Chapter 103 - Chapter 103

Chapter 103

【Read only at hivetoons.org】

Looking around, looking around.

He scanned his surroundings.

A freshman who had attended for a year but still retained their freshness walked past.

Also a freshman who had now lost the dreams and romance of college.

The upperclassmen, who had thrown them away long ago, likewise passed him and crossed the main gate.

Various types of students.

And right here, now.

Jeon Jae-hoon, whose in-game nickname in For Chivalry was World's No. 1 Swordsman, was frowning for a completely different reason.

He scanned his surroundings once again.

His appearance, looking around with the hood of his coat pulled up and a mask hanging over his mouth, was definitely threatening in and of itself, and he knew it too, but he did not care.

South Korea's top prestigious university, Hankuk University.

‘A monster lives here.’

It was not a metaphorical meaning.

The swordsman thought so, and as the crosswalk light changed, he blended into the crowd of people and walked into the campus.

‘To think I have to do this just because I didn't go for one day...’

Waking up at 6:00 AM, going to the gym, and working out for about an hour was definitely a desirable thing.

Just working out was also good.

But morning exercise not only wakes up the body, but once you make it a routine, it gains strong power in itself.

So, it was undeniable that it was beneficial to him.

However, humans cannot live only by doing things that are good for their bodies!

If human beings could sustain their lives by doing only beneficial things, global fast-food franchise companies would have gone bankrupt long ago.

The game market would have collapsed, and the food service industry would have been reorganized to focus on health.

Therefore!

The conclusion was drawn that his failure to show up at the gym this morning was as natural a fact as the global success of the gaming market.

‘Let's endure just a little.’

The one whose name could not be spoken was said to take a leave of absence from school soon.

So, he just needed to be careful and not get caught for about a month.

[Is something wrong?]

[If you got hurt, rest well]

[Resting well is also a part of working out, so you don't need to feel too guilty!]

The hyungs he had become close with after meeting at the gym sent messages of concern.

They knew that he liked working out.

But that was not the truth.

Somehow, he had reached the realm of one who enjoys it, and once he went, he would do it again, but that and going to work out were separate issues.

‘Still, hearing this encouragement makes me want to do lower body exercises again.’

This was an addiction.

Exercise also releases dopamine and becomes addictive.

Gym rats are not made for nothing; surprisingly, since this sense of achievement becomes the driving force of success, its addictiveness is powerful.

Because it was a substance necessary for human survival.

Of course, even such an addiction could be completely cured just by looking at a single message that arrived this morning.

[진서준: ?]

No other words, just a single question mark.

Sending just that single question mark was so terrifying.

Yes.

It was now time to sever the relationship of master and disciple.

Had the Battleground not also concluded successfully?

He scanned the surroundings from within the crowd.

He identified the features of the terrain and the faces of people coming out of buildings so that he could hide his body at any time.

‘Wild animals must feel like this every moment.’

He realized why it was so difficult to give food to squirrels or other wild animals.

They always had to be on guard.

One might say, "The school is so big, why do you worry about meeting him?" but that was the same for nature.

Only, even if they had survived for years, a single moment of carelessness or mistake leading to death was the fate of prey, which was why they were on guard.

However,

Tap, tap.

Someone tapped his shoulder.

He turned around.

And he made eye contact with a senior who was slightly taller than him and had an unpleasant look.

Right, he had been careful today because of this risk, but he hadn't expected to actually meet him.

He should have just gone to school earlier or run away starting tomorrow.

“What are you doing?”

The wild

was indeed a hard place to survive.

He felt that fact deeply just now.

***

“Ah... that. Because of a cold and body aches...”

“Ah. Is that why you wore the mask too?”

“Yes...? Yes! Ah, of course. Because I shouldn't pass it on to others.”

“Right. Then you'll be completely cured by tomorrow. Right?”

The swordsman felt as if Seo-jun was speaking in a tone that showed he knew everything but was letting it slide just this once.

Who recovers from a cold and body aches in just one day!

So, that was definitely a threat.

He nodded his head.

Once.

Twice.

Gradually faster.

“Right. See you again tomorrow.”

“Yes!”

And his intuition that Seo-jun had noticed was true.

Seo-jun laughed inwardly, told him to listen to his lectures well, and then walked out of the main gate.

‘Where do you think you're escaping to?’

Seo-jun entered a nearby restaurant.

The time was 2:00 PM, which was a bit late for lunch, but timetables do not always go as one wishes.

He would leisurely eat his meal and then head to the appointment location.

‘By the way.’

Lately, he had constantly felt gazes directed at him.

Within the campus, and on the university street.

One might say it was just his imagination or self-conceit, but Seo-jun tended to trust his own senses.

And that was indeed the truth.

Because posts like this occasionally went up on the university community forum.

[Hankuk University's greatest output. Heavenly Demon 14. Agree???]

-A Demonic Sect member again...

-What is that lolol

-To think there are so many people walking the path of heresy and demons in Hankuk University. Begone!

-I went into the ITube link and he is ridiculously handsome.

-Entrepreneurs from Hankuk University? Investors? Developers? So what lol, do they wield swords better than the Heavenly Demon?

└Real lololol

-Crazy bastards

These posts were characterized by having very few comments compared to their view counts.

If one had to point out why, it was because For Chivalry belonged to the minor side.

Nevertheless, as such posts piled up, recognition of Seo-jun within the school was constantly rising.

However, for Seo-jun, who had not even used social media until he started streaming, it was impossible to know.

‘Hmm? He also took a break from streaming.’

While eating and scrolling down ITube, Tae-woo's notice popped up on Seo-jun's screen.

It was because he had subscribed.

[Because the day was good, because the day was not good, because the day was just right. Today I will take a break from streaming.]

It was Tae-woo's break notice.

He said he was going out earlier, was he doing this to come back late?

Thinking that he should ask how dinner would be handled after the meeting, Seo-jun naturally checked the comments.

Would it be similar to his?

-It was... the first murder.

└lololol so sorrowful

└Tae-woo, watch your back at night lol

└Crazy lol

-Then I am deeply curious just what kind of day it has to be for you not to take a break.

-When will this bastard find his initial mindset? He takes a break every day.

└Did you not watch his early broadcasts? Every day, his mom would barge in, leading to sudden streams ending and breaks; Tae-woo must never find his initial mindset.

It was similar.

It was similar indeed.

‘As expected.’

Seo-jun thought that he was walking the right path.

Although he was a bit lacking, Tae-woo was a successful streamer.

A streamer who had continuously grown from seven years ago, which could be called the early days of capsules, until now.

Therefore,

‘I should learn more.’

For a moment, Seo-jun felt his own shortcomings and burned with enthusiasm for learning—as if.

Looking at it like this, he realized how annoying the break notice he wrote today was from the viewers' perspective.

[Today's broadcast? Ah. I left it in the new era!]

-You seem to have left your conscience behind with it.

[Hello, viewers. Are you all having a good day? I don't think it's a good day for me because my stomach hurts. In that sense, you know what today's broadcast is, right?]

-If you give your home address, I will send you lactic acid bacteria. lol Please give it quickly?

[The sparrow raised at home pecked and ate the capsule's internal line. Sorry.]

-??? Ridiculous.

-Raising sparrows is illegal. I will report you so that you can take breaks continuously from now on.

└lolol

└I'm jealous of the infinite break.

‘I should be careful in the future.’

It was a good negative example.

***

“Hello. I am Park Hyuk-soo from the indie game developer MONSTER.”

“Hello.”

“First, I want to ask for your understanding. The CEO wanted to come in person, but since there are only three days left until the new release, he is very busy.”

“It is fine.”

There was nothing to understand or not.

Even if it was a small developer, comparing whether the representative showed up or not for this kind of thing, he thought it was somehow more fitting for them not to show up.

“Yes, yes. Then... um, shall we start the explanation when the other person arrives?”

There were still about two minutes left.

“Let's do that.”

Seo-jun sipped the drink placed on the table.

And two minutes passed.

They did not arrive.

Park Hyuk-soo tapped his phone with a flustered expression.

“Haha, it seems the other streamer is going to be a bit late. Due to some circumstances.”

“Is that so? By how much?”

“About thirty minutes...”

“Hmm...”

That could happen.

“Then, could you tell me who the partner is now?”

“Wouldn't a surprise be better?”

With three days left? Really?

“If I don't like the partner, I might really not sign the contract. Seriously.”

“Don't worry! It is someone you also know, Seo-jun-nim!”

Hmm. Is it Alpaca-nim?

Or was there a streamer among the people he was close with in For Chivalry?

He recalled that Bangju had said he didn't play these kinds of games himself.

Ominous.

It was because Tae-woo came to mind.

But if it was really that jerk,

it meant Tae-woo had prepared to head out since morning for a meeting at 4:00 PM.

It was amazing enough that there was a guy who prepared so early, but after preparing that early, he was thirty minutes late?

‘No way, a human being wouldn't do this.’

Seo-jun excluded Tae-woo on that baseline of minimum common sense.

“I understand. Don't resent me later. Please explain the game first.”

“Yes. First, as you checked in the email, the title of our game is Two Heads are Better.”

Thanks to Han Ji-min categorizing and summarizing numerous games, he knew the general content of most games that arrived in his email.

However, since he had selected this game for now, he needed to hear a more detailed explanation from the developer's perspective.

Two Heads are Better.

Strictly speaking, it was a title where only the back part of the English proverb 'Two heads are better than one' was briefly cut.

In Korean style, is it 'even a sheet of paper is lighter when lifted together'?

It was a phrase that well described the characteristics of a cooperative game.

“The basic story begins with two friends who were developing a game having a huge fight, and when development stops, a magical power throws them into the game whose development was halted.”

Developers.

At this point, Seo-jun asked what he had been wanting to ask.

“By any chance, is it half-based on a true story?”

“……We cannot say no personal feelings went into it. Haha. Anyway, the progression is quite standard.”

Cooperating with each other, they solve gimmicks and move forward.

It was the essence of co-op games.

And in these kinds of games, the partner usually has to be smart or have good physical skills so that one doesn't grind their teeth.

At that moment,

Clink.

the glass door of the cafe opened and a bell rang.

“I'm sorry. I'm late...”

And confirming the partner, Seo-jun smiled, nodding his head contentedly.

What.

It was really Tae-woo?

“I won't do it.”

He drew a conclusion immediately.

“Yes. Yes?”

To repeat, a cooperative game requires the partner to have a certain level of intelligence and skill so that it doesn't get frustrating.

He would say no more.