Chapter 56 - Rapidly Rising (2)

The Rapidly Rising Videos section.

It was a section that every creator on QubeTube aspired to be in. QubeTube’s algorithm automatically recommends videos to users, but not all recommended videos suit every user’s taste.

Users might search for keywords if they have something specific in mind, but when they can’t think of anything they want to watch, they often end up thinking, “Is there anything to watch?”

In such situations, users would head to the ‘Rapidly Rising Videos’ section.

“Someone who usually watches food broadcasts might be drawn to a music show.”

Choi Byunghoon thought as he frequently refreshed the QubeTube channel. If a video appeared in this section, it could attract new viewers beyond the QubeTube algorithm.

“The view count is rising smoothly.”

There are, of course, criteria for ranking rapidly rising videos. While QubeTube does not provide detailed explanations of the calculation methods, they do give a general idea.

“But the view count is just the baseline. The speed of view count growth and external traffic are crucial.”

The criteria include the speed at which views increase and the number of times the video is shared externally and accessed through those shares.

In this regard, the video of the battle between Purple and NewtonZa was well-suited to meet these conditions.

“Good, it’s starting to climb.”

Choi Byunghoon checked the bulletin boards of various gaming communities.

[Breaking News) NewtonZa’s First Defeat! (999+)]

[NewtonZa Destroyed Haha (841)]

[NewtonZa’s Million-Won Bet, Is It Real? (819)]

News of NewtonZa’s defeat had already spread across the community boards when it happened. These were raw clips of the unedited footage.

Given this situation, people already knew that Purple had defeated NewtonZa. Would an edited video still attract attention?

“It will.”

If it were a typical style, it wouldn’t draw much attention. But this game was different.

This could be seen from the comments on the existing popular posts.

[- Seriously, what kind of clip is over 20 minutes?]

[- Is he a beginner streamer? Haha]

[- Busy people, start watching from 19 minutes]

Unlike before, Lee Kyungbok didn’t immediately finish off his opponent. He prolonged the battle to gauge NewtonZa’s skills, making the video longer.

Not many community users watched the entire long video.

“The other posts only shared the results.”

Other community users who had seen the precedent posted videos that only showed the outcome of the clips.

[- What, it just says he won?]

[- How did he win?]

[- Why is this so short?]

[- What’s so great about it?]

[- NewtonZa betting a million won is impressive Haha]

[- I guess I’ll just wait for the video on QubeTube.]

Knowing only the result but not the process, the edited video was like pouring gasoline on smoldering embers.

[Highlights of NewtonZa’s Defeat! (447)]

A new post quickly gained recommendations and rose to the top. Choi Byunghoon’s smile couldn’t be wiped off his face.

With each refresh, the comments multiplied as if by magic.

[- Oh Haha, look at NewtonZa team-killing]

[- Still, 1v1 is pretty cool]

[- Haha, he’s just a sniper]

[- Haha, it’s just a concept]

[- Chatting and just gg, lol]

[- The guy is crazy Haha]

[- But it’s not just for show]

[- NewtonZa is so pissed Haha]

The initial reactions to the video were ordinary, but the comments changed dramatically as the battle began.

[- Wow Haha, edited videos are different]

[- What’s this speed?]

[- This editing style is like MadGunner’s?]

[- At first, NewtonZa was doing well]

Madman decided there was nothing to cut from this video. However, for the viewers, the video needed to be condensed.

Therefore, Madman focused on enhancing the visual appeal through selective editing, and the method he chose was ‘speed’ adjustment.

[- NewtonZa, damn, his skills are insane]

[- But how did Purple dodge that?]

[- Haha, it’s so close]

[- Every time the bullet camera goes slow, I flinch Haha]

Scenes similar to each other were ‘accelerated’ to pass quickly, while tense moments were highlighted with ‘slow-motion’ effects.

[- Crazy Haha, blocking bullets with a gun]

[- Is that possible?]

[- Did he throw it on purpose?]

[- I saw the live stream, he really aimed to block it Haha]

[- Wow, you have to do this to win.]

[- Haha, the gun malfunctioned]

[- Suddenly, a knife fight?]

[- Haha, what are these guys doing?]

[- Haha, he’s definitely a special forces veteran]

[- Suddenly, it feels like an action movie]

[- Haha, the slow-motion is perfect]

[- He dodges so narrowly]

[- The rain sound removal makes it clean and good]

[- Haha, that’s why I waited for the edited video]

[- I watched the clip, but it feels like a waste of time Haha]

[- This one has to be watched in the edited version]

Thanks to this, the video became even more thrilling, leaving no room for boredom.

As a result, the highlight video post climbed the popularity rankings.

“The momentum is good. Streamers from other communities are coming in.”

The highlight video started spreading not only in the GunnerGround community but also in other gaming communities.

The reason was simple.

Not all of NewtonZa’s targets were GunnerGround players.

[NewtonZa’s Education!]

[Our Sundubu was sniped by NewtonZa, and he lost Haha]

[HumanCandy, NewtonZa was defeated!]

The video was posted in communities of recently popular games, games that streamers used to play frequently, and even on the fan pages of streamers who were NewtonZa’s victims.

“Beyond my imagination?”

Choi Byunghoon stopped monitoring the communities and returned to the QubeTube page. He widened his eyes at the rising view count, which was increasing faster than expected.

[Today’s Rapidly Rising Videos #3]

The caption below the video.

With this, the view count growth gained even more momentum. Choi Byunghoon immediately checked the section exposure.

“Wow…”

Seeing the video nestled between popular terrestrial entertainment shows, his heart swelled with pride.

[- Seriously? This was a game?]

[- I thought it was FakeMan again]

[- No way! Streamer process!]

[- I thought it was a movie trailer]

[- Yeah, the editing is amazing]

[- Are these gamers action actors?]

Thanks to the exposure, comments from non-gamers also appeared. Choi Byunghoon, satisfied, scanned the comments and noticed one that stood out.

[MuscleGallery]

[- Seriously, did they receive professional training? Is this really just from playing the game? It’s truly excellent! As expected, perfect!]

“Seriously, this again…”

Choi Byunghoon chuckled and quickly pinned the comment to the top.

[- Haha, here we go again]

[- Another MuscleGallery comment Haha]

[- Wow, friends! It’s the bald guy!]

[- MinDungSan! I see you often!]

[- 100% GodPlay casting Haha]

[- MinDungSan’s GodPlay physique makes me drool]

[- Haha, he’ll be out soon]

The comments, proving the video’s attention, piled up instantly.

The view count had already surpassed a million, and the number of channel subscribers was skyrocketing.

With the subscriber count surpassing 250,000 and heading towards 300,000, Choi Byunghoon’s eyes widened, seemingly forgetting his fatigue.

‘With this momentum, we can really aim for 2 million!’

And it was still early, with the sun not yet up.

* * *

The next day, at the team Perfect’s regular cafe.

“…So you couldn’t sleep?”

At Park Juhwan’s question, Choi Byunghoon nodded. Although dark circles under his eyes were evident, his face was full of happiness.

“No. I kept telling myself to sleep, but I couldn’t. My heart was pounding so much, I thought I was going crazy. I don’t understand how you guys could sleep in that situation.”

“We drank a bit.”

Lee Kyungbok shrugged. Park Juhwan sighed beside him.

“Man, if you can’t sleep, what’s the point of having an assistant editor…?”

“Ah, Madman stayed up with me too. He really liked it. He was happy that the effort paid off.”

Park Juhwan’s eyes twinkled at this. Before he could say anything, Lee Kyungbok chuckled and interjected.

“Thanks for all the effort. Please pass on my gratitude. I was really surprised when I saw the results this morning. Right, Juhwan?”

“…Yeah. The results were definitely good.”

Park Juhwan checked the view count on the smart link again.

“It’s already over 1.4 million. It should approach 2 million before the day is over.”

“Yeah, and the subscriber count has surpassed 400,000. It’s all thanks to the good exposure.”

Choi Byunghoon nodded with a satisfied smile. The current QubeTube subscriber count had surpassed 400,000.

The leading digit had doubled overnight.

“Man, you guys can’t understand that feeling. The numbers kept rising with each refresh…”

“Let’s start with the business emails we received.”

“Again, ignoring them?”

Park Juhwan interrupted, and Choi Byunghoon playfully wrinkled his nose.

“We’re not here to play. This time, MuscleGallery has requested another casting.”

“Ah, I saw the comment. They’re back?”

Lee Kyungbok’s eyes widened. They had received a casting request before but declined it.

“This time, they said it’s okay to not reveal your face and wear a mask like MinDungSan.”

“A mask…?”

Lee Kyungbok furrowed his brow slightly.

MinDungSan was a QubeTube creator who didn’t reveal his face. He wore sunglasses and a mask for his content.

“Hmm, it doesn’t seem like a good choice.”

After a moment’s thought, Lee Kyungbok replied.

“I don’t plan to continue as a character like MinDungSan. And I don’t want to reveal my face yet.”

“Can you explain why?”

At Park Juhwan’s question, the other two friends looked at him.

“No, I’m not forcing you to reveal your face. Knowing the reason in advance will help me reject similar offers in the future.”

“Oh, you want guidelines?”

Choi Byunghoon nodded in understanding, but Lee Kyungbok scratched his head.

“But it’s a bit hard to explain to others.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m worried that if I reveal my face, a viewer might recognize me and approach me.”

“Why?”

“You know, I’m good at recognizing people.”

“Oh… Is it related to ‘that’?”

At Choi Byunghoon’s question, Lee Kyungbok nodded.

“I don’t want to meet fans offline yet. If they find out I like ‘that,’ it might get complicated.”

There was no feeling conveyed through the chat window. The fans he met in the virtual reality only gave game-related impressions.

But meeting fans in real life was different. Lee Kyungbok would inevitably have to ‘judge’ them.

The two friends nodded in understanding.

“Well, depending on ‘that,’ the reactions could vary, and who knows what might be said.”

“Also, if my face is known, Kyungbok’s acquaintances might try to take advantage.”

“Ah, that’s true. Remember those guys who tried to be friends with you in school? The ones who pretended to be cool and then turned on you?”

“They were obvious. They tried to use you to get close to girls, and when it didn’t work out, they just gossiped behind your back.”

Choi Byunghoon’s old memories made Park Juhwan nod in agreement. Lee Kyungbok smiled bitterly.

“They were just immature.”

“Immature? They were all over you until they found out your grandmother was a shaman. Thinking about it now, they’re disgusting.”

Choi Byunghoon scrunched his face, recalling the past. The classmates who tried to befriend him changed their attitude when they learned his grandmother was a shaman.

It wasn’t that he had done anything wrong, but being from a shaman’s family made them wary.

Lee Kyungbok chuckled and shrugged.

“I didn’t expect anything from them, so it didn’t bother me.”

“Anyway, your mental strength is….”

Choi Byunghoon was more passionate than Lee Kyungbok, but he couldn’t get angry if Lee said he was fine.

“Anyway, the point is that enjoying the broadcasts purely is the priority right now.”

“Yeah, MuscleGallery is big and good, but we don’t have much in common yet, so there’s no need to rush.”

At Choi Byunghoon’s words, Lee Kyungbok smiled lightly and looked at Park Juhwan.

“Juhwan, please reject that offer for now.”

“Got it. Then I’ll have to carefully consider offers that align more with us.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s an interview request.”

Park Juhwan showed them an email.

“MetaGamer wants to write an interview article.”

MetaGamer.

It was a request from Korea’s top gaming webzine.