Chapter 7
The process of how the hidden job incident unfolded was as follows.
Daehyeop Kim said he wanted to become “The World’s Strongest Martial Artist.”
Naturally, there was no such job, so I created it on the spot.
Since it was hastily made, it hadn’t been added to the official site.
Ah! So the Martial Artist is a hidden job!
‘Um…’
Well, uh.
It wasn’t something I had intended.
It was merely an impromptu decision, and it ended up going in a different direction than what I originally planned.
That being said, I couldn’t exactly reveal this honest truth.
―――
Hidden job “Infinite Sword Emperor” – I’m claiming it for myself [204]
Summary of why the gallery went crazy over hidden jobs.txt [183]
Looking at the state of Indie Game Gallery, the maid’s probably depressed enough to submit her resignation [125]
If you shout “From Zero!”, the maid will probably transform into Rem [381]
―――
Daehyeop Kim stopped his broadcast just before starting the main story, which begins with meeting the fallen noble.
There was no explanation given for ending the stream. Daehyeop Kim simply said he had a personal matter and ended the broadcast.
Because of this, people flocked to the hottest gallery related to Akashic Records—Indie Game Gallery.
They reviewed and rehashed the content of today’s broadcast of Akashic Records by Daehyeop Kim.
You could say that today’s situation in Indie Game Gallery was a direct result of all that rehashing and speculating.
“…”
After thoroughly reading the latest comments, I lowered my head.
I’m sorry, Aka-chan.
I don’t think I can protect you.
‘This isn’t the time to worry about others…’
I felt as if my mind was fading and my soul was about to separate from my body.
“Six days left… right?”
There were six days remaining until the test server would be opened after the beta tester recruitment period ended.
During these six days, I had to deal with the issue of this “hidden job” that the prospective players were eagerly anticipating.
“Should I just dismiss it as a mere happening?”
No, brushing off such a major teaser as a mere happening would be a waste.
Or should I quickly create a bunch of new jobs and claim they’re all hidden jobs?
No, that wouldn’t be a perfect solution either.
Let’s think this through.
Why did this hidden job teaser get so out of hand?
I tried to recall the proverb, “Don’t focus on the tree, see the entire forest.”
And finally, I came up with the answer.
Click-clack, click-clack.
I logged into the official Akashic Records site with admin privileges.
Currently, the official site lists a total of five jobs.
Warrior, Rogue, Hunter, Mage, and Priest.
The initial plans for Knight and Mercenary were dropped as sub-jobs.
“Now, if I just… modify this here…!”
*NEW! Martial Artist (Secret Class)
I added the Martial Artist, which had appeared on the broadcast, as a new profession.
Next to it, I added a new term: Secret Class.
To be precise, it wasn’t a new addition; it was merely a reclassification of the hidden job title.
Nevertheless, I added a separate tooltip with a description for the Secret Class.
―――
Secret Class
- Vanished from humanity’s history, yet still remembered by the world.
- Unlocked through specific interactions at the Hall of Heroes.
- Once unlocked, anyone can change their job to a Secret Class.
―――
Ah, I need to add a tooltip to the other jobs as well.
―――
Normal Class
- A profession commonly used throughout human history.
- Can be selected at the Hall of Heroes.
―――
Now that things have reached this point, I needed to clearly differentiate them.
But that didn’t mean I was going to make the Secret Class perform better than the Normal Class.
‘Besides, I’ve already described them as jobs commonly used throughout history.’
The fact that it was commonly used meant that many people had chosen it.
And if many people chose it, that means it had practical utility.
“Well, I’ve done it now…”
The categorization of Secret Classes and Normal Classes was, once again, a hasty addition.
I had deviated so far from the original design that it was hard to predict what might happen next.
“…Looks like another late-night shift is confirmed.”
Which jobs should I designate as Secret Classes?
What interactions should be used to unlock these Secret Classes?
As the Game Director of this virtual reality, I had too many things to decide.
***
[Indie Minor Game Gallery]
The current #1 trending gallery due to Akashic Records—Indie Game Gallery.
In the past, it used to focus on reviewing and sharing minor indie games.
But now, it has transformed to the point where you can’t even find traces of its former self.
―――
[Title] Breaking News: Job Update Released on Akashic Records’ Official Site!
(New job “Martial Artist” update image)
(Image showing jobs categorized as Normal and Secret)
Is there a game where a new job gets released even before the official launch or beta test begins?
(Image of Akashic Records game company logo)
I can only… worship the GOAT.
Upvotes: 491 Dislikes: 2
―――
[Comments 234]
Hmm… Is it that good (Damn, it really is that good).
ㄴ Unbelievable, lol.
ㄴ Even the trolls acknowledge it, GOAT indeed.
The game that made America surprised, China tremble, and Japan beg (it’s true).
ㄴ Why is that true, damn it, lol.
ㄴ Fact: There’s not much buzz overseas yet.
ㄴ Everyone dropped out because they couldn’t handle the 500 times higher internet fees.
―――
[Title] Daehyeop Kim << What kind of person is this bastard?
He defended Akashic Records-chan when it was getting unjustly trashed by haters during the Developer Gate incident.
The game company felt sorry for him and gave him an early access pass a week before release.
Then, as soon as he started, he made a romantic declaration and discovered a Secret Class.
Yesterday’s peak viewer count reached a whopping 46,000.
(Edited image of Shin Daehyeop smiling)
He’s monopolized all the luck and Favor of the entire world, and to top it off, he’s an alpha male.
Upvote if you feel serious “inferiority” creeping up.
Upvotes: 850 Dislikes: 15
―――
[Comments 444]
The first virtual reality experience, the first virtual reality gameplay, the first to discover a Secret Class.
ㄴ The game hasn’t even launched yet, and his career’s already insane, lol.
ㄴ Is this his second life?
ㄴ For real, this raises reasonable suspicion.
The difference in our worlds is so vast that I don’t even feel inferior.
ㄴ That’s the real fact.
ㄴ When the gap is overwhelming, you feel awe instead.
ㄴ Lost completely in every aspect as a male.
―――
The streamer at the center of attention, Daehyeop Kim, was browsing Indie Game Gallery while drying his hair.
Talking about streamers in game galleries used to be taboo, but not in today’s Indie Game Gallery.
Because of the overwhelming influx of external users, Indie Game Gallery was no longer just a “game gallery.”
‘The public opinion is good.’
Currently, public sentiment towards Daehyeop Kim was very positive.
After all, he was the only streamer and gamer who could play Akashic Records at this moment.
“…It seems a bit too much though.”
But who is Daehyeop Kim?
The god of self-objectification.
A beast who has continued his activities for years as a wrecking ball streamer, navigating a fine line where one wrong move could send him straight into ruin.
Even if you didn’t look at Indie Game Gallery, every other gallery and community was filled with discussions about Akashic Records and Daehyeop Kim.
“This isn’t good.”
Rapid growth in any field always comes with side effects.
Although the number of fans of streamer “Daehyeop Kim” were increasing,
There were still many more people who were here just to see “Akashic Records,” the world’s first virtual reality game.
Naturally, as time passes, the attrition rate of these viewers will rapidly increase.
Right now, he held a monopoly on the game called Akashic Records.
But with the beta test and the official launch afterwards,
The user base will definitely split during these two events.
“Times like these call for an ant-shake.”
An “ant-shake” is when you weed out the influx and solidify your core audience.
However, the risk of executing an ant-shake was too high.
If it were at a manageable scale, he could handle it, but—
If it goes wrong, he might end up ruining his career for the second time.
“Ah, this is seriously tough.”
Ever since that incident, it felt like he was constantly being tested.
Doubting his choices, questioning his judgment, and fearing the results.
There were too many things disturbing his mind.
The turmoil in his head and the chaotic emotions endlessly tormented Daehyeop Kim.
As he was preparing for his broadcast in that state, a memory from yesterday suddenly resurfaced.
The liberation he felt when he stepped out of the Hall of Heroes and faced the new world, forgetting all his real-world worries and regaining a sense of childhood innocence.
He was sure he had felt that sense of freedom before. When was that?
“Ah.”
He remembered.
“You use your fists like this.”
When Daehyeop Kim saw the man’s Straight Punch in the Echo of Records,
he couldn’t take his eyes off it.
Just watching it made him feel as if he were hit by a refreshing breeze.
It was like the subconscious frustration that he had always felt was finally being resolved.
That’s why Daehyeop Kim couldn’t look away from the man.
“So that’s what it was.”
Daehyeop Kim opened his eyes, which had been closed unconsciously.
In that moment of recollection, the realization came suddenly.
That was liberation.
That was the man’s lesson.
“Ah.”
A smile formed naturally.
“I was bound and trapped, wasn’t I?”
He had been obsessively fixated on a reality that was excessively cold.
But now, there was no need to cling to such things anymore.
Daehyeop Kim, having freed himself from Simma, smiled.
“Alright, let’s get started today too!”
[Daehyeop Kim’s stream has started – Talk in 1 second]
***
While Aurora was working like crazy on the Secret Class update,
and Daehyeop Kim was heading towards the Imperial Capital with the fallen noble NPC he met yesterday,
Crunch, munch—
Aka-chan was watching the stream, holding a snack bag in one hand and picking out snacks with the other.
“Very comfortable work. Satisfaction level: top.”
Aka-chan’s assigned job was to monitor Daehyeop Kim’s stream and immediately address any bugs in the game.
“Akashic Records is a perfect game. Bugs do not exist.”
Crunch, munch—
Aka-chan smirked as she watched the game progress as she had designed.
When she was with Aurora or other people around, she usually maintained a stoic expression.
But when she was alone like this, Aka-chan often showed her smile.
“…”
As she enjoyed the fun of slacking off today, Aka-chan suddenly sensed something strange in the following scene.
— Be careful! Those monsters are Dark Wolves that hunt in packs…
Crash-! Yelp! Crash! Yelp!
The fight ended even before the fallen noble could finish his prepared dialogue.
Daehyeop Kim had smashed the skulls of the five rapidly approaching Dark Wolves with his fists.
— …Your skills are amazing.
— You flatter me.
The fallen noble admired Daehyeop Kim’s prowess, and Daehyeop Kim replied coolly.
“A bug…?”
Watching the scene, Aka-chan muttered in disbelief.
The Dark Wolves were level 6. Currently, Daehyeop Kim’s level was also 6.
As a human with limbs, Daehyeop Kim held the advantage.
But the Dark Wolves were monsters that respawned in packs.
For a player at an equal level to take them all down alone?
“Impossible. Critical error.”
This was something that should have been impossible within the system Aka-chan had designed.
According to the original design, the fallen noble NPC and Daehyeop Kim were supposed to team up to defeat them.
Aka-chan quickly scanned through the entire virtual reality’s records to find the cause of the bug.
And she was able to locate where the issue had occurred.
―――
[Daehyeop Kim’s Player Information]
- Level: 6
- Profession: Martial Artist
- Title: None
―――
[Stats] - Attack Power: 11
- Agility: 1
- Endurance: 1
- Affinity: 1
- Correction Level: 7
―――
In Akashic Records, players gain one stat point to allocate every time they level up.
Also, all characters start with 1 point in every stat.
The weapon Daehyeop Kim was currently equipped with had the specs of +5 Attack Power, +1 Correction Level.
And he had allocated five stat points to Attack Power.
So his total stats should have been: Attack Power 11, the rest at 1, and Correction Level at 2.
However, Daehyeop Kim’s Correction Level was currently 7.
“Why?”
Unable to comprehend the situation, Aka-chan pulled her chair closer.
“Crisis detected.”
She had to overcome this crisis somehow.
Before Aurora finished her work and returned.
—
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