Chapter 85 - The Greatest Swordsman, Next (1)

It was time for the broadcast again.

Lee Kyungbok raised his hand lightly.

"Cheeh!"

The greeting, now familiar, was full of ease.

- Puh!

-(Puhcon)(Puhcon)(Puhcon)

- So glad there's no lag! Haha

- If the stream is a sword, the start should be sharp too!

- Indeed, Elden's Greatest Swordsman! Haha

- Best purple, thank you!

The viewers responded brightly.

Immediately, donations poured in as if they had been waiting.

['IsItPro?' donated '10,000' won.]

[Heeeng! Did you see the comment Anatomist wrote on PTube? Is he a pro now?]

['HiredMadman?' donated '5,000' won.]

[PTube says there's support from Madman. What's that about?]

['EldenMusa?' donated '50,000' won.]

[Not Musa, but double eyelids? Haha]

Due to the nature of the broadcast, donation opportunities were rare, so it became an unwritten rule to donate before the game started.

-Anatomist?

-Didn't you watch PTube? What are you doing?

-What? Isn't he Korean?

-Madman is a black company?

-It's true that Madgunners don't come up much these days. Haha

-Manager, ban the guy who made the Musa joke

-Oh, but 50,000 won is a lot, so we should give him a chance. Haha

The viewers responded immediately to the donations. Lee Kyungbok laughed and waved his hand.

"Hey, what pro? Mr. Madman is not an employee but a freelancer who helps occasionally. If the enemies are weak, it becomes Musa, right?"

Thus began the time for donations and gratitude. Since it would take some time for the viewers to gather, Lee Kyungbok happily responded.

He continued the conversation casually.

['AnatomistStatus' donated '5,000' won.]

[Anatomist has been streaming non-stop for 17 hours after writing a comment on PTube. Haha]

Lee Kyungbok's eyes widened at the new donation.

"17 hours? Wow, he must be making all the equipment."

-?

-eh?

-What's that supposed to mean? Haha

-How can he make everything? Haha

-He hasn't even made a single legendary item yet. Haha

The chat window's attention quickly shifted to this. Lee Kyungbok, looking utterly confused, asked.

"Really? That's strange... You're not following the Knight Alliance route like me, right? If you just kill the Gravekeeper and the Wraith Golem, the Snowfield opens, right?"

If he was focused on crafting, the Orthodox route would be faster.

"Not the Awakened Gravekeeper or the Wraith Golem, but if you skip the story cutscenes, you can do it every 2 hours."

Lee Kyungbok thought he must have tried at least 8 times. Moreover, he didn't choose the worst luck background like himself. It was puzzling that he didn't get a single legendary item.

-Just turn on PTube!

-Oh, starting with a joke?

-It's faster today

-What's 'faster' mean? Damn, Haha

-Not; Anatomist isn't a superhuman like you!

-Really, soul farming and equipment matching take about 5 hours.

-Yeah, this is the third attempt.

The viewers quickly provided information. Lee Kyungbok read the chat and slightly furrowed his brow.

"5 hours? No, even considering farming time, I set it for 2 hours."

-??????

-What? Is the unit of time different?

-GodPlay is like a black hole where time moves slowly.

-Really, you get sucked in when you watch.

-For us, time flies by.

-Oh, don't you know about the relativity of time? (I don't)

-Drive them away!

['AskOnBehalf' donated '10,000' won.]

[How many hours do you expect for the first craft?]

Lee Kyungbok glanced at the donation message. The calculation didn't take long.

"Hmm, since I've already cleared it, I know the strategy. If you skip the story, it should take less than an hour."

-(Puhdojangcon)(Puhdojangcon)

-An hour, damn, Haha

-From the start to the Snowfield Dragon cutscene in an hour?

-Oh, but it feels like it could work, so I'm excited.

-Really, GodPlay can do a speedrun without upgrades or farming.

-An hour? Haha, if you ignore the mobs and just do the boss cutscenes, 30 minutes should be enough.

-Really, if you take the Orthodox route, 30 minutes is enough.

-Is there a smurf who can get a unique-grade item in 30 minutes?

-Damn, even ordering food takes more than 30 minutes. Haha

The chat window was filled with laughter, even though it was a bit absurd. For other streamers, it might be an exaggerated claim, but for Lee Kyungbok, it was entirely possible.

"Alright, let's wrap up the chat and end the donations. If the broadcast gets too long, my editor friend will be tired."

Lee Kyungbok subtly checked the number of viewers. With over 10,000, it was time to start the game.

-The editor uploads like a knife. Haha

-Given GodPlay's personality, it's inevitable. Haha

-While pretending to worry, he's actually...

-Black company special: The boss manages his image well. Haha

-If the editor wants to reveal the truth, wave a carrot!

The viewers immediately started joking, as if they had found prey.

"Ah, putting another frame on it. I even treated him to samgyetang for his hard work today."

-Oh, samgyetang

-Is it a whole chicken? Or half?

-Is it a retort? Haha

-Isn't it a misconception to think a chicken is in samgyetang?

-Well, then what's in it? Haha

-Streamers, gritting their teeth, trying to push it.

-Brain snap!

Lee Kyungbok chuckled and immediately diverted their attention.

"Alright, today I plan to see the ending of EldenSouls. Let's start!"

-Oh, he's in the mood to clear it.

-Wow, I'm ordering chicken right away!

-I knew this would happen, so I didn't eat dinner!

-Oh, I've already checked all the snacks. Haha

-What kind of hardcore streamers prioritize the broadcast over meals? Haha

-Ah, this is what a true PTube viewer is.

At Lee Kyungbok's declaration to clear the game, the viewers couldn't hide their excitement. The background soon changed, and EldenSouls started.

"Right where I left off yesterday."

Lee Kyungbok confirmed his position. He was still standing at the entrance of the castle from the previous broadcast.

In front of him, the royal garden had transformed into a maze.

"This is practically a wall, isn't it?"

Lee Kyungbok tilted his head slightly and looked up. The tall inner walls, with little sunlight, made the garden plants grow vertically like a wall.

-Whether you look at the thickness or the height, it's a wall. Haha

-This area is surprisingly tricky.

-Oh, it was really frustrating the first time.

-No spoilers, please.

-If it's a spoiler, GodPlay will catch it!

-I liked it because it was the first place I traveled with Nuna.

-It's also a place made specifically for Nuna. Haha

Lee Kyungbok tilted his head at the viewers' reactions.

'It doesn't seem like there's any problem.'

His divine senses and intuition started collecting information around him. However, he didn't feel any threat.

'Is it because of the maze-like structure? But it's not that complicated.'

All he could see were the giant walls and pathways, but Lee Kyungbok could grasp the overall structure of the maze.

The collected information drew a map in his mind, like a bird's-eye view.

"Let's try to get out."

Lee Kyungbok walked confidently. He didn't hesitate for a second at the crossroads. There was no reason to hesitate when he knew the way.

But the viewers, unaware of this, were amazed.

-Why isn't he stopping at all? Haha

-What kind of action is this?

-What? Did he look at a guide?

-Guide? Haha, it shows he's an Elden noob.

-Really, the maze is randomly generated.

-What is he so confident about?

-He's going straight, but the path is completely clear. Haha

-Not getting blocked once? Is this statistically possible?

-1 in 100,000, maybe?

-Does he see something others can't?

The viewers expressed their amazement and speculation. However, Lee Kyungbok soon had to stop abruptly.

"Huh?"

The leaves rustled, and suddenly vines entangled like a spider web from both sides, turning the path in front of him into a wall.

Lee Kyungbok's eyes widened in surprise.

-Haha, that's unexpected.

-Really, if you don't know, you'll end up like that.

-Seeing GodPlay's surprised face is quite rare.

-Tada! In fact, this garden is alive!

-You got caught in a surprise attack! Haha

-It keeps changing, so if you make a wrong move, it's really frustrating. Haha

The viewers explained, enjoying Lee Kyungbok's surprised reaction. However, he didn't really need an explanation.

'The structure is changing not just here, but everywhere.'

The map in his mind was updating in real-time. Naturally, wandering around wouldn't solve the problem.

"The garden is moving. I can feel the power of sorcery... There must be a totem installed."

Alicia, sitting on his shoulder, whispered. When Lee Kyungbok turned to look, she was concentrating, her hands on her head and her head tilted.

"Hmm... If we find and destroy the totem, the activity will stop. I'll let you know when we get close."

-Oh, the mini version is even cuter.

-Really, the physical version is good, but this is cuter.

-This is what being cute feels like.

-From here on, just listen to Nuna.

The standard approach would be to rely on Alicia's guidance to destroy the totem. But Lee Kyungbok decided to try something different.

'After all, they're just plants, right?'

He drew his sword and chanted a spell in his mind, causing a blue flame to rise along the blade.

He immediately swung his sword at the wall.

The wall began to burn with a whooshing sound. But what followed was unexpected.

-Ah, you can't not do this.

-Really, it becomes invincible.

-GodPlay is just trying to avoid the hassle of wandering.

-The problem is, From already knows this. Haha

New vines sprouted from the burning wall, quickly covering the flames. The space that had briefly opened up was immediately sealed.

"The totem's sorcery is too strong. It would be faster to find and destroy the totem."

Alicia's words were met with immediate agreement from the viewers.

-Alicia's lines = From's thoughts

-It's a waste of effort, anyway.

-He tried to burn everything with a fire spell, but it didn't work!

-From's will: Go on a date with Alicia!

-What kind of date is this? Haha

-You have to go on a date to know...

-Stop it! I'm going to cry!

-But the repair speed is really too fast, making it impossible. Haha

Lee Kyungbok smiled faintly and nodded at the viewers' reactions.

"Indeed, it's fast."

But his agreement went only that far.

"But I think I can break through this."

Question marks filled the chat window. Lee Kyungbok, instead of answering, gripped his sword again.

The blue flame traced a path, cutting into the wall. Vines tried to fill the gaps, just like before.

But this time, Lee Kyungbok's response was different.

'As long as they don't entangle, it's fine.'

The flames from his body quickly covered the vines trying to connect.

-????????

-What?

-Damn!

-His eyes are rolling again!

-Eyes! Those eyes!

-He's aiming to cut them off?

Lee Kyungbok controlled the flames, burning the vines before they could entangle. Without entanglement, there was no repair. He passed through the wall he had created.

"Can I?"

The short question that came from his mouth was met with a long reaction in the chat window.

-eh?

-Can he really?

-Wow, he's hitting them with pinpoint accuracy.

-Info: GodPlay once hit a grenade pin in real life.

-Not the same, though. Haha

-Isn't this supposed to be blocked by the system?

-Yeah, the vines are invincible and connect automatically.

-Really, there's a video showing the flames avoid the vines.

The viewers were shocked. It seemed like an impossible feat, system-wise.

-So it's a bug, damn.

-Not a system bug, but GodPlay himself is the bug.

-Really, he intercepted something the system blocked.

-If he can do this, the system can't stop him. Haha

-This is what we call a 'Perfect Bug.'

-Perfect Bug, indeed. Haha

-He even made a bug perfect.

-??? : Is this enough?

-??? : Yeah, no human can break through this.

-But he's not human. Haha

-From's developers are crying. Haha

While the viewers were satisfied, Lee Kyungbok smoothly broke through the wall. Once he succeeded, the next breakthrough was easier, and his speed increased.

"Ah, I'm out."

As he finally escaped the garden, he felt something stirring on his shoulder.

Turning around, he saw Alicia sitting dejectedly.

"I... couldn't help, could I?"

This was an unexpected situation, and Lee Kyungbok was momentarily speechless.

-Haha, there's a line for that.

-This is what she says if you don't destroy the totem and leave. Haha

-From must have anticipated this for veteran players. Haha

-Really, rotten souls always find a way. Haha

-From's attention to detail, indeed. Haha

-But this is GodPlay's first playthrough!

-Oh, calling him a veteran, huh!

-What to do