The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 17

"Well, the thing is..."

Yeonwoo fidgeted with his uncut pork cutlet, avoiding Hanbit's gaze. Seeing right through him, Hanbit sighed.

"Just tell me what you want, whether it's a favor or something else. We're close enough for that, aren't we? Or do you really want me to join Yeonhwa Gaming?"

"...That's why I'm doing this. Even for a large company, it's rare to offer this much for a starting salary."

Yeonwoo's words were sincere. He knew how much Hanbit had been stressing about getting a job, even back in the military. He was particularly interested in a high salary.

"Wait a minute."

Hanbit took out his smartphone. Scrolling through the online community, he pulled up a post and placed the phone on the table.

"I saw this yesterday."

"What is it?"

"Internal exposé."

"Huh?"

Yeonwoo, with a puzzled expression, turned his gaze to the phone screen. It displayed a post that seemed to have been shared from a community of office workers.

<Want to join a large company through RP?>

Let me get straight to the point.

Don't go unless you want to be a real slave.

Here are a few basic rules:

Company-sponsored advance teams are kings.

Don't ask questions, just memorize it.

The advance team is the king, and the advance team's lackeys are nobles.

At least up to the department head level, you’ll just be bowing down to the advance team.

All the gold, items, and information you acquire belong to the advance team.

To be precise, it goes into the palms of the advance team or their lackeys.

Incentives? Even if you find a hidden skill, it will be recorded as an achievement for the advance team.

By the way, you're being monitored even when you're logged in at home, so don't even try anything funny.

Synchronization of game and reality

Including what's written in rule number 2, you have to live as a slave to the advance team in reality as well.

From trivial errands to being an emotional trash can, you will become a perfect slave.

By the way, being an emotional trash can is the most important task.

...

-What is this?

-Is this for real?

-I won't believe it without proof.

-└ You need an employee ID to join that community.

-There's a lot more crap besides what's written in the post.

-└ LOL for real

-└ No comment.

-└ Scared?

-└ To be honest, defamation is scary.

-There's a reason they pay a lot of money.

-Isn't this personality erasure?

-But it is too much money to run away from.

"..."

Yeonwoo was speechless after reading the post. Even though he already knew about this, it was difficult to tell Hanbit.

"What do you think? Does this seem real?"

"...Certainly, there are many companies with this kind of atmosphere, but Yeonhwa Gaming is different. The advance team here isn't authoritarian. Especially since you're being scouted."

"But it's not like I can immediately replace the advanced players, right? Or are you saying I should try to be a good lackey?"

"Oh, hyung!"

Yeonwoo raised his voice as if he was feeling wronged when Hanbit jokingly taunted him. Watching him with amusement, Hanbit finally revealed his thoughts.

"I'm not going to a big company. I don't want them interfering with my gaming."

"What? But the annual salary is 100 million won!"

"I don't care. If I said no, then it's no."

Seeing Hanbit's stubborn refusal, Yeonwoo closed his mouth and stared at him. Then, nodding to himself, he said, "As expected, hyung, you're an inspiration to all gamers."

"What nonsense are you spouting now?"

"Choosing the dream of fantasy over a stable job... I'll write your biography when you die, hyung. 'The Legend of the RP Expert.'"

"Should I just kill you now?"

Hanbit raised his fork with a piece of pork cutlet impaled on it.

Even amidst this playful banter, he thought to himself, 'Expendable? No way.'

A life burdened with corporate restrictions, where everything he gains is taken away. He would never accept such an offer, no matter how many times they proposed it. Just thinking about his current internship made him feel disgusted.

'Besides, it's still too early,' he thought.

The 3 million won he earned from gaming and streaming held significant meaning. The fact that he couldn't make a decision right away meant that the expected value of further consideration was also high. The value of the experience and knowledge he had yet to utilize was unimaginable. It was wiser to postpone deciding on his career path for a bit longer.

'To do that, I need to move quickly.'

High-value items and information are obtained as one progresses through the game. However, he couldn't be sure if the information and items would be implemented exactly as they were in the other world. The best option here was to reach that point and confirm it himself. For now, he had to use what he had gained to advance quickly.

Reaching the point he couldn't reach in the other world.

Improving his and his mother's lives.

All of this was a series of steps towards those goals.

"So, what about you? You want to start a company, right?"

"...How did you know?" Yeonwoo's eyes widened at the casually thrown question.

Hanbit, chewing on his pork cutlet, answered nonchalantly, "You said it in the military. That you wanted to move out and start a company."

"Are you talking about what I said during training? That was only once!"

"What does it matter if it was only once?"

"Well..."

Yeonwoo recalled an incident that happened when he was a Private First Class. It was during his first winter training exercise at a guard post. He and Hanbit, who were assigned together, had many conversations. Honestly, most of it was nonsense, so the talk about starting a company was barely a passing remark.

"How is your memory so good?"

"I don't know. Anyway, what kind of company?"

"Hmm."

At that question, Yeonwoo put down his spoon and sat up straight. Then, clearing his throat, he said, "I'm going to build a streamer-based group. It's more like a guild that combines reality and gaming than a rigid company."

"What's that?"

Hanbit was puzzled. He hadn't expected Yeonwoo to start an ordinary company, but this was too unfamiliar.

"But didn't you enjoy game streaming? How are you going to manage both running a company and streaming?"

"Of course I enjoy it, but I actually prefer watching games. I'm not really cut out to be a player."

Yeonwoo had always felt a sense of dissonance while playing games. He felt a greater thrill from watching other advance teams or streamers doing extraordinary things. The reason he brought Hanbit in was because he expected him to enjoy the game.

Although what he saw yesterday was entertaining in a completely different way.

"I'm still in the planning stages, but my dream is to create a family-like atmosphere."

"Isn't that the motto of a typical exploitative company?"

"Come on, do I look like I would exploit anyone? Besides, it'd be way more fun if everyone actually wanted to be there."

"That's true."

"...Why are you agreeing so easily?" Yeonwoo asked, dumbfounded.

No matter how much Hanbit imagined it, he couldn't picture his junior running an exploitative company.

"So, what do you do in this family-like atmosphere?"

"We stream together and play games together. The streamer will keep all the donations and in-game profits. But we'll share information first."

"Then what about your money? Are your ancestors going to earn it for you? How are you going to run a company?"

"I've thought about that too."

Yeonwoo grinned and touched the screen of his smartphone. An image appeared on the display.

"A video?"

The screen showed the main site of the streaming platform, "Recorder." Below it were numerous edited videos of various streamers.

"This is your source of income?"

"The feature hasn't been around for long, but the ad revenue is higher than expected. The company handles all the editing and uploading, and the profits are shared with the streamer. They also coordinate collaborations."

"Really?"

It felt similar to watching the old Xtube, but all the videos were about RP. The most popular video, based on recent views, was titled "Frontline: Large-Scale Mob Hunting." It was around 10 minutes long, and there were many other videos, including short clips and longer videos exceeding several hours.

"Wouldn't it be good to create a channel and grow it steadily?"

"I don't know. If that's what you think, then it must be right."

"Oh, I don't mind the unwavering trust."

Contrary to his outward appearance, Yeonwoo was a smart kid. He was not only good at studying and quick-witted, but he also had a broad perspective and thought deeply. If Hanbit had to choose the person he trusted most besides his mother, it would undoubtedly be his junior sitting in front of him.

"Let me know when you start your company. I'll help you with anything. I'll be appearing on your channel anyway, right?"

"You should start your own channel soon, hyung. Oh, and I'm not thinking of tying you down with a job. Unless you want to be a co-CEO."

"Co-CEO? Forget it. Just tell me what you need. You made an investment, didn’t you?"

He remembered the RP gear sitting at the foot of his bed. It was worth 5 million won, more expensive than any other appliance in Hanbit's house.

"Oh, come on, an investment? That was really a gift."

"I know, you punk."

Yeonwoo's lies were really easy to see through. Hanbit could sense the awkwardness just by listening to his voice. That's why he knew the following words were sincere.

"Anyway, hyung, think about it a bit more. Don't think too negatively about large companies either."

"Why? I told you I don't like those kinds of companies."

"If you stream for a few more days, the offer might change drastically. You never know what might happen,” he declared in a firm voice.

In this state, he wouldn't back down. Hanbit sighed.

"Okay, okay. Nothing's going to change tomorrow anyway."

"Right?"

The two chuckled and tried to resume their meal.

Bzzt-

Just then, Yeonwoo's smartphone on the table vibrated. They looked at each other in sync.

< Yeonhwa Gaming - Kim Sohwa >

"Ah, it's just in time. I'll put you on speakerphone, so at least listen to what they have to say."

"Okay."

Yeonwoo answered the call and put it on speaker. Hanbit turned his attention back to his pork cutlet.

But then...

"What?"

Yeonwoo's reaction to the call was strange.

"Why?"

Hanbit looked at him with a puzzled expression, sensing the shock creeping onto Yeonwoo's face.

"That's absolutely not true! If that were the case, I wouldn't have even started streaming..." Yeonwoo, raising his voice, stopped mid-sentence with a dumbfounded look.

The call had been disconnected.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"...Hyung, do you remember the advance party Ranger?"

"Yeah, the one with the golden bow, right?"

Yeonwoo nodded at Hanbit's answer, then said with a bewildered expression,

"The Artsvel quest. That corporation declared they're monopolizing it."

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]