novelraw Chapter 93 : Knight of Perfection (2)
Chapter 93 : Knight of Perfection (2)
Knight of Perfection (2)
Lee Gyeongbok stared blankly at the message for a moment.
'Remaster news? My name is mentioned? All of a sudden?'
The news Choi Byeonghun relayed was way too big in scale to digest at once. But just as the scale was large, the news spread like wildfire.
― Crazy! Dark Rune remaster!
― Huh? What's that about?
― It's up on the official Q-tube!
― Lol wow, the Purple channel was introduced
― Official! Official! Official! Official! Official! Official!
― What even is this?
― Fromme recognized Godple?
― Elden's Only Sword world class, lol
― Lol, he gritted his teeth and made it world class
― Godple recognized worldwide? I can't hold back, lol
― Bullish on Purple coin?
― Hyung! Congrats!
― Where did Najaks Purple go? TT
― Started shooting up from the beginning but Najaks went blah lol
The chat window blazed with unrestrained messages.
Lee Gyeongbok was happy, but also felt a sense of crisis.
"Thank you so much for the congratulations! But you're not trying to leave my broadcast to watch the announcement video right now, are you?"
It was great news for sure, but he had to prevent his viewers from leaving. The chat window filled with laughter at his remark.
― Of course not (gulp!)
― Seriously lol, you can only see Godple live right now, why go watch Q-tube?
― Trsu, you're running both Tri and Q-tube at once and pretending otherwise, right?
― Those with only a single core, just stick to Tri, okay?
― Lol, unless you're octa-core like Godple, don't try to multitask
― I just prefer hanging out with Godple!
Fortunately, the viewership number hardly changed. If anything, thanks to his name being mentioned, more new folks were tuning in despite the late hour.
'Nothing I can do beyond this.'
There was no way to stop viewers from glancing away from the broadcast to somewhere else. Lee Gyeongbok clapped lightly to refocus their attention.
"Alright then, let's trust and continue. I'll wrap up from the ending, then let's all watch the announcement video together."
It was a thoughtless comment, but it stirred up a whirlwind in the chat window.
― Watching the video with Godple? I can't resist, lol
― In that case, I have no choice but to close Q-tube, right!
― Are we getting a Godple reaction video?
― Watching it together here? Is he a streaming genius?
― Another streaming angle spotted, lol
― Lol, there's now a sudden part three?
He didn't particularly intend to make a reaction video, but he didn't bother to explain.
He resumed the cutscene he had paused earlier.
"Broken One."
Within the blackout screen, alicia's voice was heard. Gradually, the scene brightened to reveal the scenery.
Where there had been no sign of life in the inner fortress, people were now moving about busily. At the center, alicia watched over the people.
"Many years have passed since the day you disappeared."
From her narration, Lee Gyeongbok and the viewers could infer the situation.
"Ah, looks like Alicia is sending a letter to the protagonist."
― Yeah, seems so
― Guess some time has passed
― Feels like it's showing the player leaving after the ending?
― Lol, fromme-brain is working overtime again
― How could you have left nuna's side!
Alicia found the Forestkeeper Golems frozen all over the inner fortress. With her sorcery, the reactivated golems resumed their main task of managing crop growth.
"Humans are still endangered, but even so, they continue to strive."
Suddenly, she turned her head. Only Alicia's voice could be heard, so questions popped up in the chat window.
Then the perspective shifted to reveal a fallen person. Black rune letters were inscribed above them.
"Dark Rune, harbinger of the dead. This is probably related to you."
As terrified people backed away, blondo and the knights arrived among them.
"Blondo and the knight order are fulfilling their duties faithfully. Unlike before, they're protecting everyone now."
The knights detained the fallen person and carried them away. Alicia wore a bitter expression but didn't stop them.
― In the past, that would've been immediate execution, lol
― Wow, really seeing the Dark Rune here makes it feel like a prequel
― Meanwhile, the knight order commander guys' face has softened
― He was a total hardliner in the Order Church route, though, lol
When Alicia headed to the inner fortress entrance, the sight of a desolate village haunted by the dead faded, replaced by people with various tools busily engaged in construction.
"Aiden said silence is for humans, but I don't agree. Change comes from action."
The viewpoint rose higher, taking in a panorama of the kingdom from a bird's-eye-view.
"Broken One, can you hear me?"
Alicia's voice faded into the distance.
"Come back anytime."
The viewpoint shifted to the sky, not the earth, then to the quintillion shining gold sun.
"This era of humanity, we'll show you the age made by our own hands."
The surroundings dimmed as the sun became the brilliantly glowing Elden Soul.
[Elden Soul]
The background faded to black as the game logo appeared.
The grand story came to a close.
"That's a lingering ending."
The chat window agreed with Lee Gyeongbok's comment.
― This is what an ending should be
― No sweet romance with nuna, huh TT
― In Dark Rune, it's destined be a whole mess again
― Stop with the spoilers!
― But it's dark fantasy, isn't it?
― Will the story change a bit for the remaster?
― I don't care! Definitely a must-buy!
['WorldClassAscension' has donated 50,000 won.]
[Thanks to WorldClass streamer for playing KingGodSoul!]
['DoyouknowPurple?' has donated 100,000 won.]
[Now I just need to do "Do You Know Purple" on Reddit, right? Right?]
['DoYouKnowClub' has donated 500,000 won.]
[Hello, this is the DoYouKnowClub review committee. Purple has been accepted as an official member.]
['BrokenOne' has donated 200,000 won.]
[Lol, it was my wallet that broke]
Donations poured in as if they had been waiting for the ending.
With the ending reached, the donation limit had lifted.
"Thank you! But I have a backlog of donations—please understand if I check them a little differently."
The current viewership had surpassed 10,000. Even if only 10% donated, that was still over 1,000 messages.
To manage this, Lee Gyeongbok changed the settings so eight donation message windows could appear at once.
― Crazy, lol
― Handling eight donation messages at once?
― Ah, this is the perfect gratitude
― Using those octa-cores, insane
― His eyes just went wild again, lol
― Eyes! Those eyes!
― If another streamer did this, people would call it nuts, lol
― For real, only Purple can handle them all
If this happened on another broadcast, it would've been better not to try. But viewers had already witnessed Lee Gyeongbok's multitasking skills, so they took it all in stride.
"Now, shall we go check out the announcement video together?"
Beaming, Lee Gyeongbok closed the game and opened Q-tube. It was like a full movie theater screen stretched in front of his eyes.
"It's the official Fromme Studio channel, right?"
― Yes! That's right!
― Everyone, take your seats!
― Lol, love the movie theater vibe
― Person with the big head in front, please duck!
― Who left the smart link on?!
― Huh? That's my seat!
― There are plenty of seats, sit wherever you like
― Who's hogging their phone, lol
By searching, he entered the channel and saw the latest video. On playing it, a man greeted the camera.
Introducing himself as the company's representative, he began to explain. Of course, since it was in Japanese, Lee Gyeongbok had to focus on the subtitles.
〈We decided on the Dark Rune remaster around the time development for Elden Soul was finishing up.〉
The representative then furrowed his glabella.
〈We really wondered how to deliver this happy news to players. After much debate, we decided to reveal it at the point when the protagonist—you all—realize that this is the prequel to Dark Rune.〉
Lee Gyeongbok let out a small exclamation at that explanation.
"Wow, so they really were monitoring my broadcast?"
It was something discussed back at the Team White meeting. Now he finally understood the detailed reason.
― Seriously, so it was confirmed after watching Godple's stream
― This is world class!
― Even I feel proud, lol
― Meanwhile, keeping protagonist = player so consistent
― It's Fromme's stubbornness, lol
― That kind isn't so bad, perhaps?
― The best developer and best gamer together!
Viewers seemed equally pleased.
〈So we left open a route to find Elden Soul after any ending. And we waited. It took longer than expected, but at last, one player discovered it.〉
The representative smiled brightly at the camera.
〈The streamer is Korea's 'PerfectPlay.'〉
As Lee Gyeongbok's channel name was mentioned, the chat exploded.
― Wow, look at him carefully pronouncing it as if it were Korean, lol
― I thought he'd just say "Pakupekutofure," but he actually tried, lol
― Attention to detail is only right, lol
― Lol, they just immortalized it!
― Insane, insane!
― Solid world class now, no way to deny it
― Hehe, now you can't run away!
― Lol, godple has to stream for life now!
Seeing the viewers rejoice as if it were their own victory made Lee Gyeongbok smile.
〈Amazingly, the route this person took was actually the hardest one we'd prepared as the final trick. But ironically, it was the first to be discovered.〉
The representative continued his explanation with elation, happy to be announcing the news.
〈Upon seeing his play, we developers all unanimously agreed, 'If it's this person, it's possible!'
That's why we even recorded this announcement video in advance.〉
― Kono hito nara yarunda! (If it's this person, it can be done!)
― What is this hype, lol
― Fromme devs got all excited watching, lol
― Can't blame them after seeing that playthrough
― Oh, right, so they recorded it ahead of time to match the announcement and his clear
― Unanimous agreement, wow lol
The representative bowed again.
〈Once more, we thank you for the chance to deliver the remaster news. Also, for PerfectPlay, who helped make this possible, we've prepared one thing.〉
Lee Gyeongbok let out a small exclamation at his words, and viewers raised question marks.
'Ah, so that's why that email came.'
― What is it? What is he hinting at?
― Big thing coming! Big thing coming!
― Will it be a huge "thing" for real?
― Huh? Don't tell me?
― Maybe a case like Eclipse?
Then a knight character appeared on screen. The name—written in kanji—was immediately translated in the subtitles.
〈'Knight of Perfection'〉
Right next to it, 'Knight of Eclipse' was also added. The representative's voice followed.
〈Just like Eclipse's commemorative character in Elden Kingdom, we'll be adding an NPC character for PerfectPlay as a commemoration in Elden Soul.〉
As soon as what they'd barely dared hope was confirmed, the chat went wild again.
― What the heck am I seeing right now?
― Knight of Perfection, what is this!!
― Immortalizing again, really?
― Are they a game dev or a "preservationist," lol
― Is this some kind of global hidden-camera show?
― They found out everything? Hurry, get the camera out!
― Lol, with Elden's Only Sword, it's worth immortalizing
〈Naturally, as a commemorative character, it has no special function. But if you talk to him, he'll share some interesting stories.〉
The focus shifted to the Knight of Perfection.
Surprisingly, the following lines came from the video—
〈I've never triggered a trap before.〉
〈Did you know drakes have an inverse scale?〉
〈The easiest way to escape a maze is to carve your own path.〉
〈No matter how big, a sword is still just a sword.〉
Lee Gyeongbok's voice was used.
The Knight of Perfection NPC's lines spoke of his achievements.
― Lolololol
― Double-absurdity even in-game?
― They even nailed the character analysis, lol
― This is proof of world class development
― Now you don't need to worry about Perfect doubles
― No, those are farmed—natural ones are higher quality
― Farmed, lol
― It's not enough double-absurdity by volume, lol
― Godple's round eyes are adorable, lol
― Never imagined such a commemorative character!
― Even Aiden wasn't so shocked, but here he was, lol
They never imagined they'd go this far.
Lee Gyeongbok's stunned face provided delightful entertainment for the viewers.
Then the characters faded and the representative returned, smiling and clapping.
〈Coincidentally, both Elden Kingdom and Elden Soul have had Korean players become commemorative characters. Maybe this shows that Korea is a true gaming power. We'll come back with even happier news next time. Thank you!〉
With his closing words, the chat atmosphere reached fever pitch.
― Korean? (nods)
― So this is the K-gamer phenomenon?
― Lol, Korean pride streamers are gonna go wild
-'[Breaking] America goes wild, Japanese archipelago rocked by K-gamer! Even the devs bow their heads in chaos'
― Lol, the thumbnail's already ready
― Is he a professional lecca?
― There's no way this won't go parabolic
Watching the chat fly by, Lee Gyeongbok scratched his head in embarrassment.
"This all feels surreal. I don't think it was that hard..."
His words filled the chat with question marks.
― Lol, now that's what you call natural double-absurdity!
― That's a level above anything farmed
― Should come with an HACCP certification
― HACCP, lol
-(PerStampEmote)(PerStampEmote)(PerStampEmote)
― Beware imitations—only real Perfect double-absurdity here!
― Nothing tops unique grade double-absurdity, lol
Watching his viewers delight, Lee Gyeongbok closed Q-tube. As the background reverted to its initial state, they sensed the broadcast was ending.
"Well, that's all for today's stream. Thank you for watching—see you soon with even more fun! Tbai!"
― Great job today!
― First part with the ad was great, second part's ending was great, third part's reaction was insane!
― Is there an even better stream than this?
-(TbaiEmote)(TbaiEmote)(TbaiEmote)
― How can we watch other streams after this!
― I'll miss you TT
― Hyung! Today was legendary!
― This was truly a historic day for streaming, lol
― Bai!
Amid cheers, Lee Gyeongbok ended the stream.
* * *
Early dawn.
EldensoMeta, the largest Elden Soul community. There were many others, but tonight, nearly everyone was here.
For one reason.
MetaGamer had quickly put up a special article. Like other gaming webzines, it covered the news of the Dark Rune remaster.
But there was a unique reason that drew people in.
[-MetaGamer riding the Godple coin right away, lol]
[-Preparing an interview in advance was a stroke of genius]
[-The journalist who did the interview probably hit the jackpot]
[-Upvote if you came for the Purple interview! I'm first, lol]
A special interview video with Purple, posted at the bottom of the article. Exclusive content not found on other webzines.
[That high-end brain scan is so enviable, really]
[Day 1 of wishing for Godple's Dark Rune remaster playthrough]
[When's the Knight of Perfection update?]
[Fromme, release a Godple voice pack!]
Fans who'd already watched the video were having fun on the community.
Amid this, someone posted a new thread.
[Do you know Purple?]
[Just copied webzine headlines overseas
1. 'Europlayer' (UK)
〈Dark Rune Remaster, who is PerfectPlay?〉
2. 'IGM' (USA)
〈Dark Rune Remaster Revealed with Korean Streamer.〉
3. 'Gotaku' (USA)
〈Dark Rune Returns—Fromme Studio introduces Elden Soul's "Knight of Perfection."〉
4. '4Gameplay' (Japan)
〈ダークルーンリマスターが発表! 傑作は復活する!〉
〈Dark Rune Remaster Announced! Masterpiece Revives!〉
Godple really got into the DoYouKnowClub lol
Now DoYouKnowPurple is official]
The Elden series was a worldwide hit, and its predecessor Dark Rune was no exception.
So gaming webzines worldwide featured the remaster news. It was natural Purple would be mentioned.
[-Wow, the UK one just sticks Purple's name right in]
[They did the same with Eclipse, lol]
[Aren't Eclipse and Purple the same?]
[Not really, lol]
[Seriously, they're totally different—one has 12 years streaming and the other just a month]
[144 months' career caught up in one month? So easy lol]
― Real talk, it's not Eclipse's fault, Purple's just too amazing
[-If even the news covered it, western leccas will upload reaction videos now]
[Watching reaction videos of the announcement is a national rule]
[If so, godple's name gets known there too?]
[Told you—world class!]
[Quick, tell me Purple theme stocks! I need them!]
[What stocks, lol]
― Meanwhile, what's with Japanese ones omitting Purple's name?
[Typical, right?]
[Looking at the content, they just call him "the streamer," leaving out the name]
[Just stating the facts, I guess]
[But the rep already said he's Korean on video?]
[I mean, over there, the right-wingers would flip out, lol]
[Really, if this weren't a studio as big as Fromme, they'd get bombed right away]
But no celebration lasts forever. As time passed and excitement settled, people calmed down.
[Godple's done with Elden Soul now, right?]
[Upvote if you want his Elden Kingdom playthrough lol]
[Will he do an Elden series marathon?]
[Elden newbies fueling delusional hopes, crazy lol]
Some held out hope, but most doubted it.
Purple's Elden Soul chapter was over. Unlike Eclipse, who stuck to one game, Purple was known as a variety streamer.
[Honestly, time to let it go lol]
[All the Elden noobs can attain enlightenment with this, right?]
[If you overdo it and people get turned off, it's all loss!]
[If he does Eldcrit, it's really over]
[Ah, but he'll come back when Dark Rune is out]
Community debate turned to whether they should request previous playthroughs. But everyone agreed on one point.
[Purple, there's no other Elden's Only Sword!]
[Accept Elden's Only Sword's decision!]
[Oh disciples of the martial arts district, maintain the peace as you await the return of the Dark Only Sword!]
Elden's Only Sword, Purple.
No player surpassed him, and in the end, all would follow his decisions.
* * *
Next day.
"Mmmm ..."
Lee Gyeongbok stretched and awoke in a good mood. But he hadn't woken on his bed.
'This thing's worth every penny.'
After streaming, he had tried sleeping in the high-end brain scan. He'd especially wanted to try the muscle massage feature.
'Really slept great.'
The massage adjusted to not interfere with sleep, syncing with the capsule's body check system.
Lee Gyeongbok smiled as he exited the capsule. Before his morning exercise, he reached for his smart link.
First thing he checked was his Q-tube channel. He wanted to see if the latest video had uploaded overnight, and how people were reacting.
"... Huh?"
Lee Gyeongbok's eyes widened at the hologram.
'Up by seventy thousand in just six hours?'
Subscribers were now at 670,000.
But something else was even more surprising.
"Why are there so many?"
The latest uploaded Elden Soul ending reveal—showing Dark Rune was a prequel—had a crazy number of views.
"Three million...?"
His other videos did well, but nothing like this. Three million views within five hours wasn't normal.
Lee Gyeongbok clicked on it, mesmerized. Knowing the content, he scrolled straight to the comment section.
"Over five thousand?"
His mouth fell open.
There weren't only Korean comments.
There were English comments, as well as what looked like French or German in the Latin alphabet. There was Japanese, russian, and even a little Arabic.
He blinked and hit auto-translate.
[-I came here after seeing the official video. You're an amazing player!]
[-I had no idea there was this kind of ending. I'm moved.]
[-Knight of Perfection is not a lie. I've checked your activity.]
[-Hey, hyung! Crazy!]
[-You are Korean among Koreans]
[-Looking forward to Dark Rune Remaster activities]
The translations were clumsy, but he could grasp the gist. Lee Gyeongbok smiled, overwhelmed.
'I guess I really am attention-hungry.'
You'd think the worldwide attention would be burdensome, but it left him happy and motivated.
He scrolled back up. Among the pinned comments by Choi Byeonghun, one account was especially familiar.
[Eclipse]
[Greetings, sir Purple!
Overnight, the seniors brought me thrilling news.
That their historic masterpiece—the one that made me dream of becoming a knight—will be rereleased!
That such a great event resulted from your achievements doubles my joy!
Just being able to cross swords with you is an honor, but the privilege to thank you is a greater one!
I sincerely send you my respect and exclamation.
May the good ties continue henceforth!]
A thank-you comment from Eclipse himself. As a Fromme Studio superfan, this news must have delighted him more than anyone.
As Lee Gyeongbok considered whether to reply, a trembling "woong" vibrated the hologram and he received a call alert.
"Hello?"
〈Hey, Gyeongbok! You're up?〉
"Of course I am, or I wouldn't have answered."
The caller was Genome.
Lee Gyeongbok chuckled as he replied.
〈I mean, did I wake you? Anyway, congrats! You hit it big, huh?〉
"Yeah. It's kind of surreal."
〈Just surreal and that's it?〉
He heard Genome's laughter on the line.
〈Man, you're steel-nerved. How can you be so calm in a situation like this?〉
"I guess it just hasn't sunk in yet."
〈You've got 3... no, over 3.1 million views now, but you're not feeling it? Be real, it feels awesome, right?〉
"Oh, obviously."
No reason to hide it. He was already grinning through the call.
"But shouldn't you be sleeping? Didn't you stream last night?"
〈I did.〉
"Did you stay up just to congratulate me?"
〈Of course. Unless you were asleep and I didn't know, it's only right to congratulate you. I can sleep more later.〉
Given Genome's streaming schedule, he'd be exhausted right now. Yet he'd waited just to congratulate him. That made Lee Gyeongbok really grateful.
"Thanks. You're doing okay these days?"
〈Yeah, nothing new yet. Still no word on the Gunner Ground event.〉
"Still no schedule?"
〈Hear they need more time adjusting event NPCs.〉
At that, Lee Gyeongbok's heart skipped a beat.
'Is it because I handed over my data?'
Genome couldn't have known. No reason to bring it up.
After some small talk, they were about to end the call.
〈Oh, and Gyeongbok.〉
"Yeah."
He suddenly remembered.
Genome—
〈Would it be alright if I made content analyzing your final boss fight?〉
—was a man who knew how to read the trends.
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