A million views.

Generally speaking, on UOSpace, where subscriber count and view count don’t always correlate, reaching a million views on all videos typically requires at least three million subscribers.

However, this is an almost impossible feat for most, especially in today’s society where having even a hundred thousand subscribers is considered a significant success.

Of course, the fact that subscriber count and view count don’t correlate also means that even with fewer subscribers, a video’s views can spike if it gets picked up by the algorithm.

But on the flip side, this is largely a matter of luck and cannot be considered the norm.

Harmony didn’t fall into this category.

She was a case of word-of-mouth success.

It’s only natural that even those who watch Streamer Harmony’s broadcasts don’t exclusively watch her content.

Typically, a person subscribes to multiple streamers who match their preferences and tunes in whenever they go live.

Among these streamers, there are those who collaborate, often because of shared interests or for other reasons, and in doing so, they draw each other’s viewers into their respective networks.

It was through this network that Harmony’s Dark Zone playthrough began to spread far and wide.

It was a situation that was bound to go viral from the start. The Dark Zone itself was famous, but it was also a game frequently played by Harmony’s fellow streamers.

Moreover, what she experienced wasn’t just a simple mishap but something much closer to a catastrophe that could have derailed her entire broadcast. It almost did.

However, a stream that should have ended in disaster was instead revived in the most dramatic fashion.

Out of the many elite enemies that even the most skilled players avoid—Yujin took down a Hunter, a foe one should never engage in close combat, with just two strikes from a tomahawk in close quarters.

Yujin appeared like magic at the most desperate moment when Harmony needed help the most and saved her.

A single, restrained but incredibly powerful strike, with limbs being sliced cleanly as if they were mere sticks every time the tomahawk blade made contact. Even the Hunter was no exception.

And then came the moment of retribution everyone wanted.

To expect that such a climax, with its perfect build-up and resolution, wouldn’t spread far and wide would be naive.

Like a drop of ink slowly spreading in a fishbowl, the clips shared by over ten thousand users across various platforms were re-edited, distributed to other streamers, posted on UOSpace, and scattered across the internet.

It would be strange if the view count didn’t rise.

One person shows it to another, and they, in turn, spread it to others.

The chain reaction among both streamers and viewers grew exponentially, and it didn’t take long before those who acted quickly began creating videos about the UOSpace reactions, swiftly racking up views.

Those who were slightly slower or had a different perspective started making analysis videos instead of reaction clips, and three days passed in this way.

The internet sites and UOSpace channels covering the Dark Zone were gradually heating up.

"Hello! This is Unreal, bringing you the latest Dark Zone news for all the dedicated players out there! Please don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell before watching the video!"

A rather muscular-looking avatar.

Standing in front of a tactically styled desk with the safehouse of Dark Zone HQ as the background, the figure stared directly at the camera and began to speak.

It was a strange sight, resembling an armed newscaster, but this was the unique video style that Unreal, the operator of the Dark Zone news channel, had established through much trial and error.

As he spoke, subtitles and edited images and videos naturally appeared and disappeared on the screen.

"Recently, there have been quite a few updates. We have in-game patches, tips submitted by subscribers, and a lot of events. Given how many people are playing the game, there’s no time to let our guard down. Anyway, before I talk too much, let’s get started quickly. First, we’ll cover the gun balance patch that everyone is most concerned about. But before that..."

Given the nature of the game, which caters to millions of simultaneous players, a vast amount of information flows through Unreal's channel.

It begins simply, discussing the various types of firearms that span the entire PvE landscape, then moves on to how these changes impact PvP enthusiasts.

Delving into details could be endless, so even when major topics were covered briefly, time seemed to slip away.

After that, Unreal talked about various changes, the announcement of new raids, and the numerous events tied to the in-game seasons.

Covering all aspects of the game meant that the content naturally became lengthy, but the sheer volume of Dark Zone made this unavoidable. Compared to the length of patch notes or official game announcements, Unreal's summaries were actually quite concise.

"...Phew, this is exhausting. Next up is a segment on minor bug fixes, but I’ll just display them on the screen instead of going over each one.

"To sum it up for you, no bugs or malicious glitches were found that could affect the players or the core game mechanics this time."

He paused to catch his breath.

Normally, or under usual circumstances, he would have wrapped up with a closing comment at this point, saying something along the lines of “see you next time” and editing the video there. After all, like those he informed, he was a gamer too.

So, he would usually finish up and enjoy the game himself afterward.

But not today.

Staring straight at the camera, he quickly added:

"And next up is the player feedback segment. As always, many of you have sent in a wide variety of clips... but I think there’s something specific you all are waiting for today."

"Today, by popular request, I’ll be analyzing the gameplay of a user who’s been making a lot of waves lately—Yujin."

With a single gesture, a video clip popped up in mid-air.

Most were from Harmony’s point of view, but there were a few that weren’t and were waiting to be played.

A neatly organized chronicle of Yujin's activities over the past week appeared on the screen.

"Before we dive in, I should mention that this analysis was made possible thanks to the cooperation of Streamer Harmony and Yujin."

A swish.

The video began playing, and text started appearing over it.

"Let’s start with the clip from the UN assembly hall... Yes, the stance is stable, and there’s no wobbling of the reticle while moving. The grip changes fluidly... And no hiding behind car doors. This user clearly knows their basics."

"And look here, excellent team cover. Even notifying teammates while reloading... Wow, this is not easy to pull off. These are details that many players tend to overlook during engagements, but Yujin seems to miss nothing."

"And next... Is this engagement speed even possible? I’ve never seen anyone fire single shots this quickly. It looks easy, but in reality, this is extremely difficult to do, especially while maintaining accuracy."

The analysis turned from surprise to admiration.

However, as time went on, his expression grew more serious. His words became fewer, and the frequency of his shallow inhales increased.

Many thoughts were swirling in his mind. Based on the information he had received beforehand, this user was supposedly playing in hardcore mode, but these moves seemed impossible in hardcore mode.

There was one thing many people overlooked.

The weight of the term "hardcore mode." It wasn’t just about reduced assistance. It was the equivalent of throwing an ordinary person into a warzone.

Those used to the assistance that mimicked the movements of countless soldiers to the extreme might not fully understand this... Unreal himself had once tried hardcore mode as an experiment, but the results were disastrous.

Is this even possible?

How on earth?

As a few hypotheses began forming in his mind, Unreal cautiously spoke up.

"...Wow, this is impressive. I’m really curious what Yujin does in real life. It seems likely that they’re either in the military or deeply involved in this field...."

The chat window on the right side of the screen filled with messages like "Is it that serious?" but even that didn’t capture the full extent of what was happening.

He was almost certain that this user was something beyond what people were imagining.

The most plausible scenarios he could think of were that Yujin might be a special forces soldier testing third-arm technology, or maybe a PMC... Not just any contractor, but a former soldier of such caliber that private military companies would be eager to recruit them.

In reality, the likely candidates could include U.S. Rangers, Navy SEALs, SWCC, and if we’re talking higher up, DEVGRU or Delta Force. In the UK, it might be the SAS, or in France, the GIGN....

Maybe that’s too far-fetched.

He picked the most moderate possibility that came to mind.

"...Well, it’s possible that they’re someone who used to run a tactical shooting range in the U.S. I’m not sure about the details. Digging deeper might not be appropriate."

It was a rather vague conclusion for such a detailed analysis.

But it was hard to blame him—other UOSpace channels, even those run by former special forces members, couldn’t come to any definite conclusions either.

It was practically a dead end. Without direct confirmation from Yujin and only circumstantial evidence based on their actions, it was impossible to figure it out.

In the end, their analysis only served to fuel more curiosity rather than provide clear answers.

And to add to that, Desperado Team—the five-man squad who had been wiped out by Yujin in the Micanje District in less than a minute—had recently received permission to upload their footage, further intensifying the situation.

The latest video about Yujin on a channel that usually averaged around 5,000 views quickly soared past 200,000, continuing its upward trajectory.

As a result, the comments section exploded with heated debates, with supporters and detractors clashing and causing chaos.

Amid this frenzy, as the discussion about Yujin grew more intense, one suspicion began to creep in.

Hacks.

While the Dark Zone had supposedly eliminated hacks by completely isolating VR devices and computers from external networks, making it impossible to inject any files into the device network, this meant little to trolls or extreme skeptics.

Like throwing plastic and styrofoam onto a well-burning fire to produce harmful smoke, these individuals jumped on the growing buzz to spread all kinds of conspiracy theories.

Among the lowest forms of gossip—yet ones that easily caught people’s attention—were wild speculations and baseless rumors that swept through the community, naturally attracting attention.

Attempts to refute or counter these claims were stifled by illogical arguments, and the resulting online bickering only drew in more people, perpetuating the cycle.

Thus—perhaps unfortunately—their objective was achieved, and many forums and discussion boards began to catch fire.

It was a fine mess, perfectly suited for the heat of August.

-[Harmony: The internet is going crazy, Teacherㅠㅠㅠ]

-[Harmony: I’m getting flooded with emails from people asking if they can get in touch with you, Yujin!!]

-[Yujin: We live in a good time if playing games can make you famous.]

-[Harmony: Noooo ㅠㅠ]

-[Yujin: Just kidding.]

-[Yujin: It does seem like the situation is getting pretty serious.]

No matter how indifferent I am to modern society, it’s not like I completely ignore what’s happening online.

To be precise, I just don’t let myself get caught up in online uproars or worry about what people are saying. That’s all.

That might have been true when I used to live closely tied to my phone and computer.

But while this stance could be seen as neutral, it was actually closer to naive. In simple terms, it could be called neglect, even disregarding things I should be paying attention to.

If left unchecked, things like this don’t just disappear on their own. If not properly addressed, they can grow out of control, bouncing around and damaging the social reputation of those involved.

If, on top of that, Harmony—who merely played the game with me—were to suffer because of it, standing by idly would be irresponsible.

The core of the public uproar was whether I had used hacks.

While many people were adamant that this was realistically impossible, without direct confirmation from me, there would always be doubts.

Proving that I didn’t use hacks should be straightforward, but....

I can’t think of a proper way to do it.

-[Harmony: What are you planning to do?]

-[Yujin: It’s not a big deal. I’ll contact Icarus for an official statement, so it shouldn’t be a problem.]

-[Yujin: But I’m not sure how to make it public in a way that reaches a lot of people.]

-[Harmony: ??]

-[Harmony: Just stream it! o('▽')/☆ﾟ’]

-[Yujin: Stream?]

At that moment, Harmony began flooding the chat with messages as if she’d been waiting for this.

I almost felt dizzy from the torrent of messages filling the chat window like a waterfall, but to sum up the content: she offered to handle the promotion and stream setup, so I only needed to prepare the evidence.

For a moment, I wondered if I should accept such help, but her next words hit the mark.

-[Harmony: You’ve helped me so much more, so don’t feel burdened (❁´▽`❁)]

-[Yujin: Thank you so much (๑′ᴗ‵๑)]

-[Harmony: Ah!!]

-[Harmony: Teacher, you use emoticons too??]

-[Yujin: You use them often, and they looked cute.]

-[Harmony: Hehehehe]

Anyway, things were progressing much faster than I expected.

After a few minutes of discussion, we decided to postpone the stream until after we secured evidence that I hadn’t used hacks and organized it well enough to present to the public.

Still, the sooner, the better. It would be best to act before any baseless rumors started causing real damage.

I didn’t think I’d be contacting these people again.

-[Yujin: I’ll get back to you shortly.]

-[Yujin: I have to make a call.]

-[Harmony: Okay! ^^7]

After taking a brief moment, I picked up my phone.

Amidst the still barren and sparse contacts list that had slowly started to grow, there were two names near the bottom that I hadn’t contacted since my physical assessment.

Icarus PR Team, Assistant Manager Lee Jin-cheol.

Icarus PR Team, Employee Han Seol-ah.

I clicked on the first name and put the phone to my ear.

A familiar voice answered.

My plan was simple.

"Hello, this is Yujin Lee. We met during the physical assessment. Is this a good time to talk?"

-Ah, yes. Hello. It’s been a while since we’ve heard from you. What can I help you with today?"

"Well, the thing is..."

To prove that I wasn’t using hacks, all I needed was official certification from the company.