The greatest talent genius of all time

Chapter 4: The Boss Battle (3)

It was early in the morning, right after a night with Joo Yeong-seok.

I quickly reconnected to the network I had rushed to disconnect from earlier due to a glitch. This time, however, my heart raced with excitement, unlike the first time when I had connected without any understanding.

[What ability are you looking for?]

As soon as I logged in, instead of answering, I closely examined the interface that appeared in front of me. Last time, I had been too panicked to really look at it.

The surroundings were still as mysterious as before. I could see a display case full of all kinds of talents. There was a curtain behind it, like a wall, and the path ahead seemed to lead to something deeper.

“Just as I thought, there’s something here,” I murmured.

I walked along the path ahead, turning a corner, and found a space I hadn’t seen before. It was decorated with a fancy chair and an old-fashioned wooden desk. On top of the desk was a scroll.

[ReNew Shared Network]

[1. You can equip one talent in each of the three slots. 2. A talent in use will be fully acquired once it reaches 100 proficiency, allowing you to equip new talents. 3. The more you use a talent, the higher its proficiency becomes, and the stronger its effects.]

It was a simple, straightforward explanation, but it was clear enough to understand how the talent-sharing network worked.

The key was to use the acquired talents in various ways to level them up. Simple and easy to follow.

[Current Talents: – Talent in progress (1/3): ‘Game’ (29)] I was progressing pretty quickly, likely because I had already cleared the hard mode in the game. The experience was rising fast. [The second talent is…]

***

I sat in a taxi heading home, reading every comment on my short video, and after reflecting on it, I found a few issues with the video. It lacked anything that could really catch attention.

If viewers were only focusing on the screen during the live broadcast, they might miss it. But I realized I needed something extra—a special twist to catch the audience’s attention. That’s when I thought of adding a bit of humor.

I couldn’t keep relying solely on meditation and avoid showing my face on camera. This new talent seemed to be exactly what I needed.

[Current Talents: – Talent in progress (2/3): ‘Speech’ (2)]

The third talent was put on hold. Since he didn’t know much about it, he decided to wait. After all, something important might suddenly come up while streaming on YouTube.

“Ugh. How did I level up my skills to 100 so quickly? What a pain.”

As he thought this, the world around him shattered like broken glass and then snapped back into focus. His voice seemed to have changed a bit after learning the new skill. His tone was smoother, and his delivery seemed more polished.

“Well, looks like I’m ready now.”

The comments on his live stream were rolling in.

“Isn’t this just a direct attack on Kim Geun-taek? Is he eating his words?”

“Honestly, the live stream isn’t even that impressive. Was he just nervous yesterday?”

“Did he just add a timer and claim it’s some big achievement? Who’s watching this?”

“So many Kim Geun-taek supporters here… Just ignore the comments and do your thing.”

“What a joke. Who’s going to watch a live stream like this?”

The comments were filled with back-and-forth arguments between people supporting Kim Geun-taek and those against him. The drama was escalating in the comment section.

“This is the perfect timing,” Song Jun thought with a smirk as he posted an announcement about his live stream in the community forum. Within an hour, the internet was buzzing with news of his live broadcast.

“Hello?”

“Hey, who is this? Isn’t this Song Jun’s phone?”

Song Jun laughed at the confusion in Ju Myung-seok’s voice.

“Just nonsense.”

“Wait, what’s with your voice? Did you practice before going live? I thought I dialed the wrong number for a second.”

“Does it sound different? It’s not that bad, right? It’s way easier on the ears now. Maybe I should consider voice acting.”

“That kind of voice will definitely work for streaming. It sounds smooth and deep. I was worried at first, but you’ve got it.”

“Anyway, I saw the timing for your stream. Perfectly executed. I’ll help you out after work—just give me manager permissions. You’ll definitely need them for the next broadcast.”

After hanging up, Kim Geun-taek continued trolling the comments under Song Jun’s video, making comments about the stream being fake, and criticizing everything. He needed to bring Song Jun down and remind everyone of his own value. He wasn’t about to let someone else rise to the top so easily.

In order to bring down others and raise his own value, he fueled his competitive spirit. His method for succeeding in the harsh world was to always put others down, proving that he was superior. He also had a clear path forward, which made this approach possible.

People only saw the version of him in front of the camera, not the real person behind it.

“What’s this live broadcast?” Kim Geun-taek heard about someone else’s live stream and quickly tuned in. He was curious to see what kind of person would be behind it.

Since his donation earnings weren’t as high as before, he could clearly feel the difference. There was no doubt that Kim Geun-taek was still the king in the live streaming world. However, these days, there were more disagreements in the comments, and occasional disputes.

“Let’s see how the new guy does.”

“What, is this a live broadcast? I bet it’s fake.”

“Oh, this guy’s probably going to get caught for faking it. Just wait.”

“Of course it’s fake. Kim Geun-taek couldn’t even get verified until recently.”

Discussions about physical ability may sound funny, but arguing on the internet and ranking people was entertaining to many.

But still, what if it was real?

Kim Geun-taek never expected someone to do a live broadcast, so when he saw it, he couldn’t help but laugh. The comments were coming in fast, and even though the broadcast hadn’t officially started, the number of viewers had already surpassed a thousand.

“Well, there’s a boss battle going on, so who cares about this?”

“Right. Kim Geun-taek is the one who cleared hard mode in 4 minutes and 30 seconds.”

“LOL, but that’s all he has. That’s not even proven yet, so this live broadcast has to be successful to get any recognition.”

“Ugh, once Kim Geun-taek does a live broadcast, you’ll all be speechless.”

The comments were filled with anticipation, some hoping he would fail, and others hoping he would succeed. Even the smallest mistake could turn the tide in his favor.

Suddenly, the screen flickered to life.

“Ah, hello?”

The audio was a bit rough, as if the mic wasn’t the best quality, but a deep, warm laugh soon followed.

“Wait, one second, please. The screen…”

There was a faint buzzing sound as the screen displayed a mouse and keyboard.

[Newbie Help] donated 1,000 won.

“Ah, okay. Sorry, it’s my first time streaming. Thanks for the 1,000 won donation.”

After a few more clicks, the camera settled, and the screen showed a game that was hard to make out.

“Hello, everyone! I’m ‘S,’ the meditation streamer.”

He waved at the camera with a friendly smile.

“I saw the comments saying my video was fake or stolen from a foreign channel. So, I decided to prove it myself with a live stream.”

[Proof! Proof! has donated 10,000 KRW.]

“When are you playing the game?”

“Ah, thank you for the 10,000 KRW donation! Before we start the hardest mode, let’s warm up with a quick boss fight. Any requests?”

His deep voice and casual laugh made the chat go wild. Since he was taking boss requests, donations started coming in at twice the normal speed.

[Me! Me! has donated 100,000 KRW.]

“The Knight Squad! Try the Knight Squad challenge!”

“Wow! Thanks for the 100,000 KRW! Alright, I’ll warm up with the Knight Squad challenge before heading into the hardest mode.”

“What the heck? This is a gaming stream, but it feels like ASMR.”

“Yeah, why is everyone only talking about his voice?”

“His voice is so smooth it’s making me laugh.”

“As you can see, I’ve never tried this challenge before. So, I’ll watch one YouTube guide, just once, and then go straight into the fight.”

“Wait, is he serious? He’s only watching one video? No way. He probably analyzed everything in his head already.”

Kim Geun-taek scoffed, convinced S must have memorized a perfect strategy beforehand. The Knight Squad Challenge had over ten different elite enemies, and the boss was chosen through donations.

“Looks like a bit of a hassle,” S muttered. “Ten elite knights plus their leader.”

The match began, and he immediately dropped his health potions on the ground.

Kim Geun-taek felt a chill run down his spine.

“Hmm. As long as you know the method, it’s not a difficult boss.”

S’s character rolled across the battlefield and launched a precise attack. Within seconds, the first knight fell.

“The key is to separate them and take them down one by one. These elites are tougher than normal enemies, but you can block and counter them.”

His movements were ridiculously clean. He took down five knights without getting hit, making it look effortless.

“Watch their attack patterns carefully. The elite knights have three types of attacks. If they lift their swords over their heads, dodge or parry. If they attack from the middle, block and counter. If they stab, dodge.”

[Clear!]

[Time: 2 minutes 35.9 seconds | Perfect Hitless Run!]

[Enter your name:]

Instead of the usual KGP, the leaderboard now displayed S at the top.

“And that’s how it’s done. Easy, right?”

“That was way too clean. Is he even human?”

“Holy crap, another perfect run??”

“And he’s just casually explaining it while playing… Is this really hard mode?”

“I thought this was just a warm-up??”

“Kim Geun-taek’s fanboys, where are you now? Why so quiet?”

It had taken just three minutes—barely enough time for instant noodles to cook.

“Yep, just a warm-up. That was the perfect boss for it.”

Kim Geun-taek wiped the sweat from his temple.

Damn it… It was real.

The gameplay on screen was flawless—so perfect it was terrifying.