Genius’s Godlike Game Broadcast

Chapter 61 : I Heard Elden Soul Is Hard? (1)

I Heard Elden Soul Is Hard? (1)

As the opening ended, the game logo that had appeared in golden letters also scattered apart.

With the flash growing stronger, black fragments began to flutter down.

〈The origin of existence, soul.〉

Once again, the narration was heard as the light became even more intense.

〈The only fragments of soul I had left were these.〉

As the narration finished, a flash burst forth and Lee Gyeongbok was finally able to move his body.

"Ah, it's finally starting. Let's see..."

Lee Gyeongbok turned his gaze. Surrounding him in a circle were full-length mirrors. Each mirror had a nameplate attached.

[Warrior]

[Knight]

[Thief]

[Assassin]

[Mage]

[Cleric]

...

Lee Gyeongbok's reflection in each mirror was dressed according to the title on each nameplate.

― Wow lol, seeing it with Godple's body, it's just dripping with style

― The warrior look is so masculine lol

― Knight costume is super sexy

― Cleric looks like an idol, probably because of the blonde hair lol

― Is this my country or what!

― Ah lol, viewers just want to go with a preset

― Godple would have lived well even if born in the Middle Ages

The viewers were full of admiration as they saw Lee Gyeongbok's many costumes reflected in the mirrors.

"Can't customize—it's set to max immersion, so I'll go straight to background selection."

Character background setting.

The Elden series, by tradition, had detailed subdivisions for the player character's background.

Depending on the background, starting equipment, stats, and initial spells varied.

― If you have good physical skills, obviously go warrior, right?

― Na, no, with physical skills, assassin is a better fit.

― If you're thinking of boss fights, self-healing cleric is decent.

― Just pick the stylish knight!

― Ah lol, why are there so many people who don't get Elden? If you want style, go with mage.

Each viewer recommended a background for their own reasons, and Lee Gyeongbok waved at the rapidly scrolling chat window.

"Ah, I already decided before starting."

Question marks quickly filled the chat window.

"I got a little explanation from my editor friend. In the Elden series, there aren't really restrictions, and character development is freeform. So he told me to just pick whatever I liked, right?"

― That's correct

― For real lol, fundamentally you can learn all the spells anyway

― Only the starting stats differ; you can raise anything you want anyway lol

― Still, the early difficulty swings a lot depending on the background

The viewers who had played Elden Soul actively agreed. Lee Gyeongbok then stood in front of a mirror.

"So I decided to go with this."

Attire: light armor, leather reinforced with metal.

On the nameplate of the mirror he chose, it said this:

[Sorcerer]

The chat window started to shake in response.

― First playthrough, as a sorcerer?

― No matter what, sorcerer's a bit...

― Ah; then might as well be a demonic beast sorcerer!

― Hyung! If you pick sorcerer, you only get one spell at the start!

The viewers did not hide their worries.

A sorcerer, as the name suggests, was a character who used sorcery. But the only spell you received at the start was a single one.

Because of this, you actually had to focus on close combat in the early game, playing like a warrior.

― Stats for sorcerer are rough though, Tang

― For real lol, vitality and strength are trash

― But intelligence and focus are good, at least...

― Luck is low too, so items never drop.

― Ah, this is going to be spicy

― Spoiler) Fast RIP

The real problem was the stats for beginning with a sorcerer background. The abilities important for close combat were low, and while sorcery stats were high, you had no spells to use immediately.

As mentioned, the Elden series imposed no hard restrictions by background, so almost no one picked the penalty-heavy sorcerer as a starter.

But it wasn't totally unheard of.

"Judging from the reactions, I think I picked the right one."

Lee Gyeongbok smiled brightly while looking at the chat window. The reactions brought back another flood of question marks.

"I asked them to recommend the hardest background from the very beginning. Remember my interview? I said I wanted to try something hard."

― Even in the notoriously difficult Elden Soul, you're chasing difficulty. Who are you?!

― Ah lol, godple being Godple!

― If that's your intention, I respect it lol

― His thirst for challenge never dries up lol

― Is this how foreigners feel watching Koreans eat fiery buldak noodles...!

― Lol it instantly clicks

― But, honestly, with Godple, even first-run sorcerer seems doable

The viewers quickly accepted Lee Gyeongbok's response. With the opposition dissipating, he locked in his choice.

〈Sorcerer, the one who explores the origins.〉

〈That was me.〉

With the narration continuing, the other mirrors disappeared.

〈But aside from that, I remembered nothing.〉

〈However, the wish lingering in the small fragment of soul was clear.〉

Soon, a crack appeared in the sorcerer's mirror. As if under pressure, the mirror shattered into fragments.

〈Find the oldest soul, the Elden Soul.〉

With the fading narration, Lee Gyeongbok's vision went black.

He soon blinked his eyes.

Like waking from sleep, his senses activated.

"Looks like a cemetery as the starting place."

He got up, looked around, and spoke. He was wedged among dried-out corpses like a mummy.

Brushing dust off his body, a musty smell rose sharply.

Lee Gyeongbok slightly furrowed his glabella.

"This is really dusty... Looks like an abandoned cemetery?"

― Gotta look around for that lol

― Okay, viewers, no backseating~

― For real lol, the Elden series is supposed to be unfriendly

― Ah lol, you gotta win over Miss Yudahee

― Even Godple has a solid chance of meeting Yudahee lol

― The Elden series is all about learning by dying lol

As if on cue, the viewers went quiet. Part of the fun of watching a broadcast of a hard game like the Elden series was seeing the streamer struggle.

'Well, it's not like I'm totally clueless, though.'

But Lee Gyeongbok didn't agree with that 'common sense'. Thanks to the spiritual energy and sixth sense within him, he could sense the positions of enemies and items lying ahead.

Because of that, finding his starting equipment was no trouble.

"Ah, it's a bit worn out, but I can use this."

Lee Gyeongbok found an old hand axe, a broken longsword, and a chipped wooden shield among the corpses.

― Oh lol, he found them instantly

― Reckless streamers just run out without equipment lol

― Then they get taught a lesson and learn lol

― For real, the discipline is real lol

― Anyone walking around the Elden series without gear is just dumb

The viewers were thoroughly satisfied.

['Hardcore Gamer's Guide' offers a quest!]

[Condition – Escape the cemetery using only 'Broken Longsword']

[Reward – 100,000 won]

A quest offer came at just the right time.

"Ah, thanks for the quest. The broken longsword means this, right?"

Lee Gyeongbok held up the longsword with the broken blade. Laughter flooded the chat window.

― Forcing hardcore gamer plays from the start!

― Don't you know? The broken longsword has always been the hallmark of hardcore gamers.

― Info) Broken longsword is the archetypal starter weapon in the Elden series.

― I know, speed Wagon!

― Wow lol, I could never use that thing

― It's embarrassing to even call it a weapon lol

The broken longsword's blade was already dull with no edge, and since it was snapped off, it only had reach about as long as a dagger. In other words, it was barely better than bare hands.

― But as a sorcerer, not any other background, this is a bit much;;;

― For real lol, and he hasn't even fought yet

― Na, with Godple's physical, this is a cakewalk.

-??? : Might as well do it bare-handed too?

― Ah lol, I wouldn't be surprised

― Ah, spoiler ban please

― Don't forget Korea Buldak-Fist Godple!

Some viewers were worried, but most expected him to accept the quest without hesitation.

And so he did.

"I'll gladly accept the quest. Then I'll go with only the broken longsword."

With a grin, Lee Gyeongbok tucked the hand axe into his waist and slung the shield on his back. The viewers, satisfied, nodded as if to say 'of course'.

But if they knew what he was really thinking, they might have been surprised.

'Well, I'll play for a bit and if it feels doable, bare-fist play might be fun too.'

Lee Gyeongbok gave the broken longsword a light swing and nodded to himself.

"Hmm, I think I'm getting it."

― Eh?

― Any other streamer would just ignore the challenge, but with Godple, it feels real;;

― Of course it's real, that's why lol

― Ah lol, the undead are doomed

― Got killed by a broken longsword? Died of embarrassment lol

While the viewers bantered, Lee Gyeongbok left the room. Just then, his body stopped—abruptly.

'A cutscene, huh.'

Heavy footsteps filled the corridor. Lee Gyeongbok's body, out of his control, walked toward the end.

"... Soul."

"My soul..."

Beyond the corridor, a low, growling voice sounded. As Lee Gyeongbok stepped into the room...

With a whirring sound, a sword flew toward his face. He rolled up and narrowly dodged, followed by an arrow thudding into the ground near him.

His vision snapped back.

"I sense a soul...!"

"Graaaah!"

There stood undead, gaunt as corpses but with fierce, ghostly glint in their eyes.

Then, time seemed to slow, and a strange golden shape shimmered before him.

In a flash, the form solidified into Hangul:

['Ember in the Ashes']

Lee Gyeongbok instinctively read the words in his mind. At that moment, the broken longsword began to glow red.

― Oh lol, it teaches you the spell method.

― If your background has magic, it tells you

― Gotta admit, that's fair lol

― Fact: even if you know, you'll still die.

― This is 'yeah' lol

Seeing the chat, Lee Gyeongbok quickly understood the cutscene's purpose.

'So, recite the spell internally to activate it.'

But he had no time to ponder further. The cutscene ended, and control was restored.

In Bio Crisis, cutscenes worked differently.

'Warrior and archer combo, huh.'

Lee Gyeongbok's eyes darted quickly.

Four undead.

Two on each side wielded longswords, while two up front nocked their bows.

It was easy to see the developer's intention.

'Try running away, evading? They want to teach survival first.'

A head-on fight would be difficult here. Guarding against swords on both sides would be hard, and even if you managed, you couldn't block the arrows from the front.

If you were just an ordinary person.

'No need for that here.'

The spiritual energy inside him stirred. His five senses swept over the space, collecting information. The trajectories of flying arrows and the paths of the undeads' swords were clear as day.

He saw a way through.

Lee Gyeongbok decided to follow that path.

― Why is he staying still, wow

― They didn't expect it to be this hard, huh?

― Should back off first!

― Ah! No way!

Just as worried chat messages began to appear, Lee Gyeongbok moved.

It wasn't a big movement. Not flashy either.

He simply parried the incoming sword attack. At the same time, a metallic clang and a spray of sparks.

A simple act.

But the results were anything but simple.

"Grrr."

The parried sword ricocheted and pierced the throat of the opposite undead.

Then, the staggered undead took an arrow to the head from behind.

What about the other arrow?

Lee Gyeongbok twisted his waist and reached toward the archer. With a sharp slicing sound, a red trajectory cut the archer's bowstring.

That was the other arrow, caught by Lee Gyeongbok himself.

'So spells work on arrows too, huh.'

He didn't hesitate.

He dashed straight for the two struggling archers, and, with the sound of sizzling flesh, the glowing blade sliced into the archer's throat.

"Hoo."

Lee Gyeongbok exhaled shortly and turned his body. No more undead moved.

-?????

― What happened? How?

― He beat all of them?

― Seriously, lol

― Wow, all I can say is, wow

-(game malcon)(game malcon)(game malcon)

― Set a new legend from the start?

The chat was in turmoil.

Like waking from a trance, viewers began to share their impressions.

― Are you supposed to lure them into the corridor and take them one by one?

― For real lol, usually take out the swordsmen, then use the shield to block the archers or roll to close in

― I expected parrying, but turning an undead's sword against another? Did not expect that.

― That's killing two birds with one stone lol

― Godple threw an arrow, right? He caught the flying arrow?

― Yep lol, broke the archer's bowstring with it

― What kind of madness is that lol

― But it really happened.

― For real lol, the spell worked, no mistake

Unbelievable, but they saw it with their own eyes. Watching the now-chaotic chat, Lee Gyeongbok spoke.

"Breaking only the bowstring with the arrow doesn't count as failing the quest, right? But using the undead's weapon to kill an undead—maybe that's debatable."

At this, the chat's atmosphere shifted.

― Insane lol, is money on your mind at a time like this!

― Typical [Black Company] boss, wow

― Ah, the wave of capitalism! Too scary!

― Logically, godple only used the broken longsword, so it's fine, right?

― For real lol, not a violation

― It makes sense—a used arrow is consumable, not equipment lol

Agreeing with the sentiment, the quest remained in effect. Lee Gyeongbok smiled, then wrinkled his nose a bit.

"Ah, but it's a little disappointing. Maybe my expectations were too high..."

Viewers filled the chat with question marks at his reaction.

"I heard this was supposed to be really hard, but maybe it's just easy because it's the first battle?"

― Ah lol, here we go again

― Deceit mode ON!

-sniff sniff! Love that trickster energy

― Why are you sniffing that, lol

― I died more than 20 times at this spot lol

― For real, once I got used to it I barely survived by rolling around

-??? : Why are people dying? Don't they want to live?

― Say you want to live!

― Is he made of rubber or what lol

As the chat went wild, Lee Gyeongbok tilted his head.

"You just need to deflect and swing, right? I should lower my expectations a bit."

― No, bosses are different!

― For real lol, bosses are the real deal in the Elden series

― For viewers, even basic enemies are hard, but still, it's not the same!

― For real lol, viewers need dozens of tries just to reach the graveyard boss lol

― Looks like Godple might do it in one go lol

― This is [per][fect] style gameplay?

-???: A game to learn by dying?

― For real lol, he might not ever meet Yudahee

― Yudahee: At least call me if you can't make it—how rude.

― Yudahee stood up, huh lol

― I wish I could stop meeting her too ㅠ

― Yeah, you say that, but your body's honest

― Viewers keep meeting her, though lol

As the viewers continued their ironic encouragement, Lee Gyeongbok nodded. Talk of bosses brought to mind the monsters from the opening scenes.

"Well, undead feel like fighting regular people. In that case, let's go look for the boss."

Lee Gyeongbok set off again, smiling.

― I feel like Godple will reach the ending in one go lol

― No, he hasn't met different types yet

― I don't know, man!

― But it'd be wrong to call it hype, since he's shown so much

― For real lol, how could you not be hyped after this?

Just one battle was enough to win the viewers' hearts.