Chapter 146: Unharmed?

Inside the Star Dust platform’s office building, Yuan Feng had specifically kept two senior executives on standby because of Luo Chen’s livestream, just in case anything unexpected happened. This was not excessive caution or some sort of persecution complex. It was simply a precaution based on experience. After all, Luo Chen managed to stir up some major news every few days, so they had no choice but to stay alert.

As the person in charge of the gaming section, Wu Qing naturally did not need to work overtime like the employees below her. Unless something important came up, she had a fairly leisurely time of it.

“Heh… Chaos, no damage? Isn’t he afraid of crashing and burning by tempting fate like that?”

Wu Qing had been planning to watch the livestream to kill some time, and happened to see Luo Chen selecting the difficulty. She could not help but sneer.

“You can’t put it that way. Since that kid is so confident, surely he won’t fail?”

Zhao Hong, who had nothing better to do, wandered over as well. He was rather confident in Luo Chen. He had never played the God of War series himself, but surely someone who dared to make such a bold declaration would be able to follow through.

“Oh? How about we make a bet?”

Wu Qing stared at Zhao Hong with an ambiguous smile. She had never played God of War III, of course, but as the person in charge of the gaming section, she had watched other streamers play it. Who did not die once or twice during a livestream? Some less-skilled players might even get stuck at a difficult section. No matter how good someone was, sometimes a little luck was necessary.

“A bet?”

Zhao Hong gave Wu Qing a long look. Where had this woman gotten such confidence? Had he overlooked something?

“I bet he fails the no-damage run. Don’t worry, the stakes aren’t high. The next time we have to work overtime like this, you just have to ask the manager to let you take my place.”

Seeing his hesitation, Wu Qing shook her head. She had originally wanted to raise the stakes, but he was far too timid.

Zhao Hong thought it over. There did not seem to be anything to fear. It was not as though he was certain to lose.

“Fine. It’s only overtime, after all. Let’s bet.”

…

“We created a peaceful world, a prosperous world. A world where, under our protection, people could live in peace and safety…”

As the opening narration ended, the game officially began.

The fog of war shrouded Mount Olympus, which towered into the heavens. Titans standing dozens, even hundreds, of meters tall climbed the colossal mountain, led by Gaia, the mother of the gods, as they launched their revenge against the Olympians. Within the palace at the summit of Mount Olympus, the gods gazed down at everything unfolding below.

“Welcome to Mount Olympus. I’m Pure-hearted Little Angel. These five people are the Four Heavenly Kings of Mount Olympus: the God of the Underworld, the God of the Sea, the God of the Sun, the Messenger of the Gods, and the King of the Gods. Don’t worry about their dazzling hairstyles or their cataracts, and don’t worry about how Zeus is clearly the younger brother of Poseidon and the God of the Underworld, yet looks like their grandfather. Well… isn’t it common knowledge that the Four Heavenly Kings have five members?”

Just as the audience’s attention was focused on the grand opening, Luo Chen’s sarcastic commentary drifted slowly into the stream. Who knew what the design team had been thinking? The models of the gods were far too flamboyant, each of them looking as though they had just gotten a perm.

The spiky, fat Hades could perhaps be forgiven, but what was the meaning of Zeus’s cataract-like eyes and Hermes’s dazzling hairstyle, which looked like a glowing lightbulb? Even if they were villains, there was no need to make them look this ridiculous.

The fans had originally been awestruck by the gods’ imposing entrance. But after taking a closer look at the Olympians who had appeared on-screen, they nearly burst out laughing.

[Are these the Five Heroes of Olympus?]

[They’re the Olympus F4, surely?]

[Is it common knowledge that the Four Heavenly Kings have five members? I didn’t read many books, so don’t try to fool me.]

[So flamboyant! Wash, cut, and blow-dry!]

[Why is Hades a short, fat, vacant-looking ape-faced old man? Give me back my handsome Lord of the Underworld!]

…

While the fans were busy making jokes, the guards of Olympus leapt down from the air and launched a counterattack, only to be crushed to death by a single slap from Gaia, the Earth goddess, who stood hundreds of meters tall.

“The enormous Titans are climbing Mount Olympus. Kratos—the God of War—has killed the three Sisters of Fate and altered the timeline, returning to the past to find Gaia. He leads the Titans into the present, where they will wage a final battle against the Olympian gods!”

After that mythic opening, Luo Chen began explaining the background story as the camera returned to the protagonist, Kratos. The first dozen or so skeleton guards were naturally no challenge for him. Even the next one or two stages, designed to familiarize new players with the controls, offered him not the slightest difficulty.

“Since I have some time now, let me explain the objectives for today’s livestream. Chaos! No damage! Full collection! Chaos refers to the difficulty, of course. No damage means that, aside from health lost during cutscenes, I won’t take a single hit. As for full collection, that refers to collectible items and hidden chests. Since I won’t need the healing chests at all, I won’t waste time opening them.”

With a few casual movements, Luo Chen used the protagonist on-screen to dispatch the skeleton guards before him, taking the opportunity to explain the goals of the livestream.

He remembered that one stage in God of War III forced the player to take damage once. It was probably a system bug. If he did not explain that in advance, people like Ruan Hongyi—who were dissatisfied with or even hated him—might seize on it and refuse to let the matter go.

Luo Chen only wanted to prevent a misunderstanding, but that was not how the audience interpreted it.

[Waste time opening chests? Good heavens! When I played God of War III, I searched everywhere for chests just to find supplies, and you’re complaining that it’s too much trouble?]

[Aside from damage taken in cutscenes, you won’t take a single hit? Amazing! I salute you for making that declaration, Angel!]

[That’s quite a flag you’ve raised. I’ve already prepared the popcorn. Just waiting to watch you get humbled!]

[Nothing more to say. The betting pool is already open. I bet one dime—if you complete the no-damage run, I’ll send you a tip immediately!]

[One dime? You’re really something. I bet a thousand… Star Dust coins!]

[Poor people, step aside. I’m betting two thousand Star Dust coins!]

…

Luo Chen was both amused and helpless. His fans had actually started a betting pool. He had only wanted to clarify the scope of “no damage” and “full collection” in advance. But seeing the screen flooded with wagers, he decided that if they wanted to misunderstand him, so be it. At least his declaration had not been made in vain.

Most of the wagers were only a few dozen coins, but there were also wealthy fans tipping several hundred. With at least tens of thousands of comments filling the screen, the total had to amount to several hundred thousand coins, right?

Of course, there was no telling how many of those wagers would actually be honored in the end. Still, Luo Chen would be perfectly satisfied if even a tenth of the free tips came through.

Just as Luo Chen was about to turn his attention back to the game, a golden comment nearly blinded every viewer in the room…

(Thanks to the readers Raging Demon of Troubled Times and Lonesome Solitude for the hundred Origin Coins. Flower shower! As always, please support the novel!)