畅想听吧

Chapter 41: The Smell of Capitalism (2)

Content: The protagonist of the video is in black armor.

Vance checked the video\'s information and swallowed a chuckle with a baffled expression.

What\'s with these views? It\'s only been thirty minutes since it was uploaded.

It was an abnormally high amount of views and likes compared to the barely existent description!

What kind of video could it possibly be...?

When he quickly started the video and saw trees in a forest swaying gently in the breeze—it was a very peaceful setting with warm sunlight filtering through the leaves.

Crunch!

However, that peace was shattered by the arrival of individuals with the Crimson Fist emblem on their chests. Vance, who often browsed the community, instantly guessed where the place was.

If there are many coniferous trees and spider webs between the branches... it\'s the Forest of Spiders!

It was a region that high-level players weren’t very active in, and yet, a video shot in such a place was so popular.

Vance watched the video quietly.

Two groups of people were facing off, and one of the Crimson Fist players spoke.

-The strong are forgiven for anything they do to the weak like you. That\'s the basic principle of society, survival of the fittest.

"What\'s with this annoying guy?"

Vance furrowed his eyebrows. Being in a production class, he had experienced such disdain in hunting fields. Perhaps because of those memories, he disliked these Crimson Fist guys.

Could it be a video uploaded by someone unfairly PKed in the field?

But hundreds of such videos were uploaded daily.

Vance\'s eyes widened as the video continued to play.

"What? You shouldn\'t send your friends away!"

The person in black armor sent all his allies away while his opponents just laughed and looked at him.

Oh no, he’s doomed.

Perhaps because he was weaker from birth, Vance found himself rooting for the warrior in black armor. Therefore, he felt sorry when his allies left and was shocked when an opponent darted out with overwhelming speed.

The next moment, he found himself exclaiming with disbelief.

"H-huh!?"

The movement of the supposed weaker warrior in black armor was on a different level, even seen through the screen.

As the video played at normal speed, it was as if he alone was sped up!

But it\'s not just speed.

He seemed to know exactly how to deal with players, striking at eyes or slicing Achilles tendons at just the right moments. It was the epitome of PVP movement, executed as naturally as flowing water.

"Oh no, they\'re fighting back!"

While the video\'s protagonist was fast, the opponents, who came to their senses, were not helpless. Moreover, there were six of them! Working together, they cooperated to gradually pressure the video\'s protagonist.

"That’s unfortunate. Six against one is too much, isn’t it?"

Just as Vance expressed his deep regret, the protagonist summoned a staff in his left hand. At the same time, the ground began to tremble!

"Huh!?"

From the trembling ground emerged six gnoll skeletons! With glowing red eyes, they charged at the enemies according to their master\'s command.

At this, the Crimson Fist guild members gulped and shouted.

-That\'s it! He controlled these Skeletons before!

-Be careful not to break formation!

-They have higher attack and defense power than their level suggests! Don\'t let your guard down!

The greatest strength of the undead was their lack of fear! They also prioritized their master\'s commands above all.

Crack!

The gnoll skeletons didn\'t stop charging even as their ribs flew and skulls hit the ground!

Eventually, a small gap appeared in the Crimson Fist guild\'s formation, and through that gap, the video\'s protagonist slipped in like a ghost!

"Wow..." Vance exclaimed with his mouth agape after watching the whole video.

It took just eighteen minutes for the protagonist to defeat all six opponents! The video ended with the gnoll skeletons happily dancing with their skulls.

There were already thousands of comments under the video.

-This is interesting.

-Which guild\'s rookie is this?

-FYI, the six guys brutally defeated in the video are members of the Crimson Fist that are typically active in Glendale. They’re famous trash known for PKing and monster stealing.

-Haven\'t seen many interesting videos lately, but this one\'s a gem. I donated too.

-Ugh, I was PKed by those Crimson Fist pieces of trash. This feels so refreshing. I\'m donating, even if it\'s not much.

?^^^^ Me too :(

?^^^^ Seriously, this is such a satisfying revenge. I\'m leaving a donation too.

-But what\'s with those Skeletons in the middle? Don\'t tell me the star of the video is a necromancer.

?Rewatched it, and he pulls out a staff before summoning the Skeletons. By the looks of a circle appearing afterward... seems like the staff has a summoning skill.

?Wow, if it\'s that kind of item, it must at least be a Rare grade.

-The Skeletons dancing are cute lol

?They even dance pretty well hahaha

-Exactly 6 dislikes lmao. Is the dislike system real name based or what?

-First time donating because I found the video fun! Any chance of a series?

?Looks like the uploader doesn\'t have much ambition, given it\'s uploaded anonymously.

?That’s too bad. I would\'ve subscribed immediately if it was a series.

?Looking at the equipment, seems like he’s well-off, so probably not interested in doing it.

-The video star\'s skill isn\'t extraordinary, but watching him struggle and fight passionately is incredibly immersive.

?Agreed. It\'s not a clean and sophisticated fight like other rankers\', but somehow it makes me want to root for him.

The comments overall were compliments!

Four months after the game\'s release, the stagnating world of MID Online was shaken by the appearance of an interesting rookie.

***

"I\'ll sell all these for 4 gold in total."

"...A-are you serious?"

"Dead serious."

Back in the city, now dressed in a cleric robe, Kai smiled at the merchant in front of him.

"No take-backs later?"

"Of course."

After handing over six pieces of equipment to the merchant and receiving 4 gold, Kai beamed with satisfaction.

Perhaps because the Crimson Fist guild members were often killing other players, their names were bright red. In other words, that meant they were Chaotic players!

The penalties for Chaotic players in MID Online are quite severe.

Having their names permanently displayed above their heads was one of the severe penalties, but the biggest was dropping one equipped item upon death.

Thanks to that, Kai acquired four normal items and two Magic items! Unfortunately, they weren\'t particularly good pieces of equipment so Kai had decided to sell the equipment to a merchant player cheaply for a bit of pocket money.

Maybe it\'s time for me to take a break now too.

He had exhausted more physical and mental energy than expected in the Nest of Fermi. While conquering the dungeon, he had to always watch his back. As he entered the safe city and let down his guard, the suppressed fatigue finally caught up with him.

"Phew, log out."

After removing his headgear and getting up from the capsule, Han Jung-Woo went out to the living room.

"Huh?"

In the living room, his sister was drinking beer alone. The clock showed it was one o\'clock in the morning.

Han Jung-Woo approached her. "Why are you drinking alone in the middle of the night? You look pathetic.”

"Shut up," Han Ji-Hye said as she pouted. Then she looked at her brother with curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "I heard from mom that you told her you would treat her for her birthday?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

"What exactly are you planning to do? You don\'t have any money."

"Hey, those are old times." Han Jung-Woo wore a victorious, relaxed smile. "Noona, do you know? In the past, people who stayed at home playing games day and night like me were called unemployed or game addicts."

"Huh? That\'s not in the past though? The whole neighborhood knows that an unemployed game addict lives in our house. Mom\'s so embarrassed she doesn\'t even want to go to the market."

"...Ahem!" Unable to withstand his burning thirst, Han Jung-Woo snatched his sister\'s beer and gulped it down. "Noona, listen. Even just playing one game well can make you rich and famous. It\'s a world where being good at games is a talent."

"I know that. So, do you have talent in gaming?"

"...H-huh?"

Did he? Han Jung-Woo, who had never really thought about it before, just blinked.

Han Ji-Hye chewed on a piece of squid as she looked at her brother\'s dumbfounded expression. "So, what’s your level?"

"...64."

"And your ranking?"

"...."

Of course, Han Jung-Woo occasionally checked his ranking but didn\'t memorize it precisely.

Last time I checked, it was something like two billion and something. How am I supposed to remember that?

Struck by the brutal fact, Han Jung-Woo sneakily turned his head away.

Watching him, Han Ji-Hye sighed shortly and then patted her brother\'s shoulder. "Cheer up, little brother."

"Thanks. You’re the best, noona."

"Ugh, disgusting. Get lost," she retorted, but the corners of her mouth curled up. "Anyway, Jung-Woo, even if you succeed in games and gain money and fame, you\'re still my brother. And even if you remain pathetic like now... you\'re still my brother."

"N-noona..."

As Han Jung-Woo was moved and responded with a tearful voice, his sister said, "And a younger brother should listen to his sister well! So go to the convenience store and buy some more squid. Butter grilled."

"...."

"You can keep the change."

"Deal."

Taking the ten thousand won, Han Jung-Woo left the house with a joyful expression.

***

"Let\'s see..."

After finishing the errand for his sister, Han Jung-Woo sat down at his computer and ate a triangle kimbap[1]

"Tuna-mayo is truly the best."

He filled his hungry stomach while checking new posts on the community site.

"Hmm... So all the players now considered aces are over level 150? That\'s really fast."

It seemed impossible to catch up with them just by hunting as he was doing. Frustrated, Han Jung-Woo scratched the back of his head and shook it.

I never thought I could catch up in just a month or two anyway. Let’s look at the long run.

Han Jung-Woo lightly sighed and looked at the notification window that kept popping up in the corner of the screen.

[Someone left a comment on your post.]

[Someone left a comment on your post.]

[Someone left a comment on your post.]

"My post...? Oh."

Han Jung-Woo recalled the video he had uploaded just a few hours ago. He had put effort into editing it, hoping to embarrass the Crimson Fist and provide satisfaction to Hugo\'s party. Although it was the work of a non-expert, basic and sloppy, he was satisfied with it!

"Looks like there are some comments. Did the Crimson Fist guys leave some insults?"

Han Jung-Woo clicked on the notification without much expectation.

1. A korean style triangular shaped kimbap, similar to Japanese onigiri. ☜