Chapter 396: Theme Park on the 1st Floor (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 396: Theme Park on the 1st Floor (1)
The event zones in the 1st-floor event area numbered in the hundreds.
It was like a massive amusement park.
Because of this, it was beloved by many as a popular attraction.
"Hello, everyone! It's BJ Molang-i!"
A slender girl and a muscular man.
They were two BJs whose popularity was currently skyrocketing in Korea.
Molang-i and Monster Chicken Breast were big shots, boasting 1.5 million and 2 million subscribers respectively, and they had already spent weeks preparing for this event.
-deux: Hel-ha, hel-ha. Welcome, Molang-i.
-SeMuru: Wow. A collab stream between these two is legendary.
-Juwangi: I heard the rewards for this year's 1st-floor theme park event are insane. Guess it was true.
-RedPanda: I heard they prepared something even crazier besides the collab. What is it?
The chat window was moving at a breakneck pace.
As expected, the viewers' reaction was explosive.
Less than five minutes after the stream started, over a thousand people had already gathered.
In particular, because the restrictions on the live broadcasting system were lifted on event days, not only famous BJs but also guilds were participating on a massive scale.
"Kyaaa! Nice to meet you all, everyone! As we announced beforehand, we have some surprising news! Right, Chicken Breast Oppa?"
"That's right. We went through a lot of trouble to invite a very special guest."
Molang-i and Monster Chicken Breast confidently looked to the side.
The camera angle shifted to follow their gaze.
There, a man dressed in a dapper suit smiled brightly and waved.
"Hello. I'm Oh Ji-won, here as a guest. Please take good care of me today."
-AlmondNextLevel: Wow. Crazy. It's Oh Ji-won.
-Yeonhee: Oh Ji-won of Korea Motors? The morning news said he started a guild, and now the man himself is appearing?
-Michael: Yeah. They said major corporations were going to start conquering the Tower in earnest. It was true.
-Jieuni: I've only seen him on the news. This is so cool, fr.
Until now, guilds had mostly relied on past connections.
Reuniting based on their shared memories of playing the Tower of Trials.
Since then, there had been cases of receiving large-scale corporate investments or creating synergy through collaborations, but...
This was the first time Korea's largest conglomerate had decided to make a direct move.
A rising star backed by immense capital, poised to replace the Dangun Guild, which had begun to rapidly decline after the last raid.
'Friend-or-Foe'.
True to its nickname, 'Red Tooth', the name carried a fierce determination to tear apart and devour anything that stood in its way.
And the one appointed as its leader was none other than Chairman Oh Gang-won's third son, Oh Ji-won.
After hyping up the expectations for Oh Ji-won and the Friend-or-Foe Guild, Molang-i gave a subtle signal.
"Ah, guys! I'm so sorry, but we'll have to end our first live stream here for now!"
"Right now? Ah... okay, okay. Then, we'll see you again after a short break."
Monster Chicken Breast nodded.
Now was the perfect time to cut it.
The two of them placated the clamoring viewers and ended the stream.
"Phew."
"Good job. If we turn it back on during the event in a bit, hitting number one on the trending search list will be a breeze."
This was a golden rope they had managed to grab with great difficulty.
If they held on tight and climbed up, reaching the dream milestone of 10 million subscribers wouldn't just be a fantasy.
And that wasn't all.
They might even become the public face of a giant guild in the future.
And to make all of this happen...
Naturally, their top priority was to get on the good side of the person standing over there.
For ordinary people like them, groveling flat on the ground was the only way to survive.
"Um... Mr. Oh Ji-won? How was the stream? Was everything to your liking? If there was anything uncomfortable..."
Molang-i spoke up cautiously.
To her, chaebols were usually distant figures seen only on the news.
As such, she had no idea how to act around him.
"You can speak comfortably. After all, we're in the same boat for the time being."
"Ah... yes. Haha."
"It's truly an honor. I never imagined we'd get sponsored by Korea Motors."
"You can take it as a sign of how seriously our company views the Tower of Trials."
The endless resources and treasures within the Tower of Trials.
Because the risks were extremely high, they had previously taken a wait-and-see approach, investing only indirectly.
But now, they had decided to establish their own guild and intervene in the Tower in earnest.
"As you already know, there is no room for mistakes in this venture. Of course, we have made thorough preparations, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about."
With major guilds like Dangun, Ssaulabi, and Balhae pulling out of this event, no faction was bold enough to interfere with Friend-or-Foe's debut.
And yet.
"Hm? That person is..."
Someone caught Oh Ji-won's eye.
A very familiar figure, smiling brightly.
* * *
Crunch!
"Argh! Let go! Please... I said stop biting and let go... Aaagh!"
Cheon Yu-seong, his hand bitten by a cute-looking furball, screamed in pain.
Because these creatures would bite immediately if they weren't given exactly what they wanted, screams and shouts were constantly echoing among the players participating in the event.
"Kyaoo!"
"Grrr..."
The monsters growled, baring their tiny fangs.
No matter how cute they looked, getting bitten was bound to bring tears to one's eyes.
But there was one person.
Even while everyone else was struggling, there was a player who monopolized the attention of all the furballs.
"Purr."
"Purrrr."
They rolled over, exposing their pink bellies, and purred contentedly.
For Jinhyuk, who had learned 'Mentra Taming', choosing the exact food each monster wanted was a piece of cake.
"Damn it. How on earth do you feed them without getting bitten?"
Cheon Yu-seong, whose hands were covered in bite marks, grumbled.
"Sigh. That's because you do nothing but swing your sword like a brute. Can't you tell just by looking? If you treat them with sincere affection and love..."
Shring!
A cold sensation brushed against the back of his neck.
A terrifying murderous intent emanated from the sword, which was steeped in demonic energy.
"...Is not the way. They hate it if you just hand them food. You have to stroke the hollow spot slightly below the back of their neck while feeding them. It's an instinct left over from when their mothers fed them like that as cubs."
"I see. So that's how it is."
Cheon Yu-seong immediately copied what Jinhyuk had taught him.
However.
"Kyaooo!"
"Syaaaa!"
Chomp!
Crunch!
"Aaaargh!"
Dozens of furballs flew into an absolute rage and lunged at him.
"Ah... I made a slip of the tongue and said the opposite. It's the head, not the back of the neck."
In fact, touching the back of their neck was practically a declaration of war to the death for these furballs.
"You... bastard!"
"My bad."
[Player Cheon Yu-seong: 0 Contribution Points - Eliminated.]
Just as Jinhyuk thought, It'll finally be quiet now, Alice, who was standing beside him, tugged at the hem of his sleeve.
"We wish to receive some attention from these children as well. Tell Us, what must We do?"
"Ah, those are Hamong Rabbits. Hmm, they like it when you mix these grasses together. Look, like this."
Jinhyuk mixed different types of dried grass and handed them to Alice.
"Ooh!"
Alice's eyes sparkled.
Munch, munch.
The Hamong Rabbits' tiny mouths moved continuously as they happily munched on the bundle of grass.
"Squeak..."
"Whimper."
Catching the scent of food, baby rabbits swarmed around Alice in an instant.
It was a rare moment of peace.
"They are... cute."
Alice stroked a Hamong Rabbit that had climbed onto her lap with a warm gaze.
'Well, this isn't so bad once in a while.'
Seeing Alice smile for once made Jinhyuk feel pretty good.
[1st Place in Contribution: Player Kang Jinhyuk]
[2nd Place in Contribution: Alice von Ataraxia]
[You have acquired an Event Area Free Pass and various cooking utensils + food supplies as rewards. Detailed information can be found in each individual's subspace inventory.]
When the time limit expired, only two people had their contribution recognized.
* * *
'Veteran Corporation Second-Half Shareholders' Meeting'.
In front of a tent with those words written in blood-red letters, Jinhyuk was busy nagging his employees.
The event would last for about three days.
Since they were going to be here anyway, wasn't it important to make sure they could eat and sleep well for those three days?
They needed comfortable cots, charcoal and firewood to build a fire, and a mountain of other preparations.
"Come on, guys, we didn't come here to play. Everyone, move quickly!"
"Wait, we didn't come here to play?"
Alice's eyes widened.
Her elaborately dressed gown was already covered in dust.
"Uh-uh! Treating a company workshop and shareholders' meeting as mere play? Back when I was working hard, such a mindset was unimaginable. You have to approach it with the attitude of 'I am the company, and the company is me.' Kids these days really lack company loyalty. Tsk, tsk."
Yu Yeon-hwa and Lee Tae-min, who had joined late, let out soft sighs, their faces saying, Of course he'd say that.
"Hyung, you really never change. Is this why you insisted we attend?"
"Yeah, Oppa. Tae-min and I haven't seen each other in so long..."
"You really are a piece of trash. No, maybe I'm the idiot for coming here in the first place."
Complaints rose from all sides.
But right then.
"My Lord."
A warning echoed from Jinhyuk's shadow.
It was Wolyeong, who had been keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings.
"There have been some eyes on you for a while now, My Lord. I left them alone since I felt no murderous intent... but it seems they are heading this way."
The ability to calmly discern intentions no matter how crowded it was.
As a member of the Demonic Cult, Wolyeong had already mapped out every single person within their vicinity.
And just as he predicted, a group of people approached Jinhyuk.
Step, step.
At a glance, they were clearly different from the crowd who had come simply to enjoy the event.
"Haha. I never expected to meet the most famous person of late in a place like this."
The man standing in the center smiled brightly and offered a handshake.
"Who is that now?"
Alice tilted her head.
"No idea. Probably some weird guild. Looking at their clothes, they look like gangsters."
Jinhyuk shrugged as well.
At that, the relaxed smile vanished from Oh Ji-won's face.
Naturally, the atmosphere among his bodyguards turned hostile as well.
"Gangsters?! Watch your mouth. This is Managing Director Oh Ji-won of Korea Motors."
"Oh-squid?"
"I said Managing Director Oh Ji-won!"
"Ah. Korea Motors... Come to think of it, I think I know who you are."
"I'm glad you finally recognize—"
"You're that guy who caused a huge scene by abusing his power over the police after getting caught drunk driving, right? I heard you're being investigated without detention thanks to your father's backing. Wow. Money and power really are great, aren't they?"
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.