A Swordsman's Stream

Chapter 110

**Garbage Compactor Truck.**

It referred to a vehicle that gathered and compacted garbage into one mass.

This truck, capable of significantly reducing waste volume, appeared similar to a typical truck in reality, but its appearance in the game was slightly different.

No, it was very different.

Perhaps a garbage compactor robot? A toy?

“Is that what they’re using to scoop things up?”

Sojun pointed his finger at the front part of the compactor robot.

“Seems like it. It gathers and then pushes them into the body.”

The toy-like compactor had a rectangular body and head.

Interestingly, the front had long, intimidating plates connected to two arms that resembled scrapers.

“Thankfully, those arms aren’t separated, so it can’t move sideways.”

As Taewoo mentioned, the robot’s arms were indeed integrated.

You could imagine them as hands clasped together with glue applied between, if it were human. The problem was that they resembled scraping tools rather than hands, but in any case, the robot’s arms could only move forwards and backward.

“Sojun, did it really have to catch us right away?”

The blinding headlights emanating from the compacting robot were illuminating them.

Maybe because it was directly facing the mountain from the entrance.

『Is that thing looking at us now?』
『Oh, hello?』

Taewoo’s character waved.

At that moment, the toy’s eyes changed.

From (^ ^) to (＼ ／).

“It’s angry.”

“It’s angry!”

Sojun and Taewoo said simultaneously.

-Taewoo! Didn’t your mom tell you not to mess up?
-What is he going to grow up to be?
-Hahaha, Taewoo’s mom is on.
-Let’s listen to some nagging.

Sojun also scolded alongside.

“It’s because you waved.”

“It wasn’t me but my character.”

“It’s the same thing.”

“Is this collective punishment?”

-Collective punishment lolololol
-The mistake of your character is also your mistake.
-Who told you not to take care of your character?

Regardless, below, Taewoo’s ugly face angered the compactor robot, which started charging at them directly.

It seemed that it wouldn’t be able to climb up the mountain of trash. It had wheels instead of legs.

So the compactor robot lifted its large arms and slammed them down on the trash mountain.

Then it opened the lid of its body, scooped the trash into itself, and closed the lid.

With a vibrating noise, it quickly compressed the trash and spat it out behind, then slammed into the trash mountain again.

Bang!

The vibration was transmitted to them at the top of the mountain.

『Hey? I think it was because you waved.』
『What nonsense! Quickly do something to stop it! Otherwise, this will collapse.』

-They’re saying exactly the same thing hahaha
-It connected.

『Hmm. If we get buried like that, we’ll be helplessly buried and become that toy’s poop.』
『Then hurry up and think of a way. It’s your planned game after all!』

Bang!

The gigantic scraper slammed down again.

The mountain gradually eroded.

『Alright. Let’s run for now.』
『Where to?』
『To that side peak.』
『Isn’t it a bit far?』
『But this is a game, so we might be able to double jump.』
『You crazy? There’s no way that’s possible…….』

Taewoo’s character looked down at the grappling hook neatly tucked at his waist.

『Seems possible?』
『Alright, let’s try it.』

Shake.

As the cubes of trash behind the compactor robot increased, the trash mountain became more unstable.

Now, they really had to jump.

Control was returned to Sojun and Taewoo’s bodies.

A green guide appeared when they looked at the side peak.

“We probably need to jump.”

“Yeah.”

Sojun turned his body toward the side peak following the guide mark, then concentrated on his feet.

‘But how should I do a double jump?’

Perhaps Taewoo, having played many other games, knew how?

Fortunately, it was a tutorial, so the trash mountain was precarious but didn’t seem like it would collapse soon.

“Hey, what exactly is a double jump?”

Is it similar to the lightness skill?

“Um.”

“Isn’t it in other games too?”

“It is, but it varies slightly between games. Usually, when you try to push off the air, you’ll feel a platform under your feet, and if you jump then, it usually works, but…”

“Really?”

He had to try it once.

“I’m jumping first.”

Sojun pushed off the ground with force and jumped into the air.

From the moment he jumped, he felt a noticeably stronger jump power.

The long hang time.

Thanks to that, Sojun could comfortably focus on the sensation in his feet while suspended in the air.

A foothold?

‘There’s a feeling of something catching my feet.’

But the angle was slightly off.

If he pushed off now, he would shoot down headfirst into the trash pile like a rocket.

Sojun figured out how to make slight adjustments to the foothold during that brief moment and timed his double jump.

Ultimately, it was a domain of sensory perception.

By not applying enough force to push himself off in midair while moving his legs, he could make subtle adjustments.

Swish.

A clean landing.

Sojun successfully landed with his feet sinking slightly into the trash.

“Whew. That’s quite difficult, isn’t it?”

It was certainly more challenging than the lightness skill.

-Indeed, talented lolololol
-How does he not slip even once?
-He did the same thing with lightness skill.
-Isn’t this just easy for him?
-You’ll see once you look over there.

“Nicely done! Then I’ll jump too!”

Taewoo shouted and jumped.

However, Sojun frowned as he saw Taewoo’s starting foot slipping.

“Oh no?”

Even without seeing the result, it was obvious.

But surprisingly, Taewoo managed to do the double jump correctly and landed below Sojun on the peak.

An intermediate height, it was.

“See that? Recovering from a bad jump like that.”

Taewoo started boasting.

“Nicely done.”

-Experience can’t be underestimated.
-Wow!
-Yeah. Taewoo is also pretty high tier.

Each game might have a similar concept or feel for double jumps, but the set ability stats are always different.

Taewoo, who managed to perform a double jump with an unadapted physical spec in a new game, showed considerable potential.

Sojun gave him a thumbs-up.

“Well done. You’ve got great skills, hm?”

“Yeah? I’m not quite at your level, but I’m still in the top 0.01%, you know.”

-I don’t think he’s in the top 0.01% though? Was it around 0.2%?
-He’s bragging about being a master again lololol
-But what’s that behind him?
-Haha Oh my god lololol

Sojun praised him with a thumbs-up. The reaction of his friend, who usually didn’t show this kind of response, made Taewoo cheerful.

“You guys saw that, right? The Heavenly Demon acknowledged it.”

And then.

Taewoo noticed the meaningful smile on Sojun’s face.

He suddenly felt uneasy.

Unexpectedly, Sojun’s hand, which had been giving a thumbs-up, had opened, as though bidding farewell.

And then.

Bang!

A giant screen descended from the sky to obscure Taewoo’s view as he looked up at Sojun.

A screen?

Why was this?

Oh, right.

“Hey! Jin Sojun, you jerk! Why didn’t you say anything?”

The compactor robot’s scraper.

Taewoo, who had landed midway, was swept away by the garbage heap and got sucked in.

“Hmm. Everyone, what happens in this kind of situation?”

Sojun observed closely.

He was serious.

-Psycho lololololololol
-Deliberately distracting a friend as soon as he landed shows how true he is lololol
-His mind rotates so fast there’s not a moment of hesitation!

Psycho? How absurd, Sojun thought.

“Aren’t I supposed to see what happens when you die just once?”

Sojun was misunderstood.

Taewoo was nowhere to be seen.

Then Taewoo reappeared at Sojun’s side.

“Wow… are you seriously doing this?”

“Oh, seems like we revive like this, huh. Taewoo, can you see any HP gauge or lives left?”

“…… There’s nothing, you jerk.”

Taewoo resigned to it.

“Guess I’ll just have to be more careful then, geez.”

Below them, the toy began to blaze again.

(＼ ／)

Bang! Bang!

The ground on which Sojun was standing shook dangerously.

Feeling it might collapse soon this time, Sojun looked around.

Without knowing the jump power before, it seemed distant, but now it seemed like many of the surrounding peaks scattered around were at distances reachable by a double jump.

Sojun spoke up.

“Let’s move before it collapses. Is the guide gone now?”

“Probably, we’ll find it while dodging.”

Sojun lightly jumped to the side once more.

Despite not putting in great effort, he was able to make straightforward long-distance jumps.

He kicked again mid-air.

Swish.

Showing a perfect landing, Sojun tapped his toes on the ground a few times to ease his calves.

Taewoo went to the opposite peak, and the compactor robot followed him.

“See? I told you it’s because he waved that it got angry.”

Sojun laughed while stretching his upper body this time.

There seemed to be narration coming up soon.

Indeed.

『Why’s that thing so angry? Any way to stop it?』
『Hmm. Can’t you hook those grooves on its shoulders with a grappling hook?』
『Try to make it crash into walls? Rip it apart? Do we have the power for that? There’s quite a size difference.』

The game provided clues through its narration.

“Seems like we’re supposed to use this rope somehow.”

Sojun pulled out the rope from his waist.

Looking at the robot’s shoulder where Taewoo had gone, he could see grooves suitable for hooking.

But it seemed out of reach for now.

“Sojun, mind if I give it a try?”

As Taewoo spoke, he threw the grappling hook towards the robot’s left shoulder.

However, the short rope returned to Taewoo’s grip, and the robot, as if determined to drag him down, slammed into the trash heap.

Bang!

“I’ll try getting a bit closer and do it.”

Taewoo balanced himself and skied down, calculating the distance as he went.

“Done!”

Taewoo threw the rope.

Sojun approached closer to watch.

But.

“Hey, be careful…….”

-Oh gosh, is he getting caught again?
-Dodge it, man!

A long board loomed over Taewoo’s head.

If this side’s range is reached, then that side’s is too?

Bang!

Swoosh.

Taewoo was swept away and died once more.

It was an undeniably anticlimactic death.

Sojun waited briefly for Taewoo to revive, then spoke.

“This seems to have quite a level of difficulty.”

Even if caught off guard, Taewoo wasn’t the type to die so easily.

However, the enemy exhibited incredibly fast and-nimble reactions.

Could this game really be a simple co-op game?

It was reminiscent of a difficult, extremely well-known souls-like game that even Sojun knew of.

-Hahaha
-The streamer doesn’t know yet.
-Now, the trouble begins lololol

What’s this?

Comments in his chat were saying incomprehensible things.

Perhaps a new mission had been triggered?

『Clear this boss battle on the current difficulty level in one try — Mission reward: 600,000 won』

“Thanks for the mission. But why are you all laughing?”

And difficulty level?

The person who answered Sojun’s question laced with doubt was Taewoo, who had just been revived.

“Hey, did you see the mission?”

Since Taewoo was streaming together with Sojun, the mission popped up for both of them simultaneously.

“Yeah.”

“Ha, just when we were assigned the mission, I have to mention, I’m down to one life.”

“Huh?”

“And right now, this game’s difficulty is Nightmare, the highest level.”

“Why?”

“It’s because you’re so good at games, it seemed like it would be fun to set it to Nightmare.”

True enough.

“When did you change it?”

“While we were choosing characters earlier. Since entering settings pauses the game, I figured you’d notice, so I did it while it was completely stopped.”

Cunning indeed.

Though, putting that aside.

“Why didn’t you mention the lives?”

“Because it’d be just like you killing me anyway.”

A deserved fate then.

Sojun accepted this and sorted out the situation.

So right now, the game was at the highest difficulty.

As it was a co-op game, Taewoo was necessary.

But with Taewoo having one life left, was this setup so they could bet this much money now?

『+Reward increased by 9,000 won』
『+Reward increased by 2,000 won』
『+Reward increased by 5,000 won』
『+Reward increased by 10,000 won』

.

.

.

What is this?

Isn’t this a jackpot?

-With Taewoo too, this is really a safe asset!!
-This is truly going to be the kind of challenge the streamer can’t succeed in lol
-Quick, everyone invest!