Storm's Eve
"This is how you should prepare it."
Returning to the underground dwarf hut, Hanbit gave the rest of the instructions to the dwarves. It'd probably be best for Gorik to hear their story straight from the source.
"Yes! We'll get it done perfectly!"
With the legacy reclaimed, the blessing had been bestowed upon the dwarves once more. They were rapidly regaining their rusty skills. Kudran, who had kept up steady training, was especially thrilled, feeling his techniques surpass even his past levels as he worked.
"His Highness will come during the wall repairs too. He'll probably have something on his mind, so Kudran, take the lead and create an opportunity for discussion."
"Got it! Even if His Highness chases me off, I'll stick around!"
After passing on even these small requests, Hanbit headed down to the third underground level with Isis. It was a space he'd borrowed from the dwarves with their prior permission.
"Is this a bedroom? Or a workshop? It's a weird spot."
"Don't move from there. I'll show you the power, just like I promised."
"Oh, you're finally doing it! I almost stole a real sword!"
Isis let out a joyful cheer. Hanbit, standing a bit away from her, walked to the center. He set up the borrowed armor rack for this.
Shing! Drawing his sword, he took a step back.
"Hoo."
Exhaling as he focused his mind, Hanbit carefully activated Attribute Manifestation, aiming his sword.
Shhh—Pure white frost bloomed along the blade in an instant, sharpening vividly. Tiny ice particles spread, grasping the air. His barely recovered stamina naturally drained away.
At that moment—
Kwaduduk! The rack touched by the blade froze over in pristine white ice in a flash.
"Ah...!"
Isis, watching from a precarious spot nearby, sparkled with excitement. Just a little closer, and her body would've been encased.
Sarak—Finishing the freezing swiftly, Hanbit stopped the skill. His strength ebbed away, exhaustion flooding in. He really was at his limit today.
"I'll come back tomorrow, so check it out as much as you want."
"The crystal structure here is totally different! If only there was a book on glaciers!"
-lmao
- Black Dragon's already out of sight.
- Kidnapped for real, right?
- Happiness level 200%.
Isis, nose practically buried in the ice, had already erased Hanbit from her mind. There was a bed in the corner, but she wouldn't sleep.
Creeak—Hanbit quietly closed the door and stepped out.
Then, an alarm chimed with a message.
Ding!
[Main Quest #10 completed.]
[Received 100,000 gold.]
[2 stat points granted.]
[50,000 EXP gained.]
[Progress increased.]
[Main Quest #11: Storm's Eve]
Preparations for the final wave begin, based on intel from the interrogation. Steel your mind and prepare for the chaos.
Objective: Finish preparations before the third wave arrives.
Reward: None
*Current progress: 80%
*This quest can be progressed in 12 hours.
The time limit made sense again. There was just so much to prepare in the city.
Confirming the quest, Hanbit headed back up to the second underground level. Avant-garde was waiting there.
"I handed over all the ice spider legs like you said. But seriously, how do you plan to use those bombs?"
He'd been monitoring the stream nonstop and couldn't hide his curiosity. But spoiling it now felt like a waste.
"It'll be more fun to see it yourself. I'm about to log off—when are you heading out?"
"I want to capture more of the dwarves. Might pull an all-nighter for tomorrow's appointment."
It was scheduled to coincide with Juyeonu's office setup. Excluding Kim Jaeha, who wanted to focus on skills, the two of them planned to stop by.
"Got it. Then that's it for today..."
"Black Dragon, what about the challenge mission?"
"Huh?"
"The one that popped up before the lab—it's still unaccepted."
"...Oh."
Avant-garde's words jogged his memory. Hanbit checked the sponsorship list hanging there.
[Challenge Mission]
[Conquer the hidden zone to the end for success.]
[Prize: 58,400,300 won]
"...How'd it get this high?"
-?
-You still don't know?
-Pay more attention to the community than real life lol.
-Info: No vanguard teams have emerged yet.
-Corporations went ham sponsoring during the chaos.
The viewers explained in response to his casual question. Sure enough, the list was packed with names of companies with vanguard teams.
'It's about time to wrap it up.'
Vanguard teams were far stronger than him right now. Considering the time spent, the end was in sight.
Decision made, Hanbit hit the success button on the challenge mission.
[Challenge mission succeeded.]
[Received 58,400,300 won.]
"Thanks for the challenge mission. I'll upload the full clear video right after the game ends."
-Phew.
-Vanguards clapping would be hilarious.
-Even non-vanguards are fine lol.
-Please stop the tryhards.
-Not even a week in, quit whining. lol;
-Fr, try over 2 weeks and talk.
-Shut up all of you.
-Thx king....
The chat exploded at the announcement of the full clear. Some were teary-eyed—probably folks grinding entries and exits.
"Alright, I'm off. See you tomorrow, Avant-garde."
Click—Logging out, Hanbit messaged Juyeonu, showered, and crashed into bed from sheer exhaustion.
***
The next morning, Hanbit left home and headed to Yeongdeungpo Station in Seoul. The office Juyeonu mentioned was nearby.
"This must be it."
A sleek new 7-story building. The clean exterior felt better than expected.
Entering, Hanbit went up to the third floor.
"Hyung, you're here?"
"You've arrived!"
Juyeonu and Avant-garde were already there. Stepping inside, Hanbit surveyed the spacious interior.
"Isn't this too big?"
It was for Juyeonu and Kim Jaeha to work in, but it felt overly roomy. Maybe around 1,000 square feet?
"We might hire more staff. And one's already locked in."
"One? Who?"
"Got an email. They wanted to edit Black Dragon's videos, so I checked their portfolio. Anyway, I'm no pro editor."
An email had suddenly arrived for Juyeonu. He'd gotten plenty wanting to edit Black Dragon's vids before, but they were all meh, so he'd grown numb.
But the skill in the attached video was beyond expectations.
"Don't editors work from home?"
"Usually, yeah. But this one's a huge fan and insists on coming in. Said they'd run into you here."
"...?"
The phrasing sounded oddly risky, sparking caution. Reading his face, Juyeonu chuckled.
"Don't freak out. They are a fan, but not the type you think."
"What does that mean?"
"You'll see. Fan or not, we can't pass them up. Check this out."
Juyeonu moved to his desk and turned the monitor. Black Dragon's Recorder channel was up.
"This part's my edit; everything after is the editor's. See the views?"
"...This many?"
Dozens of videos already, views spiking from the Baldor spar—over 10 million. The Wind Swordsmanship scene hit 20 million. Hidden skills drew crowds. Insane for 300k subs.
"Low compared to Black Dragon's feats, but the trajectory's unprecedented. Views will climb with later content. RP has more mid-game players than newbies anyway."
The expert Avant-garde analyzed coolly. Juyeonu nodded.
"Yeah, so the editor's key. Their work starts at the hidden zone—reactions prove it."
Sure enough, praise poured in from those videos onward. Even Hanbit thought they were solid.
"How'd they pull this off? It was total chaos."
"Right? Killer instincts. Some uploads are straight from test commissions to them."
Hanbit's fast-paced play often lost focus, but this editing nailed dynamic visuals and clear pacing—irresistibly engaging. Could a raw recording yield this?
Fan or whatever, if they delivered like this, welcome aboard.
"With these views, what's the revenue?"
"Roughly 5 won per view. Scales with subs and views."
"...So one video's 50 million won?"
The number shocked him. Scanning the list, total views hit 200 million—over a billion won simple math.
"Told you the company won't flop. We'll grow supporting you, hyung. And Avant-garde too."
"I'm growing bit by bit, but I feel my shortcomings. Need to figure out how to contribute fully."
DD Studio's other streamer, Avant-garde. His adventure vids averaged 200k views, but teaming with Black Dragon shifted gears. Level 80 outpaced Hanbit, but skills lagged far behind. He helped where he could, but wasn't one to cling just for fun.
If he felt like a hindrance, he'd leave the party fast.
"No worries there. I've got a way."
Hanbit knew his concerns and had a fix—not just for him, but factoring his own growth.
"A way...?"
Avant-garde perked up at the confident tone. Random from others, but from Black Dragon, it carried weight.
"Once the episode ends, we'll hit the Whirlwind Tower. We'll grind levels there and come out stronger."