Winds of Korean Otaku Pride

The wind of Korean otakus' pride sweeps across the blue fields, caressing the grass as it flows aimlessly. A leaf surrenders to the breeze, drifting from its rightful place like a graceful butterfly through the air. Then, the leaf is sliced cleanly in two by a razor-sharp sword. The moment of the strike stretches out, as if someone had frozen time itself. Yet the momentum clinging to the blade shakes it off and accelerates once more.

Sword clashes against axe. The hand gripping the sword tenses, veins bulging with raw power. At the same time, an axe so massive it dwarfs the sword is flung aside pathetically. Though infinitely smaller than the axe, the blade matches it in sharpness—and slices straight through the axe's wielder.

In that instant, three axes tear through the spot where the sword's owner stands. The sword's wielder emerges—a slender girl, so delicate it's hard to believe she felled the monster wielding that massive axe. Clad in armor reminiscent of a pure white dress, she kicks off the ground and retreats.

The girl doesn't panic. She rolls across the dirt, unconcerned by the soil smearing her delicate face. With all her might. Yet more gracefully than anyone else, she cuts down her foes.

But the girl is alone. And the enemies she must fell keep multiplying. Wounds begin to appear on her body, one by one. They hammer relentlessly at the ornate, gem-encrusted armor, chipping away bit by bit.

The scene shifts. A beast that overcame death once guards its nest fiercely. Trees that brook no other creatures in their forest slowly move roots and branches. A massive shark swims through the land in search of prey. A dragon that cleaves the sky gazes at its greatsword.

The girl reappears. Just as she's about to parry three axes, she fumbles her sword—exposing her vulnerability. An axe swings down, intent on cleaving her from skull to toe.

Other girls strike down those axes. A girl with a spear picks up the sword and hands it back. Receiving it, the girl smiles for the first time. Then she charges forward.

Sword meets axe once more. The girl swings with unwavering force.

And———

"…Huh?"

My brain froze for a second.

Was it the PV quality exceeding my wildest dreams? Yeah, the production values were insane. The narration had a bit of that cringey vibe, sure, but if the visuals hold up, even cheesy lines turn into pure hype fuel. Hell, I felt the rush myself.

So why the brain freeze?

"The developer is WorldMaker? For real?!"

The veil hiding Raider's developer was a total shocker.

"This isn't even a game company!!!"

WorldMaker. A pretty big name in the otaku scene here in Korea. They crank out hit anime without taking a dime from outside investors—an animation powerhouse. They branched into manga and light novels too, and despite being late to the party, they've carved out a solid spot with sheer capital muscle. A miracle story. Even Japan's otaku heartland respects them, so yeah, they're the pride of Korean otakus.

…Which means they've had zero to do with game development.

Well, until now.

Now they've got a connection: making Raider.

"No way. What are they thinking? First game and they go this huge? What if it flops?"

"Guys. If this doesn't totally tank, we're getting an anime for sure, right? And WorldMaker anime? Flops are basically impossible. Worst case, the animation quality alone is worth it."

There are risks, obviously. It's their first game—no experience in development or operations. Bugs, optimization issues, rookie mistakes in management. Bad monetization could tank it too.

But if they overcome all that?

Just like they've proven before, if they prove it again?

"This is gonna be huge."

A massive shift was brewing in the otaku world. The kind that makes your heart race.

But it brought a new problem.

Partnering as a streamer for a beast like that? I'd be over the moon, ascending to another plane.

…But could it really be me?

# After watching the PV, anxiety hit about whether I'd snag a Raider partner streamer spot—but as a streamer, I had to keep broadcasting regardless. So I shoved the worry aside and pushed on.

Part 1 was sub-game playthroughs, including some trash games for content. The one I picked? Jewel Connector—a story-heavy full-dub affair with high-quality live 2D illustrations, even animated cutscenes for character skills. Top-tier among trash games.

Why not start with this? Reasons. Playing a two-year-old game with existing competition meant constant FOMO. And easing that? Grind cash and time into it.

One workaround: buying rerolled accounts. Snap up a god-tier start after perfect rerolls. Mobile gacha prices make characters worth thousands to tens of thousands of won, birthing this market.

But getting caught? Bad juju. Plenty hate account buying.

Luckily, a viewer hooked me up with one their friend made for a sale that flopped—abandoned, but sellable for 100k won easy. Way better than straight donations.

"2D games really need that Live2D vibe. Characters moving and talking? Game-changer."

Said that, then slammed the monthly sub.

Newbie pack question popped up. Dumb question, but streamers answer all.

"Newbie pack after a bit more play—if I like it. Up to newbie and black sheep packs is basically F2P, right?"

Limited-time packs with mega gems? Basically freebies. Viewers exploded in chat.

"Part 1 ends here! Core gameplay? Meh. But hilarious story and super cute chars—solid sub-game material."

"Part 2? Nothing set in stone—sub-game hunt timing's iffy. …Bit quick, but song cooldown's up? Song stream for part 2?"

Rhythm game cravings hit sometimes. Today felt like the day.

"Sweet! Time for MR tracks!"

Fired up Project Singing—and backlash trickled in.

Not just boredom. Rhythm covers are shortened from originals—no full versions. Fans crave complete tracks.

"You guys are desperate, huh. …Fine! Special for today—spam chat with song requests! I'll pick one I vibe with!"

Requests flooded in fast. Spotting that one? Pure luck.

"This it is."

Tranced out, I typed the title letter by letter into NewTube. Chat buzzed.

I knew. Super old track. Me knowing it? Weird.

So I explained. No lies, just straight facts.

"Someone I knew loved this song a ton."

Forgotten till now. Surfaced after ages.

"Singing it feels right."

Yeah. Should be fine.

Eyes closed. First verse in mind. That nostalgic voice from memory singing the opening.

I followed it. Voice came out solid—proud of it.

Stream over, I added the song to my phone's playlist. Anime and game tunes only—adding this oddball felt weird.

Didn't bug me much.

Just… a touch sentimental.