Chapter 5
Ever since humanity first formed groups, it had never once been truly united.
That was probably an eternal truth.
Unless the population drops into the thousands, anyway.
The Magic Stones and Gold produced by Arenas were far too attractive to humans.
A substance that provided extremely efficient energy without causing environmental pollution?
It sounded like something out of a dream.
There was a simple way for Players to obtain Magic Stones and Gold.
Clear Arena Quests.
But there was another way.
Streaming.
Gathering spectators and viewers.
Why?
Because the more viewers subscribe to a Player, the more benefits the Player receives.
When someone awakened and became registered in the System as a Player, they received their own Channel.
Viewers could watch Players' overall performances through the System.
Then, if they found someone they liked, they could subscribe to that Player's Channel.
As the number of subscribers increased, the Player gained a choice.
Increase the amount of Magic Stones and Gold earned based on subscribers and viewers.
Or...
“...”
Like now.
[Player Lee Do-jin's Channel Viewers: 12 / Watched for 5 minutes]
[Experience Gain Increased: +12%]
[Player Lee Do-jin's Channel Viewers: 20 / Watched for 5 minutes]
[Experience Gain Increased: +20%]
[Player Lee Do-jin's Channel Viewers: 25 / Watched for 5 minutes, 3 / Watched for 10 minutes]
[Experience Gain Increased: +55%]
A grin appeared on Do-jin's lips.
He could increase the amount of Experience he gained.
Before my regression, nobody cared about this benefit.
It was easier to gain more Magic Stones and Gold and equip yourself with Items than to bother leveling up.
But for the current Do-jin, this effect was extremely valuable.
The other Players gritted their teeth as they watched him check the chat and notification windows.
“Hey! More of you, get over here!”
The public chat floating above the Players had been flooded with viewer messages for some time.
And the center of attention was...
Do-jin.
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Is that guy really F-rank?
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If he logged into an F-rank Arena, I guess so...?
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He's completely dominating!
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Of course the chat was excited.
A completely unknown Player who had clearly made his debut today had already defeated dozens of Players.
“Judging from those movements, he's definitely a Warrior-type.”
“Then who's controlling the Skeletons?”
Even headhunters and critics in the stands, people who had seen countless types of Players, could not understand Do-jin.
Damn it! This wasn't supposed to happen!
How did things get this messed up?
Why the hell doesn't this bastard look tired?!
The scouts and viewers were amazed.
The Players were shocked and confused.
And there was another reason for all of it.
Do-jin's performance itself.
There were differences in Levels between Players, but as long as everyone was F-rank, their overall mana capacity could not differ too dramatically.
A Player capable of single-handedly defeating dozens of F-rank Players should have been at least C-rank.
There was a simple reason Do-jin could do it.
This is nothing.
How many times did I fight multiple enemies at once before I regressed?
When the Main Scenario first began, Do-jin had also been only one of countless low- and mid-ranking Players.
By the time he finally became strong enough to properly hold his own, less than ten percent of humanity's Players remained alive.
In that shitty situation, one Player taking on multiple enemies was just daily life.
Because of that, Do-jin's fighting style had developed around extremely precise and efficient mana control.
Just like now.
He had only just awakened, so the amount of mana in his body was practically insignificant.
He distributed it only to the areas where it mattered.
His feet for smooth movement.
His hands for precise attacks.
Any remaining mana was concentrated in his eyes or ears so he could understand and calculate the situation before his opponents did.
For example, a Player swinging a greatsword in front of him...
At this rate, he'll lose his balance slightly in one second.
So Do-jin lightly hooked the man's foot.
The startled Player lost strength in his hands for an instant.
Do-jin took the greatsword away and swung it.
His mana is fluctuating.
That wave means a Mage is preparing a Skill.
The target is... me. An attack spell?
Do-jin grabbed another subdued Player and threw him directly into the line of fire.
The Mage's chant immediately broke.
Every part of Do-jin's combat ability came from the accumulated experience of his previous life.
But the other Players knew nothing about that.
Naturally, they were furious.
“This is cheating!”
Their frustration grew even worse when sponsorship windows began appearing.
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[Corn Spear] donated 10 Gold.
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[Lovely] donated 5 Gold.
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[Shadow King] donated 1 Magic Stone.
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“Damn it! The viewers are only watching that bastard!”
Blue windows had been constantly appearing and disappearing around Do-jin.
Anyone with basic Player knowledge immediately knew what they were.
Sponsorship windows.
Damn it! Why did a monster like him have to show up in this Arena?!
Then Do-jin's gaze suddenly locked onto one particular window.
His arms and legs did not stop skillfully countering and attacking the other Players.
But his eyes clearly focused on the newly appeared message.
“...!”
A strange smile appeared on his pale face.
It sent chills through every Player nearby.
“Interesting.”
Viewers occasionally sent windows like this to Players in the middle of Quests.
Most of the time, it was simply some rich person with too much money and time playing around.
But Do-jin could not ignore the Mission Window that had just appeared.
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[Cheerful Mask] donated 20 Gold.
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[Mission: Destroy every disc and receive 500 Gold. Crush every bastard who picks a fight with you and receive 20 Low-Grade Magic Stones.]
[Accept?]
[Yes / No]
Do-jin did not particularly care about the Gold or Magic Stones.
His eyes remained fixed on the nickname.
Cheerful Mask.
“I'll gladly accept.”
At that moment, Do-jin's eyes flashed dangerously.
His mana immediately surged.
“...!”
For an instant, Do-jin's senses and nerves reconnected with the Crow Skeletons in a completely new way.
“Hoo...”
The Players around him seemed to realize he was doing something.
They rushed him even more desperately.
But Do-jin remained completely calm.
Complex and precise combat thinking developed through countless battles where he was always outnumbered.
That mind combined with the mana connection between Necromancer and minions.
Do-jin's senses merged with the Skeletons.
Whoosh!
On the ground, a Spearman thrust his spear at Do-jin.
Do-jin avoided it by shifting only one step.
At the same time, he grabbed the spear and stole it.
Then kicked the Player away.
Roll, roll... BAM!
“Agh!”
“Ugh!”
The disarmed Spearman rolled across the ground like a barrel.
Then crashed directly into a Priest-class Player who had been preparing a support Skill.
