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Chapter 64
Calm Before the Storm? (3)
These bastard administrators must have completely lost their minds. After declaring it an A-rank Raid, they went and changed their story just like that. There was never a reversal quite like this, nor a stab in the back so dirty. One thing this whole mess made crystal clear: those administrator bastards in the Abyss definitely seem to be praying for humanity’s downfall.
— We are now broadcasting a breaking news special. The difficulty of the 3rd-floor Raid has abruptly shifted to S-rank, and we have invited experts to share their thoughts on the matter. Joining us today are Professor Oh Yeong-pil from Hankuk University and the famous influencer Dae-ho. First, Professor Oh Yeong-pil?— Yes, this is Oh Yeong-pil.— Professor, how do you view the current situation? Most foreign media outlets are reacting along the lines of ‘It is unfortunate, but we must prepare for the aftermath of a failed Raid.’— An abrupt shift in Raid difficulty is entirely unprecedented. A so-called ‘transition phenomenon’ has occurred in the Raid. Though, the survival rate for S-rank Raids in other countries has previously been reported to sit at around 17 percent.
One day before the Raid. In a situation turned upside down by the sudden difficulty change notice, I was still sitting on the couch, lazily chewing on beef jerky. On TV, discussions about the Raid’s difficulty shift kept flowing continuously. Today’s panel featured Professor Oh Yeong-pil from Hankuk University—a regular viewer of my stream with whom I now occasionally texted back and forth.
— Then isn’t this a crisis situation? We heard that just this morning, the Chinese government issued an evacuation order for its citizens residing in South Korea.— Is it anything new for China to act unusually? S-rank difficulty? Yes, it is dangerous. However, we possess a secret weapon that China does not have.— What would that be?— Player Yoo Seong-woo. Ah! Just put your faith in Player Yoo Seong-woo. The 3rd-floor Raid? Subscribe to Meteor’s MeTube channel, and all your worries will wash away.— Professor, we are live right now, so mentioning specific channels…— Have faith! Trust in him!
…I never gave Professor Oh a single cent. If he acts like that on national television, will they even call him back next time?
— Professor Oh tends to overrate Player Yoo Seong-woo way too much.— Ah, it seems Mr. Dae-ho holds a different opinion.— We ought to immediately deploy forces to each Abyss Gate to prepare for the event of a collapse—— What are you talking about? You can’t even stream from the Abyss without staging your content, yet here you are, a fake trying to lecture the real deal?— What? Did you just say—
Is it really the end of the world? It was quite refreshing to watch people duke it out like that on public broadcasting. Now, let’s take a look at today’s internet reactions. Yesterday, the mood surrounding the Raid event was practically like a festival, but today was completely different.
<Title: Isn’t away it now? right run to> Content: Shouldn’t we at least stow away on a ship and get out of this country? Anyone know a way? I haven’t even gotten to go on a single blind date since getting into university, so it’d be such a waste to die like this;; ㄴ Don’t worry, even if you went to university you wouldn’t get a blind date anyway lol ㄴ You think stowing away on a ship is a joke? ㄴ Let’s just meekly accept our fate ㄴ Why is the apocalyptic vibe so strong here? I spent all day yesterday playing console games so I don’t know, can someone fill me in? ㄴ Go watch the news or something ㄴ But even if it fails, won’t only the area around the Abyss Gate get wiped out?; ㄴ The problem is monsters will spew out from the blown-up Abyss Gate lol ㄴ Wow; I just came to the US for a trip yesterday, I guess I shouldn’t go back
Some were looking for smuggler ships, while others said the end times had arrived so we should welcome God. It was an absolute circus. A few people even sent me texts on my phone today:
「Raid Leader. I am so sorry. I don’t think I can participate.」 「I broke my arm during training this morning. I am truly sorry…」
The number of people who suddenly declared their withdrawal totaled six. The 25-man Raid team had shrunk down to 19. Always claiming they should take the lead when things were easy, but the moment it was upgraded to S-rank difficulty, too many of them ran away. Letting out a deep sigh, I tossed my phone onto the couch and glanced over at Bitna-nuna. Whether the world was descending into chaos or not, Bitna-nuna was yawning as she folded the laundry.
“Nuna, aren’t you worried?”
At my question, Bitna-nuna shook her head side to side.
“Seong-woo.” “Yeah?” “You’re going to resolve it anyway, aren’t you?” “I guess so.” “Ian’s uncle returned alive from a hellish world, so what is there to worry about?”
At those words, I looked back on the days I spent in Avalon. After endless battles, what percentage of a chance was there that I would actually reach the final destination? The probability of breaking through terrifying enemies, monsters brimming with hostility and murderous intent, to finally restore peace to that world? Maybe around 10 percent? In truth, I had come close to dying countless times in Avalon. The only reason I was able to survive and return from that hellish place was to get back to Earth. My brother, Bitna-nuna. To return to the people who cared for me so meticulously—I endured that hell for that single reason alone. Compared to that hell, this Earth was still heaven.
“You’re right about that.”
With a gentle smile, I looked back and forth between Bitna-nuna and Ian. Ian was lying down comfortably, sound asleep like an angel, completely oblivious to how noisy the world was.
“It might even be kind of fun.”
I meant it. S-rank difficulty? When I beat up that Abyss administrator guy—what was his name, Yu-shin or Yu-sim?—I heard something back then. That the administrators weren’t free from the Balance, either. If they unilaterally raised the difficulty like this, they must have placed things of equal value on the opposite side of that balance. Such as massive rewards, plentiful rewards, or immense rewards. Forcing an A-rank into an S-rank meant they had overextended themselves quite a bit on their side, too.
“Should I just rest at home today? When did Hyung say he’d be back?” “He said he’s coming home after his morning trial today. Wants us to have lunch together.” “Korean beef, deals? I bought some yesterday.” “Beef for lunch… Hm, well, it makes things easy for me since I won’t have to prepare food.” “I’ll cook the meat with magic.” “It was delicious last time.”
In Avalon, I held out with the thought of returning to Earth, but it was different here on Earth. The motivation was far clearer on this side. My precious people. These people were here, and I was going to protect them. The Raid is hard? Even better.
‘If it becomes a hot topic, all the better for me.’
That means everyone will be watching my stream tomorrow with bated breath, right? Plus, I’m streaming this Raid exclusively on my MeTube channel anyway. Ah, once this Raid is over, I should film an unboxing video for the Silver and Gold Play Buttons. Now that I think about it, I should post a stream announcement on my channel. Grabbing the phone I had tossed on the sofa, I uploaded an announcement to my MeTube channel.
<Title: Announcement Stream Tomorrow for> Content: Exclusive stream of the 3rd-floor Raid lol Raid starts at 1:00 PM, so turning on the stream 30 mins early. Make sure to drop by
Let’s spend the rest of the day comfortably. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.
7. Just like that, another day passed, and the day of the Raid arrived. Waking up in the morning, I took a clean shower and had breakfast with my family. The atmosphere at the breakfast table wasn’t particularly bright. Jin-seong hyung’s expression, in particular, was unusually dark. Still, Ian saw me off with his usual bright smile.
— Uncle! Dinodaur! Dinodaur!
On my way back after the Raid today, I should buy him a dinosaur toy or something. Bitna-nuna was as nonchalant as yesterday, but my brother, looking anxious, spoke up instead.
— Let’s all go out for dinner together tonight.
He framed it like that, but the underlying meaning was ‘Come back safely.’ With my brother worrying like that, I shouldn’t get hurt anywhere today. I should refrain from intentionally taking hits or anything like that. He mentioned eating some good raw fish for dinner, so I definitely couldn’t miss out on that, right? Ah, my commute to the Abyss today wasn’t alone. Chief Choi Seong-hoon from the Bureau of Abnormal Powers drove directly to the front of my house. Normally, I would have declined, but the atmosphere in the city was currently unsettling.
“I hear some citizens are even evacuating.” “Is it to that extent?” “The probability of failure has risen drastically, so perhaps it is only natural.”
Had Chief Choi’s face ever been as serious as it was today? Holding the steering wheel carefully, he continued speaking.
“In place of some players who declared their withdrawal from the Raid, we have filled the ranks with 3rd-floor players belonging to the Bureau of Abnormal Powers.” “Aren’t those folks scared?” “Most players belonging to the Bureau of Abnormal Powers come from military backgrounds. They are people who know how to accept fear.”
The car moved diligently through the city. Whether people were truly evacuating or not, the roads heading out of Seoul were completely jammed, while the roads leading into the city center were relatively quiet. That atmosphere was truly bizarre. Particularly upon entering Yeouido, where the Abyss Seoul West Gate was located, it was hard to find a single person around.
“The stock market is closed today due to the situation.” “Are you worried a lot too, Chief Choi?” “…I would be lying if I said I wasn’t.”
Could a country’s atmosphere change this much in just a single day? Personally, though, I didn’t think this kind of atmosphere was strange. After all, it was an event that could change the nation’s fate, and someone’s life was on the line, right? People had just been in an unusually festive mood until yesterday.
“In the worst-case scenario, the Minister requested that at least Player Yoo Seong-woo retreat—that is his message.” “That Minister guy always sends messages. I’d really like to meet him once, though. In-seop told me the Minister is pretty unique. I wonder if I could ask him to guest on my stream sometime?” “The Minister is currently attending a National Security Council meeting. I will be sure to pass along Player Yoo Seong-woo’s words.” “Wow, as expected, you’re really straightforward, aren’t you? Then is the President open for a guest appearance too?” “…That might be a bit much.” “It’s a joke, a joke. Your face was looking way too stiff.”
I could just recruit the President later, I guess. I have plenty of content anyway. As I chatted back and forth with Chief Choi while driving along, we soon arrived at our destination. Coincidentally, the weather today was gloomy as well. It wasn’t raining, but dark clouds hung in patches across the sky. A gray sky and the purple tower resting beneath it. What a killer atmosphere.
“Chief Choi.” “Yes, Player Yoo Seong-woo.” “What could possibly go wrong? Don’t worry about it. Ah, what a shame. If the stock market were open today, I would’ve bet on a long position.” “…Do you trade futures?” “It’s just a figure of speech. Did I ever tell you my old story? How I didn’t even have the money to do financial planning.”
Before we knew it, we had reached our destination. In front of the Seoul West Abyss Gate. The spot that would normally be packed with players was now staked out by news broadcast cameras. Chief Choi Seong-hoon got out of the car first and kindly tried to open my door for me. However, I opened the door myself before he could, stepping out as I spoke.
“Thanks for the ride.” “I merely did what needed to be done.” “Still, being thankful is being thankful.”
Gifting a light chuckle, I walked forward. At that, the reporters stationed beyond the police line thrust their microphones forward and shouted:
“Player Yoo Seong-woo! Please give us a word of determination as the Raid Leader!” “Do you think you can clear it?” “You are challenging an S-rank difficulty raid for the very first time in South Korea! Do you have a separate strategy?”
Seeing things like that, being a reporter really is an extreme job. Coming all the way to a spot that might explode just to snag an interview. Then again, I heard there are even reporters who enter the Abyss directly to hunt just to write an article. Still, it’s nice to see everyone working hard. Hardworking people deserve a reward, don’t they?
“Hmm.”
Standing before the reporters for a moment, I picked my words carefully. What would be good? Ah, right. This should do it.
“Since you asked about the Raid, I will answer.”
Clearing my throat briefly, I faced the sparkling camera lenses aimed at me. Others say they get nervous standing in front of a camera. My brother is like that too. He looks like he wouldn’t be at all, but the moment he sees a camera, he freezes up, you know? Looking at it from that perspective, though, I really feel like this is my true calling. Why? Because the moment I stand in front of a camera, I just want to draw aggro.
“To be completely honest with you… I lack confidence.”
Just as the reporters were about to murmur at those words, I added one more line.
“Confidence that I’ll lose.”
Saying that, I pulled out my recording drone and started the stream. Meteor’s… ah, whatever. I’m too lazy to count anymore. Meteor’s Raid Stream.
[Preset Stream Title: Lacking confidence. Confidence that I’ll lose] [Would you like to start streaming?]
“For Raid coverage, it’s Meteor MeTube. Subscribe, like, and hit that notification bell. Citizens, I’m counting on you!”
Starting right now.
