Chapter 45
Life’s Best Played on Easy Mode (3)
6.
Today’s stream was packed.
[Title: Someone please disable Meteor’s “End Stream” button already]
Content: Why does he always end his streams like that? No sense of etiquette at all. Is this just a hobby for him?
ㄴ(Truth) It might actually be a hobby. Why? His Abyss income completely dwarfs his streaming income, lol.
ㄴFeels like he’s doing it on purpose.
ㄴHe ends streams habitually. Shouldn’t they just block him from ending them at all?
ㄴThe fact you’re all complaining means he timed it perfectly lol.
ㄴLmao but for real, his physical reflexes are crazy — he completes the mission and then disappears right away???
ㄴThat mission reward was ₩1 million, remember? No wonder he couldn’t resist once he cleared it lol.
[Title: What breed is Peanut?]
Content: Looks like a golden hamster to me… can I get a hamster like Peanut somewhere?
ㄴInquiries to Meteor’s email.
ㄴGolden hamster (kills monsters, bigger than giant statues). Are we sure it’s really a hamster?
ㄴThat hamster’s stupid strong, lol — could probably clear up to the 6th floor alone.
ㄴAll hail Big Peanut.
ㄴFrom now on, this land belongs to Big Peanut.
ㄴShow proper respect to Big Peanut.
ㄴIt is insanely cute though. There better be merch.
The internet forums were once again filled with talk about me.
A fine stream indeed.
Even though today’s broadcast (including part two) wasn’t that long, the reaction stayed hot.
My insane archery skills and Peanut’s performance — today officially cemented him as the mascot of my channel.
I’d secured a guaranteed view-count cheat code.
If I ever run out of content, I could just upload a clip of Peanut being cute, and the subscriber count would skyrocket.
“Peanut merch, huh… not a bad idea.”
『Squeak?』
“Samjjun! Peanut! Peanut!”
“Go play together, you two.”
Piiiiiik—!
There’s nothing better than cracking open a beer after a long day.
As I chewed some jerky and took a sip, my older sister Bitna smiled at me.
“Seong-woo, you always drink beer with jerky. I got you other snacks too, you know?”
“Jerky’s the best. I ate so much of it in Avalon, I kinda got addicted. Man, the jerky we had there was good. One of my teammates, Scene — he was my age, but that guy was a master at butchering. Made great jerky, too.”
The best jerky of my life.
Our party always had Scene’s jerky when we drank.
“So he was good at cooking?”
“Yeah, in a way. He specialized in taking things apart. Disassembling, reassembling.”
“…Huh?”
“He was a famous necromancer.”
“…Ah.”
Bitna gave me a strained smile and quickly headed for the kitchen.
Stored in slot #4 of my Skill Archive — Blasphemer Scene.
That guy was a lunatic.
A necromancer, but somehow, not one that made you feel uncomfortable.
Come to think of it, the next skill unlock is his set. Necromancer skills really are busted — great for large-scale battles, and surprisingly high in utility too.
I took another swig of beer and opened the info window for my unique trait, Attention-Seeking Syndrome.
[Unique Trait <Attention-Seeking Syndrome> – Unlock conditions updated.]
[Goal recalibrated to match your current situation.]
[Third Unlock Objective: Become one of Korea’s most recognizable celebrities.]
Up to the second unlock, the goals had been specific and measurable — now it was vague.
“One of Korea’s most recognizable celebrities,” huh.
Was this related to raids involving players from other countries?
Or maybe it just wanted me to gain international recognition?
‘Whatever. Doesn’t matter.’
I’d probably hit the requirement naturally as my MeTube channel grew.
No need to overthink it.
At this pace, unlocking all skill slots wouldn’t be hard.
Though, of course, later goals could get ridiculous — like “100 million MeTube subscribers” or something.
Only a handful of people in MeTube history ever pulled that off.
“Samjjun! Peanut! High five!”
Piiiiiik—!
『Ian’s super cute too!』
Since I got home, Ian had been playing with Peanut instead of me.
Feels like I’ve lost my kid to someone else… but honestly, cute next to cute? It’s perfect.
“…Adorable.”
“Cute… yeah.”
“Even you think they look good together, right, hyung?”
“Can’t deny that.”
Even my usually stoic brother was impressed.
I couldn’t help but snap several photos.
Definitely not sharing these. They’re my treasure.
“They say having a pet helps with emotional stability.”
“Ian’s been asking to raise an animal lately. Good call.”
Hyung smiled as Ian fed an almond to Peanut.
It was still weird seeing him smile like that — but yeah, that’s a dad for you.
“What are you doing tomorrow? Streaming again?”
“Got a lot to handle. I don’t usually stream two days in a row, you know?”
“Try being a little more consistent. And seriously, what’s with those lazy stream endings? Your viewers complain every time.”
“I want them to complain. That’s the point.”
“…So very you.”
And yet, he still watches my streams.
Between court, family, and my channel — my brother’s the definition of diligent, unlike me.
I cracked open another beer, smiling faintly.
“I’ve got plans tomorrow — heading to Korea University.”
“Korea U? What for?”
“You know that statue I hauled out last time? Gonna have it examined. I know a professor there.”
“You know a professor? Surprising. Well, I was going to offer help, but sounds like you don’t need it.”
“How would you even… ah, right.”
My brother… graduated from Korea U.
Ha.
Same upbringing — one turned out an elite, the other… well, let’s call me “eccentric.”
Still, diversification worked out. We both found success in our own way.
“I finished reviewing that MCN contract. Terms are good — no poison clauses, and the problematic sections people warned about? Not there.”
“Oh, nice. Thanks.”
“So you’re going with Inseop’s company?”
“Looks that way. Met the CEO for drinks last time — decent guy. Makes sense Inseop’s been friends with him for years.”
Between streaming, reading feedback, and handling real-world business, life’s been busy.
Feels like I could use four bodies right now.
Maybe sensing that, hyung gave my back a casual pat.
“Good to see you working hard. Keep it up.”
“I used to be pretty lazy, unlike you.”
“You weren’t.”
He shook his head firmly.
“I couldn’t even give you pocket money, and yet you covered your own expenses, kept streaming, and never gave up. If that’s not working hard, I don’t know what is.”
Man, alcohol really makes people sentimental.
Just as I was feeling a lump in my throat, hyung added—
“So go grill some dried squid.”
“…Me?”
“I want to taste your magic-grilled squid.”
…Of course.
Still, I liked this kind of everyday life.
It’s why I came back, after all.
I got up, petted Ian, scratched my head, and walked to the kitchen.
Wait… did we even have any squid left? Pretty sure Peanut ate it all last time….
7.
The next morning.
I headed out early to keep my appointment — Korea University, the nation’s top school.
The only other time I’d been here was when my brother graduated.
Campus was bustling with students — maybe I was getting old, but this place felt oddly foreign now.
‘Hmm.’
My contact said they’d meet me here, but they hadn’t arrived yet.
As I stood there awkwardly, a voice called out behind me.
“…Um, excuse me?”
I turned around to see a college student with glasses staring at me.
A stranger — though clearly he knew who I was. His eyes widened.
“M-Meteor? The real Meteor?”
“Oh?”
“I’m a fan! C-could I get your autograph?”
“Of course. Where do you want it?”
“On my back!”
He spun around, showing the back of his varsity jacket — didn’t even hand me a pen.
But hey, who am I?
The ever-prepared MeTuber, Meteor.
Fwoosh—!
I lit a small flame at my fingertip and signed his back in style.
“Want me to add a message too?”
“Yes! Please write, ‘Good luck, Abyss Studies Department!’”
“Ah, so you’re in Abyss Studies? Funny, I’m actually here today for—”
Just then, a car pulled up behind me. A middle-aged man stepped out, waving as he hurried over.
“Apologies! Got caught talking with an earlier visitor, I’m a bit late!”
“Ah, Professor Oh Young-pil?”
“Yes!”
He brushed his suit jacket, then extended his hand politely.
“Pleasure to meet you! I’m Oh Young-pil, professor of Abyss Studies at Korea University. An honor to finally— Oh?”
As we shook hands, his eyes flicked to the student beside us. He smiled warmly.
“Oh! Mr. Lim!”
“Good afternoon, Professor!”
“You’re a fan of this man too?”
“Yes, sir!”
So he was from the Abyss Studies department.
Professor Oh nodded approvingly.
“Mr. Sung-woo, you were talking with my student, I see.”
“He asked for an autograph — I was happy to oblige.”
“Mr. Lim Seong-jin is an excellent student, one of my favorites. Ah, right — Mr. Lim, have you considered my offer?”
“I… haven’t decided yet.”
“Take your time. No rush.”
“…Then, I’ll be off!”
Once the autograph session ended, Lim Seong-jin hurried away.
I watched him go and asked the professor casually:
“What was the offer?”
“Hoho, I think he’d make a fine teaching assistant.”
“…I see.”
“Now then, shall we?”
He opened the car door for me.
The vehicle looked at least ten years old.
Once I sat down, he slipped into the driver’s seat, and we started through the campus.
Professor Oh Young-pil — better known online as Abyss Encyclopedia.
When he first said he was a professor, I didn’t believe him. But after he sent a selfie as proof… yeah, total maniac.
Anyway, I’d come here to discuss the “statue” Peanut brought back.
The lich had said it functioned as a world-bridging device, and I wanted to ask Professor Oh about that.
The quest’s objective was simply “Investigate the statue,” with zero additional info — so consulting an expert made sense.
Medicine to a doctor, analysis to an analyst.
That’s just common sense.
“The earlier guest will be joining us for the research today. He’s recognized as the best exploration-type player in the field, with an item-analysis trait. I thought his expertise would be invaluable, so I invited him. But if you’d rather not—”
“Oh, not at all. I’m grateful.”
“He’s the best in the business. Hoho. Ever heard of the Ivory Tower Guild?”
“Yeah, Inseop mentioned them once.”
I’d heard of them — not a typical guild, but more of a research society obsessed with studying the Abyss.
“I subtly recruited him, and he agreed. He’ll be a big help. Also, I dug through papers for similar cases.”
Professor Oh’s eyes sparkled — even while driving. His voice grew more animated.
“Two weeks ago, there was a similar incident in the U.S. During an Epic Quest on the 6th floor. But instead of a statue, they discovered a door.”
“A door?”
“Yes. It closed quickly, but before it did, a piece of paper fell out — covered in strange symbols. I printed a copy for you; it’s in the back seat. Care to take a look?”
Well-prepared man, as expected.
I nodded and pulled the document forward.
“Linguists said the writing matched no known language on Earth.”
Professor Oh explained politely.
And I…
“Of course it doesn’t.”
“Hmm?”
“Heh.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
Of course Earth scholars couldn’t read it.
Because it was written in Avalon’s script.
And it wasn’t just writing — it was a letter.
“I think these are the Captain’s dimensional coordinates, but to stabilize them, you’ll need a signal beacon. You said the place was called Earth, right? Judging by the interference, looks like it’s under invasion too. Captain, if you see this, bring something that can act as a beacon.”
And the letter’s recipient… was me.
“P.S. Not sure if you got the letter I sent through Peanut? Been tracking you like a creepy stalker. Wait for me, Captain.”
A letter from Velua.
…Guess I had the Lucky Matryoshka to thank again.
Something was definitely happening.
