Chapter 140

Isabel's words were almost shocking.

(Hubby. Wanna die?)

Wow. 'Hubby, wanna die?' was a new one for me. I was a person from 2028. That was the sort of thing you'd hear in an early 2000s webnovel, a phrase from thirty years ago. Hubby. Wanna die? All the hair on my body stood on end.

'...'

I was speechless. What was I supposed to call Isabel? An ancient famed blade? A transcendent artifact related to the Queen of the Sword Forest?

(I'm your bride. You idiot!)

Right, right, she was my bride. She was my bride, and I was her bride. But at the same time, I was her hubby? I really didn't get it. We had a very curious family tree, but in any case, that was how the System put it.

(What do you think you're doing to that annoying angel?!)

I didn't do anything. We were just conducting business.

(Sure, business. You say that, but why's she got so much goodwill towards you? Keep your hands in your pockets, will you?!)

Her voice clamored in my head like a storm. Like I said, I didn't do anything.

(No. You definitely did. That angel's state is emotional-touched-wonder-awe right now! Are those eyes of yours for show? She's totally fallen for you!)

That was just because her eyes were opened to the investment I recommended. She glimpsed the business blueprint we would be making together.

(No! You dum dum! This is why men are just—!)

The intangible energy amplified and crashed down on me. Her presence was even more forward and powerful than when she used her innate authority. I couldn't come up with a response. I was really just doing business, and the 'Arrow-Shooting Cupid' just showed an interest in that for some reason.

I felt Isabel trembling with anger. The blade in my Inventory actually shook.

(I see that cupid bastard is still alive. I hate him. Hate him to death. In any case, he's no help.)

I didn't know the depths of Isabel's ability. She was able to read a message sent to me. She even knew the Guardian's identity.

(Of course. I'm your bride. Husband and wife are one being, so the messages you get, I get, too. That's what the Sword Pact—whatever. If you cheat on me, you're dea—!)

Before she could finish, Isabel fell asleep again.

'She's definitely… more fired up than when she was using her innate authority.'

Her waking time was way shorter than usual. The fact the ego's waking time was super short despite receiving the power of the 'Powerful Wish' meant Isabel had expended that much energy.

'Good thing she's a sword.'

If she was a person, things might have gotten really, really tiresome.

'Ah…'

Why did it suddenly bother me that the 'Queen of the Sword Forest' and 'Isabel' shared the same name?

'It can't be that the artifact named Isabel… is actually the Queen of the Sword Forest, or something like that, right?'

How could a sword be a person? Even ten years later, nothing like that had happened. At this point in time, it wasn't anything I needed to think about.

'Why'd the Cupid complicate things by sending a message? Haah.'

I definitely heard the notice.

[The 'Arrow-Shooting Cupid' has begun to focus on you.]

If you were to ask me why I didn't think that I might be getting streamed, it was actually because I didn't think of our conversation as that important. It was like noting that a few stones were on the ground, or that a few cars passed me. It wasn't important information, just a part of the humdrum of life, so I didn't pay particular attention to it. Yes. You could just see it as 'Just because'.

'The problem is… that the Arrow-Shooting Cupid has appeared.'

This Guardian was one that people called the 'Cupid' for short. Once you were targeted by this Guardian, things would get very troublesome.

'He's famous for causing mischief between lovers.'

The Courageous Lion King was, as his name suggested, a courage lover. He went wild for courageous Playing. The Lady of the Scales liked just Players. The Merchant of Venice gave high marks for outstanding trades. Each Guardian had their own quirks, unique to them.

The 'Arrow-Shooting Cupid' was a Guardian who liked quarrels between lovers. To that effect, he gave quests and even used his authority as a Guardian.

'What a pain.'

So did that mean he would give a lot of sponsorship? No, not even. It wasn't that he didn't give sponsorships, but he was somewhat of a scrooge.

'Please, just don't do anything pointless.'

Sometimes, the Arrow-Shooting Cupid would use his special ability, the 'Arrow of Love', to stir up trouble between couples. Sometimes, he even led a few hapless victims to their destruction.

'His ability can be really fatal for kids with tofu mentalities like Sunhwa.'

There was an incident where a fairly famous Player in the US named Alex came out suddenly, revealing that he was gay. Up to that point, he was a perfectly happy heterosexual, but he suddenly became a homosexual. Whether it was true or not, many people said it was a trick of the 'Arrow-Shooting Cupid'.

'He's also a pervert who tries to induce incestuous relationships.'

For example, he would try to make love sprout between a brother and sister. He was the kind of bastard who derived pleasure from such perverted deeds. He was far from normal.

Senia noticed my terse silence. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Apparently, she hadn't heard the notice from the Arrow-Shooting Cupid. It was only sent to me.

'He hasn't done anything else.'

I didn't want to draw any more of his attention. Business. Right now, it was time for business.

"Senia. You agree that we're making content together. What I said is correct, right?"

"Of course."

"I've told you how I will be Playing in the future."

"Yes. You said you would raise your level to 40 faster than anyone, by maximizing the advantages of the Observer class."

"Fast leveling is great, of course. But it'll take quite some time. Approximately three months."

No matter how specialized the location was for leveling, it would still take three months.

"What I'm going to do is grind. That means it'll get boring over time. At least for the Guardians to watch."

"..."

Senia hadn't thought that far, it seemed. No matter how delicious something was, if you ate it every day, you'd get tired of it, and no matter how fun something was, you'd get bored of it.

"So you need to change up the directing every now and then and mix things up."

What was there to enjoy about watching us hunt Polluted Lifeforms day in, day out? Such a scene could only be used as an initial stimulus.

Senia's wings fluttered.

"..." She was starting to get the sense of what I was saying. "What you're saying is…"

"Yeonseo's Intermediate Administrator, Roa, is the type to invest Coins unstintingly. You know that, right?"

She even offered to pay the penalty for me.

"Yes."

"Seeing the same thing is boring, so we'll have to occasionally mix in some quests."

To put it bluntly, I was telling her to give me quests. I was like Senia's lifeline. She couldn't give me a quest so hard I couldn't clear it.

Senia's expression stiffened a little.

"...Coins are necessary for quests."

"I know."

Her finances had to be pretty shot right now, since she had paid a big price for the server expansion.

"You can just get an investment."

"...An investment?"

Ever since she said we would create content 'together', Senia's face seemed to be effused with a glow of confidence.

"We can make content the Guardians wish to see. For that, you and I need to work hard."

In other words, lure in the investment, come up with a quest that would make a decent show, and give it to me.

Senia nodded.

"Your words are correct."

Of course they were. We had to grind anyway, so wouldn't it be great if we could complete Streamer quests or missions while we were at it? There was nothing for me to lose.

[The 'Merchant of Venice' directs a 'crafty smile' at you.]

Oh. A crafty smile. I knew that was the message the Merchant of Venice sent when giving a Player their highest praise.

'And normally, after their crafty smile, a big sponsorship follows.'

I had just settled a zero loss trade, a very positive one where I secured profit without any investment. As a reward, the Merchant of Venice sent me a present.

[The 'Merchant of Venice' gifts you a 'Growth Assist Potion'.]

One day passed. Senia's server was fully expanded, and we wouldn't see any more server overloads for the time being.

"Your words were right, Player Kim Hyukjin."

Senia's wings were fluttering. Looking at them now, they kind of reminded me of the happy tail wagging of a puppy. They were trembling particularly hard today.

"Many Guardians sent in generous sponsorships."

"I'm sure they did."

Senia and I were the creators of very unique content in the Korean server, after all.

'Not just in Korea, but… probably worldwide.'

I was probably one of the only people showing Playing of this level worldwide. Of course, I wasn't counting non-combat Players with 'artisan' classes, 'cooking' classes, or 'production' classes. When it came to combat, I was confident that my Playing was definitely way up there.

"Thanks to you, I have found a new path." Since yesterday, Senia had become a lot more talkative. "I feel like my insight and vision have broadened compared to before."

And then, she bent respectfully at the waist.

"It's a win-win for us both."

"Will you be clearing the Gwanghwamun Dungeon full-sprint from today onwards?"

"Just the Gyeonghoeru field, to be exact."

"Understood."

Senia's wings fluttered again. She gave me an obvious stare.

"What?"

"..."

"Why do you keep staring at me like that?"

"..."

She hesitated for a long time. The way her lips squirmed made it obvious that she had something to say.

"What?"

"..."

Something interesting happened. The tips of Senia's wings turned ever so slightly pink.

"I want to formally show my gratitude."

It was only for a fleeting moment, and was very faint, but her wingtips turned pink and then returned to their original white. My eyes didn't lie. I didn't see it wrong. Senia herself didn't seem to realize it.

I heard a notice.

[The Intermediate Administrator 'Senia' wishes to present you with an 'Appreciation Plaque'.]

[Receiving 'Senia's Appreciation Plaque'.]

The Appreciation Plaque was sent to my Inventory.

'An Appreciation Plaque in the beginner period?'

I never ever hoped for such a thing, but my words must have been a much bigger enlightenment than I thought. There was an article about the 'Appreciation Plaque' on Playpedia as well.

–Occasionally, Streamers will present Players who have shown an outstanding performance with an 'Appreciation Plaque'. The exact details are not known, but it is believed that this Appreciation Plaque can only be gifted a limited number of times and requires a large number of Coins. The first Player to receive an Appreciation Plaque in Korea is the Golden Priest Gong Jinhoon.

That was supposed to happen three years from now. But the Appreciation Plaque that should only appear in three years was already showing up. It was unintentional and unplanned, but I was lucky, it seemed.

'Inventory.'

I opened my Inventory and checked the Appreciation Plaque.

[Appreciation Plaque]

The token of gratitude given by an Intermediate Administrator to a Player who has shown an outstanding performance. When the Appreciation Plaque is activated, a reward is randomly chosen.

* Reward Influence Conditions

Contracted Guardian

Sponsorship Guardians

The Player's luck

The Player's enhancement competence

But strangely, I felt something more when I looked at the description, like I should be able to see more. I was familiar with this feeling.

'Observer's Eye.'

I examined the token a little more closely with Observer's Eye and perceived a faint flow of something that was invisible to the eye.

'I'll observe it.'

If I really, really focused, I would be able to see something new. I lost track of time, but it felt like at least thirty minutes passed.

In the end, I was able to trace the strange sensation and discover something new.

[You have discovered a hidden 'Reward Influence Condition' of the 'Appreciation Plaque'.]

As I thought, there was something there. Observer's Eye came through for me once again. I immediately checked the new condition.

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