[Oh, Leader! What a surprise to hear from you first. What brings this about?]
The one Seong Jihan reached out to was Karlein, the Constellation of the Dead Star.
Players who receive sponsorships could not initiate contact with their Constellation sponsors, making this an unusual situation.
Seong Jihan had looked back at the channel of Karlein, who had subscribed to him.
[Pain VS Joy. What’s the best way to draw more of death’s aura from a subject?]
[Effective Torture Techniques by Species – Dragonkind Edition]
[For the creation of the ultimate undead, we tried abducting a god.]
His channel, filled with grotesque videos, drew a strong reaction.
“Ugh… If this wasn’t BattleTube, all of this would have to be censored.”
“Boss, may I go rest for a while…?”
“Sure, sure. Take your rest.”
Even Lee Hayeon and Yoon Seah, who had developed some tolerance for brutal scenes due to BattleNet, found it difficult to watch the videos posted by the Constellation of the Dead Star to the end.
The videos were not only brutal but chillingly meticulous in their experiments, eliciting a primal sense of rejection in any human.
Nonetheless, given the wealth of information that would likely appeal to those interested in necromancer classes,
‘He has over a million subscribers.’
Karlein’s channel boasted a considerable number of subscribers.
While Seong Jihan was browsing through the channel, Karlein sent an additional message.
[You’ve started BattleTube, I see…]
“Yeah. That’s why I contacted you. Can you write a post on the official forum for me? About VIP card certification.”
[Hey. Is that all you want after contacting me? If you become my Leader, we can collaborate on something even bigger. How about it? I can give you a boost!]
“If I became your Leader, wouldn’t we merge into one entity? Then what about my channel?”
[No, it doesn’t have to be that way~ You could take over and the Constellation of the Dead Star could vanish, leaving a powerful Seong Jihan behind. Who knows! Let’s do it!]
“Forget it.”
[Ah. Alright. Then, how about a trial period as my Leader? Just 10 days! I’ll make sure we’re separated definitively after 10 days!]
“Forget what I asked.”
What was he thinking, offering a “trial period”?
Despite Seong Jihan’s firm refusal, Karlein displayed his disappointment.
[Tch… What a shame. What’s your level now?]
“370.”
[What? My alt character isn’t even at 300 yet… How did you level up so fast? You’ll become a Constellation in no time.]
“It appears you’re not as committed to your alt.”
[What are you talking about? I’m top-ranking in most games! But you… blasting through the hellish leveling phase after 300 so quickly… Hey. If you become a Constellation, we can’t merge!]
“Is that so? That’s actually good news.”
[Urgh… If my Leader becomes a Constellation, making my involvement pointless, then there’s no reason to help you.]
That was indeed the case.
The Constellation of the Dead Star’s favor towards Seong Jihan was based on the premise that he was the most optimized candidate to become his “Leader.”
If Seong Jihan refused and ascended further as a Constellation, Karlein would have no reason to support him.
[Looks like I’ll need to be compensated for writing the post. That bottle you obtained from the Constellation Laboratory… just hand me one of those. Not the regenerative one, something else!]
“How did you know about that?”
[Hehe. This Constellation keeps an eye on what his Leader is up to!]
Was he stalking him?
While Seong Jihan considered severing ties with the sponsoring Constellation, he pulled out the bottles he had acquired from his inventory.
‘Aside from the regenerative one, the others’ exact functions are still unknown.’
The bottles, filled with life essence and various energies.
Seong Jihan had tried consuming a few himself and closely examined the energies within others, but only sensed a slight increase in the power of Eternity within him, not achieving any meaningful results.
‘I should give him the one with the weakest life energy.’
Deciding thus, Seong Jihan picked out the lowest quality item from the bottles he had reclaimed.
“How am I supposed to send it?”
[Oh, you’re really giving it to me? Wait a moment…!]
Following Karlein’s brief cut-off, a new window appeared in front of Seong Jihan.
[The sponsoring Constellation ‘Constellation of the Dead Star’ requests a tribute.]
[Please place the item here.]
After the message finished, a swirling black mist appeared before Seong Jihan.
He placed the bottle into it, and as the black energy vanished, a message from Karlein arrived.
[Oh…! Hey, this is pretty useful! Wow, you actually gave me something good!]
“Really? I didn’t know its use, so I just sent one over. But what is it used for?”
Feigning ignorance, Seong Jihan asked about the bottle’s purpose, given the situation.
[Hehe… This might well be refined World Tree energy. It likely serves to increase the maximum limit of vitality. ]
“Increases vitality, huh. The fruit of the World Tree seemed to have a similar effect.”
[That’s the general effect felt by players. This one is refined well enough to apply even at the Constellation level.]
“It’s of a higher purity?”
[Yeah. I haven’t seen the other bottles, so I can’t say they all serve that purpose.]
Refined World Tree energy, then.
That explained why consuming it increased the power of Eternity.
‘I’ll have to set aside a day to consume them all.’
Perhaps this could even raise his Eternity stat from 2 to 3.
As Seong Jihan decided how to utilize the bottles,
[Considering the quality of what you’ve given me, one post on the forum doesn’t seem enough. I’ll upload a related video too!]
“Oh? Really? Thanks.”
Pleased with the contents of the bottle, Karlein decided to upload a video as well.
[So, get started with the arena participation. I’ll upload a video related to that.]
“Got it.”
Seong Jihan had planned to participate in the arena anyway for the sake of leveling up, regardless of subscriber numbers.
Right there, Seong Jihan promptly applied for entrance into the Space Arena.
[Do you wish to participate in the Space Arena?]
[You are a rookie in the Space Arena. You receive rookie benefits.]
[You are a VIP member. The entry fee for the arena is waived.]
The entry fee for the arena, normally discounted by 30% to 70 billion GP for rookies, was entirely waived for VIP members, demonstrating a powerful effect.
[You are affiliated with the Master League.]
[You are assigned to the ‘Master – 1’ area.]
[Matching with players from the Master League…]
[The match has been made.]
[You will be summoned to the arena in 24 hours.]
‘That was quick.’
The game’s matchmaking process progressed swiftly upon applying for the arena.
Seong Jihan informed Karlein of this development.
“I’ve applied. The match is in 24 hours.”
[Oh? Really? Which area were you matched in?]
“Master – 1.”
[Master 1? That place is full of alt characters… If you were in 2, that would’ve been better.]
Karlein commented this but then,
[Alright. Here goes a 10 trillion GP bet video.]
He immediately fulfilled his promise made to Seong Jihan.
* * *
The Space Arena, one of BattleNet’s venues where a significant amount of GP is wagered, was full of spirits akin to phantoms looking for a big win after facing devastating losses betting.
-Is there any sure win available?
-I’ve put up a planet as collateral and gathered all the GP I’ve got… Where should I bet? Please save me… If I fail this time, a hundred million of my kin will die!
└ It’s because of you they’re dying kekeke
└ Really, this guy’s a Monarch? – –;
When the arena was about to open, posts about betting frequently appeared on the official forum.
The recent buzz among these folks was about a post Karlein had made.
A lowest-ranking species athlete with VIP membership, lauded for his tremendous talent and expected to win consecutive matches.
The post, encouraging bets on him along with a video of Karlein betting 10 trillion GP on him, caught everyone’s attention.
And immediately, official members began responding to the post.
[Have you seen the post by DeathStar recommending a player?]
He recommended a lowest-ranking species, and in the video, he bet 10 trillion GP on him.
This player even has a VIP membership and seems fairly competent.
But betting on the lowest-ranking species is a bit…..
What do you all think, members, is this player worth betting on?
└ DeathStar invested, so I subscribed and checked it out, but he seems just above average for the lowest rank…
└ Betting on the lowest rank is a guaranteed 100% loss. You can’t overcome the fundamental difference in class. Disappointed in DeathStar this time.
└ I honestly found this player quite good. There’s potential. But being assigned to Master – 1 is an error… that area’s filled with high-ranking Constellations’ alt characters. Betting difficulty is at its highest.
└ Exactly. If it goes wrong, they can bring in powers from their main Constellations.
└ Just for fun, I’ll throw in 100,000 GP. Thinking about it, I’ve never bet on the lowest rank before lol
Despite having a VIP membership, the overall reception was negative due to the inherent limitations of being the lowest-ranking species.
Even among those who highly evaluated him, the prevailing prediction was that he would not be able to achieve high results since he was assigned to Arena ‘Master – 1’.
“Life’s tough as the lowest ranking.”
Seong Jihan chuckled, browsing through the forum reactions, and the Shadow Queen responded.
“Well, it’s true that the lowest rank has no survival record in the Space League.”
“Not even one?”
“Mmm… It’s likely. The longer you survive in the Space League, the more your species evolves. Survivors, even if they want to remain in the lowest rank, end up receiving race evolution effects, ascending to low or mid-rank.”
“I see.”
“Arena special rewards often include evolution bonuses, so it might be worth targeting. The Constellation’s alts participate for that reason too.”
Seong Jihan’s eyes gleamed at that.
There were such bonuses in the arena?
‘Let’s see if I can ascend to low-rank, then.’
If the human race evolved, it would ultimately be a plus for Seong Jihan himself.
Intending to fully claim the arena’s special rewards, Seong Jihan thought,
“Boss! The alien subscriber count has surpassed 3,000! Also, videos of your battles against the World Tree Elves are experiencing a surge in views from alien sources. Seems like a strong enemy is attracting more attention… I’ll continue uploading compilation videos focused on that!”
Although the majority of alien species had either skimmed through or not played Seong Jihan’s videos at all, the ones showcasing battles against the World Tree Elves had noticeably high views.
-For a being from the lowest rank, he’s not entirely weak, huh?
-He even subdued an Ancient elf? Maybe I should bet a little.
And a few comments from alien species began to appear.
“Yes. Please prioritize recent videos.”
After delegating the video sorting to Lee Hayeon,
[You will be summoned to the arena.]
Seong Jihan was forcibly teleported to the arena.
[Do you wish to broadcast the match live to alien species?]
Upon turning on BattleTube, a new message popped up. Seong Jihan agreed, and the chat split into two.
-Oh, it’s the arena… I guess it’s different from regular games.
-Hopefully, it’s not over in 10 minutes this time?
-Who knows, 1:1 might even end quicker, right?
Humans, who considered Seong Jihan’s overwhelming victories a given, were anxious it might end too swiftly, while,
-A hundred million lives of my species depend on you. Just win one, one game! If you win, I’ll sponsor you generously!
-The 100-million villain actually bet on the lowest rank lol
-A Monarch betting all on the lowest rank… your planet’s inhabitants are to be pitied.
-If that gambling addict loses his planet, maybe they’ll find a better Monarch lol
-A live broadcast makes the human race seem even less impressive. He won’t win a single game.
Even as they watched Seong Jihan’s live broadcast, alien species expressed skepticism.
‘Oh. The number of alien viewers is quite high.’
Even though subscribers were only about 3,000, Given the bets placed on VIP member Seong Jihan, the viewer count steadily climbed, soon reaching 5,000.
‘Hmm… but crossing 5,000 doesn’t trigger the Star Buff.’
The Star Buff, supposedly activated upon surpassing a viewer count threshold, remained inactive despite attracting a significant number of alien species.
And then,
[Matching opponent…]
[‘Prince of Three Leaders and Six Arms’ has been matched.]
A giant figure appeared across the arena, with three Leaders and six arms, decked in full armor, staring down at Seong Jihan.
-Is the Prince of Three Leaders and Six Arms still here?
-So sick of Constellation alts kekeke
-Aaaaaah why him??!!! Aaaaaah my planet ?
The alien chat’s reaction was resigned, considering the match already lost upon his appearance. Then, the three-Leadered giant,
“Lowest rank…”
Looking at Seong Jihan, he voluntarily removed his armor and weapons.
“Against a creature like you, wearing equipment would be an insult.”
Reduced to just his underwear, the three-Leadered giant approached Seong Jihan, spreading his six arms wide, as if to easily squash him.
Despite the light gesture, the power behind it was undeniable.
However,
“Good thing you’re not wearing armor.”
As Eclipse flared in Seong Jihan’s hand,
“Now you can say you lost because you weren’t armored.”
Swoosh!
The giant’s three Leaders soared through the air, separated from his body.
And a brief message popped up,
[Victor: Seong Jihan.]
The first match ended in the blink of an eye.
