- Chapter 27: Lost Land (10)
As word spread that a streamer was receiving a reward live on air, Dojun’s viewer count began to skyrocket.
<Current Viewers: 10,874>
— Phantom really is possessed by the money demon, lol
— Damn, this guy’s only on Day 4 of streaming and already hit 10k viewers in under five minutes? Legend.
— I’m dying to know what kind of reward he’ll get
— Game company reps only show up for big-time streamers, but this Phantom guy clearly has the makings of a superstar
“What kind of reward are we talking about? Personally, I’d prefer cash…”
The response came quickly through another donation.
★★‘##Lost Land Dev Team##’ has donated ₩100,000★★
[Since our game has cash prize events, it’s difficult to reward you with actual money directly, but we’ve prepared something else.]
“Oh… so it’s not cash?”
Dojun’s obvious disappointment sent the chat into a fit of laughter.
— Phantom, can you at least try to hide your disappointment?
— LOL this guy’s seriously committed to his “money-hungry” persona
— Judging by that face, it’s not a bit—he’s genuinely disappointed
— Phantom’s the kind of guy who’d play all the way to the final boss if you just pay him enough
As they joked around, another donation came in from the dev team.
★★‘##Lost Land Dev Team##’ has donated ₩100,000★★
[Would it be possible to discuss this over voice chat instead…? These donation fees are killing us T_T Our budget’s limited…]
“I mean, I prefer it this way through donations… but alright. Please send your contact info to my stream email.”
Checking his inbox, Dojun found a link to a voice call on DisTalk. But before clicking, he asked:
“By the way, is this something that can’t be shown on stream?”
He calmly waited for a response, not opening the link just yet. Sure enough:
★★‘##Lost Land Dev Team##’ has donated ₩100,000★★
[It’s fine to show it on stream… so please just click the link already ㅠㅠㅠ our team’s budget is really tight ㅠㅜㅠ]
— This guy’s a genius LOL
— Dude just milked another ₩100,000 with one sentence. Ruthless.
— First time I’ve ever felt bad for a game dev… please stop bullying them, Phantom
┗ For real, he’s a demon
┗₩100,000 earned with one sentence—delicious, gulp~
Satisfied with the additional donation, Dojun entered the call.
Ding—
“Hello.”
[Hello, Phantom. I’m Assistant Manager Park Chang-sik from the Lost Land team.]
“So, what’s the reward?”
[As I mentioned, it’s not cash. Our company is under TL Games, as you know.]
“Right.”
[Then you might’ve heard about the recently released capsule system?]
“Wait… are you saying you’re giving me the new capsule?”
[Yes, that’s correct.]
Capsules were easy to resell for real money. The current retail price for the new model? ₩20 million.
— Whoa, isn’t that the one that’s sold out everywhere?
— Yep. You can’t even buy it right now unless you pay a markup to someone who already owns one.
— Just checked—latest resell price on the market is ₩25 million?!
— TL Games doesn’t mess around. That’s a hell of a reward.
But that wasn’t all.
[It’s a limited edition capsule with the Lost Land logo. Only about 10 units will be produced.]
“A limited edition!?”
Even if he didn’t know much about gaming, Dojun understood the value of exclusivity.
‘If I resell that… it could go for at least ₩50 million… maybe even ₩100 million.’
He started fantasizing—but then came the bombshell:
[We’ll be registering the capsule specifically under your name so that only you can use it.]
“Wait… only I can use it?”
[Yes.]
“So… I can’t resell it?”
[That’s… correct.]
Dojun’s face fell.
— Look at Phantom’s disappointed face LOL
— Cheer up, man. Just owning it is cool enough
— LMAO that ₩50 million resale just evaporated before his eyes
Seeing the chat explode with reactions, Park Chang-sik began to sweat. Something definitely felt off.
[Uh… does that mean you’re not happy with the reward?]
Dojun replied:
“Hmm… well, a reward is supposed to feel meaningful to the recipient, right?”
[Yes, of course…]
“I already have a capsule. And it’s a little worrying to use a new model that hasn’t been fully tested yet. With all those sketchy knockoffs from China and the recent fire hazard incidents… Plus, my place is really small.”
— LOL the “Chinese knockoff” excuse
— Internal monologue: Ugh, I said give me money!
— Just say you don’t want it ㅋㅋㅋ
— TL Games, please just give him a bigger house for the capsule!
Park Chang-sik had thought any streamer would be thrilled, but Dojun’s blunt reaction made things awkward.
Just as he panicked, another user joined the DisTalk chat.
Ding—
[Sorry to intrude. I’m Team Leader Joo Hyun-seop from the Lost Land team.]
“Oh, hello.”
[T-Team Leader?!]
Park’s voice trembled slightly.
— Boss has entered the chat
— LOL Park’s voice is shaking
— Advertisement: TL Games has a flat organizational structure and is just like family
┗ More like familial trauma, amirite?
[Assistant Manager Park, please leave. I thought I told you—nobody wants a reward they can’t use.]
[B-But normally people are happy to—]
[I said leave.]
[Yes, sir!!]
With that, Park exited like a ghost.
[Apologies. Let’s continue with me from here. You’re not satisfied with the reward, correct?]
“It’s not that I don’t appreciate it… It’s just not exactly what I had hoped for.”
[As Park mentioned, giving cash directly isn’t a great look, so we were trying to offer alternatives.]
“I understand.”
Although disappointed, Dojun hid it as best he could.
[However, if it’s a contractual payout—like a performance fee—that’s a different story.]
“…Meaning?”
[Have you heard of the TL Festival?]
“The TL Festival?”
Dojun tilted his head at the unfamiliar term.
The TL Festival was TL Games’ biggest annual event, showcasing new games and company plans. It was a massive promotional affair held at the start of each year.
[It’s about two months away. We’d like to formally invite you as a guest. Interested?]
The chat exploded.
— WHAT?! A rookie streamer gets invited to TL Fest?!
— Bro, this is huge. You have to do it
— Just by appearing, his exposure skyrockets. There’s no downside.
— I heard even the lowest-paid streamers there get at least ₩10 million
┗ Wait… wouldn’t he have to reveal his real face then? Virtual streamers usually can’t do that
Skimming through the chat, Dojun quickly realized this was far more valuable than some capsule.
“I’ll do it.”
No hesitation.
Pleased, Team Leader Joo continued.
[Great. We’ll follow up with the details shortly.]
“Thank you. Looking forward to it.”
[Also, please keep up the great work in Lost Land. As of now, you’re the player closest to the ₩100 million prize.]
With that, Joo Hyun-seop logged off. The matter was closed, and Dojun felt both satisfied and motivated.
‘The opportunity has come. Whether I seize it or not—that’s on me.’
And to grab this chance, he knew what he had to do.
“It’s time to go all in. I’m not ending stream today until I clear the Altheon Castle gimmick.”
— Let’s gooo!! Been waiting for this!
— You better hurry, rumor is the ‘GuideMaster’ guy found a new route
┗ Yeah, Phantom’s strategy is hardcore. GuideMaster’s is easier
┗┗ But it’s still not easy, per se
┗┗┗ True, at least his route is doable. Phantom’s is just too advanced
┗┗┗┗ Phantom’s still in the lead though
Dojun was keeping up with all this in real time.
Since the full storyline hadn’t been unlocked yet, players had to rely on people like Phantom to guide the way. His process wasn’t an answer sheet—but close enough.
‘Of course, without the process, no one can solve the puzzle.’
The GuideMaster, now hot on Dojun’s heels, was just waiting to snatch the lead.
But the solution was simple: if Dojun played nonstop, there would be no time for others to study and catch up.
‘As long as I’m ahead, there’s no way I’m losing—unless some catastrophe hits.’
He took a deep breath. All he had to do now was focus on his gameplay.
“Alright, let’s jump right in.”
After escaping from Behera Castle, the game had crashed at a key mid-point scene.
Now, reconnecting to Lost Land, Dojun’s screen shifted.
— Welcome to Lost Land —
Dominating the view was an enormous fortress—more than twice the size of Behera Castle.
“Halt! Identify yourself!”
A knight on the wall shouted down.
This part of the story began with heightened security at Altheon Castle after Behera’s fall. Entry was tightly controlled.
But something was off. The guards had their bows drawn—openly hostile. Not a huge change, but clearly something had been altered.
“I’ve come from Behera Castle.”
The character spoke automatically—no player control yet.
“What?! A survivor?!”
The knight vanished in surprise.
The scripted scene continued, and soon, a new figure emerged—one Dojun had studied in advance.
‘Marquis Delphiero, lord of Altheon Castle.’
The story was progressing the same as others had experienced—except for one subtle difference in guard hostility.
“Are you a survivor of Behera Castle?”
Dojun smirked to himself.
It made no sense that a noble would personally greet a random survivor.
But knowing who the marquis really was, the contradiction made perfect sense.
‘He’s a demon worshipper.’
If he hadn’t known that, he’d have been completely fooled. But exposing the truth right away? Suicidal.
If he called out the marquis now, he’d be labeled insane and executed on the spot.
‘So how do I handle this…’
As he pondered, control of the character returned to him.
Now it was his move.
The objective wasn’t to expose the villain directly.
The main quest required meeting the captain of the Royal Guard—who was currently in hiding.
‘First step is getting into the castle.’
But he wasn’t going to enter like a clueless fool.
Altheon was massive. Finding the captain inside would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
But this was where Dojun thrived.
‘If I can’t find him, I’ll make him find me.’
Dojun smirked.
“I bring the final words of Royal Knight Captain John.”
It was the perfect checkmate—there was no way the captain wouldn’t come.
