Season 2: Chapter 62. The Best Among The Wanderers(1)

The post that Ju-Hyeok uploaded swiftly climbed to the top of the community.

1. Breaking News: Zombie School's hilarious revival LOL

The startling truth initially confused the community users.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

— ? The original ending is dying to zombies?

— Why is this happening...?

— ?? I don't get it...

However, that was the undeniable truth and public opinion gradually shifted.

— NO way, it’s seriously revived

— If that’s true, then I’ve got nothing to say

— Those who were bashing have vanished lol

As opinions shifted, those who originally attacked started denying reality.

— Don't talk nonsense lmao

└ Check Almond’s manager's official post. They uploaded an email from the devs.

└ So if the manager says something, it's true? Following the leader's tiny brain~~~ Just like their master~~~

└ ...? What are you saying, man? The manager received an email from Red Hat, you brainwashed idiot

└ ??? Oh, it doesn’t matter if it's an official email or what, the famed community LiarUser said Zombie School is trash!!!

└ HAHA

As usual in any argument, the momentum shifted once one side stubbornly denied the facts.

— The guy above is pitiful lol

— That dude in denial is hilarious

— ??? Stop liking Almond! Don't let Almond make money! Don't let Almond be handsome! (Crying)

└ LOL

Public opinion swung back around. Gradually, the top posts started changing too.

2. Those who were stupidly influenced to give 1 star reviews are disgusting, upvote if you agree

6. List of people who unjustly attacked Almond so far

8. In awe of Red Hat's craftsmanship

10. Why Almond is genuinely insane

The game's review ratings began to rise. Some who gave one star reviews revised their scores and new players who bought the game after this incident gave it high ratings.

"It's actually good. Is this the time to use that phrase?"

Kim Yi-Seo scratched his head in WePlug's office and murmured, "It turned into something like noise marketing unintentionally."

"Exactly. Red Hat really chose the right advertising model."

"Ugh."

Kim Yi-Seo had been against Almond's advertisement and doubted if it would be worth it. Now, watching the live sales graph...

"It's true."

Almond had indeed been the best fit for advertising Red Hat's games.

"This guy didn’t just get lucky when he revived games like

Kingdom

."

Kim Yi-Seo was a pragmatist even though he was somewhat skeptical whether this success was genuinely due to Almond's advertising. Almond's actions often exceeded his expectations.

He didn’t bother with the criticisms or doubts if the results were good and glanced at his monitor displaying another tab.

[The current uproar over the new zombie game]

A video from the YouTube channel Sonald was playing and the audio came through the speakers.

[... The public was greatly shaken. I can't help but praise this latest work by Red Hat! A game with this much freedom is rare these days! Remember Head Punk 3017? That was just empty words that promised an open world and freedom. That crap... Ugh...]

***

"What's this? When did this video come out?"

Ju-Hyeok played the video that was trending at the top in real time.

[The current uproar over the new zombie game]

[Views: 389K]

It had nearly 400K views and ranked first in just three hours since its upload.

[... Almond and Bubblegum's playstyles are starkly different. Other streamers are entirely unique too and NPC reactions are changing accordingly! This is the freedom we desired...]

The channel owner, Sonald, wasn’t paid by WePlug and genuinely praised the game throughout the video.

[... Disregard the nonsense in community gardens. We shouldn’t fall for such provocations. The final zombie was a lethal weapon the developers created to kill the player. Red Hat should be admired for introducing such a deus ex machina element...]

Sonald, with over a million subscribers, defended

Zombie School

with articulate words.

'They either got paid or really loved it.'

For Ju-Hyeok who was new to gaming, Sonald’s defense seemed too good to be purely genuine.

Regardless, the comment section was favorable.

— Damn, I seriously hate the toxicity of community gardens lol

— You pointed out the ending well :( The devs could have made the mutant zombies invincible, but they left some leeway. Isn't that a sign of their commitment to freedom?

└ Red Hat folks have true craftsmanship

└ Exactly my thoughts.

They praised Red Hat for leaving a weakness in the zombies intended for the ending.

— This game is super immersive. You really lose track of time. It's not that hard if you follow Bubblegum’s route.

└ Different difficulty levels too?

└ Yeah, going head-on like Almond makes it progressively harder lol

— As someone who watched both Bubblegum and Almond, Zombie School’s freedom is insane. They’re playing entirely different games.

Player testimonials on the game’s freedom and immersion poured in. Perhaps because of this, sales surged the next day. It even caught some media attention.

[Zombie School. Despite being in Early Access, it ranks high among foreign games]

[Can WePlug make single player games successful in Korea?]

[Red Hat's stock rises continuously after the success of Zombie School]

Articles like these flooded in. Ignoring the media's penchant for sensational wording, the game’s outstanding performance among foreign games was undeniable.

Even the community garden, the source of all these events, now took a completely different stance as the situation unfolded.

— “If community gardens bash it, it thrives”

— This is Red Hat lol

— Wow, look at these records

— Wow, this feels magnificent.

— It's really blowing up LOL

— People in our country secretly love zombies

Sang-Hyeon read the somewhat peaceful reactions in the community garden.

Crunch. Crunch.

He popped a few almonds into his mouth and suddenly asked Ju-Hyeok, "

Ah.

Did we book the chicken place?"

"Yeah. It's this weekend."

Ju-Hyeok adjusted his glasses and praised Sang-Hyeon’s choice of venue for the fan meeting.

"It’s definitely a good choice. Chicken and beer are universally loved. The casual atmosphere like hanging out with friends will feel more approachable. And..."

He pointed to a game logo on one side of his monitor.

"... Now we move on to this?"

[Civil Empire]

They had decided on the next game. Sang-Hyeon took a day off following the end of

Zombie School

and picked this game after consulting with Ju-Hyeok. They planned to start playing it today.

"Right."

Crunch.

Sang-Hyeon munched on almonds as he responded, “I liked that one.”

Zombie School

was inherently a minor game, but

Civil Empire

was on a larger scale and still gaining popularity. However, it wasn't very popular in Korea with its main markets being China and the USA. Most users attributed its lack of popularity in Korea to the unbalanced Korean civilization in the game.

“It's a bit unfortunate that the Korean civilization is weak.”

“It doesn't matter unless it's a national competition. You can choose any civilization you like. There's no need to stick to one.”

Indeed, it didn’t matter unless someone was a hardcore player participating in national competitions like Ju-Hyeok said. There was no rule saying that Koreans had to play the Korean civilization.

“No. Shouldn’t I play the Korean civilization? Aren't we going to participate in national competitions?”

Crunch.

Sang-Hyeon felt determined as he chewed on almonds.

“National competitions? That takes up a lot of time.”

Only hardcore players could endure those national competitions due to the brutal schedule.

The game’s lack of popularity in Korea wasn’t just because the Korean civilization was weak. It was also due to the poor work-life balance in Korea, where few had time to invest in gaming.

Ju-Hyeok objected, but Sang-Hyeon spoke as if it were obvious.

“Korea is losing terribly. As a Korean, I should participate!”

“Sounds like the Korean War has broken out...” Ju-Hyeok jokingly said, but stopped mid-sentence.

‘Ah... right. This guy dreamed of being a national representative.’

Strangely, Sang-Hyeon had a strong attachment to his country. It was probably due to his aspiration to be a national representative in archery.

“Alright. Let's see about the national competitions when the time comes. It’s still far off.”

Ju-Hyeok simply let it go, knowing it was impossible to change Sang-Hyeon’s mind. He had known this about Sang-Hyeon since that guy poured all his money into the capsule.

Most importantly, Ju-Hyeok didn't want to say it wouldn’t work or that it would be too much for his physical condition.

He didn't want to define or limit Sang-Hyeon like that.

***

Almond's stream went live at 3 P.M.

— Hi hi

— Wow, he started streaming!

— What game today, bro?

After he took a day off, the viewers seemed even more excited.

— :( It's been a year

— You left us zombie gangsters?!

— Huh? Look at the stream title LOL

Quick-witted viewers already noticed the title.

[Zombie School... Cut! Next!]

The title reflected his intention to finish

Zombie School

and move on to the next game.

— Next!

— Lately, he’s been great at making titles

— Remember when he used to just use the default titles... haha

— Next! Agreed!

— Cut!

“Today’s game is...”

Almond changed the stream category as he began his opening speech.

[Playing Civil Empire]

“Civil Empire!”

— Shibal Empire?

[1]

— Shi...bal... Em...? omg

— Too harsh with words!

— What's this?

Viewers greeted him with donations.

[RubySword has donated 10,000 won.]

[This game is hardly played in Korea. Explain a bit lol]

[Snake has donated 1,000 won.]

[Wow! Shiba... Em, uh...!]

— The voice, LOL

— You, ban. What a fitting nickname

“Thanks, RubySword. Everyone might not know much about it. A temporary ban for you, Snake.”

[ActuallyGood has donated 5,000 won.]

[That guy will be happy about the ban~]

[Haha has donated 10,000 won.]

[Almond~ Almond~ Today's my birthday!]

“Thank you, ActuallyGood. Happy birthday, Haha!”

— Wow, Almond is wishing you a happy birthday...

— Jealous...

— ActuallyGood, LOL

After the casual chit-chat donations, Almond delved into explaining the game.

“First, let me explain as a viewer suggested. Everyone, do you know RTS?”

— Yes

— Yeah

— Like StarCraft?

— Real-time strategy

— RTS means using a mouse, right?

“Yes. The one with the mouse.”

RTS (Real Time Strategy) was a game genre that was once dominant in Korea. Players often oversaw battles and production from above in RTS games. These games required high-level strategies and psychological warfare. RTS games would be at the top if there were difficulty ratings since they took place in real-time and weren’t turn-based.

— An RTS game??

— Suddenly a spicy broadcast

— Almond can’t handle RTS games ?

— Almond playing a strategy game...? I’m drooling.

— Epic. My mouth's on fire

At first glance, the RTS genre seemed completely unsuitable for Almond. He wasn’t known for intellectual plays and the RTS genre was the epitome of strategy games.

He would likely struggle terribly in his attempt.

“

Ah

, but... there are different units in RTS games, right?”

Would Ju-Hyeok have chosen a game that was unsuitable for Almond?

“I'm not commanding in this game. Rather, I’ll play as one of those units. At least in the beginning.”

— Eh

— tremble

— OMG

— What?

— Then who commands?

— Sounds fun

“It's like being a soldier in a huge war.”

[RubySword has donated 10,000 won.]

[One day I became a Marine!?]

“Thanks, RubySword. Marine... Yes, compared to something like

StarCraft

.”

[EggPlant has donated 1,000 won.]

[Then who's commanding?]

“

Ah.

That's another special point...

um...

let’s see in the game.”

— Fact: He doesn’t know

— He’s just reciting what Walnut told him

— Let’s go!

“Let’s dive into

Civil Empire

!”

Thus, Almond began a new genre and entered a new realm of gaming.

1. Sshibal is a curse word equivalent to the f word in korean. ?