畅想听吧

Chapter 42: King of Looters (1)

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

"...Huh?"

Han Jung-Woo rubbed his eyes as he looked at the numbers on the screen.

"Fifth in the Now Trending rankings...?"

He momentarily wondered if he had clicked on a different video.

But... this is definitely my video?

Even after checking the anonymous ID and checking the content, he found that it was indeed his video. But then, what were these unbelievable views and like counts?

"Wow..."

When people were too shocked, words failed them!

Han Jung-Woo began to slowly read through the comments, which had already filled hundreds of pages.

What\'s with all these positive reactions?

He started reading with a bewildered expression, which gradually brightened as praises and admiration continued. But then, he suddenly stopped.

"Donations? What\'s that about?"

He was confused by the repeated mention of donations, but smelling the scent of capitalism in that sweet word, Han Jung-Woo\'s fingers became busy.

"Here it is."

After spending some time, Han Jung-Woo found the donations page! His gaze wavered as if an earthquake had occurred when he read the displayed amount.

T-the time I spent editing this video was...

It took merely about two hours. Furthermore, it had been only about six hours since the video was uploaded.

But it made me 1.1 million won?

Of course, it wasn\'t as much as winning the lottery. However, Han Jung-Woo hadn\'t inserted any advertisements into the video, so naturally, even if the video reached 100 million views, the income should have been zero.

This is amazing. So, the 1.1 million won is all from donations?

Han Jung-Woo\'s mind started racing.

Don\'t think too positively, let\'s think this through.

He wondered why this video was so popular and what aspects might have caught the players\' attention. He began analyzing by comparing his video to the other popular ones in the trending category. The conclusion he reached after watching dozens of videos was straightforward.

"...It’s because it\'s sloppy."

The protagonists of the other popular videos were mostly rankers. Videos of rankers dueling, rankers raiding, rankers hunting... Everything started with rankers and ended with rankers.

Among the non-rankers’ videos, only comedy videos made it into the trending category. That was why Han Jung-Woo\'s video stood out even more.

In the video, I am neither as skilled as the rankers nor do I have a high level.

But it was precisely that aspect that captured the hearts of those watching the video. The crude protagonist sparked a desire to cheer for him, and seeing someone perceived as weaker win against multiple enemies after a fierce fight and effort was compelling. Additionally, although it was a short video of about twenty minutes, it had its own story and twists.

And the gnoll skeletons. They’re surprisingly very popular.

He checked the comments again and confirmed that many people had indeed mentioned the gnoll skeletons. Questions about where to get the staff, if there was any intention to sell it, etc, all of it was thanks to the gnoll skeletons.

Character charm... Is that what this is?

Normally, undead and skeletons were considered horrifying, so female players disliked them. However, the gnoll skeletons naturally resembled gnolls! Their stubby stature and dog-like skulls appeared quite cute. Additionally, their absolute obedience to their master\'s commands was also a plus. In other words, the clumsy aspects came together to create the ultimate fresh content, and Han Jung-Woo was the only player who could produce that material.

This could make money.

Han Jung-Woo\'s eyes sparkled. After much thought and estimation, the result was simple. He could monetize the character Kai and the gnoll skeletons to make money! And the most important thing was that there was no risk involved.

The last thing I want to reveal is that I\'m a player of the mythic class.

The video didn\'t display the player\'s class, status window, or level. Plus, even if there were any strange points, deleting that scene would resolve them. It was truly a no-risk, high-return method of making money!

But this video could be both a blessing and a curse.

While most people would be over the moon, dreaming of a rosy future, Han Jung-Woo looked at his situation with his unique objective judgment.

"This is the perfect setup for a one-hit wonder."

This referred to those who, after one hit of fame, couldn’t let go of that glorious moment and clung to it until death. Therefore, while embracing the joy of the moment, Han Jung-Woo remained cautious.

After all, this situation wasn\'t something I intended.

In other words, the money made from this video and the amazing achievement of being fifth in the Now Trending rankings were all like a bubble that could burst at any moment.

If I can hit the jackpot once more, it would be the best way to earn some extra income, but even if that’s not the case, there\'s no need to be disappointed.

Whether he fails or succeeds, he would be content.

It was uncertain when it would be, but he would just have to wait and see the outcome after uploading the next video. After drawing a clear line, Han Jung-Woo finally wore a satisfied smile.

Well, for now, I can enjoy this feeling, right?

Millions of views, hundreds of thousands of likes, and tens of thousands of comments! Han Jung-Woo was enveloped in emotions he had never experienced in his twenty-two years of life.

...I can see why people become addicted to social media attention.

It was likely because they couldn\'t forget this thrilling pleasure, euphoria, and sense of fulfillment.

After calming himself down, Han Jung-Woo returned to the homepage. His video, ranked fifth, made him feel proud and pleased.

"Hehe, I feel pretty good."

As he was about to turn off the computer with a pleasant smile, a large banner popped up.

[Breaking News! Cheonhwa Guild. Victory over Raid of Veghas, King of Looters.]

It was a striking news alert announcing the success of a raid. Normally, he would have nodded and moved on, but the words "Veghas, King of Looters" made that impossible.

"Wh-what? They\'ve already defeated Veghas?" Han Jung-Woo said with a shocked voice, as he hurriedly clicked on the banner.

The King of Looters, Veghas, was a level 180 boss monster, an entity impossible to hunt with a regular party. This meant that a guild-level strategy was required to tackle this raid monster. Recently, it was considered the ultimate boss, so that was to be expected.

But the Cheonhwa guild got it?

As much as Han Jung-Woo liked MID Online, he naturally knew the names of global guilds. Cheonhwa was one of the top three guilds in South Korea, definitely one of the country\'s best. However, it was also true that they fell a bit short on the global stage.

"Cheonhwa\'s DPSs seemed too weak to take down Veghas though."

Could there have been a secret force within Cheonhwa that hadn\'t been disclosed to the public? Squinting, Han Jung-Woo read the article\'s content.

[One of South Korea\'s largest and most prestigious guilds, Cheonhwa, made headlines by hiring a special mercenary for the Veghas raid. Cheonhwa guild had kept the identity of this mercenary a secret until the day of the raid, but during a live broadcast, it was revealed that the mercenary was none other than Yoo Ha-Rin...]

"...!"

Han Jung-Woo\'s mouth fell open. Yoo Ha-Rin\'s reputation was enough to elicit such a reaction.

"Yoo Ha-Rin... The Yoo Ha-Rin, who\'s ranked number one?"

She had numerous nicknames like "monster," "uncontested number one," "girl crush," and much more!

"Did she join the Cheonhwa guild?"

Given she had maintained the global top rank by playing solo without joining any guilds, her participation in the Cheonhwa guild\'s raid was a total surprise.

Han Jung-Woo\'s gaze shifted to the bottom of the article. There, a brief thirty-second video was uploaded.

Click.

[A new world where swords and magic coexist. Miracle Dream...]

Click.

"Skip!"

[You cannot skip. The video will start after the advertisement.]

"..."

The all-too-obvious scheme by Cheonhwa guild to not miss out on even a speck of advertising revenue!

Ugh, those corporate guys. Was this all just a setup for progressive tax...!

Despite turning green with envy, he couldn\'t bring himself to hit the back button. He was dying to know what kind of magic Cheonhwa guild and Yoo Ha-Rin had performed.

***

Wizards\' dazzling magic dominated the battlefield, and Archers\' arrows covered the sky. Clerics\' buffs and heals sliced through the wind to permeate their allies, and Warriors with their weapons raised high crushed their enemies.

Han Jung-Woo was in awe as he watched the video that was as thrilling as a movie.

"Wow... The editing is top-notch."

His own video seemed like street trash in comparison to this quality!

Large guilds like Cheonhwa often had a size comparable to major corporations. They had professional video editors within the guild and even sold raid videos for a profit. Especially for a monster like Veghas, the rewards alone would easily total to billions.

Thousands, no, tens of thousands of players must be dying to join Cheonhwa.

Giant guilds operated like companies, offering salaries and even providing basic equipment. They also generated immense profits by controlling dungeons and hunting fields.

Of course, such guild growth required substantial initial capital. However, the Cheonhwa guild, backed by the Cheonhwa Group, had no need to worry about money. Rumors had been rampant from the game\'s start that the guild master was the granddaughter of Cheonhwa Group\'s chairman.

Well, they also receive a lot of criticism for it.

Their tyranny, like monopolizing hunting fields for entrance fees or manipulating the market by controlling the supply of materials, was enough to draw the resentment of ordinary players. But what could they do when they had no power?

Han Jung-Woo closed his mouth and watched the video closely.

Whoosh.

At a desolated grassland, where Veghas and its minions passed, only a sinister silence and the aura of death lingered.

-Foolish beings...

A giant in black leather armor, one eye covered with an eyepatch, murmured with a voice seeped with malicious intent.

Veghas was the grand villain who looted everything in the world. As one progressed through MID Online\'s main quests, anyone could learn about it.

I\'ve heard the name before.

Han Jung-Woo swallowed his saliva. Since he was also progressing through a main quest, he had heard of Veghas.

The developers said it would be at least another three months before Veghas could be defeated...

So how exactly had they managed to overwhelm it?

Kai silently watched the video.

-Sweep them away.

With Veghas\'s brief command, the real battle began. The video was of a quality that most movies couldn\'t even come close to. It was a clear demonstration of how MID Online dominated all global content.

"Wow..."

Since it was a free video, it didn\'t show the crucial battle scenes and quickly skipped ahead.

Veghas looked around, noting that he had lost all his minions. The Cheonhwa guild members surrounding him were also in an awful state. Their equipment, with Durability depleted, was destroyed in places, and more than half of their numbers had disappeared.

Then, among them, one player trudged forward.