Chapter 44
The battlefield was famous content. It was the most popular mode in the highly acclaimed For Justice, and every season gave rise to anecdotes that sparked heated discussion. Choosing one of three factions, competing against users of rival factions, capturing and losing territory in a three-way war—it couldn’t possibly be boring.
“So, what should we do?”
Let’s decide on the conditions first, you bastards.
Seo-jun read the increasingly freakish penalties with a look of disbelief and said, “I mean the goal for the battlefield.”
- Just set the penalties first lol
- Fr
- So which faction did you pick?
“Oh, I’m planning to go with the Demon Cult.”
The Orthodox Faction, the Unorthodox Faction, and the Demon Cult.
Among these three, the Demon Cult was the weakest. So much so that it had never won the battlefield even once. The reason was that its performance was poor. Because its performance was poor, it had relatively fewer skilled players than the other factions, which made winning the battlefield impossible, which meant new users didn’t join. It was a faction caught in a repeating vicious cycle.
- Do not cross that river
- Of all factions, the Demon Cult lol
- With that nickname, it figures
“Right. My nickname is like that, after all.”
When considering contribution points, going with the Orthodox Faction would be the better choice. That was because the Orthodox Faction had the most battlefield victories so far and had the highest chance of winning this season as well. Users of the winning faction received bonus contribution points. The Orthodox Faction was already popular and powerful by its very nature, and on top of that, its accumulated winning record inevitably drew users in. It was a faction caught in a virtuous cycle, the polar opposite of the Demon Cult. Of course, that didn’t mean Seo-jun choosing the Demon Cult was a complete abandonment of the prize.
“And honestly, I don’t think the Orthodox or Unorthodox factions are any better than the Demon Cult.”
- Then bet your side winning on the conditions lol
- Haha, the Demon Cult winning lol
- Who on earth taught you For Justice ㅠㅠ The Demon Cult is garbage. Say it.
“Demon Cult winning? I like it. Simple.”
It seemed the first condition had been decided. Seo-jun was thinking of using one faction goal and one personal goal as the conditions.
- Basically a declaration that you’ll just do the penalty lol
- Look at him just going for it lol
- Ahem, he calls himself the Heavenly Demon.
- Judging by the streamer’s words, I’m betting all my points he doesn’t really know what the battlefield is
- The streamer never knew the game from the start anyway!
It was no wonder the viewers were dumbfounded. A faction’s ranking wasn’t something that could be changed by a single individual’s power. No matter how unprecedented a performance Seo-jun had shown in Dawn of the Assassins, the viewers knew the fact that an individual couldn’t defeat an entire group. Seo-jun was the same.
“Yes, I know the Demon Cult winning is going to be hard. So I’m planning to add another condition. If I succeed in even one of the conditions, there’s no penalty. How about that?”
- Ok
- Honestly, Demon Cult winning is too harsh
- Just consider it nonexistent lol
They agreed far more easily than he expected. The Demon Cult. Did it really have that kind of image? The viewers continued chatting with Seo-jun and threw out various suggestions.
Getting into the top 16 overall contribution ranking was the very first to come up. Other than that: Getting 1st place in contribution within the Demon Cult. Not failing a single attack or defense. Earning the most reputation points accumulated through each game. And so on. Many ideas were put forward. Seo-jun gathered them and held a viewer vote. Every single one was extremely difficult. That was because most had watched Dawn of the Assassins, which had raised their standards for him. Despite that, the reason Seo-jun accepted the suggestions they made was because he was confident.
“Oh, top 16 got the most votes. Alright, now let’s decide on the penalty.”
The condition was set as getting into the top 16 of the contribution rankings. It was a goal that aligned with the prize money. It was doable.
- Finally.
- Entering the sea in midwinter
- Rage Quit all-clear, go
- Or better yet, catching 5,000 razor clams on the mudflats all-clear, go
- Showing Christina noona’s cut scenes
- A cut scene isn’t a penalty, right? lol
Some weird ones were mixed in, but anyway, various penalties came up. Seo-jun wrote them on the roulette wheel one by one. He had no choice but to include ‘magical girl’ as well. The person who suggested that penalty had donated 100,000 won.
“Yes, I’ll add drinking snow pine needle water instead of water for a year. But I’ll make it a week. Stop spamming.”
All sorts of strange things were suggested, and Seo-jun filled the slots while adjusting the intensity of the penalties to appropriate levels.
“Why am I so nonchalant? Because it doesn’t matter which one it is.”
He intended to take this seriously. The thought that it would be a bother had only been when he didn’t properly understand the battlefield.
- Insane confidence
- Please be magical girl. Please be magical girl. Please be magical girl. Please be magical girl. Please be magical girl.
- I actually want to see him go clubbing in women’s clothes, though?
- Evil bastards lol you guys just get out of here
Honestly. If he drew something like that and failed, he might have to quit streaming. No matter how young he was now, and even though he had never been old in his past life, he still remembered a life where people called him ‘sir’ wherever he went. Seo-jun shook his head over and over and moved his mouse.
“Starting.”
Whirrrr. The roulette wheel spun. Perhaps because it contained every visible option, each slot on the roulette was extremely small. A cold sweat trickled down his back. It was entirely because of the magical girl. The speed gradually decreased, and the roulette stopped.
- Ah, shit...
- Ju
- Jak
- This isn't it
- Ju
- Isn't a game all-clear way too easy for the streamer? lol
- Jak
“Aha.” Seo-jun let out an expression of genuine disappointment, smiling annoyingly. “If I fail, I’ll go for a Rage Quit all-clear.”
Rage Quit was a game title, a very difficult indie game. How difficult was it? Its name literally meant ‘rage quit,’ the English term for ‘ppakjong’ (ending the game out of anger). But both he and everyone else knew that this wasn't really a penalty for him.
“Alright, then I’m going straight into the capsule.”
- That smug look is so annoying lol
- Someone give him a lesson
[‘FakeDice’ has registered a mission!]
[Spin the roulette one more time to add one more penalty — Mission reward: 300,000 won]
Seo-jun’s hand, which was about to tidy up his computer screen, stopped. The nickname displayed through the settings was FakeDice. A big-spending viewer who, once they started donating, would send in units of 100,000 won.
“Hmm.” If spinning the roulette once more meant mission success? He couldn’t resist this. But accepting it right away was rookie thinking. “Everyone, if I spin this one more time and it lands on cross-dressing, I’ll be agonizing over whether to quit streaming and go into hiding. Why would I take that risk? I’m not doing it.”
- Lol is it that bad?
- Bro, let’s just become a full-on clown streamer!
- You’re not doing it? For real?
- There are so many amazing penalties out there, though...
That wasn’t it. If he was going to take on a risk, there had to be a return fitting of it. As if reading Seo-jun’s thoughts, a notification perfectly suited to the situation popped up.
[‘IfItCan'tBeSolvedWithMoney’ has added 100,000 won to the prize!]
[‘ThinkAboutWhetherTheAmountIsLacking’ has added 100,000 won!]
[‘MoreMoney’ has added 50,000 won to the prize!]
- Hahaha the unity is legendary
- Are you trying to mock me?!
- Are you trying to buy me with money?!
“Ah, this is really... I shouldn’t.” Saying that, the mouse cursor moved toward the roulette. Seeing Seo-jun’s words and actions contradict each other, the chat began to giggle.
- It was simply too much money to scold!
- Don't surrender to capitalism, comrade!
- Have you no pride?
Many mocking chats flew up, but Seo-jun went ahead and spun the roulette. A cheerful BGM played. When it stopped after a moment, Seo-jun’s face turned to a look like he had chewed on shit. He pressed his brow at the devastating result, then spoke.
“……You know if I succeed, that’s the end, right?” Right. If he really succeeded, that would be it.
- Of course. I know very well pfft lol
- Lololololololol
- (Through gritted teeth) If I wing, thet's thet?
- Thuzz murnle
- Magical girl, lesgo
- How the hell did it land on magical girl lol
- It’s the karma of capitalism, you see.
The roulette just had to stop on the one item the marker should never have pointed to.
[Dance in a magical girl costume in front of the main gate of the university the streamer attends]
Damn. This is exactly why you shouldn't chase money. He had been planning to take it seriously from the start. But now, he truly, truly had to give it everything he had.
* * *
Seo-jun entered the capsule and immediately launched For Justice. Beyond the village, bamboo shoots were springing up everywhere, and pandas were tumbling around the streets.
[You have reached LV 5. You can now select a martial arts faction to join.]
A guide message telling him to choose a martial arts faction filled his view. Seo-jun pressed confirm to clear the window and walked toward the central gathering area. It was to find the path to the Demon Cult.
- Since it’s the Demon Cult, you start off already having given up on a winning strategy
- With that kind of penalty, you’re really doing the Demon Cult? Not going Orthodox? lol
- Lolololol
“Sigh.” Seo-jun left behind the excited viewers. In For Justice, the detailed martial arts factions players could choose from numbered seven in total. From the Orthodox Faction: Mount Hua Sect, Namgung Family, Beggars' Sect. From the Unorthodox Faction: Green Forest, Tang Family, Assassin’s Den. And the Demon Cult. Uniquely, the Demon Cult had no sub-factions. However, its trait builds were more diverse than the other factions. So, there was a joke that ‘the reason the Demon Cult sucks is because no one has found the optimal build yet!’ But what kind of people were the veteran players? How could they have not found it? The accepted theory was that it was simply bad.
‘Honestly, I did consider Mount Hua, but I have absolutely no connection with that side.’ Seo-jun clicked his tongue and quickened his pace.
“Everyone, but if you choose Orthodox or Unorthodox, can you freely change your sub-faction?”
- Not freely lol
- But since it’s a change within the faction, there’s no penalty for the battlefield
- When you switch sects, the exam difficulty goes up compared to when you first join. So you need to choose well from the start.
“Ah, so you have to take an exam to join?”
- Yep
- And the Demon Cult is the hardest to get a high grade in lol
- Even the game has exams, how dirty!
“Ha, starting tomorrow, I’ll study before coming.” At Seo-jun's declaration to prepare beforehand, the viewers busied themselves teasing him again. But whatever they imagined, Seo-jun resolved to play the game efficiently.
He arrived at the center. It was the large building where they had started the occupation battle. Next to the building's entrance was a big map. When he approached and clicked it, a map spread out in front of Seo-jun like a hologram.
“I have to go outside the village.” The martial arts factions in For Justice were divided into two types by location. Either located inside the village, or outside. The Namgung Family, Tang Family, Beggars' Sect, and Assassin’s Den had their strongholds inside the village. And Mount Hua Sect, Green Forest, and the Demon Cult were situated on mountains to the east, west, and north respectively, based on the original starting location outside the village. “The Demon Cult is north.” Mount Hua was east, and Green Forest was west.
“I just need to follow the street straight up as I came.”
When he stepped outside the village, the mountain entrance appeared. Seo-jun climbed the stairs and headed to the Demon Cult atop the mountain.
“So, what’s the entrance exam for the Demon Cult? And the rewards?”
- You demonstrate a martial arts move to an NPC lol You just make up your own and show it.
- Is it because the Demon Cult’s concept is about making up builds from the start?
- Getting a high grade would be a nice boost at the beginning, but surely you won’t look at community guides, right?
- Ah lol, if you don’t want to become a magical girl, you need to look up all the guides now
- Fr, it’s like your feet are on fire
It seemed there were rewards. Substantial ones at that. If so, he definitely needed to do well.
“Ha, as if I’d follow a guide.”
There was no need to worry. A martial arts move? Whatever it was, the highest grade was as good as secured.