Chapter 167

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Translator: Ryuma

Chapter: 167

Chapter Title: Lesson 34. Free Servitude - 2

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The Rebelion channel run by Ban Yu-won had surpassed 3 billion subscribers.

Videos capturing the daily life at Union Academy, which the entire dimensional realm was watching, and the growth of the exceptionally talented Rebelion party amid it all, complete with entertaining edits.

Without any promotion from major dimensions, word of mouth alone had been steadily boosting the subscriber count, but recently, something had accelerated that growth even further.

Live streaming.

The Rebelion channel's style was to record footage first, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠edit out anything undesirable or in need of hiding to make it viewer-friendly, and then upload. But as any channel grows, more people inevitably crave real-time interaction with the creators.

Moreover, with so many people baselessly claiming that the Rebelion party's unbelievable feats were just editing tricks, they had carefully decided to do live streams every few days.

Of course, there was an ulterior motive.

Now openly hostile with Ryu Cheol-myeong, it was wise to openly broadcast the party's current location and activities to prevent him from making any easy moves.

They had already done a short live from the spaceship heading to Dimension E-1, and tonight, they were set for another one.

――Thus, as the banquet kicked off, Ban Yu-won timed it perfectly and flipped on the live stream.

That said, no inconvenient facts for viewers—like the talk of gumiho or shikigami husbands—made it to air.

Why? Because the one filming possessed intelligence: Tike.

Through resonance with Ban Yu-won, Tike had absorbed his modern sensibilities and video editing skills. It automatically applied mosaics or muted audio to problematic content during live broadcasts, allowing Ban Yu-won to trust it completely.

[?!]

[Chuu... Master?]

[Hey, wait, Lucelle, this is live!]

[...Huh? Kyaaah!]

However, Tike only edited out troublesome scenes for broadcast—it didn't shut down the stream on its own.

In fact, by zooming in relentlessly without adjusting the aperture, it seemed Tike knew exactly what kind of footage "sold."

Thanks to that, the scene of a half-naked Lucelle mounting Ban Yu-won like she was pouncing went out live, and only then did Ban Yu-won belatedly notice Tike and frantically stop the stream.

Thanks to YouTube's protective magic, secondary spread was prevented, but hundreds of millions of viewers had witnessed the vivid moment just before the two dove into intimacy.

This close call not only caused subscriber numbers to explode again but also shattered the channel's previous donation record by over tenfold that month.

However, those drawn to the channel by Lucelle's ever-growing charm mostly turned into Ban Yu-won's haters, cursing him relentlessly...

On the flip side, the female fans utterly devoted to Ban Yu-won, the channel's de facto operator, reacted just as fiercely.

"...".

"Unnie, looks like there are no monsters left... Unnie? Yu-mi unnie?"

"Haaa...".

Ban Yu-mi, Ban Yu-won's older sister and the first on Earth to access Union Net and YouTube, was one of them.

"Yu-ming, stop stalking our husband and get up. Let's go hunt the boss! Yu-ming? Yu-ming-ming? ...Oppa?"

"Lee Hyun-ji, shut up."

"It's real. The real one appeared!"

"I said shut up!"

Earth, having undergone a cataclysm, saw countless changes.

Land sank and rose anew, the composition of earth, air, and sea subtly shifted.

Mana infused all things, enhancing them greatly or slightly, and humans were no exception.

Monsters once seen only on YouTube appeared on Earth, dungeons emerged, and constellations gained indirect influence, seeking capable contractors.

Humanity, somehow granted the rare "Status Window" even higher-dimensional beings struggled for, relied on it to survive the changed Earth and build a new order.

"Haa, haaa...".

"...Yu-mi unnie seems really pissed, Hyun-ji unnie. Kneel and apologize quick."

"I didn't do anything wrong though~."

"Your existence is the problem, so quick."

"...Yu-jina, you're not treating me like a senior either, right?"

South Korea was the first to adapt to the upheaval and emerge as the protagonist of this new era.

As if anticipating it all, they swiftly organized rescue teams, mobilized the military against monsters, revised laws for the new Earth, and set up departments to manage the gifted.

It wasn't that the Korean government was exceptionally superior; it was thanks to Ban Ji-won, a political heavyweight, overseeing it all.

Other nations had no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠choice but to follow Korea's lead, naturally elevating Korea's voice in international society.

"What's up? Why's Yu-mi gathering energy again?"

"Mi-yeon unnie! Not now, Yu-mi unnie is super mad. No idea why though..."

"I know why. I was watching the Rebelion live too."

"What?! You left me farming orcs alone?! I always handle the trash mobs. It's been forever since we left the athlete village..."

"Jealous? Level up then."

"Mi-yeon unnie only got her unique authority by luck!"

Thanks to Korea's guidelines, global chaos subsided relatively quickly, and humanity adapted after "merely" losing 20% of its population.

As a result, the already influential Ban family now firmly sat at the center of Korea's power.

Ban Yu-mi, among the rare few with unique authorities, backed by her father the Chairman and grandfather Ban Ji-won, formed the world's first elite gifted guild.

Her core members were fellow fencers from her team.

Kang Mi-yeon, an early member who also awakened a unique authority, made their force formidable, and with Ban Ji-won's solid support, they skyrocketed to become the world's top guild.

Anyone who'd met her even once at the athlete village groveled to join, but the female-only entry rule weeded out half.

"Anyway, what happened? Probably something with our Yu-won, right?"

"Yeah. Yu-won finally got pounced by that pink-haired girl――"

"What?! Uwaaaah! I'll take Yu-won's virginity――Mmph!"

"Crazy unnie, stop it!"

Surviving Earth's crisis was good, but one question lingered for most: Why could Korea act so swiftly?

How did the Ban family counter monsters and stabilize Korea?

Ban Ji-won didn't need to answer.

――Earth's top 1% had access to Union Net.

"Kyaaaaah! Kwaaaah!"

"Uwaaak! Ban Yu-mi's gone mad! She's finally berserking!"

"Hope this fixes her brocon~."

"Unnies, you call yourselves human? Gotta land that final blow to feel satisfied?"

Familiar with Earth's internet, they easily found YouTube and Ban Yu-won's top videos.

Four months before Earth's cataclysm, they'd encountered otherworldly culture, battled terrifying monsters unimaginable now, and he openly revealed his Earthling identity—they all found him.

Sharing the Ban name, no need to hide.

"I'll kill that bitch, I'll kill her... I'll kill her!"

"No intention of hiding it. What do we do with her."

"Ah, boss room cleared. Boss... dead too."

"Crazy bitch, thought it was a volcano erupting..."

The Ban family's public figures were all powerful awakeners, but eldest son Ban Yu-won competed on a utterly different plane from other Earthlings.

Not Ban Ji-won gripping global politics and economy, nor Ban Yu-mi leading Earth's strongest armed force, nor the Chairman.

The Ban family's true power was Ban Yu-won.

Finally, all understood and acknowledged: The rulers of this era were none other than the Ban family!

...Ban Yu-won was still unaware.

That every video he uploaded captivated all of Earth.

That he'd exposed his embarrassing side to the one person he least wanted to see it!

That Ban Yu-mi, unable to bear it, was rampaging with a flushed face...!

"Yu-mi, calm down. Maybe he stopped because that broadcast bit was awkward."

Kang Mi-yeon, sub-master of the prestigious guild [Oculus Ruber], holder of a unique authority, comfortably in humanity's top ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠1% with Union Net access, and the "unnie" for all the guild's spoiled ones, soothed her in a gentle voice.

Ban Yu-mi, having obliterated the boss room with pure mana explosion yet still unsatisfied, glared red-eyed at Kang Mi-yeon.

"Mi-yeon, do you really think that?"

"No, unless your brother's impotent, he probably did it."

"Uwaaaaaah!"

"Mi-yeon unniiii!"

Fortunately, no casualties, but Ban Yu-mi's mood soured for a while after. Unfortunately, China's rank 1 gifted who publicly hit on her then met a tragic end—his guild pulverized.

"――That damn brat."

Ryu Cheol-myeong ground his teeth, scowling as he turned off the mirror.

He was so close to claiming that girl, only for this preemptive strike right before.

The process of their coupling meant nothing to him.

Only the rage of having his prize snatched away remained.

"Fine. A woman who knows men has her own flavor..."

―Master, all preparations complete. Awaiting your command.

"You idiots, because your feet dragged, I had to witness that revolting show."

―Apologies. One more report: After them, traces of a new spaceship entering the star...

"If it's mana too trivial for me to notice, it doesn't matter who. ...Begin."

―Understood.

Communication ended.

Ryu Cheol-myeong felt a sharp pain in his chest and gnashed his teeth.

Penalty of restraint.

The curse tormented him.

"Student Council President, that insolent wench――."

He'd planned to handle her swiftly himself without borrowing others' power, but she'd toyed with him, leaving him pathetic.

But fine—driving prey deep required others' aid... the finish would be his.

For that, he needed to conserve power now.

"Let's see how you fend off bugs once everything's smashed."

Throb――He quelled his tightening heart with magic and lifted his head.

Boooom! A massive explosion roared in his ears.

The bombardment had begun.