Chapter 256: Daily Vlog Life in Europe (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 256: Daily Vlog Life in Europe (3)
While everyone was focused on the promotional video, Jinhyuk approached Alice, who was sulking in a corner.
He wasn't sure what she was so unhappy about, but Alice was grumbling and talking to herself.
"Tch... I'm... here too..."
"Alice."
"What?" Alice replied, her expression still sour.
"I have a favor to ask of you."
"A favor? Of me?" At the word "favor," Alice's eyes widened.
"Yeah. I'm going to do a livestream now. If you chat with them and complete missions, the viewers will donate Coins. We're in a pretty tight spot financially right now, so go earn us some Coins."
A chill ran down the room.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Honestly, Jinhyuk had expected this kind of reaction when he said that.
"Are you suggesting that I, a noble of the night, should perform tricks for mere humans?" Alice snorted, looking utterly dumbfounded.
"Hmm. Well, nothing can be done then. I guess I'll have to ask Teresa instead."
"What?"
"Viewers would probably prefer someone gentle and sweet over someone who's always snapping at them anyway. Actually, this works out better."
A Saintess with a pure, warm smile.
If she did something like a life counseling stream, she would completely monopolize the viewers' attention.
- "Life has been so hard lately. I can't see a future, and every day feels hopeless."
- "Tell me everything. I might not be able to do much besides listen, but I can at least listen to your story until the very end."
Ah.
It felt like his cold, dead heart was beating again.
It was as if angels were blowing trumpets and scattering flower petals overhead.
There was a reason the Saintess who saved Amsterdam was so popular with everyone.
"Eeeek! I'll do it! I'll do it, okay?! I cannot lose to that blonde idiot."
Alice stood in front of the broadcasting system.
"I only see a blue screen. What am I supposed to do?"
"Just wait a second. I posted an announcement, so people will start coming in soon."
[Kang Jinhyuk's Outdoor Broadcast #Healing #Counseling #Veteran_Corporation #I_Will_Do_Anything_You_Ask!]
He had already posted the announcement a few minutes ago.
Since it was his first announcement since quitting as a BJ, he felt a bit sentimental.
Back then, he was lucky if even twenty people saw his announcements...
How would it be now?
- Conan: Vanguard, moving out.
Almost the instant he finished that thought, the first viewer entered.
Immediately after, in less than a second, hundreds of viewers swarmed in like bees to watch Jinhyuk's livestream.
[Conan has left the broadcast.]
- Moon: Conan again?
- US: That guy always enters first and then immediately leaves. I didn't think he'd do it in this room too.
- als: Anyway, I came because they said Jinhyuk was streaming, but why is it on standby? This isn't clickbait, right? The screen is pitch black and I can only see the chat, it's so frustrating.
- AZXCY: Checked the channel account, it's definitely him. Wow. But seriously, how long has it been since his last livestream? Why did he turn it on?
- Jung Geun-won: My heart swells just thinking about seeing Jinhyuk's face.
Since he had mostly uploaded edited videos, the viewers could hardly believe this livestream was actually happening.
Driven by anticipation, the chat began to scroll faster and faster.
What kind of incredible raid was he going to show them?
What kind of spectacular treasures and artifacts would he display?
Or was he planning to explore a labyrinth or ruin that no one had ever set foot in?
They were dying of curiosity.
After a few minutes had passed...
[Number of concurrent viewers: 175,880]
Once a massive crowd of viewers had gathered in such a short time, the blacked-out screen finally turned on.
What appeared was a haughty vampire with snow-white silver hair cascading down to her waist.
It was Alice.
Her crimson pupils were filled with discontent, but even that expression was a complete shock to the viewers.
The mysterious ranker they had only seen in edited videos.
The girl who had shown countless incredible feats, but whose identity remained a mystery other than her name being Alice, was finally right before their eyes.
Any disappointment at not seeing Jinhyuk vanished instantly.
The viewers who saw Alice began spamming the chat.
- IWantToEatYeastTteokbokki: Wait, where did Jinhyuk go and who is... Huh? Hold on, that face looks familiar.
- GiantDumpling: Oh my god! It's Alice! It's real. It's legit Alice.
- tmd: Wow, crazy. What is going on? It's surprising enough that Jinhyuk started a livestream, but he even brought on an insane guest.
- hi: Al-hi, Al-hi. Meaning Alice Hi.
- rub: Noona! I'm dying!
- TodaysWendy: At this point, this is basically threatening us to cough up all our Coins. Do I have to offer up everything I saved from hunting goblins?
- (dark): Alice is my future wife!
- CatButlerDream: For once, I agree.
The chat was moving at such a frantic pace that even the eyes of a True Ancestor could barely keep up.
"H-Humans? This is a bit too fast. Why is everyone saying they're glad to see me?"
"Don't look at me. Look at the viewers. Don't look over here, dummy!"
"Huh? Fine. Forward. Forward is where my eyes are pointing. I am looking forward right now."
"Read the chat as much as you can, and if they offer missions, say you'll do them all."
"I-I understand. Just wait a moment."
Alice read the chat with wide, startled eyes.
"Ugh..."
It was too fast for her to read every single comment, but she managed to pick out a few missions that offered Coins.
moo: Even her being flustered is super cute. I'll shoot 2,000 Coins right now if you put on cat ears.
lmg: I'll raise that by another 1,000 Coins.
StoneDoon: Yep, double it from there.
Kim Ki-beom: Play an idol song and dance for 3 minutes. 1,000 Coins per minute, deal?
thelode1: I want to hear a super cringey morning call. I'll record it and listen to it every morning to wake up. I'm willing to invest 4,000 Coins.
(isio): She looks like she'd like mint chocolate for some reason. I'll give 5,000 Coins if she eats a family-sized tub all by herself.
antimony51: Coins incoming, open wide!
"D-Don't be ridiculous! How dare you! I, a noble of the night and an absolute ruler of the Tower... cannot sell my dignity for a few measly Coins. On the name of Ataraxia, absolutely not. I'd rather die!"
Alice took a step back, her face pale.
As if she wouldn't do it even with a knife to her throat.
Of course,
"We accept them all."
Jinhyuk was not one to turn down anything involving Coins.
"Hey! I'm the one doing it! Why are you accepting them on your own?"
"Do it."
"B-But..."
"Do it."
In the end, Alice was forced to complete every single mission proposed by the viewers.
Hmm.
The cat ears and the dancing were one thing, but the morning call and the mint chocolate did seem a bit harsh.
Still, it was true that those kinds of dress-ups suited her quite well. In fact, the viewers' reaction was the best it had ever been.
"Good job. Whatever anyone else thinks, I thought it really suited you. I thought you were just haughty, but you have a surprisingly cute side too."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Alice's eyes sparkled.
The fact that her previous gloominess vanished like a lie was an added bonus.
Right then, with a strange sound, a new figure approached Jinhyuk's side.
It was Teresa.
However, something about Teresa was different from usual.
Her makeup was heavy... and her clothes were incredibly revealing.
Above all, the aura she exuded was quite foreign.
This feeling... could it be?
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
There was no mistake.
This was Teresa when her personality changed after using Corruption.
"That Softie is such a prude, so I had to step in myself. But the man of the hour is distracted by someone else?"
A seductive voice whispered into his ear.
"Tere...sa?"
Gulp.
Jinhyuk swallowed hard.
- CockADoodleDoo: Oh my. This noona is hot too.
- Black Flame Dragon of the Abyss: Haha. I definitely didn't look away.
- CookieRestaurant: Going all-in on Saintess Coins.
- Yul: 22222.
- Ganada: 33333
- BadBoyBadBoy: Jinhyuk <3 Teresa
"What? Were you broadcasting?"
Teresa's gaze flickered between the status window and the chat.
"Hmm. 100,000 Coins. Not bad. But it's a shame. If you had asked me instead of this little brat, I could have made you ten times that amount."
Teresa stroked Jinhyuk's cheek with the tip of her finger.
"L-Little brat? Did you call me a brat?"
"Oh my. Was that too rude? But isn't it obviously true to anyone looking?"
"Y-You're dead! I'm going to tear you to shreds!"
With Teresa's sudden intrusion, the livestream turned into an absolute warzone.
- Black Flame Dragon of the Abyss: Lmao. This is the place to be.
- Anz: Ah. Another peaceful day at Veteran Corporation.
- Sla: Betting 6,000 Coins on Alice's victory.
- Jung Yoon-hee: 7,000 on Teresa unni's victory!
- Seo Seung-hee: Meanwhile, Jinhyuk isn't even trying to stop them. Look at that. Do you see him writing down the betting amounts separately?
Boom!
Crash!
The ground exploded, accompanied by a rain of crimson.
Alice, who had unleashed her unique holy spear, and Teresa, clad in black armor, looked like the final Demon King of the world and a cursed hero facing off.
It was quite a shame that the food they had painstakingly prepared was turning to ashes, but...
even so,
...This is pretty lucrative.
Jinhyuk was smiling.
Because the Coins received from donations during this livestream had already surpassed 400,000.
And because the promotional video they had made for Veteran Corporation would bring in even more than that.
He couldn't help but grin.
* * *
The eventful week-long vacation came to an end.
A lot had happened, but looking back, it wasn't a bad vacation at all.
They had gathered together, laughed, chatted, and spent quality time bonding.
Their bond with one another must have deepened just as much.
If there was one difficult part, it was rejecting Teresa's father, Dustin, who had been trying his hardest to push for an engagement ceremony.
Afterward, the group went their separate ways.
Cheon Yu-seong had left for a labyrinth located on the outskirts of the 15th floor to obtain a skill that only training maniacs could acquire, and Teresa had followed him, saying she would help.
Andrea returned to the floor she managed, saying she had left her psychiatric ward empty for too long.
Goguma and the spirit beasts would also need to rest for at least a few days, as they had consumed too much mana while remaining manifested.
And now, Jinhyuk had arrived at the most notorious location on the 15th floor.
The ruins where the Wailing Witch resided.
Positioning himself about one kilometer away from the entrance of the ruins, Jinhyuk slowly scanned his surroundings.
It's been a really long time since I was last here.
He felt quite nostalgic.
It felt like just yesterday when the Tower of Trials first manifested in reality and he was wandering inside the labyrinth with the Minotaur.
Yet, he had already reached the 15th floor.
Of course, there was still a long way to go, but the fact that he was conquering the floors step by step was highly encouraging.
Right then,
"Hyung. I bought everything you asked me to get."
"Food, sleeping bags... and I bought up all the entry-level weapons and scrap metal from the blacksmith's shop too."
Lee Tae-min and Yu Yeon-hwa approached.
Since the place where the Wailing Witch resided was so massive, there were many things they needed to prepare.
"Good job. If we're all set, let's head in."
"Ah. Hyung, but... you see..." Lee Tae-min trailed off, as if he had something to say.
"Why? Is something wrong?"
"I think the competition inside the ruins is going to be pretty fierce."
"Fierce? What do you mean by that?"
When Jinhyuk asked back, Yu Yeon-hwa chimed in this time.
"Other guilds have already set up camp. And it's not just one; it looks like three or more have joined hands. I saw a few familiar faces."
That shouldn't be possible.
The other players shouldn't have the stats to reach the 15th floor yet.
Before coming here, he had thoroughly scanned the Tower of Trials community and the top-ranked videos on ViewTube, but nothing had particularly stood out.
Even the large guilds were barely managing to clear B-rank labyrinths on the 13th and 14th floors.
Which meant...
Either they're making a reckless attempt,
or...
they have a solid reason to believe they can target this place with their current strength.
It had to be one of the two.
Whichever it was, there was no doubt that a rather interesting variable had entered the equation.
Since they were now in a position where they had to compete for the Wailing Witch.
Of course, how he would utilize this variable depended entirely on one thing.
"So, which guilds are we talking about?" Jinhyuk asked.