novelraw Chapter 146 : Entering Hell (1)
Chapter 146 : Entering Hell (1)
Entering Hell (1)
Late afternoon, Choi Byeonghun's officetel.
After finishing their recording, Lee Gyeongbok and Park Juho went there.
"It looks like we'll finish recording faster than expected."
Park Juho revealed the reason why they gathered.
"At the latest, we'll have the result before today is over."
"Huh, that soon?"
Choi Byeonghun couldn't hide his surprise. Park Juho nodded, as if he shared the sentiment.
"It usually takes at least two to three days, but this time things are different."
"From what I heard, there's not much that needs to be touched in the original sample, and they said they'd prioritize our work."
Lee Gyeongbok relayed what he heard from the engineer.
"Wow, that's sweet! If that's the case, we can dub and upload it right away tonight."
"Really?"
"I've already gotten everything ready. I have the translation script all set, and the editing is already finished. All I have to do is synthesize the voice, add the dubbing, and upload. Game set."
Choi Byeonghun spoke confidently.
"That's why we're here. To decide the membership price."
Everything else was done.
Now, all that was left was to decide on the Q-tube membership price.
"Originally, I was going to base it on the recording cost, but thanks to Gyeongbok, the actual cost is pretty much nothing. If anything, it's just the price of the coffee I gave the engineer."
"Hey, you can ignore something like that. Anyway, with things like this, there's no need to make the price expensive. There's no reason to make the hurdle higher, right?"
Lee Gyeongbok laughed in response to Park Juho's words, but the other two did not laugh.
"But isn't there also no need to make it cheap?"
"I agree."
Lee Gyeongbok's eyes went wide at his friends' dissent. But they weren't the type to say something like that for no reason.
"You mean going for a low-margin, high-sales approach, but right now, I don't see any reason for that."
"Yeah, me too. This membership isn't aimed at collecting people, after all."
As Choi Byeonghun spoke, Park Juho adjusted his glasses.
"He's right. Let's rethink why we're even doing this membership. We're starting because foreign viewers 'asked first.'"
"Oh, so there's already a line of people who've passed that hurdle."
Lee Gyeongbok understood right away. Now he wondered, what's the right price?
Luckily, his friends weren't the sort to discuss things without preparation.
"The core of our membership content is dubbing—in other words, your 'voice'. So, I did a comparison."
"This?"
Park Juho immediately projected materials onto a hologram. A series of organized charts lined up before the three.
"ASMR?"
"Yeah, I looked into Q-tubers whose business is their voice."
"Most of them have a single tier, and the average price is around 5,000 to 6,000 won."
"In dollars, that's about five bucks."
Lee Gyeongbok looked relieved at that.
"That's not bad. Five dollars a month isn't much. That's only about 200 won a day, right?"
"No, we should get more. I'm thinking, what about doubling it to ten dollars?"
"Double?"
"Yeah, ten dollars sounds about right."
Though surprised, Lee Gyeongbok's question was echoed by Choi Byeonghun.
"As you can see, aSMR Q-tubers mostly just offer badges by their ID and exclusive emoticons for comments."
"It's the content limit. Few Q-tubers upload member-exclusive videos."
It wasn't just about price.
It was about the content provided for that price.
"We're not just going to do membership this once and stop. Let's look long term. Later, we can consider simultaneous streams on Tri and Q-tube."
"Simultaneous streams?"
"We can't right now because it's an exclusive period. But when we get bigger, we should target both platforms."
Tri wasn't the only platform offering live streaming. Q-tube could do it, too.
"My research was about the average value the public places on 'voice'. But what you'll offer is more than that."
Lee Gyeongbok rolled his eyes, then nodded.
"I get it. If the content increases, we can create tiers."
A light smile tugged at his lips.
"We start with just a single ten-dollar tier, then, as we add more content, we differentiate. The old tier becomes five dollars, and the higher tier goes to fifteen."
"Oh! That's it! Adding more content and lowering the hurdle over time."
"That's a good idea. Members happy with the existing perks pay less, and those wanting extras pay just five more instead of starting at ten, so there's less resistance."
"Ha... You know, you might have a real knack for consumer psychology!"
As laughter became contagious, his friends grinned, too. Lee Gyeongbok shrugged.
"I just thought about what viewers would like."
"That's a natural instinct. Then let's settle on starting at ten dollars."
"Yeah! I can already hear the money rolling in!"
The three of them laughed as they prepared for the next broadcast.
* * *
Day four of the test broadcast.
Lee Gyeongbok greeted viewers and shared what the friends had decided.
"Today the voice sampling was finished, and the Q-tube membership is expected to open as soon as this stream ends."
He didn't bother mentioning the price. Anyone interested would check it out regardless.
― What's with the insane work speed?
― Black Company Purple is acting like a Black Company again, I'm telling you
― I'm worried about the editors and managerㅠㅠㅠ
― They are still alive, right?
― Purple viewer: Tell us you want to live!
― Editor & Manager: I want to live!
― Nope~ Not happening~ You're not allowed to live~ Go back~
-lol just talk about it please
― If the sampling is done in one day, didn't they grind the engineer too?
-lol there were even more victims
Viewers pounced on Lee Gyeongbok with eager comments as he delivered the news.
― Foreign language dubbing sounds interesting
-lol if Godple dubs in a foreign language, it'll be so cool
― I'll check the price later, maybe try it out
Here and there, there was chatter about interest in the Q-tube membership.
"Please look forward to the Purple channel membership, and let's jump right into the game!"
But those were in the minority. As soon as Lee Gyeongbok declared game time, the rest was drowned out.
The game loaded and immediately began a cutscene.
― Oh lol look at that night sky
― Wow, you can really see the stars clearly
― Where is this?
― Desert? Looks like a desert
A desert spread beneath the star-filled night sky. A bike and a car raced down a road buried in sand.
The drivers were none other than Durante and Beatrice.
― Oh lol are they heading for Rusty Symmetry?
― Real man move: go straight, no hesitation
― Of course the ultimate dude does this
-???: No time for hesitation!
Just as viewers predicted, this was their destination.
As the camera panned down to the end of the road, a ruined city came into view.
But what waited wasn't just the city.
― Didn't they say no one lives here anymore?
― But there are so many lights
― Oh, the order must be guarding it
― There's a checkpoint. Looks like it's closed off
Various structures surrounded the city, and checkpoints blocked the entrances.
〈Durante, please slow down.〉
That was Beatrice's voice.
〈Come barreling in like this wasn't part of the plan. I'll take care of getting us permission to enter, so please wait.〉
The viewers immediately reacted.
― Already seeing the difference between the order and Durante lol
-lol freelancers get right to work!
― But I don't think they'll let them in
― The Holy Knights will probably just want to draw blood
― They could refuse entry and just ask them to donate blood
-lol my Kingly gut feeling
― But if it's the Saint talking, maybe it'll be different?
As chat scrolled, Lee Gyeongbok chuckled at the shifting mood.
"Mm, it seems Durante is thinking the same thing as all of you."
Just as question marks were about to pop up in the chat—
The gap between the car and bike widened, and if anything, Lee Gyeongbok felt things speed up.
That was because Durante cranked the throttle wide open instead of slowing.
-lol FULL THROTTLE!
― Dang! That's what I'm talking about!
― The engine sounds amazing!
― Forward! Only forward!
― Kiyah hoo!
Viewers were excited, but one person wasn't.
〈Durante?! What are you thinking?!〉
A flustered Beatrice shouted, chasing after him so as not to lose sight.
〈We're in a state of emergency! If you approach like this, they might see it as a threat!〉
Before her voice even faded, blaring sirens and chaos erupted around the city.
― Huh?
-lol the Saint's words immediately had an effect
― They respond that fast?
― Aren't they supposed to at least reach the checkpoint?
― So are they fighting Holy Knights now?
― Then what about the Saint, huh!
The sudden situation confused the viewers. But not Lee Gyeongbok.
'It gets stronger the closer I get to the city.'
The discomfort he felt wasn't coming from the Holy Knights' quarters.
And he'd felt this before.
― Oh?
― It's Hellgate, isn't it? Hellgate?
― Wait, there's more than one?
― Attack on sight
-lol let's get straight to the point
― But aren't there too many enemies for this?
― Not that it matters in front of Perante!
Multiple globes, hell Gates, were manifesting all around the city. The sirens were obviously because of them.
But the viewers didn't worry about their numbers. Their concerns were elsewhere.
〈Wait, stop!〉
With Beatrice's voice, the camera swung to the city.
The road leading in was shutting—the steel bulkhead had already dropped more than halfway.
But Durante didn't stop.
"What—the?!"
"Stop! Stop!"
The startled Holy Knights watching from the checkpoint turned in panic.
They tried to block Durante, but it was pointless.
― Dang lol that's some insane driving
― Nobody can stop him lol
― This is the stylish way
Durante blasted right through the panicked Holy Knights and charged at the bulkhead.
With almost no space left, it looked suicidal.
-lol this has to be invincible mode
― If he doesn't pull this off, he's not Durante lol
― If you're on a bike, this is a cliché right?
Everyone expected how Durante would make it through.
As if answering their expectations, he leaned the bike sideways, sparking as it scraped along the ground.
"Tsk, barely got to use this one at all."
He shot through the tiny gap between the bulkhead and ground, then leaped off the bike, landing on his feet.
-lol classic move!
― You can't not do the bike slide lol
― They should've let Godple play this as gameplay
― If this was a playable section, what about the other Devil fandom players!
-lol that's Devil's kindness right there
Just as viewers were enjoying the action—
With a crash, icicles fell atop the sliding bike.
Not just impaled, the bike rapidly froze solid around the icicle.
Just as question marks popped up in chat—
"Shaaaak!"
"Shaak-!"
With a metallic screech, something else smashed down from above. These things shattered the frozen bike, their eyes flashing.
― What the hell are these salamanders!
― Lizardmen showing up all of a sudden??
― Aren't lizardmen usually green? That blue color is annoying lol
-lol don't you know that's elemental color
― If the King Dragon is coming, this is guaranteed to be a great game!
― King Dragon much? lol
Blue-skinned reptilian monsters glared menacingly at Durante. Their teeth and claws were razor-sharp, and a white frost settled wherever they moved.
"Ceruleans. Just looking at them kills my appetite."
Durante commented as he faced them.
― Ceruleans? Not lizardmen?
― Took it from 'cerulean,' huh lol
― So what's that mean!
-lol this is a Korean chat, guys!
― Searched it, and it means 'sky blue' lol
― But, yeah, that color does kind of kill appetite lol
While the viewers chatted, the monsters crouched and flexed their claws, freezing energy gathering up front to form icicles.
Durante tensed and drew his greatsword. As a barrage of icicles rained down—
He raised his sword to counter, but paused. Someone had just landed in front of him.
She swept her long spear in a flash, batting away all the incoming icicles.
"I told you, I'd be 'cooperating' this time."
The slightly brusque face that turned around was Beatrice.
― Saint. Entry.
― Nunnaaaaaaaaa!
-lol she's sulking 'cause he didn't listen and went ahead alone
― How cute is this?
The viewers delighted in her appearance, but Durante's reaction was different.
"I don't need help anymore. Just the escort was enough."
"Oh really? Then let's just say I'm volunteering now."
She didn't seem to be backing down easily this time.
― Our nunna has this side to her?
― The heroine for a real man is a real woman, after all
― Oh? Are we finally fighting with nunna this time?
― Yup lol
― Prolly 'cause there are so many demons she's helping
― Can our nunna really shine this time...
-lol Godple will probably wipe them all anyway
― Help (0 times)
-lol it's just content for Devil fandom!
As the viewers got excited, durante was unmoved.
"You just do as you please."
"I just learn by watching."
At her cheeky answer, durante smiled faintly. They stood back-to-back, facing the Ceruleans.
"HQ will send reinforcements. The other Holy Knights are guarding the perimeter so the demons can't escape."
"I like that."
"Finally, you're making sense. So, just until reinforcements arrive—"
"No."
Durante cut her off and pulled out a pistol with his other hand. With a flash, one Cerulean dropped.
"It means there's no one left to get in the way."
Through the muzzle smoke, durante's smile grew deeper.
-lol he's saying he can handle this alone
― He already did this before!
-???: I've done this myself
-lol why do you need reinforcements?
― He's not just Durante, he's Perante, so it's over!
Viewers loved Durante's line. And at that moment, control returned.
But the game was paused.
[Time Attack!]
[Close all Hellgates within the time limit!]
[2:00:00]
[Remaining Hellgates – 5]
[Tip〉 Don't worry too much about the remaining time. If you fail, the game continues.]
A message appeared, explaining the new mission type.
― Oh? Time attack lol
-2 hours? Isn't that way too much time? lol
― That means it's that hard, huh?
-20 minutes per Hellgate, then
― This is the first, so I have no idea lol
― If time runs out, maybe the order's reinforcements arrive and it's over?
― Yup, probably why nunna mentioned support
― So, story branch?
― Fail this and it's stacking up towards a bad ending
-lol what does it matter? Godple always wins anyway!
― Even the Hellgates know to respect him!
― Why would a Hellgate grant that? lol
The viewers sensed a story branch at this point. Lee Gyeongbok thought the same.
"If I'm fighting alongside Beatrice, I should be careful about her status too."
― Oh, good point
― If nunna gets hurt, it's bad ending for sure!
― Yeah, if you also have to protect the Saint, the difficulty goes way up
― Yup, they gave you two hours for a reason
― Hyung! You'll protect nunna, right!?
― Absolutely. Protect.
-lol not worried at all 'cause it's Perante
― Not being able to protect the heroine? That's not 'perfect.'
― The saint blessed by God? Total cliché!
-lol 'God'ple and 'Saint' lol
― Makes sense...
― First revealed and already getting spoilers?
Lee Gyeongbok checked chat with a laugh, right as he was about to start the fight.
['CapCompany_kor' has suggested a quest!]
[Condition – Beat the internal test record of '1:17:21'.]
[Success – 500,000 won]
[Failure – 500,000 won]
A test item via quest. That alone told the viewers and Lee Gyeongbok their hunch was right.
-lol of course this is a branch point
― The best record is over an hour?
― That means the difficulty is actually high?
― Wow lol, still better than when it was Bark
― What do you mean?
― Don't you know Godple made them change Bark's difficulty?
-lol during that time, devil got so much hate
-lol the devs were told to beat it themselves
― Right after, they head-desked on Reddit and lowered the difficulty, so things calmed down
― This time, they must've really tested it
No reason to refuse. Lee Gyeongbok accepted the quest without hesitation.
"Alright then, let's go for a new record—"
Just as he was about to resume—
['IWonderIfThisGuyIsSerious' has suggested a quest!]
[Condition – Devs don't know the test method, asking for help. 10,000 won for every minute off the record.]
A new quest appeared.
Chat reacted instantly. Anyone who watched Lee Gyeongbok's streams recognized the viewer's nickname.
-lol the real IWonderIfThisGuyIsSerious?
― Source of the capitalist wave...!
― Top tier for teasing out sincerity lol
― But it's true though
― The third IWonderIfThisGuyIsSerious Incident begins!
― Is Devil watching? This is how you test games!
-lol 10,000 won per minute shaved off? Can't pass that up lol
― Time is money, huh?
Chat tension soared. Even though it was just letters, Lee Gyeongbok could feel their energy.
"Thank you for the quest, iWonderIfThisGuyIsSerious! But our advertisers might get the wrong idea. I'm always doing my best, you know?"
Chat exploded in "lol"s.
"But with a target like this, my enthusiasm will show even more! I'll gladly accept the quest!"
He accepted the second quest, sending chat into a frenzy.
― So, perante is going all out!
― Demons, better run!
― Greed scarier than demons!
― Breaking news: Adam Smith releases a new edition of The Wealth of Nations. 'The invisible hand even subdues demons.' Category changed from Economics to Theology.
― What even is this genre change lol
― This is crazy lol
The invasion of demons.
Despite the name, for the viewers it was little more than a festival.
***
**Origin/English/Pronoun List:**