DCRBG 27

Chapter 27

The Right Person Will Make It (1):

1.

The reward was decent enough.

Since it wasn’t a hidden quest but an achievement quest, there wasn’t any jaw-dropping prize.

Two second-floor magic-grade capsules.

Not even the Lucky Matryoshka could change that outcome.

Well, it makes sense—hitting the jackpot every time I step outside would be way stranger.

Still, I got a few good broadcast clips, and I even found someone.

No—correction. Not exactly. Not yet.

Because…

“What do we do? None of the potions we brought can resist this kind of poison.”

“Ughhh….”

“Han-sung! Stay with me! Don’t pass out!”

Seo Han-sung’s condition was really bad.

When I got back after dealing with the orcs, his wound from earlier had clearly worsened.

The spear stuck in his shoulder had veins spreading purple all around it.

He kept muttering, as if talking to hallucinations only he could see.

“Insurance… got it… Mom… sorry….”

“Not just a hero but a filial son too? Perfect 100 points for virtue. Certified by Meteor.”

Meeting a coldhearted filial son after only ever meeting warm ones felt… odd.

And Seo Han-sung really was cold—infected not only with dark mana, but with poison that was still spreading.

And not ordinary poison—this was crafted from corpses.

Kim Jin-soo, a member of Han-sung’s party, spoke with a worried face.

“…The Emergency Response Team from the Paranormal Control Bureau will be here in ten minutes. They said they’re bringing a holy-type player, but… can Han-sung survive until then?”

Isn’t he gonna die at this rate?
His face is so pale.
Do something, please.
Megod, do you maybe have a healing skill too? You used magic before.
Looks like even the bleeding isn’t being stopped properly.

The viewers were sighing in despair.

The other party members besides Jin-soo were watching Han-sung with tears in their eyes.

A holy-type player, huh.

They’re the best counter against dark mana.

But the problem was that Han-sung’s chance of dying in the next ten minutes was about ninety percent.

If this were Avalon, I could’ve just splashed some holy water and solved it. But unfortunately, aside from the armor I was wearing, I hadn’t brought anything back.

So I’d have to go with the next best option.

“Cleansing.”

I used Belua’s spell to remove as much corruption as I could from the wound, then wrapped my hand in flames.

Without hesitation, I pressed my hand to Han-sung’s wound.

“This might sting a little.”

Sizzle—!

Along with the sound of burning flesh, Han-sung screamed.

“Gaaaahhhhhh!”

Are you insane?
We asked you to save him, not finish him off!
Ugh, I can’t watch this.
Why does this suddenly feel like a war movie? I swear I’ve seen this scene in one.
He literally had disinfectant earlier, why go this far…

They still didn’t trust me.

If it was just regular disinfection, sure, I’d have used antiseptic. Despite living in Avalon, I am civilized.

But this wasn’t something disinfectant alone could solve.

I needed drastic measures.

“Shhh.”

I spoke toward the broadcast drone, then let fire bloom in my palm.

Of course, I controlled the power carefully.

If I used it like I had against orcs or trolls, this wouldn’t be treatment—it’d be execution.

Boom—!

“Grrhhk—.”
“Han-sung! Wake up, you bastard!”
“Han-sung!!”

A perfectly contained explosion.

Han-sung foamed at the mouth and collapsed, but the effect was undeniable.

Hissss—

Purple smoke rose from the wound.

The dark mana had been successfully purged.

Sure, he lost consciousness, but that was a hundred times better than losing his life.

Cleansing could technically remove poison too, but with my current unlock rate, I couldn’t handle something that advanced.

Still, I had bought us time. He’d stay alive until the Bureau’s team arrived.

“Okay, the dark mana’s been treated. So no worries—huh? Why those faces?”

The four players, Jin-soo included, stared at me like they’d seen a ghost.

What was with them?

“…Did you just… remove dark mana?”
“Well, yeah.”
“You even have holy-type skills…?”
“Ah, no. Not yet. That was just simple magic treatment.”

????????
Is removing dark mana with magic even possible?
Doesn’t dark mana explode when it meets regular mana?
How the hell did he do that?
Wait—what does he mean he doesn’t even have holy skills?

They only half-understood.

To not know how to treat dark mana with mana—yeah, Earth really was behind in paranormal knowledge.

In Avalon, I even knew a few mages who could do this trick.

“This isn’t hard at all.”

[ <ID: DreamingOfArchmage> has donated ₩50,000! ]

This is from the World Magic Association. Could you explain what you just did? We’re genuinely curious.

A group of magic-type players, huh?

Well, not a hard question.

It was actually a simple principle.

“It’s easy. Normally, mana and dark mana repel each other and explode, right? What you do is inject mana 0.1 seconds before the explosion, directing the reaction outward. Then, right as the explosion happens, you inject mana again to cancel out the blast. That’s all. Got it? Thanks for the donation.”

Wasn’t this basic mage stuff?

“Easy” he says.
Can someone summarize this in one line?
(rough translation) If you can’t do this, bite your tongue, useless mages.
Isn’t freely manipulating mana separate from having skills?
LOL if this is “easy,” what are the rest of us—scarecrows?

[ <ID: DreamingOfArchmage> has donated ₩100,000! ]

So, you’re saying if you perfectly inject mana 0.1 seconds before detonation, redirect it along a precise path, extract the dark mana right before the—wait, what, whatdj—fjsdhj@#…

He’s lost his mind.
But is this really possible? If it’s this “easy,” does that mean magic-types just never figured it out? Without holy players, we could clear undead zones with this, right?
That’s like asking why everyone doesn’t just get into Seoul National University if it’s so simple.
Same logic as saying “scoring a goal is easy—just dribble past 10 defenders and the goalie.”
If this clip spreads, magic nerds will go crazy.
100% guaranteed.

“No, seriously, this is easy.”

I just couldn’t understand.

All the mages I knew back home used this trick casually.

…Oh, right. All of them were archmages, eighth-circle or higher.

Still, if I say it’s easy, then it’s easy.

Maybe I should save these little tips for members-only content. Could be profitable. I’d ask Tae-oh later.

I was still thinking about my next premium video when—

“We’ll treat the critical patient first!”
“Everyone stand back!”

The Bureau’s Emergency Response Team was rushing up from the foot of the mountain.

I would’ve liked to keep streaming a bit longer, but at this point it’d just spark controversy.

Streaming should be short and sharp.

“Guess I’ll wrap up suddenly.”

What’s he on about?
Megod, it hasn’t even been an hour yet.
You wanna drive us insane?
His stream endings always piss me off.
If you cut it now, the community will riot.
I.
Am.
Mad.

“Yep, I’m ending it. Stream over.”

That’s the Meteor-style shutdown.

What are you gonna do if I stop?

[ Stream has ended. ]
[ New peak concurrent viewers! Peak: 16,211 ]

Today’s stream was packed!

2.

Despite lots of variables and a few failures, the fourth stream could be called a success.

「I’ll never forget this favor for the rest of my life. Thank you so much. I don’t know how I could ever repay you…」

Even as he was loaded into the ambulance, Seo Han-sung—the hero who threw himself in harm’s way for his party—kept thanking me.

I just answered, “I saved you because I could.”

And I meant it.

I really did only save him because I could.

Not because I wanted to be a hero, or because I fought for justice.

My hands were already too stained with blood to carry such lofty ideals.

Though I’ll admit—a dash of broadcast greed was mixed in.

Or maybe…

“I just wanted to show a good side to my family.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Talking to myself.”

Maybe I just didn’t want to shame them.

I was the prodigal son who returned—better to rack up some good deeds.

Being a proud brother, a proud uncle—that would be even better.

I chuckled, downed a shot of soju, and poured one for my older brother Jin-sung.

“This place’s pork skin still tastes great.”
“There’s a reason they’ve survived twenty years on just a handful of dishes. It’s considered a classic now.”

We were at a pork-skin joint in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province.

A spot my brother and I had often shared drinks at.

The atmosphere was just right.

Cool tables, a TV humming at the perfect volume, the buzz of conversation.

Time had passed, the store had changed, but the memories remained.

“Sung-woo.”

My brother, face flushed from alcohol, looked straight at me.

“Drop the acting. You’re terrible at it. Didn’t you learn some acting skills in the other world?”

“Kinda burdensome knowing even you watch my streams.”

When he drinks, my brother changes.

Normally so reserved, he gets blunt, straightforward.

And from what my sister said, he never misses my broadcasts.

Not that there were many—only four so far.

“Didn’t you used to be a total lightweight? How come you’re fine now?”
“If you spend seven years drinking with old men, you end up like this. Honestly, I wish I could get drunk.”
“Try industrial alcohol then.”
“Might actually work. Thanks for the tip.”
“…Is this really how thirty-year-olds talk? You’re mentally the same as before you went missing.”
“You’re no different either.”

By the way, tonight’s drinking session was his idea.

He lost a trial today, apparently.

I wrapped up my stream, farmed some EXP and items, then logged out of the Abyss, so our quitting times lined up.

“Ah, but I think today’s stream was a flop.”
“Who said that?”
“People said my acting showed through. If that’s true, it’s a fail.”
“Wasn’t it more like shadow boxing? WWE? I thought it was entertaining.”

…Was it?

That wasn’t intentional, but maybe it worked.

Now that I thought about it, yeah.

Anyway, on the lower floors, I had to lean more into entertainment.

The fights weren’t intense or thrilling enough otherwise.

“Still, the concept works so far. A crazy bastard. Deliciously crazy. Oh wait—wasn’t that just you? Not even a concept.”
“Here we go again, old man. Just drink.”
“You’ll learn soon enough—content is everywhere these days. Why limit yourself to Abyss streaming? There’s plenty in the real world.”
“Like what?”

I asked seriously. He answered just as seriously.

“Hunting villain players?”
“Isn’t vigilantism illegal in a law-governed country?”
“Article 4, Clause 2 of the Paranormal Control Act: No liability for actions taken while subduing wanted violent criminal players.”
“Guess you really are a lawyer. Drink up.”

It was the first time my boring brother had suggested broadcast ideas.

Back in the day, he only ever watched quietly.

He sipped his soju, sighed, and said—

“When you disappeared, I thought about it a lot. If I hadn’t just watched you stream, if I’d actually helped… maybe you wouldn’t have gone missing.”

“Heh. So you’re here to help me now?”
“If it helps, yeah.”

Hearing his sincerity always made me squirm.

But I couldn’t deny—it didn’t feel bad.

In a way, Jin-sung was my oldest viewer.

So I should listen to his heartfelt advice.

“About today’s stream. I liked it.”
“Which part, exactly?”
“Shut up.”
“If you’re giving feedback, make it useful. Some lawyer you are, no logic at all. Tsk.”
“Just keep doing it like you are.”
“Define ‘like I am.’”
“Stream brain-off. You shine the most when you stop thinking. I guarantee it.”

We were exchanging drinks and nonsense when—

Bzzzzt.

A call came from our proud editor, Tae-oh.

“Hey Tae-oh, did you eat yet? Wanna come for pork skin if not?”
– Hyung, check your messages now!

“Huh?”

What was with the panic?

I set my glass down, tapped my phone. A link popped up.

<Archmage073>
Subscribers: 12.01 million

Not just big—a mega-giant channel.

Sounded familiar. Wasn’t he that famous American magic-type player?

“Why the link?”
– Look at the post he just made!

I gave in to Tae-oh’s fussing and clicked into his posts.