The Divine Genius’s Game Broadcasting Chapter 4

Episode 4 – The tutorial is too easy (2)

Lee Kyung-bok, who had been standing blankly, turned his eyes to the beeping sound.

Before I knew it, the timer had passed 5 seconds.

'Let's give it a try.'

It was an unfamiliar feeling I felt for the first time in my life, and I wanted to check if it was real.

Lee Kyung-bok immediately kicked the ground and ran.

Lee Kyung-bok turned his gaze towards the obstacles he felt. The first thing he noticed was a pillar protruding from the wall.

"and."

That's correct.

A pillar emerged from the darkness in the exact same shape that Lee Gyeong-bok had felt.

I didn't have to worry about getting it right because I already knew.

'This too?'

The next thing was the floor that held on for about a second before collapsing. Lee Kyung-bok deliberately stepped on the floor he felt and immediately turned his head away.

Then, with a thud, the floor splits.

'then.'

A curve was drawn at the corner of Lee Kyung-bok's mouth. His half-doubtful feelings hardened into conviction.

The system message urged 'caution', but Lee Kyung-bok put in even more effort and increased his speed.

'If we go on like this… … !'

The locations of hidden obstacles were clearly felt. Naturally, it was very easy to draw the optimal path to avoid those obstacles.

Lee Kyung-bok ran the course without stopping for even a moment.

“Whew.”

If this were real, I would have collapsed on the floor out of breath. But it was different here.

Lee Kyung-bok exhaled pleasantly and laughed.

[You passed safely!]

[00:53:21]

Soon, the test results window appeared before my eyes. As it was a tutorial test, the course wasn't that long.

'There's a ranking too?'

The trophy icon appears below the results window. Lee Kyung-bok opened the rankings briefly.

[The results of the athletic ability test for 'Lee Kyung-bok' are currently '3rd place'.]

[Amazing!]

[Are you a national representative in real life? That's a truly amazing ability!]

'… … I'm in third place?'

Lee Kyung-bok blinked and checked the overall rankings.

[1st place Kim** – '00:52:12']

[2nd place Jeong** – '00:52:37']

[3rd place Lee Kyung-bok – '00:53:21']

For privacy reasons, only the last names of people in other rankings were revealed. But that wasn't a problem for Lee Kyung-bok.

'No, actually it's not 3rd place?'

I didn't jump right in when I started the test. It took me about 5 seconds because of the unfamiliar feeling.

What if he had just started?

'I'm number one?'

It would be surprising if he was even counted among the top five in Korea, but he was the best. But more than anything, there was another reason why Lee Kyung-bok was so flustered.

'It wasn't that difficult, was it?'

The fact is that he wasn't working hard to get ranked.

* * *

Meanwhile, Choi Byeong-hun felt bewildered in a different way.

"……crazy."

He was monitoring outside with a portable device called SmartLink, in case something went wrong with Lee Kyung-bok.

Fortunately, Lee Kyung-bok seemed fine and very interested in virtual reality. If things continued like this, it seemed like he would accept the broadcast offer positively.

But something was strange from the beginning with the obstacle course.

At first, I thought it was a recurrence of the symptoms from my high school days, because I was just standing there blankly, staring blankly, even as the test began.

I was worried that the 'new soldier' might come back again, but the situation changed completely after Lee Kyung-bok stepped in.

“It’s torn.”

It was a short time, less than a minute. But it was enough time to feel the shock.

'How do you never get caught?'

Lee Kyung-bok was like a runaway train. As fast as he was running, obstacles that worked also appeared from all directions at short intervals.

But Lee Gyeong-bok ran through it all as if it was flowing water.

It wasn't like he was avoiding things in an ugly way. His confident expression and the composure in his actions made it clear to anyone that he wasn't someone who had encountered virtual reality for the first time.

Choi Byeong-hun, who was there, knew very well how great Lee Gyeong-bok's record was.

If someone from another industry saw this, their eyes might have rolled back.

Because I was like that now too.

“Miss, I should have recorded it… … .”

Choi Byeong-hun touched his forehead.

From an editor's perspective, there wasn't a single scene that could be thrown out. The problem was that I was so surprised that I didn't even think about recording it. I hit my forehead because I was ashamed of my stupid choice.

Meanwhile, the capsule opened and Lee Kyung-bok came out.

“Whew.”

It was a face that still had the afterglow. As comfortable as the virtual reality body was, it was inevitable that I would feel a sense of disconnect from my real body.

'It's disappeared after all.'

This was especially true for Lee Gyeong-bok.

This was because the unfamiliar sensation that seemed to transcend the five senses was not felt in reality.

If I hadn't known from the beginning, I wouldn't have known, but when it was there and then gone, I felt a little frustrated.

'Is that the influence of divine power? Since it's a virtual reality, there was no backlash?'

There was only one thing that came to mind first as the source of this strange sensation, but I didn't have time to think deeply about it.

“Hey, what are you?”

"ok?"

Choi Byeong-hun asked Lee Gyeong-bok a question.

“No, is this really your first time using capsules?”

“What are you talking about? I saw you create an account right next to me.”

“But how on earth… … Wow, this is going to work.”

Choi Byeong-hun let out a hollow laugh, seemingly speechless.

I thought he had a good sense of the game, but I didn't expect his physical skills to be this good.

It was absurd, but it was a very satisfying absurdity.

"hey."

Choi Byeong-hun lightly grabbed Lee Gyeong-bok’s shoulder.

“I guess you are a genius.”

"……what?"

Genius.

A natural talent given by heaven.

Choi Byung-hoon said half jokingly and half seriously.

'If this kid does well, he'll hit the jackpot.'

It was a decision based on my experience as an editor.

* * *

“Hey! Hey! Seriously, think carefully! I told you you’ll succeed! Wasting your talent like this is a crime, a crime!”

“Oh, I know. I’ll contact you again.”

Lee Kyung-bok sent Choi Byeong-hun away, who was making a fuss, and started walking.

'I'm a genius?'

Not because he was my friend, but objectively speaking, Choi Byung-hoon was a competent editor. The videos he made were eye-catching even to Lee Kyung-bok, who didn't know much about virtual reality.

It couldn't have been for nothing that a friend of mine said he would give me a lift. In the first place, we weren't even close to being able to fart with each other.

'Anyway, I told you I have a short temper.'

In a good way, it meant that he had good action skills, but now it has a closer to a bad meaning.

Lee Gyeong-bok stopped walking and suddenly looked around.

It was a busy weekday lunchtime street, and there were a lot of people out for lunch.

'These people will also use capsules.'

There are rare people like Lee Kyung-bok who do not have a capsule. However, these days, capsules are like computers in the past, and it is common for every household to have one.

'No. 1 in Korea.'

He reviewed the test results again.

Of course, there may be some people who skipped the test because they found it annoying. However, even considering such circumstances, the weight of the title of first place is not light.

That's why Choi Byeong-hun also took action.

Lee Kyung-bok turned around.

'One more time… … .'

The place he arrived back was a capsule room.

'Let's try it.'

This time, I was going to give it my all. Then I would be able to see if I really was a genius like my friend said.

* * *

As soon as Choi Byung-hoon arrived home, he immediately turned on the computer.

'It was definitely 53 seconds 21.'

A record of a friend stuck in my head.

And considering the time wasted before starting, it was about 48 seconds.

'There was definitely a site that collected test records.'

A test conducted in the first tutorial of the capsule.

It wasn't intended to be a competition focused on results in the first place. The resulting value wasn't considered very important.

It wasn't literally meant to measure athletic ability. It wasn't a professional or detailed measurement, either.

No one likes a bad review. It would be foolish to make a user's first VR experience negative.

'Let's see. The average record is about 1 minute and 20 seconds.'

So the difficulty of the test was set to be average.

It is a level that most adults can clear within 1 minute and 30 seconds, and if it exceeds 2 minutes, it is collected as unsuitable data.

“World record… … This is it.”

Choi Byeong-hun opened the page with his eyes wide open. After a while, he checked the world rankings and couldn’t close his mouth.

[World Record.]

[1st. Rob*** – '00:47:53']

[2nd. Ota*** – '00:48:22']

[3rd. Jac*** – '00:50:45']

Lee Kyung-bok's record is about 48 seconds.

'3rd in the world!'

I couldn't measure the exact time of delay, but it was a figure that would have put him at least in third place, or even second place.

Your friend is one of the top three people in the world?

“Shit, you were just running a business with all these abilities… …!”

It wasn't just because I was greedy for success.

Choi Byeong-hun truly felt sorry for his friend who never got to see the light of his talent.

I wonder what would have happened if I had recommended it a little earlier. I felt responsible for myself for not having recommended it even once while working in this industry.

'How do I convince this… … .'

I completely understand why you hesitate.

The personal broadcasting industry is similar to the entertainment industry. Streamers make a living off of people's interest and affection.

The only difference is that there are fewer restrictions, the atmosphere is freer, and communication is smoother.

There was a burden to having to reveal oneself to the public.

'Still, the reward is great.'

As mentioned earlier, similar to the entertainment industry, there is no ceiling to the streamer's salary.

If you have recognition, you can live a more luxurious life than most celebrities.

Just from live broadcasts and sponsorships, he could easily earn four digits of income, and if you add in the income from sponsorships, promotions, and what the industry terms call 'homework', as well as the income from the YouTube videos he edits, he could even aim for hundreds of millions.

'But there are definitely risks.'

Of course, it wasn't all rosy future. On the contrary, there was no bottom in this industry.

Choi Byung-hoon has seen many streamers slip and even plummet due to a momentary mistake.

But I was confident that I could handle such a risk.

'This kid just needs to say okay… … .'

Choi Byeong-hun scratched his head. He took a deep breath and calmed his mind.

'Yeah, I haven't rejected him yet. He'll need some time. It's his first time in virtual reality, after all.'

Choi Byeong-hun, who was thinking like that, swallowed his breath again. It was obvious that anyone who heard that he was ranked 3rd in the world when he was doing it for the first time would think that he was crazy.

'Let's try to come up with a simple strategy… … .'

It was the moment when I was planning to recruit Lee Kyung-bok. The smart link on my wrist vibrated lightly.

It was a contact from a recruiting target.

“Hey! What’s going on?”

<Open the door.>

"door?"

<It's in front of your house.>

Choi Byeong-hun suddenly stood up.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't realize it until I saw Lee Kyung-bok's face on the intercom screen.

He got up and opened the door.

“Hey, come in, come in.”

“Did I bother you?”

Lee Kyung-bok, seeing his friend's dumbfounded face, asked as if he knew everything.

"disturbance?"

“No matter what, if you start doing it in broad daylight, your bones will wear out.”

“What the hell are you talking about!”

“No, not that.”

Lee Kyung-bok threw himself onto the sofa as if it were his own home, grumbling.

Choi Byeong-hun frowned, then quickly realized it when he saw Lee Gyeong-bok turn his gaze toward the computer.

“World record? What is this?”

“Huh? Oh, I looked up the world record for what you did today.”

There was no reason to hide it.

Since he hadn't done anything wrong, Choi Byeong-hun decided to come forward confidently.

“This is… a world record?”

Lee Kyung-bok's eyebrows furrowed.

Choi Byeong-hun, who had been observing the situation, quickly approached.

“I told you so? Hey, this is perfect. Look at this. I told you you’re number one in Korea and number three in the world? No, number two. Number two!”

You should realize that you are great. Choi Byeong-hun poured out his words with earnest hope.

“Trust me, just half a year, no, just three months. Is that too long? That’s right! Let’s broadcast for just one month, no more! Okay? I’m telling you, you’ll really succeed!”

"hey."

Lee Kyung-bok cut him off with just one syllable. As Choi Byeong-hoon stepped back with a stinging expression, Lee Kyung-bok manipulated the smart link.

A photo arrived along with a ding sound.

“… … What is it?”

“Look, look.”

Choi Byeong-hun looked at Lee Gyeong-bok’s expression with a puzzled face. Strangely, he didn’t seem to be in a bad mood.

What kind of photo is that?

Choi Byeong-hun froze after checking the photo he had sent.

“Sa, sa sa sa sa… .”

“I had a hard time because I didn’t know how to capture it.”

It was a record.

[You passed safely!]

[00:42:18]

[The results of the athletic ability test for 'Lee Kyung-bok' are currently '1st place'.]

Lee Kyung-bok's best effort was the result of his 'real' record. He smiled leisurely and refreshed the page.

[World Record.]

[1st. Lee*** – '00:42:18']

Updated records.

“I guess I’m a genius, just like you said.”

Lee Kyung-bok became confident.