The movie [Chaos in the Tower of Hell] was suddenly greenlit, and the story was progressing without a hitch.
“Hoo…”
Caught off guard as the protagonist, a Dark Elf sank to the ground, panting. He set aside the dagger he had been wielding just moments ago.
As the intruder took a moment to catch his breath, perhaps to cool off, he removed his mask. True to the Dark Elf lineage, a mysterious charm radiated from his appearance.
He looked somewhat pitiable, yet exuded a hint of decadence.
A strikingly handsome visage that would be hard to find elsewhere. Honestly, he was better looking than Liam.
‘…This has to remain a secret.’
If Liam found out, he’d be green with envy, so thoughts about his looks would never leave my lips. I still recalled the uproar that ensued when I once carelessly complimented another man’s appearance.
I shuddered at the memory and glanced at the chat.
The chat window was ablaze. Only those who had won in the point betting seemed lively.
– “Hey, did the underdog wake up? LOL”
– “Points are sweet!”
– “LOL, is this how you bet on underdogs?”
– “I trusted our Dark Elf!”
The breathtaking battle just fought between the ‘Queen Banshee’, the manager of the 2nd Floor, and the intruder had just ended. Unsurprisingly, the winner was our protagonist—the Dark Elf.
On the broadcast, it appeared they were locked in combat, and I was genuinely entertained watching it.
However, in reality, the intruder had been swinging at thin air, while the 2nd Floor’s manager was merely an illusion conjured by Young Dragon.
‘It did look convincing, though.’
Had I been in the same situation, I might have been duped too. It was that real, heightening immersion.
If I, the planner, felt this way, how must the viewers feel?
This was the most heated and fun broadcast in recent memory, and perhaps due to the buzz, the viewership was also abnormally high.
[Viewers 43,523]
That’s right, forty-three thousand! A figure that easily surpassed our average viewership.
Moreover, the numbers were still climbing. At this rate, we could set a record today.
I had only started the stream for fun while dealing with the intruder, never expecting such a great response. Life really is a series of coincidences.
With a pleased heart, I tapped away at my smartphone’s keyboard to heighten the atmosphere.
[(☆) Pope: I heard some are betting on the underdog. Are you all fools? Haha]
Provocative statements drew grumpy responses from some viewers. Of course, no one was genuinely enraged.
[Strawberry Protein’s sprout-like 1,000 Won!]
– “Next time, I’m only betting on the favorite.”
[Birapbabab’s sprout-like 1,000 Won!]
– “My memories of the last three months…”
[Just a Jobless Guy’s sprout-like 1,000 Won!]
– “Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?”
Even those who had lost points were enjoying the atmosphere. While some were a bit too immersed, it felt mostly cheerful since no real money was on the line.
[(☆) Pope: Don’t be too disheartened and look forward to the next floor.]
[(☆) Pope: And just to clear up any misunderstanding, this is indeed the real deal.]
While those pleasant exchanges were ongoing, the Dark Elf, who was taking a break, masked up and stood up.
Then, he headed straight for the stairs in the corner to ascend to the 3rd Floor.
-(Guardian Dragon): “Finally, it’s my turn!”
On the next floor awaited Hekatrith. Since he hadn’t revealed the concept yet, I watched the broadcast with anticipation.
-“…This is something.”
As the Dark Elf arrived on the 3rd Floor, he sighed softly. It was only natural; before his eyes lay a Lava Region.
And flying in the ash-covered sky was a black dragon. It radiated a powerful aura that could be felt even through the screen.
-(Worst): “? Isn’t that just its true form?”
As Yao pointed out, Young Dragon had shown up in his actual form without any disguise, which was a disappointing turn of events.
-(Pope): “Point deduction.”
-(Worst): “We’ll have to seize snacks for a month.”
-(Pope): “I agree.”
While Yao and I were doling out harsh evaluations, the reactions from those who rarely saw dragons were entirely different.
– “A dragon?”
– “???”
– “No, the scale is hilarious LOL.”
– “What kind of technique is this?”
– “Who’s the supporting character? LOL.”
People were surprised, bewildered, and amazed. Amid it all, one sharp-eyed viewer hit the nail on the head.
-“Isn’t that the dragon that the hero dispatched before?”
It was quite the astute observation, but as it was a minority opinion, it got lost in the chatter.
Meanwhile, Young Dragon, who had just showcased his fearsome stature, landed in the Lava Region.
– “Who dares enter my domain…! I am the manager of the 3rd Floor, Black Dragon Hekate!”
He roared fiercely, excitement evident in his demeanor. Upon closer inspection, the corners of his eyes and lips quivered slightly.
His acting was beyond dreadful.
Yet, with his sheer bravado, hardly anyone seemed to notice. The Dark Elf included.
– “A dragon…”
Startled, the intruder hesitated before enumerating his summoned monsters while shouting.
– “If it means rescuing my brother, I will not back down even against a dragon!”
To save his brother. Was his life truly in danger?
It seemed that Kim Yi-jeong, presumed to be the mastermind, had cornered the Dark Elf by threatening his family’s safety.
What sort of identity does Kim Yi-jeong possess to threaten a being of such strength?
I still didn’t know the full details, but for now, the Dark Elf didn’t appear to be a bad guy. My instincts as a Pope spoke that much.
For precaution, I had also used the Sacred Spell ‘Light that Banishes Darkness’, and indeed, he was classified as good.
Then.
The conclusion needed to change.
‘A bad ending… would not do.’
Anyway, the protagonist Dark Elf was somehow garnering increasing support among viewers.
Ever since his handsome visage was revealed, the enthusiasm surged.
And now, thanks to him shouting about rescuing his brother, he was being hailed with titles like ‘King’ and ‘God’.
Did everyone forget that this guy was an intruder targeting me?
It seems my overly cinematic atmosphere had rendered the situation not serious anymore.
-(Worst): “That line just now was great.”
Even Yao seemed to forget he was the villain and was in full viewer mode.
In such circumstances, it would be impossible to stick to the originally scheduled ‘ending of being defeated and punished by the final boss’. I’m not an artist caught up in a delusion.
-(Pope): “Everyone, we need to change the ending. Do you agree?”
-(Worst): “Of course.”
Yao, now a spectator, immediately agreed, and soon enough, Young Dragon, fully engaged in fighting the Dark Elf’s monsters, chimed in with his thoughts.
-(Guardian Dragon): “Haha! It’s been ages since I’ve had this much fun! I finally feel alive!”
…Looking at his excited disposition, he wouldn’t oppose. The vote was unanimous.
I pondered how to alter the ending.
First, it had to align with the ongoing flow. Though it was presented like a movie, it was still an actual situation, so he couldn’t lose.
Also, the Dark Elf needed to rescue his brother while feeling threatened by Kim Yi-jeong.
And lastly, I needed to look good in the process. This was the most important part.
As I contemplated what ending could meet all these conditions perfectly, a message suddenly appeared before my eyes.
-(???) : “What an annoying stunt.”
It wasn’t Young Dragon or Yao. It was an unexpected intruder.
-(Guardian Dragon): “Who are you? How dare you barge into my magic!”
As Hekatrith was getting flustered mid-battle, another message popped up.
-(???) : “You don’t need to know, just stop the broadcast. If you don’t want to die. This is no joke. It’s a warning.”
Whoever it was, their attitude felt overwhelmingly arrogant and haughty.
At the same time, it radiated an emotion of simmering anger that seemed held in check. Unlike our neat discussions, the text was choppy.
Could it be that telepathy conveyed feelings along with thoughts?
I pondered if my assumption was correct when Young Dragon threw a jab at the interloper.
-(Guardian Dragon): “Why are you so mad? Oh, I see. You sent that Dark Elf, didn’t you? You thought the Pope and us would be easily subdued and leave, yet here we are filming a movie, and that’s what’s got you steamed?”
Following up, Yao picked up where Young Dragon left off.
-(Worst): “I guess you’re mad the Pope’s having too much fun, contrary to your expectations. Given what you did in the previous broadcast, it seems you’re just enjoying making others miserable.”
The double whammy from the two problem children didn’t stop there.
-(Guardian Dragon): “But it’s funny. You’re full of rage yet pretending to stay calm while issuing threats.”
-(Worst): “Weird, isn’t it that you seem completely non-threatening despite your anger?”
-(Guardian Dragon): “Seems like you’ve been surrounded by people shivering in fear of you until now.”
-(Worst): “Bullying those weaker than you to feel superior? Typical loser behavior.”
They were relentlessly hammering the mysterious interloper without giving him a moment to breathe. Their back-and-forth turned into a well-oiled machine at times like this.
I didn’t interrupt but munched on the popcorn I had prepped, observing the linguistic onslaught.
-(???) : “You little shits!”
The intruder finally burst forth after about five minutes of getting verbally assaulted.
-(???) : “Do you know why I didn’t go myself and just sent that guy? Because it would be too easy! I’m purposely letting this play out, and you’re here crawling up my leg!”
Though he was revealing his fury in his own way…
If he were to say it in person, it might have had an impact, but in chat form, it didn’t feel potent. Instead, he seemed more like an angry child, which was amusing.
Nonetheless, it wouldn’t do to just watch idly, so I decided to jump in at this point.
Just as I had done to him before, with one annoyingly simple word.
-(Pope): “LOL.”
I swiftly followed up with my own warning.
-(Pope): “Kim Yi-jeong. It’s you, isn’t it? If you value your life, you should get out of Korea today.”
-(???) : “Shut up.”
-(Pope): “You’ll find out soon enough whether it’s serious or not, but for now, why don’t you sit tight and watch the broadcast?”
With a triumphant smile, I typed in the chat.
[(☆) Pope: (Breaking News) The one who sent the Dark Elf is currently furious, threatening me to stop the broadcast.]
[(☆) Pope: Seems like he’s a bit miffed everyone is having fun.]
Then, all of a sudden, the chat started moving faster than ever.
– “What will you do if he gets mad? LOL.”
– “That’s disgusting.”
– “LOL.”
– “Is he shaking? LOL.”
– “Wow, he really looks pathetic.”
– “Such a coward, can’t even show up in person yet has a big mouth. LOL.”
A feast of mockery and belittling comments designed to infuriate Kim Yi-jeong.
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