NOVEL WEB Chapter 152 - Return
Chapter 152 – Return
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“Wow.”
Tricky streamers or Yourspace channel managers’ work routines were quite different from those of the general public. This was because they could generate income from home without having to commute anywhere.
Many of these individuals primarily focused on Dark Zone. Due to numerous patches and various systems, accessibility was low, and the number of viewers was just as staggering as the number of participants.
Some specialized in攻略 (strategies), some created newbie-friendly content called guides, and many drew viewers purely through their skills. However, among these, the so-called reviewers or channel managers who introduced information were facing a particular problem recently.
[Then, let’s welcome today’s preliminary selected users, the Korean national representatives! We have the independent user, Yoo Jin, and Dice from SSM here with us!］
Yoo Jin.
A magic word that caused views to skyrocket just by being included in the title and content. Therefore, regardless of whether it was due to fandom or a means of earning revenue, she became the object of envy for many Dark Zone review channel managers.
If they could land just one interview with her, it would attract an immense amount of attention!
Views naturally followed once a channel garnered attention. The mere speculation that having her appear on their channel or streaming once could focus a massive amount of attention was rampant.
However, the reason for this behavior was that, except for a tiny minority, such opportunities had never come.
[Unreal’s DZ Information // Channel Subscribers: 1,027,439］
Unreal’s channel was indispensable in the field of Dark Zone reviews and information introduction.
Just a month or two ago, his Yourspace subscriber count was around 700,000. However, as he began covering Yoo Jin even before she started streaming, his numbers steadily increased. Utilizing the connections he built with her, he managed to land an interview with Yoo Jin during the Preliminary Rank.
As a result, that interview video exceeded 6 million views, and even now, it continued to gain 50,000 views daily. There was no need to mention the subscriber count.
However, except for such cases, it was now too late.
“If anyone other than Unreal can invite Yoo Jin, I’ll pay them 2,000 upfront, seriously.”
“Stop talking nonsense and just make the video.”
Wasn’t the rate of growth way too fast?
It was like running to catch a bus at a stop, only to find the bus’s zero-to-sixty time was an insane two seconds. Yoo Jin had already become an unreachable figure within Korea before anyone could even make a request.
As e-sports gained a higher status and public expectations for games, which had much lower accessibility than traditional sports, soared daily, the weight of the title “Dark Zone National Representative” became too significant to be contained in a Yourspace review video.
Specifically, it reached a point where it was almost unthinkable unless it was scheduled as a top-tier public broadcast interview program or a segment dedicated to covering Yoo Jin and others comprehensively.
Moreover, this sentiment wasn’t just spreading among channel managers.
‘…Could Yoo Jin possibly stop streaming?’
She had become too big to be called a mere streamer.
Moreover, it was known from the beginning that Yoo Jin almost broadcasted as a hobby, making such an absurd rumor a small spark waiting to ignite into a bomb.
However, those who thought so were not entirely without reason. Specifically speaking, it was because she wasn’t someone struggling to make a living in the first place. She wasn’t contracted with any MCN, nor did she broadcast because she needed money.
If money had been an issue from the start, she would have hired as many editors as possible once her streaming and channel took off, growing her Yourspace channel, joining prestigious pro-gaming teams like Xi, and balancing her broadcast work.
But that wasn’t the case.
‘Is she really not interested?’
‘Seeing that she only auto-uploads full uploads of broadcast content and hired a FanSpace manager as an editor….’
Thus, from internet sites covering Dark Zone, starting from around Saturday, a rumor named “Yoo Jin quitting broadcasting!” emerged and began to spread rapidly, gaining traction within just a few hours.
Of course, fires always had a means to be extinguished.
[General］Official）Yoo Jin says she’s quitting as a personal streamer…shocking!
She revealed she would be broadcasting jointly with Harmony from now on, lol.
Just as there are people who start fires and those who put them out, Harmony’s announcement completely extinguished the fire Yoo Jin had unknowingly set.
With just that, the baseless rumors that had been spreading through the community were entirely quelled, and simultaneously, Harmony inadvertently proved a fact.
Someone who could easily invite a national representative.
Perhaps, along with Dice, she was one of the only two people who could schedule an appointment with Yoo Jin.
Anyway, their livelihoods operated in such a manner.
It was a common scenario after the end of KSM.
───Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!
“Ugh, what is this?”
“Congratulations to our Yoo Jin on being selected as the KSM national representative! Wow!”
The waiting room before the broadcast started.
As I opened the door and made eye contact with Harmony, her eyes curved into arches in an instant, and she clapped enthusiastically with joy. I couldn’t help but chuckle as well. It was always nice when someone was happy for me.
Anyway, it was fortunate that there wasn’t a confetti popper going off as soon as I entered. If I heard loud noises, due to old habits and a bit of PTSD, I might have taken cover. If I had a gun, it would have caused quite a commotion.
There were roughly 10 minutes left before the broadcast started. It was time to return to my duties as a streamer after a long time.
And Harmony subtly probed that point.
“I saw the rumors about you quitting broadcasting, but I knew you’d be back.”
“No way. I always go back and forth to the gym when I wake up. If I don’t broadcast, I’d become a complete hikikomori.”
“Hehe, right. I know what you mean because I started broadcasting for similar reasons.”
It’s also a way to communicate with viewers.
Anyway, I saw the rumors too. It was almost like a conspiracy theory, so I wanted to laugh it off, but the world doesn’t always run on logic and reason. It’s often quite the opposite.
If my collaboration with Harmony could dispel such inappropriate suspicions, that was fortunate. It would only be a headache for me to get involved in strange rumors. That’s partly why I started broadcasting in the first place.
Regardless of how my position changed, what didn’t change was significant. Changing my position didn’t mean neglecting or abandoning the assets I had accumulated; they should never be abandoned.
It sounds grandiose, but to summarize, I had no intention of quitting broadcasting.
Sharing something fun with many people made it more enjoyable.
“Anyway, the main mission is coming up soon. I heard a lot of praise last week, but… I’m still practicing diligently!”
“Good job. Are you doing the homework I gave you?”
“Ugh, it’s too hard….”
“I didn’t give you goals that were easy to achieve.”
Shooting Range Achieving a time of 1 minute 30 seconds on the CQB course.
Exceeding 60% accuracy in moving target shooting.
Receiving an A grade in combat simulation and consistently performing well in PVP mode, etc. Obviously, achieving this level meant one could perform as a professional gamer. It wasn’t something that could be achieved in just a few days.
If given about three months, I think at least one of those goals could be achieved.
“Oh, by the way, did you see my Yourspace videos? All the 4-person collaboration videos from last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are up, and the average views are all over 1.5 million!”
“That’s impressive. It hasn’t been long since they were uploaded, but it seems very popular.”
“Hehe, right. I gave huge incentives to the editors with the money I earned from that. It’s all thanks to you, Yoo Jin. I’ll treat you to something delicious later!”
“I’ll be fine since I plan to win KSM this time. It’s about time I treated you.”
“Oh, then I’ll enjoy it….”
Harmony’s bright smile matched well with the green cat avatar.
Come to think of it, there was something else I had to do.
“By the way, are you exercising well?”
“Ugh, um, well….”
“If you don’t keep up, I’ll visit the gym. You know Mina and I live only two stations away, right?”
“Ugh….”
Of course, even if I visited, the difference in physical ability was like heaven and earth, so we couldn’t match each other’s level. We would just end up doing different exercises. Or, I would be watching over Harmony’s workout.
After handling these real-life matters, I saw that there were less than two minutes left before the broadcast started. It was time to prepare for the streaming.
Before VR, I had to use all sorts of equipment and programs to broadcast and stream, but with virtual reality, broadcasting became as easy as pressing a single button.
Voice echo, size, various effects, and screen transitions could all be adjusted by the viewer, making it very easy for the streamer. Anyway, it was time to start.
After pressing the broadcast button, I accepted the collaboration with Harmony.
The numbers started skyrocketing.
One was the number of viewers on my broadcast, the second was the number of viewers on Harmony’s broadcast, and the last was the combined total. The viewer count, which shot up to over 40,000 in an instant, had already erased any sense of reality.
The last mission was to infiltrate the Department of Homeland Security building in Washington. Next was full-scale war. We had to conduct a Normandy-style invasion
about 90 years too late to set up an advance base in Tidal Basin.
Fortunately, we didn’t have to rush the defense line like grunts. There were tasks only special forces could do.
“Let’s go.”
“Alright!”
And for the first time in a long while, instead of the dreary AP battlefield, my view was filled with the snowy landscape of New York.
Central Park HQ, the only alive space in the dead city. Helicopters came and went, and many people walked on well-maintained paths. The area originally intended to be a forest and park within the city was piled high with supplies and buildings, losing its original appearance.
This desolate world was more familiar to me than anything. Footprints on the undisturbed, frozen snow and the heaps of snow on vehicles that would never move again.
Even the cold breath pouring out like a waterfall.
But there was one difference this time,
?????????????????
Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab! Collab!
Is Harmony a god!? Is Harmony a god!? Is Harmony a god!? Is Harmony a god!? Is Harmony a god!? Is Harmony a god!?
A world-class person invited another world-class person! Is Harmony a god!!!!!
How did you bring Yoo Jin, lololololololol
This chat room, noisy just by looking at it, was right beside me.
For a bit of fan service, I cleared my throat and opened my mouth.
“…Um, hello. It’s been a while, everyone. I’m a streamer who doesn’t plan to quit for at least a few more years, and the Dark Zone Apex Predator soloing national representative, Yoo Jin.”
Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yoo Jin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chosen by Forbes, the one who doesn’t need any other content, the main mission-pushing Harmony, and simultaneously chosen streamer Yoo Jin, lololololololol
Seriously, we need to crack the skulls of those who spread the nonsense that she was quitting the broadcast, these idiots
This is Yas, lolololololol
Broadcasting after KSM? Is this…a strategy?
A cacophony of cheers and excitement from 40,000 people was truly a sight to behold. I glanced sideways at Harmony, who seemed to be pushed into the background, but she didn’t seem to mind.
No, she was just celebrating along with me. I wondered if that was a good thing, but there was no need to drag the conversation.
I shifted the topic.
“It’s touching to see so many of you still waiting for me. The main mission is almost finished. Of course, even after reaching the max level, the broadcast will continue. There’s PVE in Dark Zone besides PVP, so I plan to enjoy that as well.”
At the same time, I boarded the helicopter with Harmony.
The landing point was a temporary shelter in Washington D.C. In other words, the Department of Homeland Security building liberated during the last mission.
It was time to go.
“Today’s mission begins with neutralizing the air defense system in Washington D.C. I hope you enjoy watching.”
As the sliding door closed, the helicopter soared into the winter sky.
The keyword for my first broadcast in a long time was back to basics.
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