Humanity had never once truly united since the day it first began forming groups.
That was probably an eternal truth.
‘Unless the population drops into the thousands, that is.’
The Mana Stones and Gold pouring out of Arenas were far too enticing a reward for humanity.
A substance that provided highly efficient energy without causing environmental contamination?
It sounded like something out of a dream.
The way Players obtained Mana Stones and Gold was simple.
They simply had to clear Arena Quests.
But there was another way.
Namely, becoming what people called a Streamer and gathering spectators and viewers.
Why?
‘The more viewers subscribe to a Player, the more benefits that Player receives.’
The System gave a Channel to every Awakened Player registered with it.
Viewers could watch the overall activities of Players through the System, then subscribe to the Channels of whichever Players they liked.
And once those subscribers began to accumulate—the Player was given a choice.
Either increase the amount of Mana Stones and Gold obtained in proportion to the number of subscribers and viewers.
Or—
“…….”
Player Lee Dojin’s Channel Viewers: 12 (5 minutes elapsed)
EXP Gain Increase (+12%).
Player Lee Dojin’s Channel Viewers: 20 (5 minutes elapsed)
EXP Gain Increase (+20%).
Player Lee Dojin’s Channel Viewers: 25 (5 minutes elapsed), 3 (10 minutes elapsed)
EXP Gain Increase (+55%).
GRIN-
They could increase the amount of EXP they gained instead.
‘Before my regression, nobody cared about this benefit. It was easier to get more Mana Stones and Gold and equip yourself with Items than to raise your Level.’
But for the current Dojin, it was an extremely useful effect.
The other Players ground their teeth as they watched Dojin checking the chat and notification windows.
“Hey! Get more people over here!”
The Public Chat Window floating above the Players had been flooded with viewer messages for some time now.
And the center of attention was……Dojin.
- Is that guy really F-Grade?
- He logged into an F-Grade Arena, so probably……?
- He’s absolutely flying out there!
It was only natural for the chat to be excited.
A completely unknown Player who had clearly just made his debut had already taken down dozens of other Players!
“Judging by those movements, he’s definitely a Warrior-type.”
“Then who the hell is controlling those Skeletons?”
Even the headhunters and critics in the stands, who had seen all kinds of Players over the years, could not easily figure Dojin out.
‘Damn it! This wasn’t supposed to happen!’
‘How did things get this screwed up?’
‘Why doesn’t this bastard look tired at all?!’
There was another reason the scouts and viewers were shocked and cheering while the Players themselves were stunned and flustered.
Dojin’s performance itself.
There might have been differences in Level between Players, but as long as they were all F-Grade, no one’s mana capacity could be exceptionally greater than the others.
And a Player capable of beating down dozens of F-Grade Players single-handedly would normally need to be at least C-Grade.
The reason Dojin could accomplish such a feat was simple.
‘It’s nothing special. How many times did I fight one against many before my regression?’
When the Main Scenario had first begun, Dojin himself had merely been one among countless lower- and mid-level Players.
By the time Dojin became a Player capable of properly pulling his own weight, the number of Players on humanity’s side had already fallen below ten percent of what it had once been.
‘In a shitty situation like that, having one Player take on multiple enemies was just part of everyday life.’
As a result, Dojin’s combat style had developed around extremely meticulous and efficient mana control.
Just like now.
He had only just Awakened, so the mana available to him was little more than a speck.
He allocated that meager mana only to the areas where it mattered.
To both feet for smooth movement.
To both hands for accurate attacks.
Any remaining mana was concentrated into his eyes and ears so that he could grasp the situation and finish calculating his next move before his opponents.
For instance, the Player swinging a greatsword at Dojin right now……
‘At this rate, he’ll lose his balance slightly in one second.’
Dojin lightly hooked the man’s foot.
Then, when the startled Player momentarily lost strength in his grip, Dojin snatched away his greatsword and swung it.
‘His mana is fluctuating. That pattern means a Mage is about to use a Skill, and the target is…… me. An attack spell?’
Then Dojin hurled another subdued Player directly into the line of attack, disrupting the Mage Player’s incantation.
All of this was possible because of the combat experience Dojin had accumulated before his regression.
But the other Players had no way of knowing that.
Naturally, it drove them mad.
“This is cheating!”
The Players’ impatience only grew worse as Donation Windows began bursting into existence before their eyes.
- [CornSpear] donated 10 Gold.
- [Lovely] donated 5 Gold.
- [ShadowKing] donated 1 Mana Stone.
“Damn it! All the viewers are watching that bastard!”
Blue windows had been appearing and vanishing chaotically around Dojin for some time now.
Anyone with even a little knowledge about Players could immediately recognize what those windows were.
Donation Windows!
‘Damn it! Why the hell did that monster have to show up in this Arena?!’
Then, suddenly, Dojin’s eyes locked onto a particular window.
His arms and legs continued skillfully keeping the other Players in check and attacking them, but his gaze was blatantly fixed on the newly appeared window.
“……!”
An inexplicable smile suddenly spread across his pale face.
A smile that sent chills through every Player around him.
***
“Interesting.”
Viewers occasionally sent windows like this to Players who were in the middle of an Arena Quest.
Most of the time, it was simply some wealthy person with too much money and time amusing themselves.
But Dojin could not ignore the Mission Window he had just received.
- [CheerfulMask] donated 20 Gold.
Mission: Destroy all the discs for 500 Gold. Smash everyone who picks a fight with you for 20 Low-Grade Mana Stones.
Accept?
Yes / No
Dojin did not particularly care about the Gold or Mana Stones.
His gaze was fixed on the nickname ‘CheerfulMask.’
“I’ll gladly accept.”
At that moment, Dojin’s eyes flashed sharply.
His mana moved just as fiercely.
“……!”
In an instant, Dojin’s senses and nerves connected anew with the Crow Skeletons.
“Hoo…….”
Perhaps sensing that Dojin was doing something, the Players around him charged even more desperately.
But Dojin remained completely unshaken.
The complex and precise combat thought process he had built up through countless battles where he was always at a numerical disadvantage—merged with the mana connection between the Necromancer and his Minions.
And Dojin’s senses linked with the Skeletons.
SWISH!
On the ground, a Spearman Player thrust his spear at Dojin.
Dojin avoided it simply by taking a single step.
At the same time, he grabbed the spear and tore it from the man’s hands before kicking him away.
ROLL, ROLL, ROLL— CRASH!
“Agh!”
“Urgh!”
The disarmed Spearman rolled across the ground like a barrel before crashing directly into a Priest Player who had been about to use a support Skill.
WHOOSH!
At the same time, high in the air, Apostle deftly evaded one arrow fired from the ground and seized another between its two feet.
Then it used the arrowhead to smash yet another disc.
“That’s impossible!”
The Player who appeared to have fired the arrows at Apostle shouted.
A moment later, a Crow Skeleton shot downward and clawed at the Archer Player’s face.
As the man screamed, Dojin looked across the sky through Apostle’s vision.
The number of discs remaining was……
Seven.
Soon, that became six.
Then four.
“Damn it! At least let me get those!”
A Spirit Summoner on the ground summoned a Wind Spirit.
The problem was that the Spirit he had summoned was the lowest grade and could not even begin to keep up with Apostle’s strength and movements.
CRACK!
And with that, Apostle’s talons shattered the final disc.
Its fragments rained toward the ground.
At that exact moment, the last Player who had attacked Dojin collapsed after being struck down by Dojin’s spear.
***
Discs depleted.
Quest ended.
At last, the Quest was over.
But every challenger who saw the Quest completion window wore a twisted expression.
“That’s impossible! It hasn’t even been an hour yet!”
“M-My score…….”
Almost every challenger had failed to clear the Quest.
Only three people had passed.
Congratulations!
You cleared the Quest in 1st Place.
Rewards will be granted.
Clear Reward: 3 Low-Grade Mana Stones, 50 Gold
1st Place Reward: 1 E-Grade Item
Amazing Achievement!
You are the seventh person in the world to achieve Overflow.
A reward will be granted.
Achievement Reward: 1 Skill (Random)
Extraordinary Achievement!
You are the first person in the world to achieve Overflow in your debut Arena.
A reward will be granted.
Achievement Reward: 1 Item (C-Grade or Higher)
And that was not all.
Level increased (Lv.12 / E-Grade).
“The Tutorial really is nice. Levels go up so easily.”
And then…….
Crow Skeleton (Soldier) shared its master’s EXP.
Level increased (LV.7).
Attack Power increased.
Crow Skeleton (Common) shared its master’s EXP.
Level increased (LV.5).
Mobility increased.
“Are Minions affected by the Necromancer’s Level? That’s somewhat similar to a Spirit Summoner.”
Dojin muttered quietly.
The other people around him were glaring with expressions mixed with frustration and envy, but Dojin paid them no attention.
The chat alone was already enough to make his head spin.
‘It might actually have been quieter while I was fighting.’
Chat Windows and Donation Windows appeared and vanished chaotically around Dojin.
The Public Chat Window where viewers spoke among themselves appeared in midair at the center of the Arena so everyone could see it.
But individual messages sent to a specific Player appeared near that Player, just like Donation Windows.
- A Warrior who controls Minions? Isn’t that cheating?
The message was not wrong.
The five Crow Skeletons, having finished their one-sided hunt for the discs, had obediently returned to Dojin.
There was no longer any doubt that he was a Necromancer.
And yet, he had fought dozens of Players in close combat without giving an inch, like a Warrior!
As a result, the chat was exploding with a level of excitement utterly unlike that of an ordinary F-Grade Arena broadcast.
- Warrior? Necromancer?
- I’ve been looking through the Class list this whole time. There’s no Necromancer Class?
- Isn’t it just his gear? Those Skeletons are probably bone Golems, and he definitely used an Item that boosts his Stats.
……It was so noisy that Dojin decided to check the sponsored Mission first.
- Mission Success: [CheerfulMask] donated 500 Gold and 20 Low-Grade Mana Stones.
- You actually did it?
That message from CheerfulMask was merely the beginning.
A tsunami of messages crashed over Dojin.
- Greetings. I’m a scout from the Manly Guild. Could I possibly get your contact information…….
- You’re pretty good with a spear. Where did you train in spear techniques?
- Hidden Class? Necromancer?
“…….”
Dojin took a slow breath, composing his expression and voice.
“Thank you if you enjoyed what you saw.”
- Host, explain the truth right now!
- May I ask which Guild you belong to?
As he watched the flood of messages pour in, Dojin felt strangely unsettled.
Before his regression, he had never experienced this kind of attention.
Back then, Dojin had not been a particularly active Player.
He had simply gathered a reasonable amount of Mana Stones and Gold while operating quietly enough not to attract attention.
Then the Main Scenario began, and humanity’s numbers started dwindling day by day.
‘By the end, were there only about ten Players left alive?’
And even among those, only five remained when the final battle began, including Dojin himself.
Perhaps that was why.
He did not particularly dislike this noisy atmosphere.
“I suppose I should answer what you’re curious about first?”
While Dojin casually responded to the viewers’ barrage of questions, he looked toward a crowd of people rushing toward him.
They had come running down from the spectator stands.
“Look! It’s the rookie!”
“Please wait!”
With the Quest completed, the Arena returned to its original stadium form.
At the same time, another window appeared above the Arena alongside the chat.
The results of the Quest.
Quest <Disc Breaking> Results
1st: Lee Dojin – 2,417 Discs / 35 min
2nd: Cha Yuri - 100 Discs / 31 min
3rd: Kim Sanghwan - 100 Discs / 34 min
MVP: Lee Dojin / New Overflow Record Achieved!
“…….”
Dojin shrugged and turned his gaze away from the notification window—only to find himself already surrounded by people.
“Hello! You’re Lee Dojin, correct?!”
“I’m the YouTuber Arena Know-It-All! Could I get a quick interview……?!”
“I’m from the Nether King Guild! We’d like to speak with you!”
Their reaction was not excessive in the slightest.
After all, Dojin was the first Player in the entire world to achieve Overflow in his debut Arena!
“Hey, move aside! A talent like this should be recruited by the government……!”
“Who do you think our Guild is?!”
“B-Before that, he should be introduced to the public……!”
“…….”
It was noisy.
But it was not bad.