Chapter 89
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Moonlight Sonata
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Merhen Kingdom.
Jeong Hoon, who had entered the capital, was taking a short rest at an inn.
Its a bust.
Honestly, he wasnt in a great mood.
Because every single random reinforcement stone had failed spectacularly, without producing anything Rare grade or higher.
......You madman.
Next to him, Ha-jin was staring at Jeong Hoon like he was some kind of monster.
The reason was simple.
Jeong Hoon, who had entered far later than him, had nearly caught up to his level.
Lucky break.
......So why does all that luck dump straight on you?!
The level gap between Ha-jin and Jeong Hoon was a mere five.
On top of that, Jeong Hoon had recently joined Hoyoung.
It was a named guild where entry was like threading a needle, yet Jeong Hoon had slipped in effortlessly.
Complete with promises of top-tier preferential treatment.
Damn, so freaking jealous......
Even as a friend, itd be weirder not to feel a twinge of envy.
Thats why were partying up from here on.
......Youre serious?
Yeah.
Jeong Hoon had summoned Ha-jin to Merhen Kingdom.
So whats the plan now?
Thinking of shooting some strategy videos.
Huh? Strategy videos?
Ha-jin tilted his head.
Yeah.
Strategy videos already flooded Welcom.
Dungeon monster hunting guides.
Boss monster takedowns where difficulty spiked from level 151.
Hunting ground picks suited for level 151.
Winning fierce territory wars.
The videos came in all varieties.
But the strategy videos Jeong Hoon had in mind were something else entirely.
Stuff that hasnt been uncovered yet.
Hed reveal elements that wouldnt surface until far in the future ahead of time, letting users grow faster.
Ah, so youre saying lets go live?
Live?
Yeah! Real-time broadcasts! Nail it, and we rake in serious cash?
No, money cant be the goal.
Jeong Hoon had no intention of chasing cash.
The honey theyd suckwe suck it first.
In the future, a handful of prime honey routes would get exposed.
So sweet that once out, users swarmed to drain them dry.
Up to 150, there were basically no honey pots outside of opportunities, so he hadnt planned to film any.
But things were different starting now.
From level 151 on, true honey pots existed for sure.
Jeong Hoon wanted to blast those routes wide open for all to see, so more users could outpace his previous lifes progress.
That way, when game fused with reality, more people would survive.
To finally witness that longed-for END.
Theyll all be mine anyway.
Levels 1 through 150Jeong Hoon had snatched every opportunity they wouldve claimed.
Plenty more lay ahead, but no need to rush.
Shame...... I know a guy whos a beast at shooting videos.
Videos?
Yeah. You know Dae-hwi hyung?
Yeah.
Jang Dae-hwi.
Ha-jins cousin, five years his senior.
Dae-hwi hyungs working as a NewTube editor. His editing skills are insane!
NewTube.
These days, New World content dominated NewTube, just like Welcom.
Other game videos topped out at 100k viewsNew World averaged 2 to 3 million with ease.
Which meant plenty of users had ditched their day jobs to bank on broadcasts instead.
Then you handle the NewTube.
Me?
Yeah. And you keep half the revenue.
For real?!
You ever seen me lie?
Nope.
Jeong Hoon was the type to always keep his word.
Of course, assuming there is revenue.
......Figured as much.
NewTube had been a red ocean for ages.
Blow up once, and the money flowedespecially with New Worlds SmartLens program dropping the entry barrier low, everyone and their mom was starting channels.
Blowing up meant delivering something truly electrifying.
Peoples tastes werent that varied, after all.
Even the sharpest minds ran out of ideas eventually, leaving countless NewTubers who flared bright at first then vanished.
Just trust me this once.
Jeong Hoon brimmed with confidence.
New World alone had 20 billion active users.
Dumping honey pots back-to-backcould they really ignore that?
Oh, there you are.
Right on cue, Yeo Min-ji had arrived in Merhen Kingdom.
Got it?
Yes. This the one?
Yeo Min-ji held out the camera.
Whoa! Isnt this the model they use for official event streams?
Ha-jin clocked it instantly.
Yeah. Spot on.
Whoa...... Not even SmartLensyoure filming with this?
Bingo.
Unreal. Lost for words.
Ha-jin stuck out his tongue.
Talk about the tail wagging the dog.
Jeong Hoon-ssis got his reasons, Im sure.
Yeo Min-ji came to his defense and took the empty chair.
Jeong Hoon tilted his head and spoke up.
Not heading to training?
Got curious about the filming setup. Mind if I tag along?
No.
Why not?!
Train. Your Critical Hit proficiencys still lacking. Tag along if you wanna regret it come crunch time.
For a Martial Artist, diligence was paramount.
Repetitive drilling wasnt optional for herit was mandatory.
......Off to train, then.
In the end, Yeo Min-ji headed back to the training grounds without joining.
Jang Ha-jins cousin, Jang Dae-hwi.
He was a pro editor signed to an MCN firm.
World Networkthey specialized in handling New World NewTubers.
Lately, he had one big headache.
Switch my editor. Cant work with this one.
His assigned NewTuber had been bombarded with pleas to swap editors.
But blowing it off wasnt an optionthat guy had 1.12 million subs, pulling 400 to 500k views per upload. Mega-tier.
Hyung, whats up? Han-beom begging for an editor swap again?
Lee Hak-song, a fellow editor and, wandered over.
He had a knack for charm, chatting up not just his charges but other company NewTubers toomade him a highly rated editor.
Yeah. Says he doesnt vibe with my video style or whatever......
Yoo Han-beom had demanded the change and even vowed to hire his own editor.
Damn, for real? Honestly, didnt hyung get him this huge partly on your back?
Han-beom had linked up with World Network back when he had just 110k subs.
The size gap with other signed talent nearly tanked it, but Dae-hwi had pushed hard and sealed the deal.
From there, Dae-hwi became his dedicated editorhandling cuts and dishing unfiltered feedback on his streaming style.
Im not blameless.
Dae-hwi had shoved his own editing philosophy down Han-beoms throat to propel him to stardom.
You were pulling all-nighters dailywhatre you talking about.
Haha, anyway, gonna honor Han-beoms request.
Huh? So whore you picking up next?
Dunno...... Thinking of easing up for a bit.
......Got it. Your call, hyungI respect it.
Yeah.
Ding-
A notification pinged on the KakaoTalk window he had open on his monitor.
Jang Ha-jin: Hyung! Whatcha up to?
Message from Ha-jin.
Grabbing some coffee.
You sure youre not overdoing it?
Recharges, but it drains fast anyway.
Lee Hak-song tactfully cleared out, and Dae-hwi chuckled before typing back.
Me: At the office
Jang Ha-jin: Hyung, slammed with edits rn?
Me: Pretty swamped through today, but free starting tomorrow.
Since he was dropping Han-beom.
Jang Ha-jin: Sweet! Perfect timing. Hyung, thinking of launching a NewTube channel and uploading a few vidscould you edit? Pays solid.
Me: Outta nowhere?
Jang Ha-jin: Yeah. Not a ton, just 2-3 vids probably.
Me: Hm...... Why NewTube all sudden? Hurting for cash?
Jang Ha-jin: Partly, but I got killer content.
Me: Send over a sample vid first. Ill check it out and decide.
Jang Ha-jin: OK
Jeong Hoon and Ha-jins destination was the temple in the capital.
What brings a foreigner here?
A Holy Knight was personally manning inspections at the temple entrance.
NPC Info
-Nickname: Camel
-Level: 225
-Job: Soul Master (3rd)
A level 225 Soul Master.
A faint yellow aura rippled around him, a telltale sign post-third job change.
Came to pray.
Pray? Apologies, but foreigners are strictly barred from the temple. Please head back.
Merhen Kingdoms temples enforced a total ban on foreigners.
Exceptions existed.
Only qualified Holy Knights or priests wielding holy power could enter.
And one more.
Those who resolved the temples woes earned merit recognition, granting free entry.
As proof, a question mark blinked above Camels head.
General Quest: Psyche Temple (14)
-Restriction: Level 151 users
-Final Reward: Temple Entry
-Description: Help resolve the temples troubles to earn entry qualification.
The quest spanned four stagesclear them all, and the entry restriction lifted instantly.
Jeong Hoon accepted it.
Truly no way to enter the temple?
......Well, not absolutely none.
What would that be?
Mind doing us a favor? Help out, and Ill authorize your entry.
Camel handed over a note.
Scribbled on it: a blatant threat to demolish the temple.
Whats this?
Notes weve found outside the temple lately. Threats to harm it.
The culprit?
Havent nabbed em yet. Were tracking nowshould have em soon.
I see.
Jeong Hoon shot a quick glance at Ha-jin.
A camera bobbed lightly behind Ha-jin, filming them.
A small spherical orb, capturing from multiple angles.
Coming through clear.
Ha-jin flashed a thumbs-up.
OK.
Jeong Hoon nodded.
If its no trouble, could you assist in tracking the note distributors?
Sure. Lets do it.
Thank you! Well hand over the collected notesfollow the clues and bring in the perp.
Track the notes clues.
Jeong Hoon and Ha-jin returned to the capital.
Hey, why go out of your way for the temple quest?
The temple quests offered crap rewards for the effort.
Most users hitting Merhen Kingdom skipped them outright.
Even Holy Knights and priests bypassed Merhen for quests, heading to Kaneda Kingdom temples instead.
Merhens temples were basically user ghost towns.
Feels like theres something to it.
Huh? Something there?
Ha-jins eyes lit up like saucers.
He knew the place was trash-tier.
But Jeong Hoon saying it? That changed everything.
When a monster hoarding opportunities, hidden classes, and Legendary gear dropped that lineinterest sparked from nothing.
Lets move. Camera keeping up?
You bet!
OK.
Jeong Hoons target: an info guild masquerading as a tavern.
The interior mimicked a standard tavernpatrons at a few tables, nursing drinks.
They stepped in, and a smiling early-thirties server approached.
Welcome! Party of how many?
Two.
Jeong Hoon held up two fingers.
Right away! Take any open table!
Seven tables stood empty.
Jeong Hoon and Ha-jin claimed one in the corner.
This the spot?
Ha-jin whispered.
Jeong Hoon nodded wordlessly.
Moments later, the server brought water and a menu.
Eclectic mix.
Water served in a wine glass, menu blending Earth sensibilities.
Jeong Hoon cracked the menu, peeked, snapped it shut, and ordered.
Two Moonlight Sonatas.
......Two Moonlight Sonatas?
The servers smile faltered just a touch.
We came for that. Issue?
Jeong Hoons lip curled faintly.
......One moment, please.
The server retreated in a hurry.
What? Some kinda code?
Yep. Famous even on Welcom. Moonlight Sonata.
The prerequisite for tapping the info guild?
Ordering a Moonlight Sonata.