Genius’s Godlike Game Broadcast-Chapter 102 : Escape Depends on Talent (5)

Escape Depends on Talent (5)
When the chief developer accepted the 'Imprisoner's' invitation, the setting changed.
Lee Gyeongbok widened his eyes and looked around.
"This, it reminds me of modern art."
On all sides, it seemed as if the walls were made of stacked monitors. Most were off, but the ones that were on showed various theme rooms.
― Wow! You know teacher Nam Baekjun!
― Maybe this is a room with that kind of modern art theme too lol
― As if they'd really go that far!
― If you want an explanation, you'll have to escape first, lol
― Imprisoner where?
While the viewers reacted, Lee Gyeongbok headed to the armchair placed in the center.
Armchairs facing each other and a small table. Lee Gyeongbok realized this setup was also something he'd seen somewhere before.
"This looks like something from a movie too, doesn't it?"
This time, it wasn't a viewer who answered.
"Yes, that's right. It's a famous scene from my favorite movie, the one with the red pill and blue pill."
He turned to the voice and saw a person with a monitor for a head walking up.
"Nice to meet you, Purple. I'm Imprisoner, the chief developer of Escapers."
With those words, a smiling emoji appeared on the monitor. Awkwardly, Lee Gyeongbok shook the hand that was offered to him.
― What's with the concept?
― Lol monitor-head!
― Going all in on the dark mastermind concept, lmao
― You really need this much of a nerd streak to be a chief developer!
― But honestly, if I were a gamer, I'd like a dev this full of passion lol
― For real lol, you can feel how much he loves games!
After the handshake, the two settled onto the sofa.
'That's one of the voices. Has he really been in charge all this time?'
Gyeongbok mulled over the man's voice. He was one of the voices he'd heard, sifted from thoughts he'd read using divine energy.
"It's truly an honor to have such an esteemed guest."
"Oh, I'm not all that special."
"No, really. Even though you revealed it on your stream, I rushed to send you the game as a gift in case you changed your mind."
Lee Gyeongbok gave a slight smile. He could sense the sincerity behind those words.
If it had been just a formality, it wouldn't have had that kind of positive feeling.
"Of course, it wasn't all out of fanboy sentiment. Naturally, I was aiming for the ad effect, too."
"I'm sure all my viewers already know that."
― No such thing as a freebie!
― There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world
― If they offer it for free, you should be suspicious! Lol
― For real, it's a betrayal flag
― This chief developer is way too frank lmao
― Honestly, a low-level employee wouldn't be able to say this
Viewers agreed with Lee Gyeongbok's words. Imprisoner flashed a smiling emoji, and then quickly switched to a sweat-dropping one.
"But to be completely honest, I didn't expect you to do so well. I figured you'd hit a wall at some point."
"Seems like that's what everyone thought. But once I tried, it wasn't all that hard."
― Is he trash-talking even in front of the chief developer?
― What's this? Is he provoking him?
― Imprisoner is probably boiling inside right now, lol
― But he really did clear it easily!
― But it's true, what can you do!
-???: We just didn't know...! If we'd realized how insane your physical prowess is, we'd have done it differently!
― But seriously, lol, since it's not a paid promo stream, he's being totally honest
― If you want to hear nice things, pay up, lol
― About to open his eyes to the wave of capitalism
The viewers pressed him, but Gyeongbok didn't respond. Just a light laugh was enough.
"We actually planned assuming that might happen."
"You planned for it?"
"Yes. It was obvious that if Purple failed, people would flock in. Room escape is one of those things—it's different to watch versus actually do it, so viewers seeing Purple fail would wonder: 'Is it really that hard?'"
"Makes sense."
Lee Gyeongbok nodded, and the chat overflowed with 'eh' and 'for real lol' messages.
"That way, some would feel motivated to give it a shot. If you succeed where Purple failed, that's a real bragging point, isn't it?"
― Where else can you get a chance to show off to Godple!
― Just imagining it is awesome
― If you're better than Purple at anything? That's a family honor, lmao
― Usually only losers do this clout-chasing, but with Godple, it's different
― If you have any area where you're better than Purple, that's just undeniable
Gyeongbok tilted his head at the reaction.
"That's something to brag about?"
― Look at that confused face, lmao
― Isn't this just his natural arrogance?
-???: You'd brag about THIS?
― For real lol, it's not just trash-talking, it's arrogance by default
― Your "insignificance" might be someone else's POTG
― To us mere mortals, even breathing rarefied air is impressive!
― Geniuses, honestly!
― Please set your sights a little lower!
Imprisoner sighed, and his monitor displayed a droopy emoji.
"But, as you saw, that plan failed. It's not just your physical prowess—your brainplay is astounding, too. Even after specializing in this genre, I've never seen anything like it before."
"Oh, it wasn't that impressive..."
"No! It's amazing! Like, right after finishing the tutorial, you jumped into the endgame-level competitive mode and even won in one go! And you did it without even using the highlight function!"
A giant exclamation mark flashed rapidly on Imprisoner's monitor. His intense reaction had the chat in stitches.
― Why does he not realize how amazing it is!
― Wow, just hearing that is satisfying
― He's got honorary Purple viewer status now
― Even the chief developer is just a normal guy outside work, lol
― This dev's showmanship is next level!
― He could easily be a streamer with this energy
― True nerds always have crazy passion for what they love
― That's a fact, lol
Gyeongbok laughed too, not surprised by the reaction. It was unusual, but it did mean they were acknowledging him.
"Got it. I'm amazing, then."
-?
― Lol, king absolutely confirmed he's godly
― Why does this make me annoyed though, lol
― That's true, but why am I suddenly salty?
― Just look at these viewers, totally caught off guard, lol
― Even when you admit it, people still get salty, lol
Imprisoner nodded.
"That's right. It's not because the themes we made are weak or anything."
"Of course. You said you were going to clear something up, that it's not good to do it my way."
"Yes! It's much better to explain while watching."
As he said this, imprisoner's monitor shifted. On it was Gyeongbok's play record.
"From the tutorial through to the Pharaoh's Curse theme's first ritual, you were fine. You did them rapidly, but with perfect solutions."
It then paused on the scene where he'd been hit with the Scarab's Curse. There was Gyeongbok, smashing endless bugs.
He gave an embarrassed laugh.
"Oh, that was... a bit of a different solution."
― That's impossible to argue against, lol
― That wasn't brainplay, that was pure physical prowess
― How is that remotely the same thing! Totally different!
― Let's be real, this was Godple's mistake
The viewers chimed in, ribbing Gyeongbok.
"No, look, you can't just die, can you? If you don't have to die, there's no reason to. I just played as best I could. It wasn't even a system bug, right?"
To Gyeongbok's defense, imprisoner nodded.
"Yes, correct. Being hit by the curse doesn't mean you die, per se."
"Right?"
"Of course, we didn't exactly plan for someone to brute-force it physically like you did."
"Ah."
Gyeongbok gave a short exhale and shut his mouth, and the chat filled up with 'lol'.
"So what's the intended way to survive?"
"Here, see the bandage?"
The monitor zoomed in on a bandage sprawling across the stone chamber floor.
"You dove straight into finishing the ritual, so you didn't check."
― He matched the stone tablet immediately, went bam-bam and done
― Seriously, as soon as he saw the inscription he finished the ritual, lol
― Aren't the bandage and sand useless, then?
― I was too fast to even notice there was a bandage, lol
The viewers admitted they were only now realizing this.
"It's not needed to finish the ritual. It's actually placed there as a survival item."
"Survival, with a bandage?"
"Yes. If you check, there's a hieroglyph on one part of the bandage."
The bandage unfurled on the screen, and sure enough, a hieroglyph was inscribed inside.
[To those who prove their faith, a second chance shall be granted.]
The hieroglyph was translated into Korean.
"If you use this to make an ankh shape—the ancient Egyptian cross—a barrier forms. The curse only lasts for a set duration, so you can survive as long as you stay inside."
"Ah, that's the symbol engraved on the altar."
"Yes. So investigating items is the first step in any escape room."
The screen switched to the 1:1 final showdown. Gyeongbok grabbed a pebble and slotted it in instantly.
"I don't have to explain the obelisk number baseball, I'm sure. I just want to point out there was a 10-minute time limit."
"Yeah, that's right."
"We set that by calculating the average clear time. The closer it comes to the wire, the more cathartic the victory."
"Oh, so there was a calculation to it."
"... Yes, but you finished it in under a minute. The instant you grabbed it, you knew the answer. Honestly, it's still mysterious to me. How did you sense the weight difference down to 0.1g?"
Imprisoner asked with sincere frustration, making the viewers laugh again.
― No way, he's got more streamer energy than a developer, lol
― I can totally SEE the Kemalcon face!
― This time, he's genuinely frustrated, for real
― That's not a person, that's just a cheat code
― How can a person even do that!?
-100% this is Purple's fault, lol
Gyeongbok shook his head at the chat.
"Calling it a fault, that's a bit harsh. I just did my best. Isn't it actually more condescending to take the harder route when there's an easier one?"
― Can't argue with that lol
― For real, that's just being considerate
― If you put it like that, there's nothing left to say
― Who made Godple upset! Show yourself!
― Ban the traitor lol
― Who are you! Where's our baby Purple!
― Baby (600,000 Q-tuber subscriber)
― He picked up bad habits from Genome, lol
― Genome poisoned Purple!
― Genome: What? Trchoip is MY spot!
Gyeongbok grinned and turned from the chat back to Imprisoner.
"What's fortunate is that only Purple can clear it this way. Still, I do want to clarify for the viewers."
"Yes, understood. Everyone, you heard him? Please pay attention."
Lee Gyeongbok quieted the busy chat, and the viewers instantly turned attentive.
"Our Escapers is not at all a game where physical prowess is the key, like Purple played it. We strive for the intellectual thrill of pondering, piecing together hints and clues to find the answer!"
― It was satisfying when I heard Godple's solution, for sure
― For real, the way everything clicked in my head felt amazing
― If I'd figured it out myself, it would've felt even more awesome, lol
― There's definitely a flavor here you can't get from other games
The viewers agreed.
Gyeongbok had solved it instantly, but explained a bit teasingly, so some still felt left out.
It wasn't as strong as solving it themselves, but they understood the "intellectual thrill"
Imprisoner talked about.
"Glad to see our Purple viewers understand. Looks like there's nothing left to clarify."
Smiling, Gyeongbok stood. As he prepared to leave, imprisoner called him back.
"No, now that you've come all this way, we can't end it here. What comes next is the more important topic."
"An important topic?"
― It's here!
― A big one is coming, lol
― Ah, now it's the main topic?
― Lol, you need to take your homework before you leave!
― No one can ignore Godple Coin, lol
-100% Godple knows what's coming
― Is he using brainplay even now?
― Open your account! The wave of capitalism is coming!
Gyeongbok cleared his throat, playing up the awkwardness, and sat again.
"Ahem, so what's this about?"
Of course, they wouldn't get into specific contract details here. Both Gyeongbok and Imprisoner were professionals at that level.
This was just for drumming up interest.
"You know that we're selling season passes for Escapers, right?"
"Of course. I couldn't not know, after being gifted the Ultimate Season Pass."
"That's right. But it'd be a scam if you sold a season pass and didn't update, right?"
The chat immediately lit up.
― Wow, strong words, lol
― Taking shots, are we?
― But there are so many games guilty of this, lol
― For real, it's not sniping, it's a machine gun
― Season passes are honestly trash
― You sure about this? Confident!?
― But this guy has every right to be confident, lol
― Do you update frequently?
It's almost as if he read the viewers' minds, and continued right away.
"So, we update themes regularly. At least once a month, we develop a new theme."
"Once a month? Isn't that a bit little for each month?"
Gyeongbok asked nonchalantly, and Imprisoner flinched. The chat, on the other hand, was all laughs.
― Seriously, how many times is this?
― Please judge by regular-people standards!
― No one but you can finish in one shot!
― This is a man who doesn't even know what a "retry" is...!
― It's not an act, he really can't stop the arrogance!
― That came out of nowhere—I'm dizzy, lol
Realizing his blunder, Gyeongbok laughed awkwardly.
"Ahem, sorry, but if you updated at my pace, your staff would be dead."
Buoyed by the chat's reaction, imprisoner continued.
"Anyway, since Purple has started our game, the next theme update is just around the corner. I thought it'd be great if you could play it with your viewers."
"Oh, so a viewer participation event?"
Gyeongbok's eyes sparkled; his viewers were just as excited.
― Viewer event? I have to get in on this!
― Lol, this is guaranteed to be great
― Please, please let me win the ticket this time!
― Auto-pilot, sign me up
― But autopilot doesn't work in room escape games, lmao
― I've been saving my sub money for this!
― Guess I'll have to renew my sub now, lol
With the new month, viewers were at the point of needing to renew their Tri subscriptions.
Seeing the rapidly rising chat, Gyeongbok smiled brightly.
"I've got a good feeling about it. Let's talk in detail privately."
"Yes, I hope you'll consider it positively."
"All right, everyone, please give a big hand to our guest developer, imprisoner!"
Clapping his hands, Gyeongbok spoke. The chat filled up with clapping emojis.
Imprisoner bowed politely and exited. The background switched back to the main menu.
"I'll announce the event once it's confirmed."
About to wrap up, Gyeongbok seemed to remember something.
"Oh, but the quest reward hasn't been settled yet? Qdari?"
At his words, chat suddenly exploded.
― Lolololol
― Thought he'd forgotten, huh?
― Qdari freaks out after relaxing!
― Lol, would the king of brainplay ever miss this?
― For real, never underestimate a Black Company
― Black Company specialty: Block any outgoing money, collect every incoming won like a hawk
As the viewers teased him, Gyeongbok smiled.
"I won't let you get out of it with just a deep bow this time. A promise is a promise."
― Lol, he's still milking it!
― There's someone who made a deep bow and lost a million won?
― Lol, where does that even happen
― No way, lmao, no way, lol, what
― But lol it actually happened lol
― You guys really are terrible, lol
― You pretend to be worried but you're all cracking up
― You can't stand being teased but love teasing others!
― Can't none of y'all hold it in, lol
Moments later, qdari's response came.
[Quest complete!]
['Agent Q' has donated '1,000,000' won!]
It didn't even come through chat.
"As expected of Qdari. You rarely find someone this dependable."
― Lol, he's dragging it out to the end
― It's hilarious for the viewers lol
― Getting teased by Godple is a reward in itself!
― And now it'll be immortalized on the Purple channel—how nice!
With a broad grin, Gyeongbok waved goodbye.
"Well then, today's stream ends here!"
― Trba! (Trha!)
― Bro! Please do the event well!
― Getting cash and event participation, how great is that!
― Lol, this is the real "homework"
― For real, it's tradition to do homework as a group
― Bro! Purple's physical prowess was amazing again today!
― For real, godple's breaking new ground
― Second OTP event coming? lol
The viewers accepted Gyeongbok's sign-off happily.
---
**New Names, locations, skills, techniques List**
임프리즈너,Imprisoner,he
남백준,Nam Baekjun,he
앙크,ankh,na
석실,stone chamber,na
파라오의 저주,Pharaoh's Curse,na
십자가,cross,na
석판,stone tablet,na
(If you need more detailed listing of smaller items, please specify!)