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As soon as they arrived back in Seoul, Choi Kahng-Sik became the centre of attention from the frenzied media.

After all, he was a regular joe who managed to beat a monster all by himself!

Not only did he not possess any superpowers, but he also didn't even use a firearm. So, understandably, people were absolutely losing their minds.

The Cameraman who managed to hunt an Any-Won with nothing but some camping equipment sure did 'produce' many memorable scenes, and those spread like wildfire, breaking past the national borders and even overcoming the language barrier.

While the surrounding wall of reporters was clamouring him for an interview...

"Jesus H Christ! Don't you people ever go to sleep?!"

Well, since the other side of the planet would be in the middle of the day, perhaps that would be a wrong point to mention, though.

The shipping lanes and airways became almost completely inaccessible after monsters appeared in the world, making it difficult to travel between cities and countries. Perhaps ironically, though, this event precipitated the development of a more robust and faster information communication network, instead.

Choi Kahng-Sik knew that fact very well already. He did work in the streaming industry, so how could he not know?

'Even still, can't you at least let me go to a dang hospital first?!'

He was still under the influence of the Under-Dok's poison.

People were treating him like some sort of superman since he did defeat a monster with his bare hands, but that didn't mean he'd be perfectly okay after going through such an encounter.

Choi Kahng-Sik did his absolute best to ignore the reporters and their endless stream of questions and ducked into the hospital like he was running away.

The doctor drew Choi Kahng-Sik's blood and went away, only to return a few minutes later to deliver his diagnosis.

"You're perfectly healthy."

"Oh, yes, uhm... What? Really?"

"Mister Choi Kahng-Sik, you're healthy. I also thought you might have been poisoned when I saw the footage, but it seems that there's no need for you to worry."

"...Is that so. I guess that's a relief."

'Is this also the power of the god?'

When an Under-Dok escape, it'd usually withdraw the poison affecting the bodies of its victims. However, the aftereffects would still remain behind. The proof? The pretty girl and her mother Choi Kahng-Sik saved would be hospitalised for the next three years, at the very least.

Yet, he was apparently fine.

"Well, I guess it shouldn't be too bad."

Choi Kahng-Sik trudged out of the hospital and muttered to himself.

The thing was, he had poured almost every dime he made for the past five years on monthly rent and on the expensive camera, so the state of both his wallet and his bank account was not very healthy at the moment.

So, that left his body as his sole remaining wealth!

Obviously, he wouldn't mind hearing the diagnosis that his body was healthy.

[A certain god is getting bored.]

[A certain impatient god wishes to see some violence.]

[Number of viewers: 4]

'...Uhm, maybe I should've gone to a psychiatric hospital, instead?'

….While telling the shrinks that he could literally see the words of the gods.

Choi Kahng-Sik headed home while utilising the 'convenience' of the public transport. Meanwhile, his hands never stopped tapping on his smartphone.

The first thing he did was to open his own MS channel.

That didn't take long, and his channel was soon up and running.

And the reason for him doing that?

"Ehehehe... Yu Il-Ahm, I'm gonna make you vomit blood."

Choi Kahng-Sik grinned ominously like a devil and immediately entered Yu Il-Ahm's chatroom. And placed the link for his own channel there.

Like watching a dam with a hole, the audience members flooded out of there.

┖ Ohh~ He really made one.

┖ Mister Cameraman? Re:Hi. (p>ω<)尸

┖ ㅋㅋㅋ Is this MS for real?

┖ For now, I'll subscribe to your channel. ^^

Once Yu Il-Ahm finds out that his viewers were stolen away, he'd throw an almighty temper tantrum. Though, Choi Kahng-Sik didn't give a rat's a*s about that.

'That little b*stard, I'm sure he's waaay too busy to mind it right now.'

Since the live stream ensured that the evidence against him was irrefutable, Yu Il-Ahm wouldn't be able to talk his way out of this one. He was even blessed with a humiliating reputation of an Esper who was weaker than a regular civilian with no powers whatsoever.

The Flaming Sniper?

That self-proclaimed title had now been relegated as a thing of the past.

"What the....?"

The steps leading the giggling Choi Kahng-Sik home came to an abrupt halt. It wasn't because the reporters were blocking his path. No, it was more like.... he simply lost his 'destination'.

'My house is....?'

His place was a tiny-a*s rooftop room right on top of a three-story shopping mall.

….His sole resting place, the one he paid for part of the rent via cleaning the shopping mall's bathrooms, was gone. Destroyed.

However, not only his room but the rest of the building, too!

Thanks to this, the surroundings were understandably noisy.

"Check for the survivors!"

"Godd*mn it!! Don't these freaking monsters have off days or something?!"

"If you've got time to complain, then move your a*s more!"

Rescue workers were running around while trying to do their job. They were pulling out and moving the corpses from the rubble as they relentlessly searched for survivors.

Choi Kahng-Sik's face was filled with a bitter expression.

'Did monsters do this?'

It'd been a long time since Choi Kahng-Sik last heard the news of the few hard-headed Espers, who thought they were the strongest in the world, resorting to terrorist activities. Which meant that this had to be the handiwork of monsters. Nine times out of ten, anyways.

"Hah...."

Choi Kahng-Sik plopped down on a piece of debris not too far.

The street that was so full of life and activity when he received a phone call from Yu Il-Ahm - whom he was less than willing to talk to even back then, by the way - and left for work over the weekend...was now enveloped in utter chaos.

But, then again, it wasn't all that mystifying, either.

"Aigoo!! Where are you, you foolish girl?! Aaahh..."

"Mommy! Mommy! Where are you?"

"Yeong-Hui-ah!! Answer me! Please!"

'...I guess luck was not on our side. Well, six years without an incident is a long time, though.'

Destroyed houses and streets resembled a sea of tears pouring out from the wailing victims and their families, but even this was an everyday occurrence for someone like Choi Kahng-Sik.

The event he experienced ten years ago...

Only a few from the older generations insisted on calling that incident 'Hell on Earth' while being unable to psychologically move on from that disaster.

The Earth of the past, from the tales told by the reminiscing elders, was a paradise for mankind.

[A certain god has grown sick and tired of the cold popcorn.]

[Another god is yawning out in boredom.]

[A certain impatient god has left the premises without hesitation.]

[Number of viewers: 3]

Choi Kahng-Sik's eyes narrowed after he read the messages.

'They act exactly the same as the human audience.'

Leaving without hesitation just because there was a little lull in the action! Well, the time they had been tuned in was too short for them to be fully invested in his 'channel', though.

*SFX for something like energy slipping away*

As one of the four spectating gods stopped watching him, Choi Kahng-Sik could actually sense the strength leaving his body.

'This... This can't be good.'

Thick creases formed on his forehead as he frowned.

So, then...

Audience numbers = Combat prowess.

According to this formula, he was definitely facing a crisis now. If he ended up with 'number of viewers: 0', then it was easy to imagine what would happen.

It seemed that gods had no concept of taking a break when it came to live broadcasts...

"Are they actually planning to watch me for the whole day...?"

And so, the words of Choi Kahng-Sik's father proved to be correct.

Indeed, a god was always watching them.

Too bad, he was so moved by this revelation that he couldn't stop gnashing his teeth, though!

Choi Kahng-Sik served as a manager of an MS. So, he knew a few tricks to save the ailing viewership numbers. He wrecked his brain over and over again. He wanted to find the best method to bring in more viewers before things got worse.

Actually, though, the solution was rather simple.

'I gotta start broadcasting right away.'

It wasn't all that difficult to figure out what the interests of these secretive gods were.

And that was... hunting monsters.

He wasn't blindly speculating, either.

The gods of various myths and legends always watched on as the chosen few bravely fought against the monsters. And they always blessed the brave human warriors who managed to defeat their foes.

For example...

Siegfried.

He killed the evil dragon and became an immortal.

Perseus.

He killed Medusa and got Pegasus as a reward.

What Choi Kahng-Sik was experiencing right now was pretty similar to those legends. Having said that, it wasn't as if he received a proper set of powers or an awesome weapon, though!

'Oh, dear gods up there. How close was I? My guess, that is.'

[A certain god isn't too impressed.]

[Another god is chuckling at you.]

Their reactions were less than satisfactory.

Choi Kahng-Sik scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and slowly took a look around. He couldn't see any monsters; they must've been dealt with already.

He couldn't believe it.

'Where's a dang monster when you need one?!'

Well, if monsters were such a common sight in the middle of Seoul, then this city would have been transformed into a barren wasteland a long time ago.

"Hey, man."

A fairly young-sounding voice belonging to a man came from behind Choi Kahng-Sik.

When he turned around to look, he found a handsome Hunter in his early thirties standing there.

Choi Kahng-Sik pointed to himself with his index finger and asked.

"You mean, me?"

"That's right, you, the guy holding a camera and looking soulless for some reason. Escape from this place immediately. The monster should still be around h.... Mmm?"

Their gazes met in the middle.

And a few seconds later, they asked each other almost simultaneously.

"There's a monster nearby?"

"You're that Cameraman?"

They've never met each other before, but the handsome Hunter recognized Choi Kahng-Sik almost right away. It was the same story for Choi Kahng-Sik, as well.

'Isn't he Hahn Joh-Seop?'

The Monster Streamer Han Joh-Seop.

He was a well-known MS possessing decent skills and handsome looks, which naturally led him to enjoying adulations from quite a few female fans. Hell, such a celebrity recognized actually Choi Kahng-Sik.

'Hee-ehh~ I guess I am famous now, too.'

The wonderful feelings rushed back in.

He was nothing more than a common Cameraman until this morning, yet here he was.

MS Hahn Joh-Seop, who shared a similar sort of sentiments as Choi Kahng-Sik, formed an unhappy expression. From his point of view, this lucky Cameraman was nothing more than some guy who stumbled into instant wealth through sheer luck, that was all.

However, he fixed his expression pretty quickly.

….To a smile better suited for broadcasting.

"Ohh! Oh, my word! And I end up running into the protagonist occupying the top spot in today's real-time internet search! It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Choi Kahng-Sik. Well now, dear audience members at home, please take your time and enjoy these commercials before you bless us on this coincidental and lucky chance encounter."

Hahn Joh-Seop sent a signal with his eyes to his Cameraman.

He could choose when to start the ad breaks, even!!

Choi Kahng-Sik could feel the renown of the pretty-famous MS from this action. But this was also from years of experience!! He cut the live feed at just the right time to replace it with ads.

A bitter smile crept up on Choi Kahng-Sik's lips as he thought to himself.

'He's going to reveal his true colours now.'

"Hey you, Mister Parachute. You also came here to catch the monster?" (TL note at the end)

Just as Choi Kahng-Sik predicted, the tone of the MS Hahn Joh-Seop did a 180, changing from that of a gentleman to that of a local neighbourhood thug.

"Nope."

"What? Did you say 'Nope' just now? Gimme a break. Hey, how dare a d*mn porter who couldn't get a second of face time on camera until yesterday speak to me without honorifics?! Did the famous Korean etiquette die or something? But, then again, a dang Parachute wouldn't know anything about the concept of being seniority!"

Choi Kahng-Sik crossed his arms and spoke briefly.

"What's your audience rating?"

"What?"

"I said, what's your audience rating?"

"...."

"In that case, you should stop yapping there. Who gives a sh*t about seniority in this profession, man? The audience rating is the king here. If yours are lower than mine, why don't you shut up and learn from me?"

"Huh-uh...."

Hahn Joh-Seop could only move his wide-open mouth up and down like a little goldfish.

He wanted to refute what the youth had said, but he realised that he couldn't. Because it was the truth! The so-called seniority within the ranks of MS would be decided by the number of viewers.

'What the hell? Where did a b*stard like him fall out from?!'

However, even if that was how things operated, Hahn Joh-Seop didn't expect the youth to come out swinging that strongly in the first place.

The only way to reverse this situation?

Why, of course - Hahn Joh-Seop shouted out even louder.

"A guy who doesn't even have superpowers dares to show off?! Who do you think you are? You're a d*mn Parachute! Your audience rating is nothing! How long do you think it'll last? Ah? The moment you abandon other people and run away from a monster, you'll be finished! You hear me?!"

The thing about talents was....

If one possessed that elusive thing, one would be forgiven even if one's streams seemed dry and he came off as a bit rude.

Also, one wouldn't be in constant search of financial stability, since one would be blessed with a wealthy patron rather than viewers.

There wouldn't be that many a Hunter enjoying such situations on this planet, though!

Choi Kahng-Sik's lips formed a smirk.

"That's not a problem I'm worried about. Hey, Mister Hahn Joh-Seop. You shouldn't be worried about other people's business right now."

"What did you say?"

"Hey man. Don't you think your ad break is running a bit too long now?"

"Heok!!"

The youth possessing five years worth of experience as a Cameraman, as well as a manager, nonchalantly threw out a question which caused Hahn Joh-Seop to come back to his senses. Right away, the latter began shouting at his own hired Cameraman.

"You incompetent fool! Are you in cahoots with this guy or something?!"

"Eh...?"

"You sided with him because he's a Cameraman like you, didn't you?!You should've told me when the ad break went past the three-minute mark!! Did you deliberately do that so you can watch me fall to ruin?! Is that it? Ahh?!"

"I, I'm really sorry."

"Stop saying you're sorry and get started already!!"

It was here that Choi Kahng-Sik suddenly butted in.

"You don't have to worry too much about it, though. The viewers wouldn't have been too bored, anyways."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You see, my channel doesn't have ad breaks."

There was a camera sitting oh-so-prettily on the youth's shoulder without a hint of incongruity whatsoever. Heck, a true, bona fide Kung-Fu master merging his two ultimate killing techniques together wouldn't be as natural as this.

Because Choi Kahng-Sik was an MS & a Cameraman at the same time.

What a wonderful combination that was. A perfect hybrid, if you will.

Both eyes of Hahn Joh-Seop opened up widely like a pair of full moons.

"You, you surely didn't...?"

┖ This junior's mouth needs soap. (ㅡ.,ㅡ)a

┖ I'm sorry for not having superpowers like you, you dumb Esper hick.

┖ Wowsers. Look at this guy acting so entitled and sh*t. ;;

Quickly confirming the comments of the viewers, all visible colour drained from the face of the handsome Hunter. The atmosphere of the audience members wasn't too good, to say the least. No, it was quite wretched, actually.

Meanwhile, Choi Kahng-Sik brightly smiled and spoke up.

"Hello, everyone. This is the one and only Mister MS Cameraman and his stream that just so coincidentally, didn't end. I'd like to welcome all the new viewers to my channel."

The viewers who were left disappointed by MS Hahn Joh-Seop flooded in.

Welcome, welcome, everyone!

[A certain impatient god is enjoying his welcome.]

'….Except you, mister god.'

He had no need for a disloyal viewer, though.

[A certain impatient god is enjoying the welcome anyways.]

[Number of viewers: 4]

< Chapter 6: Viewers (2) > Fin.

(TL: "낙하산" Literally means a parachute, but also is used as a derogatory term. You call a person a parachute when he/she relies on personal connections to land a cushy, well-paying job even though he/she is unqualified for the role. Not sure why the author chose to stick that term here, though. Nope, no clue at all. Uh-uh.)

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