The Player Hides His Past - Chapter 274: It's me (2)

What should you check first before reporting?

Of course, it was the fact first.

Especially if the news was not easily reliable.

Moreover, VBC was not a small or medium-sized broadcasting station that hadn’t been heard or seen. After the Cataclysm, it was reborn as a large broadcasting station that stood shoulder to shoulder with terrestrial broadcasters.

Camera Director Yoon Jongjin could feel this.

Even players who behaved indifferently would noticeably soften their attitude when a camera with a VBC mark was pointed at them.

Maybe thanks to this, his expression was quite complex.

“No, sunbae. Is it okay to push forward like this?”

The question was directed to the studio where rehearsals were in full swing.

There was PD Hyeon Yongseok, who was looking after the overall management of the studio.

Hyun Yongseok replied without even looking.

“What are you doing? You’re not on standby.”

“No, sunbaeee.”

“Why are you talking in such a disgusting way? What’s the matter?”

Only then did Hyun Yongseok look at Yoon Jongjin.

And he let out a laugh at the desperate look on his face.

“You look like a scared puppy.”

“I can’t help it!”

“…?”

As he raised his voice, everyone around them turned to look at them.

Yoon Jongjin lowered the volume of his vocal cords and whispered.

No matter how much he thought about it, this was too hasty.

“Senior, to be frank, we’ve been doing poorly lately.”

“You see what I’m saying?”

“No, let’s be honest.”

Today Arcana.

The recent viewership ratings trend was not good at all.

It was unavoidable.

Unlike broadcasting stations, trends after Cataclysm changed rapidly.

“In Zero Mountain, we are lagging behind guild-level private broadcasts. But in the reality, we have no content to make other than rumors. If you think carefully and proceed with it, you will not be able to recruit panelists…”

Everything Yoon Jongjin said was true.

In an era of Cataclysm, there was no place for broadcasting stations. The reason was simple. It was because the content that was able to attract viewers had been spoiled long ago.

“I understand that sunbae was stressed out because of those bastards Union. I. I felt sick listening to it while drinking together. Talking about those behind their backs.”

Union.

Even if they only scratched the surface of Union without delving deeper, it was guaranteed to go viral.

The problem was that the higher-ups didn’t want it.

“How far up the hierarchy have they been involved? I don’t know if it prevents us from saying anything. I also understand that sunbae was heartbroken because the project he had prepared went to waste. But, can you handle this with a series of defeats?”

News from the player community.

The identity of the Dark Dragon was Lee Hoyeol!

That facts were not confirmed.

There was only one piece of evidence: the testimony of the players. It was also just a message that was limited to players who witnessed the abnormal phenomenon captured above the Mage Tower.

“I heard it’s not even a message that Hoyeol is the Dark Dragon? It’s simply an achievement message for witnessing the return of the Dark Dragon.”

But Hyun Yongseok was pushing for a special broadcast as if it was the truth.

Hyun Yongseok’s expression did not move at all.

Yoon Jongjin asked with a sigh.

“You’re sure, though, right? Then that’s fine.”

It could have been the intuition of a genius producer.

But Hyun Yongseok shook his head.

“No. It’s not like that.”

“…I-It’s not?!”

Seriously, what’s wrong with this guy?

Yoon Jongjin was so confused that he wanted to take off his rank and asked.

If it were like the old days when things weren’t so bad, it would have been okay.

To put it bluntly, it would have gone over in just one page.

“But both VBC and the seniors have grown bigger for that. You have a lot to lose, and you might use poison in your greed to spread the news faster than others!!”

Moreover, the size of the dump was not normal.

It was the Dark Dragon, the creature that made so many dragons cry.

In a way, that was the day when the Earth was closest to destruction.

“At this rate, I’ll really snap…”

“Jongjin.”

“Yes, PD Hyun.”

“Don’t you think I know that?”

“…Have you been thinking about it?”

Hyun Yongseok shook his head.

“I may look crazy, but I don’t move without thinking. Still, I’ll admit it. Like you said, I’ve been doing poorly lately lately.”

Union.

Because of those damn bastards.

All the months of coverage were gone.

He didn’t know how they did it, but they could influence a single broadcasting station in Korea from China. He once again realized the influence of the world’s best guild.

Hyun Yongseok raised the corners of his mouth.

“Since I’ve already poured it, shouldn’t we serve the tea to those bastards?

There was no certainty that Lee Hoyeol was the Dark Dragon.

As Yoon Jongjin said.

At this point, the only evidence was the players’ testimony.

And that was not solid evidence, too.

‘If we’re not careful, we’ll end up in trouble.’

He might get beaten up by the VBC he had grown attached to.

However, Hyun Yongseok desperately needed one shot.

One shot that would blow away his sluggishness so far.

A big blow to the Union and the higher-ups involved with them…!

Union.

Different from the likes of Liu Jinchun.

It was time to put forward a real ‘monarch’.

Sk–

Hyun Yongseok scribbled the cue sheet.

“Look, what do you think about this caption?”

“…Why are you bringing up captions all of a sudden?”

“If it’s a special program, shouldn’t it have a caption?”

“Sigh, seriously….”

When Yoon Jongjin closed his mouth, Hyun Yongseok finally wiped the playful expression from his face. Then he said what the staff, including Yoon Jongjin, wanted to hear the most.

“I believe it, Jongjin.”

What was he believing?

That Hoyeol was the Dark Dragon?

No, a lot of people probably thought the same.

There was just no reason for quite a few players to lie.

It was unthinkable for a player other than Hoyeol to be called the Dark Dragon.

But that was only speculation.

That was why he was keeping his mouth shut.

Hyun Yongseok said something unexpected.

“I believe he will be different.”

…He will be different?

“He will be different from what, sunbae?”

“Hoyeol-ssi will be different from that bastard Liu Jinchun.”

“…Why are you mentioning Liu Jinchun all of a sudden? Are you holding a grudge?”

Hyun Yongseok shook his head.

It was not just a grudge.

He actually believed it.

Hoyeol’s actions so far had become the basis for his belief.

“Hoyeol-ssi has never made a secret of his moves. He has a clear reason for every action, and he proudly presents it to the world. Of course, only if there are formal questions.”

So Hyun Yongseok was certain.

“I am sure Hoyeol-ssi, not anyone else, will say it with his own mouth. He will proudly declare himself as the Dark Dragon in front of the whole world. The goal of our broadcast is to wait for that moment.”

“Wait for that moment…?”

“To put it simply, it is a standby broadcast for Lee Hoyeol’s big announcement.”

“!”

If Hoyeol didn’t move…

The special broadcast would literally be a complete failure.

There were limits to delaying time by calling anchors and panelists.

But if things went as planned…

“I can definitely blow it up, whatever it is.”

There was only one thing to decide now.

“So, everyone, please voice your opinions. What would be the best caption?”

“…What sunbae wrote isn’t that bad.”

“Really? Isn’t it too cringy?”

“It’s cringy in its own way. Actually, no matter what you put on, it would look good on Hoyeol-ssi. He even has the nickname Infinitely Deep Darkness.”

“Does anyone have any other ideas?”

Although there were different opinions from time to time.

They kept going one step further.

There was no opposing opinion.

That was how the title of the special broadcast was decided.

『Dragon Lord, Dark Dragon Lee Hoyeol. Shout out to the world.』

Dang dang!

*

Thank you very much, system…!!

It was all because my reputation had risen too much.

Well, in a completely different world, Arcana Continent.

The capital of the Empire, Antonium.

I received such great hospitality that I couldn’t bear to raise my head.

‘In that situation, my reputation must have risen even further.’

Just think about the contributions points I made by restoring the Empire’s territory.

A whopping 1 billion won.

It was enough for the Emperor to show me the foundation of the Empire. The message that my reputation had risen didn’t really appear. But The status of [Legend, Dark Dragon Lee Hoyeol] must have also increased.

‘The end result was revealed as a message in the reality…’

Just because I returned.

A message was printed to the players near the Mage Tower.

At this rate, there was no point in manifesting the portal at the Mage Tower.

While someone was panicking to death, this big mouth was calm.

“Did I unintentionally shout that out?”

Why would I shout out about that…!

However, the problem was that there were people who responded to my big mouth.

Harkon let out a chuckle.

“I was certain. Of course, the only one who suits the title Dark Dragon is Sir Hoyeol. So what kind of saga did you write in the past 15 days before coming back?”

Everyone’s eyes were shining.

15 days in real time.

About two months in the time of the Arcana Continent.

Yes, looking back, a lot happened.

I honestly hated to say it with my own mouth, but…

A formal question had to be answered in some way.

I opened my mouth.

“For the tens of millions of demons to know their place.”

From the first words, it was full of Grandfel-style speech.

[Natural Enemy Relationship].

Due to the special nature of the class called Demon Hunter.

All I did was scare the demons.

Anyway, the framing was the best.

“For the old dragon, an old oath.”

Here, the old dragon was Eunaxus, and the oath was a story about the setting related to the dragons and the Claudie family.

I prayed earnestly as I spoke.

‘Please don’t ask.’

If you ask me formally what the old oath was.

About Claudie…

I would have to talk about my dark history.

But fortunately, there was no one at the table who interrupted me.

Of course, the next sentence was also problematic enough.

“I played with the Ice Dragon in the frozen time.”

How can you frame a life-threatening struggle as a play?

My life in the Arcana Continent was the same as back in the days when the Arcana Continent Record was just a game. Looking at it closely, you could say that I was playing…

As expected, it was shameless.

The audience’s expressions become serious at my words.

“…You faced ten million demons?”

“Old Dragon and Ice Dragon. They weren’t all the same dragons.”

“No way, because of the frozen time, it took 15 days…?”

However, since none of what I said was wrong, I just moved on without correcting it.

Besides, compared to the last words.

My remarks so far were just a drop in the ocean.

So, I hoped everyone listened without being surprised…

“In the end, I disciplined the dragons who lost their pride.”

“…!!!”

Although I expected it, the expressions on their faces went from surprise to astonishment. Even Harkon, who would have believed me even if I told him I made fermented soybeans with red beans, asked back.

“D-Disciplined the dragons? Teaching discipline?”

Everyone would have understood more if I came back alive from a fierce battle. There could be so many delusions about my desperate struggle.

However, discipline was a different area. Above all, ‘I disciplined the dragons’ meant that discipline was successful.

Except for a few people, including Nam Taemin and Hisagi.

“As expected of pride.”

“Nothing is impossible with pride.”

“…What the hell?”

I could understand why they couldn’t nod their head easily like Leonie.

Actually, it was a natural reaction.

If it weren’t for Claudie’s halo, I wouldn’t even have been able to have this conversation.

However, even though there might be some exaggerations, everything was true.

If they asked where was my proof.

…Well.

Even if I were to die, I didn’t want to say it with my own mouth.

But there was nothing I could do here.

I opened my mouth quietly.

“Yes. Like you said.”

“…?”

“I have been watching and coordinating them behind the scenes.”

After a long pause, I continued.

“I am the Dark Dragon.”

…You’ve done it now, Hoyeol!!

.

.

.

Special broadcasts began on TV.

The title was.

“Dragon Lord, Dark Dragon Lee Hoyeol. Shout out to the world? Isn’t that crazy?”

Twitch.

Even though she was shocked, the corners of her mouth wouldn’t stop twitching.

Nemesis, Lee Yerim, kept some evidence for now.

Click–

“I feel like I’ve heard something similar in the past…? Has he been this good at games since then? Sigh, I don’t remember. I really need to quit drinking starting next year.”

It was a murmur that would have made Hoyeol’s heart pounded if he had heard it.