Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 121
>Chapter Title: Contractor
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Pssshhh-
>“Ughhh….”
>Do-hyun emerged from the capsule and, as always, stretched as he stepped into the living room.
>After downing a glass of cool water in one go, he tilted his head.
>“Out again today?”
>The living room was unusually quiet and pitch black.
>Normally, Hyun-ah would be leaning against the sofa watching a drama without even sitting down properly, and Mom would be humming in the kitchen doing something, but neither was anywhere to be seen.
>Just in case, he checked the rooms, but no one was home.
>‘She’s been going out a lot lately.’
>Was it just his imagination that he’d been spending more time alone recently?
>Whatever. It didn’t really matter to him, so Do-hyun brushed it off.
>What lingered in his mind more was the very end of today’s gaming session.
>“Of all places, it had to cut out right there.”
>It was like the gods were toying with him—every time he tried to crack open a card, something like this happened.
>At least it hadn’t disconnected midway like the first time, so that was a small mercy.
>Come to think of it, though, a lot had happened today.
>‘Somehow I ended up getting Charlie, swapped out all my gear, got the Holy King’s Emblem, and even a chance at Lebed… damn.’
>The rewards from just one day were overflowing.
>Any single one of them would have players foaming at the mouth to get their hands on it—they were all that incredible.
>And the one he liked best? The Holy King’s Emblem, hands down.
>‘Legendary grade, huh.’
>He’d gotten the legendary-grade title and the Mythic-potential Thousand Transformations, but since they were growth types, he hadn’t felt their full impact right away.
>But the Holy King’s Emblem?
>A straight-up legendary-grade item, pure and simple—no growth, just legendary from the get-go.
>‘Man, I wish tomorrow would hurry up and come.’
>With so many gains, there were too many things he wanted to test out.
>And that wasn’t all. He needed to draw skills ASAP, check the graduation quest rewards…
>‘Oh, right. The video.’
>The thought of the recording suddenly hit him, and he booted up his computer.
>With everything going on, he’d completely forgotten he’d even been recording.
>He checked the saved file length and let out a hollow chuckle.
>[Recording Time: 02:34:21]
>“…Two and a half hours?”
>He hadn’t stopped it once since heading to the secret dungeon, and it had captured way too much.
>When was he ever going to edit all this?
>No wonder editors charged so much and still complained it was brutal work.
>He glanced at the time.
>It was already past 8:30.
>Just playing back the full video would take 2 hours, 34 minutes, and 21 seconds.
>Factor in his amateur editing skills, and it’d easily blow past three hours.
>‘…Should I just crash?’
>The sweet temptation nearly won him over, but Do-hyun summoned superhuman willpower and resisted.
>He was a proper pro YouTuber with over a million subscribers now.
>Put it off once, and it’d never get done. Better to knock it out and sleep.
>‘Ugh… let’s just get it over with and crash.’
>With a sigh, Do-hyun dove into the work.
>“…No need for this part, cut it… Ah, keep this one. Hmm… this is main quest-related, so skip… This…”
>In the end, Do-hyun burned the midnight oil, vowing he’d hire an editor no matter what.
>* * *
>Meanwhile, at that very hour.
>The God Ose homepage and community forums were in absolute chaos from the nuke that had just dropped.
>Kaiser finally claiming first place and knocking Berje off the top was shocking enough, but the real jaw-dropper was the score.
>-God Ose simps. 4,561 points seriously make any sense?
>-Fr fr… 1,500 I could buy, like okay Kaiser did something crazy. But 4,561? Way too much. Can’t wrap my head around it…
>And rightly so—it was an utterly absurd score.
>Normal players struggled to break 300 on Brion’s graduation quest, and this guy clears it for 4,561?
>-Real talk, bug?
>└Lol no way it’s a bug xD Kaiser’s skillset is the bug kek.
>└Nah dude I’m serious. No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t add up. How tf does that score even happen?
>└Hm… fair point.
>└Fr, Berje’s 999 is already untouchable af. But this? Common sense says no.
>└Yeah, now that you mention it…
>Doubts were inevitable.
>Those hyped over Kaiser reclaiming first started scratching their heads, theorizing.
>Was that score legit or a glitch?
>-It’s not a glitch.
>-AI handles it, dozens of times smarter than humans. If it was gonna glitch, it would’ve by now.
>-So what explains that score?
>That debate wrapped quick, but the mystery only grew.
>If not a glitch, then what?
>-Kaiser actually got a job from the fox goddess? Used her charm to mind-control everyone kek.
>└That make sense? Lol my buddy got the fox goddess quest and scored 200.
>└Related to entering the Grand Temple? He was doing something there.
>└Tch… context points that way, but does a quest like that even exist?
>└Forget that—clear one quest and rack up that much favor? What, did he save the country? Even a war vet wouldn’t score that high.
>└Ugh, no clue. He’s not dropping a vid?
>No matter how they racked their brains, no leads.
>It was so far beyond reason that no theory stuck.
>Just as this became God Ose’s latest unsolved mystery…
>[Kaiser TV vid dropped!!]
>[Insane, this one’s straight nuts. Absolute madness. Grab 5 spare pairs of undies before watching. I warned you.]
>[Kaiser, he’s a god! Kaiser, he’s a god! Kaiser, he’s a god! Kaiser, he’s a god! Kaiser, he’s a god!]
>Out of nowhere, one video appeared.
>The forums turned into a warzone, stoking the curiosity of users already dying to know.
>-Vid? Kaiser dropped a new one?
>-Wait. This timing… no way…
>-Holy. Watching now.
>-Gotta study but can’t resist. Sorry Mom!
>└LMFAO xD
>The crowd rushed in, greeted by a video with a short title.
>Contractor.
>Seeing it, doubts arose.
>-Contractor? Wtf does that mean?
>-Aggro something?
>-Wrong upload? Random af.
>-Ah, not the grad quest vid… bummer…
>-If no proof, probs some glitch fr?
>Disappointment quickly set in.
>The title was so far off expectations, crushing hopes.
>Big expectations, big letdown—perfect fit.
>But it was still Kaiser TV.
>Curiosity about the hottest topic won out, and they hit play.
>The video started.
>-…Huh?
>-Wha…?
>The unexpected opener had them leaning in.
>Around 25 minutes long.
>No fancy edits beyond BGM—long by current trends—but length didn’t matter now.
>Slash-
>-Did that knight just get one-shot?
>-Who’s that black dude? Drip levels insane.
>-Did Brion have a cave and boss like that?
>-Nah, point is the knight got one-combo’d? Possible?
>That powerhouse knight getting insta-gibbed from the jump? Total shock.
>But the shocks were just warming up.
>A 2-meter-plus monster lumbered in—horn on its forehead, wreathed in ominous darkness—reaching out a hand.
>KABOOM-!!
>The cave wall melted away without a trace.
>-Insane…
>Viewers glued to the screen, mouths agape.
>The bombs kept dropping.
>Cut to the grand hall, packed with over a hundred high priests and High Priest Gildeti.
>Then that same monster appears out of nowhere.
>Elder priests unleashing holy magic against it, Kaiser battling the revived beast.
>Kaiser finally wins… only for the monster to revive again, putting him in peril.
>Flash!
>A silver-armored knight bursts in from behind, radiating light.
>-…Charlie?
>-Wtf, that’s Charlie right??
>-No way, why’s he there!
>Tsundere to some, savage roaster to others.
>Everyone’s starting companion Charlie’s shock debut sparked questions—but only briefly.
>Kaiser and Charlie sync up perfectly, not taking a single hit, and take down the monster.
>“Ahh, hero!!”
>“Brion’s savior!”
>High Priest Gildeti and countless priests and elders bowed, praising Kaiser.
>Over a hundred elite priests showing reverence to Kaiser at center stage.
>Chills for a moment.
>Then darkness falls, BGM shifts.
>---!
>A massive eye emerges, blanketing the hall in creeping shadow.
>Unlike anything in any movie.
>Just looking instilled helplessness; viewers held their breath, locked in.
>Swoosh-
>Black shapes flicker beyond the giant eye.
>FLASH-!
>A burst of divine light sweeps the darkness—and the screen cuts to black.
>Video over.
>-Insane. Straight insane. Absolute madness fr.
>-That warning poster dude. Why only 5 undies? Already blew through em midwatch and soiled myself!!!
>-Wow, priests praising Kaiser… goosebumps.
>-Each one’s a big shot. Spotted a few high priests too?
>-Guy who said he saved the country was spot on? Fr??;
>-Nah, but the knight? Looked like Charlie??
>-Why tf is Charlie there, you clown.
>-That eye at the end?? Instant chills. I did Brion grad too, why’s it different for me?
>-Kaiser, he’s a god! Kaiser, he’s a god! Kaiser, he’s a god! Kaiser, he’s a god! Kaiser, he’s a god!
>A beat late, YouTube comments and God Ose forums exploded.
>Nuke after nuke—refresh after refresh piled on views and comments, spreading across sites.
>-Wow… that’s how he got 4,561.
>-To hit #1, gotta get worshipped by high priests~
>-This is what it takes for S-rank? Nuts fr.
>└Wait, Berje’s not S too?
>└Huh? Who’s that? Oh, the simp who cheesed favor then flexed?
>└Rubbing a galge gay in someone’s face lol. Gotta get hero-worshipped like that to count as a man. Dang… peak cool.
>└Galge xD Fr, he’s a galge pro not a hero kekek
>No one questioned Kaiser’s score anymore.
>Just nonstop praise.
>BAM!!!
>But while Kaiser basked in glory, one unlucky soul faced the ridicule…
>“Uwaaaah!! Kaiser!!”
>Berje, who’d pulled an all-nighter salvaging his image, heard the news just as he shut down his PC.
>His enraged yell made guildmates in the hall jump back.
>“…Whoa, scared me. What’s Master on about now?”
>“Shh. Forums roasting him. Galge this time… pfft. Sorry. Anyway, that’s the vibe.”
>“His image is so different from first impressions. Thought he was all gentle.”
>“All image crafting. Don’t get caught in the splash, let’s bounce.”
>The image shift Berje dreaded was already underway from within.
>Meanwhile, Do-hyun—who’d lobbed a second nuke at the still-reeling masses…
>“Dra… gon…! Fi… re… gol… den…?”
>Mumbled nonsense in his sleep, deep in sweet dreams.