Chapter 92
Chapter 92
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Episode 31: A New Field (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The nation's largest gaming event, E-Star, was underway in Busan.
It was the first time Kang Han-do had received an official invitation to the venue.
‘I’ve been to Busan plenty of times, but I never imagined I’d come for a gaming event.’
The event hall was swarming with massive crowds.
People everywhere you looked—nothing but people.
‘If it were summer, I’d have melted from the heat!’
The thought alone made cold sweat trickle down his back.
It wasn’t too hot or too cold—a perfect timing.
After stepping out of the car, Kang Han-do headed around to the back entrance of the E-Star venue with Nemid.
If he strode in through the front gate, it could cause chaos in the hall. Not wanting to be a nuisance, Kang Han-do slipped in quietly.
Kang Han-do made his way with Nemid to the booth set up by the Raisive ad team.
It was impressively large compared to the others.
Raisive boasted the number two spot in mobile sales. As a cash cow for the company, they weren’t skimping on the investment.
As soon as Kang Han-do appeared, PR team manager Kim Yeo-na greeted him warmly.
“Great to see you made it. Han-do ssi. Come on in this way.”
The booth was so spacious it even had plenty of room to receive guests.
“This is huge.”
Kang Han-do summed up his impression succinctly. Manager Kim Yeo-na beamed.
“The bigger the booth, the better we can promote to folks from afar. Oh, right—here, take these.”
She handed him a stack of papers.
“These outline the event schedule and details for the afternoon. Reviewing them ahead of time will help a ton.”
“Thank you.”
Essential documents he couldn’t do without.
The event kicked off at 2 p.m. It started with introductions, followed by a video on Raisive’s first-half updates for next year. Then a talk with the devs, Q&A with booth visitors.
It wrapped with a performance by the invited artist.
The performer was the girl group Angelina.
They weren’t top-tier in fame, but they consistently hit mid-chart or better with every album.
They hadn’t arrived at the venue yet, it seemed.
‘I should say hi when they get here.’
The whole event ran until 5 p.m.
Three straight hours as solo MC, talking nonstop.
‘Gotta hydrate like crazy.’
Hydration was key at these events.
* * *
After a light snack,
Around 1:50 p.m., Kang Han-do started warming up his throat.
“Ahem!”
A fake cough to loosen up, then he grabbed the mic and prepped to hit the stage.
A ton of people had shown up for the Raisive event.
Not enough chairs prepared by the booth staff.
Proof of the game’s massive popularity.
With that many eyes on him, Kang Han-do had no intention of slipping up.
2 p.m. sharp.
Right on the dot.
Kang Han-do finally took the stage.
The moment he appeared, cheers erupted.
A mix of thrill and wonder at seeing a celebrity up close.
“Hello, I’m Kang Han-do, your host today. Great to see you all!”
He bowed deeply. The crowd cheered again.
Any Raisive fan would know Kang Han-do.
He’d shot their ads and was killing it as promo model. Plus, he showed real love for the game—no way fans could dislike him.
“Wow, so many of you came out today. On behalf of the organizers, thank you again. Alright! Let’s dive right in. I bet this is what you’re all dying to see first. Here’s the video on the first-half updates!”
He gave the signal, and right on cue, the giant monitor lit up with the video.
Dazzling 3D graphics unfolded, grabbing every eye.
Raisive was acclaimed for top-tier graphics among mobile games. Ops got flak in other areas, but comparatively less than rivals.
Announced for the first half: new dungeon, fresh region unlock, tier-3 awakening system incoming.
And...
A new character reveal.
“Woooah!”
“Yeah! Time for a new char!”
“Check those skills! Insanely flashy!”
The booth fans exploded.
Lee Yeon, a dual-wield swordswoman.
As the video ended, a cosplayer dressed as Lee Yeon stepped onto the stage.
Her celeb-level figure and looks hooked the male fans.
Great reactions. Solid event vibe for an MC.
Riding the momentum, he introduced the dev team.
Kang Han-do knew the game inside out, so the dev talk was packed with juicy bits.
4:30 p.m.
Time for the next segment.
“Finally, let’s do some Q&A.”
At his words, staff below stage grabbed wireless mics and positioned themselves.
Dozens shot up hands.
Kang Han-do passed the mic to a guy in the front row.
“I wanna ask about Lee Yeon. Will her tier-3 awakening drop with the update too?”
No surprise—Lee Yeon hype was peak.
Most questions after were about her too.
A new char after half a year? Interest was off the charts.
That wrapped the 30-minute Q&A.
Only Angelina’s performance left.
But.
Trouble hit.
While devs fielded questions,
A staffer sidled up to Kang Han-do and whispered.
“Han-do ssi. Angelina hasn’t made it to the venue yet.”
“What?”
Big problem.
Almost 5 p.m. No show, no finale.
Not everyone, but Angelina fans had come to this booth for sure.
Couldn’t let them down.
“Where are they now?”
“Close by, they say... but traffic’s jammed. They got out of the car and are running here.”
“...”
Poor things.
They were giving it everything to make it on time.
So...
‘I’ll do everything I can to buy time!’
For them.
For the organizers and fans too—Kang Han-do decided to stall till Angelina arrived.
“Alright! We planned Q&A till 5, but you all love the new char so much, let’s take a few more questions!”
Fans cheered.
They had mountains of stuff they still wanted to hear.
Devs, meanwhile, wiped secret sweat.
Pre-update—no leaking too much.
But no choice. They’d just learned Angelina was AWOL.
Team effort to drag it out.
“Hands up if you have questions.”
Kang Han-do’s call, and hands shot up again.
“Hmm~ Who should get the mic?”
Stalling on purpose, he hammed up the pondering.
Not an actor, but he trusted his chops.
“Lady on the right—pass her the mic.”
Lee Yeon question again.
Kang Han-do stretched the Q&A another 10 minutes.
Staff relayed: Angelina in five.
‘Can’t shove them straight onstage. They ran here—need a breather!’
He turned to the devs onstage.
“Hey, got a favor. Can you swing it?”
“What is it?”
“I’m a Raisive ranker myself. Wanna do a friendly match with some fans. If they beat me, give ’em game item prizes? Cash shop stuff would be awesome.”
Fans’ eyes lit up.
Dev nodded.
“We can definitely hook that up.”
Thanks given, Kang Han-do grabbed the mic and yelled.
“Taking just two challengers!”
More hands than during Q&A—over 90% of the crowd raring to go.
He picked a young guy. Dude oozed confidence, whipping out his phone.
Kang Han-do sat him down, set his own mic aside.
“I’ll make the room.”
“Sure.”
Kang Han-do vs. fan showdown!
Sudden big match—fans hooked.
Staff set up phones to big screen for live feed.
Ranger Kang Han-do.
Berserker fan.
Clash!
* * *
Two fans challenged, but Kang Han-do swept both rounds.
Still, he didn’t send them empty-handed.
“Participation prize.”
“Whoa, for real?!”
“You bet!”
Even in defeat, he handed over cash item coupons from the devs.
Clock: 5:20 p.m.
Angelina was fully prepped onstage.
Moment arrived.
“Last up: Angelina’s performance! This has been your host, Kang Han-do. Thanks again, everyone!”
Stylish exit—crowd gave thunderous applause.
Angelina’s set went off without a hitch after.
Offstage, Kang Han-do let out a long sigh.
Event central—anything could happen anytime.
‘Never guessed the finale act would roll up 20 minutes late.’
Not all their fault, though.
Life throws curveballs.
Meanwhile, wiped out after 3 hours 20 minutes onstage, Kang Han-do got a visit from manager Kim Yeo-na.
“You were amazing. Without you, this would’ve tanked.”
“Nah. Just doing my job.”
Post-set Angelina thanked and apologized to Kang Han-do too.
Without him, a smooth event might’ve ended sour.
‘MC makes or breaks it.’
Kang Han-do felt firsthand just how vital the role was.