Chapter 78: Starlight World (11)

The aftermath of the raid failure was more severe than expected.

No, perhaps it was an inevitable result.

They had prepared in their own way, but in front of the wall named ‘true ordeal,’ everyone was equally powerless.

Leaning back in my chair, I watched the scenery within the monitor.

The screen, divided into dozens of segments, showed the broadcasts of various streamers and the current status of ‘Starlight World’ in real-time.

Among them, my gaze lingered longest on the broadcast screens of the Starlight members.

The one who had received the biggest shock was, as expected, Jungyeon.

As the main tank, she seemed to feel a great sense of responsibility for the party’s collapse.

She logged into ‘Starlight World’ day and night, dedicating herself to control practice.

She set up a scarecrow and practiced blocking attacks of all patterns, or replayed the raid footage in slow motion, analyzing her movements and skill timings.

On the screen, Jungyeon’s character was almost always moving, except when sleeping.

“Wow, her determination is no joke.”

I clicked my tongue, yet I was inwardly satisfied.

That kind of tenacity is how one grows.

Sometimes she would whisper to me, casually asking for the ‘Giant Horned Slime King’s’ weaknesses or strategy tips, but I always answered firmly, as usual.

[Whisper] Zelnaga : Figure it out yourself. If I tell you that, I’m doomed.

[Whisper] Rinne : No, still, since you made it, CEO-nim, you must know something! Just a tiny bit! If we keep it quiet, no one will know!

[Whisper] Zelnaga : OK I’ll tell you

[Whisper] Rinne : N-No! It was a joke! Don’t say it! I’m streaming right now!

[Whisper] Zelnaga : If you keep messing around, I’ll really spill it.

Jungyeon would occasionally whisper to me for a change of pace, but ultimately, she set out to find the method herself.

The community reaction was also fervent.

Title: What’s up with Rinne’s stream?

She’s practically streaming 24/7.

Seriously, just because she failed one raid, she’s practicing with clenched teeth? LOLOLOLOL

Is she preparing to go pro or something??

We all talked about it and concluded it was an equipment issue, didn’t we? LOLOLOLOLOL

Just get some better gear and enhance it a few times, and you’ll beat it, right?

• Rinne, that tenacious b*tch, is really grinding LOLOLOL

• She’s been doing closed-door training alone since dawn yesterday LOLOLOLOLOL

• If she fails again after all this, her mental will really shatter LOLOLOLOL

• Honestly, wasn’t it a lack of DPS rather than a tank issue?
  ㄴ I agree, the dealers melted too fast.
  ㄴ The problem is they couldn’t deal damage while Rinne was tanking.
  ㄴ That’s not it either. Frankly, it’s a fact that it would be easier if the tank didn’t die in one charge.

Title: When is the next Starlight World patch?

Honestly, it’s been the same screens repeating lately.

And when the fck is Solar’s hidden job going to happen?

It doesn’t make sense that she found it but can’t even change to the hidden job.

Zelnaga, you fcking b*stard, come out right now.

• Seriously LOLOLOLOLOL

• I think if they beat that raid mob, the next area will open ㅇㅇ (TL: ㅇㅇ means yes/agree)

• So what do you guys think Solar’s hidden job will be??
  ㄴ Leaving that aside, the party balance is perfect right now. If Solar suddenly changes to a dealer, it’s f*cked LOL
  ㄴ Then they can just recruit one more person.
  ㄴ I think it’s a support hidden job.

The Ggizzik Gallery folks, as always, were heating up the gallery with a mixture of complaints, ridicule, and a bit of anticipation.

Even their sharp reactions were an element that made up this grand stage called ‘Starlight World.’

All I had to do was enjoy all this commotion while munching on popcorn from the audience seat.

And Ajung was the same as Jungyeon.

Having keenly felt her lack of damage output, she researched new skill builds and wandered every nook and cranny of ‘Starlight World’ to find more efficient hunting grounds.

She even attempted to raise her ‘Blacksmithing’ life skill to craft usable equipment herself.

‘Raising a life skill isn’t bad either.’

Most items made through crafting were inferior in performance to those obtained from hunting, but that was only in the early stages.

Later on, ‘master-class’ life skill users would be highly sought after.

Ajung didn’t hesitate to venture into dangerous, untrodden areas to obtain rare leather.

Her broadcast chat window was filled with all sorts of information and backseat gaming.

• Ajung, honestly, your control is bad, but your skill build is entirely control-oriented.

• Isn’t wolf leather a better material than the leather from the mobs you’re hunting now?

• Ajungajung, let’s just level up instead of doing this.

• Let’s admit it and just switch jobs. If you switch to a mage, it’s over, for real.

• Hah, this girl is especially cute today LOLOLOL The way she’s concentrating and nibbling her lips, I just want to—

Conversely, Yoon Sol was trying a slightly different approach.

The ‘Twilight Gem Brooch’ she had discovered.

She focused on the keyword ‘twilight boundary’ from the item description.

Could it be that the brooch only reacts at specific times?

Could its power only manifest in specific locations?

She wandered through various places in ‘Starlight World’ in accordance with the times of sunrise and sunset.

Ancient ruins, moonlit lakeshores, or even bizarre terrains where light and darkness intersected.

Sometimes, she would even risk solo exploration into dangerous territories.

Her broadcast had a quiet but profound atmosphere, different from the other members’ streams.

Viewers, as if watching a documentary, accompanied her journey, offering various speculations and advice.

• Solar-nim, have you been to the ancient altar on the mountain peak at twilight? It had a certain atmosphere.

• The brooch description mentioned ‘attunement,’ so maybe you have to kill light and dark attribute monsters simultaneously?

• Or maybe you need to max out the affinity with a specific NPC to unlock the next step?

• Solar, you don’t need any of that. If you change to a hidden job, you’ll be number one, for real.

‘The viewers are having fun too.’

They were going beyond simply watching the broadcast and were co-creating the game.

The members listened to the viewers’ advice but didn’t follow it blindly.

They judged for themselves, experimented, sometimes failed, and found their own paths.

In that process, the chat window often became a lively forum for discussion.

[Huh? This skill build is better than I thought? The critical hit chance decreases a bit, but the base attack power increases much more.]

In the chat window, an analysis of the pros and cons of that skill build continued in real-time.

Some viewers even presented data they had personally experimented with, supporting Ajung’s discovery.

[Everyone, I don’t think ‘twilight boundary’ simply means time or place. Maybe it has a symbolic meaning, like where light and darkness coexist…?]

Yoon Sol said cautiously, fiddling with the brooch.

At her words, viewers suggested other possibilities and continued their deductions.

Some offered philosophical interpretations, while others spun outlandish conspiracy theories.

Jungyeon was still wrestling with the scarecrow.

However, she wasn’t just blindly charging in like before; she was analyzing patterns, timing her moves, and responding much more calmly.

The number of failures hadn’t decreased, but the nature of those failures was changing.

Her broadcast chat window resembled a fighting game commentary broadcast.

• No, that timing was way too early just nowㅏㅏㅏㅏㅏ (TL: ㅏㅏㅏㅏㅏ is like ‘aaaaah’ or emphasizing sound)

• Instead of trying to dodge, it seems best to parry and counter.

• Wow, f*ck, this is so frustrating.

• Scarecrow killer LOLOLOLOLOLOL

• Alright, alright, scarecrow refill please~

[Haa… This is really hard. But still, something… I feel like I’m starting to get a feel for something.]

Even while sweating profusely, the light in her eyes was still alive.

I watched the entire process comfortably seated.

It felt like watching a well-crafted growth drama.

Of course, this was still just the prologue.

‘Is it about time to throw another piece of bait?’

A playful mood suddenly struck me.

It was admirable how hard they were working, and at the same time, seeing them struggle so much made me want to tease them.

Especially Jungyeon, who was exceptionally fun to tease.

[Whisper] Zelnaga : So, have you gotten the hang of it?? Are you still playing with the scarecrow???

I sent a whisper at the perfect timing.

Sure enough, Jungyeon’s character flinched and froze.

[Whisper] Rinne : Hup! CEO-nim! Were you watching again? Why do you keep peeking!

The usual reactive response. But this time, it was a little different.

[Whisper] Rinne : But CEO-nim. Be honest with me. Haven’t I gotten a bit better now? The chat window just teases me all the time, so I don’t know..

It was an unexpected question.

A question that the usual Jungyeon would never ask, one that sounded somewhat weak.

I paused my fingers over the keyboard for a moment.

“Hmm?”

Did I torment her too much? Or is she genuinely asking for advice?

I chuckled and started typing again.

[Whisper] Zelnaga : I told you before, didn’t I? That you’re doing well. The viewers like Rinne, that’s why they joke around and stuff. Have some confidence.

[Whisper] Zelnaga : But to be honest, I don’t think you have talent LOLOLOL

As expected, compliments or comfort weren’t my style.

Even as I was typing the chat, I got goosebumps myself, so I ended it playfully.

[Whisper] Rinne : Ah, seriously!!! Even when you’re trying to comfort me, do you have to do it like that? And I’m good at games, you know? CEO-nim, you don’t remember when we played LoL together, again!

She was still reacting, but her reply had a different kind of confidence than before.

Anyway.

[Whisper] Zelnaga : That was because I hadn’t played in a long time.

[Whisper] Zelnaga : Wanna 1v1?

[Whisper] Zelnaga : Answer.

[Whisper] Zelnaga : Answer.

[Whisper] Zelnaga : Chicken?

[Whisper] Zelnaga : Chicken?

Hey. Answer.