541. Preparing for the Broadcast (1)
I sat on the bed and turned on the TV. Then, I activated the bracelet. Soon, a view of the city taken from the air was projected onto the TV screen.
[New York, Manhattan]
The subtitles appeared automatically. They said the basic shooting mode edits everything automatically, and it’s true. The screen briefly showed the dazzling night view of Manhattan, then quickly zoomed in on the hotel before abruptly cutting.
“…Ugh.”
My face popped up.
[Han Yoojin – Korean Hunter]
The broadcast was tomorrow, but they were connecting each team’s accommodation TV and video bracelet for practice. The picture quality is good. The screen rotated, showing me.
“Um, hello.”
As I spoke, subtitles appeared on the TV along with my voice. They even said the subtitles would be translated into each country’s language in real-time. Isn’t this a bit *too* high-tech? Can I just pass it off as a unique item? …Well, considering they can reattach severed limbs and fly, not to mention teleport and move through space, maybe not.
I hope they don’t think it’s cheap, considering I’m a latecomer to the dungeon streaming item market. …I should change ‘first’ to ‘entry-level’.
“So……”
Every word felt awkward. Look at that expression, so clueless. A complete amateur, not an experienced professional at all. I sat there blankly, staring at myself on TV for about five minutes.
‘…I’m going crazy.’
How do people do live streams on the internet? I’m regretting my confidence, even for a moment. I’m doomed, doomed! Who’s even going to watch this? Maybe my brother will. If it’s Yoohyun, he’ll find it worth watching even if I just sit there silently. Yerim and Noah too, and of course, Sung Hyunjae and Chief Song. Hyunah and Evelyn, and Peace and Gyeol too.
But I’m just your average Joe!
“…It would be fun to be with the S-Ranks, but usually… It must be nice for people who are naturally photogenic……”
I might get the highest viewership during the highlights. But overall, Yoohyun would probably be more popular. He has Peace, after all. A handsome man and a cute monster. I’d leave it on all day if it were me. Same with Sung Hyunjae. If Chief Song had Song [referring to a hypothetical cute animal companion, playing on the Chief’s name], I wouldn’t get tired of watching him either.
Should I try to show some charm too? But Eunhye is better off with less exposure.
‘This isn’t easy.’
They didn’t even tell me how the viewership would be used, or how it would benefit me. Of course, I didn’t need to be so anxious. The initial goal was just to hinder Chatterbox from finding contractors, to some extent.
But Chatterbox, who had been quietly gathering participants, changed their approach for some reason. Fine, whatever.
[Chatterbox is also using the system.]
I recalled what the newbie had told me. As the SS-Rank weapon was revealed, Chatterbox’s party became an even bigger topic. Seeing that, I asked the newbie how much reward Chatterbox could give.
[So, it’s impossible to give rewards that excessively exceed the ratio specified by the system! If you catch a monster or achieve a specific accomplishment, you’ll be rewarded according to its value—that’s the law of the system. You can’t just give out rewards for no reason.]
To interfere in a protected world without paying the price, whether you’re a filial son or a rebellious child, you have to follow the system. It was possible to specially arrange slightly better rewards, but it was impossible to catch an F-Rank monster and receive an S-Rank item.
[Since they even added ‘Safety Guarantee!’ it’ll be hard to give S-Rank Hunters anything more than an SS-Rank weapon. Even if they achieve the feat of winning among the same S-Rank Hunters and Chatterbox pays a bit of a price, SSS-Rank would be the limit? And even that would be on the lower end.]
So, I thought no matter who came in first, there wouldn’t be a big loss.
[However…….]
The newbie hesitated before adding.
[Honey, in your case, it’s different. Because Honey is F-Rank in stats.]
The system’s reward rank is most affected by the rank of the enemy. But at the same time, the rank of the reward recipient also had an impact.
[That… Honey, you know, you caught a much higher-ranked monster with F-Rank stats. And without the help of other high-ranked Hunters.]
Lauchitas’… Wish Stone. And the King of No Harm’s Drawer was also not an ordinary reward. The titles I received for clearing dungeons alone were also rewards of a much higher rank compared to the dungeon’s rank.
[Honey’s current system reward application rank is about D-Rank. F-Rank in stats, D in one combat skill, and even if the rest are high-ranked, they’re auxiliary, so the total is D.]
D wasn’t as low as E or F, but it was still a rank that was hard to reach the intermediate level.
[To be exact, D minus? Barely scraping by D-Rank! The system reward system is mostly combat-oriented anyway. Excluding non-combat skills, it might be E minus. So, if Honey gets the highest score among the S-Rank Hunters with her own strength…….]
The rank of the reward could be much higher, the newbie said.
[…At least L-Rank. But it won’t apply if you party in Honey’s world! It’s only for things within the dungeon. I don’t know how Chatterbox will handle it, but yeah.]
The newbie said they didn’t know if Chatterbox knew this fact, and while watching my reaction, they worried and told me not to push myself too hard. They even suggested teaming up with another S-Rank now.
‘The dungeon, it would be worth it.’
Where I ran. Because monsters came out. And if I continue to use dungeons afterward.
I didn’t intend to get the reward from Chatterbox’s party. I thought it would be good if one of the S-Ranks who came with me got it, and I just wanted to be in the top ranks or even just somewhere in the middle.
But if it’s L-Rank, or even higher.
‘…Myth-Rank, Wish Stone.’
I couldn’t help but think about it. I collapsed onto the bed. The ornate pattern on the ceiling caught my eye. It was painted like some kind of palace. Sky, clouds, and angels, with dragon carvings in a gold frame.
This is a party for Chatterbox’s funeral. But according to the newbie, at the same time, it’s for my…….
“…Let’s just do as much as I can.”
Without overdoing it. Without expecting anything. I pressed my forehead hard with my palm and rubbed it. I shouldn’t have unnecessary thoughts and should forget about it. I should pretend to forget.
This isn’t a situation to be greedy. Let’s just think about what’s in front of me. Besides, would Chatterbox even give me a proper reward? There might be a trap. I took a deep breath and jumped up.
“Should I introduce the hotel? The night view here is amazing, city views are the best at night. Wow—it’s sparkling. It’s dazzling.”
I said, walking towards the window. It felt like I was reading from a script. It’s a relief it’s not broadcast yet… I should just turn off the video during rest times outside of the party schedule.
I stopped the nonsense and practiced turning the video and audio on and off. They told me to specify keywords or actions, but instead, I controlled it with magic power [mana]. That way, even if I’m in a situation where I can’t move, I can still edit. Since it’s an item, I could also designate activation with magic power signals.
The TV screen showed various things like zooming in and zooming out depending on the situation. As if to demonstrate, when I picked up a cup, it automatically zoomed in. There’s no way all of that is just the item’s function, there must be a remote operator filming each person.
They said recording broadcasts were also possible, but then the number of viewers would drop significantly. In the end, the scope of editing would inevitably be limited to the level of information protection. I tested various things and then checked my phone.
[Yerim-So I rec’d it for you to refer to]
[Hyunah-Don’t give up]
[Yerim-It’s sooooo awkward!!!!]
[Hyunah-lol I can see it without even watching]
In the group chat, Yerim was lamenting that Chief Song’s broadcast was terrible. She said he freezes up the moment he becomes aware of the camera.
[I’m awkward too.]
[Yerim-I think Uncle will do well?]
[MyBrother-Yeah, hyung will do well.]
[Yerim-Did only hyeong alarm on!]
[Hyunah-Is that possible?]
[Yerim-Soyoung unni wants to come, yay or nay?]
[Yerim-I’m yay]
[I don’t know what to say when I’m alone.]
[Hyunah-I hate work group chats]
[Hyunah-Not the guild one]
[MyBrother-Should I sneak into hyung’s room?]
[Yerim-Excuse me, there are people here!]
[Hyunah-I really hate it]
[Soyoung doesn’t know much yet, would it be okay.]
[No]
[MyBrother-You didn’t say it wasn’t allowed.]
[MyBrother-Aren’t you lonely?]
[Yerim-Only Uncle is visible]
[It’s okay.]
[Hyunah-We’re separate]
[Hyunah-Even if we come, the three of us will probably just talk]
[Yerim-Yeah but because of Noah oppa]
Do Yerim, Hyunah, and Soyoung have a separate group chat? Well, they hang out often, so it’s possible.
Instead of having a conversation, I mostly just watched, then took out a business card. Then, I called the paparazzi. The card said P.P instead of a name. Paparazzi’s PP, I guess.
[Hey, I watched the broadcast! But the beer was terrible.]
My conscience stung a little. Well, it was canned beer.
“You even know my phone number?”
[It’s an unknown number, so it’s SF.]
“…Huh?”
[Super F.]
…I almost cursed. How embarrassing! According to the paparazzi, after watching the broadcast during the day, in America, they call me that… I wanted to break the window and jump out. Seriously, what is that? Why was I scolded for not being able to come up with a name? Just call me Monster Papa instead……. Korea is better, really.
“Can’t I… Can’t I change it to a different nickname……?”
[It’s the public’s pick.]
“The official rank is B, though…….”
[People don’t care about that. They’re still using Honey Pot and Candy Box behind the scenes.]
The paparazzi chuckled, saying it meant an F-Rank that rivals an S-Rank and that it sticks to the tongue. Americans really like ‘Super’… But do they really call me that? It’s a bit better if they use the abbreviation, but really? Like how they shouted ‘Phantom’ at Chatterbox… I want to go home.
“Any…way, I’m going to do an interview.”
[I’m coming right now, SF-nim!]
Not long after, the paparazzi appeared. I explained the filming bracelet to him and showed him a demonstration. The bracelet had already been written about in articles, though.
“I will reveal the first-place prize~”
“Oh, really? I’m all for it, but is that okay?”
“Of course.”
I smiled and took out a small box that I had prepared in advance from my inventory. The paparazzi filmed the box.
“This is Poison Ring.”
I said, lightly tapping the box with my fingertip.
“It’s an S-Rank item, and unlike ordinary poisons, it’s a special item that doesn’t harm the user.”
“Wow, that’s really useful!”
Ordinary poisons also poison the user. The same was true for other attributes. That’s why, when possessing attribute attack skills like Yoohyun or Yerim, it was essential to have attribute resistance skills as well. Or to find attribute resistance items.
“Isn’t it better to hide it?”
“There’s only one. It’s better to reveal it and let them know that if they mess with me, they won’t be safe either.”
It was known that I had poison resistance, but not the rank. I had told the hospital the rank was much lower.
“S-Rank Hunters might not be incapacitated by S-Rank poison, but it would be annoying.”
There will be fewer people trying to pick a fight, and I ended the interview by saying, ‘Please continue to support me~’. Most people will know by tomorrow morning. Including the S-Ranks who attended the party. The paparazzi thanked me for the information and left. It’s useful to have a reporter I know.
‘I don’t know what they’ll make me do tomorrow.’
I have to use all the cards I can. I was sad that I got a strange nickname, but I was glad to hear that the reaction was very good. Advertisement offers were pouring into Dodam as well. We will achieve a complete sales success, yes. Please make the beer a little tastier.
A flame mane in a spirit state was crouching in front of a cell phone. He stared at it for a while, then pressed the button with the tip of his nose to call the number saved as a speed dial.
– Kkiwoong.
[Peace?]
– Kyaang!
[Why, are you bored? Did you eat?]
– Kkiang, kkyang!
[Where’s Yoohyun? You can’t just call by yourself.]
At the word Yoohyun, Peace turned his head. He stared at Han Yoohyun, who was talking to the Haeyeon Guild, then grabbed the phone cord and flew up. Han Yoohyun smiled when he saw his brother on the phone screen.
“Peace called again.”
[He must be bored. You─]
As if that was enough, the phone turned away. Peace, who had climbed onto the bed, put the phone back in front of him and whined. Han Yoohyun stared at him for a moment, then continued the call.
“Are you saying to focus on Peace?”
[Yes. An S-Rank spirit-state monster. And in a familiar and cute form, so the basic viewership is guaranteed. Especially the transformation and wings will get a good reaction from children.]
Seok Simyeong on the other end of the phone said that teaming up with Peace was an excellent choice. His voice was quite excited. He had heard that it was a party that was not favorable to Han Yoojin and had ulterior motives, but if he used this broadcast well, the Haeyeon Guild’s recognition would increase worldwide. For Seok Simyeong, who regretted that his power overseas was still weak compared to other large guilds, it was a golden opportunity.
[There’s not much to worry about with Hunter Park Yerim. Of course, I trust the Guild Leader as well.]
Seok Simyeong laughed heartily. Anyway, he was an S-Rank Hunter and outstanding in appearance, so he thought he would do the basics. Han Yoohyun listened silently to the advice. The call ended with the promise to send related materials.
“…I want to go to hyung [older brother].”
Han Yoohyun muttered softly. He didn’t care what people around him were saying, but he couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed.