Bzzt– bzzzt–!
Static suddenly filled the air, and Senia's body started to fade and reappear repeatedly. Her body broke into particles, diffusing like water paint given water, before snapping back into position.
I had already experienced this phenomenon before. The 'server overload' that occurred back when I was picking my Guardian was happening a second time.
'What the—?' I thought with puzzlement. She told me back then that she invested in a server expansion. 'Does that mean so many Guardians are watching that even her upgraded server can't handle it?'
That was the only way I could interpret it.
"What about Neptune or Roa?" I asked.
Yoohyun's Streamer, Neptune, and Yeonseo's Streamer, Roa. Neptune remained invisible, while Roa appeared.
"A server overload? How envious."
The pixie was about 150 centimetres tall and had four pairs of transparent wings on her back. As was apt for a pixie, her wings gave off a constant shower of mystical dust.
"Tada! Please welcome to the stage the giant pixie, R-O-A!"
In her hand was something Roa herself called a magic wand. It looked almost like a lollipop.
"Oh! Player Kim Hyukjin. You seem to have noticed this new magic wand I have? You have sharp eyes."
She covered her mouth with a hand with an 'ohoho', looking extremely happy.
"What do you think? It's brand new!"
"..."
I vaguely remembered hearing that Roa was obsessed with her new magic wand. It wasn't important, so I just told her it was pretty.
"Hehe. If she had this brand new magic wand, Senia wouldn't have gotten a server overload."
"The magic wand includes a server expansion function?"
"Hmph! It's a secret~"
"..."
"If you're curious, sign an exclusive contract with me. I'll pay the penalty! I'm ri~ch!"
Roa grinned wide at me, trailing sparkling pixie dust. Come to think of it, she really was giant for a pixie. Normally, they were about the size of a palm.
"If that's too hard, then how about just giving me the filming rights for a moment? I'll compensate you for 120% of the penalty!"
Senia was being kicked out via server overload. She would probably be locked out for the time being.
'Haah.'
Senia, you frustrating Streamer. I thought she grew a lot, but she still had a long way to go.
'You have to invest to reap the profit.'
Seeing as she was experiencing server overload, Senia hadn't been able to make a 'big investment' yet. My faith in her had been growing lately, but it seemed I couldn't completely trust her yet. Still, this was actually a good thing.
'A lot of Guardians must be going crazy with frustration right now.'
They must want to see my Playing, but I could only be seen through Senia.
'Once in a while… is fine.'
It would have the opposite effect if it happened frequently, but letting the Guardians simmer like this wasn't a bad thing. It was basically an unintentional 'Sudden Cut'. Though for the Guardians, it was closer to a 'Sudden Cliffhanger'.
Plus, the current situation wasn't my fault. I didn't need to go out of my way to violate my contract with Senia.
"Sorry. I can't say yes to violating the contract."
"Don't over complicate things. A lot of Guardians want to see you. I just have to stream you for a moment. Like I said, I'll cover the penalty!"
She was offering to pay the penalty without even asking how much it was.
'Must be because she's confident she'll still make a profit by streaming me for a short time, even after paying the penalty.'
Her bold action was informed by such a judgment. As expected of the future famous Streamer Roa.
"No can do. The Guardians who watch me value loyalty."
There were only a few of them, but the Guardians made the best excuses.
"C'mon, what do I have to do?"
"You can do anything and my answer will still be no."
"I'll strip if you tell me to! Just for a moment! Everyone'll be happy if you have fun with me for just a moment!"
"..."
Somehow, there was something very off about her words, so I ignored her and turned to my party members.
"We'll continue as we've been doing, clear this place, and leave. If we keep clearing the field, we can leave. As I said before."
Sunhwa smiled brightly at me. "Because our goal is the Gyeonghoeru!"
Yes. We would keep clearing the Gyeonghoeru, and the Gyeonghoeru only. That was our goal.
We cleared and re-entered the Gyeonghoeru three times in a row, after which we decided to take a short break at a large café in the vicinity of the Gwanghwamun.
Yeonseo's smile reached her eyes. "Boss. That place is a real jackpot. I was starting to go mad from the crazy slow leveling speed." She stealthily placed a hand on my shoulder. "As expected, getting to know Boss Hyukjin is my life's greatest fortune."
The culprit behind the 'Sword Empress crushers', the future Sword Empress, a dazzling smile, was sent my way.
"While we're at it, why don't you just marry me?"
"..."
This girl. Everything about her was great, but her propensity for nonsense was the one kicker. Why did she suddenly jump from fortune to marriage?
'It's a good thing Isabel's asleep.'
If she was awake, her explosive jealousy would have been a hot potato to handle.
Sunghyun said in a small voice, "Hyung. I've already hit level 33."
"Shabam? What's that my ears hear? 33? Only? Even though I'm level 34? Shabam? Ain't you a weakling?"
Sung-gu gloated, his lips curling into a smile so wide that all his white teeth were on display. Of course, Sunghyun utterly ignored him, looking for all the world as if Sung-gu were empty air and he was only talking to me.
'As I thought.'
We were all experiencing a frightening leveling speed.
"Hyungnim," Yoohyun said. "Are you really going to share this strategy with the Players Association?"
"Yeah. We've already agreed to trade."
I would share this strategy. I'd already made arrangements with President Song, and had fully proven its worth.
'It'll be revealed one day anyway.'
There was nothing to lose from publicizing it a little earlier. Moreover, the entire Player base was weaker than it should be right now. We needed to pull up the average abilities of the Players. I could make a profit from a strategy that would become well-known anyway, and also promote the safe leveling of my fellow Players.
'And.' This was the really important part. 'The Players without talent can't go past level 40, anyway.'
Why that was the case was never scientifically elucidated. The world just knew by experience. Those with no talent for Playing could not exceed level 40, no matter what they did. As sad as it was, that was reality. A cruel reality I, someone who was once given a [No Talent] evaluation, knew all too well.
"Even if I share the strategy, only those who can carry it out will do it, and only those who can grow will grow."
Yoohyun clasped his hands, looking like he was about to offer a devoted prayer. However, the fact his hands were as big as cauldron lids made him seem quite threatening instead. Getting hit by those hands was almost like taking a hit from Thor's hammer.
"Hyungnim—!"
Yoohyun's eyes reddened.
State: Trust / Faith / Respect / Admiration
'What brings this on all of a sudden?'
I felt Yoohyun's state all too clearly with Eye of Perception, which meant his feelings were just that strong and sincere.
"The great and sublime decision Hyungnim has made for the continued success of this country, the wellbeing of the Players, and the Korean server's infinite growth shall bring you innumerable praise and exaltation!"
"..."
Sunhwa pursed her lips a little. "But still, it's kind of a shame to share such a strategy. Though I can't say no since Oppa decided it…"
Yeonseo nodded as well. "Yeah. Actually, only someone as generous as Hyukjin could bring themselves to publicize this sort of thing. It's basically mass producing rivals."
The usually quiet Sunghyun shook his head with a serious expression. "No, Yeonseo noona is thinking about it the wrong way."
"Hm? How so?"
"The part about mass producing rivals." Sunghyun's expression was as earnest as ever. Not a single trace of joking air could be found on his face. "Hyukjin hyung has confidence."
"Confidence?"
"Because his confidence that no one will be able to beat him no matter what crucial strategy he shares is unshakeable, he's just being merciful to the weak."
Sunghyun seemed to have judged my decision as an act of magnanimity rather than one of kindness. It really wasn't anything that grandiose. He stared at me.
"Right, Hyukjin hyung?"
"..."
This strategy was going to become well-known anyway, so I was just 'selling' it a little ahead of schedule. But I could hardly say that in front of Sunghyun's earnest eyes, so I just gave a small nod.
Right as I was receiving his burdensome gaze, Senia appeared.
"I apologize. There was a server overload."
"I know."
I waited for Senia. There was something I had to discuss with her.
"Senia. Come chat with me a little."
"...Understood."
Senia and I moved to a slightly more private table, during which a bunch of people snuck glances at her. I was already very familiar with the sight.
"Server overload happened last time, too."
"The recent Gyeonghoeru strategy… has produced a huge clamor among the Guardians."
"That's only natural. We're leveling extremely quickly during a period where leveling is so hard. I told you they'd go wild."
"..."
Senia's wings fluttered once. She did seem a little flustered, like she hadn't thought so many Guardians would flock to her channel.
"I don't know how many Guardians went into your channel."
"..."
"But I do know that even more Guardians will come over in the future. That's a fact."
We only cleared one part of the Gwanghwamun Dungeon, just the Gyeonghoeru. Once we were in the mid-game and started getting into the 'Main Scenario', the number of Guardians would swell even more.
"Currently, I have the 1st server expansion. To get the 2nd server expansion…" she trailed off.
"You'll need a really huge investment, right?"
"...Yes."
"And that investment is so big that it'll put a considerable strain on your current finances."
"..."
"But that doesn't mean it's impossible. You should be able to do it. Though it'll be tough."
"..."
Senia's wings quivered nonstop. The intense fluctuation in her emotions allowed me to read her state.
State: Shock / Slight Fear
She was probably feeling a little afraid because I was reading her inner thoughts like a book. Don't worry, I won't eat you.
"Senia."
"Yes."
"By this point, we've developed a pretty trusting relationship, no?"
Senia's wings betrayed her emotions again. Was I wrong? I didn't just take advantage of her the whole time, did I? No, I was pretty nice to her, in my own way.
Senia said curtly, "I believe there is plenty of trust, business-wise."
"Well, however you wanna put it. You and I are content creators. I didn't make it on my own, and you didn't stream it on your own. We make the content together."
"Yes."
"I have confidence in the content I create. I'm confident I can figure out what the Guardians want to see better than anyone, and certain I have more than enough methods and tricks to satisfy their desires."
"..."
"You need to have as much confidence in your content as I have in mine. If I don't have confidence in myself, who will recognize my worth?"
You only got as much as you put in.
"I don't know what kind of situation you're in," I continued.
I didn't know how a kid with zero sense, skills, or knack for talking ended up becoming an Intermediate Administrator. With her looks, there should have been a myriad of other routes she could have taken instead.
"But you need to invest in server expansion. There's no gain without loss."
"Yes, of course, but…"
I stared at Senia for a moment. She was expressionless, but I thought I could glimpse a trace of awkwardness there. She probably had circumstances I didn't know about.
"Invest in the server extension. If it results in a loss, I'll compensate you. I'll even sign a contract."
"...What?"
"That's how much confidence I have. In the value of the Player that is me."
"..."
Senia's wings trembled again.
"If you're not confident, then trust me and follow."
It would be hard to find a Streamer as easy to manipulate as her. Senia thought for a long time. After a while, she began to speak.
"I think what you said about the content being something we make together had a big impact on me."
"..."
"The meaning of the word 'together', I feel keenly. I never even imagined I would hear a Player tell me to trust and follow. And from a Player in the beginner period, no less."
I couldn't put it into words, but Senia's expression changed. She was suddenly much more talkative than usual. It felt like I'd never heard her talk so much before.
"It's fascinating. I feel like there is strength in Player Kim Hyukjin's words."
Her face was definitely expressionless, but there seemed to be more vigor in it than before.
"I will work to create content together with Player Kim Hyukjin."
It was like… she was being lifted by an updraft, like she was finding her confidence. Right now, she looked fully capable of pulling the trigger on a bold investment.
But just then, I suddenly got a message.
[The 'Arrow-Shooting Cupid' has begun to focus on you.]
Wait. Was she streaming right now?
When it rains, it pours. A different voice began ringing in my head at the same time. Isabel had woken up.
____