[Episode 21] Super Genie
Snowstorm.
That was the company behind [Lost Land], the game Dojun was currently playing.
Snowstorm developed [Lost Land] after being acquired as a subsidiary of TL Games.
In the era of capsule games, game development was no longer about manually setting complex input parameters like in the old days.
Now, it was truly the age of AI.
Modern artificial intelligence had advanced far beyond what was once imaginable, easily surpassing human thinking.
One of the fields where these super AIs were actively used was game development.
Thanks to AI handling not only development but also real-time monitoring, there was no longer a need for massive development teams.
Simply establishing the core worldbuilding and then filling in the detailed settings requested by the super AI was enough to create a game.
[Lost Land] was created that way too.
All games operated by TL Games were monitored 24/7 by a super AI.
Like a wish-granting genie in a fairytale, this omnipotent AI had a name given by the TL Games staff:
Super Genie.
Thanks to [Super Genie], employees at TL Games could comfortably take breaks unless there was an emergency.
Assistant Manager Park Changshik of Snowstorm’s [Lost Land] team was no exception—at least until he got an urgent alert from [Super Genie].
[Warning: Unexpected gameplay detected in [Lost Land]. Monitoring support requested for an irregular player.]
“W-what did you say!?”
Startled, Park Changshik stood up, nearly spilling his coffee.
Five years into his job, this was the first time Park had ever seen [Super Genie] request support.
Panicking at the unprecedented situation, Park quickly looked for his superior.
“Team Leader Joo!!”
“I’m not drinking tonight. I’m going home early.”
“No, that’s not it!!”
“Then what? Make it quick. I have to pick up spicy chicken feet I ordered for my wife.”
Team Leader Joo Hyunseob looked annoyed, glancing at the clock.
It was nearly 6 PM—quitting time.
“This is serious! [Genie] just requested support!!”
Park shouted, instantly freezing everyone preparing to leave.
Among them, none looked more alarmed than Team Leader Joo himself.
“[Genie] requested support…?”
Even for the veteran Joo, he’d only experienced a [Super Genie] alert once before.
He quickly grabbed the phone on his desk and called HQ.
Yes, this is Park Hyeri from the Super Genie Response Team.
“This is Joo Hyunseob, Team Leader of [Lost Land]. We just received a support request from [Super Genie]. Please confirm.”
Confirmed. At 17:55, an unexpected gameplay action occurred that could affect the game’s storyline, triggering [Super Genie]’s alert.
“Is this… for real?”
It’s real. Our team will provide support, but please cooperate with [Super Genie] to identify the irregular in [Lost Land].
“U-understood.”
We’ll temporarily transfer communication rights with [Super Genie] to the [Lost Land] team. Please follow protocol and work closely with [Super Genie] to resolve the situation.
As the call ended, Team Leader Joo lowered the receiver and looked sternly at his team.
“As of this moment, we’ve been granted [Genie]’s authority. Everyone sit down and start analyzing.”
“Yes, sir!!”
They all dropped their bags and scrambled to their desks, nerves taut at facing something none of them had ever experienced.
“Genie, can you hear me?”
Listening, Mr. Joo.
“Who’s the irregular?”
The player named Phantom.
“Phantom!?”
Everyone on the [Lost Land] team already knew Phantom—he’d been the main topic of their morning meeting after clearing the early game gimmicks.
“That’s the streamer on SwitchTV, right?”
Correct. He’s been executing a series of near-impossible plays. If this continues, it could alter the scenario.
“So it’s still manageable?”
For now, yes. But only for now.
“He’s broadcasting right now, isn’t he?”
“I’ll check.”
Park quickly booted up his computer and nodded.
“He’s live as we speak. Current segment is…”
Park frowned as he read the location info.
“Hmm… He’s already in the secret passage beneath Count Brderen’s office.”
“Already?”
They’d confirmed he wasn’t streaming until around 5 PM.
So he must have gone live after that, and within less than an hour, had already defeated the mid-boss ‘Rahel’ and moved on.
It was possible, but the question was what happened in that short span.
“Genie, what happened?”
In short, he burned the demon-worshippers’ hideout, killing everyone inside.
“That alone is an issue?”
The problem is he left no evidence behind, causing the cultists to suspect an internal traitor or a secret royal faction. Depending on what happens next, the scenario could derail.
“What are the odds of that?”
For an average player, 0%.
“So it’s not a problem then—”
But based on Phantom’s track record, there’s about a 13% chance he’ll succeed.
Joo closed his eyes, deep in thought.
13% wasn’t high, but it also wasn’t negligible.
“We’ll wait and see how his play develops.”
[Super Genie] and the dev team began monitoring Phantom’s progress in real time.
But the more they watched, the more shocked they became.
“He took down Count Brderen that easily?”
“Escape will be tough.”
“He’s… he’s searching for John in this chaos?”
In the end, Phantom did it—he succeeded with the 13% probability.
Everything theoretically possible has become reality. Phantom’s gameplay is exceeding all projections. Immediate response is needed.
Even though [Genie] spoke with no emotion, a sense of urgency was unmistakable.
“What should we do now?”
We need you to update contingency protocols for the next stage in the scenario at Altheon Castle, so we can prepare for every possible variable.
“This is insane.”
Joo muttered a curse under his breath.
What Genie asked sounded simple, but it was anything but easy.
Phantom’s extraordinary performance was unprecedented, and Genie wanted them to predict his future moves. But that felt impossible—no one could anticipate what Phantom would do next.
“What if we can’t predict him?”
Then you’ll need to work with me in real-time to adjust the scenario on the fly.
“Looks like we have no choice. Everyone heard that? Think of every possible scenario and imagine every outcome. We have to anticipate the future.”
Assistant Manager Park timidly raised his hand.
“Um… what about going home?”
“Park, I’ve already given up on my chicken feet.”
“Guess you’ll have them with your wife tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? You’re optimistic.”
Joo let out a dry chuckle, then pulled out his phone and made a call.
“Hi, honey? An emergency came up. I won’t be home for a few days. Could you send some clothes to the office?”
After ending the call, everyone stared at Joo, stunned.
“What are you all waiting for? Call someone to pack your clothes, or order them online. We’re not going home until this is over.”
Hearing that, the team looked like they’d just received a death sentence.
Notice
◉ Snowstorm – [Lost Land] ◉
Title: We Apologize for the Unexpected Server Maintenance
We sincerely apologize to all players.
As many of you may have guessed, the maintenance was due to instability caused by Phantom’s recent gameplay.
We confirm that Phantom’s remarkable discovery of the game’s hidden mechanics and his deep understanding of the story have brought him significantly closer to the true ending.
Phantom’s current trajectory aligns with our planned narrative, but the risk of the scenario becoming inconsistent due to his flawless play forced us to take immediate action.
The server is expected to be back online in about three days.
As a token of appreciation, Phantom will receive a special reward from TL Games HQ for his outstanding play.
We once again apologize for the sudden inconvenience.
November 10, 20XX
Joo Hyunseob, Team Leader, [Lost Land] Development Team
The announcement, which practically shouted Phantom’s name, sent the community into a frenzy.
[Title: What Phantom’s Gameplay Proves Today]
If you’re bad at physical stuff, just give up now.
To clear the route, you apparently need:
Horse riding
Knife skills
Archery
Voice mimicry
Pro-level parkour
Rope climbing
No average person could ever clear this. Let’s just wait for Phantom’s streams to open Chapter 2. Agreed?
Phantom is a god… what kind of life did he live to learn all that?
┗ I can’t do a single thing on that list lol
┗┗ Same here.
┗┗┗ You too?
┗┗┗┗ Yeah, it’s like “YahXdu” but for real life.
[Title: The Most Frustrated Person Right Now is Phantom]
Sure, no one can play during maintenance, but other players will be dissecting his videos to find his strategies.
The devs said they’d reward him, but if he loses the billion-won prize, what’s the point?
Facts
Watching everyone scramble for clues while Phantom stayed calm was hilarious
┗ He didn’t even react while viewers lost their minds.
┗┗ True lol
┗┗┗ Honestly, even if others try to copy him, no one else will clear it. Phantom’s on another level.
The world was abuzz with Phantom’s feats.
“Haa…”
But the man himself let out a deep sigh, looking dazed.
With the game under maintenance, he suddenly had nothing to do.
‘Feels like I lost my job overnight.’
But he couldn’t just sit idle.
‘I should review everything.’
He immersed himself in editing his footage to check for mistakes, then logged into his channel to check reactions.
His inbox was overflowing with emails—collab and sponsorship offers.
After the first day, countless offers poured in. Dojun had consulted Lee Junseong about them and got cautious advice.
Don’t do collabs with random unknowns.
Don’t accept every ad just for money. One bad deal can destroy your image.
Agreeing with that, Dojun was deleting emails when one sender caught his eye.
‘VirtueKing?’
Dojun didn’t care much for other streamers, but even he knew about VirtueKing—one of SwitchTV’s biggest stars, always ranked above him even when he peaked at 30,000 viewers.
‘No way…’
He swallowed nervously and opened the email.
And the moment he read it, his suspicion turned into certainty: it was a collab request.
