Hacker Suspicions and Rival Intel
Top Beast Survival
Tadak tadak
"Huh? He's going off alone and getting downed again?"
"*@#&@$#&"
"What the hell are you even saying, noob."
I'd just finished applying for Top Beast Survival and, feeling nostalgic, decided to hop into a game. The battle royale FPS I was playing, Apex Hunters, couldn't be played solo—it required a strict four-person team. Naturally, with no friends in the game, I queued for random matchmaking. Unfortunately, I got stuck with teammates who spoke some incomprehensible foreign language.
They seemed to be speaking English, but their accents were so atrocious I couldn't make out a word. It definitely wasn't because I was some ignorant guy who didn't know English. They chatted fine among themselves, but these deadweights were just spamming voice chat and ruining the game.
"If you're dead, just shut up and watch."
"@##$@!!"
You could revive dead teammates at specific map spots, but I had zero interest in giving these burdens a second chance. What would they do if revived? Probably just flop around like idiots again.
Tang—
I cleared out nearby enemies first and started looting.
"Oh, nice. Jackpot."
Right from the start, I snagged a gun I liked. It was a hand cannon-style pistol that fired single shots—not bullets, but lasers. As a laser weapon, it had hitscan advantages, but its low fire rate and pitiful per-shot damage unless you landed headshots made it unpopular.
But what if I used it with my high-speed thinking?
"It's basically aimbot."
I calmly lined up my sights, clicked two or three times, and enemies dropped. After that, it was a massacre. Every head that peeked out got a neat hole punched through it, and I claimed victory.
"@%$##@ Fucking hacker!"
But my teammates, who'd just spectated without joining, suddenly got loud. I couldn't understand most of it, but I caught the curses and hacker accusations loud and clear.
Irritated by the noobs' yapping, I opened the mileage shop and bought that item I'd eyed before.
Would you like to purchase the Language Learning Jelly? 100 mileage will be consumed.
I bought it instantly. Once purchased, the description popped up.
◈ Consume to learn and speak the first language you hear.
◈ Does not include reading or writing.
Couldn't read or write? Illiterate jelly, huh. I'd bookmarked it in case I ended up in some foreign story world, but screw it—I'd eat it now. I chewed and swallowed the jelly right away.
"@#$... Why don't they just ban that gun hackers love so much? Damn it!"
Suddenly, I understood my teammate's English perfectly. So they were trash-talking me among themselves.
"Hey, if you suck at the game, just watch quietly. I carried us to a win, didn't I?"
"...You talking to us right now? Wait, you're American?"
"Korean. From now on, quit trolling and stick behind your teammates properly."
I quit the game right there. It'd been fun blasting enemies after ages, a nice stress reliever. As I lay down to rest, my smartphone buzzed—an email.
Accepted. Figured as much—no prior fame, just popped out of nowhere, but they picked me anyway. Pre-interview was in two days. Needed to meet Jung Soo-jin today or tomorrow to chat. I grabbed my phone and called her.
"Hey, Soo-jin. It's me..."
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"Damn it, what the hell is this guy?!"
"Haha... Some players are just like that."
Sera glanced at the chat while calming her teammate.
"Ughhh! What a disaster!"
As a fairly popular gaming YouTuber, she'd planned a collab with North American streamer Nice Bro to grow her overseas audience, but she never expected the first game to blow up like this.
"Alright, alright~ We've reported him. Let the devs decide. On to the next game!"
She sweated bullets to calm things down and keep the stream going. But she couldn't stop the clip titled "Korean-Hater Generator" from spreading among viewers.
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Ding-a-ling. The bell chimed softly as I opened the door to the cozy little cafe. This private spot for meeting Jung Soo-jin was run by her acquaintance. Soft classical music played, and the clean, warm interior felt nice.
"Oppa! Over here!"
Jung Soo-jin waved from a table against the wall.
"Congrats on passing!"
"Thanks. Lunch is on me today."
"Hehe. Gotta milk something expensive outta ya~"
She talked big, but her cute smile and sidelong glances gave her away.
"I'll decide after hearing what you've got."
"Don't worry. I know this scene inside out. Dug up everything the second you told me."
She sipped her coffee with a slurp before continuing.
"Three confirmed big names so far. First one's Big Palm Uncle."
"Big Palm Uncle? Unique name."
"Former weightlifter YouTuber. He's been openly saying in videos he'd join this show."
A ex-weightlifter? Must be insanely strong. Probably huge too—that why the name?
"Next?"
"Chaeni. Pilates YouTuber Chaeni's second."
"Pilates? Kinda doesn't fit a competition show like this."
Jung Soo-jin shook her head, ponytail swishing.
"You think only ripped dudes wanna watch sweaty gym bros? Muscleheads? Girls like me who dig muscles? Nah. No buzz, just flops."
True—producers chase hype first. Female contestants add eye candy even if competition dips a bit. I nodded.
"And Sanders, a foreign YouTuber."
"Foreigner?"
I tilted my head.
"Yeah. You know how foreigners speaking Korean for Korean audiences trended? He blew up then."
"What kinda videos?"
"Anything Korea-related. Vlogs, drama reviews, random stuff. Was a model before YouTube. Probably casting for hot foreign eye candy."
I pulled out my phone and searched.
[Top Reasons to Live in Korea!]
[Introducing Korean Anju to Foreign Friends!]
[Aussie Model's First Grilled Intestines Challenge!]
"Hmm..."
Titles that'd hook people. The guy in the thumbnails looked lean and agile. Hype bait for sure.
"That's the main ones?"
"Yeah... Normies have zilch info out there."
"Makes sense. Nobody knows I'm in except you."
"Hehe. Athletes usually got SNS though. I'll dig more and update ya."
I reached out and stroked her hair.
"Cool. If it works out, it's all thanks to you."
"Heehee. Don't forget it."
She beamed, flashing pearly whites, savoring the touch.
"No controversies or anything out there, oppa. But don't play too nice—gotta snag screen time."
"Don't sweat it. Too squeaky clean for drama."
Her side-eye made my conscience twinge for some reason.
"Anyway, you worked hard today, Soo-jin. Pick anything—I'll buy."
"Sushi! Craving sushi bad!"
"Alright. Sushi it is."
As she squealed and clung to me, I pondered. If the guidebook worked in reality, intel like this'd be effortless—just ask.
'But it's different from those fictional travel spots in novels.'
I never planned to rampage here anyway. First thought after getting powers? Succeed and earn recognition. Darker urges? Save for travel worlds.
With thoughts sorted, we headed to a famous Japanese chef's sushi spot.
"Sea bream belly."
"Ooh~"
Clap clap. Jung Soo-jin clapped lightly at the chef's skilled nigiri work.
"Mmm... So good."
Fatty and melt-in-your-mouth tender. Come to think, proper sushi'd been ages for me too. Watching the chef explain in halting Korean reminded me of the Language Learning Jelly.
'Learn Japanese while I'm at it?'
Tempting, but save it. English covers tons; no Japanese around now. Buy later for Japan stories. With this, I'd be the world's best interpreter.
'Not really planning that.'
Satisfied, we naturally hit a nearby motel to tangle bodies. Then pre-interview day arrived.
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"Pardon? Who looks the easiest to beat?"