Episode 4
004. The Streamer Who Doesn’t Stream
Thud!
The second strike.
There was no wobble.
Thud!
The third strike.
A consistent rhythm, a perfect posture.
The gazes of the surrounding players, who had initially mocked or ignored Geumsom, gradually began to change.
His movements had no waste.
Like a master craftsman who had repeated this tens of thousands of times, every one of his motions was efficient and beautiful.
Bark, who had been standing crookedly with his arms crossed, slowly straightened his posture.
The annoyance and disregard that had clouded his eyes vanished, replaced by interest and astonishment.
‘That guy… what is he?’
Bark had seen countless rookies and aspiring adventurers.
But this was a first.
The focus and posture were unbelievable for a fresh-faced Level 1 who had just arrived in the village.
It was like watching a veteran spearman who had lived with his spear for decades.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Time passed. Beads of sweat formed on Geumsom’s forehead, but the tip of his spear did not waver in the slightest.
.
.
.
98th.
99th.
The final, 100th.
Thud!
“Oh ho, a full hundred in one go….”
The moment the 100th strike was completed, Bark moved to step forward.
He could tell just from the form.
This kid was the real deal.
There was no need to see more.
But Bark’s feet were forced to halt by the sound that followed.
Thud!
101st.
102nd.
.
.
.
Unlike Bark’s halted feet, Geumsom’s movements did not stop.
He thrust with all his concentration focused on the spear’s tip.
Thwump!
In that same perfect posture.
Exactly as it had been during the very first thrust.
.
.
.
561st.
562nd.
As he passed 500 and entered the 600s, players around him began to gather one by one.
They were fascinated by the man moving like a machine.
“Is that even possible for a human?”
“Is he a real spearman in reality?”
“That’s not a man, that’s a machine. A spear-wielding machine.”
“No, even so… he’s not really going to hit a thousand, is he?”
Bark was silent.
Geumsom was silent.
Only the players’ chatter grew.
As more players gathered, the area became noisy.
Amid that noise, his concentration should have faltered, but Geumsom’s movements remained identical to the first.
Thwump!
.
.
.
981st.
982nd.
The late 900s.
By then, the players’ reactions were split.
“Wow, he’s really going to hit a thousand.”
“18 more! 17! 16 more! Just a little further!”
“Hey, Bark! You better be ready! Our hyung here is gonna hit a thousand for you, so have that reward prepped and waiting!”
He was now being cheered on by players he’d never met, even called ‘hyung.’
On the other hand…
“Who says that’s hard? You just have to stab, right?”
“Waaaah! A monster! A monster appeared! Run away!”
“Hey, did you go to Bark’s house? Hey, stop. I said he went to Bark’s house!”
“That one doesn’t count! Start over! I saw it clearly with my own two eyes! He definitely stabbed outside the line! I’m serious!”
There were also petty crowds trying to disrupt Geumsom’s focus.
Various players tried to break his concentration, but it had no effect.
CRACK!
The wooden spear buried itself deep into the center of the red dot on the worn scarecrow.
The impact was so strong the old scarecrow toppled backward.
A stillness fell.
All eyes in the training ground were on Geumsom.
“One… thousand. Phew….”
He had no idea how much time had passed.
Only now did the surrounding players register in his vision.
Looking at Geumsom…
“…Hoh.”
Bark let out a low sound of admiration.
He slowly approached Geumsom and carefully examined the spear lodged in the scarecrow.
The marks from a thousand thrusts were, astonishingly, perfectly overlapped on a single point.
“Incredible…! You really did it. Not a single mistake. Perfectly.”
Bark looked at Geumsom again.
Now, his eyes held a light of respect.
“You. What’s your name?”
“Geumsom.”
“Geumsom… A fitting name. It suits your talent. This… is talent beyond what I can handle.”
At that moment, a waterfall of system messages poured before Geumsom’s eyes.
[Achievement: Unwavering Conviction]
[You are the first to accomplish ‘Perfect 1,000 Thrusts’!]
[The system is impressed by your iron will.]
[All stats are permanently increased by 1.]
[Fame increased by 50.]
[Spearmanship Instructor Bark’s Favorability has risen to ‘Maximum’.]
[Hidden condition ‘Perfect Concentration’ has been met.]
[Instructor Bark, impressed by your talent, passes down a secret technique handed down in his family.]
[Hidden Skill ‘Intuition of Resolution’ acquired!]
Geumsom was dazed by the deluge of messages.
But among them, he clearly read the words ‘Hidden Skill.’
‘It worked! Yeom Tae-hoon’s words were true!’
With a pounding heart, he quickly scanned the details.
The skill he wanted had come properly.
The very skill that formed the foundation of the future ‘Spear Ghost,’ Yeom Tae-hoon.
[Intuition of Resolution Lv.1]
[Passive Skill]
– Description: Gain insight to perceive the essence and weaknesses of objects.
[Effects]
During combat, an enemy’s weak points are marked with a red dot.
Attacks on weak points have a 100% chance to be Critical Hits.
Usable even in non-combat situations. Can discern hidden value or flaws in objects.
‘The option for use in non-combat situations… that’s what I needed.’
Reading the messages, he finally let out a deep sigh of relief.
Truthfully, he had information that ‘Intuition of Resolution’ could be obtained from Bark, but he wasn’t 100% confident he could get it.
It wasn’t that the information was insufficient.
That’s just how the game ‘Lepion’ was.
‘Lepion’ had variable outcomes depending on circumstances.
So, he couldn’t be completely sure.
But he got the desired result.
Moreover…
“Jackpot. No… maybe a mega jackpot?”
Not only did he get the hidden skill, but he also received bonus stats across the board.
He couldn’t shake the feeling of a huge win, but he couldn’t fully savor it either.
Players rushed over, showering Geumsom with a barrage of questions.
“Holy crap, he actually succeeded! Are you a spear instructor in real life?”
“What’s the skill effect? Can you reveal it?”
“No, how did you do a thousand? You used some kind of macro, right? You tampered with the capsule hardware, didn’t you?”
“I recorded everything. I’m sending it to the admins to report you… so you better be ready.”
“Don’t you stream or something? Huh? Wait, aren’t you Geumsom hyung? What are you doing here not streaming?”
Players said all sorts of things.
Among them were those who recognized Geumsom.
He had created his ‘Lepion’ character with the same face as his real one.
“Ahem, no streaming yet. I’ll turn it on once I get more comfortable with ‘Lepion.’”
“What? A streamer is throwing away juicy content like this? Are you sane, hyung? Turn on the stream now! I’ll donate! Open up!”
“I said I’ll do it later!”
The mention of him being a streamer drew intense interest.
Curious about his gameplay, the label ‘streamer’ was more than enough to pique the players’ curiosity.
“Huh? A streamer? So is this being recorded for a stream? I’d like to see…”
“Didn’t you hear? He said he’s playing solo, not streaming.”
“A streamer isn’t streaming and is doing a super play solo? Is he crazy?”
“It’s probably not a super play.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Can’t you tell? He’s probably using some bug or weird program. That’s why he can’t stream.”
“What? So you’re saying he’s a cheater? ‘Lepion’ launched today and there’s already cheats?”
The players demanding he stream were on the milder end of the spectrum.
There were those who refused to acknowledge his play despite seeing it with their own eyes, and even players threatening to report him, implying they’d withhold the recording if he didn’t pay up.
Of course, it was Bark who dealt with them.
“Get lost, you fools. Ahem. Geumsom. You are no ordinary rookie.”
Bark spoke in a serious tone.
He seemed to hesitate slightly.
But perhaps reluctant to let Geumsom go just like that, he made an offer.
“It’s a waste for talent like yours to rot in a rural village like this. If you’re interested, would you consider becoming my official disciple? I’ll teach you everything I know. No, if you wish, I could even write a letter of recommendation to an old comrade of mine in the royal capital.”
“Thank you, but… my path does not lie with the spear.”
“Huh? With talent like this, you won’t pursue the spear? Tch, well I’ll be…”
Geumsom politely declined.
In fact, the one who accepted this offer was the Spear Ghost, Yeom Tae-hoon.
Yeom Tae-hoon hadn’t succeeded in the perfect 1,000 thrusts like Geumsom did.
But he accepted Bark’s offer, trained formally, and obtained the ‘Intuition of Resolution’ skill.
‘I should leave the disciple spot open for Yeom Tae-hoon. Besides, I don’t have time to waste here.’
The future Spear Ghost Yeom Tae-hoon would become Bark’s disciple here, build his reputation over a long period in the capital, and ultimately earn the title ‘Spear Ghost.’
Of course, Geumsom had no such intention.
The path he was designing was completely different.
At Geumsom’s firm refusal, Bark wore a regretful expression but soon nodded.
It seemed he hadn’t made the offer with grand expectations to begin with.
“Can’t be helped. If someone like you has decided your own path, it’s not my place to argue. Frankly, it’s talent I can’t handle anyway… I got a bit greedy. Off you go. I pray fortune graces your future.”
Bark bid a clean farewell.
Unlike his first impression, he didn’t seem overly regretful, even after giving away a family secret.
Geumsom gave a slight bow to Bark and left the training ground.
A mix of envious and awe-filled gazes followed his back.
Spiteful voices were mixed among them, but he paid them no mind.
Geumsom’s head was filled with nothing but thoughts about his ‘Lepion’ playthrough.
“Progress might be faster than I thought.”
He had expected to fail a few times in the process of obtaining the hidden skill.
But his body moved better than anticipated.
It was probably thanks to the Synchronization Rate being set at 100%.
Because of that, he succeeded in Bark’s quest in one go, saving a significant amount of time.
‘Anyway, I didn’t learn the skill to fight. Everything is just a stepping stone to become the greatest blacksmith.’
Geumsom’s footsteps headed unhesitatingly toward his next destination.
To the very place where a blistering heat, the smell of iron, and the scent of burning coal assaulted the senses.
The forge at the edge of the village, from which the relentless sound of hammering endlessly rang out.
