Chapter 16

“Now, let’s get back to talking about the game. Seo-jun-nim. How exactly did you do it?” ^[1]

Alpaca turned toward Seo-jun with a serious expression.

“I absolutely have to know. What did you see and how did you see it? Honestly, I’m sure the viewers agree too, right?”

-Yes

-Isn’t it hacks?

-It’d be disappointing if it turns out there’s some other system trick that lets you see it

-I told you he’s an alien lol

Seo-jun shook his head, denying the contents of the chat window.

“Everyone, I’m not an alien. It’s not hacks either. To be honest, I’m not looking at weak points.”

“Then what is it?”

Alpaca asked with a genuinely curious expression.

Seo-jun put on a comically serious face.

“I just know. Because I’m a genius.”

And Alpaca, in contrast, couldn’t manage his expression and looked at him with disbelief.

-LMAO

-So damn annoying lol

-Honestly, at that level he really is a genius

-Alpaca’s expression lol

Alpaca moved his lips slightly, let out a hollow laugh, and showed a playful smile.

“If you’re not a genius, I’d die of frustration. Stop joking around and tell us properly. Otherwise I’ll think it’s hacks too.”

When virtual reality became widespread, the first thing to disappear was hacking.

The reason came from differences in technological capability.

Surface, the massive corporation that had essentially monopolized the virtual reality market.

They were the company that introduced and distributed virtual reality to the world with overwhelming technological superiority that no one could match.

That gap was so large that even other major corporations struggled just to hack the terminal capsules, which said it all.

Moreover, if there were problems with virtual reality, lives could be at risk.

So external programs were especially strictly managed by Surface.

Therefore, the word “hacks” that Alpaca mentioned was completely absurd.

Seo-jun also knew Surface very well.

“But wouldn’t creating hacks be more impressive than seeing weak points? Surface would probably recruit you.”

Seo-jun confidently straightened his shoulders.

-Now that you mention it, that’s true

-For real, if you could make hacks why would you stream? Surface’s talent acquisition desires and treatment are supposedly incredible

-Wouldn’t other companies targeting virtual reality try to recruit you too?

“Huh? That is true, isn’t it? Why didn’t I think of that?”

Alpaca, convinced in one go, unconsciously nodded and burst into laughter.

“Well, what I just said was a joke.”

“Which part? Surface? Or genius?”

“Just knowing. But that’s half joke and half truth.”

“What do you mean?”

“There really isn’t a more fitting explanation than ‘I just know.'”

Hooks and deception comments flooded the chat window.

Seo-jun waved his hand and said.

“Haha, everyone calm down. It’s not like I have some special ability that lets me know. I just thought about where the developers would put them.”

In fact, if it was special, it was special.

It would be intuition that only Seo-jun, with his accumulated past life experiences, could obtain.

But there was no need to explain that far.

‘No one would believe the past life story anyway.’

So he thought it would be fine to reveal his past life.

However.

‘I’d probably need to adapt the story…’

Just then, Alpaca shouted as if he understood something, and Seo-jun emerged from his thoughts.

“Wow! Amazing. So you mean… um… you predicted what the developers’ intention are? Just from seeing 2 examples?”

Seo-jun nodded in agreement.

Alpaca had hit the mark exactly.

“Wow, you really are an incredible genius! Of course, hearing it makes it even more suspicious. Hmm.”

Alpaca stroked his chin and sent a suspicious look.

-Seriously lol

-Aren’t there other people who can see that?

-If you can just know that, are you really a genius? Is that how it works?

-How do you even know something like that? Isn’t that cheating?

“Right. It’s like living in a completely different world. You’d probably find other things easily too?”

“Yes. But…”

“Why?”

“Parrying is originally a system to help easily kill mobs, right?”

“That’s right. It’s a system the developers put in for players to go on rampages.”

“But this weak point system is harder than parrying, and even when you succeed, it only destroys weapons – there’s no effect like damage increase.”

-Oh, sharp

-But then what’s the point? Only you can use it and we can’t lol

-Yeah, parrying is already hard for us~

Alpaca clapped his hands.

“Oh? That’s true. As expected! The man who pioneered Drake’s new route. You have talent for games too.”

“Thanks for the compliment. Anyway, I think this weak point thing is a system specifically for boss battles.”

“That could be. The boss difficulty was definitely too high. Especially Drake… Ah. Right.”

Worry clouded Alpaca’s face. He pressed his nose bridge and sighed.

-LMAO

-Stream marathon anxiety

-PTSD started before the stream marathon even began lol

Seo-jun patted Alpaca’s shoulder and said.

“I think this weak point system is for boss battles. So I want to try the remaining 2 with the Ruler’s equipment.”

-????

-Longshot bettors suddenly crying

-That won’t work.

-Let’s safely find other things first, then go catch Rulers.

“Come on. This is obviously a system for Rulers, right? Just trust me.”

Seo-jun thumped his chest.

[‘TrustedYouAndBet’ made a big 10,000 won donation!]

[Okay I get it, so first destroy those minion weapons over there to settle the point prediction, then challenge it lol]

-Honestly, 100x odds make your eyes roll back

-Fact) Most who bet on 1% didn’t bet believing in the professor.

-At this point, do I who bet on ‘finds 2’ have hope too???

Seo-jun’s eyes lit up as he looked at the chat window.

“Hmm. Everyone seems to not trust me with their words, but I guess we need to check the facts. Alpaca-nim?”

Seo-jun called out to Alpaca.

“Yes?”

“Should we open one more point prediction?”

Betting doesn’t lie.

Alpaca immediately caught what Seo-jun wanted and began manipulating the prediction system.

[Prediction]

[Whether Seo-jun will destroy Ruler equipment during today’s broadcast~]

[Yes]

vs

[No]

-Nice! Looking out for us again.

-Good thing I didn’t bet everything earlier

-I lost everything and just bet the 150 points I gathered watching until now lol

Alpaca and Seo-jun waited for people to place their bets.

And.

After time passed, the results came out.

“Ah! The favorites and longshots switched. You talk in chat like Seo-jun won’t be able to find them, but what’s with these results?”

Alpaca began making a fuss and teasing the viewers.

[Yes 80%]

[No 20%]

-Ah lol when points are on the line, people are honest.

-Even if you win that, you only get a quarter. Someone else gets 100x

-Wow, really envious of those who bet 1% at the beginning

-This is the person who bet on ‘Seo-jun won’t find even one.’ I bet ‘yes’ this time, but if you fail I’m coming for you.

As expected.

“I knew this would happen.”

Alpaca nodded beside him.

[Did only I bet ‘no’ to recover my losses?]

And one donation came up.

-You really shouldn’t touch stocks

One sincere chat appeared.

Seo-jun and Alpaca deeply sympathized and prayed that the donor wouldn’t touch stocks.

Anyway.

‘This collaboration seems successful.’

It seemed he had definitely made an impression of his skills on the viewers.

“Well then, Seo-jun-nim. Shall we go catch a Ruler?”

* * *

Richard Neville.

He was the leader of the Noble faction and Ruler of the northeastern edge, meditating in heavy armor at the center of a vast gray Training Hall as large as a great plain.

His alias was the Knight King.

He wielded a massive greatsword and was a giant reaching 2 meters in height.

While killing Drake required avoiding dozens of organization members’ eyes to find and kill Drake, Richard Neville was the complete opposite.

He simply meditated quietly in the same spot.

The methods to catch him were to obtain a special weapon for sniping, or to eliminate his son Louis Neville and strike at the precise moment when Richard’s mental state crumbled upon hearing the news.

Of course, both were difficult.

The former due to the difficulty of acquiring the item.

The latter because if you couldn’t target that timing precisely, the Knight King would immediately counterattack.

And if you chose hack-and-slash?

Due to his flawless defense utilizing heavy armor, you couldn’t deal even 1 damage and would usually get cut in half by his greatsword.

Of course, this didn’t apply to the person currently fighting in front of Alpaca.

‘Do you happen to know anything about Richard Neville?’

‘No?’

Alpaca recalled the conversations they’d had while coming here.

‘I thought so. Um, when fighting Richard, you need to be careful of his greatsword. Even though it’s slower than other weapons, it has combo attacks, so you should watch once…’

‘Ah, it’s fine.’

‘Pardon?’

‘I said it’s fine. I’ll see it and dodge. Just see.’

Tsk.

Who was worrying about whom?

Whooom!

Whooom!

Richard’s greatsword swept through the air from left to right, then right to left again, creating wind.

But Seo-jun was leisurely looking for weak points, painting the greatsword with his sword as he matched its swinging trajectory.

Seeing that relaxed appearance, it seemed he definitely wouldn’t get hit by the greatsword.

“Don’t think you’ll find it?”

Alpaca shouted loudly at Seo-jun’s continued failures.

Because they were at some distance.

“Yes.”

“A viewer told me that Richard’s weapon is supposedly forged from a special material in the setting. Maybe you can’t find it not because you can’t, but because it doesn’t exist.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Look at that. Look at him.

See how he lightly turns his body to casually dodge the greatsword.

Seo-jun was definitely having a conversation while looking at Alpaca.

But even though he didn’t have eyes in the back of his head, he just twisted his body and ducked his head to dodge attacks coming from behind.

Then he even had the leisure to check the chat window floating in the air.

-Yes sir lol failure angle looks sharp?

-This is why you shouldn’t be arrogant.

-Ah damn, looks like I’ll lose everything. Nameless, watch your back at night.

“Ah. What should I do? I guess Rulers don’t have weak points.”

Seo-jun was smiling.

With a completely worry-free expression.

Only the viewers were burning with anxiety.

Especially those who had bet on the extreme longshot at the very beginning.

-My 100x odds T_T

-Let’s educate these longshot addicts!

-I’ll gladly lose a second time, just please fail!

The rest were in a festive mood.

Since significantly fewer points were bet on the second point prediction than the first.

Most just hoped that as long as others didn’t win 100x, they were fine not getting their small amount.

Because it would be too painful.

But.

Seo-jun’s sword began moving like a dance.

He stabbed Richard’s wrist with his sword and drew along the weak point he found. Then to the torso, and as the sword came down, to the lower body.

Scriiitch!

Scriiitch!

Richard Neville’s proud heavy armor began splitting apart.

Only the weapon was special.

Seo-jun already knew from the subtle textural differences felt through several clashes.

“Oh my. I guess I was mistaken. Only the sword has no weak points, but other parts do.”

Richard’s heavy armor was destroyed as if unraveling like thread.

[Unlock Condition: Destroy 10 weapons through weak points (4/10)]

[Unlock Condition: Destroy 10 weapons through weak points (5/10)]

[Unlock Condition: Destroy 10 weapons through weak points (6/10)]

.

.

.

[Skill ‘Weakness Detection’ has been unlocked.]

What remained was a 2-meter middle-aged man wearing stockings and a garter belt while holding a greatsword.

-Yeah right, not believing it

-Ah! My eyes!

-Wow! 100x hit!!!

-That actually hit, crazy lol

-Congrats congrats congrats congrats

* * *

Hiss.

Seo-jun emerged from the capsule.

“As expected, you’re amazing, hyungnim.”

Alpaca’s editor Lee Su-han greeted him.

He thought it’s burdensome.

“Thank you for letting me borrow the capsule.”

“No, thank you for using my capsule, hyungnim. My capsule probably learned a lot from this opportunity.”

What kind of nonsense is this.

And why are you there?

Seo-jun’s head turned to the side.

Because Tae-woo was next to Su-han.

“Didn’t you stream?”

“Nah, I just took a break. Can’t miss a collaboration.”

I see.

“I announced I’d be here, so people will probably come looking.”

Kim Tae-woo scratched his head, and Seo-jun took it in stride as he came out to the living room and opened Alpaca’s stream on his phone.

-Call him quickly. Call him quickly. Call him quickly. Call him quickly.

-His face better be handsome. His face better be handsome. His face better be handsome.

-Get rid of Alpaca! Get rid of Alpaca! Get rid of Alpaca! Get rid of Alpaca!

-Hurry and go set up for dinner! Hurry and go set up for dinner! Hurry and go set up for dinner!

[Everyone please calm down for now. Ah, shut up? Okay.]

The remaining broadcast schedule was a company dinner.

While setting the table, Alpaca asked Seo-jun to do a simple introduction and help kill time.

[Alright! Then please come out…]

When Seo-jun heard himself being called from the phone, he opened Alpaca’s door.

Click.

“Hello. Nice to meet you in real life for the first time. I’m Travel streamer Jin Seo-jun.”