Chapter 33: Unexpected Offer (2)

Lee Kyungbok had agonized over whether to merge with Kyungbok’s team but ultimately decided…

“There’s no reason for me to refuse.” Despite the prospect of joining forces with such a large-scale enterprise, he remained calm and collected.

“That’s great!” Choi Byunghoon exclaimed brightly.

“It would be best if we discussed the details during our meeting,” Park Juhho suggested immediately.

“Let’s make it tomorrow since it’s already off-hours anyway.”

“Huh? You can just decide that on your own?”

“They agreed to work around our schedule, so there shouldn’t be any issues.” Lee Kyungbok adjusted his glasses slightly.

“One more thing…”

“What else is there?”

“…I want to officially join Kyungbok’s team as his manager.”

Lee Kyungbok’s eyes widened at Park Juhho’s declaration, but Choi Byunghoon lightly patted his friend on the shoulder, indicating he’d already known this was coming.

“This decision is based on your genius, how viewers react once the broadcast ends, and what Kyungbok himself has said.”

“I mean, it’s pretty obvious when you think about it.” Choi Byunghoon chuckled.

Park Juhho shot him a look before continuing. “At first, I wanted to stop you because I thought he might be leading you astray, but now I see that it was actually a wise choice.”

“…What kind of light were you seeing me in?”

Lee Kyungbok waved off Choi Byunghoon’s exaggerated expression.

“You’re right; he’s quite temperamental. That’s why we needed someone like you who can keep a cool head.”

“No need to worry about that.”

As Choi Byunghoon listened to their conversation, he swallowed nervously.

“What? Without me, this stream would be boring! You guys should appreciate what I do!”

“Sometimes, it’s too much for my eyes.”

“Too much? Wait… How did you even know that term?”

“It’s basic knowledge to learn industry jargon.” Park Juhho answered with a faint smile. “I’m now an official manager, after all.”

“Forget it, kid. This time, I’ll let your hard work slide,” Lee Kyungbok said as he looked at his two friends. “All right then, let’s have some fun!”

Later that night, Purple’s second Mystic League broadcast began. Lee Kyungbok finished greeting his viewers and selected ranked mode to complete his placement matches.

–Let’s crush it in our final placement match!

–Going for the invincibility buff today ᄏᄏ

–Is this place really as good as they say?

–It won a Mystic Dor award, so you know it’s legit ᄏᄏᄏ

–Once you try it, nothing else compares, right?

The viewers couldn’t hide their anticipation. With a smile, Lee Kyungbok spoke up.

“I’ll reveal my stats first, just like yesterday, to avoid any mishaps.”

–Rise again, ye clueless fools! ᄏᄏᄏ

–They were truly pathetic, lol.

–Looks like one of them even quit gaming.

–His chat history was exposed, forcing him to sell his account and start anew ᄏᄏᄏ

–Ew, those losers ᄇㅅ들

–What a bunch of idiots ᄏᄏ 77억!

As the audience continued to roast the rude team members from before, the matching process completed. The lobby loaded with a thumping sound effect.

“Hello everyone. First, let me explain my previous records…”

Before he could continue his explanation via voice chat:

[>Wow?!]

[>Is it really you, Purple?]

[>It looks like him for sure…]

[>His stats show only three games played.]

The team members quickly bombarded him with messages even before he’d had a chance to introduce himself properly. Lee Kyungbok blinked at their speed and efficiency. He was taken aback as more messages flooded in.

[>Wow! This is insane!]

[>I’m your biggest fan!]

[>After watching some of your highlights, I subscribed on PurTube right away!]

[>Are you going to use Yami again this time? Right?]

Lee Kyungbok was bewildered by these unexpected reactions from his teammates. It felt like night and day compared to yesterday’s experience.

-Purple’s expression is so cute ᄏᄏᄏ

-Looks like he finally understands how popular he is ᄏ

-Frankly, there isn’t a single person in Rating who doesn’t know Purple now ᄏᄏᄏ

—Who wouldn’t want Yami on their team LOL

—Everyone wants that perfect Yami, right?!

The viewers were enjoying Lee Kyungbok’s bewilderment.

“Oh, sure. I’ll play as Yami.”

[>That’s the perfect Yami…!]

[>We’re counting on you!]

[>Will it be another White Tiger strategy or standard jungle this time?]

[>Whatever you order us to do, we will follow without question.]

As soon as Lee Kyungbok chose Yami, his teammates’ messages rapidly filled the chat. The broadcast chat was also abuzz with laughter.

-LMAO, what a difference from yesterday

-HAHAH! This feels so refreshing!

-The rumors about Zero Bus have spread far and wide, huh?

-Yup, who’d pass up riding the Perfect Bus?

-The opposing team must be freaking out now

-I can already smell defeat for them LMAO

Lee Kyungbok couldn’t help but smile at the comments.

“O-okay, let’s get this bus rolling!”

The game commenced amidst high spirits, but it wasn’t as easy as expected.

–LOL, check out all those wards!

–Looks like they came prepared, huh?

–Reminds me of matches from the Legend League days.

Wards were scattered throughout the jungle, which was unusual for this level of play. Lee Kyungbok’s presence had changed the dynamics of the game.

–Haha, he’s not even farming minions—just checking bushes!

–Eww, haha, makes you uneasy about whether Purple is there or not, right?

–Yeah, haha, gotta keep buying more wards if you mess up!

–Nope, haven’t checked that spot yet.

Opposing champions periodically inspected the brush to guard against ganks. Consequently, they missed opportunities to farm minions, slowing their gold accumulation.

“Midmia, it looks like they’re gunning for me. Everyone focus on your lanes.”

As the game progressed, three champions even left their lanes to target him directly, seemingly recognizing his skills.

“I won’t chase kills. Let’s split push.”

The higher Lee Kyungbok’s MMR went, the stronger the opposing team became, so he avoided unnecessary risks.

–LMAO, this is hilarious

–LOL, the enemy team sucks

–Go ahead and farm creeps

Their chances of winning steadily increased, but not without effort from Lee Kyungbok himself.

“Oh boy, you’re all alone with these creeps.”

“Whoa!”

[Perfect play by JustOneMoreGame.]

The momentarily distracted champions became his prey, and the slowly tilting balance of power finally tipped completely in his favor.

[Victory!]

Lee Kyungbok beamed at the message appearing before him.

“Great job, everyone.”

[>Thanks for carrying us, boss!]

[>Wow, your skills are insane…]

[>That was a perfect bus ride, seriously!]

[>Boss! I’ll tune in to your stream regularly from now on!]

With the fourth game concluded amid his teammates’ gratitude, Kyungbok had played a less active role compared to previous matches.

“I finally feel like this is a team game.”

This round encapsulated the true essence of the Mystic League.

-LMAO, you crushed it this time.

-One Purple completely dominated.

-Isn’t this an unbalanced match?

-Purple is the ultimate trump card LOL

-Reason for victory: Being on the same team as Purple

-The passengers were pretty good this time too LMAO

Viewers shared similar sentiments.

“Well then, it’s time for the final placement test game. Let’s get to it!”

Lee Kyungbok promptly moved on to the next round. The outcome of the last game was much like the previous ones.

[Victory!]

It was the same message, but one that never failed to please.

-Wow! Perfect score in the placement tests!

-Omg lmao lmao lmao

-Is this what they mean by “perfect”?

-What do you expect when Purple plays as Purple?

-Didn’t we already know he’d dominate?

As viewers celebrated the win, the screen returned to the main lobby.

[The evaluation of all placements has been completed.]

[Player PerfectPlay’s rank is…]

[Diamond Rank 2!] The message appeared alongside a sparkling diamond emblem.

-LMAO

-He actually got Diamond LMAO

-Mystic Dor wins! Mystic Dor wins! Mystic Dor wins!

-Diamond Punch! Diamond Punch! Diamond Punch!

-Ah LOL, perfect for Diamond!

-Diamond (5 rounds)

-This proves br>si>go>pl>da.

-Bronze noobs, shut up! (popcorn)

-Breaking news: Japanese Prime Minister confirms ‘Yami’ is South Korean.

-WTF? Is he a Korean ninja or what? LOL

The chat window was filled with viewers cheering.

[User AncientShadowNinjaYami sponsored you 10,000 won.]

[Thank you for restoring my honor…]

[User DiaHard sponsored you 30,000 won.]

[Nope, just five rounds will do.]

[‘YamiFan’ has sponsored you 5,000 won.]

[Get lost, noobs!]

The sponsorships continued pouring in.

“Oh, thank you for your congratulatory donations. Everyone can play Yami well too—it’s really not that hard.”

-Lol?

-Haha, I didn’t know that either.

-Haha, once you memorize twenty-five mudras, it’s easy to use them.

-It truly is simple if you stay calm and choose accordingly

-But you have to do all of this within almost one second ^^

-I’m gonna try the Yami challenge haha

Lee Kyungbok’s words prompted immediate reactions from his viewers. In this lively atmosphere, Lee Kyungbok played several ranked games. Naturally, he emerged victorious in every match.

“Well then, today’s games were especially entertaining. Time flew by.”

Soon enough, it was time to wrap up another broadcast.

–Where did all the time go?

–Purple’s mudras are too sharp!

–So sad TT

–Isn’t he being too firm?!

–Take responsibility for this loss!

The viewers had already experienced Purple’s resolute nature and didn’t try to detain him further.

“Oh, by the way, I’m taking tomorrow off. But don’t fret; PurTube operates 24/7, so please visit often!”

–Wait one more day?!

–What kind of inhumane break is that?!

–I’ll endure it for our manager and editor…

–We’ll miss you TT

–Please subscribe to his PurTube channel if you’re from Korea!

Lee Kyungbok smiled at his audience.

“Well then, see ya later!”

With those words, the stream ended. However, unlike before, the screen didn’t immediately turn dark.

[PerfectPlay has hosted Genome to 2,147 viewers.]

The screen then changed with another message.

“So I was thinking… Oh, thanks for hosting me, Purple! Refugees welcome!”

It was Kyungbok’s stream.

-WTF?!

-What’s going on?

-Refugees accepted?!

-Damn, I wanted to watch Kyungbok’s stream

-Looks like Purple took his apology well

Initially, chaos reigned in the chat room as viewers tried to make sense of what had happened.

“All right, settle down. Anyway, let me finish my thought: For the first time in a while, we’re doing a Craftsman Autopsy today.”

-LOL Are there still more craftsmen you haven’t introduced yet?

-Haven’t all the crafters already been featured?

-Issues again with someone who’s already appeared before?

-Huh? Is it because you’ve run out of content and need filler?

-Bro? You having trouble playing games these days?

-Old and feeble

The majority of comments were skeptical. Since “Anatomy of a Craftsman” had been Kyungbok’s mainstay content for some time now, most viewers had already seen and enjoyed what it had to offer.

“Old and sickly? You wanna cross me? Want a taste of being banned? You little shits! I’m still young and spry at thirty!”

Kyungbok jokingly shifted gears before turning serious again.

“Think about it, guys. Would I bother announcing this if it wasn’t something huge? Hmm? This is truly unprecedented.”

His statement was met with a barrage of question marks in the chat window, but Kyungbok smiled and changed the subject.

“You’ll have to tune in to find out more. Now then, today’s third game will be…”

It was better to let them imagine rather than reveal anything outright. Besides, the guest he’d lined up…

Is beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.

This craftsman was the real deal, not just someone who talked the talk.