The Divine Genius’s Game Broadcasting Chapter 339

Episode 339 – The Sea Calls Me (1)

The day after the competition.

Lee Kyung-bok returned home after finishing his morning exercise as usual.

'Your condition is better than I thought?'

I imagined he must have accumulated considerable mental fatigue from his battle with Shoulder. Furthermore, he had to prepare for the competition without taking a break, even turning off the broadcast and preparing separately, so he must have accumulated fatigue as well.

I decided to take a day off today because I thought that not only myself, but also my friends and employees would feel the same way.

‘Have I gained some stamina…?’

Lee Kyung-bok stroked his chin, puzzled. Strangely enough, his body still felt full of energy.

Anyway, it wasn't a bad thing. Lee Kyung-bok was just getting ready to shower.

A series of rumbling vibrations were heard.

'Huh? Aunt?'

The person on the phone was Yang Gyu-ri. Could something have happened?

But he didn't feel particularly uneasy. So, Lee Kyung-bok immediately answered the phone.

“Yes, Aunt.”

"Hey, Kyungbok. Morning?"

It had been a long time since we last spoke, but Yang Gyu-ri felt like we had just talked yesterday.

Lee Kyung-bok answered him with a laugh.

"I just came back from working out. I was just about to wash up and eat. Did you eat, Aunt?"

Oh, right? I should've eaten quickly. It's the same as when I called…

Yang Gyu-ri cleared her throat slightly and continued speaking.

"I heard you won some gaming competition. You called to congratulate me."

“Huh? How did you know? Did you watch the broadcast?”

When Lee Kyung-bok asked back about the unexpected congratulations, laughter was heard from the other end of the phone.

<Oh my. Kyungbok, I'm sorry, but I was busy and couldn't watch the broadcast. Instead, I watched it on your YouTube channel. Even old people like me watch YouTube a lot these days, kid.>

"Oh, I see. Thank you so much! But, aunt, you're such an old woman. You live so young."

Lee Kyung-bok answered him with a smile.

“I was going to treat you to another meal anyway.”

"Oh, that's enough. We're both busy, so just take your time and watch it. Doesn't that make it seem like I'm calling you to get something in return?"

"Then I'll call you first to treat you later. Do you have time then?"

"Oh, our Kyungbok speaks beautifully again. Then I'll make sure to make time for him even though I don't have time."

Lee Kyung-bok couldn't help but smile at the cheerful laughter he heard over the phone.

<Oh, and Gyeongbok.>

But soon Yang Gyu-ri's voice changed.

“Yes, Aunt.”

<Well… since you went to the competition yesterday, has anything changed in your body or anything like that?>

“Is it different?”

When Lee Gyeong-bok looked puzzled, Yang Gyu-ri answered in a serious voice.

"I saw your video. That competition was quite large. There were a ton of people there, kid. But the energy they were giving off was quite impressive."

“Oh, yes. You cheered me on really hard.”

Lee Kyung-bok felt the overwhelming energy from his fans once again. He had never felt so happy in his life.

<That's right, that's right. But this is what I mean. People like us who are sensitive to energy are somewhat influenced, right?>

“…Influence? What influence?”

<Well, it's a bit difficult to say specifically, isn't it? Everyone is affected equally, isn't it? If you've been possessed by a spirit, it varies depending on your body type.>

He had a gut feeling.

Yang Gyu-ling's purpose in calling was to congratulate him, but the main topic was what he was talking about.

Some people completely block the incoming energy, while others gather and store it. While gathering this energy is beneficial, blocking it can lead to problems.

“What’s the problem? What…”

"Shouldn't you be blocking the energy with more energy? If you resist the energy, you'll end up wasting more energy. In common parlance, this is what they mean by "getting your energy sucked."

"I am…"

Lee Kyung-bok reflected on his experience at the competition. He was confident that nothing unpleasant would happen, as Yang Gyu-ri described.

“It’s okay. I was actually happy that you cheered me on so much.”

"Is that right? Oh, that's fortunate. After all, you're the type of person who receives energy well. Then, you're literally the type of person who thrives on energy! If what Mother Shin says is true, then your vessel must be exceptional."

A thought occurred to Lee Gyeong-bok as he listened to Yang Gyu-ri's reassuring words.

‘Oh, then maybe that was it…?’

The unfamiliar experience of shoulder-to-shoulder combat. Perhaps the ability to see multiple afterimages simultaneously stemmed from the energy conveyed by the fans' cheers.

<I was worried that something might have gone wrong, so I called.>

“I’m perfectly fine. In fact, I feel better than before.”

"Yeah, yeah. Oh my, I've been holding you back too long. You must be hungry. Hurry up and wash up and get some food."

“Yes, thank you. I’ll contact you later!”

Lee Kyung-bok finished the call and checked the time.

'Ah, I guess I should start getting ready.'

Although it was a holiday, it wasn't like there was no schedule.

* * *

Early afternoon, Hanwoo Omakase restaurant.

Lee Kyung-bok entered the inner room after being guided by the staff.

“Oh, you’re here.”

The first to arrive was Eclipse. He greeted Lee Kyung-bok with a bright smile.

“As expected, you are very strict when it comes to making promises.”

“Brother Genome hasn’t arrived yet?”

“I got a text earlier saying I’ll be a little late.”

This event was hosted by Eclipse. He won four of the seven rounds, taking home nearly two-thirds of the prize money.

As a result, he received more prize money than the tournament's star, Lee Kyung-bok. After the broadcast, Eclipse promised to host a men's after-party and treat him.

“It would have been nice if Skull Kim could have joined us, but it’s too bad.”

"I can't help it, since you have a prior engagement. Well, it's not the only day. You can just take care of it later."

Unfortunately, Skull Kim had already made a commitment before the competition. While we were talking, a visitor arrived.

“Whoa, thank goodness. I’m not late!”

It was Genome who stepped inside. He was relieved to see the empty table.

“Oh, welcome.”

“No, bro. Why are your sunglasses so big?”

Lee Kyung-bok smiled and pointed to Genome's face. The large sunglasses were particularly striking.

“Inma, I wrote this in case people recognize me!”

“It’s so big that it might stand out.”

"Hey, it's good that you came. Wow, what's really surprising is that there are quite a few people around the neighborhood even though it's a weekday. It's definitely different in a neighborhood where the rich live."

Genome sat down and poured out his words.

“But aren’t those people a bit distant from the audience?”

"Hey, what are you talking about? Surprisingly, the hobbies of these rich people aren't all that different. Well, there's no reason they call them big shots."

“Ahaha… I see.”

Eclipse smiled awkwardly at him. Lee Kyung-bok wondered why, but soon had to turn his attention away.

“I will prepare a meal for you.”

A waiter came in and placed the bright red beef on the table. All three of us let out a collective sigh.

“Wow… the marbling is really nice.”

“Hey, this is definitely going to be delicious.”

Genome immediately burst into laughter.

“Ah, I definitely have to take a picture of this.”

“Huh? Hey, did you use SNS?”

“No, I’m just showing it to Skull Kim to get him to do some research.”

“Wow, this is really bad.”

“You should have come if you were going to!”

Eclipse also smiled again thanks to the tiki-taka between the two.

"I'm glad you like it. If you need more, feel free to add more."

“Okay, I’ll eat well.”

"thank you for this food."

The three chatted while filling their bellies with such a simple meal. Genome was the one who brought up the topic.

“Ah, Decibel-nim, you’ve decided to completely convert to Jonggems.”

“Oh? Really?”

"Uh. I got a separate call after the competition. I asked if you could recommend some games."

"You've thought it through. It's certainly a waste of talent to just play League."

“I agree.”

The genome smiled and nodded at Lee Kyung-bok.

“Hey, but Decibel-nim surprisingly has some similarities to you.”

“With me?”

"You only play League, so your experience with other games is like a complete newbie's. So I asked you to ask me about it, but Decibel-nim declined."

“Huh? Why? Did I do something wrong?”

"That's probably not true. I don't know you well, Decibel, but I can sense something just by looking at you."

Surprisingly, the answer came from Eclipse.

“I think it’s probably because he doesn’t want to be indebted to me anymore.”

"Oh, good. Very accurate. You've benefited a lot since joining forces with me. He said he didn't want to waste any more time since things were already that way."

Genome smiled and agreed.

"Rather, he said he'd like to help you next time we meet. Decibel, you're such a gentle person."

“That’s true. He’s not a broadcaster, he’s just like that.”

Lee Kyung-bok recalled the positive energy he felt from Decibel.

“So what game did you recommend?”

"Oh, I told you to do whatever you're drawn to. Something you've never done before is fine, but something you think you could do well is fine too."

Genome swallowed a piece of well-cooked beef and clapped his hands lightly.

"Oh, right. I heard you joined the Purge Day fan cafe. So I suggested you check out the game recommendation board."

"Oh, that's great. I started playing Metal Punch after seeing it on the recommendation board."

Genome nodded and looked back and forth between the two people.

“But what are you two going to do? Are you going to keep using Metal Punch?”

"Oh, yes. I'm going to try some more. It's fun, and I think I should at least reach the Omega threshold."

Eclipse answered first. Lee Kyung-bok, on the other hand, frowned slightly.

“I’m a bit… hesitant to continue.”

"It's only natural for you to be ambiguous. The fighting game genre itself doesn't have an ending. In fact, you were close to the ending, but you won."

“Yeah, I even broke the scenario mode.”

Lee Kyung-bok cleared Brawl Mode with Shoulder and also won the match with Shoulder.

“Honestly, playing games any longer is no different from studying.”

"I guess so. I'll have to have a meeting with the staff first, but I think we'll probably start a different game. I should check the recommendation board again."

Genome and Eclipse also nodded.

"Yeah. Oh, maybe because of the competition, the number of fan cafe members has increased a lot."

“Oh, I saw that too. It seems like the fans of female streamers have also been drawn in.”

The two people burst into laughter.

“Wow, this is the perfect trickle-down effect.”

All of these things would not have happened if it weren't for Lee Kyung-bok.

* * *

Around the same time, Japan.

The Rogue Games marketing team and NEVER Japan's Rogueline team were having a meeting.

“Honestly, when I first heard the meeting proposal, I was quite negative.”

Even though it was a subsidiary, it was a distinct company. NEVER Japan's meeting proposal could have felt like pressure from the parent company.

It might not have been a desirable position for Rogue Games.

"Having seen it in person, I believe it's an offer we have no reason to refuse. Indeed, we'd like to express our gratitude."

Nevertheless, the meeting went smoothly. This was thanks to the content of the proposal.

"Purple was certainly an influencer we coveted. However, we judged the necessary costs to be high, so we couldn't readily pursue marketing."

Lee Kyung-bok's value was rising by the day. Furthermore, he wasn't Japanese, he was Korean.

Rogue Games had no choice but to wait for the Korean headquarters to step forward. But this time, NEVER Japan directly proposed a collaboration.

"Yes. But if you propose a promotion with us, it'll reduce the burden on both parties, and Purple will benefit, making persuasion easier."

“Yes, then the important thing is choosing the game to promote…”

The marketing team said that but let out an awkward laugh.

“Usually, influencers are recruited according to the game, but the order has changed.”

It was different from the typical marketing sequence. If it had been done as planned, it would have been absurd.

But it was possible with Lee Kyung-bok.

“Purple would be perfect for any game.”

This was a conclusion reached after considering the abilities that Lee Kyung-bok had demonstrated and the accumulated recognition and favorability.

“I guess this is perfect common sense.”

"I think so. Well, since you're a Korean streamer, I think it would be easier for you to accept my offer if it's a game with global service."

The marketing team said so and quickly scanned their list of games.

“Our main focus is mobile games, but I don’t think we’ve done much mobile game advertising.”

"Oh, yes. There was an advertisement for Gunner Ground Showdown alongside the previous RDR. But I don't remember it being a gameplay advertisement."

"The reality is that mobile games are a non-mainstream segment in streaming. So…"

The mainstream streaming broadcasts were always capsule games. Then, he moved his hand to project a hologram.

“I think a game with cross-platform support would be great.”

Rogue Games' choice, 'cross-platform' meant support for play on two or more platforms.

In other words, this meant that the same game could be enjoyed on both capsule and mobile platforms.

“Oh, this is definitely okay.”

The logline team nodded as they looked at the hologram.

Vast seas, ships, skull flags and treasures.

And the name that came to mind above it.

['Age of Oceans']

The age of the sea.

It was a game set in the ocean.