Episode 4
An action-adventure open-world stealth franchise game, Dawn of the Assassins.
The game surpassed 2 million viewers on launch day and remained a hot topic on Travel even a week later.
This installment, Shadows in the City, earned praise from day one for its unprecedented freedom and urban assassination-focused gameplay.
Players began calling it Dawn of the Assassins - City's Breath (or 'Dosum'), comparing it to the most polished open-world game before it.
'They say any assassination method works.'
A single strike kills the target regardless of their status.
But players must personally plan everything: investigating the target's routine, choosing assassination locations, entry methods, tools, and escape routes.
This extreme freedom enables wildly creative kills, sustaining relentless hype.
Even now, a week later, viewership remains above 800,000.
[<Dawn of the Assassins - Shadows in the City> download complete.]
As the notification chimed, Seojun pressed the broadcast button.
[Title: 'Total noob - first stream AND first VR game (Dosum). Any advice?']
Taewoo's suggested title.
'It's not actually my first VR game...'
He'd written it because "veterans and hardcore gamers can't resist tutoring newbies - viewer count comes first."
Dubious logic.
When the 'Starting in 5 seconds' message appeared, Seojun averted his eyes from the stream window and hit Start Game.
The lobby dissolved into shadows as Belle Époque-style buildings erupted from the void.
The starting point was a back alley.
'Auto-pilot?'
Seojun's body autonomously performed parkour - navigating foul-smelling streets, scaling walls, climbing window ledges.
Clang!
"Who's there?"
Swinging across laundry lines, he knocked over a balcony planter but ignored it, seizing a flagpole to ascend higher.
Upon reaching rooftops, he began leaping between buildings toward indeterminate destinations.
As the atmosphere brightened, he entered an entertainment district - light and noise engulfing him.
Ha ha ha!
Ho ho ho!
Belle Époque echoes flashed through his vision: ladies in lavish yet functional dresses, gentlemen in tailored suits.
Then suddenly before him - a solitary clocktower piercing the skyline.
Seojun immediately began scaling its facade.
'If I relax, it almost feels like my own movement.'
But attempting deliberate motion confirmed his lack of control.
Like a climber hurling himself upward, he repeated ascents until... no handholds remained near the summit.
Whoosh!
Gravity claimed him - stomach lurching as the world spun during his fall. Yet Seojun stayed limp...
His body autonomously twisted midair, firing a grappling hook with perfect timing.
Click!
The hook caught the spire.
Ziiing!
Riding the retracting wire like sprinting up the tower's side, he reached the top as-
Bong! Bong! Bong!
-the clocktower tolled. Crows burst into flight flap-flap while distant laughter and violins wafted on cool night air. The dissonant symphony announced: This is your city now.
'Nice production values.' After absorbing the vista-
"Hey Deon. This mission could kill you."
A honeyed voice spoke.
His body turned toward a hooded woman emerging from shadows, blonde strands escaping her hood.
"Heh. Christina," Seojun's mouth moved with Deon's deeper voice. "When were we ever safe?"
"That's..."
"If you kill others," he interrupted, "prepare to die."
"Fine. Just watch yourself - they might suspect."
"Stop worrying. Wait at the tavern."
Nodding, Christina handed him a note and whispered: "Nothing is true..."
Seojun-as-Deon completed: "...Everything is permitted," before ziplining to a nearby rooftop.
He began descending.
Just before reaching the bottom, he let go and landed on a lamppost, then leaped down to the ground. As Seo-jun's feet touched the ground, he felt strength surge through his body.
"Ah, ah."
Was the tutorial over?
His speech and movements were fully functional now.
Ding!
[Tutorial Quest - Assassination Mission]
[Etorr is a mid-level manager of a secret society supplying orphans to the Order and the Magic Tower, as well as a high-ranking noble. The Assassin's Guild has assigned this mission to Dane, one of their members.
Quest Clear Condition: Etorr's Death]
A notification chimed, and the game system window appeared. A map materialized, displaying the route to Etorr's mansion and his precise location.
"Guess I'm supposed to assassinate him. First, I need to head there."
Though Seo-jun had never played games outside the AOS genre, he roughly grasped what to do. He moved straight toward the blue marker.
When his path was blocked, an alert popped up:
[Climb the pipe.]
Grabbing the pipe and applying slight pressure, he felt the same sensation as when Dane had controlled his body earlier.
"So this is how the assist system works."
But when he released his grip completely, he slid down with a whoosh.
[Jump.]
The instruction demanded leaping over buildings—what if he failed? Curiosity won, and he plummeted between them instead. A faint ache spread through his limbs.
[Use the rope to cross.]
Hanging from the rope required little effort at first, but his stamina gradually waned. He fell to the ground again.
Just as he began enjoying this novel experience, Seo-jun remembered:
Wait... I'm streaming right now?
How many viewers could there be after such a short time...?
[Viewers: 4]
The number startled him. Normally, he might get zero viewers even after hours. Was it the game choice or his stream title?
Hesitantly, he opened the chat:
Fr this dude's a total noob LOLOL
-LMAO this is why I watch newbie streams
-If this is acting, give him a Nobel Prize already KEKW
Oh.
The viewers were bantering among themselves. Realizing they'd witnessed every stumble made him flush.
"Sorry, just noticed the chat now."
-H2H2 (laughing)
-Nbd. Watching a noob geek out over basics is weirdly fun lol
Three of four viewers chatted actively:
[WhiteHorsePatient]
[WinterDefenseMaster]
[PublicRestroomBrickBandit]
These usernames...
Amusing yet bewildering. Was this naming trend normal here?
Pushing the thought aside, Seo-jun recalled Tae-woo's advice:
If you have few viewers, focus on filling silence rather than numbers. If people come, keep interactions natural without breaking your flow.
Small streams attracted viewers precisely for easier interaction—unlike top streamers' chaotic chats.
As he walked toward his objective, Seo-jun ventured:
-So streamer's a legit newbie?
"Yes," he replied.
-LOL checked your history—spotless. Account made 2 days ago.
"You can see that?"
-Yup.
-You should privatize your profile.
"Too much hassle," Seo-jun shrugged.
-Then why even start streaming? ROFL
Chatty bunch... but is this normal? He noted to study other streams later.
"Hmm... already here. What now?"
-Check messages.
-Messages show 3D mansion layout.
-Tutorial gives intel & routes—just follow.
Surprisingly helpful. Seo-jun opened his inbox.
The blueprint system activated, unveiling a cinematic 3D interface. He could zoom, rotate angles, and edit maps—every detail laid bare: the mansion's structure, secret passages, enemy positions, and infiltration routes leading to Etorr's second-floor bedroom.
"Twenty enemies. Inventory weapons... Assassin Gauntlet and Sword Stick?"
A sword stick is a weapon suitable for assassination and self-defense, designed with a hidden thin blade inside that can be drawn when needed, using the cane's interior as a sheath.
The cane itself had shallow blades embedded to slash enemies, with a pointed tip like a sword's end.
The gauntlet was equipped with an assassin's blade that extended from the back of the hand and a wire that shot out from the wrist.
"Are these weapons the tutorial's default setup? Anyway, I just need to kill Etor, right?"
-Yep
-Yeah
-Sure
"Shall we try?"
Seo-jun grabbed the sword stick and headed straight for the main gate.
Immediately, opposing chats flooded in:
-"Dude, just follow the notes."
-"Leave it. Others who went to the main gate died and ended up climbing walls."
-"Boss is going solo."
"Why? Can’t I go through the main gate?"
-"No backseat gaming. Streamer’s a baby. Let him learn."
-"Fine. Just open the damn gate already."
-"They’re fodder. One-hit kills."
The tactical shift was masterful.
"Hmm, seems the main gate’s not the way."
-"LOL he noticed."
-"Boss aborted mission."
Seo-jun grew puzzled by viewers’ reactions.
"But I heard you can do anything in this game. Why no main gate?"
-"Exactly why you can?"
-"Go for it."
-"LMAO stop bullying the noob."
A quiet viewer finally intervened:
-"Normally, we call it ‘musou play’ when you massacre everyone openly instead of stealth kills..."
The explanation continued:
In this game, even high-value targets die in one hit during stealth. But if detected, you face multiple NPCs with several times your HP in brutal melee combat. Hence, most players avoid detection.
Yet some veterans ditch assassination plans and charge through main gates—dubbed "musou play." Despite skipping intel gathering, musou play is far harder than standard stealth.
This mission, "Shadow in Metropolis," earned praise for naturally guiding players toward stealth while preserving freedom via difficulty tuning.
"So musou-clearing the tutorial’s impossible?"
-"Dunno. Nobody’s done it."
-"Streamers find playing other content more rewarding than wasting time LUL."
-"One guy quit after 10 hours, saw the ending, then vowed to clear it."
-"Even hardcore forum lurkers went radio silent."
"So it’s not impossible?" Seo-jun focused solely on this.
-"Yeah, possible with Shin Hayeon-level skills."
-"Theoretically: dodge all Etor’s attacks within the time limit while landing only critical hits."
-"EZ clap LUL. Pfft, as if beating Shin Hayeon is some big deal?"
"Shin Hayeon? Well, let’s try anyway," Seo-jun said confidently. "A win’s a win, even against AI, right?"
-????
-"You know who Shin Hayeon is?"
-"Grab the idiot who said ‘beating Shin Hayeon’s no big deal’ LMAO."
Seo-jun strode toward the main gate.
-"Boss is committing."
-"Ugh. Newbie... Gotta taste everything to know if it’s shit or soy paste, huh?"
-"5 minutes later, streamer (crawling on ground): ‘This way they won’t spot me, right?’ LOLOLOL."
-"LMAOOOOO."
