Chapter 34: The Anatomy of a Master (1)

It was Purple’s day off.

Trinaight had both fan pages and forums for its streamers. Among them, users rarely gathered on Purple’s forum, but today was different.

[Yami Challenge Stage 3 Clear Post]

[I can’t believe I cleared stage three of Dull Stabber. But seriously, how is this useful in actual combat? LOL… The more stages I complete, the more I realize Gadfly really is a god…]

[Dull Stabber stage three?]

[That puts you in the top 1 percent here.]

[Probably about ninja mid-level now. LOL]

[I ended up with blisters on my fingers. FML]

While some lamented Purple’s absence, others posted their clear posts from the Yami Challenge.

[Kyungbok hosted yesterday.]

[Our baby Purple knows how to host now. LOL Is it just me, or has she leveled up too quickly?! Give Najaks back to us…!]

[Najaks forever!]

[“Day before yesterday’s traffic?”]

[Gadfly left too quickly, so his day-one traffic wasn’t counted ᄏᄏᄏ]

[“Oh, I didn’t catch it live yesterday. Did he host someone else’s stream?”]

[“Who was it for?”]

One of the posts mentioned Kyungbok hosting another streamer’s channel the previous day. This significant change garnered much attention.

[“Looks like they made up off camera.”]

[“Made up? He just accepted Purple’s apology.”]

[“Lol, Gadfly did nothing wrong.”]

[“LOL, good call on Kyungbok’s part.”]

[“The private message apology was a clever move.”]

[“Yeah, but even then, Purple seemed pretty miffed.”]

Some fans hadn’t been able to watch the broadcast and asked for clarification.

[“Is this about Purple quitting Anatomy of a Craftsman?”]

[“What’re you talking about?”]

[“Lol, yeah, that crossed my mind too.”]

-Seems like they left right after the stream ended yesterday.

-LMAO it’s too obvious. It can only be Gadfly LOL

-Wait, really? But isn’t his show airing today?

-Huh? Then probably not? Today is supposed to be off day, no?

-LOL who knows? Purple gets ignored by that blackhole company LOL

-So many newbies think Blackhole actually exists LOL

-Purple peeps are cute tho LOL

The viewers of Kyungbok’s previous broadcast weren’t sure what to make of things. While there was circumstantial evidence, the fact that he had taken a break from streaming clouded their judgment, leaving them without any clear answer.

[Watch Kyungbok’s stream!] (New!)

A sudden notification popped up with a title that hinted at something significant.

-What?! LMFAO

-Why would he go live on his day off?!

-Aha! LOL I’m heading over now!

-Hail the Moon!

At this unexpected good news, people immediately clicked through to Kyungbok’s channel.

The stream began with Kyungbok standing inside a virtual reality studio.

“Hello, everyone!”

With his greeting, viewership skyrocketed, but it was still too early to start the show proper. He filled some time like a pro by chatting with his audience.

“You know what they say, right? You can play around like puppies when it’s just us, but we have to behave ourselves properly once guests arrive. Yes, I’m talking about tone and etiquette. Look at me—I even put on a shirt for this occasion. What? Don’t believe me?”

-Lol, so who’re you gonna roast today?

-Tone and etiquette~”

-It’s not Genom today but Jiminim ^^

-All hail, all hail ^^7

-Gadfly is the only host who calls his own viewers “Genom” lol

-Jiminim? Never heard of him!

-Aha, watch your manners, dude

The chat window brimmed with anticipation and excitement. Once he’d gathered enough viewers, Kyungbok calmly delivered his prepared lines.

“And today’s subject is none other than this man—the deity of streamers and a controversial figure who shook up the world as we know it!”

Kyungbok paused for dramatic effect. The sound of drums echoed throughout the studio, and emojis flooded the chat window.

“The Bark Emperor who opened the horizon! A living legend who reached diamond rank in just five games—welcome, Purple!”

“Hi there, everyone!”

As Kyungbok finished his introduction, Purple appeared with dazzling visual effects—a feat possible only in virtual reality.

—The greatest zero-fare bus driver ever!

—Perfect Punch! Perfect Punch! Perfect Punch!

—Waaaaah! Take me away! Waaaaah! Take me away!

—Whaaaat?! I thought it was my day off! Whaaat?! I thought it was my day off! Whaaaat?!

—A stab in the back? Bring it on!

—Replenishing personnel now!

The chat window was chaotic with messages from both Kyungbok’s and Purple’s viewers mixed together, but Lee Kyungbok had no trouble following along.

“It is indeed my day off today.”

This comment elicited numerous question marks in response. Lee Kyungbok grinned as he answered them.

“But Purple isn’t streaming now, right?”

-LMAO

-Aren’t you broadcasting seven days a week like this?!

-Purple Inc., the worst company ever…

-R.I.P. manager and editor…

-There it is! The killer smile…!

-Hit X to show your support!

Kyungbok waited for a beat before clapping his hands lightly to regain everyone’s attention.

“So, Mr. Purple, thank you for joining us today.”

“My pleasure. Thank you.”

“Oh, please, don’t mention it. Some of our viewers may not be familiar with you yet, so I prepared a brief introduction.”

“Oh, of course!” Lee Kyungbok nodded lightly. He had been briefed on how this segment would go during their earlier meeting that morning, so he knew what to expect.

“So, who exactly is Purple? Let’s start with his Bio Crisis stream—the first person ever to complete the hidden route and uncover the true story behind the game. But wait, there’s more! His flawless gameplay was so impressive, even Sandra, our resident potty mouth, cleaned up her language out of respect for him. And as per tradition for the series, he defeated the final boss without using the rocket launcher!”

Kyungbok enunciated clearly while delivering these long sentences. At the same time, edited footage appeared beside him.

-LMAO when u got time 2 watch dis stream?

-LOL hyung is actually good at stuf LOL

-Wow, it’s THAT person?!

-OMG it really is Prez Ahjin

Kyungbok continued his explanation while alternating between looking at the chat and referencing his notes on the screen behind him.

“But here’s the surprising part: The developer’s response to Purple’s gameplay! They admitted their failure to properly adjust the difficulty level and promised updates! To this day, Purple is the only player who has reached the end of the game before the update! A true living legend! And that’s not all!” Kyungbok waved his finger as the reference footage changed to an introduction video for Yami, champion of the Mystic League.

“So, who exactly is Yami? When it was first released, everyone called it overpowered and broken due to its versatility. But once players dug deeper, they realized it was just a troll champ with a strict playstyle. Why? Because executing its skills is incredibly difficult! As a result, its pick rate plummeted, and even after several buffs through patches, it remained abandoned.”

The chat was quickly flooded with “lulz” and “rofl.”

“I’ve met many a craftsman, but I’ve never encountered one who could handle Yami. Even though I’m quite skilled physically, it’s beyond me as well. It would’ve been better to farm multiple other champions instead of wasting time on this one, right? But now I realize that was just an excuse for losers, huh?”

As Kyungbok paused briefly, the chat exploded.

-LMAOOOOO

-Sameee

-Yami is like a grapefruit…

-???: That champ sucks! It’s such a troll!

-Innocent Yami…

-Rofl… Perfect was different.

At the keyword he’d been waiting for, Kyungbok snapped his fingers lightly.

“That’s right! No one has ever seen Yami play perfectly…until just two days ago! And who achieved this feat? The very person sitting next to me! Purple, aka PerfectPlay, proved once and for all that Yami isn’t a troll!”

The footage playing on-screen was Kyungbok’s own gameplay, showing how he couldn’t defeat Lee Kyungbok even when given five lives instead of one.

“I’m usually quite confident about my gaming skills, but I can’t say so against Purple, you know? How could I possibly compete with someone who reached diamond rank within their first five games in the Mystic League?” Without waiting for a response, Kyungbok lightly clapped again as the monitor went blank and the camera zoomed in on Lee Kyungbok’s face.

“I must say… Among all the artisans I’ve had the pleasure of working with, you’re truly the artisan among artisans, PurpleHunt.”

“Lmao.”

“What’s this ‘artisan among artisans’ nonsense?”

“But he is impressive tho.”

“The best ever!”

“It’s perfect! Lmao.”

The chat rapidly scrolled up. Lee Kyungbok could only grin from ear to ear.

“You know, despite having worked with many people before, most would be embarrassed or bashful at such an introduction. But it seems like you aren’t bothered by it at all, PurpleHunt?”

“What? Oh, because everything said about me is true, and you didn’t exaggerate anything either.”

Lee Kyungbok’s response was met with countless question marks in the chat.

“Purple fans are so confused”

“Ahhh, that’s just his modus operandi.”

-His breaths contain deceit.

-He even perfected his ambition, no?

-Yeah, I’m loving this! LOL!

-Love it…love it…

The regular viewers of Purple were enjoying these reactions.

“That’s right. Honestly, many people find it hard to believe, don’t they? But there’s only one place for proof: PurTube!”

“A lot of videos are uploaded on Youtube as well. Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and turn on notifications.”

As planned, Lee Kyungbok shared the link to Kyungbok’s Youtube channel. This was standard procedure, since most guests appeared on the show with the goal of increasing their visibility.

-Haha, any foreigners who aren’t subscribed yet?

-If you’re Korean, you’ve already subbed to his PurTube channel.

-Rofl, even Koreans abroad have done so.

-LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL

That concluded the introduction portion of the segment.

Lee Kyungbok had a hunch that Kyungbok was about to move on to the next phase of his introduction.

“Well, Youtube is great and all, but honestly, watching videos just isn’t enough for me. There’s no substitute for experiencing something firsthand.” As he spoke, he lightly clapped his hands together, causing the walls of the studio set to crumble away and reveal their surroundings.

They were standing in a clearing surrounded by lush forest with various structures erected around them, reminiscent of an outdoor survival training ground.

“So I’ve prepared this stage: Genetic-Level Survival Training! Also known as…GenSurv!”

“Long time no see, lololol!”

“Survival training? Oh man, why do my eyes feel so…”

“GenSurv brings tears to your eyes, haha!”

“This’ll be intense even for seasoned hunters, lol!”

Lee Kyungbok’s jaw dropped open.

Lee Kyungbok wasn’t surprised by the set; he’d already seen it during their meeting beforehand. Something else caught him off guard.

We’re over seven thousand viewers already.

The number of people watching was skyrocketing. Despite not having officially started yet, they were quickly approaching eight thousand viewers.

“And now, live from this very location! It’s time to dissect and analyze the skills of our master craftsman with Craftsman Dissection, starting right now!”

Kyungbok finished his opening spiel as Lee Kyungbok approached him, just like they had rehearsed.

“Okay, first up is the basic physical test. Anyone who enjoys virtual reality would be familiar with this, no?”

“Yes, I know what you mean. It’s the tutorial stage.”

“Yes, exactly! It’s the tutorial obstacle course that you start with when creating your first account! Of course, this is the upgraded version.” With a smile, Kyungbok stepped onto the prepared stage.

Instantly, the clear blue sky darkened and turned pitch-black like night. As soon as he took a step back, realizing his mistake, everything returned to normal.

“Oh, I forgot to ask earlier. Have you done the tutorial before, Purple?”

“Yes, I have.”

“If it’s okay with you, could you tell me how long it took you?”

Lee Kyungbok blinked rapidly and scratched his head. “Hmm, I don’t remember my exact time, but one thing is for sure…”

“One thing?” Lee Kyungbok held up one finger.

A question mark appeared on Kyungbok’s face as well as in the chat box.

—What is it? What could he possibly mean by that?

—Did it take him only one minute?

—One minute for Purple rank? Bullshit!

—Isn’t the average closer to fifty seconds?

Everyone focused their attention on what Lee Kyungbok had to say next.

He casually replied, “I got first place.”

“…Pardon me?”

“Well, I haven’t checked since then, but my record probably hasn’t been broken yet.”

“First place? You mean number one in Korea?” Kyungbok asked, wide-eyed.

Lee Kyungbok shook his head nonchalantly, unfazed even after being introduced by Kyungbok earlier. “Nope.” He matter-of-factly stated, “It was first place worldwide.”