Chapter : 05
Rice-Eating Hero’s Capitalist Streaming
The Constellation Game [Laika]
Today, there were two things I had to do at the Gate Administration Office.
The first was, of course, currency exchange, and the second was hunter registration.
Hunter registration wasn’t something I had to do immediately, but it would be necessary eventually to enter the “Tower.”
The Tower in the other world was managed by fairies, but the Tower in the Korean server was managed by the Korean government.
And honestly, there was no reason not to register as a hunter.
Once I did this, I wouldn’t have to come all the way to Seoul Station; I could exchange LP and KRW anytime, anywhere.
“What can I help you with?”
“I’d like to do a currency exchange first.”
Anyway, I decided to handle the exchange first. From now on, there would be no more secretly using my mom’s or sister’s transportation card.
[Player name, ‘Dave’ has been registered in the system.]
[Current LP: 53LP]
[Current exchange rate per 1 LP: ₩10,357]
[You can exchange up to 53 LP.]
[Please enter the amount to exchange.]
I decided to exchange everything except 10 LP. After fees, about 445,000 won was deposited into my account.
Why leave 10 LP?
“Shall we proceed with hunter registration as well?”
“Yes, please.”
The hunter registration fee. Ten thousand won of my hard-earned money, but it couldn’t be helped.
[You have been registered in the Republic of Korea Hunter Registry.]
[You can now use the ‘Currency Exchange’ function.]
[You can now use the ‘Item Exchange’ function.]
…omitted…
[You have been onboarded to the ‘Streaming System.’]
Seeing all the system messages pop up made it feel real—I had actually become a hunter.
There were also things I hadn’t seen in the beta version, which was kind of fascinating.
But what exactly was the streaming system? Some kind of internet broadcast?
“Hmm, it’s a bit different from internet broadcasting. This is streaming that’s onboarded into the Laika system itself. In other words, it’s part of the system provided by ‘The Constellation Game.’”
What does that even mean? This wasn’t in the beta version.
“Wait, you really don’t know what the streaming system is? Have you been living in the forest for ten years or something?”
Not the forest, though I did spend time in another world…
“Anyway, if you want to succeed as a hunter, it’s best to make full use of it. It’s the only way to communicate with the ‘Constellations.’”
The word “Constellations” made me flinch for a moment.
I’d never seen a Constellation in person, but I had heard the word countless times from that insane fairy.
- “With this level of skill, you’ll never satisfy the Constellations, Hero!”
- “You need to build a more special story.”
- “If you lack talent, you need to at least be entertaining!!”
Hearing that reminded me of what I’d read on the Awakened Wiki. I thought that streamers mainly earned money from popularity, just running a regular broadcast.
But streaming to communicate with Constellations?
- “On the official server, countless Constellations will be watching you, Hero!”
So that’s what they meant.
“That’s correct.”
Curiosity was piqued, but I also felt uneasy. I didn’t like showing off in front of people, and the Constellations… well, they gave me the creeps.
If I could turn off the streaming…
“What do you mean turn it off? Why would you even do that?”
“Uh…”
“You have to stream while you play!”
Why?
“There’s nothing to lose. Just keep the streaming on and play, and the Constellations will sponsor your LP… why wouldn’t you? It’s not like a normal internet broadcast where your face is exposed.”
The mention of LP sponsorship immediately caught my attention, and the staff member’s next words were decisive.
“Also, you don’t only get sponsors as a top-ranked player. Some hunters get ‘big spenders’ before even reaching level 20… some have received 10,000 LP a day in sponsorships.”
Crazy. 10,000 LP? That’s like 100 million won!
“Of course, gaining even one subscriber at first is hard… but still, going into the Gate without turning this on…”
The rest of the staff’s explanation didn’t really matter. Just the fact that you could earn that much LP through sponsorship alone made me think: if a rice-eating hero doesn’t do this, that’s essentially negligence.
The staff seemed intrigued by something and continued.
“By the way, you’re already level 9?”
“Is that a problem…?”
“Oh, no. Of course not, but I’ve never seen anyone reach level 9 before registering as a hunter.”
According to the Awakened Wiki, hunters usually register before entering the Gate. Without registration, you couldn’t use the Gate Administration’s exchange, so other hunters naturally equipped themselves first.
After filling out a few more forms…
Hunter registration was complete.
“Dave, your hunter registration is complete.”
“Thank you.”
Although learning unexpected things left me feeling strange, what mattered was that I had successfully registered.
Honestly, I had worried about one thing:
“If they checked my ID, it could’ve been problematic.”
My registered age was 36, but Dave in the system was 26. I naturally thought of myself as 26, but it might have caused an issue.
“ID?”
“That’s not needed for hunter registration. The system’s data is far more important than any scrap of paper.”
Well, there wasn’t much I could say to that.
“Player name: Dave. Nationality: Republic of Korea. Age: 26. Correct?”
Yes, exactly.
“Good. Then… all procedures are complete.”
“Thank you.”
The staff was quite competent, apart from talking a lot. Thanks to them, I also learned about streaming.
The staff added one last thing:
“By the way, Hunter, how about signing up for the ‘Gate Comprehensive Insurance’ while you’re here?”
What?
“You’re going to do your potential assessment anyway, right?”
No? I wasn’t.
“This is for people under 30 with potential grade D or higher. The benefits this month are really good…”
Suddenly, I felt dizzy. I might need to take back my assessment that they were a good staff member.
Late in the evening, past 8 PM.
In one corner of the Gate Administration Office, the lights were still fully on. Specifically, in the office of Director Kim Young-tae, who oversaw all administration.
He pressed his throbbing temples with a grimace. He hadn’t left work this late for over a month.
“So… just 50 days left, right?”
“Yes, Director.”
“Ha… this is maddening.”
The reason Kim Young-tae hadn’t left work was simple. His greatest bureaucratic crisis was looming: Gate Overrun.
The Gate Administration existed to control Gates and prevent overruns. If nothing was done in the next 50 days, Korea would face a Gate Overrun for the first time in five years.
If he failed, he’d lose his position. The bigger issue was the expected civilian casualties.
“Budget? What did the Minister say?”
“Well…”
A Gate Overrun is when multiple unstable Gates appear simultaneously. Unlike stable Gates, which pose no threat, unstable Gates spew monster waves outside, threatening human life.
“I thought the supplementary budget included funds for Gate stabilization.”
“It does.”
“But?”
“The amount… is far too low.”
The missing funds were basically Tower contributions, i.e., astronomical amounts of LP.
Contributions are accumulated based on player activity inside the Gate, but any deficit must be filled with LP to prevent an overrun.
“How much?”
“About 230 billion won worth…”
Not exact, but roughly 1–2 hundred million LP could extend a Gate Overrun by 30 days. Nearly 2 trillion won for just 30 days of delay.
It seemed like pouring water into a bottomless pit—but that wasn’t entirely wrong. Countries with fewer players hadn’t spent a penny on stabilization, preferring to respond after the fact.
“Not 500 billion, just 200 billion?”
“Yes.”
“While spending trillions on ridiculous welfare projects?”
“…”
But Kim Young-tae thought this was wrong. If civilians were to bear the burden, why collect so much tax?
He knew that actively supporting hunters to increase contribution would allow the administration to cover costs from LP earned. Korea had successfully prevented overruns for five years as proof.
- “I’ve said this before. Pouring money into a bottomless pit has limits.”
- “Chaos may worsen and citizens may suffer… but we must adapt to unstable Gates.”
‘Damn minister…’
- “Weakening national hunter competitiveness? Spending your life on Gate stabilization? That only benefits hunters!”
- “Adapting to unstable Gates is what’s best for the country.”
Thinking of the Minister of Defense, who had hated him since his appointment, Kim gritted his teeth.
“So how much more is needed?”
“About 200 billion more immediately, but the next problem comes after that, Director.”
“Hmm.”
“If another overrun happens in 30 days, the budget gap could reach 700 billion.”
“Phew.”
Kim gazed out the window. Citizens were bustling about outside.
‘How much longer will this peace last?’
In countries where Gate Overruns were common, such peaceful scenes were rare. Kim also felt powerless to oppose those in high positions.
“Anyway, time to leave.”
“Yes, Director.”
On his way home, Kim took the subway, as he had for nearly 30 years of public service.
Clack, clack.
On the way home, Kim sensed something strange. A young man from the Administration Office had been following the same route, always a step ahead.
‘Hmm. Looks like a hunter…’
Even when transferring at Line 2, getting off at Seongsu Station, or exiting the apartment complex through Exit 2, it was the same person.
“Heh heh.”
When they got on the elevator at building 101, deepest in the complex, Kim couldn’t help but laugh.
‘What a coincidence…’
But shortly after, when they got off on the same floor…
“…!”
Kim was stunned. This young man was his neighbor’s son.
‘The neighbor’s son… wasn’t he missing?’
This wasn’t a casual neighbor. They had moved in at the same time 20 years ago, and the family had remained unchanged. Before the son went missing, they had been close.
The neighbor’s son had also been classmates with Kim’s son in high school. Examining his face carefully…
“…!”
He definitely seemed familiar. Kim couldn’t help but speak before entering the apartment.
“Excuse me… do you know Kim Kyung-jun?”
The young man scratched the back of his head awkwardly and replied:
“Uh… long time no see, sir. I’m Geon-yul, Kyung-jun’s friend.”
Kim’s eyes went wide.
