Chapter 7: The Rookie Streamer is Too Good, III

The lighting was destroyed, and no light entered this underground area. In the midst of it all, there was only one flashlight as the sole source of illumination. Its output wasn’t particularly good, limiting the visible range. Even someone with considerable courage wouldn’t easily venture forward in such conditions.

-The underground is a bit scary.

-He screamed after insisting to open the door forcibly… LOL

Lee Kyungbok calmly took a step forward.

-Mentioning TAs isn’t polite?

-That’s right.

-I guess it’s because he doesn’t have a manager yet? Chat management seems lacking.

The chat window remained bustling. While some viewers seemed uncomfortable, their comments were drowned out by others, not causing significant issues.

Lee Kyungbok focused on progressing through the game.

‘Hmm… There seem to be quite a few zombies here.’

As soon as he stepped into the darkness, his intuition kicked in, alerting him to the presence of zombies underground.

I have eleven bullets left and ten zombies…

Judging by their positions, it seemed like the setup was meant for him to stumble upon the zombies in the dark. Some viewers might enjoy watching the streamer get startled, but Lee Kyungbok wasn’t keen on playing along.

Rather than forcing an awkward act…

After all, there’s no way he could feign surprise when he already knew what awaited him. So, he decided to take a different approach.

“L-Look at that?”

“No way…!”

“Huh, really?”

Lee Kyungbok held a flashlight in one hand and a pistol in the other, striking a pose commonly seen in Hollywood movies.

It was fine up to that point, but the problem was there were no shooting targets. Despite this, Lee Kyungbok pulled the trigger.

-H-he did it!

-He actually did it!

-He casually does what we can’t do!

-WTF? What is he implying?

There wasn’t time to examine the chat reactions for long. With the sound of gunfire, footsteps started to be heard in the darkness. The scattered zombies began converging towards them. However, Lee Kyungbok’s strange behavior didn’t stop there.

“Uh, I think two hands would be better.”

Lee Kyongbok calmly placed the flashlight on the ground. His already limited field of view became even narrower.

The chat window filled with question marks, but Lee Kyungbok provided no further explanation.

‘Well, viewers will see anyway.’

It couldn’t be seen as firing randomly into empty space. He took a deep breath and focused. Then he positioned himself right at the center of the flashlight beam. The muzzle of his gun spewed fire.

With each shot, the surrounding area briefly lit up. Zombies were revealed momentarily within the line of sight at the end of the barrel. It didn’t matter which direction—front, back, left or right—as every time he pulled the trigger, a zombie fell.

After exactly ten shots, Lee Kyungbok ejected the empty magazine and tucked the gun into his waistband.

“Made good use of it.”

Lee Kyungbok spoke with a casual smile.

-Wow…

-Ripped!

-Awesome!

-Super sexy!

-An all-time legend is born.

-I’m legendary for watching this live.

The chat window exploded with messages. That wasn’t all; sponsorship notifications started flooding in continuously.

[‘YouAreTheBest!’ has sponsored you 1,000 won.]

[I have been waiting for someone like you for a long time.]

[‘DomesticNumberOne’ has sponsored you 10,000 won.]

[It’s good to be alive…!]

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

[Of course it makes sense~]

“Wow, thank you for your sponsorship. Well, this kind of thing…” Lee Kyungbok expressed his gratitude but then looked apologetic as the sponsorships continued unabated. “I’m spending more time thanking people than playing the game. Let me proceed first. Please excuse me.”

Initially, viewers might’ve found it irritating, but the chat remained smooth and positive. They were captivated by Lee Kyungbok’s performance.

Meanwhile, the number of viewers had already exceeded 180. The milestone of 200 was just around the corner.

“Then I will start by searching the storage room.”

Fortunately, the storage room was located close to the elevator. It was clearly done so that gamers without the card key wouldn’t waste time.

-Dugudugudugu

-What is there?

-In 60 seconds it will be revealed!

-Jeongnam

-Yerim, look at those cards!

Lee Kyungbok’s expectations, as well as those of the viewers, were heightened.

“Let’s open it.”

Lee Kyungbok took out the card key. With a beep, the door opened with a thud. Inside the creaking door were cabinets filled with items, but most of them were already open.

“It seems people took everything when this situation occurred.” Lee Kyungbok stood in front of an unopened cabinet, speaking so as not to disappoint the viewers.

-Ohhhhhh!

-55555555555!

-G-G-G-G-G-G

-Something big is coming. Something big is coming. Something big is coming. Something big is coming.

-Kill the spammers!

He cautiously opened the cabinet. Inside were police uniforms, guns with three magazines, and finally, riot batons shaped like tonfas.

“Hrmm…” Lee Kyungbok let out a hum. He felt unexpectedly disappointed at what was inside.

However…

-Wow?

-Police uniform?

-Wow, it is here.

-Spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers

-Don’t look at the chat! Don’t look at the chat! Don’t look at the chat!

The reaction of the viewers was different. Lee Kyungbok hurriedly turned away from the chat window.

‘Is it related to the story?’

Although it was a hidden route, it couldn’t be completely detached from the existing storyline. Fortunately, the viewers were careful not to spoil anything. In the meantime, Lee Kyungbok decided to secure the items first. As he reached for the cabinet, his vision went dark.

“Ah, I changed clothes.”

It felt like blinking my eyes momentarily, but suddenly my outfit had changed.

-Wow…

-Looking good ㅋㅋㅋ

-No HUD means this is your real physique?

-Who exactly are you?!

-If you have any conscience, you should have an ugly face.

-LMAO, where’s his fit physique?

His body shape was fully revealed when he changed from loose hospital attire to a snug police uniform. With the ‘immersion’ level of the capsule being at its highest, the virtual reality body reflected his actual physical form accurately.

“I’ve been consistently exercising since childhood.”

It wasn’t a lie. Due to his chronic health issues from a young age, Lee Kyungbok’s parents encouraged him to stay active regularly. He tried various activities but became hooked on boxing after enjoying the sensation of hitting a punching bag.

-Why am I…

-Are our genes different?

-Fact: Some people have it, some don’t.

-Fact: It’s true.

Having achieved what he came for, it was now time to leave. Lee Kyungbok reloaded his pistol.

Dual-wielding pistols might be fun.

He had two guns - one provided by the police and another found during his search. Deciding to test them out later if the opportunity arose, Lee Kyungbok holstered one gun.

‘Huh?’

As he finished organizing and was about to leave the storage room, an intense feeling of unease washed over him, causing goosebumps on his skin.

‘Something feels ominous.’

Lee Kyungbok slightly frowned as he opened the door.

-Look!

-What is that thing?

-I’m not seeing things, right?

A flashlight illuminated the opposite side. In the deep darkness, something writhing could be seen. Lee Kyungbok realized this must be the danger his intuition had detected.

“Design-wise, it’s truly…”

The creature came fully into view.

It was a monstrous amalgamation of multiple gigantic corpses entangled together, with numerous limbs and heads.

-Ewwww…

-Why did one appear here?

-Welcome, Cluster.

The viewers instantly recognized its identity.

It was a cluster zombie, known as Cluster.

–Are we going straight to the boss fight? Hahaha

–Why is it so fast?

–Indeed. We usually fought this when leaving the hospital.

–Is it because of the hidden route?

This was the first boss in Bio Crisis. It happened just as Lee Kyungbok furrowed his brow and grabbed his gun:

[Cue Agent has proposed a quest!]

[Condition: Defeat the cluster without using firearms.]

[Reward: 1,500,000 won]

The game paused momentarily with this message.

-Grrrrrrr

-Cue Agent has been waiting for this hahaha

-Blood…revenge…

-No firearms allowed ᄋᄌ

-Without sponsors or games, what should we do?

-Robin, bring me popcorn and a bat.

Lee Kyungbok’s eyes twitched.

‘If I can’t use a gun, my only weapon is this riot baton…’

It meant he had to deal with the huge zombie in close combat.

-The boss is difficult even with guns ᄏᄏᄏ

-If you run out of bullets, you need to restart immediately ᄏᄏ

-I think around 50 people tried the solo challenge?

-Golden Horse was a piece of shit.

-He also died three times before finally beating it using HUD.

-Stop mentioning Tajs, please.

Even streamers who were physically strong tended to use firearms. However, Lee Kyungbok wasn’t just any ordinary streamer. A relaxed smile spread across his face.

“Tall…no, Cue Agent. Thank you for the quest.”

-Tall? Tall uncle mentioned it? ᄏᄏᄏᄏ

-Haha, let’s give him some solid cash support~

-TallCueLOL LOL Cue Agent LOL

Every word from Lee Kyungbok sent the viewers into a frenzy, but he remained unfazed.

“Nah, it’s just to show appreciation. Isn’t he that great? Anyway, this quest seems more interesting.”

-Interesting…?

-STAY! STAY!

-Fascinating, let’s see more.

-Something…something is happening.

-WTF…

The chat window became lively again. Unlike the previous quests, this one appeared too difficult.

“Well then, I’ll start now.” Lee Kyungbok disregarded the concerns and accepted the quest.

As before, the ‘Chat Ban’ feature activated, causing the chat window to disappear. Time resumed its flow once more.

“Well, since they’re zombies, smashing their heads should do the trick, right?” He spoke while holding the riot baton upside down, using it as a tonfa due to its short reach for traditional purposes.

-Not really;;

-That might be true but…

-Took the quest without knowing the clear conditions?

-How can you find the main body in close combat?

-The tonfa is impractical for this purpose

The weakness of clusters was similar to other zombies - their heads. However, a cluster had twelve heads, with only one connected to its main body. The usual strategy involved shooting the heads while maintaining distance.

-Cue Agent asked properly

-It isn’t for nothing that he retired as a newbie!

-He is seeking revenge indeed

-Eh, newbie. Hell awaits ahead.

The reactions in the chat window were sharply divided. Nevertheless, they all anticipated the same outcome: Lee Kyungbok would ultimately fail.

“Here we go.”

Meanwhile, Lee Kyungbok illuminated the approaching cluster with his flashlight and uttered a single word. His actions were immediate.

-Suicide Squad!

-Tennobanzai!

-Remember this moment!

-I won’t forget it!

Lee Kyungbok showed no hesitation whatsoever. Without slowing down, he charged directly at the cluster.

“Gyaaaaaah!”

“Garggggh!”

The multiple heads of the cluster simultaneously emitted eerie cries. More than twenty arms attached to its tangled body moved to grab him.

‘As expected, there is no slip.’

However, none of the arms could reach him. Lee Kyungbok’s heightened senses and improved instincts guided his movements. The cluster’s attack seemed impossible to avoid, but Lee Kyungbok narrowly evaded from the side.

-Wow?

-Uh…?!

-Unknown: Gotcha! (Didn’t get him.)

Viewers were astonished by his close call, but it wasn’t over yet.

“Got you.” Lee Kyungbok leaped, hooking the riot baton handle around a protruding shoulder and pulling hard.

Using this momentum, he propelled himself upwards for a second leap, reaching a height where he could see the cluster’s heads.

-That doesn’t make sense ಠ_ಠ

-How dare you touch it! Don’t touch it I say!

-Noodle fighting woooo!

-One-twelfth!

However, Lee Kyungbok personally climbed up to the level of the heads. If he failed here, one of the other heads would immediately bite him. Without hesitation, Lee Kyungbok pressed down with his riot baton. With a squishing sound, one head was crushed.

Then…

“Ah, it was my new uniform.”

Lee Kyungbok calmly landed back on the ground. His police uniform now had splatters of dark red blood. Following this, the cluster trembled and collapsed onto its side.

[Quest Success!]

[‘Agent Q’ has sponsored you 1,500,000 won!]

The system messages appeared along with the activated chat window:

-Wow.

-WOW!

-One shot again?!

-Lucky strike.

-It isn’t just luck

-How did he know? How? How?

The chat window rapidly filled up, mostly expressing disbelief at Lee Kyungbok’s results. It was a natural reaction since they couldn’t perceive his intuition. They never dreamed that he had known the cluster’s weakness from the beginning.

Additionally, there was another subject capturing the viewers’ attention:

-Cue Agent LOL2LOL2LOL2

-??? : Want to call it a draw?

-From today onwards, call me ‘Long-Legged Cue’.

-Cue, the philanthropist

-Have you already pocketed 2.5 million won?

-I bet his teeth fell out now

-Wonder if he has dental insurance?

It was none other than Cue Agent who had presented the quest.

“Kee… Hmm, thank you, Agent Cue. Thanks to you, the broadcast is becoming more entertaining.” Lee Kyungbok quickly responded before the chat became overheated. The chat window soon filled with ‘ㅋㅋㅋ’ laughter emojis.

[‘Agent Q’ has sponsored you 1,000 won.]

[I acknowledge it… I’ll earn…more money.]

The sponsorship amount had significantly increased compared to previous ones. Laughter continued unabated in the chat.

-kekkekekeke

-Newbie got ripped off hard

-The only thing fleeced was his wallet

“Ah yes, of course. I welcome quests anytime. I’ll be waiting!” Lee Kyungbok replied with a bright smile.

-Laughing while spitting on someone’s face

-Hitting a crying child

-Hey! Cue Agent is human too, you know!

-No manners!

Although the viewers made such comments, it was clear they were enjoying themselves.

“Well then, let’s continue. First, we need to go back up to the first floor. It seems this bastard came through the emergency staircase.”

Lee Kyungbok shone his flashlight. The emergency staircase, previously blocked by a barricade, was now open. As he reached the first floor via the stairs, a cutscene began.

‘Oh…’

The barricade at the entrance on the first floor was also collapsed. Since the cluster emerged from the first floor, it seemed they were originally meant to fight here.

“Oh my God…” John muttered with a serious expression.

Flames and black smoke rose everywhere, damaged vehicles littered the roads, and the streets were soaked with blood. The cityscape visible beyond the open exit looked like the end of the world.

Then, the screen gradually faded to darkness as text appeared:

[Chapter 1: ‘Awake’ - End.]

The first chapter of Bio Crisis had concluded.

-Crap…

-I remember being annoyed when I saw this for the first time.

-Shh!

-It’s not over yet!

-Sit tight, everyone!

The screen went dark before brightening again. John cautiously exited the hospital and headed toward the street, passing through the parking lot. Unbeknownst to him, a zombie quietly approached from behind.

“Oh no…!” Realizing it too late, John panicked. He hastily drew his gun but couldn’t aim properly under pressure.

Just then, a gunshot rang out, and the zombie collapsed.

Am I the only one feeling frustrated right now?

It felt so natural when I did it…

The gameplay doesn’t match these cutscenes at all!

Discontentment erupted in the chat as Lee Kyungbok’s playstyle clashed with the depiction of John in the cutscene. However, there was little they could do about the scripted sequences.

Meanwhile, John turned towards the direction of the gunshot.

“Are you okay?!”

Instead of a zombie, it was a human—a strikingly beautiful woman at that. Her wavy blonde hair shone despite being disheveled, and her flawless skin accentuated her sharp facial features. The small mole beneath her piercing eyes was the cherry on top. With looks worthy of a fashion magazine cover, she carried herself with poise even in bloodstained clothes.

-Sandra!

-Dra-dra Sandraaaa!

-She’s gorgeous no matter when I see her.

-Haha

-If only she had a better personality…

It seemed this character was quite popular among viewers as well.

“Thank you.” In the meantime, John expressed his gratitude to the approaching woman.

“My pleasure. Oh, my name is Sandra.”

“I’m John.”

“John, such a common name. By the way, I thought all the police were dead…” As Sandra scrutinized John from head to toe, the chat window reaction changed abruptly.

-WTF?

-Our foul-mouthed Sandra is amazing…?!

-Who are you?! Where’s our Sandra?!

-Are we on Sandra’s good side now?

-Wow, This truly seems like the hidden route.

-The beginning has already changed significantly.

Regardless of what was said in the chat, the characters remained unchanged. After hearing John’s explanation, Sandra nodded with a sad expression.

“I wondered if there were any remaining medicines, but it can’t be helped. If it’s okay with you, let’s return to our camp. Or do you have somewhere else to go?”

With this question, the cutscene paused.

[Do you want to join ‘Sandra’?]

[1. Yes – “No, there is nowhere else to go. Let’s go together.”]

[2. No – ‘It would be foolish to follow strangers in this situation’]

The choices soon appeared. Lee Kyungbok finally regained control.

-Daak, what is this? Hahaha

-To see the story, choose number 1.

-The latter is free play mode

-There is nothing to think about here.

-11111111

Most of the chat expected him to obviously choose number 1. However, Lee Kyungbok made a different choice.

“Many people have come for my first broadcast.”

The number of viewers had now exceeded 200. Most of them sensed what Lee Kyungbok was trying to do with the stream.

-Is he ending the broadcast here?

-No way? Hyung, don’t leave?

-Don’t leave meeeeeeee

-Hihi, you can’t go!

-Continue immediately. Continue immediately. Continue immediately. Continue immediately.

The chat window was chaotic.

However, Lee Kyungbok wasn’t someone easily swayed by others.

“Haha, it seems I need to make various preparations. I didn’t expect this much interest, so I haven’t even decided on a name yet.”

It was true. Lee Kyungbok hadn’t chosen a streamer name yet. Who would’ve thought his first broadcast would attract such attention? But he wasn’t foolish either.

‘The timing is right; let’s get the basics ready first.’

This was both the opportune moment to start streaming and a chance to establish his identity as a streamer.

“Well then, see you all tomorrow.” With a bright smile, he ended the broadcast.