Chapter 23
Hyenas (3)
5.
First, the items that came out of the unique capsule I appraised last time were as follows:
[Ariadne’s Thread]
Grade: Unique, Bound
Description: A precious spool of thread that guides the way. Since this is the authentic version, not a replica, its full effect has been released. A formless thread that ties the soul of the owner and the target. As long as the thread connects to the target, you can move to them from anywhere. Naturally, even if you leave the thread at a location, the effect is the same.
Effect: You can travel through the thread. Targets don’t have to be players; you can bind them as well. When used, the thread is stored in a slot. Maximum of 7 slots.
Current Slots (Max 7):
Yoo Jinseong
Yoon Bitna
Yoo Ian
This item is bound.
Cannot be used during combat.
Owner: Yoo Sungwoo
The Lucky Matryoshka really is a broken item.
It gave me exactly what I needed.
For someone like me, who has to keep streaming while continuing to grow, it’s the perfect item to easily protect my family.
When I asked Inseop about it, he said the original [Ariadne’s Thread] was supposed to be an item that stored a specific Abyss dungeon so you could conveniently enter it.
Apparently, in higher levels it could take more than a full day just to reach a dungeon.
But that’s only the effect of the replica.
The “authentic” version I drew is on a whole other level.
Not only can I store specific locations, I can also store people as warp points.
In other words, if something happens to my family, I can rush to them immediately.
So of course, the moment I got home, I stored my family in the slots.
I’ll be adding Inseop and Taeo when I see them too.
“…According to our investigation, someone seems to have tried to reach out to Player Yoo Sungwoo through Noss.”
“Any idea from where?”
“Hard to say. China, Japan, Russia, the Middle East—Noss has ties everywhere.”
“Couldn’t Korea use Noss in reverse, to recruit through them?”
“The benefits given to players of Korean nationality are extremely poor. For any promising player… frankly, it makes more sense to head to another Abyss-advanced nation.”
After resting a full day, I came to the Seoul West Abyss Gate.
Right before entering, I was on the phone with Deputy Chief Choi of the Paranormal Affairs Bureau.
Apparently, they managed to squeeze some pretty useful intel out of the stalkers I smashed last time.
“Ah, you mean the benefits like extra experience or higher drop rates for players of a country that sets a new record, right?”
“Yes. But Korea has very few world records or achievements. And as you know… the funding we can mobilize is also…”
Interesting guy.
To think a government official would so bluntly expose his own country’s limitations.
Since the appearance of the Abyss, world affairs have shifted dramatically, and Korea’s position has shifted just as much.
All thanks to our lovely neighbors tirelessly stealing away our players.
“Player Yoo Sungwoo, we don’t actually have any legal grounds to stop you even if you choose to change nationality.”
“You’re too honest. Shouldn’t you at least try to hold me back?”
“While climbing the Abyss, you’ll be exposed to countless threats. Because, well…”
“If someone sees greener grass, they’ll either steal it or destroy it. That’s just human nature.”
For now, things may have stopped at mere stalking, but the brighter I shine, the more vicious hyenas will gather.
That’s the logic of power.
It was true in Avalon, and history proves it’s true on Earth.
In a world where players are the measure of national power, how do you increase your country’s influence?
Simple. Steal or eliminate other countries’ players.
I’m sure that kind of foul play is happening everywhere.
And the Abyss outright encourages it.
“From the 3rd floor onward, the starting points of different countries get closer together, right?”
“…Yes.”
Not only that, but starting from the 3rd floor, [Competition Quests] appear.
Exactly what it sounds like—quests where you compete with players of other nationalities.
For example, killing more monsters than Japanese or Chinese players.
Just like a game.
The only difference is, in a game you respawn after dying. In the Abyss, death is permanent.
Am I scared?
Not in the slightest.
“Sounds fun.”
“The Minister has ordered professional bodyguards to be assigned to your family. They’ll ensure protection without disrupting daily life.”
“Isn’t that a waste of resources? I haven’t even signed a contract with your bureau.”
“The Paranormal Affairs Bureau exists for all Korean players. Even without a direct contract, you are a Korean player.”
I know very well why they’re doing this.
They just want to keep me tied down somehow.
But they’ve got the wrong idea. Because—
“I’m not planning to change nationality, Deputy Chief Choi, so don’t worry.”
“Is that so?”
“Underdogs are more fun. And they get more attention too.”
“…I see.”
“Most of all, my family’s happy here. And if they’re happy, I’m happy.”
Calling it patriotism would be too grand.
I simply love this place because my brother, Bitna-noona, and Ian are here.
The land where people welcomed me back with open arms.
No reason to leave for another country.
If there’s something I want to change, I’ll change it myself.
I believe I have that power.
“But still… the 3rd floor sounds exciting. Lots of nationalistic content to milk for streams, right?”
“Player Yoo, please—that could spark real diplomatic issues…”
“Ahhh, I need to start my broadcast now. Let’s talk again later. Thanks for your time!”
And that ended the call.
I hung up and turned my eyes toward the Abyss Gate.
The video Taeo uploaded last night caused an absolute explosion.
It shot up to #6 in real-time trending, pumping my subscribers all the way to 200,000 overnight.
Today, I’ll return the favor with a nice, chill Abyss stream.
Oh right—our fandom name was decided last night too.
[Broadcast Title Set: Recruiting Members for Meteor Squad. Just a chill 2nd-floor hunting stream today. With a side of craziness.]
Meteor Squad.
Apparently it was chosen based on my nickname “Meteor” and my real name.
Our SSS-class editor Taeo even ran a poll overnight to get feedback.
Nice.
Since today’s broadcast is solo hunting, I’ll just start with a light heart.
“Broadcast start.”
6.
It’s a festival, a festival.
The moment I entered the Abyss with the stream on, this is what awaited me:
Megod ON
Megod ON
Is this the stream of the guy who taunted all the Abyss streamers?
Meha
MeGOAT.
Injecting tension into the stale Abyss scene—MeGOAT.
Did you see who sniped you yesterday? They said you’re just a one-trick editing gimmick bubble player.
[<MeteorSquadNewbie1> has donated 10,000 won!]
O MeGod. After watching your video yesterday, I began worshiping you. Please accept this humble tribute.
[<IfItStartsWithMeIt’sGod> has donated 10,000 won!]
Great Sungwoo, Great Sungwoo!
The flood of hot reactions!
Today, right after I went live, I instantly hit 5,000 viewers.
All gathered just to watch me.
The dopamine hits hard.
Yeah, this is it.
Maybe I really was born to be an attention hog.
“Good to see you, guys. You watched the video I uploaded yesterday, right?”
Yeah yeah yeah
Editing was insane
Did Inseop’s editor move over to you?
Nah, I watch Inseop’s vids daily—yours are way more fun lol
God-tier editor confirmed
By any chance, is your editor’s surname also ‘Me’?
Of course they’d talk about the editor.
Naturally.
Even I thought Taeo’s video yesterday was really well done—fiery combat scenes, no wasted fluff.
And get this: he even cut out the ‘jjimjilbang’ part from the VOD and uploaded it separately.
The guy’s working way too hard.
Shin Taeo. Living up to his name—literally a god.
I was about to brag about him when another donation popped up.
[<MeTaeo> has donated 10,000 won!]
Nice to meet you, Meteor Squad. I’m MeTaeo, Meteor-hyung’s editor and temporary manager. Not MeTeo, but MeTaeo. Please treat me well.
Look closely—it’s not MeTeo, it’s MeTaeo.
So he even slapped “Me” onto his name. Naturally, that’s Taeo’s nickname.
“Give him a round of applause, guys. He’s someone I’ve brought in with great care.”
An honored guest in such shabby surroundings…
Yeah, his editing was crazy
Whose editor was he before?
The sense was godlike
God-tier editor indeed
“Taeo, just take care of things for a bit. Don’t worry too much about chat. Just handle it smoothly, neatly, with style. You know, right?”
MeTaeo: Got it, hyung.
I don’t plan to keep chat squeaky clean.
You need some trolls—makes it fun when people clash.
Any hardcore profanity will be auto-filtered by our advanced CleanBot anyway.
But wow, the firepower is intense.
Even considering lurkers, this chat is going wild.
Which just means there’s a lot they want to ask me.
“Today I’m planning just a plain 2nd-floor farming session. Any objections?”
Nah
Boring
Hey hey
If MeGod wants it, no objections allowed
“Anyone objecting, send me your home address by email. I’ll come persuade you in person.”
That’s not persuasion, that’s coercion
Even persuasion by fists is still persuasion
;;;;;;
LMAO
This guy’s insane
Do whatever you want
Is this a one-on-one fan meeting opportunity? Then I object
LOL
I go where I want.
When I had drinks with Inseop, he told me what I really need to do right now is simple: Climb the Abyss fast.
The quests I’m doing in the lower floors have already been done countless times by other streamers.
Unless it’s something like a hidden quest, there’s a limit to how much I can get out of it.
If I find hidden quests, great. If not, then I need to skip through these floors as quickly as possible.
‘Can’t wait to hit the 3rd floor.’
From what Deputy Chief Choi said earlier, the 3rd floor is where the chance of foreign players interfering goes up.
And what does that mean?
It means top-tier patriotic content will come walking straight to me.
So I need to clear up to the 3rd floor as fast as I can.
Being a MeTuber is ultimately a battle of content.
The Abyss is really the land of opportunity. The higher you go, the more unknowns there are.
So I need to push hard.
“Today’s first hunting ground is Barbarian Hill. I heard the Orc Settlement Subjugation Quest is basically standard there, right?”
It was one of the hunting grounds Inseop recommended.
Not just a simple kill quest, but a mission to destroy an orc settlement.
Apparently the achievement points and experience reward per time spent are insane.
But—
That place is recommended for 5 players
At least check the guide
Can you solo it?
Why not? If MeGod’s doing it, shut up and watch
O MeGod
Me-men
Me-men
As the chat said, recommended party size is 5.
So it’s basically “party hunt” content.
Since the Abyss imports RPG systems, party hunts are pretty common.
A recommended 5 means lots of monsters and high difficulty.
But me?
“I’ll do a one-man party hunt.”
Excuse me
Isn’t that just soloing?
If MeGod says it’s a party hunt, it’s a party hunt
Does he mean he’s forming a one-man party?
This isn’t the first time MeGod’s butchered word meanings lol
Didn’t you see him crush that troll chieftain hidden quest? It’s doable
True
The fourth live stream of Meteor and the Meteor Squad.
Starting right now!
