Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Unexpected Attention
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While Lee Shin was feeling troubled by his growing entanglement with the knights, a positive reaction was brewing elsewhere.
-You guys seen this?
The video Lee Shin posted, primarily on the official Avala Online community forums, was getting a response faster than he'd expected.
-Arthur?
-Who's this nobody?
Of course, it started small. The name Arthur had absolutely no recognition value.
-Holy shit.
-He actually beat Kim Hyun-seong?
But soon, the reactions from the few users who had watched the video to the end completely turned the situation around.
-Kim Hyun-seong lololol, he underestimated his opponent and got totally wrecked.
-fr?
-That's insane for real lololol
-No, he really beat him? Not a fake video?
Unlike Lee Shin, Kim Hyun-seong was a fairly famous user in the community.
Thanks to that, Lee Shin was directly benefiting from it.
However, apart from the buzz it generated, the specific reactions were sharply divided.
-???: "In that case, I can't let this slide."
-Show-off got cut! lol
-But isn't it also because his opponent was just too good?
-Yeah, I think so too. It's not like Kim Hyun-seong played badly, but the opponent's movements were insane.
-Especially dodging everything with just the movement of his phantom sword. He makes it look so easy.
-Wow... he's really good.
Given Kim Hyun-seong's polarizing broadcast style, there were sarcastic comments, as well as reactions of pure astonishment at Lee Shin's skill.
There were also quite a few reactions of pure admiration for the taunt Lee Shin had thrown in his face at the end.
-lolol but that celebration at the end was insane.
-He's a true madman lolololol
-You could tell from the title lol
-???: Kim Hyun-seong, cut!
-lolololol
The comment that summarized all these reactions and received the most likes was this:
-So who is this guy?
Who the hell was he?
Kim Hyun-seong was a player whose skills were undisputed, even if opinions on him were divided.
A user with top-tier PvP skills!
So it was only natural that users were interested in someone who had crushed a player like him so mockingly.
-Maybe a ranker?
-He's a nobody, though. If he were a ranker, there's no way Kim Hyun-seong wouldn't have known him. They're both rankers.
-But can a non-ranker be that good?
-Maybe he has the skill but just a low level? Stats were adjusted during that event, right?
-But even considering that, it's usually the rankers who do well...
Fiery interest!
And this reaction caught the eye of an unexpected person.
A broadcast station's producer.
* * *
OnGameNet Media.
It was one of South Korea's premier gaming channels.
A channel that had maintained its legacy since the old StarCraft days, one that everyone in the know knew.
Due to the market's nature, its capital scale wasn't large enough to branch out into other fields, but its uniquely solid core fanbase had ensured its operations ran smoothly until now.
But recently, that current had begun to change bit by bit.
And that change was closer to being negative than positive.
"...That concludes the presentation."
After the presentation on the first-half performance of the year concluded, the lights in the OnGameNet conference room turned on.
"Hmm."
"Mmm..."
"..."
The performance figures showed almost no change.
While they had grown, it was a deeply disappointing result considering the unprecedented boom that gaming content broadcasters had been enjoying recently.
Amidst the groans from here and there, the station director sitting in the center spoke up.
"How are the viewership ratings these days?"
"Pardon?"
"The ratings. For our station as a whole."
The one who answered was Producer Park, who was sitting right in front of him.
"They're not bad."
"..."
"The rankers we recently signed are also pulling in stable ratings... It might not be satisfactory for now, but once they're promoted, the numbers will go up a lot."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, things will definitely be better next quarter."
Producer Park answered confidently.
And it was true.
The OnGameNet channel had a solid fandom built up over the years, so as long as it guaranteed content of a certain quality, it could achieve stable results.
Of course, 'providing content of a certain quality' was easier said than done...
This case was an exception.
This was because most of OnGameNet's program formats involved broadcasting the personal streams of famous personalities.
Of course, they didn't take a completely hands-off approach, sometimes mixing in edits or adding charming content, but they generally didn't meddle much.
They utilized the streamers' videos as they were, as much as possible.
This method had the advantage of easily securing viewership above a certain level if the streamers were well-known.
The problem was the supply of such streamers, but this wasn't much of an issue either.
"The number of rankers we currently have under contract is the highest compared to other broadcasters."
"..."
"It's the same even when you factor in their name recognition."
An outstanding talent pool!
While it was hard to say OnGameNet Media was a large company, this was a definite strength.
But the director wore an expression that suggested something was bothering him.
"Hmm..."
"?"
He pondered for a moment before asking.
"How many in total?"
"Including the recent contracts, it's 37 people."
"And how many are left if you exclude the rankers from the Avala Online 1 era?"
"Pardon?"
"Just answer the question."
"Uh... probably about three."
At Park Pyeong-sik's answer, the director fell silent. He spoke again after a long pause.
"...So most of them are connections from Avala Online 1."
"Yes, is there a problem...?"
"No. It's not a problem."
It was simply a matter of actively utilizing the connections and strengths built up from the past, which couldn't be seen as a problem.
"However, I do feel that there needs to be some change."
"Change?"
"To be more precise, I think we need to make some new attempts..."
Pausing for a moment, the director scanned the conference room and continued.
"For instance, you all know that the gaming market has grown explosively recently, and related industries have grown along with it."
"Yes, we know."
Thanks to the massive success of Avala Online recently, a new wind was blowing not just through game companies but also through various industries related to gaming, and the broadcasting world was no exception.
Beyond personal streams, numerous programs began to be regularly scheduled, riding on the coattails of Avala Online's popularity.
The industry as a whole lacked experience, so many shows failed due to strange concepts...
"...but quite a few have been successful. Like 'Playing a Game as a Chef' or 'New Meta Lab'."
"Yeees."
<Playing a Game as a Chef> was popular for its uniquely calm atmosphere, offering a sense of healing to users tired of hunting and raids.
In particular, <New Meta Lab>, which introduced lesser-known classes, performed the feat of even being broadcast on a major public network, thanks to the game's own popularity.
And both of these were programs from other stations.
"Our ratings are still quite good, but compared to shows like those, we seem to be lagging far behind in terms of buzz."
If you fall behind in buzz, you fall behind in new viewers as well.
And this was a much bigger problem than it seemed.
This was because Avala Online 2 was vastly more successful than the first game.
In a market pie that had grown overwhelmingly large, it was difficult to continue broadcasting relying solely on past connections and fandom without attracting a new audience.
It was clear they would gradually fall behind in the competition with other stations.
"We're already seeing the signs, aren't we?"
"...Yes."
"Shouldn't we solve this?"
"You're right."
The producers' expressions grew grim at the director's explanation.
Watching them, the director rose from his seat and spoke.
"I'm not saying you have to solve it right this instant."
"Yes."
"But I want you to keep thinking about it. If we don't want to be left behind, don't we need some kind of change?"
"...Yes."
"The meeting is over. Get back to work."
The meeting concluded with the director's request.
Afterward, Producer Park returned to his desk, lost in thought.
*'Nothing new, huh.'*
It was certainly a problem he had been sensing recently.
Compared to other stations that received investments from various corporations and launched challenging programs, OnGameNet Media was extremely conservative.
This approach was stable, but for a gaming channel primarily consumed by a younger demographic sensitive to trends, it was highly likely to become a poison.
"Hmm..."
Producer Park sank into serious contemplation.
The answer he reached after much thought was this:
To make a new attempt, they first needed a new person.
*'It can't be helped.'*
He couldn't just tell the existing rankers, who had already established themselves on air with their own styles, to change their ways.
Not only would there surely be backlash, but even their existing fans might leave due to the altered broadcast style.
In that case, it was better to just find a ranker who hadn't signed a broadcasting contract yet.
*'I'll have to look around.'*
To find information on rankers, Producer Park logged into the official Avala Online community forums.
As it was the official community, relatively reliable data was posted, and it reacted most sensitively to hot topics, making it a good reference in times like these.
"Let's see... hmm?"
And that's when he discovered a peculiar post.
While he was about to check the ranking information, a post on the rapidly rising recommendations board happened to catch his eye.
The title was so unusual that it was impossible not to notice, even if he didn't want to.
[RANK 7. Psychopath Diary]
A short but provocative title.
The recommendations were rising in real-time.
"..."
Producer Park clicked on the post out of curiosity. What appeared was a YouTube channel.
Park Pyeong-sik nodded.
*'A well-chosen name.'*
The deliberately provocative wording made it worth clicking on at least once out of sheer curiosity.
Hadn't Producer Park himself clicked the post as if possessed?
The video was also short, around 10 minutes, making it easy to watch on a whim.
Without much thought, Producer Park played the video.
And he was shocked.
A ranker and streamer he knew well was being overwhelmed by a mere unknown user.
Moreover.
[Ta-da-da-da~!]
"!!!"
The sight of him climbing on top of his fallen opponent to perform a celebration was shockingly impressive.
He was perfectly executing the 'psychopath concept' he had presented!
His talent for broadcasting was exceptional.
"His name is... Arthur?"
OnGameNet's Producer, Park Pyeong-sik.
This was the moment the user named Arthur was imprinted upon him.
* * *
*Ting. Ting!*
The notifications kept ringing.
It was the sound of recommendations being added to the post he'd made on the Avala Online forums.
"The reaction is good."
Hearing Lee Shin's mumble, Jeong Yu-ra, who was beside him, asked.
"Hm?"
"I said the reaction is good. For the video I posted."
7th on the real-time trending list.
Over 1 million views.
He thought it might get completely buried since it was his first video...
This was a result beyond his expectations.
It was the result of Kim Hyun-seong's name recognition working effectively.
*'He must have been really famous, I guess.'*
Lee Shin checked the comment reactions.
The users who had watched the video were debating the topic of who this user named Arthur was.
But since Lee Shin had thoroughly used a pseudonym and changed his combat style, there were no guesses that came close to the truth yet.
In other words, he had managed to grab only the buzz!
It was the exact situation he had hoped for.
A satisfied smile appeared on Lee Shin's lips.
"Good... hmm?"
But then, among the countless comments, one of a different kind caught his eye.
[Zia has donated 1,000,000 Won to this video.]
*'A donation message?'*
Lee Shin's eyes widened.
Of course, he knew YouTube had a donation feature.
But seeing a donation, especially one of a million Won, come in all at once was something you usually only saw on channels covering political or social issues.
It wasn't an amount you'd easily find on a gaming video.
This was especially true for a brand-new channel that had only uploaded a single video.
*'What for?'*
Lee Shin examined the message with curiosity, but there was nothing much to mull over; the attached comment was just a few words.
[I'm cheering for you.]
"...?"
A cool donor who left a message of just a few words, one that didn't match the amount.
Lee Shin narrowed his eyes.
*'Who is it?'*
Pondering the identity of a user found online was usually a meaningless act, but...
"..."
Zia.
Ji-a.
This time, something felt different.
A tickling sensation in his head.
It was hard to explain in words, but he had a strong feeling that he was missing something.
And "I'm cheering for you," of all things.
Thinking about it carefully, these words also gave off a strangely odd feeling.
*'Do people normally say that?'*
It was just the first video, after all.
It wasn't an uncommon thing to hear, but it didn't seem to fit this particular video.
Wouldn't something like 'Great video,' 'Looking forward to the next one,' or 'Kill XX next time!' be more fitting?
Compared to the video's content, there was a great sense of disconnect.
*'...Do they know me?'*