After breakfast with Jinhyuk, I browsed through part-time job sites and submitted my resume.
Then, at lunch, I met up with some friends from the neighborhood, chatted for a bit, and got my back slapped dozens of times as a commemoration of my discharge.
Those bastards.
Anyway, it was time to meet up with Han Dongsu-hyung, so I put on some casual clothes and headed to his place.
Dongsu-hyung’s apartment was located in Bucheon, not too far from our house.
It looked like a fancy high-end apartment.
Seeing security guards patrolling the complex periodically, it must have been pretty expensive.
Not to mention the costly security equipment installed on the building’s exterior.
The apartment was so secure that there were special procedures just to get inside.
I followed the security procedures of the guards and took the elevator to Dongsu-hyung’s place.
Ding-dong.
As soon as I rang the bell, I heard Dongsu-hyung’s voice from the other side.
“Just a moment.”
After some rustling noises, the door opened, and Dongsu-hyung greeted me with a bright smile.
“Did you arrive? You’re a bit early.”
“Have you been well?”
“If someone saw us, they’d think we haven’t seen each other in ages. Come in.”
I followed Dongsu-hyung inside the house.
The place was so spacious, incomparable to our house.
It seemed to have about five rooms.
Upon entering, the first thing that caught my eye was a display cabinet filled with numerous trophies and certificates.
“The house is a bit messy.”
He said this while handing me an orange juice with ice floating in it.
“Nice place.”
“I’ve dreamt of living in a high-end apartment since I was young. I dumped all the money I saved for years into buying this place. I’m house poor now. I need to earn more money.”
Honestly, calling himself house poor while living in such a house was crossing the line.
Some people barely managed to buy an apartment half the size of this one.
This was what people called fraud.
It was getting uncomfortable.
“Did you research the game we’re playing today in advance?”
Since the broadcast was starting in 30 minutes, Dongsu-hyung quickly got to the point.
I nodded in response to his question.
“Yes.”
The game we planned to play on Dongsu-hyung’s broadcast was a brand-new release, only a week old and already a hot masterpiece.
Other streamers were also actively playing it, and it was receiving a lot of praise.
Age of Assassination, abbreviated as AOA, was the game in question.
After the first-generation VR game Gaia Online ushered in the era of full-fledged VR games, a plethora of games followed.
In this flood of games, many titles were re-released as VR versions of existing PC and console games.
AOA, which I was set to play today, was no exception.
It was a sequel to a console game that had a wide fan base.
Its official name was AOA VR.
The developer was JangbiSoft, a company with a long tradition, and the VR version had become wildly popular immediately after its release.
Honestly, it was a game I also wanted to try at least once.
Even while I was still in the military, I had heard about it being released this year.
The gameplay videos I saw while coming to Dongsu-hyung’s house had amped up my anticipation sufficiently.
The gameplay was very simple.
Although the main objective was assassination, the VR version also included content like special operations.
In other words, the game greatly expanded its freedom.
This was a typical trend of second-generation VR games.
Dongsu-hyung looked at me and smirked.
“Today’s broadcast is set to be a tough broadcast.”
Tough broadcast.
It was a broadcast setting where only adults over 19 could watch, and almost all content was allowed except for excessive exposure.
In other words, one could use swear words freely and without any restrictions.
It seemed he had considered my circumstances when making this decision.
“AOA is quite a brutal game, so this setting will be more comfortable for the broadcast.”
“But was AOA a game that could be played by two people?”
“Multiplayer isn’t supported in story mode.”
“Huh?”
“You’re going to be the one playing the game.”
What?
***
After our conversation, Dongsu-hyung led me to the room where the capsules were installed.
It was the largest room in the house.
There, along with various broadcasting equipment, were three capsules installed together.
Although there was also a high-end PC that Dongsu-hyung used for what’s colloquially known as “chit-chat streams” on one side, what really caught my eye were undoubtedly the game capsules.
Our house also had the latest model of game capsules, but these were different.
“It’s a capsule that adjusts the synchronization rate according to the user. It’s a machine specially sponsored by the manufacturer, Phoenix. The model name is PX-Infinity. It’s not yet commercialized.”
PX?
Just the name of the capsule felt unlucky.
Yet, it was astonishing.
It adjusted the synchronization rate to fit the user’s body.
It was a feature on a completely different level compared to other capsules that were only limited to a 10% synchronization rate.
Dongsu-hyung, finding my reaction amusing, said,
“Let’s go inside and start with the settings. Personal settings are essential for this capsule.”
This was definitely different from other capsules.
Following his words, I entered the capsule.
It was just as comfortable as any other high-end capsule.
As soon as I donned the headset and connected to the capsule, fascinating message windows appeared before my eyes.
[Synchronizing with the capsule.]
[Please select the task to proceed.
- Automatic synchronization.
- Manual synchronization.]
…Was it because I had been in the military that I was not adapting well to new technology?
Just as I was about to get slightly lost, Dongsu-hyung’s voice came through the external microphone.
– “Choose automatic synchronization. The capsule will find the synchronization rate that suits your body.”
Right after hearing the kind explanation from Dongsu-hyung, I immediately chose automatic synchronization.
Then, a new message window appeared.
[Automatic synchronization is complete.]
“Hyung, it’s done.”
– “Okay, I’m going into the capsule too. I’ll turn on the broadcast right away, so get ready.”
It seemed like the three capsules installed here were connected, just like the one at our house.
After about a minute.
Whoosh.
Dongsu-hyung appeared in front of me.
“The broadcast is on.”
Just like last time when I was with Jinhyuk, Dongsu-hyung shared his dashboard with me so I could see the chat.
Then, a familiar chat window appeared in the air.
Next to the chat window, the number of viewers was displayed, and it was rapidly surpassing thousands.
“Guys, say hello. This is my dongsaeng.”
Following Dongsu-hyung’s words, the chat scrolled down rapidly.
– Good! Haha!
– Pervert mode ON
– Who the hell is he talking about, you fucking otaku?
– Didn’t you see SolidRock’s broadcast yesterday? ㅋㅋ You’ve missed half your life.
– Info: SolidRock is streamer Jin’s older brother, and a talent freak who just got discharged from the military yesterday. For your information, he enjoys perverted plays.
The chat was walking a fine line.
However, since it was a tough broadcast, the viewers’ profanity wasn’t deleted unless it was too much.
Unlike Jinhyuk, who felt uncomfortable with the risqué chats, Dongsu-hyung naturally accepted the viewers’ chats.
“As it has been a long time since we’ve turned on a tough broadcast, go wild to your heart’s content. Just keep it within the line. Got it?”
[“MiddleLegOfKhan” donated 50,000 won!]
[Hyung! It’s disgusting today too, so hurry up and start the game! It’s too too disgusting when you pretend to be cool!]
Was it because it was a tough broadcast?
The first donation arrived, accompanied by a malicious nickname.
Dongsu-hyung looked at the donation and then glanced at me.
It seemed like a gesture for me to say something.
Alright.
Let’s set the character here.
“You nasty fuckers, having a blast, huh.”
“…Huh?”
Dongsu-hyung momentarily shut his mouth and looked at me blankly.
– ???
– ???
– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋLook at SolidRock setting the discipline from the start.
– Starting off with awards from the industry, ㅗㅜㅑ
– Starting with calling out “fucks.” It makes the listener feel bad.
– This message has been deleted by the administrator.
The response was very satisfying.
If we kept doing the broadcast like this, my character would naturally get established.
Anyway, Dongsu-hyung quickly regained his composure and immediately proceeded with the broadcast.
“Today, we’re going to play AOA. Of course, I’ve beaten up to Episode 2, so I’ll just be giving advice from behind, and my dongsaeng will be playing. Dongsaeng? Introduce yourself before we start.”
“I’m streamer Jin’s older brother, Sha. I’ll do my best.”
[“MarryMeOurHamSha” donated 10,000 won!]
[Oppa, thank you so much for last time! Will you marry me now?]
Damn, this crazy bastard!
He was a terrible stalker who had followed me since Jinhyuk’s last broadcast.
I almost let out a flurry of curses, but I barely managed to hold them in.
Even in a tough broadcast, there were lines you didn’t cross.
After seeing the donation, Dongsu-hyung slyly asked me,
“What did you give them?”
“That thing.”
“That thing?”
It would be troublesome if he knew.
However, it seemed Dongsu-hyung realized what “that thing” was after seeing the following donations.
It didn’t take long before he slowly nodded.
“The fans could do without it anyway, might as well not have it. Well done.”
After that brief introduction, we immediately connected to AOA.
In this broadcast, I was the only one playing the game.
As a newbie, I was playing the game, while Dongsu-hyung was giving advice from behind.
This was the script Dongsu-hyung had planned for the broadcast.
However, as always, life didn’t go as planned.
After AOA’s flashy intro video finished playing, a message I hadn’t anticipated popped up.
[The game difficulty is set to <Nightmare> based on the user’s synchronization rate!]
As Dongsu-hyung and I were sharing screens, he said with a dumbfounded expression,
“The difficulty is set automatically?”
– Is there such a system?
– ???
– ???
– How much is your synch rate, SolidRock?
As questions poured in, I checked my synchronization rate through a command.
And slightly frowning, I replied,
“Hyung, I think the capsule is broken?”
“That can’t be. What’s the synch rate showing?”
“Like this.”
I shared the synchronization rate window with Dongsu-hyung, and he was speechless for a while after seeing it.
“93… percent?”
Immediately, the chat exploded.
– 93?
– Is it broken?
– ㄴㄴ Khan-hyung’s capsule is regularly checked by the capsule company. They checked it yesterday; it couldn’t have broken in just one day.
– Isn’t the highest record in Korea 78 percent?
– Is SolidRock even human?
– Solid. Is he a rookie or a god? Solid. Is he a rookie or a god? Solid. Is he a rookie or a god?
– Are you insane, human?
I quietly watched the chat and then threw in a comment.
“Ah, it’s a pity it’s not 7 percent more. It would have been 100.”
Hmm.
Perhaps I should have been a bit more arrogant?
I slightly regretted it.
