NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
Episode 380 – The Tip of the Iceberg (2)
Rogue Games headquarters.
The development team leader, who was monitoring Lee Kyung-bok's broadcast, opened his jaw with a serious expression.
“…No, why is that glacier breaking?”
It was because of what happened at the last part of the play section where you have to avoid the glacier, at the point where you pass through the ice wall.
He looked around at his team members and asked.
"It wasn't originally designed this way. You're supposed to slowly pass through and admire the entire island."
Glaciers that could pop out at any moment in the narrow field of vision, and the ice wall that we finally reached while saving our torches.
The tension that had been tightening is released, and you feel a sense of accomplishment as you slowly pass through the ice wall and admire the view of the island covered in snow and ice.
That was the developer's intention.
“No, this isn’t supposed to break…”
“If you can destroy it with artillery fire, there’s no point in trying to avoid it in the first place.”
“None of us have touched any of the settings.”
The team members also agreed with him.
If you can destroy the glacier with artillery fire, the previous evasive maneuver becomes meaningless. Even with limited visibility, you can advance forward while firing artillery fire, and that's it.
“No, then why…”
“It’s not like it’s set to be completely invincible.”
"Yes, because it's an object that breaks along with the player when it collides with them. It would be a bit odd if it collided with a sailboat and came out completely unharmed…"
The team leader was able to understand the situation.
"So Mr. Purple saw and recognized the glacier's vulnerability? And then he fired a precise shot at it?"
“Well, it’s hard to believe, but that’s the only possibility.”
"But I don't think it'll be a big problem, right? This time, too, it's something only Purple can do."
The team members, while surprised, didn't think it was a major problem. Like the previous Kraken Phase 2 strategy, it wasn't a method that others couldn't replicate.
But the team leader rolled his eyes with a serious expression. The thought didn't last long.
“This needs to be patched immediately.”
"to?"
“Team leader?”
The team members' eyes widened at his words.
"Let's change the settings so that only ice wall objects can be easily destroyed. Fortunately, a non-maintenance patch will suffice."
“Without inspection?”
“No, it’s not that urgent…”
It was a patch that was carried out without server maintenance, a method called a 'submarine patch'.
The team leader looked at the surprised team members and explained.
"Not many people realize that it's not easy to break that glacier right now. Especially players who try to imitate Mr. Purple's moves, who probably don't know anything about it."
“That’s true, but why is that…”
"Guys, try to put yourself in their shoes. You've already overcome the difficult section, and now you've reached the final ice wall. What if you follow Mr. Purple's lead here?"
“Even if I follow suit, I can’t break the glacier because I’m not Mr. Purple… Ah!”
The team members opened their mouths wide as they spoke.
“Of course I knew it would break, so I tried to pass by.”
“But since it’s fine, it’ll just crash…!”
“Ugh, then we’ll be stranded! We’ll go back to the beginning!”
"Oh, I just imagined it. I'd be really pissed if I had to try again right before the finish line."
The team members also shook their heads.
"I'm glad everyone understands. And where will that anger come from? It's on us. You might misunderstand that we watched the broadcast and patched it to prevent it from crashing."
“Huh? That’s really unfair.”
“So you’re saying that it would be better for us to patch the ice wall first so that we can break it down?”
The team leader then smiled as if he finally understood what was being said.
"Yes. And judging by the reaction now, many viewers are enjoying it. It feels refreshing to have personally broken down an obstacle that had been irritating. It makes me wonder if it might have been better to design it this way from the beginning."
“Yes, maybe it’s actually for the better.”
“As expected, Mr. Purple is a specialist when it comes to fun. I’m learning again.”
“Then let’s proceed right away!”
The team members agreed and immediately dispersed to get back to work.
The team leader laughed at him.
'Playing outside of the developer's design usually leads to problems…'
Lee Kyung-bok's play was largely deviant, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
'Is he really crazy about fun?'
He actually led the game in a more enjoyable direction.
* * *
Lee Kyung-bok and Park Joo-ho climbed over the snow-covered hill.
“Hey, is that it?”
"where?"
At Lee Kyung-bok's words, Park Joo-ho turned his head, digging away the snow that had piled up to his knees.
A pillar of snow jutted out unnaturally between the rocks and ice.
-Anyone can see that it's suspicious ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-There's snow piled up at the entrance to the ruins lol
-If you wander too much, you'll get angry again!
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-I came here to play games, not to experience disaster!
-Really lol If you hid it, I'd probably get angry right away
The viewers also laughed and agreed with Lee Kyung-bok's opinion. The two immediately turned to the snow pillar.
But as soon as we reached the vicinity of the snow pillar, the laughter in the chat window disappeared.
“These snowballs… don’t look natural.”
“I think it’s a person.”
On the uphill path to the snow pillar, I saw several snowballs. They looked like fallen people.
As expected, a cutscene started as I approached.
“…Explorers?”
As the protagonist shook off the snowball, a frozen corpse was revealed beneath it.
-Aㅏ
-Kanu, both your father and father-in-law passed away.
-Can't stand the cold? ㅎㄷㄷ
-But can't we just go back to the boat?
-Really? What is it?
Viewers sighed and questioned. They had to climb several hills, but it wasn't an impossible distance to turn back. Wouldn't it be better to return by boat than to die?
“Captain! This is Missing Link!”
Meanwhile, Park Joo-ho's character shook his head and revealed the entrance. The protagonist, with a serious expression, looked back and forth between the entrance and the corpse.
"Strange. Why did they die 'outside'? Was there a reason they couldn't get in?"
He hesitated for a moment, then carefully turned the prone body. Then he took a deep breath.
“Somehow… the direction he fell from was like that, so he didn’t just freeze to death.”
The corpse's chest was covered in frozen blood, along with a penetrating wound. It was a clear sign of murder.
-?????????
-Huh? What is it? Who did this to you?
-Didn't you say it was hard to live here?
-Big ㅎㄷㄷ
-What the hell is this ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Isn't there an internal conflict?
-Wow;; I was wondering why the corpse's head was facing down, and it turns out he was hit from behind.
While the viewers were pouring out their own hypotheses, the main character called out the character Park Joo-ho.
“Why is that… No, this is?”
"The wounds are so clean. This wouldn't have been possible with a normal firearm. It looks like Atlantis equipment was used."
“So, are you saying that there might be a location for Mr. C?”
Park Joo-ho's character took his gun and looked around, but all he could see was pure white snow and ice.
"We don't know yet. Even those monsters won't survive in this bitter cold. But for now, we need to be careful."
“Yes, I understand.”
The protagonist left him in charge of the guard and stood in front of the entrance to the ruins.
“This is…”
Unlike the previous ruins, the door was engraved with text. The protagonist immediately took out the deciphering chart and compared the text.
Then, perhaps for the sake of player consideration, the Atlantean letters were replaced with alphabets.
“Oh, this is convenient.”
The alphabet conversion was completed with a short exclamation from Lee Gyeong-bok.
[WARN?N?]
Characters not in the decipherment table are indicated with question marks.
“Oh, even I, who doesn’t speak English very well, understand this. I think this is a dangerous area.”
-Right, lol. Anyone can see that it's a WARNING!
-If it's a warning area, it must be a really important place.
-It feels like the explorers also died because of this.
-Does it look like a welcome message to King Chiman Godple?
-Ah haha I can't stand dangerous things!
Unlike Lee Kyung-bok and the viewers, the main character looked worried with a serious expression.
“Captain?”
“I guess it means a dangerous area, but…”
He quickly took out the crystal.
"There's no going back now. I have to take the risk."
As he inserted the crystal, the structure began to glow. The floor began to tremble.
But the entrance did not open.
'Is it the enemy?'
Lee Kyung-bok sensed a threat from beneath the ground, but the extent of it was somewhat ambiguous.
“Here, Captain!”
“What is this…!?”
Meanwhile, the snow-covered floor opened and spider-like machines popped out.
Attached to the body was a high-pressure water gun that Mr. See had been using.
-ㅁㅊ Is there a security device too?
-The explorers were killed by these guys.
-Atlantis Tech Sudden ㅎㄷㄷ
-No, can you win this?
-Shit there's almost no cover
-Are there too many spiders?
-Besides, Godple and Purple aren't automatic weapons;;
-Anyway, Godple can do it!
Viewers were anxious, anticipating a battle. But the cutscene hadn't even finished, and the spider machines simply aimed without responding.
While everyone was wondering what was going on, a blue light came out of the spider machine and scanned the two people's bodies like a detection device.
"what?"
“No, I don’t know.”
The scan finished and a long warning sounded. And only then did the cutscene end.
"Should I fight this? I'll deal with it, but something feels a bit…"
Lee Kyung-bok came up with a plan to deal with the spider machines. It wasn't impossible to handle, but he felt uneasy.
'Why do I have to attack first to counterattack?'
This was because the start of this battle depended on the player's side. He hesitated for a moment.
“I don’t think there’s any need to fight about this.”
"huh?"
Park Joo-ho gave the answer.
A question mark appeared in the chat window, as well as in Lee Kyung-bok's.
-What? What does it imply?
-Are you trying to do a perfect hack on HOXY?
-Oh my gosh lol what kind of quick hack is this?
-???: It's a basic implant.
-What the heck is this cyborg treatment lol
Meanwhile, the scan continued and a warning sounded again, but the duration of the warning sound was shorter.
"As you can see, the security system is trying to figure out who we are. And this isn't a situation where we can win through combat."
“Why can’t I win?”
“…it’s not a combat zone because not everyone is you.”
Park Joo-ho coughed lightly and continued speaking to Lee Kyung-bok, who asked calmly.
"The purpose of security is to respond to intruders. So, we just have to prove we're not the intruder."
“Not an intruder?”
Lee Kyung-bok opened his eyes wide and let out a small sigh.
“Ah, I see! As expected, the analysis is spreading.”
-Ah haha I knew that too (I don't know)
-What the heck lol you're just now noticing this easy thing? (oblivious)
-Just say "ㄹㅇㅋ"
-Really lol
-Is it just a quick hack?
-Why do you keep bringing in technologies from other worldviews? LOL
Lee Kyung-bok opened his inventory, seeing the chat window filled with question marks. Instead of providing an explanation, he immediately displayed the answer.
"Everyone's pretending not to know right now. But some of you might remember. You saw the Atlantean costume in the cutscene, right?"
The item he chose was a diving suit. Then, with the third scan, a change occurred.
'Juho got it right.'
The perceived threat from the spider machines vanished. As soon as the scan was complete, they disappeared back into the open floor.
Soon, with a dull sound, the entrances to the ruins began to open to the left and right.
-ㅁㅊ Was the diving suit like an ID card?
-Ah haha I got in trouble for pretending not to know
-Really lol I couldn't say anything because it was a forbidden act
-Anyway, I didn't tell you! It's not that I didn't know!
-Hehehe! What a fool!
-Usually I come after seeing the strategy or die and retweet lol
-But this guy must have destroyed everything and found the answer lol
-This time, Purpago made a shortcut for you?
At the viewers' admiration, Lee Kyung-bok smiled and waved his hand.
"No, if we'd fought, everything would have been destroyed and we wouldn't have been able to get in. Shouldn't we have left a machine to scan it so it wouldn't open? That's a good move by Perpago."
“If we had fought, you would have lived, but I would have probably died.”
When Park Joo-ho got angry at him, the viewers burst into laughter.
-Oh lol, it turns out it was a survival instinct?
-That was the reason why Perpago's brain was working at full capacity, right?
-???: I have to solve this gimmick to survive!
-???: As expected, a machine only works well when it's right!
-Black company special) Each person is for himself
-Ah haha you have to figure out how to live well
Lee Kyung-bok smiled at him and clapped his hands.
“Good. Now that the entrance is open, let’s begin our exploration in earnest!”
The two people stepped into the entrance.
* * *
Perhaps because it was a place where no one had ever visited, the interior of the ruins was well preserved, as if it were new.
-It's definitely in good condition lol
-It's a very futuristic interior, isn't it?
-Security is also thorough and well maintained
-But what on earth is this place?
Like the viewers, Lee Kyung-bok and Park Joo-ho also expressed their doubts.
“There are a lot of mechanical devices, but I don’t know what they’re used for.”
“Hmm, is this some kind of experiment? I see things like beakers and flasks.”
“Huh? It looks like crystal. But it doesn’t emit light.”
After examining the traces left throughout the ruins, the two people and the viewers were able to reach similar conclusions.
“It feels like a research lab, doesn’t it?”
“It seems that the Atlanteans were not able to use crystals from the beginning.”
It was clear that research had been conducted into the use of crystals. As Lee Kyung-bok continued his exploration, he discovered a familiar device.
“Oh, this is a manufacturing device.”
It was the same manufacturing equipment used to make wetsuits. Lee Kyung-bok turned his gaze to the recipe and small, thin glass plate attached to it.
“This has also been translated into the alphabet, but there are too many question marks, so I can’t read it.”
“Still, it’s fortunate that there is a picture.”
“So. It seems like it’s a weapon that can be used throughout this story.”
Lee Kyung-bok said with a bright smile.
The recipe was indecipherable, but the finished product depicted therein was also something familiar.
-WA! Atlantis rifle!
-You're giving Godple a perfectly good gun?
-What is this? Hahaha, is it finished?
-Really lol this guy is really good at shooting weird guns
That recipe would allow him to create a high-pressure water gun attached to a seed location and spider machine. Lee Kyung-bok entered the ingredients and waited.
“What is this glass plate?”
“It looks like a tablet.”
Lee Kyung-bok lifted the glass plate and lightly scanned it, and a blue light leaked out, scanning him.
Soon, a holographic image was played on the glass.
“Oh, I guess this is something like a video manual.”
The video showed Atlanteans cutting objects with high-pressure water.
-No lol this was really for industrial use?
-The industrial one is quite lively.
-Using industrial tools as weapons is a national rule lol
-Living Point) Paru is not a weapon.
-What the hell? Wasn't that an alien weapon?
While I was briefly reviewing the footage, the gun manufacturing was complete. Lee Kyung-bok and Park Joo-ho smiled after changing their equipment.
“If something goes wrong with this, it won’t be easy.”
“It’s probably not there for nothing. I think I’ll use it.”
Viewers agreed. Giving them weapons means they'll have to fight at least once, right?
Lee Gyeong-bok continued his exploration. Unlike previous ruins, the path was not one-way, and there were many open spaces, but there were no problems.
It was enough to follow the positive energy felt through the spirit.
“Oh, there’s a video device here too?”
The two explored the area, securing a glass-panel-like video device. It seemed as if an Atlantean was recording everything, speaking into the camera.
“Well, it would be nice if I could understand what you’re saying.”
Unfortunately, I couldn't find out the details.
-It can't be translated because it's not a character, Bongga
-But seeing that it's being stored in Inven, I guess I'll use it somehow later?
-Take care of it first, Imari.
-If it gets translated, I'll explain some bait lol
The video equipment, unlike other items, was placed in inventory. Lee Kyung-bok quickly assessed the new equipment and took his bearings.
“It’s an elevator.”
“Oh, I see.”
There was a large elevator there. There was also writing engraved on its door.
[P?W?RP?AN?]
This time too, it was a fragmented translation.
“Fortunately, it’s not a warning.”
“Well, is it two words put together?”
Lee Kyung-bok shrugged his shoulders at this.
"I think I've pretty much seen everything up there. There's no other way, so I'll go down."
The two immediately activated the elevator. With a loud hum, it began to descend.
The speed gradually increased, and before long, the surroundings became dark. I wondered what it was, but then I saw the outside through the window on the elevator wall.
“Wow, what is this?”
“It was an underwater elevator going down to the deep sea.”
There was nothing visible except the light coming from the elevator.
-What the heck;;; Why am I more scared when there's nothing?
-Wow, if this elevator breaks down, it's over, right?
-Isn't it okay since you have a wetsuit?
-Oh shit, I can't possibly go in there
-Oh! There's something down there!
As the elevator descended, the scenery began to change. A blue light appeared from below.
When both of them lowered their gazes, exclamations of admiration burst out involuntarily.
“I was wondering why the lab was here…”
“Was it a crystal store area?”
The entire floor was covered in Atlantis crystals. The elevator was heading towards the building erected in the center.
Spider machines were attached to the crystal zone, cutting away at the crystal with high-pressure water guns.
-WA! Paid goods!
-ㅁㅊ How much is all that?
-Can you dig that?
-Is this that P2E game?
-The sea? A game? HOXY?
-Are you crazy? LOL
-Hey, lol this is homework, homework!
-It's not that kind of game^^
Meanwhile, Park Joo-ho raised his head and lightly clapped his hands.
“Ah, now I get it.”
"what?"
"What does that mean? That thing down there is a power plant. It's called POWER PLANT."
“Oh? You’re developing with crystals?”
Viewers also agreed with what the two people said.
-Oh lol that's perfect lol
-As expected from a student from a prestigious university, he spreads his wings ㅎㄷㄷ
-This is why people have to learn!
-Crystal utilization rate ㅁㅊㄷㅁㅊㅇ
-???: I will boil water with crystals to turn the turbine.
-Oh my gosh, what do you do to turn the turbine? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Lee Kyung-bok also smiled and lowered his eyes.
“Hey, I found one too.”
“Really? Is there anything else?”
“Do you see that thing sticking out next to the power plant?”
“…Hmm.”
Park Joo-ho's eyes narrowed. The crystal light was so strong that he couldn't see clearly.
“If you look closely, there’s something that looks like a container there.”
“I guess we’ll have to wait a little longer to see it with the eyes of the general public.”
It was just as Park Joo-ho said.
It was only after the elevator descended a little further that he was able to discover the object Lee Kyung-bok had pointed out.
“That… by any chance?”
“It looks exactly like that, right?”
A long container-like shape with a propulsion device attached to it, and thick iron bars attached in a row underneath it.
There was only one thing that could be inferred from that appearance.
-Oh? Are those railroad tracks?
-This is an underwater train lol
-Wasn't this the closest place on the route map?
-It wasn't set as a well-preserved place for nothing, was it?
-I guess it was because of this that I sent the sailing ship away lol
It was clearly the underwater train used by the Atlanteans.
And the destination is clear.
“It looks like we’re going to Atlantis this time.”
It was Atlantis, the legendary city that everyone was looking for.