Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 45
>Chapter Title: Ever-Consistent Friends
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Chapter 45
>45.
>Whether to say I like these ever-consistent friends or find them utterly annoying.
Do-hyun breezily ignored them and finished cooking the stew, even setting the table.
He took a light spoonful, and a perfect harmony of just-right saltiness and the aroma of doenjang filled his mouth.
As expected, Mom's homemade doenjang jjigae was out of this world.
Do-hyun polished off a bowl in no time and flopped onto the sofa.
Just then, a familiar scene appeared on the TV.
Do-hyun was clueless about dramas or variety shows, but this time, it was right up his alley—more expert territory than anyone's.
"What's this, God Ose? You play God Ose too?"
"Who doesn't these days?"
"No way, for real?"
"Yeah. My level's pretty high. 71."
"Whoa."
This was genuinely shocking.
The guy who never even glanced at games was playing God Ose? And at a level way higher than his own?
"71? You've been grinding hard, huh? You never do this stuff."
"About six months? A friend said he'd carry me, so I tried it, and it was more fun than I thought, so I kept going."
"Hmm. Does it usually take half a year?"
"No idea? I don't hole up for 10 hours a day like some people."
"……"
Do-hyun shut his mouth, at a loss for words.
Of course that was normal.
Puzzling over how to make the most of every minute beyond 10 hours a day—that was the abnormal part.
Ranker status was long gone anyway, so most people just played games casually for fun.
*That's how it's fun for me, though.*
Do-hyun found those people fascinating, but if he said it, Hyun-ah would just shake her head with an "Ugh, shut-in vibes."
Wisely choosing silence, Do-hyun quietly watched the TV.
*-Today's God Ose broadcast~ The news we're sharing today is super hot!*
God Ose broadcast.
It had quickly carved out a niche after God Ose's launch, and thanks to savvy investments, it now stood as the most popular God Ose news program.
The sparkling chemistry between MC Jin Hyun-mo and Jang Ye-na was one reason for the rave reviews.
The two were chattering away as usual.
*-Not another Top 10 Guild raid, right? Viewers are sick of 'Top 10 Raid' spam.*
*-Haha, I'd love to deliver on that, but sadly, it's different news today! Guild-related, though—not Top 10 Guilds, but Hero Guild!*
*-Hero Guild? Oh, I know them. Aren't they super famous?*
*-You just know the guild master 'cause he's hot, don't you?*
*-Ahem, no? Okay, he is my type, but... Jang Ye-na! I know how to keep work and personal separate!*
*Huh?*
Do-hyun muttered without thinking at the familiar guild name.
"Hero Guild?"
"Huh? What, you know Hero Guild too, oppa?"
"Well... yeah, I know of them."
Hyun-ah stared at Do-hyun intently.
Her expression was oddly peculiar, then she suddenly put on a stern face and dropped her voice as low as possible.
"Guilds are for the weak. Not worth remembering those losers."
"……?"
"Where'd that guy go? Wasn't even middle school cringe phase, thought I'd die of secondhand embarrassment, but he came back from the army a changed man."
"……Ah."
Do-hyun tilted his head, then groaned as a memory hit him.
Back when he was 18, his middle school syndrome hit late—in high school sophomore year.
When Hyun-ah, who had a slight interest in Delrock, asked about it, he'd brushed her off lazily with that line.
Laziness aside, he'd thought it was cool back then, but now? Peak black history.
"Something about lone wolf life and all that... Ugh, games ruin people. Every time you spout that cringey stuff, I get goosebumps."
"……Did I? I don't remember."
"I was scared to bring you around friends 'cause of that."
...No wonder she never introduced him to her friends.
Even Do-hyun would have been terrified.
He looked insane in hindsight, but he had his excuses.
Back then, Do-hyun was on a winning streak with his killer controls, drawing tons of players his way.
Some wanted to make a name, but backstabbers outnumbered them by far.
That's why he'd default to suspicion around other players.
*Guilds made my blood boil.*
Later, they'd even come at him in guild groups, so Do-hyun grew to despise guilds entirely.
Always "You know what guild I'm from?" or "I'm an officer there..."
Dragging their guild along like local thugs calling in their crew after a beatdown—what was the difference?
A minor starting out in a game facing that? No wonder he was cynical.
...Or so he told himself, but it didn't erase the black history.
"Ahem. So Hero Guild's famous, huh? Enough to be on TV."
Dodging her gaze with feigned ignorance, Do-hyun watched as Hyun-ah sighed and looked away, seemingly letting it slide.
"Among 20-somethings, Hero Guild's the trend these days. Popularity-wise, they rival Extermination."
"Hmm? Why? They're not even Top 10."
"They specialize in schooling bullies... Noble hero vibe, young average age, and above all, the guild master's hot."
"……Ah."
Down to looks in the end.
They ticked all the trendy boxes for youth appeal, but that last one was surely the biggest draw.
"Guys seem to prefer Extermination, but girls mostly go for Hero Guild."
"Yeah... Makes sense."
In short, Extermination revved up guys, and Hero Guild's master melted girls.
Do-hyun nodded along, but it clicked for him too.
*-Almost no one hasn't heard of Hero Guild. Top-tier among major guilds, one of the few challenging the Top 10's savagery.*
*-Top-tier in PvP and bully hunts, right? Rivals Top 10 in those fields.*
*-Yes, Hero Guild built its rep on punishing evildoers.*
*-True, but let's be real—guild master Berze is insanely handsome. Even guys would fall for him.*
In the brief hunt clip on screen, Berze looked like... a young noble master?
Korean, apparently, but with foreign-style dyed hair and eyes, he screamed romance fantasy prince.
"Doesn't he look too much like a pretty boy parasite?"
"That's peak hotness. Girls go crazy for faces like that."
"……"
Handsome is handsome, pretty is pretty—what's "hot-pretty"?
No point overthinking; he'd just roll with it.
*Guess I should hit the gym.*
Twenty minutes away—perfect walking distance for digestion.
He'd eaten moderately on purpose.
He was about to stand when—
*-But word is Hero Guild issued another bully-hunt order today?*
*……Huh?*
The familiar term glued Do-hyun's butt to the seat.
*-Wow, news travels fast. Raven folks know, but that server's full of bully-loving scum.*
*-Right, right. I got wrecked hard back in my Raven days...*
*-Not 'cause you went easy on him for being hot?*
*-I debated that... but anyway, not the point right now?*
*-Haha. So these bullies brazenly stirred trouble in a forum post? Word reached Hero Guild, chaos ensued... Check the footage.*
The clip opened with interviews from victims of the Assassination Boy crew.
"Total trash. Still pissed thinking about what they stole."
"They offered help to a noob like me—game newbie. So grateful... Turns out it was a trap. They lure beginners like that."
"Hit 24 even, but no graduation. Why? Fun for them."
"Even if it's a game, it's disgusting. Reports do nothing—no real-world laws apply. Nowhere to vent; drives you mad."
Victim after victim vented rage, re-enactments showing exactly how.
Then swelling BGM heralded Hero Guild's entrance, shifting the mood.
Soon, footage of five heroes.
Precisely, five heroes vs. Assassination Boy and crew.
The gear looked pathetically worse than last time Do-hyun saw; they got massacred by Hero Guild repeatedly.
"Whoa, so satisfying. Must be tons of scum like that."
"Games are all like that."
The production values delivered pure catharsis.
A hot-pretty(?) guy schooling villains? Instant fanbase.
On network TV, it might irk, but God Ose viewers were mostly young—relishing the justice.
"Games always like that?"
"Every game I've played."
Delrock and God Ose—infamous for trash players—but probably all the same.
That's why you live right.
Those guys lived wrong, now getting publicly schooled.
Hyun-ah nodded, murmuring, "Guess that's why..."
"YouTube's full of schooling vids lately."
"YouTube?"
"Yeah. Stuff like 'Hidden Cam on Bullies,' 'PK Bait as Noob.' Ah, oppa's been out of the loop in the army. YouTube's all God Ose now."
Do-hyun's eyes lit with interest.
Fresh content looked fun, but more so: God Ose devouring YouTube.
*Well, it swallowed most culture—YouTube changing makes sense.*
He checked it occasionally, not realizing; now it was obvious—God Ose everywhere.
Diverse too.
Raids, arenas, hidden cams, songs, fantasy builds...
"Views all over ten million?"
And insane numbers.
Pre-army, a million was standard...
"Old news. Top vids hit a hundred million."
"Whoa?"
"Everyone plays God Ose now, so... But breaking out's tough. Tons can't even crack the algorithm."
All markets: supply and demand.
Huge demand, huger supply—too much, the problem.
Overabundance meant recycled content; only fresh/funny stuff stood out.
"Hundred million views... That's bank."
"Totally. Hero Guild master's YouTube alone pulls nine figures monthly."
"Wha, nine figures?"
"Extermination types? Combined revenue hits ten billion a month. Total God Ose life."
"Ten... ten billion..."
Mind-boggling.
Top of Delrock? Maybe ten million monthly tops.
Even that rode trash game waves; a million was "good month" celebration.
Endgame? Earning anything was miraculous.
*Ten billion, though...*
YouTube?
Back then, views were gratitude enough.
Monetizing? Never crossed his mind. Hence, zero interest.
But the world had changed.
"Ten billion..."
"Huh? Oppa, you're not scheming something weird again, right?"
"Ten billion... What could you do with ten billion? How many Big X from McNal..."
Hyun-ah eyed him suspiciously, but Do-hyun was lost.
That astronomical figure filled his head.
The moment YouTube registered in Do-hyun's gaming life.