- [Chapter 32] Lost Land (15)
Fifteen days.
That was the time limit.
Naturally, in-game time progressed faster than real time.
You might think: “Well, just save the game and take it slow.”
But it wasn’t that simple.
[From this point forward, save/load is disabled.]
The moment you entered the capital, mid-game saves were locked.
You could still load from before reaching the capital, but once inside, it was a single-coin run until the scenario was cleared.
Players of Lost Land already knew there was a time attack after reaching the capital.
What they didn’t know—until now—was the reason behind it. This cutscene finally revealed the truth.
Wow… so that’s why.
We never even knew why the game ended after 15 days lmao.
Now we really need to play carefully…
After the scene transition, Dojun arrived at the capital and headed for the royal palace.
Inside, Albedo and Dojun were greeted by the chief chamberlain, who bowed deeply.
“His Majesty is expecting you.”
“Lead the way.”
The two were immediately brought before the king.
Once Albedo reported all that had transpired, the king finally spoke.
“To think Likel was a demon worshipper…”
A rather long exposition scene followed, recounting everything that had happened so far.
Then suddenly, the topic of the ancient gemstone came up.
“By the way, I found a gemstone on Likel that I’ve never seen before.”
“Bring it forward.”
Dojun’s character stepped forward and presented the gem.
The king examined it closely before nodding.
“This is one of the rarer types of ancient gemstones. Its true use is still unknown, but… there is one man who might understand it well.”
“Don’t tell me…”
“The former royal court magician—Gandalv—might know.”
As soon as the name dropped, the chat exploded.
GANDALV?! He’s in this game?
Wait, he used to be the court magician?
At least we don’t have to search for him anymore lol
Judging by the reactions, the viewers already knew where Gandalv was.
“But I thought Gandalv retired?”
“He did. All the more reason you must find him. I believe these ancient gemstones may hold the key to saving our people. Adventurer—raise your head.”
The king addressed Dojun directly. His character lifted his gaze.
“Albedo is the kingdom’s sword and shield. With no court magician left, we can’t afford to have him leave the capital. You must find Gandalv and uncover the secret of this gemstone.”
“Understood.”
◉ Main Quest – Find ‘Gandalv’!!
The king believes these ancient gemstones may be the key to resisting the demon threat.
Seek out the retired royal magician ‘Gandalv,’ who now lives a quiet life in seclusion, and uncover the truth behind the ancient gem.
A new quest had been added.
And with it, everyone’s suspicions were confirmed: the ancient gemstone was indeed the key to clearing the main scenario.
“The journey will be difficult. You’ll have to travel alone. But you must endure it. Let me aid you—choose any weapon you wish.”
As soon as the king offered equipment, Dojun could move again.
A hundred options flashed through his mind, but he already knew what to pick.
“I’d like a dagger. One that can cut through even the thickest hides like tofu.”
Knew it. Phantom and daggers—name a better combo.
There were never any other options, let’s be real.
Our boy Phantom’s got a dagger fetish confirmed 💀
┗ Can he not use swords or spears?
┗┗ Honestly, I’d love to see him use something else for once.
As expected, Dojun chose the dagger.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t use other weapons—but his reputation on stream was firmly tied to the assassin archetype.
Unless he had a specific reason to switch, there was no point choosing anything else.
[You have obtained the ‘Sharp Dagger Infused with Magic’.]
Dojun accepted the weapon and stepped outside the palace.
He turned to his chat.
“Hey guys, from your reactions, it sounds like you know where Gandalv is. Am I right?”
Yup.
Just follow the road east out of the capital. Cross the mountain and you’ll reach the port city [Laila]. There’s a dock there, and he lives in a rundown house nearby.
Takes a while to get there, though.
I thought he was just a normal NPC since he didn’t react to dialogue prompts, lol.
┗ He’s super plain looking, too.
┗┗ The name ‘Gandalv’ made us poke around, though.
┗┗┗ Yep, still Gandalv at heart…
Thanks to his viewers, the location was clear.
There was no time to waste.
Dojun was sure that other players—watching in real time—would begin rushing the content as soon as the gimmick was revealed.
It was just before 9 PM.
“Alright, I’m gonna sprint for it. Looks like we’ve got some distance to cover, so I’ll move quickly while chatting casually on the way.”
Sounds good~~
But Phantom’s still a student—doubt he can go all night lol
When’s summer break anyway?
Once he’s on break, he’s basically a free man 😂
Dojun exited through the eastern gate.
Just as the viewers had said, it was a long trek.
Still, he moved steadily toward [Laila], chatting and laughing with his viewers the whole way.
✦ ✦ ✦
10 PM. Late evening.
At a bar in Gangnam, laughter filled a private lounge.
“Team Leader Byun, this one’s on me!”
As the self-proclaimed “Strategy Doctor” reached for the bottle, Team Leader Byun raised his hand to stop him.
“Doctor, no offense—but drinks poured by women always taste better, don’t they?”
“Ah, I was being thoughtless. Hey! His glass is empty—why haven’t you refilled it yet?”
“Oh no, I got distracted staring at how handsome Team Leader Byun is!”
“Hahaha! I’ll let it slide this once. Cheers, everyone!”
They all raised their glasses and knocked back expensive whiskey.
Soon, the room was filled with flirtation and heavy skinship.
Amid the rising heat, the Strategy Doctor leaned in with a sly smile.
“Team Leader Byun, have you noticed anything strange at SwitchTV lately?”
“Strange? Ju, anything come to mind?”
Team Leader Ju Youngjae responded while groping the woman next to him.
“Hmm… nothing stands out. Why? You know something, Doctor?”
“You’ve heard of that new streamer everyone’s talking about lately… what was the name again?”
“You mean Phantom?”
“Yes, that’s the one.”
The Doctor feigned ignorance, prompting Ju to explain further.
“He’s been skyrocketing. There was that 100 million-won donation stunt, and his Lost Land gameplay made him blow up.”
“He’s that popular?”
Team Leader Byun seemed surprised.
“Yes, sir. It all happened while you were on vacation. He’s barely a week in, but he already broke 30,000 concurrent viewers.”
“Thirty thousand? In less than a week?!”
“Though honestly, it’s more viral hype than actual skill. He’s still a rookie—we’re watching closely.”
Then the Doctor cut in again.
“Still… even if it’s viral, 30k is suspiciously high for a rookie.”
“It’s rare, sure—but not impossible.”
“There was something weird I noticed.”
“What was it?”
“I clicked his stream once—baited in by a clickbait title. At first, he barely had 10 viewers. But then the count spiked—suddenly 3,000. The growth looked… unnatural.”
Though he trailed off, the others knew exactly what he meant.
“Are you implying viewbotting?”
Viewbotting—using software to artificially inflate viewer counts.
In the early days of streaming platforms, small or mid-level streamers often used it to gain visibility.
Although mostly suppressed now, whispers of covert manipulation still lingered.
“It’s just a theory. But the data is a little suspicious.”
“If it’s true, we’ll have to act.”
“If we wait too long, it might hurt other streamers. We should consider suspending the stream first—investigate afterward.”
The Doctor’s tone turned sharper. Team Leader Ju frowned.
“If we screw this up, it could turn into a mess…”
“He’s just a rookie. Still in high school, even. Nothing too serious could happen.”
“Mm… even so…”
As Ju hesitated, the Doctor offered a compromise.
“How about this: I’ll give you a heads-up next time. Once I do, you can act on it then.”
“That’s acceptable.”
“Haha, see? Always knew you two were the best at handling things discreetly.”
Having secured his objective, the Doctor gave a satisfied smile. But Byun interjected with a frown.
“Let’s not talk shop anymore. We came here to drink.”
A polite dismissal.
The Doctor took the hint.
“Of course, my bad. I overstayed my welcome. Ladies, make sure our team leaders get fully pampered tonight!”
“Don’t worry, Oppa~”
“Enjoy yourselves, sirs.”
The Doctor gave a deep bow and exited the room.
Once gone, Byun tossed back another whiskey shot and muttered,
“It’s about time we cut ties with that guy. He’s getting greedy.”
“He always bribes us so blatantly—it’s getting awkward,” Ju added with a grimace.
“Let’s give him one last pass. The hospitality is decent, at least.”
Byun slid an arm around the woman beside him.
But Ju still looked unsettled.
“Still… it bugs me. I heard Phantom recently did a joint stream with VirtuKing. They even swore brotherhood or something.”
“Ju.”
Byun’s tone turned icy.
Ju stiffened instantly.
Though both were “team leaders,” it was clear who held the real power.
“SwitchTV’s management team is the highest authority here. Even VirtuKing is just another streamer we can control. You need to carry yourself with more confidence.”
“Yes, Team Leader Byun.”
“And let’s stop drinking the Doctor’s whiskey from now on.”
Even Ju was growing uneasy about how often they’d “buried” problematic streamers.
The Doctor had taken down many competitors using tactics just like this.
‘Poor Phantom. Kid had no idea he crossed paths with a snake like that.’
Ju downed another shot of whiskey.
‘This really will be the last time. I’m done after this.’
So he vowed in his drunken haze…
and let himself be swept away again by alcohol and perfume.
