Q-tube Channel Launch The teaser cutscene for Chapter 3 ended. The chat window was in a frenzy. â WA! Unreleased area! â Ah lol, now that's a hidden route! â This is truly 'perfect.' â Damn lol, no wonder no one has gotten 100% achievements. â Does Bark have no concept? How did they clear this insane difficulty? -???: I cleared it tho? Revealing a new area meant an expansion of the game's volume. No, to be precise, since it had always existed, it was more discovery than expansion. â Wow...... but the soldiers are blocking it? â Wasn't the original route just about brawling with the pharmaceutical company? â Isn't this scale suddenly getting massive? â Fighting a pharmacy and suddenly the nation shows up lol â How did the Bark guys keep their mouths shut about this lol On top of that, viewers sensed that there were still untold stories in Bio Crisis. Naturally, their anticipation was bound to mount. â Ah lol, 1,000 hours playtime totally possible. â And 900 of those hours will be for unlocking the hidden route lol â Regular folks like us have to wait for the modders lol â Purple mod just needs to release lol â You mean the one-shot-one-kill mode? Or the Sandra romance mode? â Obviously both, ffs! Amid these hopeful viewers, Lee Gyeongbok spoke up. "I may be on my first run, so I'm not sure, but judging by the chat, this is definitely great news." â When has the number 1 felt this monumental? â World's first is amazing, but first run? â You're saying Bark's first run? For real? â Newbies are super confused lol â Truth is stranger than fiction, for real â Uh, you're not about to end the stream, are you? The viewers who had been joking around suddenly shifted at someone's mention of ending the stream. â Go! How dare you use such a blasphemous word! â End...... what? Say that again. â Prepare the execution blade! â ItrusttheproItrustthepro! â This must be a no-matter-what all-night stream lol Naturally, no one wanted the broadcast to end. Of course, it was just getting started. Stopping now was unthinkable. "Yes, you've got a good sense. That's it for today's stream." And Lee Gyeongbok had always done those unthinkable things. â Hyung? Hyung? Say it isn't so? Hyuung? â Is spitting with a smile your signature move? â Ah lol, I'm the only one who was serious again? â That joke is too serious lol, almost fell for it â I'll hold my breath until you stream again! â A streamer who stops a world premiere? â If you end the stream, I'm going to sue you for some crime. The viewers quickly tried to coax or half-jokingly threaten Lee Gyeongbok. "Thank you so much for watching today's stream. I'll return in the next broadcast." But Lee Gyeongbok was far too steadfast to be swayed by such messages. â Stop! Please stop! We're all gonna die like this! â You can't leave! You can't leave! You can't leave! â Don't leave me! Don't leave me! Don't leave me! â STAY! STAY! STAY! STAY! â Kyaaaaak! What is this, an inhuman end to stream! The viewers tried desperately to keep him, but Lee Gyeongbok smiled brightly and said, "Trba!" The screen went pop and cut out. Lee Gyeongbok opened the capsule and stepped outside. 'Indeed, the high-end model is really nice.' Just as when he had entered, Lee Gyeongbok was in crisp condition, and he smiled naturally. At that moment, a buzzing vibration rang out. A message came via smart link. "Yeah." 〈I'm coming over to your place.〉 It was his friend and editor, Choi Byeonghun. * * * "We need to make a Q-tube channel." Choi Byeonghun got straight to the point as soon as the door opened. He was so rushed, his hair was wild. "Q-tube?" At Lee Gyeongbok's question, Choi Byeonghun explained the necessity of a Q-tube channel. Lee Gyeongbok didn't take his friend's words lightly. "That's true. From today's stream, I saw how big that 'first' title is." "Yeah! Exactly! Hey, I've got it all ready. Take a look at this." Choi Byeonghun showed him the materials he'd worked on while monitoring the stream. Lee Gyeongbok checked out the samples and picked his favorite layout. "Wow, when did you get all this ready?" "Am I finally starting to feel like a pro?" "Not bad." "You punk. I've got editor experience, you know." Seeing Choi Byeonghun puffed up with pride, Lee Gyeongbok let out a small laugh. With a face finally at ease, Choi Byeonghun said, "Anyway, thanks, man. I really worried what I'd do if you refused." "It's all for the best, right?" "Exactly. Ah, this might sound a bit out of the blue, but have you decided on the next game?" "Next game?" Lee Gyeongbok's eyes widened. He was only on day two of playing Bio Crisis, and someone was asking about the next game? "Well, it kind of relates to the Q-tube channel." "How so?" "You watch Q-tube, right? You've heard about the algorithm?" "Yeah, I've heard." Q-tube algorithm. It meant Q-tube recommended videos to viewers based on their data. "Right, that's important. The channel's concept needs to be clear for the algorithm to pick you up properly." "Ah...... I think I've heard that before." Lee Gyeongbok nodded. Although he hadn't been interested in Q-tubers, he'd watched several videos recommended to him by the algorithm. "Exactly. Even in gaming, there are various concepts. Some channels only play one game forever, some focus on one genre, especially horror. Some never touch packaged games and only play online." "Hmmm......." Lee Gyeongbok hummed in thought. What Choi Byeonghun was worried about was the channel's identity. How would the world see Lee Gyeongbok as a streamer? After a moment, Lee Gyeongbok spoke up. "...... From what I've felt while streaming—" "Yeah?" Choi Byeonghun instinctively knew it was his turn to listen. "I always thought you just had to be good at games. That it wasn't much different from preparing to be a pro-gamer in high school." That was what Lee Gyeongbok had thought. Games belonged in the category of things you had to be 'good' at. But broadcasting felt different to him. "But that's not it. Really, the content of the game doesn't matter much. What matters is how much the viewers enjoy it." "Right." "Honestly, I think even if you suck, it doesn't matter as long as it's fun for people. Well, I wouldn't know since I've never sucked before." "Wow. That statement was a little obnoxious." "It's just facts. Anyway, the important part is that since people like it, I enjoy it too. It feels like being absolutely adored." "That's the flavor of streaming." "Exactly. And you can see when your viewer count goes up. That starts to make you ambitious." "It'd be weird if you didn't. It's people like that who become streamers, anyway." "Yeah. So about that—" Lee Gyeongbok spoke his decision without hesitation. "There's no need to depend on the algorithm." "Hmmm......" "I just want to play what I want. If I force myself to fit a concept, the viewers will notice." "They will." "Yeah. Even if you as the editor might disagree, I think this is what's right for me. I can't compromise on this." Lee Gyeongbok spoke with conviction. He had to enjoy it for the stream to be fun. And only when the stream was fun would the viewers enjoy it, too. It had been just two days of streaming, but that was a principle of streaming Lee Gyeongbok had realized. "Hah...... Gyeongbok." Choi Byeonghun rubbed his forehead and shook his head. "Damn, you're really something." "Huh?" "Do you know what people like you are called? 'Jong-gam-seu,' a variety game streamer." A broad grin soon spread across Choi Byeonghun's face. "The one who can go the biggest! The stem cell of streaming, able to branch into any field!" "...... That's a weird metaphor." "Whatever! Why does it feel like you're destined for greatness? Hah, a genius really is a genius." Choi Byeonghun half-joked, half-meant it. In his experience, most streamers he'd worked with had crashed the moment they stopped 'enjoying' broadcasting. 'There are plenty of flash-in-the-pan streamers, but few who last long.' But Lee Gyeongbok's mind was already set. He was already mentally resilient, so even trying to break him would be a challenge. "Since you played a packaged game this time, next let's try something with other people." "Ah, co-op or online games sound great. Those make good stream material, too." Choi Byeonghun's eyes sparkled. 'Whether he knows it or not......' With Lee Gyeongbok's physical skills and talent, standing out among other gamers was inevitable. If he was lucky, he might even get exposure on other streamers' broadcasts. And with his level of performance, he could easily win over their viewers, too. It was a direction that had plenty of upsides all around. 'Is this some kind of fate?' Choi Byeonghun didn't say that part out loud. Instead, he clapped his hands lightly and changed the subject. "Okay. Then let's think about the next game from time to time, and what I want to talk about next is the chat window." "Chat?" "Yeah. When people gather, weird folks also get drawn in. You know? There's even that saying. Out of five people, one is trash." "... Is that a saying?" "These memes... never mind. It's better to pick them up naturally than to force yourself to learn. Anyway, didn't you notice? There was a wall-of-text person this time." "Oh, right. Those people were kind of weird." Lee Gyeongbok nodded. After the poll results for the subway and overpass came out, there were suddenly some serious comments in the chat. While they got buried by other viewers calling them out, it was hardly the kind of chat that contributed to 'fun'. "Right now, your stream is growing much faster than expected. That means there will be more of those types, right? Of course, with your mentality, I know you'll be fine even if those people try to spoil the atmosphere, but what's really important is the other viewers." "So, do you have a plan?" "For now, I think it's better to use a chat moderation bot. It'll filter out and delete excessive swearing or spoilers." "Oh, there's something like that? That's good, then." "Well, yeah, but since it's a program, there are limits. The standard is to have both a bot and a manager...." "A manager? Hmm... isn't that a bit premature?" Choi Byeonghun agreed as well. No matter how fast the growth, it was only the second day of streaming. Sure, they could find someone if they really needed to, but hiring too hastily could actually ruin the stream because of the manager. The manager needed to be someone they could really trust. "Just be aware that you'll eventually need a manager. I'll take care of everything not related to the game for now." "Oh, so I don't have to do anything?" "You just focus on streaming well." "Ha, got it. A manager, huh... Wow, it really feels more and more like the real thing." "Yeah. Now, let's move on to reviewing the videos." "Okay." * * * Late evening. The time when office workers finished dinner after work and enjoyed a brief leisure break. On internet communities, reviews about Purple's stream were appearing on the best posts. [(Heavy spoilers!) Bark Hidden Area Discovered (999+)] [Is Sandra's Third Transformation Real? (887)] [Possible to get Golden Shotgun on the First Pull? (817)] [Logan Punk Gets Taught a Lesson, lol (589)] [(Spoiler Alert) Chapter 2 Boss Fight Highlights (471)] The posts that went up after the stream began getting recommended during everyone's commute home and hit the best section. [What on earth does Purple do?] [Just finished reading all the best posts. Is this person even real? Where did someone like this just pop up from all of a sudden?] [-A person? You still haven't come to your senses] [-Seriously, lol, calling Godple a person] [-That's blasphemy!] [-Purplelelujah! Purplelelujah!] [-Godple has given us new land!] [-Lightple! Lightple! Lightple! Lightple!] Especially, users from the once-fading Bio Crisis community began to deify Purple. They had thought they'd squeezed out every drop possible, but it turned out they'd been holding just a corner. But not everything that got posted was positive. [Saying you watched Purple's stream to show off is disgusting] [Writing this after getting annoyed browsing the best posts. These damn Bark fans just swarm together, screaming but not being helpful at all. Is it a crime to ask something while watching clips without knowing the context? Bastards saying, 'King, you just watch without thinking?', 'Welcome, pingf-punk', 'Didn't see it live? Your life is half-wasted, bro?'—all acting up. Who said I didn't watch, jerks? I just asked from what time I should watch, but they piled on and flipped out. You think I'm like you jobless bastards who watch nothing but streams? Even without watching, I can tell what kind of guy your precious Purple is. I'm so fed up, I'm quitting, you Bark-bugs.] [-Wow... what a masterpiece.] [-Honestly, there are some people who deserve the Bark-bug label.] [-He really quit, lol] [-Just so no one misunderstands, Purple's not that kind of streamer.] [-Seriously, the real weirdos stand out everywhere.] Some viewers who had watched the live stream flaunted a strange sense of superiority on the community. That backlash could potentially spread to Purple, too. It was right around the time the community was starting to overheat. [Purple's Q-tube is up!] [Tri's channel just put up the banner, lol—subscribing immediately.] News of Purple's Q-tube channel had just dropped. [-Why did this happen?] [-LOL, Purple withdrawal is now being filled] [-Purple withdrawal, lol, and already a day 2 streamer] [-If you watch live, you won't say that. The withdrawal symptoms are real.] [-Wow, lol, there's even a Sandra highlights video] [-Did they hire an editor? Damn, really knows the game.] [-A hero recognizes another hero!] Nothing travels faster than words on the internet. People flocked to the Q-tube channel in an instant. Of the videos Choi Byeonghun uploaded, sandra's cutscene compilation was by far the most popular. [-Sandra's beauty is insane, lol] [-(1:28) Wow, sweet-dra is real] [-Is this really Bark? Or just using the character's source files?] [-No, no, it's officially a hidden route according to Doggum.] [-Timeline summary here. Please pin this up top (0:02) Glance-dra (0:51) Resolved-dra (1:21) Sweet-dra (1:57) True nature-dra (2:17) Shy-dra (2:52) Yass-dra (3:23) Honey-dra (3:59) Darling-dra (4:11) Trust-dra] [-This guy's nuts, lol] People went wild over Sandra's sides they'd never seen before. And somehow, word spread. [-What the f...?] [-Who is this guy? How can he change her?] [-She never show me that kind of emotion......] [-Holy shit. She is so beautiful! Can I draw the fan art? Contact me plz!] Foreign comments started piling in—including some from well-known illustrators. But the most shared video outside the community was a different one. It was the video of drawing the Golden Shotgun in one go. The reason turned out to be something outside the video itself. [The channel manager has pinned a comment.] [AnatomyQA] [World Taekwondo Federation? Sexual achievement is amazing!] [Do you like automatic translation?] [See original text] [〉WTF? Fxcking awesome!] An overseas streamer who had pulled 40,000 times left a comment, only to have it hilariously mistranslated. [-Sexual LOL achievement LOL amazing LOL] [-Why is Taekwondo popping up out of nowhere LOL] [-Purple is going legendary even on Q-tube LOL] [-Anatomy guy, you've gotten big, huh? Immortalized on the Purple channel.] And so, the storm in a teacup began to spill beyond the cup. * * * Next morning. With a drowsy face, Lee Gyeongbok—like any other modern person—reached for his smart link first thing. "... What the?" He frowned slightly as he checked his stack of messages. They were from Choi Byeonghun. [Hey hey! Are you asleep?] [Sleep?] [Such a goody two-shoes, geeze] [The channel is blowing up right now.] [Check as soon as you wake up, go] All of them sent at 1 a.m. And below that, at 3 a.m. [Wow...] [No, you just need to see this yourself.] [Sheesh, my heart was racing so much I couldn't sleep.] The last one, sent just before 4 a.m. Lee Gyeongbok tilted his head and clicked the link his friend had sent. The Q-tube page his friend made popped up. "... What is this?" Lee Gyeongbok's half-closed eyes slowly went wide. [Perfect Play] [101,000 subscribers] Not even a full day had passed since the channel opened, but there were already 100,000 subscribers. Maybe because of that, every video had at least 100,000 views, and the most popular—the Sandra and Pulling videos—had passed 500,000 views. Only then did Lee Gyeongbok realize what Choi Byeonghun meant by "blowing up." "Silver button..." Lee Gyeongbok, streamer 'Purple'. He had become a Q-tuber who achieved Silver status in record time.