Genius’s Godlike Game Broadcast

Chapter 85 : Elden's Top Sword, Next (1)

Elden's Top Sword, Next (1)

Broadcast time had come around again.

Lee Gyeongbok raised his hand lightly.

"Trha!"

By now, even this once-awkward greeting came naturally, brimming with confidence.

― Perha!

-(Perha-con)(Perha-con)(Perha-con)

― So nice not being late, lol

― If the end of stream is sharp, the start should be sharp too!

― As expected of Elden's Top Sword, that's all I'm saying, lol

― Thank you, supreme Purple!

The viewers also responded brightly.

Then, as if they'd been waiting, a flood of donations began.

['IsThisWorldClass?' has donated 10,000 won.]

[Hyung! Did you see the comment Anatomy left on Purple channel? Are you world class now or what!]

['DidYouHireMadman?' has donated 5,000 won.]

[I saw 'produced by Madman' on the Purple channel; what's the story?]

['IsThisEldenMusu?' has donated 50,000 won.]

[If you're not mowing them down (musou), does that mean you have double eyelids? LOL]

Due to the nature of the broadcast, there weren't many opportunities for donations, so it had become an unspoken rule to send them before gameplay started.

― Anatomy?

― Didn't you come from not watching Purple channel! What are you even doing!

― What, are you not Korean?

― Madman joined Black Company?

― MadGunner hasn't uploaded much lately, though, lol

― Manager, can you ban the one with the double eyelid joke?

― Ah, lol, but for 50,000 won, you gotta let it slide

Viewers immediately reacted to the donations. Lee Gyeongbok waved them off with a laugh.

"Come now, world class? Madman isn't employed, he just helps out as a freelancer from time to time. If the monsters are weak, then of course it's a mow-down, right?"

So began the session of donations and gratitude. Since it always took a bit of time for everyone to gather, Lee Gyeongbok responded cheerfully.

He continued light conversation as viewers filtered in.

['AnatomyUpdate' has donated 5,000 won.]

[After commenting on Purple channel, anatomy's been doing a production livestream for 17 hours straight, lol]

Lee Gyeongbok's eyes widened at the new donation.

"Seventeen hours? Wow, must be crafting every single piece of equipment."

-?

-eh?

― Wait, what the heck, lol

― How could you possibly make everything, lol

― Hasn't even made a single legendary, let alone unique grade, lol

Lee Gyeongbok's reaction immediately caught the chat's attention. With a puzzled look, he asked,

"Really? That's odd... They're not going Knight Order alliance route like me, are they? If they just beat the Gravekeeper and the Wraith Golem, the snow mountain area opens up."

If all they wanted was to craft, the Order Church route would be faster.

"If it's not Awakened Gravekeeper or Wraith Golem, and you skip cutscenes, you could probably do it once every two hours."

Lee Gyeongbok figured Anatomy had challenged it at least eight times. And surely Anatomy didn't choose the worst possible stats for luck like he had. Yet, not a single legendary item? He couldn't help but be curious.

― Double-absurdity ON!

― Ah, lol, starting with the double-absurdity, as always

― Loot drop's quick today

― What does loot drop even mean, damn lol

― No, anatomy isn't a superhuman like you!

― Seriously, lol, if you farm and gear up, it'll take at least 5 hours

― Yep, they're only on the third attempt now

The viewers quickly shared more details. Reading the chat, Lee Gyeongbok furrowed his glabella.

"Five hours? No, it's not double-absurdity, factoring in farming I guessed two hours."

-???????

― What? Is his time unit different?

― Godple is like a black hole, time slows down for him

― Seriously, lol, when you watch his stream, time just flies

― For us watching, time passes instantly

― Don't you know relativity? (I really don't)

― Chop the flatterers!

['AskOnYourBehalf' has donated 10,000 won.]

[How long do you think crafting would take you in one try?]

Lee Gyeongbok rolled his eyes at the donation message. The calculation didn't take long.

"Hmm, since I already cleared it once, I know the strategy, right? If I skip story, it probably won't take even an hour."

-(PerStamp-con)(PerStamp-con)

― One hour? LOL

― An hour from start to Snow Mountain Drake cut? Seriously?

― Ah, but knowing you, you could actually do it, so it's annoying

― Seriously, godple could do a no-upgrade, no-farming speedrun easily

― If you just ignore mobs and rush bosses, 30 minutes is enough

― If he took the Order Church route, 30 minutes tops

― So a streamer who gets unique grade gear in 30 minutes?

― Ridiculous, lol, even getting take-out food delivered would take longer

The chat was filled with laughter and disbelief, but with Lee Gyeongbok, what sounded impossible for others felt doable.

"Alright, let's wrap up the chit-chat and donations. If the stream goes too long, my editor buddy will have a hard time."

Lee Gyeongbok peeked at the viewer count. It had surpassed ten thousand; now was the time to start.

― Editor's uploads are always on the dot, lol

― Given Elden's Top Sword's personality, can't be helped, lol

― Pretends to worry, but behind the scenes...

― Black Company feature: the boss has great PR, lol

― Editor, if you want to reveal the truth, wave a carrot!

Viewers pounced like they'd found prey.

"Oh, there you go, framing me again. I even fed him ginseng chicken soup for his hard work today!"

― Oh lol, ginseng chicken soup

― Was it a whole chicken, or just a half-cooked soup?

― Probably gave him retort pouch soup, lol

― Does chicken in ginseng chicken soup even mean real chicken? Isn't that prejudice?

― What else would it be, lol

― Viewers lmao, they'll twist anything if they try hard enough

― Enough with the nonsense!

Chuckling, Lee Gyeongbok redirected their focus.

"Okay, today I'm planning to reach the EldenSoul ending. Let's get started!"

― Oh, the clear declaration is out!

― Ordering chicken right now!

― Knew this would happen, didn't even eat dinner yet!

― Late-night snacks are done for, lol

― What are these true fans, picking broadcast over food?

― Ah yes, this is what it means to be a Purple viewer

Hidden glee filled the chat at his clear declaration. The background shifted and Elden Soul launched.

"Looks like I'm right where I left off yesterday."

Lee Gyeongbok checked his position. He was still at the royal castle entrance where he'd ended the previous stream.

Before him was the royal garden, now turned into a maze.

"This is practically a wall at this point."

He tilted his head up. With little sunlight reaching over the high inner wall, the garden's vegetation had grown vertically, like a wall.

― Looks like a wall by both width and height, lol

― This area's surprisingly tricky

― First time here, this really got on my nerves

― No spoilers

― If it's spoilers, godPako will deal with it!

― I liked this place because it's where you first travel with the witch nuna, lol

― It's basically a zone made for her, honestly

Lee Gyeongbok cocked his head at their responses.

'Doesn't seem like there's an issue.'

His spiritual energy and sixth sense began gathering information. No threat was detected.

'Is it just the maze structure? Even then, it's really not that complicated.'

All he could see was the massive wall and pathway, but Lee Gyeongbok could grasp the whole layout. The gathered info had drawn a bird's-eye-view map in his mind.

"I'll just get through it first."

He strode forward without hesitation, not wavering at any fork. He knew the path—why hesitate?

But the viewers, clueless to his insight, could only be amazed.

― He never stops for a second, lol

― Where does he get this decisiveness?

― What, did he look up a guide?

― A guide, lol, he's so oblivious

― The maze is randomly generated, though

― How is he so confident about the route?

― For someone "winging it," he's breezing through

― Not a single stumble? What are the odds?

― One quintillionth chance... so, it's possible?

― Isn't he seeing something we can't?

A mix of awe and guesses flooded chat. But soon, Lee Gyeongbok had to come to a halt.

"Huh?"

With a rustle, leaves shook as vines tangled like spider webs from both sides, instantly transforming the open path into a wall.

Lee Gyeongbok's eyes widened in surprise.

― Lolololol

― His face says it all

― If you don't know it's coming, you can't avoid it

― A rare expression of surprise from Godple, treasure it

― Ta-da! This garden is alive!

― Got hit with the classic surprise, huh? Lol

― This keeps changing—if you get it wrong, it's seriously frustrating

Viewers found joy in his surprise. But Lee Gyeongbok didn't need any extra explanation.

'It's not just here—the entire structure is shifting.'

The mental map in his head was updating in real time. Obviously, there was no point in just wandering aimlessly.

"The garden is moving. I can feel sorcery in the air... I think a totem is installed somewhere."

Alicia, perched on his shoulder, whispered. When he turned, she was searching around with hands on her head, focusing.

"Hmm... If you find and destroy that totem, its activity will stop. I'll let you know when we get closer."

― Wow... the mini version is even cuter

― Yeah, even the corporeal version is nice, but this is cuter

― So this is what "adorable" feels like

― From here on, just listen to what nuna says

Standard procedure was to follow Alicia's guidance and destroy the totem. But Lee Gyeongbok decided to try something else.

'It's just plants, right?'

He drew his sword, muttered a sorcery, and blue flame roared down the blade.

He slashed at the wall.

With a scorching sound, the wall began to burn. But then, something unexpected happened.

― Ah, this is a must-try, lol

― Of course, everyone tries this

― Anyone would, if wandering is a pain

― But From Software already figured it out, lol

New vines extended over the burning wall, smothering the flame—any breach quickly restored.

"The totem's sorcery is too strong. It'll be faster to destroy the totem."

Even viewers agreed with Alicia's line.

― Alicia's dialogue = From's true feelings

― It's all pointless, anyway

― I tried burning it all with beast magic, didn't work!

― From wants you to go on a date with Alicia!

― What kind of "date" is this, though, lol

― Can't know if you've never been on one...

― Stop hitting me! I'm gonna cry!

― The restoration speed is just too high—it's impossible, lol

Reading the responses, Lee Gyeongbok nodded with a faint smile.

"Definitely fast-paced."

But that was as far as his agreement went.

"Still, I think I can break through it."

The chat was filled with question marks. Instead of answering, Lee Gyeongbok gripped his sword again.

Blue flame traced an arc through the wall. Once more, breaches appeared, new vines rushed to close the gaps.

Same situation—his response was different.

'As long as I stop them from connecting, it's fine.'

A stream of flames from his body intercepted the connecting vines.

-?????????

― Huh?

― Incredible!

― He's zoning out again!

― Those eyes! Look at those eyes!

― He's burning through the exact spots?!

― He's pinpointing and cutting the connections?

Lee Gyeongbok controlled the flame to burn the vines before they could tangle. Without the vines linking, repairs couldn't take place. He broke through the wall along the path he created.

"See?"

With that short remark, but the chat didn't reply with brevity.

― Eh?

― He actually did it?!

― He hit the exact spots, wow

― Info) Godple once hit a grenade pin from across the field with a rifle

― No, lol, this is a game, how is it the same

― It's probably system-locked against this?

― Yeah, those vines are hard-set to always connect

Viewers were in shock. He'd done something the system wasn't supposed to allow.

― Then it's a bug, damn

― The real bug is Godple existing at all

― For real, lol, he intercepts what the system hard-coded

― Not even the system can stop this

― This is the "Perfect Bug," right?

― Way to make even bugs perfect, lol

― Developer: This should be enough of a lock, right?

― Developer: Yeah, if you're human, you can't get past this

― Turns out he wasn't human, lol

― FromSoft devs in tears, lol

While the chat relished it, Lee Gyeongbok calmly pushed through the wall. Having done it once, the rest was even easier, and he sped up.

"Ah, I'm out."

Once he escaped the garden, he felt movement on his shoulder.

He turned to see Alicia sitting with a dejected expression.

"I... wasn't any help."

Unexpected as this was, Lee Gyeongbok was at a loss for words.

― Whoa lol, there's unique dialogue

― This is probably what she says if you leave without destroying the totem

― From must have accounted for veteran players

― Yeah, with all the hardcores, they had to

― It's From's attention to detail, lol

― But isn't this your first playthrough!

― Ah, well, you're a hardcore gamer regardless!

― What're you gonna do about sad mini nuna!

Luckily, it was only for a moment.

Alicia clenched her little fists and stood up.

"But I'll be of help in other places. Broken One, let us go forth!"

Lee Gyeongbok turned away with a snort. The majestic royal castle and its grand gates loomed ahead.

He slowly pushed open the doors.

Perhaps they hadn't opened in a long time. The castle doors creaked mightily as they moved.

"Oh..."

Lee Gyeongbok glimpsed through the opening and let out a quiet exclamation.

A wide corridor appeared before him.

"It's all mirrors?"

― Nobody doesn't get surprised here, lol

― The atmosphere just pulls you in

― FromSoft is so good at this stuff

Strangely, the corridor's side walls were all made of mirrors. Lee Gyeongbok looked around, peering into the reflections.

With mirrors facing each other, it felt like he was standing in an infinite world.

He took a step further, and suddenly lost control—entering a cutscene as he entered the castle.

"Where am I?"

The protagonist's reaction wasn't much different. He looked at the mirrors in puzzlement.

"All who step into the royal castle, reflect upon yourselves. That is the Decider's decree."

"Certainly can't help but look."

The protagonist stared into his own reflection. The infinite mirrors showed countless versions of him and Alicia.

But then...

"... What's that?"

Amid the endless reflections, in one area far away, there was someone besides the two of them.

But they were too far off to make out clearly.

― What is that?

― Suddenly horror vibes

― Genre shift to horror, what is this!

― Elden Soul was always a bit of a scary game, though, lol

― For a newb, it's scary; for Godple, it's just Elden musou

― Finally, this moment is here!

The viewers' responses split sharply between the experienced and the first-timers.

The two in the cutscene were the latter.

"What the heck...?"

"Wait, wait. Give me a moment."

Alicia hopped from the protagonist's shoulder and pressed herself to the mirror. She closed her eyes, put her head to the glass, and stretched out her hands.

"I can sense souls inside the mirrors."

"Souls?"

"It's faint... but I feel it. Looks like they're lost inside. But if it's me, I can guide them out."

Alicia slowly opened her eyes and turned.

"Maybe, like us, they came to see the Decider and something happened? They might be able to help."

"Help, huh..."

"What should we do, broken One? I will follow your lead."

With Alicia's question, the cutscene ended. A message appeared for Lee Gyeongbok.

[Would you like to invite 'Holy Spirit' (other players)?]

[You can invite up to 10.]

He'd already gotten hints about this from friends, so he wasn't surprised.

"Ah, looks like this is a co-op section now."

― Yeah, this is it

― From here on, the difficulty skyrockets, lol

― But if it's Godple?

― Ah, gotta solo it, right?

― No way, you can't solo here, not allowed!

― Yeah, do that, and the broadcast tanks instantly

― You really have to co-op!

― I'm guessing you'll call Eclipse or Genome, right? Right?

― Please, just do co-op ㅠㅠㅠ

― Can't say any more, it's spoilers

― You'll really regret solo play here

An intense reaction from the chat. Because it connects to the bad ending, many were strongly against going alone.

'At this rate, I won't even have to mention the bad ending at all.'

Lee Gyeongbok smiled and nodded.

"Alright. No soloing, we'll do a viewer participation run instead."

The chat froze for an instant at that declaration. Lee Gyeongbok gestured and continued,

"I'll take the first 10 people, first come first served. Prep time is... one minute. I'll click confirm after one minute."

[00:60:00]

As he finished, a timer appeared at the top left of the screen. Manager Park Juho was the one who put it up.

As the timer began...

― He's doing this as viewer participation?

― On the spot, even?!

― Five minutes! Please give us five!

― Ah, crap, my capsule is old, booting it takes a full minute

― Damn, my chicken hasn't arrived, but I'm in anyway!

― If you can get in, it's legendary, lol

― Ah, everyone's going down! (Me)

― Elden fan vs watching the stream with snacks

― Co-op with Godple—even if embarrassing, it's worth it, right?

― Yeah, it's a tough call honestly

― Surprisingly well-balanced, lol

― The latter you can always do anytime

― Only 10 golden bus tickets!

― That's right! Gotta be first, godple is gonna carry anyway

― No matter who gets in, so jealous, lol

The chat exploded with excitement and anticipation.

***

**New Names, locations, skills, techniques**