The Birth of a Fan
Mu-hyuk and Sung Min-woo finally met up at a chicken joint after a long time.
"Here?"
"Yeah, good spot, right?"
"Not bad. Chimaek's always the truth, anyway."
They headed inside and grabbed a spot in front of the TV.
"It's about to start."
"Perfect timing."
"Yep."
"Hoo, wonder how it'll turn out."
"Who knows. Let's order first and wait."
"Okay, over here!"
"Coming!"
The ajumma approached with a smile at Sung Min-woo's call.
"Ready to order?"
"Yeah, half seasoned, half fried to start..."
"Got it."
"And two beers."
"How many cc?"
"1,000cc."
"Alright. Half seasoned, half fried. Two 1,000cc beers. That right?"
"Yes, perfect."
"Just a moment!"
After ordering, they glanced at the TV, and right on cue, Illusion's World began. The screen captured the two MCs in the studio for the first time.
[Hello! Yura here, your MC!]
[Chang-ho here!]
[Last broadcast had a bit of a sad scene, didn't it?]
[Yeah, the internet's been buzzing about it.]
[It was a big issue.]
[What about today?]
[Guess we'll have to watch and see.]
[Sounds good. Shall we log into Illusion right away?]
The screen switched.
*
There were people who wanted to enjoy Illusion but couldn't due to real-life constraints.
Lee Han-gyu, a 19-year-old high school student, was one of them.
Forced into the humanities track by his parents, he had mandatory self-study until 10 p.m. every night. By the time he got home, his parents drilled him on studies, leaving him exhausted and crashing into bed.
"Haa."
His only phone time was during breaks at school—or sneaking it during self-study without getting caught.
Anyway, right now.
After dinner, Lee Han-gyu was killing time at his desk in the classroom, fiddling with his phone.
Illusion info cafe.
He logged in and casually posted a greeting on the free board.
Lee Han-gyu replied to each one.
His interest in videos and editing started young, so even as a hobby, his skills were top-notch.
He poured effort into what he loved, earning plenty of attention.
Lee Han-gyu headed to the video board today, hunting for something worthwhile.
Please have something decent...
Half worried, half hopeful, he skimmed the titles.
The titles looked intriguing.
"Hmm."
But 90% of recent ones had been clickbait. The rest were okay but didn't grab him.
No choice, then.
He'd have to check them one by one.
First up: Fierce Battle in a Small Village.
As suspected from the title, it was Kaiyon Continent mercenaries vs. Forma Continent ones.
Most uploads were inter-continent clashes anyway. He could only hope for a standout.
"Tch."
This one sucked from start to finish.
What a mess. Why even post this?
He shook his head and moved on.
Ranker's Arrow, huh.
Probably an archer showoff, as expected.
And mediocre, as expected.
Next, next.
After about ten videos, a chill set in.
Damn, nothing today either.
With that thought, he checked the next title.
His hand froze.
Gangster Necromancer.
Summons dozens of skeletons for hunting?
Sounds good, but videos were always boring. Skeletons followed basic orders—no command flair, no strategy.
Skill spam?
He'd give that credit. But they weren't precise.
Just flung around, useless unless clustered.
Fine in wars, maybe.
Solo? Cannon fodder structure.
Worth watching?
The class itself was iffy too.
Focused on strength, agility, stamina—but no melee skills meant getting wrecked up close.
Well-built? Decent all-around.
Half-assed? Useless hybrid everywhere.
Even rankers weren't different.
All Gangster Necro vids he'd seen were similar.
Number one too, probably.
A few similar jobs existed; he blacklisted them outright.
But today everything felt doomed, so he hesitated.
"Sigh. Fine. Nothing else anyway."
Last one—might as well get burned again. He hit play.
Let's see what kind of mess this is.
No expectations meant full focus.
Simple start.
A helmeted man overlooking a small city.
Continent war again.
Expectations plummeted.
Then he stepped forward.
Whoosh.
White dust erupted ahead.
It shaped into skeletons—hundreds, easily 200.
The shocking part: their appearances.
Some similar, many unique.
Distinct traits, yet all looked sturdy.
"Uh...?"
Lee Han-gyu shook his head in awe.
Refocused.
Crazy...!
No mistake.
What the hell?
Summon scene alone hit like a truck.
But still... just a Gangster Necro.
Chaotic, no real command.
That many? Even worse.
Let's see.
Frontline cavalry charged. Normally, tangling and stumbling next.
Lee Han-gyu expected it. But the followers maintained undeniable order.
What the—!
Just the beginning.
"Holy...!"
He gasped involuntarily.
"Han-gyu, something up?"
"H-huh?"
"You've been twitching."
"N-no, nothing."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Lee Han-gyu ignored his friend. Couldn't tear away.
"What's with you?"
His friend leaned over.
"Oh, Mu-hyuk?"
"Uh...?"
"Rank 2 player. Mu-hyuk. Gangster Necromancer."
"R-really?"
"Yeah, no way you didn't know."
"Nah, not into that class..."
"Hah, dummy. Mu-hyuk's on another level."
"..."
No arguing.
He really was different.
Everything—this Mu-hyuk, his summons—made Lee Han-gyu's heart race for the first time in ages.
This is it. The best.
His hands itched.
If I edit this...!
Visions of edits filled his head.
Thump.
Heart pounding.
But first...!
Needed more on Mu-hyuk.
Planned to devour every related video.
Search rankings already had him trending.
1. Mu-hyuk Special
2. Gangster Necromancer
3. Illusion's World
4. NPC Controversy
5. ...
He rushed a Mu-hyuk Special search.
Related articles popped up.
On Illusion's World?
Lee Han-gyu quickly paid for the live stream.
Lucky—just starting, MCs still chatting in studio.
He fired up the recorder app.
[Guess we'll have to watch and see.]
[Sounds good. Shall we log into Illusion right away?]
Screen shifted.
There he is...!
Mu-hyuk was resting inside the small city.
Oooh!
Just watching made his heart race.
What would he show?
Excitement bubbled into a grin.
Ugh, going crazy here.
[Phew, time to try some enhancements?]
[Again?]
[Yeah. Still a ways to go.]
Suddenly pulling out a hammer and longsword.
Clang!
He hammered the blade.
Subtitles explained it.
Crafting and enhancing.
He finished in a flash.
His casual words froze Lee Han-gyu.
Mind blank.
[Phew, lucky. Straight to +8.]
Handed it to a skeleton.
"Ah..."
Finally understood their strength.
"Haha..."
He chuckled.
200 skeletons with +8 weapons?
What damage output?
Beyond that...
"Insane. Totally insane."
Couldn't fathom the grind.
Mu-hyuk and crew chatted, resting briefly.
Sudden building focus.
Curiosity hit, then screech—door opened.
Mu-hyuk's group noticed.
[Tell them to run.]
[Got it.]
The knight who appeared spoke gravely.
[Everyone, battle stations!]
Kaiyon players incoming. Mu-hyuk's group tensed.
Subtitles ramped tension.
Whew, intense.
Lee Han-gyu knew the NPC debate buzzing lately.
Screen flew by.
Boom!
Battle erupted.
Tense as hell.
Especially Mu-hyuk's crew fighting to protect the NPC.
Kaiyon side halting attack on spotting NPC? Fresh twist.
[What the hell? You think we're trash or something?!]
Made it even more gripping.
The fights that followed were no joke.
Amazing...!
Fierce clashes, retakes.
Sometimes retreats.
But always pushing forward.
After countless battles reclaiming over ten zones, Mu-hyuk's group finally took a real loss.
Most mercenaries dead, except Mu-hyuk and his core.
And there Illusion's World ended.
[See you next time!]
Lee Han-gyu groaned oddly.
Wanting more.
Curiosity for the rest.
Then rage.
Idiots! Missing this goldmine all this time!
Excitement surged.
"Whew."
Calming a bit, he scoured the net for every Mu-hyuk video.