LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 60
“That’s simpler than I thought.”
“Not much to it, right? We don’t have any major demands on our side either. In the past, we had a separate advertising manual, but lately… well, let’s just say circumstances aren’t great. Just enjoy the game comfortably. If you have any questions while running the ads, feel free to contact me directly, and we’ll be monitoring everything in real-time, so there’s really no need to worry-.”
It was a call with the advertising manager.
They said it would be a time of humiliation and oppression, but the ad Envision proposed was my first ad on the broadcast.
Naturally, I had some expectations and a strong desire to do well.
That’s why I was drilling the manager with questions. I figured if we were going to do this, we might as well do it right. After all, in business where money moves between people, that’s how it goes. You have to work properly for what you’re paid.
The answers I got back were somewhat surprising. When they sent the proposal, they asked for pros and cons, but it seemed that wasn’t just empty words, as Envision didn’t present any particular demands.
There was also no detailed explanation. They merely left a message saying they wouldn’t interfere much and just hoped I would enjoy the game.
The moment the organizers start meddling, they say users can’t immerse themselves in the game or something like that.
It seemed they wanted to create an image of gamers enjoying Envision freely and joyfully through this ad.
For me, that was a good thing. It meant I didn’t have to worry about unnecessary details.
Still, I should be somewhat tense. My broadcasting experience isn’t all that long yet.
On their end, they seemed to appreciate that my image hadn’t solidified since I had just started streaming, but I didn’t forget that things could go wrong in an instant if I wasn’t careful.
This was something Yusia and Kim Jae-jun had also warned me about several times. They said that while I was usually fine during normal broadcasts, there should be no broadcasting accidents during the ads.
Especially regarding alcohol, they seemed intent on a full prohibition, so a ban had been put in place the day before.
Come on, no matter how reckless I get, I wouldn’t drink during an ad. Celebrating with a drink afterward is one thing, but during the ad, I planned to keep my mind sharper than ever.
It was supposed to be a plan.
– Is it your first time playing Envision, Kayak?
“No, I’ve played it a lot in the past. So… roughly 3 to 4 years ago?”
I’m not joking, it’s true. I really did play a lot. Though my intentions were somewhat impure.
Back when Abyss was going down the drain and Envision was the top game at PC Bangs that everyone was playing. It feels like that was just a few months ago, not years.
I infiltrated Envision like an industrial spy, trying to figure out the secret behind the number one game.
Thus, I analyzed how Envision thrived, what its advantages were, and what points attracted users, and I passed that onto Eonix.
If you’re confused, just benchmark instead of doing weird patches. Even so, Eonix kept stumbling around.
Looking back, it’s not exactly a beautiful memory… more like a cringy one.
Still, seeing our positions switched now makes me feel like my efforts weren’t entirely in vain.
– 3 to 4 years ago, huh….
As I drifted into nostalgia, a small sigh floated through my phone. The manager must be feeling lost too. After all, that was really when Envision was thriving.
– Anyway, please take good care of our game like you revived Abyss, Kayak!
“Well, I didn’t really revive Abyss….”
The lead spoke desperately but with a playful tone. Half in jest, half in earnest. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were feeling a little anxious inside.
Though they couldn’t see it, I subtly lifted the corners of my mouth and replied.
“I’ll do my best.”
*
It was around 6:30 PM on a Saturday. I turned on the stream earlier than usual.
Because of an ad. An ad we promised to run at 7 PM.
I hadn’t informed the viewers what ad I’d be running today.
Honestly, it’s partly because I’m not the type to leave updates diligently, but also because Envision didn’t want that.
Every time they put ads on streamers, they got so much backlash that they decided to keep silent about it now.
Every time I advertised, I got so much hate that now I’m doing it in secret.
It wasn’t completely incomprehensible. I had already encountered that very situation in the Abyss several times. Whenever Abyss gave pointless ads to streamers, I was one of those who threw stones, saying they’d be better off fixing all the random bugs in the game with that cash.
But it wasn’t like ads were completely useless. The number of viewers watching streams was significant among gamers, and right after an ad, the concurrent viewers would always spike.
The problem, if you could call it that, was maintaining that increased user count. Well, that was more of an in-game issue. The ads themselves could definitely draw in new users.
[Kaha~~]
[Wait, why is the stream starting at 6 when it usually starts at 9 or 10?]
[I thought the stream alert bot was broken again.]
[Kayak is streaming right after work, taking a shower, and having dinner… Now this is what I call sex1s.]
[What’s going on today? What’s going on today? What’s going on today? What’s going on today?]
[I’m getting pissed off, so hurry up and start Abyss, okay?]
And that influx of viewers had just arrived.
Even though I started earlier than usual, people began chatting less than five minutes in.
This meant that my broadcast had grown to the point where people would show up at any random time, regardless of the irregular schedule.
Feeling a smug satisfaction from that fact, I slowly changed the title of my broadcast.
-Ad) Envision, our game is still up and running.
“Ahem. Today’s broadcast is an ad stream. A historic day, indeed. I finally got my first advertisement.”
[Wow! An ad!]
[Envision, what the heck? Is anyone still playing that?]
[Congratulations on your first ad broadcast ^^]
[You’re advertising King King King…? Hmm…]
[Look at Kayak, who promoted the doomed game Abyss, now all grown up and promoting another doomed game.]
[Kayak, the doomed game specialist streamer.]
[Are we launching the doomed game rescue project?]
[Envision is still an okay game, at least.]
[It was an okay game, please use the past tense.]
[Now that I think about it, it completely flipped compared to the Abyss.]
[God-game-doomed-game-reversal world, whoa!]
[How did it even get ruined…?]
As a result, the viewers began to react. Perhaps because there was a time when Envision was a god game, there were no chats asking, “What kind of game is this?”
I thought to myself, “This reaction isn’t bad at all.”
“Ah, it was just when I was thinking.”
[Envision's got a 1000 won donation!]
– “What era are we in? Turn off Envision and turn on Abyss.”
“Hey now, who’s trying to ruin my business here? Can’t you see there’s ‘ADVERTISING’ right in front of the broadcast title? Today, we’re doing Envision.”
[Finally Envision, I’ve been asking for this every day 
]
[What the heck, is this a request or what? Ah seriously -_-]
[Get out, Abyss users! 
From now on, this is territory for Envision users.]
[These Envision fans are so hyped, it’s annoying.]
[Will anything really change just because of the ad?]
[But does this dude even know how to play Envision?]
“Yeah, I’ve played Envision a bit. I was once a veteran dabbling in it.”
[I thought you were an original Abyss user, but now you’re on Envision… I’m disappointed, Teacher.]
[What the heck does ‘veteran’ even mean, nerd?]
[Is that a tier name?]
[The naming, man, what a mess ]
[For real, what’s this ‘veteran’ nonsense?]
[I stopped playing after they added ‘Elite’ in the middle.]
[They’ve divided the tiers too much, it’s uncomfortable.]
[It’s so much cleaner just having Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond.]
[It’s Magma Diamond, yeah.]
[Was the host an Envision fan?]
While sharing some banter, my phone rings.
The alarm I set for 7 o’clock. Finally, the time has come.
“Alright, then! Today’s game, Envision. Let’s get started. Since it’s an ad, please refrain from excessive criticism. For those who watch the entire broadcast, there will be a special coupon code with a gift. Is it a code that can be used in Abyss? …You can’t say that about our worst game, Envision. Of course, it’s a code for use in Envision.”
With Envision’s unique grand background music, the advertisement broadcast began.
*
“First of all, the controls feel weird. Should I say it’s stiff? I don’t remember having this issue when I played before… Was there a submarine patch or something?”
“The issues with snipers, alternate accounts, and trolls are serious. I might be a veteran, but if it were another streamer, they wouldn’t even be able to run the ad.”
“The genius of swordsmanship, the gloomy Haydn… Isn’t his concept and skill set just like Lennok’s? Oh, Haydn came out three days earlier? Never mind.”
[Stop it already….]
The kayak advertisement broadcast proceeded smoothly.