A Swordsman's Stream

Chapter 106

『25,000 Viewers』

After a two-day break, the stream resumed with an unexpectedly strong response.

Perhaps it was because viewers thought it might be the last stream.

“What? Oh, today I just turned it on lightly. I just wanted to have a casual chat.”

Sojun’s intention wasn’t to have a long stream, just to have fun with people. Even when he played games, he had fun, but a day like this was sometimes necessary.

-Is it right to do this after a two-day break?

Even though it was a two-day break.

-Are you really not playing ‘For Justice’ anymore? Are you really not playing ‘For Justice’ anymore? Are you really not playing ‘For Justice’ anymore?

-Didn’t you say you’d become the cult leader? Didn’t you say you’d become the cult leader? Didn’t you say you’d become the cult leader?

-Just join us… We feel abandoned.

-Our ‘For Justice’ is nice. We don’t bite.

The chat was cluttered with pleas and questions.

『”Interpreter-nim” donated 100,000 won!』
『Turned on for collections, guys. Stop whining and quickly donate.』

The donations reflected a similar sentiment.

Earlier, someone donated two million won, but it wasn’t Sojun’s intention to solicit money.

“Thank you for the donation.”

Acknowledgment was due regardless, because gratitude was deserved.

Sojun leaned back comfortably in his chair as he read the chat and the donations, spending his time in serenity.

Meanwhile, it seemed there were a lot of interesting events happening in ‘For Justice’.

For instance:
『”ㅇㅇ-nim” donated 30,000 won!』
『Is it true that not a single ranker switched to the Demonic Cult? lol』

-They must think it’s a losing cause.
-Just because there was one stroke of luck, who would join a house in ruins? lol
-Only the streamer is left, ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-The Demonic Cult is best as the third option.

Some unfortunate but expected news reached him.

『”Declaration to Move to Tang Clan Influence” donated 40,000 won!』
『???: Because of me, the Unorthodox Faction and Demonic Cult could win on the Battlefield. Now it seems like there is only one force left to receive my help! So I plan to try a new challenge!』

-lolololololololololol
-The true god of short-term stays
-Didn’t you lose a bet to join the Demonic Cult? Why is he acting like he’s the one who carried the team? lol
-Selling in a rising market and running away lol

Some ridiculous news also came through.

Apparently, that person judged that he wouldn’t participate in the next Battlefield, and thinking the Demonic Cult was hopeless, he moved elsewhere.

Typical of him.

He spoke strangely but made accurate situational judgments.

『”No Competition for 1st Place-nim” donated 30,000 won!』
『The Battlefield was fun this time, agreed?』

-Agreed
-Only seemed fun to the Demonic Cult.
-The Orthodox Faction wasn’t entertained.

“Oh. There was competition for first place, too.”

Competition for first place usually gathered significant attention regarding which force would win.

However, Sojun accumulated an overwhelming amount of Reputation Points, which concluded everything without much notice.

『”Reasons Why the Demonic Cult Must Go Crazy” donated 20,000 won!』
『Traveling from the Demonic Cult to reach the center of Zhongyuan is over 3,500km lol No wonder they are going crazy. It’s not their demonic arts. The distance itself is demonic.』

Oh.

That made sense upon reflection.

Sojun clapped his hands together.

“No wonder they are called survivors. It takes quite a stamina to even reach Zhongyuan.”

Unveiling one of the Heavenly Demon School’s significant secrets, Sojun realized.

-What kind of battles have you been fighting, Demonic Cult members? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-They have to travel from Seoul to Busan 8 times or more to invade lol
-We won the Battlefield, so why do you keep teasing us? It’s irritating.
-Because that’s the nature of the Demonic Cult!

Viewers shared community posts and conversed with Sojun, some asked him questions.

Spending some light moments before streaming was something he usually did, but doing it with a serious focus brought more enjoyment.

“Okay. Then from tomorrow, I’ll switch to another game.”

-Are we just the juice to be squeezed before we are abandoned? But still, it’s fine since we won…

-ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-Despite the end of the Battlefield, those who will continue to watch the stream, show your support lol
-Agreed
-Agreed
-Yeah, there’s nothing else to see anyway

Enjoying the comments with an admirable mindset, Sojun spoke.

“Do you know what show I’ll be doing tomorrow?”

The notice was already up.

He was going to collaborate with Taewoo tomorrow.

Taewoo didn’t play ‘For Justice’.

Not because he disliked the concept, but simply because he found it too complicated and the entry barrier too high.

Therefore, viewers may not have been aware, but those who sought out Sojun’s stream to this extent mostly watched iTube.

In other words,

-Class reunion collab with fellow streamers? Can’t miss that lololol
-Prepare to reveal each other’s embarrassing pasts
-How come both friends living together are streamers? This is going to be fun
-Taewoo is a quite big streamer too
-Mandatory collab stream thumbs up

The reactions were positive, which relieved him.

Just because they called it a mandatory stream didn’t mean it should be treated like a chore.

Advertisements accounted for a big portion of a streamer’s income.

The ad they received from MubiSoft previously was more for reputation, thus this could be considered their first proper advertisement.

“Then, see you tomorrow.”

He assured himself to perform as usual.

The advertisers suggested the ad because they believed in that usual demeanor.

Though witnessing the meeting made him feel they might regret it.

Anyway, as usual.

* * *

Sojun didn’t exit the capsule immediately after finishing the stream.

Since he hadn’t been in it at all, he merely got up from his chair to finish.

He caught a whiff of a pleasant aroma and smiled subtly.

A delicious smell wafted from the living room.

Ah.

Late-night snacks post-stream.

“This is living.”

This new happiness had not been something he experienced in his previous life, and Sojun stepped out of the room with a serious expression.

On the table in the living room lay a solitary delivery of chicken.

Though it seemed like he always ate chicken, he didn’t mind.

Sojun appropriately placed a cup, opened the fridge, and took out some cola along with utensils.

“Still streaming, I see.”

Taewoo must have gone back to streaming after setting down the food on the table.

“Should I go for a simultaneous stream?”

Sojun turned on his phone’s Travel app to tune into Taewoo’s stream.

『I’m telling you, that’s not true!』

Taewoo was shouting as soon as he entered.

Realizing that the sound-proof booth was quite effective since none of the noise leaked into the living room, Sojun wondered if he needed one too.

However, what was he denying?

“Guys, despite this, I’m still a master tier. Master. Do you not know I’m in the top 0.1%?”

-(Former) Why didn’t you sustain it?
-You keep boasting about lasting for a day lololol
-When will you release us from this?
-Master pleader lolol

Having joined suddenly, Sojun found it hard to grasp the context of the conversation until Taewoo’s next words provided clues.

『They called me dead weight! Tomorrow I’m going to carry, just wait and see. I have talent too, you know?』

Since he mentioned tomorrow, it was clearly about the collaborative stream.

Sojun promptly took to his phone and typed.

-?

His chat, as a channel VIP, was adorned with various effects, making it stand out conspicuously.

-Hello
-Hello
-Tuned in right after the stream ended, and the streamer-nim is here too
-Hello

Everyone greeted him except the channel’s host.

『What’s with the question mark? Huh? Hurry up and explain. What does it mean?』

-lololololol
-Other people used question marks too?
-How hilarious is it that he had to log in himself if you claim you’ll be carrying lolol

『Are you not going to answer? I’m stepping out to the living room then. Huh? Just try me. In reality, you don’t stand a chance against me.』

Taewoo playfully threw jabs at the camera.

With a smirk, Sojun typed again.

-lol

『lol? Wow, are you scared? Viewers, it seems I’ll have to end the stream and teach him a lesson because of you.』

Fine, just come out quickly.

Sojun opened the chicken package.

Soon, the door opened, and Taewoo stepped out.

“Hey!”

“What?”

Their eyes met, Taewoo stepping out from his room and Sojun seated at the table.

“Well done.”

There we go.

Instead of another jab, Taewoo gave a thumbs-up.

“Thanks to you, I was able to end the stream perfectly.”

“Really?”

“I mean, no one likes cold food, right? You appeared exactly on cue, giving me a signal, showing you have a unique sense for streaming.”

Taewoo settled into his seat and poured cola into a cup.

“I see.”

That could indeed be seen as a cue to end the stream.

“Indeed.”

And then he began gulping down the drink.

Sojun stated with an expression signaling for him to continue.

“So when are you going to teach me a lesson then?”

“Cough. Cough.”

“Luckily, you didn’t spill anything.”

“Cough. Come on, what lesson among friends?”

“You said we aren’t friends.”

“When did I ever say that!”

“That time, when I decided to take your advice on streaming and mirrored it exactly, you said we weren’t friends.”

Taewoo blinked around as if trying to recall those events.

It wasn’t that Sojun bore grudges or had long-standing resentment.

Rather, he was someone who could edit existing memories to favor his situations.

So even if there weren’t any fabricated memories, existing ones would naturally come forth when called upon.

“Come now, how could we not be friends? Just think back to our school days, didn’t I always buy you bread?”

“True.”

“That’s a typical friendship token, isn’t it?”

Authentically done friendships were indeed stated right.

Hmm.

Sojun nodded, reaching for a piece of chicken.

“I’m always ordering late-night snacks near the end of the stream and even when only I’m streaming, I go out to receive the delivery. See?”

Taewoo, passionately preaching moments ago, now recognized his own circumstances.

He shouldn’t realize this.

Sojun quickly replied.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

“Right? So I’m not going to have to go to the gym and fight on the ring, right? We’re friends, aren’t we? We shouldn’t fight.”

“I’ll consider it.”

“Hmm.”

“What are you considering?”

“Wondering if I should stay at home tonight. You wouldn’t come knocking at our doorstep to wake us up in the morning, right?”

Later on, the two burst into laughter.

“By the way, what were you discussing with the viewers on the stream earlier?”

“Collab?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, they kept pestering me about how I’d be dead weight tomorrow, so I had to give them a piece of my mind.”

“Oh? But it’s true, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“If you don’t back me up properly, you’ll literally drag us down.”

“Hey!”

“What?”

“I’m telling you, you should be backing me up instead!”

“But they said it wouldn’t make a difference.”

“Well, nonetheless, just do it!”

Fortunately, Park Hyuksoo was unaware that the two hadn’t settled on their roles yet.