The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 404

7.

“Ugh, what a commotion.”

“Tell me about it......”

“Good work out there.”

“For real.”

The four of them finally managed, after twists and turns, to reach the restaurant.

They’d picked the place in advance, so it didn’t take that long.

Even though getting together like this had been chaotic, once they finally got inside and took a quiet seat, they could breathe a little easier.

The one who’d had it worst was none other than An Yoo-bin.

Seong, to be honest, was the unflappable type, so he just took it in stride.

But not An Yoo-bin.

It was the first time she’d ever gotten that kind of attention, which made it all the more so.

“I was really shocked.”

Saying that, because it still felt like her heart was pounding, Seong nodded in sympathy.

“I didn’t think people would recognize us this quickly.”

“......R-right.”

Up to now, even An Yoo-bin usually wore a robe to cover her face.

But she hadn’t worn a mask.

So far there hadn’t been any issues, so she figured there wouldn’t be—but this time the heat of the attention took her by surprise.

Well, as [N O V E L I G H T] Seong’s popularity heated up, Luna—namely, An Yoo-bin—also got dragged upward as “the Demon King’s backup team.”

And among the backup teams, she happened to boast the prettiest looks.

So she couldn’t help but be popular.

As an aside, Joseon’s Greatest Sword, Kim Che-geon, also had outstanding looks and was about to get big, but since he was running a “Joseon-person” concept, interest in Kim Che-geon wasn’t that big.

You could say he had only a niche fandom?

Anyway, that’s how it was.

“Sss. We’ll have to be careful......?”

“Seriously.”

When An Yoo-jin said that, Lee Geon-dong nodded in agreement.

Now that too many people recognized them, the two of them felt they needed at least minimal precautions.

Seong was one thing.

But An Yoo-bin was also a woman—things could get dangerous.

At that, both Seong and An Yoo-bin nodded.

In any case, that was that.

“Shall we order?”

“Mm, Geon-dong, you pick. If it’s Chinese, I like everything.”

“Me too.”

“M-me too.”

When Lee Geon-dong said that, everyone wanted his recommendation.

This place was a Chinese restaurant he’d recommended.

Seong had been here before with him, so he was already looking very excited.

Lee Geon-dong happily took care of the ordering.

They also ordered some simple beer and raised a cool toast.

“To a successful content run!”

“Congrats!”

“Congrats.”

“Cheers!”

They lightly clinked glasses and downed their beers.

The cool fizz slid down their throats and seemed to cool the lingering heat.

No appetizers had come out yet.

But everyone smiled at how refreshing the beer was.

This gathering was to celebrate the content “Demon King vs. Backup Teams.”

The live had ended in great success, but it was just the first day.

They’d also gathered to make sure they did even better going forward.

Of course—

“Ah, that said, I won’t be telling you the strats.”

When Seong said that with a firm smile, An Yoo-bin narrowed her eyes playfully.

“Pfft, that’s fine. We can clear it even if we don’t know.”

She did clear her throat at his sudden comment, but since she knew it was a joke, she glared at him just enough and shot back.

As they were talking about this content, the conversation naturally came around to the final part.

“So at the end of Mugan, you even have to raid the Lords. That will definitely squeeze all the content out.”

“I’m guessing it’ll be on Day 3.”

“At this pace, it really looks that way.”

“From a video standpoint, ending the Mugan content with a Lord raid makes for a solid finish.”

“Right. And if we switch to paid right at the last live, people will buy a ticket out of sheer curiosity, no?”

At An Yoo-jin’s last remark, the other three nodded.

Honestly, how could you resist this.

Once you break through the 100th floor, you reach the deepest part, and that’s when the stuff about the Lord will come up.

And switching to paid right then?

That’s a setup that forces you to watch even if you grumble.

In the first place, even Seong would probably watch—an evil monetization structure.

But since they’d streamed for free until now, there wouldn’t be a big backlash—or so said An Yoo-jin.

True enough; they’d watched for free all this time.

Letting only those who pay see the finale was certainly effective.

“I’m sure you know this, but you both get it, right?”

As she said that, An Yoo-jin narrowed her eyes especially at Seong and An Yoo-bin.

“If you switch to paid and then lose, it could actually go as far as refunds, you know?”

She said it like a bit of a scare, but An Yoo-bin cracked up first.

“Pfft.”

“Hahaha.”

Seong burst into laughter a beat later and looked at An Yoo-jin; seeing them both laugh, she couldn’t help but laugh too.

She’d tried to spook them, but honestly she didn’t think Seong or the backup teams would lose to a Lord.

Even now, Kyou’s team and Embris’s party had slowed a bit in the high 80s, but they were starting to sync up and pick up speed.

Even if not those two parties, honestly, it was hard to imagine Seong losing.

Well.

“With four Almighty-grade classes gathered, there’s no way we can’t clear it.”

“That’s true. Still, I’m telling you to be careful.”

“That’s fair. We’ll be careful, noona.”

“I’ll be careful too, unni.”

Agreeing with Lee Geon-dong, and as An Yoo-jin said that, Seong and An Yoo-bin both nodded and said okay.

As they chatted warmly about the content, Seong suddenly spoke up.

“Hmm, was revealing my face a bad move?”

He couldn’t help a little regret, since he hadn’t thought people would recognize him this fast.

But—

“Well, what can you do—it’s the fate of the popular. Besides, this kind of thing spreads by word of mouth anyway. The reason is just that we’ve gotten too big.”

“Right. Honestly, it was the same when I was a newbie, but back then there wasn’t anyone recognizing me on the street.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Well, it really is the fate of people who draw a crowd. Even before, if you were a famous MiTuber, people would swarm; now you’re basically a celebrity.”

“Hmmm, should we find a manager or something? Even if not for schedules, maybe someone who can watch our backs?”

As An Yoo-jin seriously thought it over, Lee Geon-dong also got a grave look.

If people recognized them this much, it was undeniably inconvenient.

But directly hiring someone like a manager could become a turn-off for fans too.

There was a lot to think about. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Sure enough, when Lee Geon-dong poked around online to gauge reactions, a few posts had already gone up.

[Title—lolol the Demon King looks even better in person.]

[Author—Tank Goes Wild]

『I was headed to get food near OO-dong when I saw someone practically glowing over there.

And I’m like—wasn’t that the guy I’d literally just been watching live on MiTube?

So I look closely and it’s the Demon King, and I freaked.

Asked for a pic and he took one right away.

Truly the very definition of a gentleman;;;

No joke, he looks at least 2x better than in photos or video??

Attaching the pic so you’ll believe me.

[Photo attached]』

[Damage Is Willpower: WTF I’m so jealous 😱 but can you just post a photo like that???]

└[Tank Goes Wild (OP): Huh??? Can’t I???? If he’s a MiTuber, isn’t he basically a public figure????]

└[Broken Weapon: What do you mean a MiTuber is a public figure lolol you’re just blasting his photo;;;]

└[Tank Goes Wild (OP): I’ll delete it if it’s a problem T_T]

└[No-Gear Boss: But seriously, he’s stupid handsome;;;;]

[No Burst DPS: He looks like that in person too???? That’s busted????]

[Enhance-Account Guy: Wow...... I’m speechless.]

[Spear Master: STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB]

[Title—Looks like the Demon King’s team is out for a company dinner???]

[Author—Mage Body-Check]

『There was a huge crowd in OO-dong so I went to see.

Luna from Luna’s team was there;;;

Not long after, a guy who looked like the Demon King and another person came and took Luna and the woman next to her along.

Looks like a team dinner???

Feels like they just came out without thinking they’d be recognized this much.

Seeing people surround them like it was some kind of spectacle, I felt kinda bad.

[Photo attached]』

[Stealth Right Away: Yikes, I feel bad too—what is this pinning them down and taking creepshots??]

[Chugged All Potions: lolol exactly, the hypocrisy is wild]

[No Cooldowns Used: Yikes yikes yikes—but she really is pretty.]

“Ah. The posts are already going up.”

When Lee Geon-dong showed them the photos people had snapped however they liked, Seong and An Yoo-bin looked them over with a “hmm” expression.

And then—

“Hmm, the photos came out well, at least.”

“Same here.”

Seong and An Yoo-bin said that as they looked at the photos of themselves.

The crowd was honestly a bit bewildering.

But maybe both had already adjusted a bit; they didn’t pay it too much mind.

Only, it wasn’t good how quickly it was spreading.

“Hmmm. Sure enough, once the live viewer count hits tens of millions, this kind of phenomenon happens. I’ll come up with some measures going forward.”

“That seems best. That said, public sentiment is good right now. We should keep our heads down and avoid stirring things up as much as possible.”

“Right.”

“Please take care of us.”

“Me too.”

When Seong and An Yoo-bin said that, An Yoo-jin waved it off.

“No, no, I’m the one who should apologize—this is obviously part of guild management; we’re basically an agency.”

It might have been just talk, but since she said it like that, the two of them simply let it be, sipped their drinks, and enjoyed the moment.

There wasn’t anything immediately problematic.

After enjoying food and drinks and chatting about this and that, they parted early because of tomorrow’s live.

Thanks to not forgetting their masks and hats on the way out, there were no big issues heading back.

The four split up and each headed home.

On the way home, Lee Geon-dong asked Seong, “You okay?”

“Hm? About what?”

“I mean...... getting more popular.”

After thinking for a moment, Seong answered, “Hmmmm, doesn’t matter, does it? It’s not like I was a school bully in the past.”

“I don’t mean that—just, it could feel like pressure and stuff.”

“Oh, in that sense? Mm, having lots of people recognize me is inconvenient, but I’m still grateful.”

At Seong’s words, Lee Geon-dong looked at him, a bit surprised.

He hadn’t expected him to think that way.

Looking at Seong like he was seeing him anew, Seong gave a small laugh and said, “If people recognize me, I’m grateful. If it’s inconvenient, I’ll just cover up.”

Since he didn’t seem particularly bothered, Lee Geon-dong felt relieved, gave a silly laugh, and went inside.

Still, to think his friend would become this kind of famous figure.

He’d known it already.

But experiencing it firsthand like this made it hit home.

Sure enough, their friends messaged them too, so both Lee Geon-dong and Seong spent a little more time on calls with friends—

Then turned in early.

They had a live tomorrow too.