Gwanjongcheonma’s Game Broadcast - Chapter 127
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 127
There are times in life when that happens.
When you’re in a bad mood, you become sensitive even to trivial words.
“Welcome, Streamers.”
Senior Robin from the Assassin Series Development Team.
At his greeting, Kim Si-hwan raised one eyebrow.
“Did you say Streamers?”
“Yes. Is there some problem?”
“You know we’re Singularity, yet you just used the term Streamers.”
Kim Si-hwan expressed his displeasure to Robin in fluent English.
This was one of the reasons he could become the leader of this schedule.
“Of course I know the difference between Singularity and Streamers. I also know it’s a sensitive concept.”
“If you know that, then why…”
“Until last year, I also used the term Singularity, but this year is different, isn’t it?”
Robin pointed in one direction with his eyes.
At the end of that gaze was Hae-rang.
“By any chance, if Mr. Cheon has also joined Singularity…”
“How could that be? Just hurry up and guide us.”
Telling me to hurry up.
When he was the one nitpicking at my words.
‘If I said that, it would be a disaster, right?’
Robin guided them inside with a smile.
And he warmly greeted Hae-rang, who was entering last.
“Mr. Cheon. This is the first time seeing you in person. Welcome to Gonau Soft.”
Then Choi Gang-sik, who was beside him, raised his smartphone.
Hae-rang slightly bowed his head at Robin’s automatically translated words.
“Thank you for inviting us, Robin. You’re dressed much more comfortably than before.”
“Haha. Is that so?”
It really was true.
The current Robin wasn’t wearing the forced shirt outfit from the video conference.
A large t-shirt that felt baggy beyond just soft.
Loose-fitting wide black pants.
It looked like an outfit that could handle hours of keyboard typing while seated.
“Mr. Cheon. I’d like to praise your attention to detail. I see those friends every year, yet they don’t give me even 1 bit of interest.”
“Kuk.”
Hae-rang, who had checked the translation, trembled slightly for a moment.
“Mr. Cheon? Are you alright?”
“Yes. No problem.”
Hae-rang answered with a grin as if nothing had happened.
Choi Gang-sik, who had been listening quietly, mentioned a welcome name.
“Will we be able to meet Team Leader Choi Ji-man today as well?”
“Haha. Of course. I guarantee he’s been waiting for today’s meeting even more eagerly than you two. After a brief meeting, I’ll guide you to the VIP Room.”
“V, VIP Room?”
Choi Gang-sik doubted his own ears.
A world-class game company in the TOP 10 was offering them a VIP Room?
“Originally… can someone at Singularity’s level access VIP Rooms?”
“Haha. Of course not. This was something our team’s berserker negotiated with the president and secured.”
“Ah…”
A berserker who could negotiate with the president.
Hae-rang and Choi Gang-sik simultaneously thought of the same person.
“I don’t know for sure, but the Singularity friends will be quite envious. It’s a place they’ve never been able to enter even once.”
Robin winked and personally escorted them.
Choi Gang-sik, who was walking alongside Hae-rang, asked in an excited voice.
“Hae-rang. Does it feel good from the start?”
Choi Gang-sik had firmly made up his mind before departing the country.
That there could definitely be situations where he’d feel intimidated.
Singularity were regular testers while this side was first-timers.
Moving together with a group of ten people, there was a high probability it would naturally turn out that way.
But it was just needless worry.
Far from being intimidated, treatment even better than Singularity’s was waiting for them.
“To repay this grateful feeling, I need to bring out everything I have.”
Before entering the meeting room, Hae-rang steeled his resolve like that.
* * *
“Hello streamers. I’m Dorothy, senior from the development team.”
A blonde woman with impressive teal eyes took charge of the meeting briefing.
“The testing method is generally the same as last year. We’ve set difficulty adjustments from level 1 to 10 for each stage, and you streamers just need to do your best to clear them.”
Crack.
Thick veins bulged on the foreheads of several Singularities.
It wasn’t that they had complaints about the test content.
It was the way she kept addressing them that continued to displease them.
‘Damn it. Once or twice would be fine. How long are they going to keep calling us streamers?’
‘Looking at how she’s smiling and emphasizing it, isn’t she doing this on purpose?’
Surprisingly, that was the truth.
Both Robin and Dorothy knew full well that such complaints would arise.
They were ‘deliberately’ emphasizing the word streamers.
‘Look at those thoroughly scratched expressions. It feels like the canned herring I ate three years ago is finally being digested.’
It was true that they were extending invitations because they needed them.
But throwing their weight around should have limits too.
High-ranking superiors might not apply, but the developers who worked together on testing suffered hardships every year.
They had been looking for ways to subtly give them a hard time, and what do you know.
Thanks to the newly appeared Hae-rang, he was able to get some small revenge.
“This concludes the introduction to the test process. Any questions?”
When all the briefing ended, an awkward atmosphere flowed.
Though they had crossed the sea together under the name Singularity,
from now on it was individual territory.
Situations could arise where someone might struggle with a level that another person cleared easily.
The name of the atmosphere circulating inside the conference room was ‘competitive spirit’.
Hae-rang recalled what Choi Gang-sik had said.
[When you think about it, Singularity is similar to ‘Conqueror’ too. If your skills decline during activities, they decide on expulsion by majority vote. It’s a very cruel system.]
If they groveled in this test, they might become candidates for the next ‘expulsion’.
He could feel the tension they were experiencing on his skin.
“Then, before the full-scale test, we’ll measure the capsule compatibility of you streamers.”
Kim Si-hwan’s eyes narrowed at Dorothy’s words.
“Compatibility measurement? Are you saying we Singularities might not be able to adapt to the machine?”
“Of course we don’t think that way. However, we purchased EX Capsules this time. We need to re-measure your data.”
“EX Capsules?”
The conference room stirred.
Universal High-End Capsules are more expensive and better than Custom Private Capsules.
And EX Capsules were next-generation capsules known to have superior performance even compared to those High-End Capsules.
Machines that don’t even have mass production systems in place yet, called ‘name your price’ machines.
The Singularities each couldn’t hide their anticipation.
Because any capsule gamer would want to use cutting-edge machines.
And that was the same for Hae-rang too.
‘Even with just High-End Capsules, it felt like all shackles were released.’
What would it feel like to board an EX Capsule?
An exciting breeze seemed to tickle the ends of Hae-rang’s hair.
“Ah. There’s one more thing I need to tell you. After lunch, you’ll be writing an additional agreement.”
“An agreement?”
This time, Jo Sang-jin asked back with a sharp voice.
“I thought all the contract conditions were already finalized. What the hell is this additional agreement? You’re not planning to change your story after bringing us all the way here, are you?”
“Of course not.”
Dorothy was already annoyed by Jo Sang-jin’s unruly attitude.
Her face stiffened slightly.
“There won’t be any problems for you all. It only contains good things, nothing bad.”
“What’s supposed to be good about it?”
“For motivational purposes, we plan to provide a 50% bonus to anyone who clears this test with excellent results.”
Everyone on-site lit up at those words.
The tester compensation for this ‘Assassin Series’ was a whopping fifty million won.
Receiving the bonus would mean gaining over twenty million won in additional income instantly.
This had especially special meaning for Hae-rang.
‘This is… a twenty-five million won premium compliment.’
For Hae-rang, who was already planning to do his best as a tester,
new motivation was being added.
“Mr. Jo. Do you still have complaints about signing the agreement? If you want, we can exclude you.”
“Ahem! Well, it’s not really a complaint, it’s just that a new topic came up…!”
Jo Sang-jin looks elsewhere and clears his throat awkwardly.
Seeming quite embarrassed by this sight, Ma Hyeon-bin covered his face with both hands.
“The explanation is finished. Now, we’ll proceed with the compatibility test.”
Following Dorothy, eleven testers walk down the corridor.
She held her card key up to the door marked ‘Restricted Access Area.’
Given the price of the machine, security had to be thorough.
“Ah…!”
An exclamation burst from Da-hong’s mouth.
The machine’s extraordinary nature was clearly visible at first glance.
First of all, the entire capsule was covered in cutting-edge materials.
“This is insane. They covered the entire capsule with UHTC? I heard this stuff is really expensive.”
“That’s correct. Whatever else happens, there won’t be any performance degradation due to heat generation. Moreover, the finest CPUs available are housed inside the machine.”
“These thick belts crossing on both sides aren’t just ordinary decorations either, right?”
“Yes. They’re all made from the highest grade sapphire material.”
Gulp.
Not just one specific person, but everyone on-site swallowed their saliva.
It was in the realm of artwork beyond machinery, something that would make any gamer drool.
“Now then. Would you please enter one by one in order? Your compatibility percentages will be displayed on that screen over there.”
The Singularities who were about to enter the capsules immediately stopped their movements.
If the compatibility rate was good, it wouldn’t matter much, but if the score happened to be low, it would be a public execution.
“Why are you all just standing there? I’m hungry.”
Da-hong volunteered for the first test.
When she entered the capsule and pressed the button, a transparent glass wall closed with a whirring sound.
“What’s the average compatibility rate? Were there people who tested before us?”
“Among Singularities, you’re the first. People like us have single-digit compatibility, and there’s an Underwatch Master among the staff who was around 20%.”
Dorothy looked at the Singularities and flashed an obvious smile.
“The compatibility we want from Singularities is a minimum of 80%.”
“!”
The Singularities’ faces stiffened slightly.
An Underwatch Master would be equivalent to Challenger tier in ‘Survival Ground’.
Even that tier was a realm that couldn’t be achieved without talent for games.
‘Gonau Soft’ was demanding compatibility four times that level.
“At this rate, I might not get invited next year?”
A challenging arc formed at the corner of Da-hong’s mouth.
When she pressed the ‘connect’ button, the cross-shaped sapphire surrounding the capsule emitted a brilliant light.
“Wow.”
Even the Singularities who had experienced all kinds of capsules couldn’t open their tightly shut mouths.
[10.2%]
[14.4%]
[27.9%]
[41.8%]
The compatibility rate displayed on the screen gradually increased.
As the numbers rose, beads of sweat multiplied on Da-hong’s forehead.
About 30 seconds passed like that.
[83.2%]
[80.7%]
[81.9%]
“Hmm…!”
Dorothy, who confirmed the readings, raised one hand.
Then the EX Capsule test was stopped.
“It seems Da-hong’s maximum compatibility is 83%.”
“Phew. This is no ordinary thing.”
Da-hong shook her head as she emerged from the capsule.
Following that, the other Singularities took turns conducting their compatibility tests.
“Da-hong. What are you going to do barely scraping by like that? You almost fell below the minimum standard.”
Everyone has a plausible plan before they begin.
But the Singularities who went through the test came to realize something.
That Ye Da-hong’s recorded numbers were actually quite excellent.
“Yu Se-ah. 81.9%.”
“Kim Si-hwan. 82.6%.”
“Ma Hyeon-bin. 85.1%.”
“Seo Jae-won. 82.1%.”
Except for Ma Hyeon-bin, no one managed to exceed Da-hong’s numbers.
Especially in Jo Sang-jin’s case,
“Iyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Only after screaming like someone solving ten years of constipation,
“Jo Sang-jin. 79.6%, well, let’s call it 80%.”
Only after receiving the humiliating benefit of ’rounding up’ did he meet the standard.
Jo Sang-jin collapsed to the ground as if exhausted the moment he got out of the capsule.
A man brushed past him.
The last participant of the compatibility test.
It was Gwanjong Cheonma, Cheon Hae-rang.
“Cheon Hae-rang. We’ll begin now.”
Whirrrr!
Unlike the other Singularities who had exerted all their efforts.
Hae-rang’s expression looked as peaceful as if he were taking a stroll.
Perhaps that’s why.
His compatibility rate also showed disappointing numbers.
[77.2%]
[78.1%]
[76.5%]
Dorothy was clicking her tongue as she was about to give the final evaluation.
Hae-rang inside the capsule spoke up.
“About this compatibility test.”
“Yes. Mr. Cheon.”
“Is there something good if I come in first place in this too?”
“Hmm… Mr. Cheon doesn’t seem to have any chance, but if you come in first place, you can decide the order of all tests as you wish. You’d probably have a lot more free time, wouldn’t you?”
“I see.”
After finishing his words, Hae-rang’s blue eyes began to shine vividly.
Kiiing!
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art exploded from his dantian.
Then the capsule’s readings began to go haywire.
“Cra… Crazy…”
Everyone watching looked like their jaws would drop to the ground.
Their fingertips trembled at the numbers displayed on the screen.
[98.9%]
[99.1%]
[99.5%]
[99.9%]
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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