The Heavenly Demon Cult's Korean Branch
The sudden one-sided collaboration with Japanese VTubers ended in resounding success for the Dead by Daylight stream.
Though there was the unfortunate matter of getting banned at the very end.
Myeong-yun had toyed with the survivors through overwhelming performance, so it was understandable that those on the receiving end would suspect cheating.
The VTubers had been given two generators as a handicap from the start. They had sealed away the killer's ability to devour lore and refrained from tunneling. Yet they had been crushed through nothing but pure physical skill and psychological warfare.
This became a minor sensation not only in Korea but in Japan as well.
Dead by Daylight had always had more Japanese users than Korean ones, and its community was far more active. Korea, by contrast, felt like a stagnant pool where a handful of veterans monopolized the top ranks.
Over a hundred thousand people had watched their broadcast. It would have been strange if the community had not erupted in discussion.
Movements and skill that looked exactly like cheating. Even after handicapping themselves, only one generator had actually been repaired. Reviewing past footage showed that not a single thrown dagger had missed its mark.
Yet within Japan's Dead by Daylight community, some suspected Myeong-yun's skill was nothing but cheats. Even though the only hacks that existed in New World were "god-tier skill" and "god-tier incompetence."
Moreover, because he had mercilessly targeted their beloved VTuber "Oshi," the hostility toward Myeong-yun was no joke. The argument was that there had been no need to play the game so cruelly.
Opinions were divided. However, none of the VTubers who had actually played in the game had made any official statement. They had not expected the situation to blow up this much, and the Japanese VTubers had not even realized the killer was from the same industry.
Just as the controversy seemed to be dying down, a single video reignited the flames.
It was a game highlight uploaded to the official YouTube channel of "Heavenly Demon Myeong-yun."
On the channel where Lee Sang-hyun single-handedly handled editing and design with terrifying efficiency, videos were uploaded shortly after every stream ended. The Dead by Daylight video he posted quickly entered the top ten trending videos and spread globally through the algorithm.
It carried the title of a new player following in the footsteps of the legendary former player "Killer Chairman."
Just like the previous Narak videos that had surpassed a million views in no time, the Dead by Daylight video rode the wave of word-of-mouth and kept climbing. Furthermore, the opponents had been Midorino Clover, a specialist Dead by Daylight VTuber, and members of V-Girls Game. Entertainment value was practically guaranteed.
Lee Sang-hyun had somehow obtained the point-of-view footage from the V-Girls Game members and Clover, editing it together like a movie from multiple perspectives. It was a display of the Heavenly Demon Cult's Grand Tactician's terrifying speed and skill. So terrifying that one had to worry about his health.
"Take it easy once in a while."
"...No, I can't. You have to row when the tide comes in. This is exactly when I should be burning my youth!"
Perhaps because he was a high school senior with nothing else to do, Lee Sang-hyun voluntarily stayed up all night pouring himself into editing. It was the kind of thing only someone overflowing with youthful stamina could do.
'It was worth secretly training him since we were kids.'
When they had first become friends, Myeong-yun had trained Lee Sang-hyun in secret. It had not been martial arts, merely enough to keep his body healthy and awaken his five senses. Lee Sang-hyun lacked the bone structure to learn martial arts, so Myeong-yun had only built up his stamina enough to avoid frequent illnesses. That foundation was proving useful now.
Myeong-yun picked up his phone beside the furiously editing Lee Sang-hyun and checked the current stats.
The total YouTube views, combining long-form and short-form, had exceeded 18 million. Subscriber count had now surpassed 600,000. A new record was just around the corner.
Twitter followers currently stood at 390,000, with 400,000 within reach. Total donations received had also crossed 20 million won. The 10 million won sponsored by On The Rocks had been especially significant.
And above all, all of this had happened less than a week after his debut stream.
"Oh right, I already replied to the email from On The Rocks. I gave them permission to use the footage. So that was the purpose of the donation. They wanted it for promotional material."
"Giving us 10 million won just for that seems like a lot, doesn't it?"
"It's huge. We just started, and they're burning 10 million won on game advertising."
Lee Sang-hyun answered while still clicking away at the keyboard and mouse.
Myeong-yun watched him edit for a moment before speaking.
"Have you been treating your parents well? You've earned some money now."
"I already bought them something delicious. Beef. What about you?"
"Pretty much the same."
Both sets of parents had long since realized the two were up to something together. Suddenly they were being treated to expensive meals with money from who-knows-where. But since they had no idea what the boys were actually doing, they had decided to wait until the two of them were ready to talk.
"Also, I set up a meeting with Yeonamdang. Let's leave after first period tomorrow morning."
"Got it."
Since both Myeong-yun and Lee Sang-hyun had already secured university admission, the school would not make a fuss even if they left early.
Myeong-yun watched Lee Sang-hyun edit a little longer before speaking again.
"Should we hire another editor?"
"...Honestly, if we keep going like this, I'll probably get overwhelmed. Let's think about it after all the corporate meetings are done. It won't be too late by then."
"Alright. Then I'm heading out. Good work."
"See you. Ah! Stop posting weird stuff on Twitter! Do you really think anyone understands your martial arts technique explanations?"
"Everyone seemed to like them."
"...Sigh, do whatever you want. As long as you don't post anything controversial. Just go already."
Lee Sang-hyun let out a deep sigh and waved him away.
Myeong-yun patted his shoulder a couple of times before leaving the room. After also greeting Lee Sang-hyun's mother, who was watching television in the living room, he stepped out of the house and took a deep breath of the cold night air.
'These past few days have really felt like living.'
In his previous life, he had struggled desperately to escape the mortal realm. He had believed that killing and being killed held no meaning, and that only ascension could relieve his boredom.
"However......"
After reincarnating, he had found a different path. In his past life, he had walked a narrow road. Countless paths had existed around him, yet his vision, narrowed by obsession, had seen only that single narrow path.
"It was not the wrong path. It was simply one choice."
But he possessed countless possibilities. Only after reaching this new life had he realized them.
Myeong-yun decided to believe in the many possibilities inherent within himself. Those possibilities would surely make it feasible to bring the murim back into this world once more.
Myeong-yun, who had stopped for a moment to look up at the sky, smiled.
"Pleasant days will continue."
* * *
The next morning.
Myeong-yun and Lee Sang-hyun went to school, then left after first period. When asked why they were leaving early, Lee Sang-hyun showed the editing-related business emails he had received to hide Myeong-yun's identity. Myeong-yun explained that he was there as a sort of bodyguard, just in case.
"Go on then! You both already got into university anyway. Do whatever you want!"
The homeroom teacher let them go without any fuss. The two had never caused trouble, so the teacher's trust in them was absolute.
After slipping out of school, the two headed to their meeting location—the heart of Gangnam, where Yeonamdang's headquarters stood.
"Whoa, it's huge."
"This is Yeonamdang's building?"
Yeonamdang, built on prime real estate in the center of Gangnam, boasted an enormous headquarters befitting the world's largest game company. The company's Chinese characters emblazoned on the massive building sparkled in the sunlight.
There was an atmosphere that made one feel they should not enter carelessly from the entrance onward.
"They said someone would be waiting in front of the building to guide us......"
"I think that's him."
Myeong-yun pointed at a man.
A neatly dressed man in a suit. Even though it was a time when office workers should have been busy, he was casually checking his watch while looking around. He seemed to be searching for someone.
"Let's go."
"Huh? Oh."
As Myeong-yun and Lee Sang-hyun approached, the man spotted them, widened his eyes, and smiled.
"Welcome. I've been waiting. Which one of you is Mr. Myeong-yun?"
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Myeong-yun."
"Ah, I see. Then the friend beside you must be the Grand Tactician."
"...Heavenly Demon Cult Grand Tactician, Lee Sang-hyun."
Lee Sang-hyun introduced himself that way, though he looked slightly embarrassed.
The man took out a business card holder from his jacket and handed them two cards.
"Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Park Ji-eon, team leader of the New World development team at Yeonamdang. I look forward to working with you."
"New World development team leader?"
Lee Sang-hyun was startled by the title. It was a name no one interested in New World could fail to recognize.
Team Leader Park Ji-eon. He was the very person who had designed New World and created the perfect virtual reality by establishing the Soul Link system. Even though he could have been promoted to executive, he had remained in the development team, devoting himself entirely to developing the next-generation device—the legend of virtual reality.
It was hard not to be surprised when such a person stood right in front of them. Lee Sang-hyun thought he would have to ask for an autograph later.
"Yes, I created New World. Haha, standing here talking like this feels a bit awkward, so let me escort you inside. Our Yeonamdang cafeteria is quite nice. I'll also give you a tour of the headquarters."
"Then, please take care of us."
"We'll be in your care."
Though Lee Sang-hyun seemed slightly nervous, Myeong-yun followed behind Ji-eon without any hesitation as they entered the building.
People bustling through the headquarters glanced briefly at the two students in school uniforms. But only for a moment—Ji-eon quelled their gazes with a look and guided them toward the cafeteria while speaking.
"Thank you for making time on such a busy day. Personally, I really wanted to meet both of you."