The Rice-Eating Hero’s Capitalist Streaming - Chapter 50

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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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The Capitalist Streaming of a Freeloading Hero

 

Episode 50

 

The Game of Constellations [Raika]

 

After using my ultimate skill (Kiel) with the power of my cheat key (tanghulu)…

 

I realized that this was literally a last resort that shouldn’t be used carelessly.

 

When I first thought about it, I figured I could theoretically use it every time the mana potion cooldown reset…

 

But setting aside the expensive price of supreme mana potions that fully restore mana in one go, using it that way was impossible.

 

Why?

 

Because after summoning this monster once, my whole body would tingle for at least several minutes.

 

It meant that if I didn’t rest sufficiently after summoning Kiel, proper combat would be difficult.

 

It was probably not just the amount of mana consumed at once, but the level difference between this guy and me that was the biggest problem.

 

In the world of Lyka, level isn’t just a difference in stats—it’s a number that represents the dignity of existence itself.

 

“…”

 

So until I raised my level sufficiently, summoning Kiel should probably be saved as a last resort.

 

‘Well, being able to pull out something like this in the early 20s is already overpowered enough.’

 

Still, I felt good about it.

 

I had properly confirmed that this expensive guy… definitely delivered on his expensive price.

 

└ Room Owner, how does 10,000 LP taste?

 

Of course, of course, I’ve already recovered 30% of Kiel’s production cost, right?

 

└ When are you opening betting again Room Owner, I won’t fall for it this time…

 

Hey now.

 

I never tricked you in the first place, you know?

 

“Hehe.”

 

Maybe betting was definitely more fun than regular gambling—even the Constellations who lost money were clamoring to do it again quickly.

 

You think you’ll win if we do it one more time?

 

└ We let you off easy this time, Room Owner~

 

Yes~ I’m sure you did.

 

└ Fuck ㅠㅠ

 

But well, obviously.

 

Not everyone lost.

 

[‘Gambler Blacksmith’ has sponsored 300LP.]

 

└ Thanks, Room Owner. Please do it again next time?

 

Friends like this who lived up to their nickname definitely existed too.

 

-Hyung-nim…! I’m moved!

 

I don’t know how much you made this time, but… you shouldn’t trust me too much, okay?

 

If you blindly trust my betting…

 

└ I know, I know, Room Owner. I understand what you mean.

 

Huh? What do you mean…?

 

└ So, application accepted. I’ll be loyal from now on.

 

“…”

 

I had no idea what this blacksmith friend understood exactly.

 

But since good things are good things, I decided not to probe any further.

 

Anyway, thanks to our Constellations, I made plenty of money…

 

“Hyung-nim, that was clean!”

 

“Nice. Let’s do maintenance quickly and head to the next one right away?”

 

And my originally most important goal of leveling up (for real) was progressing smoothly too.

 

“Sounds good!”

 

And so, on the first day of my dungeon date with Leo.

 

Ding-!

 

[You have leveled up.]

 

[You have reached level 23.]

 

[You have reached level 24.]

 

I was able to achieve level 25, having gained a whopping 3 levels.

 

* * *

 

10 AM. The large conference room on the 14th floor of HBC Headquarters in Sangam-dong.

 

Jeongmin rubbed his face wearily in front of a tablet with a dying battery and a mountain of stacked documents.

 

Perhaps because he had crammed, he was in such a tired state that he looked ready to collapse at any moment.

 

‘Ugh… I should have started just one day earlier.’

 

His cramming wasn’t for anything else.

 

What Jeongmin had to do before today’s meeting was document review work for the first-round applicants of 【Hunters School】.

 

In fact, he had started work that should have begun a week ago just two days ago, so Jeongmin’s current poor condition was entirely his own fault.

 

‘What can I do when I’m dying here.’

 

But that didn’t make the fatigue disappear, so the constant sighs were unavoidable.

 

‘Still, there were some gains.’

 

Thud-!

 

Having cleanly finished reviewing even the last document, Jeongmin leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment.

 

After sleeping only three hours for two consecutive days, he had finally succeeded in reviewing all the data of over 3,000 applicants.

 

And among them, he had tracked quite a few interesting participants.

 

So while his body was exhausted, his heart felt light.

 

No, with a little exaggeration, he was looking forward to today’s meeting.

 

Honestly, Jeongmin was quite surprised by the quality of the applicants right now.

 

‘But still… I never expected so many monsters to apply.’

 

From national academy valedictorians to overseas mercenary veterans, even holders of unheard-of unique skills.

 

Rumors had spread outside that HBC was burning an unprecedented budget…

 

But even so, given the strict application conditions, he never imagined this many people would apply.

 

And this wasn’t the end.

 

In three days, applications from second-round applicants would come in additionally.

 

“Hmm.”

 

Jeongmin blinked his strained eyes and unconsciously glanced at the calendar.

 

Thinking about the second-round application schedule naturally reminded him of his friend Geonyul.

 

‘This bastard Geon-ryul Lee… he can really apply, right?’

 

He had encouraged him because it seemed like it might work out.

 

But honestly, Jeongmin couldn’t be certain whether Geonyul could reach level 30 on schedule.

 

He had confirmed with his own eyes that reaching level 20 in an impossibly short time was real.

 

But the 21-30 level range was a much higher hurdle.

 

And even if he managed to reach level 30 within the deadline, the worries didn’t end there.

 

‘Passing should be possible if we push the appeal of his level 30 achievement period.’

 

The problem was how many rounds Geonyul could actually survive.

 

Since it was a decent opportunity with lucky timing… he hoped it would be of maximum help to Geonyul.

 

Even if he just performed well in the early rounds, his friend’s hunter life could become much more comfortable…

 

Thinking such thoughts, Jeongmin shook his head.

 

After reviewing all the first-round applicant profiles, even Geonyul’s first-round survival seemed uncertain.

 

He’d know more for sure after today’s meeting.

 

But at this rate, the average level of 【Hunters School 3】 mentees would probably be at least level 40 or higher.

 

In contrast, Geonyul’s level couldn’t exceed 30.

 

Between level 30 and level 40, there exists a considerable gap.

 

‘Well, even if he gets eliminated in preliminaries and becomes a supporting character, it can’t be helped.’

 

Is he somewhere hunting like crazy right about now?

 

Or did he give up from the start and is just scratching the floor?

 

While having such thoughts and pressing down on his stiff shoulders…

 

“Hey, Jeongmin Lee. What the hell is that outfit supposed to be?”

 

At the sharp voice coming from the seat next to him, Jeongmin had no choice but to break from his reverie.

 

The head of the conference table, the owner of the seat with the ‘Main PD’ nameplate.

 

It was the voice of PD Seyeon Kang, a senior colleague one year older than Jeongmin and known in this industry as the ‘Ratings Witch.’

 

“I was half-asleep at dawn and just grabbed whatever clothes I could find. Please cut me some slack.”

 

“Anyone who sees you would think I’m working you to death and not letting you go home. Do I need that kind of bad reputation?”

 

Seyeon clicked her tongue and roughly brushed off Jeongmin’s shirt collar as if grabbing him by the scruff.

 

Rather than a gentle touch fixing his appearance, it was the rough handling of a disciplinary teacher dealing with a student in violation of dress code.

 

“Look at those dark circles under your eyes. Ugh, what a mess.”

 

Seyeon grumbled while pushing the sandwich plate that had been in front of her toward Jeongmin. Her gaze remained fixed on the documents.

 

“Hurry up and eat it. Don’t interrupt the flow by making stomach growling sounds during the meeting.”

 

A mentor and partner who had shared hardships for nearly six years.

 

To Jeongmin, Seyeon Kang was both a troublesome boss and a friend-like older sister.

 

Even so, a workplace superior could never truly become a real friend.

 

While Jeongmin was having such thoughts and taking a bite of the sandwich, the conference room had almost filled up.

 

And shortly after, when the last person entered and closed the conference room door.

 

Click-

 

“Alright, enough chit-chat. Everyone’s here, right? Let’s start the briefing.”

 

When Seyeon completely changed her expression and twirled her fountain pen, the junior writers and assistant directors who had been preparing for the briefing froze up.

 

Jeongmin also leaned back deeply into his chair and crossed his arms.

 

“Then, I’ll start the briefing with the candidates who have completed the first round of screening!”

 

With a trembling voice, the first profile appeared on the large monitor.

 

1. [Kangmin-woo Ryan (24 years old / Class: Magic Gunner)]

 

Special notes: Third grandson of Seikwang Group’s chairman.

 

Application level: 47

 

Potential capability assessment: Unable to verify skills.

 

…Omitted…

 

A man’s photo filled the screen.

 

Gleaming platinum armor… and a magic gun with the [Seikwang Group] logo that looked like it cost as much as a decent apartment.

 

Sighs and groans erupted simultaneously from various corners of the conference room.

 

Watching this scene, Seyeon chuckled and pointed to a corner of the screen with her pointer.

 

“Unable to verify skills. What’s that about?”

 

The assistant director giving the briefing made a troubled expression.

 

“Just looking at his level, he’s among the top tier of applicants…”

 

“But?”

 

“Honestly, we can’t evaluate that it’s all his own capability.”

 

“Equipment carry, is that it?”

 

“Well… it’s not exactly that, but there’s no proper video footage or anything attached that would allow us to verify his actual skills…”

 

In truth, despite saying this, no one sitting in the conference room actually believed that ‘Kangmin-woo’ had reached level 47 through his own abilities.

 

Even though it was industry convention to consider equipment power as part of one’s skills, the money thrown around for Kangmin-woo’s equipment was beyond excessive.

 

Especially his signature item, the famous magic gun.

 

This was essentially an artifact with specs that should have a level restriction in the 70s, but Seikwang Group was famous for pouring insane amounts of money into rune work to lower the level restriction down to the 30s.

 

“We put him first on the list because of pressure from Seikwang, our sponsor… but honestly speaking, I’m not confident how many rounds he could last.”

 

“But we can’t eliminate him anyway, right?”

 

“That’s true, but…”

 

Seyeon frowned and tapped the desk with the tip of her pen.

 

Her gaze naturally turned to Jeongmin sitting beside her.

 

“Hey, PD Lee. What do you think? That kind of nepotism hire is perfect for getting terrorized on the message boards.”

 

Jeongmin chewed his sandwich while staring intently at the arrogant young master on the monitor.

 

To summarize the Awakened Community’s assessment…

 

A guy with money to burn but no skills, full of nothing but desire for fame.

 

Of course, you couldn’t trust public opinion completely, but on the flip side, there’s no smoke without fire.

 

So the junior writer’s concerns were certainly understandable.

 

However…

 

Jeongmin’s thoughts were a bit different.

 

‘Even variety shows absolutely need supporting characters.’

 

Anyway, from what Jeongmin had reviewed, there were already plenty of ‘real ones’ among the applicants.

 

So in Jeongmin’s view, a character like Kangmin-woo was actually a valuable resource.

 

No matter how much they pursued reality, the most important thing in variety shows was ‘entertainment.’

 

The viewers would probably… get most excited when the ‘real ones’ demolished the ‘fakes.’

 

That was the picture drawn in Jeongmin’s mind.

 

“Senior, you know it too, right?”

 

“Know what?”

 

“Even without Seikwang, we absolutely have to pass this guy.”

 

“Why?”

 

“If this guy gets eliminated in the first round, that would be even more boring. We need to keep him alive through production intervention if necessary.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

“Just imagine it once. That kid wearing tens of billions worth of equipment… getting completely destroyed by a skilled underdog and his mental breaking down. That’s pure catharsis right there.”

 

“Instead of giving viewers ‘relative deprivation,’ we could actually give them vicarious satisfaction?”

 

“Well, something like that.”

 

At Jeongmin’s answer, Seyeon smiled and nodded.

 

“He’d definitely burn well as kindling.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

Of course, with Seikwang Group backing him, they’d have to be somewhat mindful in their direction.

 

Jeongmin wasn’t worried about that aspect at all.

 

‘Actually, we’ll be trying hard to keep him alive, and that will just make public opinion worse and naturally create the picture we want.’

 

Since the other staff members had no particular objections to Jeongmin’s reasoning, the confirmation proceeded quickly.

 

“Good, Kangmin-woo passes. Next.”

 

While the writers busily took notes, the next profile appeared consecutively on the screen.

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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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