Broadcast Buzz and Golden Rewards
Even with his face hidden behind the helmet, seeing himself on the TV screen was a profoundly unfamiliar experience.
It made him feel awkwardly embarrassed and shy, unable to look at the screen properly. But everyone else was praising him, saying he looked cool.
"You look awesome on screen."
"Your eyes came out perfectly."
Thanks to that, Mu-hyuk stole a few glances at the TV himself.
Hmm...
It wasn't bad, just as they said.
It wasn't a full-body shot.
The helmet, especially the eyes, was the focus.
Which made it even more embarrassing.
Well, it does look good.
Just as he was starting to get used to it, the real battle began.
"Whoa..."
The editing was superb, brimming with tension and excitement. Of course, Mu-hyuk disappeared from the screen after that. It mostly featured massive guilds and famous rankers.
Suddenly, he got curious.
I wonder what the homepage reactions are like.
Sung Min-woo must have been thinking the same thing.
He opened his laptop.
"Why?"
"Ah, just wanna check the homepage."
"Oh, it's loading."
"Heh, as expected."
Yura and Han So-yeon looked on with curious expressions too.
"Let's check together."
"Yeah, of course!"
The four of them huddled around the laptop screen.
"The homepage is too cluttered anyway, so let's hop into the chat room."
There was a chat room on the Illusion homepage accessible only to logged-in users.
As soon as they entered, the ongoing conversation filled the screen.
Chats poured in nonstop.
"Whoa, the reactions are great."
"Well, events like this don't happen every day."
Plus, the battle footage looked fantastic.
At that moment, Kaljekan's roar echoed, and its bombardment filled the screen.
"Whoa..."
"It's even scarier on TV."
"Seriously, Mu-hyuk fought that monster?"
"Yeah."
"And you won?"
"Not exactly a win."
"Then?"
"I just held out a bit."
"So humble."
The four turned their attention back to the TV.
But as time dragged on, it started feeling a bit boring.
No matter how good the editing, there were too many moments without action.
With frequent stalemates, even the viewers caught on.
The program continued amid the complaints.
Taunt, probe, maintain distance.
Taunt, probe, maintain distance again.
Then Kaljekan's first transformation hit, and it went berserk, losing all reason.
And then the second transformation.
The moment Kaljekan attempted its bombardment in slow motion.
That was the moment.
A single user pierced through the rising dust cloud.
But it lasted quite a while.
The reactions were scorching hot.
Especially peaking when Mu-hyuk struck Kaljekan's leg.
The Illusion chat was more entertaining than the TV. Sitting side by side, Yura and Mu-hyuk's bodies gradually drew closer.
It was instinctive, to see the laptop screen better. Then suddenly, Mu-hyuk caught the scent of Yura's hair, snapping to attention late.
Ah, uh...?
The fragrance tickled his nose.
Dizzying.
But pulling back abruptly would look weirder, right?
He pondered with a troubled expression.
What do I do?
Yura below him was just as flustered.
How could she not feel his warmth?
His breath on her back and subtle touches stirred something sensual.
"Whoa, epic!"
Sung Min-woo's shout startled them both back to their seats.
"Wh-what's epic?"
"Huh? Nah, you look super cool on screen. Thought it was a movie."
"Did I...?"
"Yeah, badass!"
Soon after, Kaljekan collapsed.
Sung Min-woo nodded vigorously.
"Reactions are good, huh?"
"Yeah, better than expected."
"Lots about you."
"Yeah..."
"You're amazing. Not worried?"
"Hmm, everything's covered."
The attention was burdensome, but pinpointing someone wasn't easy.
Plus, the intense battle made Mu-hyuk's footage blurry.
Impossible to identify gear properly, so no worries.
The initial close-up focused on eyes, hard to link to the bombardment survivor.
"Still, the interest is wild."
"Can't be helped."
"Oh, unexpected side!"
Mu-hyuk shrugged.
"Yeah, hard to ID from that."
"Probably."
No more teasing, Sung Min-woo glanced at the women.
"Keep watching?"
"Nah, fine."
"Me too."
"Okay, end here!"
They left the chat and logged out.
Closed the laptop, ate the now-cooled food without minding.
Instead, all four were buzzing with subtle excitement, chatting more and laughing louder than usual.
Not a bad day.
That evening.
After dropping Yura and Han So-yeon, Mu-hyuk and Sung Min-woo paused at a fork.
"Logging into Illusion?"
"Hmm, too early to sleep."
"Yeah, just 9 PM."
"Then log in, grab some commissions."
"Cool."
"See ya soon."
About 20 minutes later, home, Mu-hyuk showered and logged into Illusion.
Hm?
More players than expected.
"Keh, this the spot?"
"Yeah, hole's still there."
Even after the boss died, crowds flocked here.
The battle had shocked many.
"Heard about rewards?"
"Yeah, some top ranker got a gold box. Rank 2?"
"Good stuff?"
"Jackpot."
"Jackpot?"
"Yeah, but details unknown."
"Tch, too bad."
Mu-hyuk's eyes gleamed.
Rank 2 got one gold box?
Mu-hyuk got three.
Big difference.
He stepped away, pulled a gold box from inventory.
Gold Box, open.
◈ Attack Power +15
◈ Defense +10
◈ Magic Attack Power +25
◈ Magic Defense +15
◈ Durability 180/180
◈ Requirements: Strength 35, Vitality 35, Knowledge 25, Wisdom 25
A faint golden light burst, box vanished, replaced by black leather gloves with a glossy, luxurious sheen.
His brow furrowed at first sight.
Requirements were...
But options were stellar. Better than his current +10 attack Battle Gloves, so he swapped immediately.
Equipped Gloves of Darkness.
Pulled the second gold box.
Open.
A shoulder pauldron appeared.
◈ Movement Speed +5%
◈ Attack Speed +5%
◈ Reaction Speed +1%
◈ Defense +5
◈ Durability 200/200
◈ Requirements: Vitality 50, Agility 30
A gasp escaped involuntarily.
Movement speed +5%...!
With Wind Step, it'd be even faster.
Attack speed boost, defense too.
But most importantly...
Reaction speed +1%.
Probably the best option.
This is a jackpot.
No hesitation, equipped the pauldron.
Last one.
Hastily opened it.
Arban's Earrings...
◈ [Excellent options, but requirements block it]
Options were fantastic.
But requirements blocked it.
Hmm.
Stats woefully short.
Too much to cover with items alone.
Regrettable, but oh well.
His current gear was top-tier.
Wouldn't lose to cash-shop whales.
Thanks to future knowledge. No need to swap for knowledge/wisdom boosts.
Sell this.
Listed at auction house.
72 hours.
Just then, Sung Min-woo appeared.