it drew massive attention domestically and abroad.
Of course, their role in stopping Vietnam's expansion event boosted visibility too.
“Fans kept commenting begging for a stream, so many I caved. Teamed up with Yuna.”
“Ah ....”
That explained her late night out shopping with Yuna a few days back.
“The Clan Leader knows?”
“Of course. Plenty of heroes stream full-time dungeon clears too.”
“...Full-time? Showing raid footage?”
“Yeah? Yeah.”
“Not exactly viewer-friendly, is it?”
Minguk glanced at the chat. Stimulating content draws crowds, but he was skeptical.
Dungeon raids weren't like Galaxy Girl War games. Even with Revival Stones, disasters could strike anytime. If humanoid monsters captured and corrupted a hero on stream ....
‘Wait, does it matter?’
It'd basically be live porn.
Given this world's women and their libidos, cheers would dominate. Category? Who knows.