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chapter 6
Internet community RPG (Record Project Gamers).
As the name suggests, it is the representative space for RP.
In that place where various topics always came and went, one post drawing attention was uploaded.
Some middle-school-syndrome newbie showed up, and this guy is a total bug.
Dozens of recommended skills, plus multiple hidden skills.
The guaranteed Hero quest is the route to get fire-element magic from Artsvel—check the screenshots.
If you’re curious, go watch Roper’s stream.
-? What is this?
-Your photo-editing skills are the real bug.
-LMAO look at how blurry the text is.
-Who the hell is Roper; no small-streamer viral pls.
-This is real. Watch the stream.
-Ban the promo already.
In RP, skills and skill trees are the most important elements.
And over the two years countless players poured into it, the number of revealed hidden skills was extremely small.
Even ordinary skills like fire-element magic—people didn’t even know other routes existed.
That was how unbelievable the contents of the post were.
“This isn’t even funny.”
Kim Jaeha, a man fiddling with a tablet, let out a dry laugh.
He was an employee working in his company’s RP-dedicated department.
Items, information—anything that could make money was naturally something to reach for.
He had encountered outrageous bait posts like this many times before.
“Who the hell is Roper?”
A streamer’s name he had never heard before.
Clearly a small, unpopular streamer, but he was a little curious.
It was nothing more than simple curiosity.
Click—
Searching for the name Roper brought up quite a few posts.
Ninety-nine percent were about monster sloppers.
“The streamer ones… they’re all from today.”
Among them, several posts clustered around today’s date.
Their titles were all attached to words like hidden and hero.
“Black Dragon?”
The nickname Black Dragon appeared in every post about that Roper.
It seemed the middle-school-syndrome comment was referring to this person.
“Parental controls? A kid in school?”
The closer to the most recent posts, the more keywords like Black Dragon and parental controls appeared.
RP requires parental consent, but it isn’t a game minors are barred from.
“Huh?”
As Kim Jaeha leisurely scanned the list, his gaze began to waver.
Each time he refreshed, the number of posts about the quest kept increasing.
The problem was that proof of actually having received it was piling up.
“…Don’t tell me.”
Sensing something strange, Kim Jaeha quickly put on his gear.
His other hand was already searching for the streamer Roper’s broadcast.
***
“…….”
Left alone, Yeonwoo froze in place.
That was because Hanbit had dropped the bomb called a guaranteed Hero quest and disappeared.
-Parental control legend. LOL
-How old is Black Dragon?
-Look at the name. LOL obviously a kid.
-Feels like a healthy unemployed young adult though?
“Huh?”
Yeonwoo, clutching his head, fixed his gaze on the viewer count.
The number that had clearly been around fifty was now eight hundred.
“…Ah.”
The bizarre actions Hanbit had shown in a short time were unprecedented in RP’s history.
If it spread through RPG communities, it would be stronger promotion than anything else.
“Welcome! If you wait just a bit, Black Dragon hyung will be back!”
Even as he spoke with a smile, his hands were busy.
He was frantically sending messages through his linked smartphone messenger.
‘Please, hyung. Please.’
Even if they streamed tomorrow, many viewers would come, but for now, there were clearly more who were skeptical.
He had to somehow drive the nail in right now.
Ding—
At that moment, a message alert linked to his smartphone rang.
Hanbit’s name appeared at the top.
Moving his hands urgently, he checked the contents.
[Kang Hanbit]
[I’m heading out first. I’ll come back tomorrow evening, so see you then.]
‘…We’re screwed.’
At the word tomorrow, his heart sank.
The protagonist not returning in a situation like this.
The growing viewer count only made the pressure feel heavier.
-When is Black Dragon coming?
-Bring him fast before I start swearing.
-Why are there so many people in this room?
-Is this viewbotting?
-It’s nice that no one here uses ㅇㅅㅇ.
The rapidly descending chaos in the chat made it hard to read properly.
Focusing with all his mind, Yeonwoo finally reached a difficult decision.
“Hoo.”
Taking a deep breath, he looked at the camera with a smile.
The viewer count had already surpassed a thousand.
He wanted to stay calm, but until recently he had been a small streamer with only a handful of viewers.
“I’m sorry. It seems Black Dragon hyung had something urgent come up. We’ll have to continue the broadcast tomorrow.”
-?
-What bullshit is this.
-Was it really parental controls?
-Legendary.
-You pulled aggro hard and dipped.
-That’s how small streamers are. LOL
Sharp criticism poured down like a barrage.
There was nothing Yeonwoo could do to calm it.
Ding—
At that moment, another alert rang out.
It was another message from Hanbit.
[Black Dragon]
For some reason, the sender name had changed to the character name.
Sensing something odd, Yeonwoo hurriedly checked the contents.
“Ah.”
A sigh escaped his lips as he read the short message.
His stiff expression had already turned into a smile.
“Alright, viewers. Please calm down for a moment. Black Dragon hyung left you a gift.”
-A gift?
-Cut the bullshit.
-A talking duo?
-At least say what it is.
-Agreed.
At the word gift, the overheated chat began to cool little by little.
Some of the more aggressive messages were quickly buried.
“Some of you might already be trying to do the Artsvel quest, right? But you probably can’t guess how to get the cure.”
Having regained his composure, Yeonwoo spoke as if taking control.
A guaranteed Hero-grade skill quest.
That alone was more than enough to make players’ eyes spin.
“So, Black Dragon hyung told me the method to obtain that cure before leaving. Curious what it is?”
-?
-He told you that?
-As if.
-Bait-level nonsense.
-My dog wouldn’t fall for this.
The shocking claim that he’d given the method, not just a hint.
Naturally, the viewers didn’t fully believe it.
However, even that doubt was enough to buy time until tomorrow evening.
“Well, it’s up to you whether you believe it or not. I’ll post the message contents in the channel notice. I’ll end the stream here and see you tomorrow!”
After finishing his words, Yeonwoo immediately ended the broadcast.
Then he posted the pre-captured message from Hanbit as a notice.
[Black Dragon]
[The quest cure can be obtained from a ‘Bomb Slime.’ If anyone clears it before I come back, I’ll give you some special information.]
***
The next morning.
Waking up early, Hanbit finished the meal his mother prepared and left the house.
He boarded a bus that arrived just in time and headed toward Songdo.
“Hoo.”
A complex spread out like a village, slightly removed from the city center.
At the top of the central building was the name ‘Enk Technology.’
A mid-sized semiconductor company with a fairly well-known name.
‘It was strangely easy to get accepted.’
Even for an experiential internship, there was a set hiring process.
The problem was the interview, which had been oddly simple.
It had been little more than reciting what was written on the application.
‘Let’s just go.’
Straightening his clothes, Hanbit stepped into the building.
When he arrived at the design department he’d been directed to, people were already moving busily.
“What is this, why hasn’t this been revised yet?”
“Huh? The team leader told me to check this circuit first.”
“Hey, who went to the lab yesterday?”
It was like a battlefield, with no room to jump in.
But if he only waited, it felt like no one would notice him.
After a brief consideration, Hanbit decided to greet everyone.
“Hello. I’m Kang Hanbit, starting work today as an intern.”
“……?”
At the unfamiliar voice echoing through the office, people’s gazes turned toward him.
A brief silence followed with an awkward atmosphere.
The first to speak was a man sitting deeper inside.
“Oh, the intern starts today? Why didn’t HR say that properly?”
“Th-that was included in the briefing during the meeting.”
“Was it?”
At the subordinate’s explanation, the man reacted lukewarmly.
Then he turned his gaze back to his documents and continued.
“Lee Minho will be your mentor. Take him now and set up the meeting room first.”
“Yes, sir.”
An employee sitting near the entrance stood up.
Approaching Hanbit, he greeted him with a tired face.
“I’m Lee Minho, the one assigned as your mentor. Feel free to ask if you don’t know something.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“You can use this seat here. I’ll guide you through contracts and paperwork later. There’s no time now, so just put your stuff down and let’s move.”
After putting down his bag, Hanbit followed him to the meeting room.
Inside, small bits of trash and documents were scattered everywhere.
“I couldn’t stop by the office yesterday because I was out. I’ll clean the table, so Hanbit, could you wipe the whiteboard?”
“Were the others out as well?”
“No. That’s just my job.”
“…I’ll clean it quickly.”
Sensing weight behind the answer, Hanbit immediately got to work.
After some time busily tidying up the meeting room—
“What, why are there two of you today?”
A middle-aged man holding a coffee cup appeared.
“Good morning, Team Leader. The intern I reported about a few days ago starts today, so we’re tidying up together.”
“Oh, right, that.”
Taking a sip of coffee, the team leader looked Hanbit up and down.
Then he clicked his tongue and sat in the seat of honor.
“What school? You attend in Seoul?”
“I attend Incheon Yeonju University.”
“Oh, Incheon?”
The team leader, who checked the university before even the name, seemed to lose interest.
“What do your parents do?”
“My father passed away, and my mother works at a restaurant.”
“Is that so?”
Having completely lost interest, he turned his gaze to the meeting materials on the desk.
It was an overt attitude, but it didn’t faze Hanbit at all.
“I haven’t properly introduced myself. I’m Kang Hanbit. During my internship, I’ll do my best to learn and contribute.”
“No need to do your best. Drop the passion and just do what you’re told.”
“……?”
Being told not to do his best felt strange.
Reading the confusion on his face, the team leader let out a sigh and spoke.
“Experiential internships are just for show. The more we teach you, the more the company loses, so don’t try to learn anything.”
The team leader’s explanation went like this.
As part of a youth employment policy, companies were pushed to forcibly select interns.
Companies of a certain size were assigned a minimum quota and strongly encouraged.
“Team leader, even so, I can at least help him study the parts he can experience—”
“Hey, Lee Minho. If you have time to worry about the intern, worry about yourself first. You need the ability before playing senior.”
“…Yes. I’m sorry.”
At the sharp reprimand, Lee Minho bowed his head.
Even that seemed to displease the team leader, who merely shook his head and sighed.
“Huh? Team leader, did you come straight here?”
“Good morning, Team Leader!”
“As expected of our team leader. Everyone knows how diligent you are.”
At that moment, other employees entered the meeting room.
Judging by the flattery each added, the department’s structure was easy to see.
“What are you doing? If you’re done cleaning, get out.”
At the team leader’s chin-tilting command, Hanbit exited the meeting room.
Returning to the far seat of the office, he sat down and leaned back in his chair.
‘I can already see the future.’
He knew well that experiential internships were closer to part-time jobs.
He had applied in the first place just to add one more line to his resume.
The problem was that he felt keenly that he wouldn’t even get a proper experience to put into that one line.
‘I’ll have to learn on my own.’
Even if no one taught him, his eyes and ears were open.
Compared to the information gathering he’d done risking his life in the other world, this place was laughable.
With a hint of stubbornness rising within him, Hanbit began slowly organizing his thoughts in the quiet office.
