“Some people think it is too little, but nine is not a small number. Do you know why Alley Leader Academy is done with one student at a time?” Hyeonu asked the viewers who were clamoring that nine people was too few.

-It is too much trouble?

-It is difficult?

-it is hard?

-It is burdensome?

The viewers came up with all the answers they could think of. Of course, the correct answer existed among their answers.

“Most of what you are thinking is correct. Teaching others is hard and burdensome. It is annoying. The most important reason is that you have to do something with someone you don’t know.”

This was the biggest reason for reducing the number of people drawn through New Moon. They were people who weren’t verified.

“Think about it. You are a university student or company employee. You are in charge of a group assignment or team project, but there aren’t many positions. Will you pick someone whose information is okay? Or will you just pick anyone?” Hyeonu came up with an analogy that he thought was appropriate.

-Based on this explanation... Nine is too many.

-If it were me, I would give up on New Moon. I would’ve ended it with the introduction from my acquaintances.

-It is terrible just imagining it. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Those who understood Hyeonu’s intentions realized how dangerous New Moon was. They also criticized Hyeonu’s actions of carrying out such a New Moon.

-Alley Leader is a true monster born of capitalism.

-He can suffer this inconvenience because it is streaming media content.

-Other streamers should admire Alley Leader.

-It is an extreme obsession that can’t be matched by the arena proxy knights.

The viewers perfectly pierced Hyeonu’s thoughts from when he planned New Moon. Why did Hyeonu come up with something called New Moon and struggle?

“Then I believe you know how hard the path I am walking is. In addition, nine is not a small number.”

Hyeonu pretended not to see the comments of such viewers. He just said what he wanted to say.

“The more than 10 million viewers need to play only one role today. Out of the nine people I’m going to introduce, is there anyone who doesn’t deserve to be a pro gamer? All you have to do is look at this point.”

The number of viewers watching Hyeonu’s stream always exceeded 10 million viewers, and sometimes it reached close to 20 million or 30 million. As such, there were all types of people among the viewers. Some were rankers, while others were newcomers who just came into contact with Arena.

‘Of course, there will be people who know the nine people present today.

Hyeonu’s goal was the behind-the-scenes stories that might emerge later. It was good even if no one’s misdeeds came out here. Then it would be an exoneration for Hyeonu and Crescent Moon.

[During New Moon, so many people saw and verified it. However, they didn’t find it. We are wrongly accused.]

Even if Hyeonu said this, no one could put the blame on him. This was true. It was too much for Hyeonu to find a flaw that over 10 million people couldn’t. It was even more so because it was related to past actions, not skills.

‘I’m not a prophet or hypnotist.’

Hyeonu was good at the game, but he didn’t have the superpower to read the past.

“Of course, I will ignore any groundless slander or accusations. I will only review the opinions of those who reveal their faces and IDs and come here to talk about that person’s troubled past.”

However, he didn’t intend to blindly trust the messages of people relying on anonymity. He was thinking about receiving the opinions of people who were really honest.

‘If they reveal their face in front of the viewers and show their ID... they wouldn’t be coming out unless it is due to a bitter grudge.’

It didn't seem possible that they would reveal themselves in front of over 10 million people unless they were doing it in good faith.

“Isn’t this much okay? If you really have something to say, please leave a comment ‘I want to make a report’ on my A-World channel. Then I’ll get in touch with you.”

Hyeonu’s words were directed at the viewers, but at the same time, they were also for the nine participants who were listening to him.

-If you lie while showing your face in front of 10 million people... you are either a legendary scammer or Hollywood star.

-It doesn’t seem possible with ordinary acting skills.

-At this point, it is a gamble of life. It isn’t at the level of a joke ㅋㅋㅋ

The viewers agreed with Hyeonu. It was impossible to appear without a lot of courage, even if they actually had a bad relationship with any of the nine participants.

“It is impossible to falsely snipe someone.”

“As expected of Alley Leader. His thoughts aren’t lacking.”

The nine people were thinking the same as viewers. This was enough to stop people from playing a prank.

“Then let’s invite the nine people who joined New Moon through a highly competitive selection process. Please come out!” Hyeonu finally introduced the participants of New Moon.

The nine people appeared in a row.

-There is no one I know.

-Yes. This... It is a bit bad, right?

-Korean rankers aren’t high level?

-The rankers are highly ranked, but professional gamers are actually almost the same.

-Most of them are streamers, right? In addition, people who are hidden in the darkness.

The viewers were disappointed with the appearance of very unfamiliar faces. Still, it couldn’t be helped. It was rare that someone famous enough would want to be a professional gamer. They had to give up many things in order to challenge being a pro gamer.

“Now, please give a short introduction one by one.” Hyeonu continued streaming the show while ignoring such comments.

“Hello, I am Jeong Cheolmin. I am a melee class that mainly uses swords. For my level, I just succeeded in the fourth class advancement yesterday. My current arena ranking is 7,913rd.” 

The man who introduced himself as Jeong Cheolmin calmly revealed his class, level, and arena ranking.

-This much... It’s okay?

-The level is a bit disappointing, but since it is the fourth class advancement... 

-The arena ranking seems decent compared to his level. It is great that he reached this ranking during his third class advancement.

-My first pick is Jeong Cheolmin.

-Look at his appearance. He must have no controversy. He has a good nose.

Jeong Cheolmin unknowingly made a good first impression on the audience. His specs showed he was quite competent. Of course, it wasn’t qualified enough to be a professional gamer when compared to professional gamers as a whole. However, he was about to fly up as he now had a good teacher called Alley Leader who would teach him how to flap his wings. Jeong Cheolmin satisfied all the criteria to join the team called Crescent Moon.

‘Jeong Cheolmin is stable,’ Hyeonu thought. He was the only one looking at the chat window; the other participants couldn’t see it.

‘There are five spots remaining.’

Jeong Cheolmin would remain until next week unless someone brought up a very fatal past.

‘Maybe he will even go to the end.’

He could even target being the last survivor as long as public opinion was good. In the meantime, Choi Bongjun received the baton passed on by Jeong Cheolmin and introduced himself: “I am Choi Bongjun. My level is 310. My current arena ranking is 12,381st. I mainly use the sword, and I have a rare class.”

-Why is the ranking low when the level is high?

-He has a rare class, but is this all he can do?

-He isn’t good.

-You don’t know? Perhaps he is the type that is easy to absorb teachings like paper?

-Fact: If he had that type of talent, he would already have a higher arena ranking.

-The fact hit and my bones are broken.

Contrary to the reaction to Jeong Cheolmin, public sentiment in the chat window about Choi Bongjun wasn’t good. His arena ranking was too low for his level. He was far behind Ray, who was currently a student of Alley Leader Academy. Ray wasn’t a professional gamer; he was just an Arena player. So the drop in PvP skills was a slight flaw, but it wasn’t a problem.

However, Choi Bongjun was an aspiring pro gamer. PvP skills were a must-have in the pro scene. Two of the three events were PvP-related. Naturally, the viewers did not pay attention to Choi Bongjun, whose skills were inferior compared to his level. 

The level of affection the viewers of Hyeonu’s live stream had toward Crescent Moon was beyond what one might imagine. Crescent Moon was where Hyeonu left a huge mark as a professional gamer and was now his home for another challenge as a coach. So it was natural for the viewers to be vigilant against strangers who might tarnish such a place.

‘He will filter himself out,’ Hyeonu thought. It was a mistake for him to have called Choi Bongjun here. He accidentally deleted someone else’s name on the list instead of Choi Bongjun’s name.

‘Of course, I didn’t like it...’

Hyeonu felt regretful when he saw Choi Bongjun’s name on the list, but by then, he was about to start streaming.

“My name is Park Mansu...”

“My name is Kim Jeonggwan...”

After Choi Bongjun, seven more people continued to introduce themselves. The viewers gave their own evaluation every time. It was really of their own will.

‘They are all the same except for Jeong Cheolmin.’

Hyeonu sighed at the viewers’ ambiguous response. In the end, it seemed he would have to take it to the next stage without determining any dropouts apart from Choi Bongjun. “Now, the introduction of the nine people has ended. I will conduct a simple test to determine who will be eliminated.”

-Test?

-What test?

-Is it perhaps PvP?

“That’s right. It is PvP. However, it isn’t just about the current skills. I am going to look at the potential for development in the future.”

The focus of this test was to see who could correct their problems more quickly. There wasn’t much time left until the Spring League. He needed to pick someone who could show the biggest change during that time.

-He is going to pick someone who is quick to learn.

-It is natural. Honestly, the skills of the nine people here aren’t on the same level as traditional pro gamers. You need to look at the possibilities for progress.

The viewers understood Hyeonu’s intentions. Hyeonu saw the comments window and smiled happily.

‘I will say one last thing before moving on.’

Before starting the next stage, Hyeonu finally induced the viewers’ participation in a very intelligent manner.

“Everyone, look back through your memories. Have you ever lost an item to a person standing here? Or perhaps you let someone act as an arena proxy, and that proxy is here. It is only possible now. There is only one chance to hit the New Moon players with your own hands!”

Hyeonu cleverly touched people’s hearts. He attracted attention by referencing negative influences, not positive ones. The results were very successful.

-If you have been beaten by them, go to the channel and write something.

-It isn’t a ticket used to raise others up but to drop them. How beautiful is this?

It received explosive attention from the viewers.

(5/7) Weekly chapters. No set days. 

Editor: LD

Art and Fanfiction Page

If there are Korean honorifics you don't understand, please check out my Glossary of Common Korean Terms

Glossary of Common Korean Terms