Episode 22: Gathering Information (Part 1)
"Aah......"
A deep sigh escaped.
Its owner, Simoon, pressed his forehead as he tried to cool his pounding head.
What had started as three Constellation viewers now unknowingly swelled to three thousand.
Before the Black Goat's massacre, the numbers had even briefly touched four thousand.
"So," Simoon said, temporarily muting his stream in disbelief at the absurd situation, "You're telling me this Donking guy I fought started the rudeness first, then Hoyeonryong joined him?"
[Constellation Zeus nods with solemn dignity.]
"And when I tried to ignore it, Donking's viewers swarmed in and escalated the hate?"
[Constellation Black Goat puckers its lips and nods.]
[Constellation Black Goat grinds its teeth, vowing to obliterate 'Donking' if given achievement points.]
Simoon immediately shook his head at the Black Goat's suggestion.
"That's not an option."
While he hadn't anticipated Constellations becoming moderators either...
Galaxy Arena wouldn't stay idle if Constellations interfered before official matches. Especially when the intervention fuel came from his own achievement points.
'But completely ignoring Black Goat's anger might make the Kings' pick stats vanish.'
The all-stats +3 bonus could drop to +2 - a critical loss when considering it covered Strength, Agility, Constitution, and even Synthesis Power across four levels.
"Now now, Black Goat-nim. Let's all take a breath here."
Simoon adopted a mollifying tone.
"I've grasped the situation, so I'll restore your moderator privileges and reopen chat. Even if more toxic comments come, please don't dwell on them."
[Constellation Black Goat claims it never cared about human insects.]
"Naturally, naturally. Still, I'm grateful for your concern."
Maintaining his soft smile, Simoon continued the appeasement. Fortunately, it worked.
[Constellation Black Goat's cheeks flush faintly at your words.]
[Constellation Black Goat gives a shy, barely perceptible nod.]
[Constellations Zeus and Heavenly Horse exchange knowing smirks.]
'Whew. Dodged that catastrophe.'
Perhaps his experience with the fiery Go Malsuk paid off? Now somewhat adept at handling tsundere types, Simoon sighed in relief before unveiling his prepared script.
"Also, I'd prefer to keep your involvement hidden for now."
Being noticed by Constellations held immense value both in this life...
And his previous one.
Though such attention often ended tragically.
'The classic "If I can't have you, no one can" scenario.'
This world measured national power through Constellation-sponsored players. Naturally, targets faced everything from scams to assassination attempts - impossible to handle during ranking placement.
"Therefore..."
While other matters could wait, the Constellation issue required absolute secrecy.
Fortunately:
[Constellations nod in agreement with your proposal.]
Whether due to understanding human politics or simple compliance, all three Constellations accepted Simoon's fabricated scenario.
"Then I'll count on you all. Restoring broadcast now."
After steadying his breath, Simoon reactivated the suspended moderator privileges and livestream.
Instantly:
-WTF? Screen went dark!
-Admin giving mods the lecture of their lives?
-Wait, did the streamer order this?
-You think he'd look that serious if it was planned? Mods went rogue.
-Fucking fanboys ruin everything.
-Hey! It's back!
Chat messages flooded in rapid succession.
"Viewers, there appears to have been a misunderstanding."
Simoon enabled slow mode as he spoke.
"Our moderators prepared this... unconventional method to support my lackluster stream. My apologies for the confusion."
He cleanly wrapped up the incident with his fabricated explanation and apology.
The response was immediate:
-LMAO that was primo trolling! Lowkey enjoyed it
-Enjoyed? Using Constellations as bait is fun now?
-Hell yeah! Rookie Abyss streamers need spice!
-You planted that drama seed perfectly. Mad respect, mods!
While mostly positive, dissenters remained:
-BS! What kinda psycho stream is this?
-Troll-fueled fame never lasts. Who does this nobody think he is? KEK
-Troll streams stay stuck in Abyss. Facts.
But counterattacks erupted:
-Stuck in Abyss? Didn't you see him wreck Donking?
-Thousands worse than this in the trenches. Where's your witch hunt energy now?
-LMAO fr. Other streams host actual criminals. Y'all pressed over some trolling?
-Snowflakes can't take jokes.
-Mods, that was legendary!
-Damn! Dude's protecting his team. Character: S-tier!
-SQUEEE! Goat-eye oppa, mod me too!
Unlike typical streamers who purge controversial mods, Simoon's loyalty moved viewers. Negative comments got buried under overwhelming support.
Then:
-Just glad we found a real Abyss talent instead of bus-jumpers.
-Facts. Gonna learn so much from Simoon-nim's streams!
-Local Abyss resident here - this arena run changed my life.
[ImGold donated 100 AP!]
=Yo stream more bro! I'll simp hard!
His first viewer donation arrived alongside system alerts:
[Achievement Unlocked: First Donation]
[+100 Achievement Points]
Soon followed by:
[Achievement Unlocked: 5,000 Concurrent Viewers]
[+500 Achievement Points]
The viewer counter now showed over 5,000.
'Yes! As the stream grows, AP will flow regularly.'
Like a steady paycheck. Imagining this sustainable income, Simoon couldn't suppress a satisfied smile.
-Holyshit that smile!
-Yo this dude's lowkey handsome?
-For real! That gentle smirk got me grinning too
-Devilish charm but I'd tap that
-SQUEEE! Super tapable!
Chat erupted over his expression. Simultaneously:
[Constellation Black Goat expresses discomfort at chat's fervor.]
As the Black Goat stirred restlessly:
"Ah! The arena isn't over yet - let's focus on the match!"
Simoon swiftly diverted attention.
"Being new to streaming, I'll disable chat for now. Please keep it civil everyone."
With practiced ease, he closed the chat window.
Snap
Flicking his fingers, Simoon activated [Moon Owl's Physical Enhancement] in his eyes and raced to hunt remaining survivors.
Upon eliminating the final player and returning home:
[Arena 'Frozen Abandoned Mine' Cleared]
[Last Player Standing with 25 Kills - Dominant Performance]
[Clear Rewards Enhanced Based on Contribution]
[Constellation Heavenly Horse's Mission Completed]
[+500 Achievement Points]
Welcome system messages greeted him.
[Bound Trait 'Philosopher's Stone' Receives EXP Allocation]
[Level +5]
[Philosopher's Stone Level +3]
[Obtained 'Depleted Mine Core' as Clear Reward]
'Whoa! These rewards are insane for placement matches!'
Five levels from a single run? Combined with the Stone's three-level jump, it equated to eight levels worth of EXP plus rare materials.
But Simoon didn't celebrate yet.
Because:
-Huh? Screen's dark again
-Match over? Guess that kid was last
-Never seen anyone speedrun a mine like that. Night vision hacks?
-Fucking mine marathon. Boring AF
The stream remained active. To protect privacy, Galaxy Arena's broadcasts automatically ended upon Earth return - but Simoon's waiting screen showed only him floating in voidspace.
"Apologies for the bare waiting screen - I'll prepare proper visuals soon."
-Simoon-nim! Skip illustrations, just post selfies!
-Facts! Even potato-quality would be fun
-Hit me up if you need designs! I'll try my best!
-SQUEEE! Ultra possible!
Despite the ended match, 5k viewers remained. The warm chat stirred unfamiliar emotions in Simoon.
'First time receiving so much attention...'
Though some comments were barbed, most overflowed with goodwill - a stark contrast to his past life as a magicless Level 1 lurker.
'Back then, I was just another viewer.'
Channeling genuine gratitude:
"Thank you all for enduring this amateur broadcast. I'll return improved!"
-Oppa! That smile's illegal!
-Devil!! Blur your face!
-SQUEEE! Super yes!
Simoon's smirk faded as he ended the stream.
With chat's disappearance:
"......"
Silence engulfed the room.
Simoon chuckled wryly. "This... could get addictive."
-Don't get too hooked. Oppa's mine!
The Philosopher's Stone's voice chimed in, perhaps jealous of the chat attention.
"You rascal."
He affectionately stroked the Stone before addressing pending matters.
[Player Kim Simoon's Rank Placement Concludes]
[MMR Qualifies for Platinum. Adjusting Based on Level/Stats...]
[Recalculating...]
'Good. Not directly to Platinum.'
Despite dominant performances, three matches couldn't justify Platinum placement given his level. Galaxy Arena's system apparently agreed, taking unusually long.
Ten minutes later:
[Adjustment Complete]
[Select Option:]
Gold Rank - +10% EXP/Rewards until Platinum Promotion
Silver Rank - -30% EXP/Rewards until Gold Promotion
"Why offer choices?" Simoon frowned.
Option 1 was obvious - yet the system created this meaningless dilemma. Galaxy Arena should want him climbing fast, making Option 2's existence baffling.
'Unless...'
A realization struck when the Philosopher's Stone whined:
-Oppa! Quit zoning out! Check already!
"Inventory!"
Simoon urgently accessed his storage. What appeared wasn't silver ore, but something far brighter - [Mithril Ore] (Grade S).
"Might explain the system's hesitation..."
After appraising:
[Doria's Mithril Ore] (Bound)
Grade: X
-Enter 'Nightmare of Blazing Mines' Arena when used
-Solo Entry
"So this was why."
Simoon gazed at the transformed ore, understanding Galaxy Arena's forced Silver placement - the mithril's hidden arena required lower rank entry.
