HVG Ch 7

Episode 7

“Hey, you better fight well today. Don’t just mope around and earn a lot of points. Don’t screw things up again by being all spaced out like last time. You live, I live. I live, you live. Mutual survival, right? And while you’re at it, check on my brother too!”

Kill two birds with one stone! Kim Il-hong chuckled to himself, then narrowed his eyes and glanced around discreetly. Once he realized no one was paying them any attention, he started humming to himself again.

“If I don’t do this, how else am I supposed to earn points? But would you believe it? This might actually be my calling. If I’d known, I would’ve tried streaming even before coming here.”

…Why did it have to be this guy—of all people—who’s one of the popular ones among the attention-seekers? There was just no figuring it out.

Then again, this guy popped up everywhere during monster waves or siege battles, filming from every possible angle and raking in viewer donations. With that personality and this level of success, yeah, maybe it really was his calling. He was a natural.

“Let’s see… subscribers… Whoa, they’ve gone up a lot. Streaming really is best with some cursing involved, huh? Loving the donations.”

“And what do you even do with the points you get from donations?”

“This time, I bought a drone, alright? Geez, your eyes are so bad you can’t even tell the difference? You think this is just a regular drone? This is the first one ever listed in the System Shop. Top-tier durability, top-tier magic resistance, and it runs on my mana, so it’s practically semi-permanent.”

While others were out buying weapons, this guy was spending on junk like that. And yet, why did that feel so unfair?

“Guess you’re still doing well enough to live comfortably, huh.”

“What crap are you talking about? I spent all my points on this drone. I’m broke now. Anyway, just do well today. I need those points so I can buy a better camera, maybe a laptop too. Let’s fill that point bar back up.”

At Kim Il-hong’s words, Seo Haewon gave him another sharp glare.

Half of the remaining Awakened couldn’t even secure food and went hungry for half the week, but guys like Kim Il-hong managed to buy something to eat from the “Shop” and scrape by.

So yeah, he was doing better than most.

Now that he looked… this bastard even had a healthy glow to his skin?

“Hey, I’m seriously just curious here. I mean, I’m here because Kangyeol hyung let me film the stream. But what about you? Why are you still here, putting up with all the crap people spout? Are you some kind of pushover?”

“Because my brother is here.”

“Well, damn. You and I are a real piece of work, huh? Clinging to our brothers like that. I mean, at least my brother has skills I can rely on and follow. Kangyeol hyung isn’t exactly on that level, is he?”

“Still, if it weren’t for him securing this place and accepting people, this guild wouldn’t have grown this big. If he hadn’t been here, half the people wouldn’t even have a place to sleep.”

“And why do you care? You some kind of saint?”

Haewon gazed up for a moment at the gate where the guild flag was planted.

No matter what anyone said, it was his older brother, Seo Kangyeol, who had planted that guild flag here first. After that, he had taken in the hungry and the desperate, and as their numbers grew, guild points started accumulating naturally. That’s how the guild was able to grow.

If even one person had been missing, the guild might never have gotten this far. That’s what his brother always said when gathering people. Haewon wanted to honor that. Even if the workload wasn’t always equal, the distribution of resources always was. People liked that fairness.

—“Haewon-ah, it’s just you and me left in this world… We have to rely on each other to survive. I’ve never been much of a father figure, but I want to be someone you can lean on. So trust me, okay? I’ll take care of everything.”

“…Well, whatever anyone says, I’m always on my brother’s side.”

“Oh, shut the hell up.”

Haewon went back to polishing the stock of his rifle. Then, suddenly feeling a tightness in his chest, he waited until no one was watching and pulled a pill from his jacket. He tossed it in his mouth and swallowed it dry.

Ugh… it’s not in the System Shop again.

Tranquilizers were in short supply and weren’t restocked regularly, so they were always hard to come by. It had long since been classified as a rare item.

Everything else restocks fine. Why is it just the medicines that are so scarce?

The shop was lined with everything from food to basic necessities, but the amount of points required was absurd, making it nearly impossible to buy anything easily. Medicine, in particular… was outrageously expensive. That was the main reason Haewon was so desperate to collect points.

And yet, his senior always handed it over like it was nothing.

“Hey, Kim Il-hong. Let me ask you something.”

“What?”

“About Sunbae…”

“My brother?”

Kim Il-hong, who had been wiping his drone, turned to Haewon and met his gaze with a questioning look.

“Did your brother go through a second awakening?”

“…Hey, are you looking down on my brother just because he’s ranked last? Huh?!”

Kim Il-hong’s face instantly turned red as he glared with wide eyes.

“Hey, fuck off. Even if my brother’s dead last, those high-ranking guilds don’t even come close, alright?! Haven’t you ever heard that geniuses come from humble beginnings? Wow, so now you’re throwing shade at someone’s brother, huh? This is revenge for what I said about Kangyeol hyung, isn’t it?”

But then, why was he stuck at the very bottom? He was using the same skill from his first awakening.

“…Whatever. If you don’t know, forget it.”

“What do you mean, ‘don’t know’? Second awakening? Of course he’s had it! Hey! Where are you going, you bastard?!”

Haewon got up and slowly turned his gaze toward the sun near the siege flag. The moment the sun hit the pole of the flag was the exact time when the monster wave would begin. Awakened from other guilds were likely already moving outside the walls to prepare for it.

He had told Chorangi multiple times not to leave the room under any circumstances. From noon to midnight, the monster wave would continue without pause—it was a necessary safety measure.

Everyone began busying themselves with last-minute preparations. The laughter and joking from earlier had vanished, unable to pierce the weight hanging in the air. Time seemed to crawl one moment, then rush the next.

When the sun finally touched the tip of the flagpole, the heavy gates of the stronghold creaked open and a bright blue screen appeared before their eyes.

Ding—

【 The “Monster Wave” event of the “Tutorial” has begun! ヽ(>∀<☆)ノ Let’s do our best today! Time remaining: 11 hours, 59 minutes, 55 seconds. 】

The “Monster Wave” had begun.

***

【 The “Monster Wave” you’ve all been waiting for is back. (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ Yep, time to give it your all again! But Korea’s doing surprisingly well. Why haven’t the numbers dropped here? What is this? Oh right, Korea’s known for being good at games! Europe’s catching up? Doing well? Either way, we’ve gotta keep pushing! 】

Kkiieeeeehhk—

Kkirik—

As the horde of monsters came rushing in like a tidal wave, the Awakened charged out onto the battlefield. Explosions filled the desolate landscape. As soon as he left the fortress, Seo Haewon sprinted toward the Tree of Good and Evil.

<Fog Disruption LV.11>

The moment a pale shape appeared within the shadowy mist, Haewon pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Bang! Bang! With every mana bullet that hit, a message popped up showing points earned at the bottom of his vision.

[You have killed an “Invader” and earned “25” points.]

[Current Points: 93,456P]

[Linked Guild Points: 1,023,463P]

It was manageable. Probably because he’d taken an extra dose of his meds, his condition felt better. Not quite like normal, but good enough to last through the monster wave.

[<Battle Start> Activating – Combat Continuation Rate: 85% / Warning: If it reaches 0%, you will enter a comatose state.]

Dududududu—

As Haewon fired off rounds of mana bullets, several drones hovered close by. One of them belonged to Kim Il-hong, who was weaving through the battlefield with reckless precision.

As Kim Il-hong ran behind Haewon, he glanced at the status window and pointed at the air, shouting angrily.

At that moment, something suddenly popped up in Haewon’s vision as well.

[Viewer “HaewonAFighting” has donated 20 points!]

“What the hell?! I’m the one streaming, so why are they calling out someone else’s name?!”

“Kim Il-hong, are you trying to die? I told you to fall back!”

“My luck’s off the charts, you bastard! Don’t act like you’re coaching me!”

All that concern was for nothing—this guy was just a mess. Scowling, Haewon glanced at Kim Il-hong, but the moment a monster’s screech rang out nearby, he snapped his rifle forward again. Even as the mana bullets blew off heads, the monsters kept pouring in like a tidal wave.

【 Tadaaa! Tadaa! Tadaa! Korea, Japan, and China are dominating right now! Yes! So, what’s next? That’s right, we’re raising the level again! Don’t want it? ヽ(・∀・)ﾉ Too bad! But hey, it’s a good thing. Why? Because it means the “Tutorial” will end faster! Yes! Korea, China, and Japan are leveling up! And that means tons of points! Let’s goooo! 】

Haewon quickly retreated a few steps to assess the situation. The current “Monster Wave” level for Korea, China, and Japan was <LV.2>. Raising it one more step meant it would be adjusted to <LV.3>.

As soon as the Awakened ones grasped the system’s message, they instinctively started retreating all at once.