Season 4: Chapter 28. Angler Rocket (1)
Full playthroughs were a hugely popular format, yet not many streamers dared to attempt it because its popularity was directly tied to the streamer’s suffering. The pain and exhaustion from playing a game for over forty hours and still not finishing it was unimaginable.
It instantly became a hot topic whenever a streamer announced they were doing a full playthrough stream, especially if the streamer was already well-known.
[Almond accepts full playthrough mission!]
[Almond doing a full playthrough mission right now???]
[Whoa, Almond is going to do it!!]
[Is this his comeback buff after the tournament win? A full playthrough mission, huh? LOL]
What if that streamer was Almond, who had just won the Civil Empire tournament and returned in glory? Every community that even mentioned streamers would be filled with Almond’s first-ever full playthrough attempt.
==== ====
[BIG: Almond attempts his first-ever full playthrough mission]
But it’s for an ad campaign LOL
==== ====
— Legendary stuff, lmao. First full playthrough mission and it’s for a sponsorship
— Cash Sang-Hyeon
— Wait really??
— I gotta tune in
— First full playthrough missions are a rare sight fr
It was impossible not to be intrigued by a player with Almond’s skills to take on a full playthrough for the first time. If nothing else, it would definitely stir conversation. He even topped the real-time trending searches on major portal sites.
[Trending Search]
Almond full playthrough mission
Han Min-Gu controversial remarks
Taylor Swift Korea tour
USD exchange rate
Ghostwo Busters
With such buzz, viewers flocked in. And with more eyes came a wider range of opinions.
[But Almond is too good. Is a full playthrough mission even meaningful with him doing it?]
Viewers mostly enjoyed full playthrough missions for the pain, chaos, and breakdowns it caused streamers. What was the point of watching someone like Almond, who could possibly breeze through it? This very concern already seemed to be addressed.
— That’s why they brought in Bubblegum
└ LOL you’re saying he’s the handicap?
└ No bro they got the ad together
└ If it's too easy, add weight
└ Bubblegum is the barbell!
— As long as Gum is there, we’re fine lol. Start voting for punishments now~
Bubblegum’s presence alone gave viewers plenty of reasons to tune into Almond’s playthrough. Thanks to that, viewership surged.
[Current Viewers: 157K]
Normally, Almond maintained a solid 90K during regular streams. This number far exceeded even his comeback stream after the Civil Empire tournament. His stream could possibly ascend to a whole new level.
***
"Whoa. Han Min-Gu’s comments were wild."
Clack.
Ju-Hyeok scrolled through the news feed.
"Almond beat that?"
He looked at the trending list, visibly impressed. Then, he checked the next article and felt amazed again.
"He even beat that?"
Even the headline about a major foreign pop star’s Korean tour ranked below Almond. Sure, trending rankings didn’t always equate to true fame. Still, this became a legendary feat within streamer communities.
[#1 search term LOL. Big Sang-Hyeon]
[Breaking News: Almond > Taylor Swift]
[Han Min-Gu got smoked by Almond]
[Evening Wide is gonna need to start bowing if they wanna book Almond lol]
There was an old saying in the gaming world: ‘A player who wins once after losing 99 times gets talked about more than the guy who wins all 100.’
That was exactly the situation right now, but who cared? Ranking #1 in trending searches was a massive win. Streamers trending in real-time were never common. It was especially a godsend at a moment like this.
"The timing is immaculate."
Almond had received a platform offer from Cheese. Korea’s largest portal site, Javer, owned this new platform.
‘This will make things easier.’
This gave them the upper hand, at least when negotiating revenue share. Javer was probably panicking over the lack of a reply right now, but Ju-Hyeok had decided to wait. If Almond’s playthrough mission had this kind of traction, the momentum would only rise.
Ju-Hyeok planned to negotiate at the peak.
‘But... is he okay though?’
He couldn’t help but worry. Was Sang-Hyeon really in the condition to attempt a mission like this?
‘Will he get mad if I say something?’
Sang-Hyeon didn’t like it when people tried to micromanage his body. He never made a scene, but Ju-Hyeok could sense it in his eyes and always tread carefully.
‘He must’ve thought it through.’
Sang-Hyeon wouldn’t have started this unless he felt capable of it. For now, Ju-Hyeok decided to trust him.
***
Tatatatatat!
The three exorcists dashed quickly toward the third floor.
"W-Wait for me, oppa!"
Su-Yeon struggled to keep up because she was carrying heavy items.
Almond kept running without looking back, widening the distance between them. Su-Yeon was barely halfway up when Almond almost reached the third floor.
— Run together, please LOL
— This isn’t what a full playthrough is about LOL
— Somebody stop Almond the exorcist!
Viewers worried about Su-Yeon, but Almond didn’t bat an eye.
"It’s fine, everyone. We use Buddhist weapons to fight yokai anyway."
Having grown up as a professional athlete, Almond was an intensely goal-oriented person. He hadn’t really had a new goal since the Civil Empire tournament. Now, even if it was just his stream, the playthrough mission gave him one. Nothing else mattered.
— LMAO classic Almond ghosting people
— He’s only smart at times like this LOL
— Basically saying she’s useless LOL
— Smart young man...
And with that, Almond sprinted up to the third floor.
‘I don’t have a minute to waste if the playtime is twenty-three hours.’
The theoretical playtime for the game was twenty-three hours and thirty minutes. He couldn’t afford to take it slow if he wanted to beat it in one day. His judgment wasn’t wrong. The problem was whether anyone else could keep up with that pace.
"Almond! I-If you just run through like that—!"
The game was designed with tons of ambush monsters. Sure, the elite mobs that crushed players were bad, but it was just as important not to get chipped away by small fry. Just like classic Mario, fighting Bowser was tough, but getting there was tougher.
"Graaaah!"
"Hehehehe!"
Right on cue, the wall near the stairs bulged unnaturally, and minor enemies burst out.
[Grade 3 Thought Form]
[Grade 3 Ghost]
— LOL why are they kinda cute?
— What even are those?
— Jump scare success LOL
They looked like textbook low-level mobs. At least, a shaman could deal with them.
Fwoosh!
As soon as they appeared, Almond hurled talismans at them. The Grade 3 Thought Form was too fast to hit without trapping it in the Monk’s barrier. That was the proper way to do it.
Zzzt!
However, Almond slapped a talisman on its forehead the moment it spawned, and it crumpled instantly.
The Grade 3 Ghost was slightly different. It required a combo with the NPC Su-Yeon’s holy water since it was technically a malevolent spirit. Without that, it would phase through all attacks.
Even Almond’s incredible reaction time was of no help. The player couldn’t hit a ghost that passed through everything. The Kim duo thought that anyway.
They didn’t even hope he’d beat it fast. They just prayed for the ghost to stall for five seconds.
"Geh!"
Zzzt!
Another ghost disintegrated with a talisman plastered on its head. Killing them seemed impossible, but it wasn’t. Ghosts were vulnerable the moment they materialized before they phased. They were coded to be tangible when spawning and initiating attacks.
Ding!
[BeginnerTip has donated 10,000 won.]
[You can’t exorcise alone! Work together!]
The donation message came just as Almond had obliterated all the mobs.
— Too late LOL
— "That was just my afterimage." LOL
— Why is the tip slower than the action?
[Ghost has donated 5,000 won.]
[Hi, we’re Eugh and Kek from the Theology Department.]
— The ghosts’ only lines are Eugh and Kek LOL
— LOL they came just to say their names
— Goodbye, Eugh and Kek...
[HumanDocu has donated 3,000 won.]
[Eugh and Kek! Behave yourselves in the afterlife!]
Was it because of the mission? Even small donations poured in. Frequency always mattered more than size in streaming.
Thump.
Almond felt his heart race for the first time in a while.
‘Playthrough missions are kinda nice.’
He enjoyed it so far. Of course, he hadn’t tasted the pain yet. Playing unknown indie games usually got lukewarm responses, but slap a playthrough tag on it and things would change fast. The only reason most streamers avoided it was because the aftermath was brutal.
"Wh-What the hell is that!?"
Once upon a time, Bubblegum reached for the forbidden fruit of playthrough missions and got smacked with a punishment after thirty hours of straight streaming. Since then, he treated the format like a cursed object.
Now, he panicked trying to keep up with Almond’s speed. His misunderstandings weren’t surprising.
"Did a jiangshi appear? That wasn’t in the patch notes! Is this a new update!?"
He saw the talisman-plastered Thought Form lying face-up and mistook it for a Chinese vampire. He even backed away cautiously.
— LOL yeah if you missed the spawn it looks like that
— He really thought it was a jiangshi LMAO
There was usually a fuss when ghosts and spirits appeared. The silence this time led to Bubblegum misunderstanding.
"That won’t get up. Just go."
"Huh? Really? How do you know?"
Almond didn’t bother explaining. He just entered the third floor. Bubblegum kept eyeing what he thought was a jiangshi warily, but it never moved. Instead, something else appeared.
"Ah!"
Almond ran into something around a corner. It was a short girl.
Thunk!
She flew back and tumbled several meters.
"Ugh! Y-You’re not supposed to run in the halls!"
— She’s not used to this LOL
— NPC shocked because no one is supposed to sprint in this game
— Even the NPC is flustered
Like when they first met Su-Yeon, the girl asked, "Are... you an exorcist?"
***
The moment the girl appeared, Assistant Manager Kim clenched his fist and grinned.
"She’s baiting him."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You’re doomed if you fall for this early gimmick."
"For real?"
Manager Kim leaned in. Honestly, it wasn’t even about their promotions anymore at this point. He just wanted to see Almond mess up.
"Please, just screw up once. Dammit! Get tricked, you bastard."
The two locked eyes with determination and stared at the screen.
"Please, please, help her!" the girl pleaded. “There are people trapped over there. A strange yokai is blocking the door. I can’t do anything... Please save them!”
She pointed tearfully to a hallway where the students were trapped on the third floor. It was part of the intended storyline.
Almond understood and responded accordingly.
“Yeah, let’s go. I’ll help them.”
Whether it was divine will or Almond’s impatience to save time, he nodded and accepted the quest.
"YESSSSSSSS! NOW, TRANSFORM! TRANSFORM AND KILL HIM!!"
"LET’S GOOOOOOO! DIE, YOU BASTARD!!"
The office duo pounded their desks like they were possessed by spirits themselves. Then, something happened that made them doubt their ears.
As Almond passed the little girl, he muttered, “Bang.”