The Rice-Eating Hero’s Capitalist Streaming - Chapter 61

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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 61

 

Constellation’s Game [Raika]

 

[You have successfully entered ‘Frozen Seoul’.]

 

[Time remaining until the city’s ‘complete collapse’ – 03 : 59 : 58]

 

[We wish for participant ‘Geon-ryul Lee (Dave)’s survival.]

 

Along with the system message, white light filled my vision completely.

 

And after a moment.

 

Whoooosh—

 

At the fierce wind sound hitting my ears, I slowly opened my eyes.

 

“…”

 

The first thing that entered my sight was a forest of grotesquely collapsed gray buildings.

 

The roads were cracked with weeds growing wild, and abandoned vehicles scattered everywhere were rusted red.

 

But this entire scenery was quite familiar.

 

Because…

 

‘This is Gangnam Boulevard.’

 

It was the all-too-familiar sight of Gangnam Boulevard that I’d visited once or twice even after returning.

 

Of course, it wasn’t exactly the same and had been modified here and there… and was in a state no different from complete ruins.

 

‘Is this around… in front of Gangnam Station Exit 11?’

 

But for a while, I couldn’t take my eyes off this dungeon’s scenery.

 

The reason the scenery felt familiar was certainly because it resembled Gangnam Boulevard…

 

But some unknown sense of déjà vu beyond that kept stimulating all my senses.

 

‘It’s not the scenery. It’s closer to some kind of structural déjà vu.’

 

To express this sensation more specifically, it felt like I had once conquered this type of dungeon before.

 

“Hmm.”

 

I looked around a bit more for now.

 

Whether fortunately or unfortunately, there was no one in sight.

 

It probably felt like 100 participants had been randomly scattered across a fairly wide area of Seoul, so it would naturally be unlikely to encounter someone right from the start.

 

‘The cold is still… just moderately chilly for now.’

 

I habitually opened my inventory first.

 

Ding—!

 

And as I expected, a system window appeared before my eyes.

 

It was certainly no different from the inventory I had summoned outside the dungeon, but it was in a deactivated state where taking out and using equipment was impossible.

 

This was… a typical characteristic of ‘farming-type dungeons’.

 

[External items cannot be used within the ‘Frozen Seoul’ dungeon.]

 

[Inventory function is currently in deactivated state.]

 

“As expected, it’s this way.”

 

My head was starting to tingle.

 

Certainly the artificial dungeon called ‘Frozen Seoul’ couldn’t have existed on the beta server.

 

But surprisingly, I seemed to have conquered this dungeon before.

 

‘Just checking a few things should be enough.’

 

Was it because it was closer to graphic fragments rather than an actual dungeon?

 

Once I started doubting, awkward points became increasingly clear to my eyes.

 

Step- Step-

 

Walking out to the middle of the road, I kicked the streetlight debris scattered on the roadside with my foot.

 

Clang-!

 

Instead of a dull sound, a clear metallic sound echoed… as if it were completely hollow inside.

 

“As expected.”

 

This time I approached the collapsed building’s outer wall by the roadside.

 

Specifically, a spot where concrete had broken and rebar was exposed.

 

Approaching that gap, I rubbed it lightly with my finger.

 

Swish.

 

What stuck to my fingertip wasn’t cement powder, but slippery black grease. And decisively.

 

“…Found it.”

 

In a place where the shadow of collapsed building debris was cast.

 

There was a circular structure disguised like a manhole cover.

 

Others would just think of it as a sewer and pass by, but it looked different to my eyes.

 

Decisively, the serial number engraved very finely on the edge of the cover put a period to my conviction.

 

[IG-Sec-03]

 

Iron Grave, Sector 3. Iron Grave, Sector 3.

 

‘Bingo.’

 

I was certain.

 

This map was essentially just the Iron Grave dungeon from the Novarc Archipelago with only the texture changed to Seoul.

 

‘There couldn’t be any participants among the mentees who have experienced Iron Grave yet… They deliberately used a higher-level dungeon as a motif.’

 

Of course, the ‘body temperature maintenance system’ itself was indeed a system newly designed by the production team.

 

The original Iron Grave dungeon had no such restrictions at all.

 

The dungeon’s clear conditions were also different.

 

Unlike the Iron Grave dungeon that required defeating a boss to clear, this was structured so you only needed to survive.

 

But the important thing was…

 

The gimmicks inside the dungeon and the field structure seemed almost perfectly identical.

 

This would naturally work very favorably for me.

 

‘Interesting.’

 

Actually, artificial dungeons being based on real dungeons is a very common thing.

 

Since the production costs of virtual reality artificial dungeons are astronomically high, they have no choice but to utilize data accumulated from conquering actual dungeons.

 

Well, however it happened, the story becomes very easy then.

 

At least three or more dungeon gimmicks immediately came to mind.

 

And most importantly here, I could see how this mission would unfold.

 

‘Phase 2 onwards will be the real deal. That’s when we’ll be able to enter the central area.’

 

Basically, if Iron Grave dungeon was the motif, this 【Frozen Seoul】 would also be divided into phases in 60-minute intervals.

 

Simply put, Phase 1 is farming, Phase 2 is competition.

 

From Phase 3 onwards would be the real survival arena.

 

So what I needed to do now was very intuitive.

 

Step-

 

Basic farming first.

 

Before the peaceful Phase 1 passed, I had to secure as many [Heat Orbs] and materials helpful for survival as possible.

 

The fact that it gets colder as time passes was probably also a gimmick tied to phase changes.

 

In that sense, having quickly found my first target, I approached a vending machine that was half-buried nearby.

 

Crack! Crunch!

 

Then I tore off the side of the vending machine with my bare hands…

 

And began searching behind the vending machine’s cooling compressor.

 

‘This is almost exactly the same level.’

 

Among the beverage cans that poured out, I gathered a few warm drink cans that still had heat…

 

Ding-!

 

After tearing off the bottom of the compressor, I found and picked up the part I was looking for.

 

[You have obtained the ‘Mana Coolant Pipe’ item.]

 

The basic performance itself wasn’t very good, but if one premise was met, it would be equipment with excellent cost-effectiveness.

 

〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓

 

Mana Coolant Pipe

 

Category : Equipment – Blunt Weapon

 

Level Restriction : 1

 

Grade: Normal

 

Tier: 1T

 

Durability: 30 / 30

 

Main Stats

 

Attack Power +10

 

A coolant pipe with magical cooling function.

 

Deals 2x damage to fire-attribute targets.

 

〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓

 

If the monsters here were also fire-attribute like in Iron Grave dungeon…

 

‘Since the map concept changed, there was a high probability they put in different monsters…’

 

What I focused on was the fact that the monsters dropped ‘heat orbs’.

 

Logically, only fire-attribute monsters should be able to drop heat orbs.

 

‘Well, even if not, I can just use it a bit and switch later.’

 

With the pipe tucked at my waist, I slowly moved toward my next destination.

 

Going up into the alley between tall buildings, I could see a convenience store with its sign half fallen off.

 

If my guess was correct, it would be a ‘drug store’ disguised as a convenience store…

 

Once I gathered one important item here, I could say my basic preparations were complete.

 

‘After farming this last thing, I should start hunting soon.’

 

Was it because all the locations were falling into place as expected that I felt at ease?

 

I stepped over the broken glass door with a very light heart.

 

Clatter-

 

But the very next moment.

 

“…!”

 

I reflexively stopped my body and had to sharpen all my senses.

 

‘This is…’

 

Flowing out from inside the store…

 

An acrid smell so strong it made my nose tingle pierced through.

 

* * *

 

The waiting room at Sangam Studio was quiet.

 

Clatter-

 

Seo Jihyeok was lightly fidgeting with his teacup, watching the screen with an interested expression.

 

Thanks to the PDs busily switching screens to find ‘interesting scenes’, watching the mentees wasn’t too boring.

 

‘Well, it’s not like there’s anyone particularly promising visible yet.’

 

In fact, showing something already would be difficult in itself.

 

Even the top-tier participants were still tense, causing their vision to narrow.

 

Rather, was it because they were overly conscious of being watched?

 

There were participants who just spammed flashy skills unnecessarily…

 

But ultimately, the keyword of the 【Hunters School】 series was the ‘growth’ of rookies.

 

In the first mission, showing somewhat inexperienced behavior like this wasn’t necessarily bad.

 

‘Still, I’d like to see something a bit special.’

 

Nevertheless, Seo Jihyeok unconsciously smacked his lips.

 

Unlike a typical mage, he had quite an impatient personality.

 

“Oho.”

 

Just then, a quiet exclamation escaped from Ma Gwangcheol, who was sitting across from him. It was the moment the main screen switched.

 

“Participant Chloe Kang?”

 

“The youngest daughter of Escul Labs?”

 

The other mentors also showed some interest.

 

It hadn’t even been a few seconds since the screen switched.

 

But anyway, the anticipation from a participant’s background information was unavoidable.

 

That was the same for Seo Jihyeok too.

 

“Will this one show us something?”

 

“At least the stage is set.”

 

The situation itself was quite interesting.

 

Since this was still the dungeon’s outer area where monsters shouldn’t be common, Chloe was either unlucky or facing quite a few monsters.

 

The location shown on screen was Ruined Gangnam Boulevard.

 

Chloe was standing with her back against a large building’s exterior wall, and in front of her, three [Fire Goblins] were charging with fierce momentum.

 

‘The youngest daughter of Escul Labs.’

 

He had heard stories about a talented awakener being born among Escul Labs’ royal family…

 

‘Her class seems to be magic-type too.’

 

Seo Jihyeok’s interest level began to rise gradually.

 

Whoooosh―!

 

Dense purple mist poured out from Chloe’s white hands.

 

“Hmm. Poison…?”

 

Someone muttered, but Seo Jihyeok unconsciously shook his head slightly.

 

This wasn’t simple poison mist.

 

It was closer to a kind of ‘matter decomposition magic’ that converted high-purity mana into gaseous form to maximize lethality.

 

Hissssss―!

 

And the power of that special magic was… surprisingly stronger than what Seo Jihyeok had expected.

 

Just 3 seconds.

 

The goblins melted into black blood without even letting out a scream.

 

“Just looking at the impact, it’s the best so far?”

 

“An area magic with this level of power…”

 

“I think she was level 41, quite impressive.”

 

Seo Jihyeok’s eyes gleamed even sharper.

 

From that brief moment just now, the information that entered Seo Jihyeok’s mind wasn’t just one or two things.

 

“That just now, the mana coefficient exceeded at least 300%. That’s output you’d see from ranker-level skills.”

 

His eye was accurate.

 

It wasn’t simply flashy.

 

The time it took to pour out explosive mana was extremely short.

 

It meant the efficiency of her mana circuits was remarkably good.

 

‘Not bad?’

 

So from this one short scene, Seo Jihyeok could be certain.

 

At least this participant named ‘Chloe Kang’ had better potential than expected.

 

“Quite a promising participant. Though we’d need to observe her problem-solving abilities more…”

 

At Choi Jaemin’s muttering, Han Soeun beside him smiled and chimed in.

 

“That’s right. After all, the higher-level dungeons can’t be cleared with force alone.”

 

But right at that moment.

 

Seo Jihyeok’s eyes caught a fatal flaw hidden behind the powerful impact.

 

‘…Wait.’

 

The monsters had already disappeared without a trace.

 

Then naturally, she should cut off the mana supply and withdraw the spell.

 

That’s the basics for a mage.

 

But.

 

Whooooo―

 

Purple toxic gas was still pouring out from Chloe’s fingertips on screen.

 

No, rather, the concentration was getting thicker than before.

 

Nearby streetlights were melting, and intact sidewalk blocks were corroding and emitting smoke.

 

Like a broken faucet.

 

‘She can’t close the spell.’

 

No matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t intentional.

 

This was clearly an [Out of Control] situation.

 

The mentors, who noticed the abnormality slightly later than Seo Jihyeok, spoke with worried expressions.

 

“She can’t stop releasing her mana.”

 

“Looks like she failed to control her mana due to nervousness.”

 

“Tsk, if she keeps pouring it out like that, her blood vessels won’t be able to handle it.”

 

“You’re right about that. It feels like her brakes are broken.”

 

Ma Gwangcheol clicked his tongue lightly, and everyone clearly showed signs of disappointment.

 

Why Chloe Kang, who possessed destructive power beyond normal standards, hadn’t achieved a relatively high level.

 

The reason was revealed here.

 

However… Seo Jihyeok became even more interested in Chloe Kang.

 

‘She has S-rank talent, but her vessel can’t handle that power… That would be the accurate expression.’

 

Chloe Kang’s face was shown in close-up on the screen.

 

Her forehead wet with cold sweat, her brow furrowed in pain.

 

But even in the midst of all that, her appearance was captivating enough that one couldn’t look away.

 

Her pale skin and red lips, and even her cold gaze that remained unbroken despite the pain.

 

Rather than simply being pretty, she had some kind of unique atmosphere.

 

A calculator rapidly spun in Seo Jihyeok’s mind.

 

Her control over mana was so poor that it reached the point of Mana Reflux.

 

It was a fatal weakness.

 

But conversely… if this weakness could be fixed?

 

‘Overwhelming firepower, the backing of Escul Labs, and even that star-quality appearance.’

 

In Seo Jihyeok’s opinion, Chloe Kang’s marketability as a star hunter was perfect.

 

That is, if she went through the hands of Seo Jihyeok and Eclipse.

 

‘If her brakes are broken… we just need to install top-grade brakes for her.’

 

Eclipse had that level of magical knowledge and capital.

 

Even while thinking this, Seo Jihyeok’s gaze continued to follow Chloe Kang.

 

Chloe Kang on screen was unable to endure the pain and was running into a nearby building.

 

Seo Jihyeok could naturally guess the reason.

 

“It’s probably mana reflux. She must be in considerable pain right now.”

 

The Saint, who had as much knowledge as Seo Jihyeok, also added a comment.

 

“Normally she would have taken medicine right away, but unfortunately she won’t be able to use her inventory…”

 

Chloe Kang probably wouldn’t achieve very good results in this entrance ceremony mission.

 

In this dungeon where inventory was restricted, she wouldn’t be able to take medicine.

 

But anyway, the ‘real’ competition would start from the main mission.

 

Seo Jihyeok lifted his teacup to moisten his lips.

 

For the first time since filming started, his expression became serious.

 

‘I’d actually prefer if her performance was poor. That would make negotiations much easier…’

 

While the mentors were having various discussions, the screen showing Chloe Kang switched to another participant.

 

The scene of her taking painkillers at the convenience store probably couldn’t generate any more interest.

 

But at this very moment.

 

There was one fact that not only the mentors in the studio, but even the production team didn’t know.

 

And that was…

 

Soon, Chloe Kang might encounter ‘a certain unusual participant.’

—————
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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