Escape Depends on Talent (4)
The hardcore gar of Escapers, 'Indiana Kings,' had his own sense of pride.
'I never knew I had a talent for this kind of thing.'
Liking sothing and being good at it were two different things. Still, most people tended to like what they were good at.
He was no different.
He preferred using his head over moving his body, and the catharsis he felt solving intricate puzzles was unlike what he experienced with other gas.
That's why he got hooked on Escapers in the first place.
'It's this fun—so why are there so few players...?'
He had long since experienced every solo the, and for co-op mode, it was frustrating because others couldn't keep up with his level. Naturally, he gravitated to hosting the competitive mode.
But there weren't many people like him. That's why his excitent upon discovering a newbie was all the greater.
'First ga and a first kill right away?'
He started the ga thinking he'd carefully nurture the newcor. But witnessing the newbie's performance, he thought differently.
'This one's got real talent.'
That newcor sparked sothing new in him, who had been falling into a rut even in competitive mode.
For the first ti in a while, his passion surged.
Maybe that was why he finished puzzles even faster than usual today.
By chance, the newbie beca the target of the curse he completed.
'But the world of competition is rciless.'
With the system ssage, his view shifted. Surrounded by black insects, the newcor seed dood to drop out.
'Even so, this kind of talent isn't common. If guided well, he could reach my level. I should send a friend request, play so co-op, and introduce him to the community.'
He began planning a special track for this talented rookie.
But there was sothing he didn't know.
The rookie's talents went far beyond what he'd seen.
"... Huh?"
At first, he thought it was just a cute struggle from the newbie. Who climbs onto the altar to fight bugs?
But the more he watched, the more off it seed.
"What is this...?"
He muttered out loud.
The killcam, which was supposed to end with the bugs swarming the newbie, was still going.
Amazingly, that newbie was defeating the countless bugs.
And with perfect accuracy—no misses—and at an unbelievable speed.
"No way..."
He couldn't help but be appalled.
Just who was this newbie? Was such play even allowed?
Even as a self-proclaid fixture of Escapers, he had never seen anything like it.
* * *
With a shattering sound effect, the last bug exploded.
Lee Gyeongbok exhaled and tossed aside the extinguished torch and sticky bug-juice-covered stick.
"It's over now."
With his words, the chat window erupted.
– He did it! He actually did it!
– No way, lolol, he really cleared them all, rofl
– Note: Elden's Only Sword also handles dual-wield well
– The user who cast the curse must be dumbfounded, lol
– Seriously lol probably watching helplessly on killcam
– ???: What the heck, damn? Give my kill back!
– But is this even okay?
– For real lol, won't the ga call it a bug?
– Ah, is this another Perfect-bug run?
The viewers couldn't hide their satisfaction—or their doubts. After all, it was a puzzle ga. Was this kind of play even allowed?
As if to answer, a system ssage appeared.
['PerfectPlay' has survived!]
[The Pharaoh's Wrath is still burning!]
There was no error.
On the contrary, the survival ssage confird that this, too, was an intended part of play.
– Haha lol developers are flexible after all
– Not quite From tier but still detailed lolol
– But honestly, did they ever expect soone to survive this way?
– For real lol who beats bugs with a torch?
– Thought it was trash, but it's actually a god ga, lol
– GOTY material?
– Dang lol, didn't care before but now I'm tempted
– Hyung! Will you play more? If you do viewer participation, I want to buy it too!
Lee Gyeongbok grinned at the chat window and shrugged.
"Hm, well, I've even got the season pass. If you ntion viewer participation, maybe we can try co-op mode together soti too. Let's see how things go first."
– Haha, wait up, I'm buying the ga now
– Even in Escapers, the zero-to-sixty bus never stops!
– But to be honest, we're all just going to bus along lol
– For real lol I can already see the viewers zoning out and then escaping
– Room escape is fun, though
– Even if you don't do viewer gas, it'll be good with friends
– Wait, does that friend an a girl friend...?
– Friend...? Do viewers even have friends?
– Please, popular people, stop pretending to be outsiders!
– Ah, guess I was too genuine again
The flood of comnts paused as a new system ssage captured everyone's attention.
['Bran of the Brass Beard' has completed the ritual!]
['The Mummy's Curse' will befall one escaper.]
While Lee Gyeongbok faced the bugs, another player had completed the ritual.
– Huh? Is this a delayed attack?
– Lol, what will you do if the mummy shows up?
– Just smash the mummy too!
– Mummy: Sharing tales of dying twice, lol
– Is this a defense ga or an escape room ga? Hahaha
But the viewers weren't worried. Thankfully(?), the curse didn't fall on Lee Gyeongbok.
[The soul of 'Indiana Kings' has beco a sacrifice.]
– Even a 30-clear hardcore gar can't handle the curse, scary
– Only Godple can pull this off!
– Must've been so unfair for him, lol
– For real, usually it'd be a 1:1 against Godple
– But what were the odds, facing Godple!
– A truly honorable death, lol
– He was a fine hardcore gar, rIP
– Brainplay specialist, fell here lol
– Should've co equipped with physical stats, haha
Thus, Lee Gyeongbok survived while the strongest player was eliminated.
That left it 1:1—only two escapers remaining.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, the torch went out. The view was quickly shrouded in darkness, when suddenly the torch reignited with a blue fla.
The room layout had changed again.
"Oh, I know this. It's Anubis, right?"
On either side now stood statues with black wolf heads—Anubis, one of the Egyptian gods.
He looked around.
On the floor, he saw scattered rocks engraved with vertical hieroglyphs. Across from them, a golden pharaoh statue held a stone tablet and an hourglass.
〈The Pharaoh, after receiving the sacrifice, cald his wrath. But he could not simply let the sinners go.〉
The narration ca through.
– Oh lol, definitely has that finals vibe
– Shh! There might be a hint in the narration!
– Purple viewers, focus on!
– But honestly, how would we know, lol
〈The Pharaoh decided to give the sinner a final chance. Anyone who erected an obelisk in honor of the sun and the Pharaoh would be granted rcy.〉
With the narration, Lee Gyeongbok and the viewers realized,
"Ah, the final challenge must be solving the sa puzzle."
– Yup, exactly right
– The changes but final puzzle is always sothing like this, lol
– Ready for brainplay showdown!
– Spoiler: Godple wins
– Lol, I just want to see *how* he wins!
– Those rocks must be the obelisk materials?
Getting a feeling for the situation, Lee Gyeongbok and viewers focused on the narration.
〈You must stack the obelisk stones from heaviest to lightest. If you make a mistake, the rocks will shatter. And if that happens, you cannot avoid the Pharaoh's wrath.〉
– ????
– Dang, only one chance?
– ss up and you're out, lol
– Wow, not easy at all
– Might be smart to bank on your opponent making a mistake
– But he's a hardcore gar—would he even ss up? Lol
There was only one try—a single round for all the marbles. The viewers found the tight restriction all the more thrilling.
〈Can you build the obelisk safely within the ti limit?〉
As the narration ended, the Pharaoh flipped the hourglass.
[10:00:00]
With sand pouring down, a tir appeared before his eyes, the numbers whirring rapidly.
– Only 10 minutes!?
– Whoa, nerve-racking lol
– Definitely hardcore gar content
– Quick, get moving!
– Check the stone tablets!
Even without the viewers' urging, Lee Gyeongbok was already in motion. He quickly examined the stone tablet the pharaoh was holding.
[■△□□□]
[■□□□△]
[△□□□□]
...
There were five hieroglyphs and five empty squares. Interestingly, so squares were filled in depending on the hieroglyph combination.
Lee Gyeongbok furrowed his glabella.
– What is this?
– Rocks matching the tablet materials are here too!
– The hieroglyphs probably correspond to those rocks?
– So we have to put them in the right order...
– Ah! I know what this is!
Comnts flooded in. Lee Gyeongbok snapped his fingers lightly.
"This is like number baseball."
If both number and order are correct, it's a strike; if only the number is correct, it's a ball; if neither, it's an out—the logic puzzle.
The viewers imdiately understood. The puzzle, despite everything, was actually quite familiar.
"Looks like I put the stones into the tablet to check my answer."
There were grooves in the tablet to fit the stones. As Lee Gyeongbok picked up a stone, a thud echoed.
Turning to the source, he saw the Anubis statue move as if coming to life. The statue then picked up the sa rock Lee Gyeongbok had.
– Whoa, what?
– Look at that production!
– Haha, so Anubis does the stacking!
– Surprisingly high quality
– Is this the ti to admire? Hurry and work out the combos!
– Crowd-sourced intelligence ON!
– So the filled-in squares an the order and the hieroglyphs both match?
– At least we've figured out the first step
Viewers were impressed while also trying to solve the puzzle, but Lee Gyeongbok grabbed all the stones before they could continue.
The chat window filled with question marks.
– Wait, again?
– Huh? You can't just solve number baseball by ntal math...
– Yeah, this isn't like deducing from context clues
– Already have the answer?
– How is he even using his brain???
While touching the stones and reading the chat, Lee Gyeongbok shook his head.
"No, you don't need to do number baseball for this."
That statent froze the chat window for a mont.
What was that supposed to an? To deny the given puzzle itself?
As the viewers tried to wrap their heads around this, Lee Gyeongbok started fitting stones into the grooves.
– Huh? Hey hey hey!
– Hyung! Please stay calm!
– Surely you have a reason for this!
– You know there's only one chance, right?
– Ah, this is making lose my mind
– This is my first ti getting dizzy from Purple confidence lol
The viewers panicked.
Only one shot—shouldn't you at least think it through?
But there was no ti to stop him.
Fitting five stones didn't take long.
– It's done! He did it again!
– Anubis is moving, whoa
– Totally locked in, lol
– The boldness is insane
– No matter what, the follow-through is amazing
Following Lee Gyeongbok's input, anubis started stacking the stones in that exact order. The statue seized the first stone. Then, it lifted the second.
Everyone held their breath.
"It's fine."
Lee Gyeongbok laughed quietly while checking the chat window.
Sure enough, the second stone was stacked—without anything breaking.
– Dang, this is nerve-wracking
– Did you really know what you were doing?
– Why does this even work!?
– Hyung! You weren't just winging it, right? You'll explain, right? Please?
– What just happened!?
As viewers clamored for an explanation, Lee Gyeongbok grinned mischievously.
"Want to know? Honestly, it's more fun just watching."
– Co on, stop ssing with us!
– I can't believe I'm actually this dumb!
– Sir Purple, please answer us!
– Bring us the solution already...
– We're dying here!
– The viewer solidarity is strong, lol
– He really is a broadcast genius!
Lee Gyeongbok chuckled gently. By then, anubis was stacking the third stone.
Still no collapse.
"It's really simple. I didn't even use my head for this."
Anubis soon went for the fourth stone as Lee Gyeongbok continued.
"These stones—they each felt a little different in weight."
– ?
– Eh?
– You could feel the weight difference?
– What are you even saying!
– You can tell the weight of those little stones?
– (Kemalcon)(Kemalcon)(Kemalcon)
– Godple could do it, lol
– I think this one is for real!
Anubis placed the fourth—still perfect. Finally, it picked up the last stone.
Lee Gyeongbok bead brightly.
"I'm serious, you know?"
As if answering him, anubis placed the fifth stone. The five-stone tower didn't budge at all.
Anubis capped it by placing a small pyramid on top, completing the obelisk.
['PerfectPlay' has completed the obelisk!]
['Anubis's Judgnt' befalls the remaining explorer!]
Another system ssage appeared.
Then the view shifted to his opponent.
He was dragging his finger over the sand, running through various combinations.
"Huh?"
Finally, he must have seen the ssage—sitting upright with a look of total disbelief.
The Anubis statue was approaching him.
"Already? You've already solved it?"
His complexion changed completely—he looked crestfallen, as if he sensed his end.
The viewers chuckled at the sight.
– Wow, I'd be so salty too
– For real lol didn't think he'd lose like this
– An honorable death, as always...!
– If only his opponent wasn't Godple!
– ???: What kind of ga is this!?
– Even high praise can't do this justice, lol
Anubis hoisted a huge stone. Then, as if the outco needn't be shown, the view promptly changed.
〈Congratulations! You have cald the Pharaoh's wrath and successfully escaped the pyramid!〉
[You Are Escaper!]
The narration and the clear ssage appeared together. At that mont, the background seed sucked into a door and sealed shut.
Back at the main nu, before anyone realized it.
– Godple wins! Godple wins! Godple wins! Godple wins!
– Finished the tutorial, conquered competitive mode right away lol
– Breaking news: David Copperfield confesses! 'The real mage is in Korea.'
– Physical is magical! Physical is magical! Physical is magical!
– Escapers is an easy ga, lol, gonna go stomp it!
– But I'm always the one getting stomped lol
– Breaking news: World Proverb Association corrects 'Knowledge is power' to 'You get knowledge if you have power!'
– What's the World Proverb Association now? lol
– It's wrong, but it kinda feels true so it's infuriating, lol
– Q. What can't Purple do? A. Not do anything.
– Recap please
The viewers celebrated wholeheartedly. Lee Gyeongbok bowed lightly, looking at the chat.
"Thank you for the congratulations. Soone's going to think I just won so big official tournant at this rate."
– Ah lol that humble attitude
– Mhmm! Of course Purple drama can't be left out
– ???: How can you have neither physical nor brainpower?
– Ah, at least the jokes are acknowledged
– For real lol Purple viewers, forget actual effort, just study jokes!
As self-mocking comnts filled the chat, Lee Gyeongbok snickered.
[A ssage has arrived.]
A system ssage suddenly popped up. This wasn't a brain scan feature—it was within the ga itself.
Viewers imdiately took notice.
– Oh lol, is this from the hardcore gars earlier?
– Going for a rematch?
– Nah, they're just curious about Godple's solution, I bet
– Could be lol
– Haha, just watch the stream!
– Might as well beco Korean now, lol
– Still haven't subscribed to Purple channel?
– Honestly, you should have to subscribe to Purple channel in order to get Korean citizenship
– Citizenship exam, lmao
But Lee Gyeongbok's thoughts differed.
'Strange? I'm pretty sure Byunghoon said he disabled ssages in the settings?'
Even if it's a niche ga, there could be stream viewers. To avoid interrupting the broadcast, he'd set it so no ga ssages would co in.
aning, only one kind of person could bypass those settings.
'As expected.'
After checking the ssage, he was sure.
[Imprisoner]
[Hello, Purple!
This is 'Imprisoner', head developer of Escapers!
I've been watching your broadcast.
First of all, congratulations on clearing the ga!]
Only soone from the dev team would have permission to override the settings.
Unaware of that, the viewers were surprised by the unexpected sender.
– Lol, a developer appears!
– Why Imprisoner?
– It ans 'one who imprisons'
– I heard his real last na is Im, lol
– True hardcore gar, right?
– Of course he'd be watching if he handed out the ga codes
– Honestly, even the developer would be surprised by that play, lol
– There's still more ssage—scroll down!
Lee Gyeongbok scrolled through.
[Watching your broadcasts, I've always found your play style awe-inspiring. But I never imagined you'd pull that off in our ga.
Actually, the ga wasn't designed for it to be cleared that way...]
– Lololol
– Turns out it was a complaint ssage?
– ???: That's not how you're supposed to play (seriously)
– Haha, laughing for real
– Honestly, who'd plan for soone to beat it with physical prowess!
Lee Gyeongbok snickered and continued reading.
[For the last obelisk puzzle, the stones actually differ in weight by 0.1g.
You'd need a digital scale to even notice... How did you do it?]
– ?
– 0.1g difference?
– What the heck, that's even wilder
– Wow, and you actually felt it?
– Godple's physical prowess is legendary
– Officially, this is beyond human
The viewers gawked at that ability, while Lee Gyeongbok was amazed in a different way.
"Wow, so the devs implented a 0.1g difference? That's so crazy attention to detail."
His praise drew plenty of agreent. It was impressive not only that he noticed, but that the devs implented such fine distinctions in the first place.
[Anyway, leaving it like this might make viewers misunderstand our ga.
Would it be okay if we set up an official session to explain? I'll be waiting for your answer!]
That was the end of the ssage.
The chat was filled with endless 'lol's.
– Ranked #1 strear who makes Forbes-listed devs explain themselves
– Didn't the sa thing happen back during Bark?
– For real lol, there was a cutscene issue back then
– This Perfect-bug is an established tradition at this point, lol
– Godple's existence itself is beyond the system!
– Isn't that obvious? How can a god be contained within a system?
Lee Gyeongbok scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.
"I an, it just worked, so I figured might as well try."
– Only you could manage that lol
– There needs to be a warning now: 〈This ga is designed for ordinary players.〉
– QA is probably upset as well
– ???: If you don't prohibit it, it's fair ga, right?
– Is this what they an by heaven-and-earth perspective?
– Aren't viewers in the basent, though?
– PlantWiki/Purple/Controversy
As jokes and playful jabs ca in, Lee Gyeongbok clapped his hands.
"Alright, sounds good! I'll et with Imprisoner for an official explanation segnt!"
The viewers rejoiced.
– Haha, it's ti for the Purple coin to rise!
– The montum is so natural
– What was it called... Yup, pri howork content!
– Who else gets howork just by playing gas live!?
– I'd never miss this opportunity
– Even business-ignorant people flock to Godple
After all, seeing their favorite strear earn that level of recognition was sothing to be proud of.
---
**New Nas, locations, skills, techniques—List**
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