Season 4: Chapter 186. The Great Legacy (1)
Almond suddenly entered the mine. He went to encourage the Team Rocket miners, or at least to watch them. Zelu had no idea, but the Team Rocket members sensed his approach long before he arrived.
‘He’s rising.’
‘He’s coming... I can already feel his presence.’
‘Huh? You mean... the viewers?’
In martial arts stories, the flow of air itself changed when a great master approached. Maybe the world of streamers was not so different.
‘M-More are coming.’
The closer Almond neared, the more the viewer count climbed. People watching the main channel started hopping over, wanting to see from Almond’s point of view. It wasn’t just Cheese viewers, but Paprika’s audience too.
Step.
Finally, Almond appeared.
“How are things?”
Viewership peaked, and spines straightened. Every Miner bowed and chanted in perfect sync.
“Ohhh~~ OooooOoo~ My loooord!!”
“Ohhh~~ OooooOoo~ My loooord!!”
“Ohhh~~ OooooOoo~ My loooord!!”
“Ohhh~~ OooooOoo~ My loooord!!”
Almond nodded as if this bizarre loyalty were utterly natural. “Good. Keep mining diligently.”
“Huh?” Zelu stared, speechless, and turned to his own chat. “How are they not ashamed!? They’re all collaborators! Bowing to the enemy like that!?”
— LMAOOOO
— bro that’s you
— you’re literally the collaborator here
— enemy of the state confirmed
— How is a comfy farm game overflowing with collaborators on both sides, haha
“How can they be like this!?”
Naturally, he didn’t understand because he hadn’t met Instructor Potato Servant yet.
***
On the community boards, Potato Servant’s training methods were already trending.
[#5. Knights’ Whiplash...]
==== ====
“You’re not bending at all.”
(clip)
==== ====
— Professor Potato...
— pitch psycho lol
— even flattery needs proper bending apparently
— “Your loyalty hasn’t been evenly cooked yet.”
└ BRO LMFAO
└ is it steak or loyalty
— Who knew one ‘My lord’ chant contained such philosophy... he’s the GOAT of sucking up
— He turned the “Ohh~ My lord~” into sheet music and made a legendary manual
Thanks to the Working Holiday content, Potato Servant was finally in the spotlight. For the first time, posts featuring him topped the charts.
[#6. Cheese Village self-made legend]
[#7. GOAT-Potato]
...
[#10. Sweet Potato boy! Finally getting recognition!]
==== ====
This guy’s been through a lot :(
==== ====
— True... he really did all sorts of crap
└ Wasn’t he just an unemployed streamer?
└ Streamer is a job, “unemployed streamer” is insane phrasing
└ Actually rude lol
— Sweet Potato really owes everything to the Lord’s grace. That’s why his loyalty is so real
└ Exactly, he’s the GOAT at flattery because it’s from the heart
└ lmao
└ You don’t write “Ohhh~ My lord~” as sheet music and distribute it if you’re not sincere
— By the way, out of the high-protein trio, only White Chicken didn’t make it... stuck to Donuts
└ No sense of timing smh
└ High-protein trio, omg I haven’t heard that in ages
└ He sprints in later as a panicked judge lmao
└ At least White Chicken learned economics tsk tsk
Until now, Potato Servant had always been overshadowed by Radish Servant and Almond as just another underling. Now, he stood as a top Knight officer, the self-made icon of Cheese Village. His skills were no joke.
“I refuse. Even with a sword at my throat, I say this is wrong.” Zelu continued ranting about Paprika’s two-faced behavior.
“You’re Zelu?”
Thud.
Potato Servant’s shadow fell over him.
“Y-Yes... that’s me.”
“Come with me.”
“Sorry?”
“You’re a high-risk individual. I’ll train you personally. Move.”
— oh no
— he’s dead
— RIP Zelu
— this can’t end well lol
Before Zelu could even confront Almond directly, Potato Servant’s special education began.
“Repeat after me.”
Tap.
He unfolded a sheet of music.
“Huh?”
Thud!
A kick slammed into Zelu’s jaw.
“Ghk!?”
“The only proper response is, ‘Yes, understood!’ One phrase. That’s it.”
— ONLY that??
— this is insane
— PTSD speedrun
***
Step... step...
Zelu returned from training, dazed. He was just in time to see Almond walking through the Miners and addressing each one.
“Ah. You must be Zelu.”
Zelu’s body jerked, and he bowed reflexively. “Ohhhh~ My loooord! Scrub Zelu at your service, sir!”
— ???
— SCRUB ZELU LMAOOOO
— He converted so fast
— He was just missing Potato Servant’s touch, that’s all
— Dude’s a natural talent
Zelu himself didn’t understand why he was doing it, but the sheet music in his head wouldn’t go away.
‘This is insane.’
His spine bent deeper, and his voice flowed with perfect swing.
“What the... Zelu is good at it.”
“He kept tempo with no musical cue. That swing...”
“Tch.”
Team Rocket even felt jealous of his immaculate singing.
— These people are not normal
— Zelu really inherited his dad’s showmanship
— Paprika assimilation speed: S-tier
— His timing and swing are actually clean
From the outside, it looked utterly deranged. The more they did it, the higher the viewer count went. And Potato Servant’s training really was top-tier. They let their guard down for a moment and became assimilated.
“Scrub Zelu... you’ve grown well. Do not become like your father.”
“Yeeees, my loooord!”
— “Don’t become like your father” I’m crying
— last warning from the Lord lol
— That “Yes, my lord” was crisp
Almond left the mine, and the viewer count returned to normal. Silence followed. Team Rocket and Zelu suddenly felt awkward around each other.
“So... uncles, what the hell was that ‘myyy loooord~’ just now?” Zelu grumbled and attacked first.
Team Rocket pushed right back.
“So? What was that, ‘Scrub Zelu at your service, sir’ just now?”
“It sounded like pure jazz.”
“Your flattery carried intention. A performance born from the soul. Excellent work, Zelu.”
— PURE JAZZ LMAO
— I can’t breathe
— They’re spinning it like poetry hahahaha
A short silence followed. Then, as if nothing happened...
“C-Cough... Let’s just work.”
“Yeah. Sure...”
Zelu went along as well.
‘To hell with this.’
He tightened his grip.
Clang!
“If Father was a miner... I’ll mine too, whatever~ Let’s diggggg!”
KAANG!
Zelu continued the family profession like fate looping back.
— enslaved in the mines again, bruh
— why is he suddenly compliant?
— he accepted capitalism in five seconds
— this is how workers are made...
Rebellion would need more time.
***
Mining was exhausting, but at least food distribution was steady.
“Rations! Line up!”
They received the cheapest meal: rice balls and corn soup. Every Miner queued, bowed, and expressed gratitude.
“Thank you~!”
“Next.”
“I’ll eat well.”
“Next.”
“Ohhh, thank you~!”
“Next.”
Zelu and Choco received theirs too. Warm soup filled his bowl, and his avatar burst into tears.
“Th-Thank you...! Sniffle...”
“Stop overreacting.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Next.”
— the man stays committed to acting
— someone press the off switch on roleplay mode
Behind the mask, Zelu’s face hardened. “This slop, and they want us mining? Mark my words, rebellion is coming. Right?”
Zelu and Choco Shroom moved among the Miners, ready to hear whispered dissent.
Slurp. Chomp.
Most just chewed their food.
“God, this tastes amazing.”
Occasional comments of bliss could be heard.
“So, this is what corporate benefits taste like?”
Some even murmured.
“Living as a Scrub might not be that bad.”
“Yeah. Viewer numbers go crazy whenever the Lord appears anyway.”
— I AM CHOKING
— they’ve assimilated fully
— they are NOT freedom material
— Scrub-tier loyalty LMAO
Zelu and Choco Shroom stared at each other in horror.
Ding.
[Factos has donated 30,000 won.]
[Better a bottom-rank employee at a megacorp than a failed self-employed.]
— true... painful but true
— Factos dropping reality checks
— Zelu going to mine until Cheese collapses lol
“Wow. This is insane.” Even Zelu wavered.
Working & Holiday... Maybe it was a pretty sweet deal?
“Perhaps work is a blessing...”
Just as the thought struck, voices nearby caught his attention.
“Any progress?” Team Rocket officers whispered.
[Shrimp]
[Orange]
[Parsley]
Their conversation was different. It contained real resistance.
Orange asked again in a whisper, “Did we find anything?”
Shrimp replied, “Pepper and Salt found him. The mad scientist, Genzo.”
Orange and Parsley trembled. They found the clue that the admin hinted at, not through books or guides, but through brute effort and scraps of information.
“Then... can we do it?”
“Eventually, but there is a problem.” Shrimp lowered his voice. “Some of our people don’t want rebellion anymore.”
“Damn it. Slaves to viewer numbers...” Orange grit his teeth.
“Can’t be helped. In this world, viewership is god. But...” Shrimp’s eyes shifted far across the room to Zelu.
Their gazes met.
“There is one who does not bow to viewership. The one with the Great Legacy.”
Zelu blinked. He could hear every word.
‘Great what?’
“The limitless Chakra.”
They meant viewer count, but used a euphemism instead because saying “numbers” directly stung their pride.
— that’s NOT what chakra means bruh
— Great Legacy lmfao
— Zelo’s son inherits infinite chakra
— spiritual viewer pool unlocked
As the top streamer, Zelu could draw a large audience on his own. The viewership didn’t sway him. Instead, he created it and was key to the rebellion.
Thud.
Zelu sat beside Shrimp. “Sir. Let’s talk. In detail.”
The four-man resistance cell consisted of Shrimp, Parsley, Orange, and Zelu.
“I have something to offer too.”
With that, the secret of Fertile Soil would finally be shared.
— independence arc begins??
— assassinate the Lord = instant view spike lol
— Paprika provisional government
— finally allies
— two-power system incoming
Viewer numbers rose. Rebellion seemed near.
“Behold... the chakra of the chosen...”
“The infinite chakra bearer, Zelu...”
Even they were addicted to viewership. Only their supplier had changed.
— I’m loving this chakra nonsense too much
— Zelu on the watchlist for a reason
— Two kings emerge... the era will split