Chapter 156

The world of personal broadcasting had always commanded immense authority, and even with the arrival of players, that massive influence had not waned in the slightest.

Sharing videos of intensive combat, showcasing adorable summoned creatures, and breaking down recorded playthroughs of perilous dungeons.

The variety of material capable of grabbing a viewer’s attention was practically boundless.

All kinds of players cultivated widespread fame through these solo broadcasts, gathering dedicated fanbases and successfully cementing their own distinct brands.

Standing out among the elite tier of these creators was a player widely celebrated for her top-shelf mechanics: BJ Luna.

Her actual name was Han Yuna.

She was currently twenty-four years old.

Initially, she had built her prestige through her masterful control over a B-rank elven marksman named ‘Luna,’ alongside a B-rank elven rogue known as ‘Spark.’

However, the moment she finally did a face reveal, her subscriber count and popularity absolutely skyrocketed.

Breathtaking features.

A toned, athletic physique.

And a slightly provocative, teasing manner of speech.

└ I miss you so much, pretty Unni!

└ Seriously, once you catch a glimpse of her, you’re hooked for good, lol.

└ She’s gorgeous, has unbelievable physical endurance, and her summoning skills are top-notch! Talk about a complete package!

Because of this unique charm, she didn’t just command an enormous male viewership; she had also captured a massive following among female fans.

└ By the way, when is she planning her grand return?

└ Seriously, new content has been practically nonexistent lately…

└ Wait, you guys don’t know? She dropped a community notice a while back. She mentioned she was going to take the entry exam for SKY. It’s already been a whole week, haha.

└ Oh, for real? I completely missed that update… But even for someone as skilled as Luna, isn’t SKY a bit out of her league?

└ Just making it into the top one hundred pool of applicants is an unbelievable achievement on its own.

└ Completely agree, I’ve heard their preliminary vetting process is unbelievably brutal.

Even during this period where she wasn’t actively streaming or uploading polished videos.

Myriads of supporters remained glued to her channels, desperate for any shred of updates regarding her status.

The primary topic of debate centered on a single question.

Could Luna realistically secure a spot within SKY?

The community was heavily divided.

└ Why wouldn’t she pass? Luna’s inherent stamina stat is absolutely through the roof, isn’t it? She clears dungeons by herself on a daily basis. Isn’t that precisely the sort of raw talent SKY is hunting for?

└ Her endurance is solid, sure… But relying solely on that feels a bit lacking. Remember, we are talking about the national squad level here.

└ Exactly, exactly. That place is reserved exclusively for absolute prodigies.

└ Honestly, over half of the members there are world-class rankers. And what about her? Luna isn’t even ranked on the national leaderboard yet.

└ Does SKY even look at official rankings during recruitment? If they did, how do you explain Hwang Jiwoo and Song Yeonhui getting in?

└ Fair enough, you’ve got a point there.

The prevailing opinion among the public, however, slanted toward failure.

No matter how loyal her subscriber base was, and regardless of how deeply they adored Luna…

The majority asserted she had no business attempting to force her way into SKY when she lacked any overwhelming accolades to stand on.

The competition was fierce, filled with illustrious candidates.

They ranged from prominent national rankers to high-ranking executives of the most prestigious guilds.

And Luna was expected to outshine that entire field of elite competitors?

Come on!

Don’t make me laugh!

While this heated back-and-forth was raging across the forums on that particular Sunday morning—

└ Wait a minute?

└ Hold on!

└ She just started a live stream!

└ Are you serious right now?

└ Completely unannounced?

Out of nowhere, BJ Luna launched a real-time broadcast.

Click, clack-clack!

The frantic sounds of someone adjusting a recording device paired with a sharp wobble of the lens preceded a sudden shift to front-facing camera mode—bringing Han Yuna’s face into view, occupying nearly the entire screen in a comical close-up.

└ Lmao!

└ Look at how close she is to the lens, haha.

└ Han Yuna has officially arrived.

└ Even her stream intros are classically her.

└ Warning: Extreme close-up in progress~

└ Hello Luna~

└ Welcome back, Luna!!

└ You can’t even ruin that visual with a camera-smash angle~

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! My bad! That was way too close, wasn’t it? Wow~ you guys could probably see straight up my nose just now. Did everyone miss me terribly?”

Han Yuna narrowed her eyes in a playful, teasing expression and let out a bright laugh.

“Man, that was way too tight, right? Ugh, am I starting to age? Do I actually need to get my eyes checked? Give me a break, everyone. My hands are literally shaking out of control right now.”

└ Haha, sounds like that entry exam absolutely wrecked her.

└ Exactly what kind of test leaves your hands trembling like that?

└ Did she get dropped? Did she stream because she got disqualified?

└ Putting down a hundred thousand won that she failed miserably.

└ It’s obvious she didn’t make the cut, which explains why she’s live streaming right this second, lol. Still, kudos to her. Just taking part in it places her in the upper 0.1% of all active players, haha.

“So, basically.”

Whew.

Han Yuna took a quick, deep breath to steady herself.

“I’m actually broadcasting from inside Yubaek City at this very moment, got it? I received explicit clearance from the director to record this, so don’t try to stir up any needless controversy in the comments.”

Fifty remaining interns.

Throughout a grueling week of utterly nightmarish physical conditioning, they had formed close bonds with the majority of the active guild members.

Likely due to the fact that Yu Jia had utilized the Mindreader Eagle to thoroughly evaluate their fundamental morality and personalities before letting them through, every single individual left was remarkably sincere and humble.

In truth, the person who commanded the most attention out of the entire group was Han Yuna.

“Everyone, seriously, it’s mind-blowing. I actually met Yu Jia Unni face-to-face, right in front of me. She is absolutely stunning. Unreal levels of beautiful. Pictures and videos don’t do her justice—seeing her in person turns you into an instant fan.”

Operating with the practiced skill of a seasoned internet personality, she kept the commentary flowing smoothly without a single moment of dead air, her characteristically provocative yet engaging tone carrying every sentence perfectly.

└ No, but seriously, lol.

└ DID YOU GET IN OR WHAT?

└ You don’t even have to ask, haha. She definitely failed.

└ Wait, then why is she permitted inside Yubaek City?

└ ??

└ Hold on? That actually makes no sense?

“What is wrong with you guys? What kind of person do you take me for!”

Han Yuna puffed out her cheeks, feigning deep offense.

“Of course I didn’t get kicked out! Didn’t I explicitly state in my community post? I told you I would absolutely pass the trials and become the official public ambassador for SKY.”

└ Wait, for real?

└ Holy crap!

└ She actually passed the round?

└ I already picked up rumors that the physical endurance training was demonic.

└ No way.

└ Okay, this is genuinely shocking news.

The fifty applicants who had been disqualified during the initial phase of physical conditioning had packed their bags and departed the premises on Saturday.

Because of that, details regarding the process had naturally begun leaking out through a few loose-lipped individuals.

Yu Jia hadn’t made any effort to suppress or block these spreading accounts.

If anything, she actively permitted the information to circulate freely.

Her line of thinking was that such rumors would filter out the weak-willed, ensuring that only applicants possessing ironclad determination would show up for the upcoming third recruitment wave.

“But seriously, you guys have to listen. Wow~ this entire facility is completely out of this world. Everything about it. All of you should try out for it at least once in your life. I swear it felt like I had been dropped straight into the underworld and barely managed to scramble my way back to the surface, you know? Can you see how much my hand is vibrating?”

Han Yuna thrust her palm directly toward the camera lens, before angling it downward to display her legs as well.

“I’m keeping my muscles completely relaxed right now, okay? And yet they are still twitching like crazy.”

Utilizing her exceptional talent for storytelling, Han Yuna began spinning highly entertaining, animated tales about the brutal physical trials, making the harrowing experience sound incredibly engaging.

She didn’t stop there.

She walked around the facility, offering viewers a detailed breakdown of the specialized nutritional meal plans.

She provided an insider’s tour showcasing the internal layout of Yubaek City.

It was Sunday.

Even on a designated rest day, the reality that she would capitalize on her personal downtime to churn out engaging material…

She truly was a natural-born content creator.

Inside the office of the Yubaek Director.

“Is it really acceptable to let her stream this?”

Hong Ari asked, turning toward Yu Jia with a trace of caution in her voice.

“Of course it is.”

Yu Jia offered a warm, reassuring smile and gave a slight nod.

“This functions perfectly as an extension of our public relations campaign. Besides, didn’t you mention earlier that you held a personal fondness for her as a candidate?”

“Yes, I did.”

Hong Ari confirmed with a nod.

She had pinpointed two specific players from the batch and presented their profiles to Yu Jia.

The individual who had utterly crushed the competition through sheer, unyielding stamina: Seo Iyun.

And the individual who lacked that level of physical power but exhibited an awe-inspiring display of Resolve by stubbornly pushing through to the very finish line without quitting: Han Yuna.

Both of them had earned significant additional credit during the opening phase.

“That is precisely why I granted her request for streaming clearance.”

Rustle.

She casually turned the pages of a dossier as she spoke.

A smartphone sat propped up at an angle on the far corner of the mahogany desk…

On its bright screen, Han Yuna’s high-energy broadcast was streaming live.

“Having a player who possesses that level of organic public appeal present everything with such unfiltered, genuine sentiment to the audience? It serves as a direct testament to how demanding and fundamentally fair our evaluation process is.”

Their recent tournament championship victory had effectively silenced the vast majority of detraction, but the reality that the national roster was composed entirely of SKY members could, from a cynical perspective, be viewed as an unfair monopoly.

Faint pockets of public pushback and skepticism still cropped up here and there, no matter how minor.

She grasped the underlying reason for it.

A stagnant pool eventually turns toxic, and it was entirely expected for the public to harbor concerns about whether this exclusive circle was beginning to decline in quality.

That was the exact reason she was intentionally creating an avenue for transparent public insight.

A bit more transparent.

A bit more accessible.

Furthermore.

If the spectacular advantages, high-level accommodations, and the sheer competence of the core guild members could be clearly demonstrated to the general public?

Yu Jia calculated that the constructive publicity for SKY would vastly overshadow any minimal negative pushback.

“Hehe, I am confident she will navigate the stream beautifully. In that case, I’ll stop stressing over it and shift my focus to organizing the upcoming phase.”

“That sounds perfect. What exactly does the next evaluation entail?”

“Cooperation.”

The edges of Hong Ari’s mouth curved into a sharp, knowing grin.

“Team-based combat.”

Rankings from one through ten.

Was there any actual point in listing out the entire national leaderboard?

No.

It was completely redundant.

Every single one of them belonged to SKY regardless.

Even Hwang Jiwoo, who had previously occupied a spot far outside the ranked leaderboard, had now securely locked down the number ten position in the nation.

Occupying national rank nine was Song Yeonhui.

Holding national rank eight was Kang Geonho.

Even though they hadn’t quite cracked the top one hundred on the global stage yet, they had established an absolute stronghold over the domestic standings.

Given that reality?

The individual sitting just outside that circle at national rank eleven must have harbored a great deal of frustration over the situation.

That deeply disgruntled contender, Jeong Siwoo, was also taking part in this current recruitment cycle.

An intellectual.

Exuding the classic aura of an analytical technology student, he was a man so meticulously logical that he had earned the widespread moniker Data Machine.

Having hit the age of thirty this year, he had been enjoying a massive surge in popularity among the female demographic.

“Phew.”

Jeong Siwoo pulled off his glasses, which had fogged over completely from his radiating body heat, and wiped them clean.

Despite it being an official day of rest, he had dragged himself out to the training grounds to practice.

I picked up some incredibly valuable insights during this initial round.

Specifically, that his baseline cardiovascular endurance was severely lacking.

And that if he genuinely desired to secure a spot on the national roster…

He absolutely needed to prove himself superior to at least Hwang Jiwoo, who currently held the tenth spot nationally.

However.

Is it realistically possible for me to overcome Hwang Jiwoo?

Observing her performance up close during this trial had made the reality blindingly obvious.

She was no ordinary rival.

How a girl of such petite stature could possess that level of boundless physical stamina was baffling…

She had pushed through the drills without uttering a single complaint. For the first time in his career, he had experienced a bitter taste of true inadequacy.

They hadn’t even reached the stage of deploying their summoned beasts in combat yet, but he could sense the truth deep in his bones.

The chasm separating them was monumental.

What exactly was the root cause of that massive disparity?

The training environment.

The direct guidance of an exceptional Guild Master.

All I need to do is successfully pass this entrance trial.

He had experienced a heavy dose of discouragement, that much was true. But he couldn’t permit himself to falter or halt his progress here.

My entire approach relies on mathematical logic and cold calculations, not raw sentiment.

“Hmm.”

He let out a slow, measured breath as he analyzed the situation.

Judging by my historical data on various competitive survival formats, the upcoming phase will almost certainly feature a stage that demands tactical planning or cooperative synergy.

They would undoubtedly need to whittle the remaining pool down to a far smaller cadre of finalists.

And structured team skirmishes were universally the most efficient method for weeding out large numbers of candidates.

Moving forward from this point, it likely wouldn’t center purely on physical endurance anymore. Strategic collaboration might become the decisive factor.

Jeong Siwoo pressed his index finger firmly against his temple, mapping out a precise course of action.

Why exactly had the proctors intentionally granted them a full day of rest on Sunday?

Why were the evaluating officials, who easily could have maintained a detached, intimidating presence, instead casually mingling with the remaining interns?

No matter how many times he calculated the variables, the conclusion pointed to a single answer.

Alliances.

He strongly suspected that the upcoming squad formations would not be determined by random selection.

During this designated downtime, they were likely expected to network, build rapport, and construct their ideal rosters based on those personal connections.

The moment that realization solidified in his mind, a sharp sense of urgency washed over him.

Swish, swish!

His eyes quickly scanned the surrounding area. A particular individual immediately drew his attention.

“Oh my GOSH, are you serious right now! No, but seriously guys, is this for real? How is my concurrent viewer count significantly higher right now, when I’m just filming mundane daily vlogs, compared to when I spend weeks meticulously planning and editing high-tier content? That is completely unfair! What was even the point of all my hard work! Admit it! None of you are actually here because you’re fans of me! Wait, what? You want me to find Baek Jinwoo and put him on camera? I haven’t caught a glimpse of him either, you absolute brat!”

A slightly chaotic, eccentric-looking woman was drifting across the grounds, holding her smartphone aloft.

And yet.

Jeong Siwoo vividly recalled her performance.

He remembered her screaming at the top of her lungs through pure, unadulterated willpower, flatly refusing to throw in the towel even when she was trailing at the absolute bottom of the physical trials.

Three decades of life experience had allowed him to accumulate a vast mental catalog regarding every archetype of human personality…

And as a general rule.

Individuals possessing that specific brand of grit inevitably succeed in whatever objective they set their sights on.

Approach her. Establish a connection.

Thud.

Having firmly locked onto his chosen objective, Jeong Siwoo began walking forward with resolute, unwavering strides.