Chapter 118
Chapter 118
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Players Channel Frenzy
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Players Channel.
It was another vast virtual world for players in the modern era.
Videos, streams, communities, betting...
There were countless forms of entertainment laid out, to the point where eight out of ten players used Players Channel.
And accordingly, the channel's influence was tremendous.
[Live #4: Might as Well Go to Asgard While We're at It]
Among the hundreds of thousands of videos uploaded to Players Channel,
Lee Soo-hyuk's video had rocketed to #4 in real-time rankings.
Valkyries, Muspelheim, Asgard.
It was a video packed with tantalizing elements that any player would find intriguing.
The title alone was enough to spark curiosity.
However.
The reason was simple.
Viewers flooding in from Hawk's Eye's stream.
Hawk's Eye's broadcast had racked up nearly 30,000 viewers in a short time.
Combined with the ripple effect from Lee Soo-hyuk's stream, plus word-of-mouth in the community.
The result.
"...This video is no joke."
Unhyang, checking the view count in real-time, stuck out her tongue in amazement.
It had already surpassed 300,000 views just a few hours after upload.
At this rate, breaking a million seemed entirely possible.
"Good reaction?"
"Good? It's explosive. It's even climbing the real-time charts."
"Really?"
"And it's boosting views on the other videos too. Subscribers are going up as well..."
He didn't fully grasp all the details, but Unhyang's expression was bright.
From the fuss she was making, the response must be great.
Of course.
'It should be interesting.'
In Soo-hyuk's opinion, this trial had plenty of hype factors.
A linked trial featuring gods and demons. And a perfect outcome to boot.
He was already in the spotlight as the new wielder of Lightning, and this trial just piled on the gold plating.
On top of that.
"If this collab goes well, we can skyrocket the viewer count in one go."
Soo-hyuk still had a collab left.
A big one, with the major streamer Pak Soo-hyuk.
It was quite a long trip.
The accommodations prepared by Baehae were top-tier, as always. After unpacking in the luxurious hotel-like lodging and stuffing themselves with a hearty meal, Soo-hyuk stood up first.
"Where are you off to?"
"Got some business to attend to."
Unhyang gave him a puzzled look as Soo-hyuk rose.
It was rare for him to head out alone first. And when he did, something usually happened.
Like getting ambushed or exposing his face.
"Give him some privacy. Even Soo-hyuk-nim wants to go out alone sometimes, meet people. Meet girls too—"
Thwack—.
Cheongryang chimed in from the side, only to get kicked in the shin by Unhyang. Ignoring Cheongryang as she clutched her leg and rolled on the floor, Unhyang spoke.
"You know you can't be out too late, right?"
"I'll be back within three hours."
"That should be plenty."
Unhyang nodded, considering Soo-hyuk's schedule.
Three hours was more than enough for the collab with Pak Soo-hyuk.
"I'll be off."
With a brief farewell, Soo-hyuk left the room.
As he stepped out of the lodging,
Smooth—.
Soo-hyuk removed the mask covering his face.
Step, step—.
He quickened his pace toward the dark alleys of the city.
After passing a few alleys, a dingy shantytown emerged like a shadow under the bright lights.
Children in ragged clothes swarmed by flies. Beggars crawling on arms after losing their legs, and women throwing stones at them.
The dark underbelly of the glittering city was revealed. Amid it all, Soo-hyuk stood out in his neat, clean clothes.
With everyone staring,
Soo-hyuk's footsteps led to one of the shantytown's shacks.
"What brings you here?"
A beggar wrapped only in a thin blanket greeted Soo-hyuk, stark naked otherwise.
A bold remark for a beggar.
Soo-hyuk answered his question.
"Here to meet a broke rich guy."
The beggar's eyes sparkled.
Whirl—, he turned without looking back and said,
"You came to the right place."
Step, step—.
He vanished into the back of the narrow shack.
Vanished, literally.
As if an invisible space lay beyond.
Soo-hyuk quietly followed. As he stepped behind the beggar into the shack's rear, the space rippled, revealing an entirely different scene.
Fwoosh—.
Inside a building lit by torches.
Walking slowly down a long corridor, the beggar guided Soo-hyuk somewhere.
"Here to buy? Or sell?"
"Buy."
"How'd you know about this place?"
"These spots are everywhere, right? You're not hiding it, so why ask?"
The beggar fell silent at Soo-hyuk's retort.
At the corridor's end, he stopped abruptly. Ahead was a single room curtained by a tent.
"Go in."
"Thanks for the guide."
Smooth—.
Soo-hyuk extended a hand to the beggar.
A small tip.
"You know your stuff, kid."
The beggar chuckled appreciatively and left.
Soo-hyuk entered the tent. The first thing to greet him was the scorching heat and blinding light from torches that made his face burn.
The room was lit by even more torches.
"New face."
A desk and two chairs—that was the room.
The room's owner exuded a completely different vibe from the outside beggar.
Adorned in gold jewelry from head to toe, dressed in expensive silk. He grinned, flashing yellow gold teeth.
The dark-skinned man in his late 20s screamed 'rich' at first glance.
"Welcome. I'm the broke rich guy you were looking for."
"I know that's not it."
Drag—.
Ignoring the man, Soo-hyuk pulled out the opposite chair and sat.
"'Broke rich guy' means Dark Map."
"Oh—."
The man nodded appreciatively.
"Right. Broke Rich Guys is our guild name. Damn, you really know your stuff."
Broke Rich Guys.
It was slang and code for the 'Dark Map' guild.
And the reason Dark Map was called Broke Rich Guys was...
"Yeah, name's Greg. Not Broke Rich Guys. Anyway, what info you here for? Buy or sell?"
...because the commodity they dealt in was 'information'.
Information is money. Sometimes worth more than any treasure.
Even penniless, monopolize all the world's info, and you're rich—that was Dark Map's philosophy.
They existed everywhere in the tower. Players short on points sold valuable info to them for cash, while those needing info sought them out.
Selling big guild secrets to Dark Map for a fortune happened dozens, hundreds of times a year.
"Here to buy."
"What info? FYI, big guild stuff costs extra."
"Info related to Blue Zone."
"Good heads-up."
Greg's expression turned playful. He leaned back in his chair, grinning.
"Alright, what about Blue Zone? Want Kim Il-su's underwear color?"
"Pass."
Soo-hyuk waved it off and continued.
"What they did on the 6th floor, and whether those rumors are true—everything related."
"Ah, that rumor?"
Greg was an info broker. From petty community gossip to gritty underworld details, his head was a vault of info.
Naturally, he knew all about the Blue Zone scandal rocking the scene.
"Fun story. A traitor in Blue Eyes, huh."
Lighting a half-smoked cigar, Greg added his take.
"But yeah, probably true."
"Why think that?"
"Otherwise, doesn't make sense for Lee Soo-hyuk to fail."
An unexpected answer.
Greg took a long drag from the cigar.
"Think about it. What kind of player is Lee Soo-hyuk? And his crew? Kim Si-woo, Kim Min-jae, Choi Su-hun, Kim Ye-ryeong... Legends, every one."
Common knowledge.
But Greg layered something extra onto that common fact.
"A team like that wiping out in a guardian raid—not a trial, life-or-death? Nah, I don't buy accident."
"Then what?"
"Big guilds are all the same. Black-hearted. Greedy as hell."
"How's greed tie to betrayal?"
"Oh, it connects."
Sizzle—.
Grinding out the nearly spent cigar on the desk, Greg continued.
"Inter-guild war."
"Inter-guild war?"
Soo-hyuk furrowed his brow, demanding more. But with the cigar's ember extinguished, so ended Greg's explanation.
"Bonus info stops here. So, why? You tied to it somehow?"
As Soo-hyuk scowled at the question, Greg raised his hands with a mischievous grin.
"Kidding~. As you know, we don't pry into client business. Who buys or what for is none of our concern."
Info Soo-hyuk already knew.
Dark Map was airtight on info. Pay up, and they deliver safely, no questions.
Without that security, they wouldn't have grown this big.
"Let me check... Sadly, we don't have that in stock. Need to source it separate."
After rummaging through his kit, Greg stroked his chin.
"Minimum upfront 50,000 points. Additional fees based on manpower and info value: 100k minimum, up to a million."
"Big range."
"Big guild related. Standard."
He'd figured as much. Fortunately, the upfront was within his points.
Stomach churning, Soo-hyuk feigned nonchalance and extended his hand.
"Commission it."
"Thank you for your trust, esteemed client."
Nearly his entire fortune gone. Finishing the transaction, Soo-hyuk pulled out his kit and offered it.
"Contact me here. As soon as possible."
"You got it."
Ding—.
Greg registered Soo-hyuk's kit on his own. Then, to save the name, he asked,
"Name?"
"Save as Jeong Chan-young."
"Jeong Chan-young..."
Saving the name, Greg eyed Soo-hyuk oddly.
"Doesn't suit you at all."