Genius’s Godlike Game Broadcast-Chapter 43 : Already Suggesting a Collaboration?

Already Suggesting a Collaboration?
Genome stretched lightly.
"Jeez, finally beat this crappy game. Seriously, I thought only PC games would have this stuff, but even in the VR era, we get this kind of thing?"
He massaged his stiff shoulders, tossed aside his pitchfork, and climbed out from the jangdokdae.
–Lol, so fun for us watching tho
–Go to Primordial Village one more time~
–Tons of streamers ended up in tears with this one, lmao
–Back on PC, it was just keyboard and mouse, but now it's even worse, huh?
–How old are these Genomes, anyway?
–For real lol—is this just a gathering of old dudes?
Games that tormented players made for good content for streamers.
Genome shook his head, feigning disgust.
"Seriously, games like these should require developers to do a verified playthrough before release by law. Ugh, I need a break."
He grumbled as he exited the game and returned to his studio. But calling it a break didn't mean he could really rest.
"Should I get a snack? Jeez, I seriously need to start dieting."
–Hyung? Why flex about it here?
–Like it matters, it's not real food anyway!
–For real, nothing matters with eating in here.
Even in virtual reality, you could "eat" food. More precisely, it was just stimulating the sense of taste, so it wasn't actually tied to dieting.
"Guys, there's still a limit, you know? Even in VR, you have to choose what you eat with care. That's what I'm saying."
Genome said this while scanning the menu.
Allowing unlimited eating in virtual reality could cause people to forget meals in real life. In fact, in the early days when there were no restrictions, many people actually forgot to eat and ended up in the ER.
"Ha, guess I'll have a King lid then."
Genome summoned a cup ramen and sat down.
–Hyung... Is life tough these days?
–Ever since you gave up your spot in T-trio, there's not as much work, right?
–Better keep up your niche as best you can...
–Poor guy, sigh
–Genomes lmao, all they do is worry instead of donating
In the midst of the banter, someone sent in a video donation.
['WhyNotCollab?' has donated '5,000' won with a video.]
Genome glanced over at the alert and tilted his head.
"Huh? Wait, it's Purple? Ah, guys, for those who just joined, I kept my promise, okay? I gave away 100 subscription passes."
–Promise? Wasn't that just a defeated man's tribute?
–Lol, the way you dress that up
–Messed around and ended up getting schooled, right?
–If you offered something to a God, it's called a tribute, yeah.
Genome chuckled at the chat window and played the video, slurping his ramen.
Just as the warm broth was about to go down—
〈Earlier, we talked about collaborating on Gunner Ground, right? But I thought it'd be rude to join a collab without knowing anything, so today, I'm going to get a little practice in.〉
"Pfft!"
Hearing Lee Gyeongbok's voice, genome choked.
–Ah! Genome hyung!
–When you get older, you start spilling things.
–Our poor old Genomeㅠ
–Don't eat it, put it on your skin instead^^
–Ah, this is right after you gifted those subscriptions, lol
–Lollolcollab
Viewers who'd been watching from the start immediately figured out why he reacted that way.
"No way...! He actually played GunG right after?"
Genome had gifted the subscriptions and then left Purple's broadcast. He had his own stream schedule, after all, and the thank-you messages for subscriptions had gone on for quite a while.
"Ugh... I should've waited and scheduled something instead."
His sincere regret brought laughter to the chat window.
–Why not just wait and collab then?
–Lol, running in circles again
–The carry/bus has left^^
–Guess with a zero-to-one hundred bus, it's always hard to catch a ride, haha
–Couldn't control yourself, tsk tsk
As chat teased him, genome waved his hand.
"Come on, come on, I can't just change my whole stream schedule. What's the point of announcements then? You guys came to see me play the jangdokdae game today, right? Am I wrong?"
Viewers typically came with expectations set by stream schedules and content. Suddenly changing the stream could be pretty rude.
"This is a promise between you and me. You know I've got a strong sense of loyalty. Plus, these last-minute collabs could be rude to Purple, too."
–He's pulling out the Godple shield, huh?
–Lol, annoying but he's right
–Classic hyung, always about reputation
–Honestly, yeah. Like, you come for black bean noodles and suddenly they serve pasta instead, I'd be mad too.
–But let's be real. Collab with Godple is like having Korean beef, lobster, aND truffle pasta!
–Exactly! You MUST. COLLAB!
–Solo Genome is fun, but Genome × Godple collab is unbeatable.
Genome let out a wry laugh at the reactions.
"These guys complain even when I think of them. Anyway, I'll lock in the schedule soon, so just wait. Manager? You got that?"
–In the end, it's all on the manager, sigh
–Lol, all talk as always, hyung
–Is this a Black Company too?
Ignoring the chat, genome just smiled and started the second half of his stream.
* * *
Even on his first day, Lee Gyeongbok finished all five games in first place. As soon as the stream ended, a video was uploaded to Q-tube.
Choi Byeonghun was the first to edit and upload the highlight reel of the first game.
[-Lmao, still getting trashy teamers, huh.]
[naGodple lesson on another level, lol]
[-Wow... I saw during Anatomy of a Master, but his reflexes are just crazy.]
[naHe is Korean Hokake]
[naWhat the hell does that even mean lmao]
[-(1:21) What's that, enemy Shield lol]
[naSnatched the gun and countered instantly]
[naReflexes not even human]
[-(1:43) Is he stupid? Two with guns down and dives in with an axe?]
[naGets headshot with bare hands, lmao]
[naGuess that boxing talk was real]
[-Wow! Full parts M4 right from the start?]
[naMust be favored by God...]
[naOr maybe he just loves himself?]
[naLol, he's kinda cracked]
[naGod is Purple!]
Abusing team play in solo games was universally hated.
So when Lee Gyeongbok took out three players at the military base early on, the majority cheered.
[Damn, should've watched live]
[naJust watch it with King, lmao]
[naBut you can't chat that way!]
[It's long been a truth since Bark days—if you shoot, you kill.]
[naHonestly;;; not even in the same league as Bark]
[naIf Godple played sniper, you wouldn't even know how you died, lol]
[(3:01)Bang! (3:03)Bang! (3:23)Bang!]
[naSeeing the timestamp makes it even crazier, lmao]
[naAt least the last one played a bit smarter, lol]
[naYeah, hiding at once, survived a little longer.]
[naA little longer (20 seconds)]
[Is this even possible? Is this really GunG?]
[naLol, welcome, Purple newbies]
[naIt's possible, lol.]
[na(But only Purple does it.)]
New folks came in via the algorithm and search. Many genuinely couldn't believe Lee Gyeongbok's gameplay was real.
Replies kept pouring in, but the section with the most comments was—
[-This is actually insane.]
[naTotal agreement]
[naFor real, everything I saw earlier is gone from my mind]
[naEh, well...]
[-He shot the grenade pin at that distance?]
[naJust reading it sounds nuts, lmao]
[naEven just saying it out loud is crazy, lmao]
[naIf there was no video proof I'd have blocked you, lol]
[-Wow... I didn't get it, but seeing it with the bullet camera, it's dead on]
[naEditing was excellent, too, lol]
[naLol, when it switched to bullet cam with the slow-mo—so stylish]
[naFor real, muting all the sound except the 'ting' when bullet hits pin—chills]
[naSo it wasn't just me who thought that]
[naStreamer was crazy, but the editor knows their stuff too, lol]
This was the scene where Lee Gyeongbok shot the pin off a grenade held by an enemy hiding behind a tree.
[-So this is actually possible?]
[naLol, gotta try it at the shooting range.]
[naThink it'd be easy if it's not moving?]
[naHonestly, can't hit anything that moves]
[-Lol, time for the Bullet Pin Challenge]
[naC'mon, you didn't even finish the Yami Challenge]
[naAre you a challenge factory or something!]
[na???: Why can't you do this?]
[na???: Isn't a challenge supposed to be, well, challenging? This one?]
[naLol, feels like Purple would actually think like that]
People imitate what they admire.
Purple's fans, following the Yami Challenge, wanted to try this one too. So, whether Lee Gyeongbok liked it or not, the number of "challenges" credited to him kept growing.
View counts soared, quickly passing 200,000. Maybe because of that momentum...
[#4 on Today's Trending Videos]
Q-tube tagged the video accordingly. It had been chosen by "the algorithm."
With that, the video picked up even more steam, drawing even more comments.
And among all those comments, one shot up to the top with recommendations:
[(4:31) Wow... this guy's shooting posture is perfect. Not just muscle balance, but even breath control is flawless. Bet he can bench, squat, and deadlift 500kg total with ease.]
Strangely, this wasn't about the most popular grenade safety pin shot, but about Lee Gyeongbok's lead shot posture.
The tone was so matter-of-fact and nothing about it was clickbait.
But everyone recommended it for one simple reason:
[Muscle Gallery]
Because of who posted it.
[na?????????]
[naIt's the real one!]
[naPin it! Pin it!]
[naUncle, why are you here!?]
[naWow~ friends, it's Bald Uncle!]
[naLmao, the legend himself is here]
[naMr. Bald Mountain?]
Muscle Gallery was the channel operated by the former special forces health Q-tuber, "Bald Mountain."
He delivered precise health and fitness info with a sense of humor, and sometimes collaborated with other streamers and broadcasters, making him incredibly popular.
His subscriber count was already over three million—a true celebrity.
[naLmao, if even Bald Mountain praises it, you know it's legit]
[naThis uncle is a monster too, lmao]
[naMonsters recognize monsters!]
[naMonster recognizes monster!]
[naIs this a collab teaser?]
[naOh lol, maybe...]
A few wondered if Bald Mountain was angling for content with Purple.
He often left encouragement comments on other Q-tuber videos before collabs.
However, since that comment, there were no more replies from Muscle Gallery, so it was unclear if that was the case.
* * *
The next day, team Perfect held a meeting.
But the meeting wasn't at a cafe, but in Choi Byeonghun's officetel for a change.
"Ugh... Sorry, guys. I totally set my alarm, but..."
He'd stayed up late editing and messed up his timing.
"Because of you, we wasted fifteen minutes. Being on time is basic in adult life."
Park Juho scolded his groggy friend, but he wasn't truly angry.
"If you can't even keep the basics, it means your life rhythm's collapsing. You need to take care of yourself."
"Yeah, we appreciate your effort, but don't overdo it, okay?"
Even Lee Gyeongbok added worry to the discussion, then tried to lighten the mood.
"Just because I got you insurance doesn't mean I want you to wear yourself out."
"Really, I'm sorry. But video upload timing is everything, you know?"
Choi Byeonghun scratched his head apologetically.
"That's true. This video did especially well. And we even hit number three on trending."
"I'm saying, right? And honestly, it's not entirely my fault this time. You're partly to blame too!"
"Me?"
Lee Gyeongbok's eyes went wide at being called out.
"Yeah. Dude, honestly, it's the first time I've struggled this much picking out the right parts to use. There's too much, and I hate cutting any of it. I spent more time deliberating than actually editing."
He was a confident and experienced editor. But selecting which cuts to use from the video was the challenge.
No matter how good a chef, if the ingredients are bad, the dish is ruined—the same, for editors, choosing the right source material is vital.
But with Lee Gyeongbok's gameplay, the problem was not a lack of good footage, but too much.
"That's true, but the workload is all falling on you for now."
"You're busy too, though."
"I'm not just saying it to sound nice. I've actually been thinking, maybe it's time to get a support editor?"
At Park Juho's suggestion, Choi Byeonghun frowned awkwardly.
"What? Why do I need support? You think I can't handle all of it?"
"That's not what I mean. Your skills are proven. The issue is your stamina."
"Hey, it just happened today. I'll adjust soon enough."
"But you can't rule out trouble. It's not just about you, but all of us."
As their discussion heated up, Lee Gyeongbok intervened.
"Let's do it this way."
"... Hmm?"
"How?"
"I think we should get a support editor too."
At this, Choi Byeonghun's eyes twitched. But unlike with Park Juho, he didn't argue immediately.
Lee Gyeongbok, after all, was the final decision-maker, even among friends.
"But make it on a per-case freelance contract basis, and Byeonghun, you decide."
"Huh? Me?"
But at this, byeonghun's eyes got even wider.
"Yeah. To be honest, none of us know much about editing. I trust you, that's why I left it all to you. You decide if we use a support editor."
"Well... if you say so. At least, if there's more options, I won't make the worst choice."
Park Juho agreed, and Byeonghun nodded, his stance softening a little.
"All right, next topic. What was next again?"
"I'll go first. We got an email from Muscle Gallery yesterday."
When Park Juho said this, his friends' jaws dropped.
"Muscle Gallery?!"
"Bald Mountain?"
Muscle Gallery was a channel even Lee Gyeongbok knew well. Bald Mountain, who ran it, had been a big help in teaching him proper exercise techniques since he was a kid.
"Why me, though?"
"It was an invitation, but just exploratory—he wanted to know if you're interested. After all, muscle Gallery does real-world, not VR, broadcasts."
"Ah—"
Lee Gyeongbok let out a short sigh.
"That means I'd have to appear on-stream, without privacy."
Virtual reality capsules provided a basic "privacy" function.
"Privacy" altered the user's appearance so their real face wasn't shown.
Even if your body type was revealed, exposing your real face online came with risk. For that reason, most people—including streamers—used the "privacy" filter.
'Someday, I'll probably have to show my face...'
Top streamers often ended up appearing on cable or national TV, not just doing livestreams.
Lee Gyeongbok had always expected that if he got really big, he'd have to show his face eventually.
'But does it have to be now...?'
It wasn't just about face reveals. You had to handle personal info leaks, comments about your appearance, and even harrassment.
"Honestly, at your level, you've got nothing to worry about, though."
As soon as Choi Byeonghun said that, the others gave him a look.
"What? Don't you remember? Even if this guy was thought of as weird at school, on Valentine's Day, his locker was always stuffed with chocolate."
"... Well, it's not urgent. Just keep it in mind. The other side seemed used to this situation anyway."
"What, you're ignoring me!?"
"Next topic: collab request from Genome."
Park Juho went right to the next agenda, ignoring Byeonghun's complaint.
"A collab? Already?"
"... Guess they figured what you showed yesterday was good enough."
"Seriously, if they think that wasn't enough, they're crazy."
The two looked incredulously at Lee Gyeongbok.
"But a collab would be ranked, right? I'm still unranked."
Lee Gyeongbok hadn't started ranked games yet, just playing for practice. So his rank was still "Unranked."
"That doesn't matter. Solo, duo, and squad ranks are separate."
"He's right. Genome checked it all before emailing."
"Really? Then it's fine."
"There's one thing you should think about."
As Lee Gyeongbok relaxed, Park Juho adjusted his glasses and spoke.
"As you know, genome is a longtime streamer. Solid fandom, but lots of haters too."
"Oh, right. I think there were stream snipers when he played GunG last time."
"There'll probably be snipers during the collab too. You okay with that?"
Lee Gyeongbok looked as if he couldn't understand the concern.
"What's the problem?"
"You're not the only target for haters. You'll be included too."
"Of course I know that. But why would that matter?"
Lee Gyeongbok just shrugged with a laugh.
"It's battle royale, right? I'll just kill everyone anyway."
At that, Park Juho fell silent, while Choi Byeonghun snickered.
"That's how a genius thinks. It's only normal people who worry."
In other words, Lee Gyeongbok wasn't even considering the possibility of losing.