Chapter 75….
Punk Loader’s first stream ended successfully.
He had neatly confirmed a smuggling route up to the Lower District, and after picking up a few other quests, the server shut down.
Lee Ji-han chatted a bit more with the viewers before ending the stream.
Lying back, he realized it was more fun than he expected. The worldbuilding itself was deep, there were battles, and the well-written little storylines kept him so absorbed he lost track of time.
-Hey, Ji-han. I think this suits you better than I expected?
The voice of Kim Soo-ho came through the phone.
“Haha, really? Well, it’s still the first day, and I haven’t met many other players yet.”
Ji-han let out a small laugh.
-I dunno, you seem like you’ll do well. So, anything you’re worried about?
At Soo-ho’s words, Ji-han thought for a moment.
“I don’t know if I’ll blend in well with the others.”
-That’s why setting the right concept is important.
“I do get what you mean, but…”
-You’re not going to do that ‘silent concept,’ right?
Ji-han burst into louder laughter at that.
“No, no. I’ll definitely talk. I thought about trying that kind of concept, but it was way too uncomfortable.”
-Good choice. You need enough talking to fill the stream time, too.
“True. Anyway, I’m actually looking forward to this a lot.”
-Then just rest well until tomorrow’s server opening. Don’t worry too much.
When Soo-ho’s call ended, Ji-han checked a message from Baek Soo-ah.
[Boss! Today’s stream was super fun! I’m almost done editing Zombreath Episode 2!]
[Oh, faster than I expected?]
[Uploading daily is kinda the standard, so it’s not that fast, haha.]
Ji-han blinked in mild surprise at her reply.
[Still, take it easy, lol.]
[I am taking it easy~ I watched your whole stream today. It was really fun! But if you’re thinking about YouTube uploads, we’ll probably need to run Zombreath and Punk Loader in parallel.]
Ji-han tilted his head.
[I don’t know much about this… could you explain why?]
[Because it’s a major server! When all the attention is there, uploading major server content to YouTube can give a huge boost.]
Now that he thought about it, it made perfect sense.
[…But wouldn’t that be exhausting for you, Soo-ah? I’m worried.]
[Lol don’t worry! Other than editing, I don’t really do much besides watching streams. And it’s not like we start parallel uploads right away—we need enough footage first. I just wanted to ask ahead of time!]
[Ah… thank you so much for being considerate.]
After sending his reply, Ji-han closed his eyes.
Kim Soo-ho, Baek Soo-ah.
Those two were his solid team.
…Am I making things too hard for them, dragging them along even though I know nothing about streaming?
That thought crossed his mind often.
He once voiced it to Soo-ho, who only told him to pay them more.
But could money really ease their fatigue? Shouldn’t he be doing more?
Those thoughts weighed on him seriously.
In the end, people live on good food.
With that, Ji-han smiled faintly and sent his last message.
[Anyway, Soo-ah, you’re working so hard. Make sure to treat yourself to something delicious.]
He bought a food delivery voucher and sent it to her.
Almost immediately—
[Eeeek! No no no, boss! Don’t do this! Please don’t!!!]
She sent back a flustered reply.
Soo-ho, on the other hand—
[Lol thanks! I’ll enjoy it.]
—gave a short and simple one.
The contrast between the two made Ji-han laugh to himself.
[If you really don’t want to use it, I’ll just post it in the fan café.]
Ji-han sealed the deal with a wry smile.
[No!! No!! I’ll eat it!! Absolutely, I’ll eat it!!]
Looking at that reply, Ji-han’s smile lingered.
He was growing. Learning how to handle people.
And so, that night passed peacefully.
[You’re here!!!]
[Right on time, haha.]
[Ji-han’s here!!!]
[I’ve been waiting, waiting!!]
[Turn on the cam already!]
[Lol there’s still time before the server opens, take it easy.]
[Nope! Don’t take it easy! Start NOW!!]
[Yeah hurry up! I wanna see Ji-han’s face!!!]
The waiting screen.
Then came Ji-han’s voice.
“Hello.”
Soon the cam switched on, showing a slightly tired-looking Ji-han.
[Why do you look tired?]
[Did you not sleep?]
[Too excited to sleep, huh, lol?]
“No, nothing like that. It just feels a little awkward, I guess.”
Streaming early in the day felt strange, but what really weighed on him was knowing today’s stream would last a long time.
[Haha right, once the server opens you’ll be grinding until shutdown.]
[Don’t fall behind, lol.]
[Make sure you stay ahead!!!]
Their mischievous encouragement felt like vitamins to him.
Even without caffeine, his eyes snapped open.
“Alright, I’ll do that. So, first thing today is making it up to the Lower District…”
[Yup. The second the server opens, head straight for the sewers.]
[Better to move before the crowds pile in.]
[Yeah, and if there’s anything you can claim early, grab it.]
[Not sure there’s much to claim though?]
[Lol Ji-han’s always good at finding that stuff anyway.]
“Haha, I’m not that good at it. I’ll just go at my own pace.”
With a faint smile, Ji-han launched Punk Loader.
The server was about to open.
After chatting a little longer with his viewers, he logged in.
HAN.
The man with the fishbowl head, an Object Head, awoke in the sewers.
[Nice call logging out here yesterday, lol.]
[Good spot secured.]
[It’s instanced anyway, but let’s move quick.]
“Alright, let’s go then?”
Step, step, step.
Ji-han scanned his surroundings as he walked.
Rats often popped out in the sewers.
In fact, while clearing quests yesterday, he’d been caught off guard when some jumped out suddenly.
[Lol you’re not gonna leap out of your chair like yesterday, right?]
[We were more scared than you were!]
[I thought I was gonna die laughing, lol. Haven’t seen you that startled since Zombreath.]
[Yeah, you don’t even flinch in Zombreath anymore—I thought you’d gotten used to it, haha.]
As always, Ji-han was weak to jump scares.
Though in a way, it only proved his superhuman reflexes.
“Please don’t tease me too much.”
All the more reason he stayed focused, keeping his guard up as he moved.
Step, step.
“I’m supposed to find the smuggler broker, right?”
[Exactly. Look for a shady NPC.]
[But don’t massacre them like you did those rats yesterday, lol.]
[Yeah, didn’t you just slaughter them by accident yesterday?]
[C’mon, haha, what are you even saying.]
Ji-han chuckled while glancing at the chat, but he didn’t lower his guard, holding Rianna’s dagger in a reverse grip.
Rustle, swish!
A faint sound.
His sound-play instincts from Zero Ground kicked in.
Thud-thud-thud!
The moment he heard it, Ji-han sprinted down the sewer.
Toward the sound.
Swish!
Just as he thrust his dagger—
“Uwaaa!?”
“Huh?”
He found himself face to face with the smuggler broker.
“Hey, it’s not a bad habit, really. In this place, staying tense like that is the right move.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Haha, no need to apologize. Just a bit of advice, don’t take it the wrong way!”
The broker smirked shamelessly, pushing up his glasses.
“Anyway, just take this line up. Remember what I told you to watch for on the stairs?”
“Guards, raiders, monsters.”
“Exactly. Alright then, I’m done here. Won’t be much help going up with you anyway.”
He held out his hand—asking for payment.
The agreed 500 credits. Ji-han paid him.
“Good, all checked.”
The broker pulled a huge key from his bag and unlocked the gate.
Thud!
The heavy lock fell to the ground.
Creaaak.
The door swung open.
“Good luck.”
“Thanks. Maybe I’ll see you again.”
“Haha, doubt I’ll be heading up to the Lower District, but hey—stay sharp. It’s rough up there.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
“Alright, fishbowl-head friend. Take care.”
With a laugh, the broker waved him off.
The staircase loomed open like the jaws of a beast, damp air wafting out.
Ji-han bowed lightly and stepped forward.
Step, step, step.
[Looks like it’ll be a long climb.]
[Think any mobs will pop up?]
As those messages rolled in—
“Seems like we’ve got company.”
HAN’s flame flickered orange.
On cam, Ji-han smirked, then dashed forward.
[Huh?]
[??? Did you hear something?]
[Anyone else hear that?]
[I didn’t. Did you?]
[Holy crap; is he even human?]
Ji-han ran on instinct, as if sensing a presence.
Swish! Slash!
Mutant rats and dogs lunged out of hiding.
Ambushers.
But Ji-han calmly slit their throats one by one with Rianna’s dagger as he moved.
He didn’t make a mess.
Controlled, quiet killings.
After all, the broker had warned him about raiders and guards. Attracting attention was the last thing he wanted.
[Whoa;;;]
[Is this roleplay or what?]
[At this point he could just go full assassin concept, lol.]
[Heavenly Demon turned assassin? Not bad;;]
“Ah, concept, huh? I actually already picked one.”
Slash! Stab!
Even as he culled their numbers, Ji-han kept chatting.
The wider field of view his implant gave him made it easier to stay connected with his audience mid-combat.
[Ack!? Ji-han, behind you!!]
Slice!
“Already on it. But thanks for looking out!”
Stab, stab!
A bright, cheerful thank-you.
Paired with cold, merciless slaughter.
The efficiency of his movements was chilling, but paired with that object head, it looked like he was a ruthless, soulless assassin.
[Man, now I’m dying to know his concept, lol.]
[Yeah, a bunch of us have been curious since yesterday—spill it already!!!]
“Ah, should I?”
Ji-han carefully chose his words, even as he cut down foes.
What concept was it?
Everyone waited for his answer.
“…I was thinking of going for a vibe like Geum Tae-hyuk. He’s so cute—‘Hey noona, how old are you? Where do you live?’ That kind of thing.”
[LOLOLOLOLOL]
[With THAT head!?]
[Why did you swap faces if you were gonna do that!?]
[Couldn’t you have just used your good-looking face!?]
With Ji-han’s shocking concept reveal, the chat exploded in laughter.
