“Has no one entered the hidden route yet?”
“No, not yet.”
“And no one has discovered the Easter egg either?”
“That’s not there either.”
“Of course not. We struggled so much to fit that in.”
It makes no sense to be discovered on the third day.
The team leader nodded while muttering that.
The challenge was progressing successfully, and streamers started playing World 23 in droves.
– This is happening!
– Shout out!
The employees at the company could assess the game’s success just by looking at it, and they gathered in the monitoring room daily to check the challenge’s progress.
It felt as if they were watching a World Cup match, but in our case, the team was already comfortable, having advanced.
With the big boss promising performance bonuses, the employees were feeling like they were flying to work these days.
There were no signs of tension on the faces of the staff as they looked at the screens.
The only task left was to watch.
It didn’t matter if the hidden route was discovered or not.
After all, they had already achieved their initial goal. They just had to watch the broadcast comfortably and fix any bugs or problems in real-time if they occurred.
That was a very rare occurrence since they had processed countless bugs while running simulations extensively, so there was no concern.
The closely packed screens reflected relatively popular major broadcasts and relayed the streamers’ live actions.
“People are doing all sorts of things.”
“If this continues, it’s only a matter of time before something is discovered?”
The condition set forth by ATX was to see a very special route or Easter egg.
The reason why people were playing the game in out-of-the-box ways was that they realized the usual methods wouldn’t work.
In a situation where everyone was blinded by the challenge, there was one person leisurely watching the fast-paced screens.
“Is monitor number one the broadcast with the most viewers?”
“Yes, it’s Mollu’s broadcast.”
“Mollu…”
She too began to play World 23, riding the wave of the times.
When the team leader heard that news, he was overjoyed. She was the top target he had desperately wanted to recruit.
However, her playstyle was different from that of other streamers.
– The scenery is nice. They even implemented the sunset. Look how realistic it is. It wouldn’t be bad to just come in occasionally to enjoy the scenery, right?
Mollu seemed uninterested in the challenge and was instead enjoying the real-time sunset from the hill in the village.
The team leader let out a chuckle at her relaxed demeanor.
“She seems uninterested in the challenge, huh?”
She truly seemed like a unique individual. It seemed reasonable, as the material aspects wouldn’t affect her much anyway.
In fact, such a demeanor was the true way to enjoy a game.
It was being proven in Mollu’s broadcast that World 23 was not such a strict game but could also perform its role as a healing game.
As the team leader was watching the screen with a contented expression, a deputy approached him.
“Team leader, over there.”
“That’s Mollu. It looks like she’s just intending to enjoy the match. Our game does have great graphics.”
“No, that’s not it.”
The deputy pointed at Mollu’s screen with his finger.
“That spot over there. There’s an Easter egg.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
“You once said to place one in the starting village, so we laid a relatively simple one there.”
Now that he thought about it…
The team leader’s eyes widened slightly as he recalled.
“What level is Mollu at right now?”
“Level 3. The conditions are met.”
This could be it.
“Mollu might discover it first.”
The discovery condition for the not-so-difficult first Easter egg was quite easy.
Mollu was getting close. It was a classic case of darkness under the lamp.
The team leader watched Mollu’s screen with keen interest.
“The weather is good, whether it’s good or bad, whether it’s just right… every day was good.”
[Wow]
[Quote;;]
[Great words from Mollu ㄷㄷ]
[That sounds like a drama line ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Suddenly?]
[It would feel odd to say nothing while enjoying this scenery.]
[The vibes are so cozy.]
Without realizing it, the words I let slip resonated with the people.
I was taking a short break on the hill of the village.
Though “short” was an understatement as significant time had passed.
<FrozenTangerine donated 10,000 won!>
– Are you not searching for the Easter egg or hidden route?
“Let’s call it a day here. I feel like I won’t find anything more if I keep going.”
It was already daytime spent looking for the hidden route. It wasn’t a bad time.
The game was so well-made that it also became a part of the fun.
I interacted with various NPCs, tried out different items, and hunted monsters in unconventional ways while exploring unvisited unknown territories.
Even searching for the developer’s name in the game chat and randomly using skills in the air.
All of this happened in the beginner area called the starting village.
Perhaps because the map was too vast, it took quite a while just to explore one village.
Thanks to that, my level still hadn’t exceeded 5. It’s been a while since I’ve played a game so leisurely.
Back in the day, whether it was a new game or a game I had played, I was always in a rush to level up and push through the story to be ranked.
The beauty of slowness, playing a game slowly, was sufficient to enjoy it.
“The sun is setting. Let’s chat as we watch the sunset.”
It’s a good setting for a casual conversation. The current time was 5:50 PM. They had implemented the setting of the sun to match the sunset.
I wondered if the moonlight would shine here if I stayed until dawn. Ryu-a has been doing radio content lately, and I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to do it here.
[What’s going on here?]
[The moderator is communicating a lot these days.]
[It’s really nice.]
[Just looking at the atmosphere, it feels like dawn.]
[I just got here, what’s going on?]
[Honestly, when I first heard you, I thought this broadcast would suit you.]
[Your voice is a bit of a waste.]
[Are you not doing a radio broadcast, moderator?]
[It seems like a lot of people are doing radio these days.]
“Radio… I’m not really thinking about it yet, but I would like to try it at least once.”
Not as a formal content. Just a little test.
How about a common topic of consulting on troubles? But not too serious topics.
I can’t solve very serious issues. I can’t offer any real advice.
When I said that, the replies I got were different from what I expected.
[It’s just for listening; how can you solve anything?]
[Radio content is originally for that ㅇㅇ]
[It’s a bit like counseling, where both parties talk and feel more comfortable.]
“Is that so?”
I must have been overthinking it.
Well, if just a radio broadcast could resolve troubles, then why are people stressing so much and worrying?
I believe it’s meaningful to just listen to their troubles for a moment, to give them some breathing space.
“Have you all had dinner?”
We asked each other how we were doing. We talked about the direction of future broadcasts. And briefly discussed the topics that had become hot issues lately.
The main topic was, after all, about me as the host of the broadcast.
Even so, I had nothing special to share. Lately, my life is such that my viewers likely know more about me than I do. Even during my breaks, I find myself following a set routine without any particular things to do.
Unlike viewers who might imagine something unofficial, there really was nothing.
While chatting like that, suddenly…
Condition fulfilled.
– I watched the sunset all the way at the back mountain of the village.
– A special event occurs.
A system message appeared large.
The attention of the viewers immediately shifted to that.
[?? What’s this?]
[Did the Easter egg show up?]
[What Easter egg?]
[Is it real?]
[You’re telling me they reward me just for talking while watching the sunset?]
[This kind of message has never come up in other rooms.]
[Did the moderator see this coming? ㄷㄷ]
<FermentingMind donated 10,000 won!>
– Mollu’s insight ㄷㄷ
What insight? There’s no such thing.
The one who was more flustered was me. Is it really turning out this way?
After waiting a moment, letters began to be etched into the setting sun.
“It looks like the names of the development team. Sangsoo, Jeong-yun, Hani…”
Embedding the names of the developers and staff is a common Easter egg. It seemed World 23 had adopted one of those common methods.
[Wow, it even reads the names.]
[Developers 1st class;]
[Is this the first time Mollu found it on the server?]
[In the end, the victory of the challenge belongs to Mollu…]
[Mollu is laughing… knowing all along she would win… It doesn’t matter how much the racing dogs started from Day 1, once Mollu starts on Day 3, the win belongs to her.]
[Wow, Mollu ㄷㄷ]
– The Easter egg beneath the sunset, the developers’ blessing.
Experience gain amount increased by 400%.
Damage reduction when hit, increased damage when striking.
*Increased NPC favorability score.
…
And many other buffs. Is this the developers’ blessing?
Moments ago, the viewers who had been quietly chatting with me began to cheer and erupt.
They were recklessly praising me and expressing their excitement. It was overwhelming.
…It seems like the world is trying to pump me up.
