A Swordsman’s Stream

Chapter 41

The Assassin’s Dawn Community.

Amben.

This was a place where viewers gathered not only to interact in real-time with streamers but also to share amusing things they had encountered with others.

『Horror, bizarre) A User Disappears in Mid-air in Real-time』

“Where did this user possibly go?”

-The streamer handled it, so rest assured! (Picture of a raccoon)
└ Hahahahahaha
-Nameless sent them to Nirvana, haha
└ He sends them off to Nirvana at will; Nameless is truly the G. O. A. T.
└ But what is Nirvana?
└ It’s the name of a new skill.
└ Seriously?

『Isn’t it just the god of streaming blessing them with perfect timing?』

– Genius of streaming, Jin Sojun! Genius of streaming, Jin Sojun! Genius of streaming, Jin Sojun!
-Or maybe he conspired with MubiSoft. It couldn’t have been that perfectly timed otherwise, hahaha.
└ The streamer loves dramatic renditions.
-He saw the game’s punishment message instead of life flashing before his eyes.
└ Hahahahahaha

『But if you want to bully others, shouldn’t you be skilled at a game like the streamer and do it legitimately?』

“Why stay cowardly like a beginner in the novice zone and get banned like Baekho? Truly clueless.”

-Is that even possible?
-Don’t you get it? It’s that you don’t know how to be good like the streamer, right? Right?
└ Ah, the post’s author meant this, haha, I almost got angry for a second.
└ Really, laughing out loud. Did someone wonder why they don’t act like the streamer? Is there any idiot who thinks they don’t know because they can’t do it?

『I just checked. Baekho’s account was deleted, hahaha, someone else took the nickname.』

-Not “For Justice”, but I envy it!
-And someone even snatched the Baekho nickname in the meantime? Quick reactions indeed.
└ Truly, hahaha
-Is Baekho famous?
└ Yeah, he’s a bit famous.
└ But why mention him here in the first place? And everyone, tone it down with the Nameless stuff already. Isn’t this about ‘For Justice?!’

Dang.

Eventually, people began asking why Sojun kept being mentioned when he wasn’t even part of Assassin’s Dawn. The topic of a perpetrator being banned in “For Justice” seemed unrelated to the community’s focus.

Reactions were mixed.

『??? Why talk about Sojun?』

“Afraid of the For Justice ban. I prefer the comfort of our Amben.”

-Hahaha indeed.
-Honestly, Nameless could be everyone’s streamer.
-But if we go to the For Justice’s community, we’d get banned immediately, haha.
└ That garbage post gets 30 upvotes, and this trash comment became the most voted one. This place has fallen apart.

『Isn’t the streamer one of those who brought this person to Assassin’s Dawn just now, can’t we talk about that?』

(Picture of Viola)

(Picture of Viola)

(Picture of Viola)

(Picture of Christina)

(Picture of Viola)

-Agreed.
-Really, if it weren’t for the streamer, we’d have met her months later at least.
└ Viola is unforgettable, indeed!
-There’s something devilish in the middle, right? We need an ideological examination here. Is this the Assassin’s Union or the Cult?

└ It’s the demonic sect!
└ It’s undeniable that the Demonic Cult is hilarious, given that Nameless’s nickname is ‘Heavenly Demon.’
└ Joined the Demonic Cult after just one day with ‘For Justice’, lolololololol.

『Honestly, didn’t Nameless become the best output of ‘Amben’ the moment he reached level 10 AI?』

“We should be begging the streamer not to abandon us, right?”

– Totally, lololol.
– Everything’s fine, but why is the streamer considered our output?
└ I don’t really know, but just go along with it. (Post Author)
└ Lololololol.
└ History Distortion on.
– For real, lol, Nameless was the weakest among us.
└ A world where Nameless is the weakest sounds pretty scary, doesn’t it?
└ Lololol, pure horror.

There were various reasons why people could mention Sojun. And most of them didn’t involve any logic.

However, aside from a few exceptions, they quickly became absorbed in the fun. Sojun’s notoriety was incredibly high, at least within the Assassin’s Dawn community.

When they talked about things only they didn’t know, they felt left out. But Sojun seemed impossible to be excluded from any unknown story due to his high recognition.

Gradually, Sojun also began to be mentioned in the ‘For Justice’ community, and his news spread even to the small chatrooms of the rankers there.

『JustOneCoin』: Guys, Heavenly Demon14 has appeared, lol.
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: Ahahaha, another Heavenly Demon?
『JustOneCoin』: They say this Heavenly Demon defeated Shin Hayun. Totally different origin.
『ThirdElder』: What? There’s already a Heavenly Demon. How can there be more than one Heavenly Demon when it’s supposed to be the sky itself?
『JustOneCoin』: We don’t have a Heavenly Demon, so what kind of concept is this?

These were users ranked within the top 100 in ‘For Justice’, and they were the most chatty users in the room.

『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: Oh? That streamer, Sojun or whatever? Came to play ‘For Justice’? I should check it out!
『JustOneCoin』: Yeah, but he started with an ad, lolol, crazy.
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: A capitalist Heavenly Demon is the real deal, lol.
『ThirdElder』: What?
『ThirdElder』: ~~@@ .. Youngsters these days… speak without any filter!!@@
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: Is senseless talk a unique trait of those who choose the Demonic Sect?
『JustOneCoin』: The Demonic Sect’s performance is so trash that you can understand if they go crazy, lolol.
『Bandit King』: For real, lolol.
『ThirdElder』: In any case…. these youngsters today!!! …darn@@
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: And he’s the youngest among us, lol.

The chatroom was created for a small number of users who had verified accounts among the rankers to foster friendships. Though they had never met outside, they knew a fair bit about each other.

『JustOneCoin』: Can’t help it with eighth graders, lol. It’s a time of emotional turmoil.
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: Must be hard using that outdated speech pattern.
『ThirdElder』: …

Lee Dongsu, a professional player who had been watching this unfold, smiled and began talking about Sojun.

Registered professional players on Surface receive sub-accounts for external play aside from their main accounts.

Lee Dongsu’s sub-account for playing ‘For Justice’ was named ‘Bandit King.’ Though his playtime was limited, his ranking was a respectable 183.

『Bandit King』: Baekho also got banned, lol.
『JustOneCoin』: Ah, I intentionally didn’t mention that.
『ThirdElder』: Didn’t Baekho defeat Namgung-hyung back in the day? Must feel good now.
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: Shut it.
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: But why was he banned?
『Bandit King』: Baekho got caught smurfing while Sojun was doing a MubiSoft ad stream. The funny part is he got demolished by Sojun and faced penalties.
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: For real?
『Bandit King』: Yes.
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: That guy Baekho was really good with beginner settings.
『ThirdElder』: That’s because you got… demolished…
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: Be quiet, elder. Do I need to storm your middle school?

The chatroom filled with laughter signs, ‘lolol.’

『Bandit King』: Anyway, it’s not Baekho anymore. Someone else took over the ID.
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: Lolololololololol.
『JustOneCoin』: Lolololololololol.

Laughter erupted once again. Lee Dongsu, chuckling in the real world, began sharing Sojun’s previous videos in the chatroom.

Though he got beaten every time they met at the dojo, he felt oddly proud to be associated with Sojun.

『JustOneCoin』: Wow. He’s really good, isn’t he? No wonder he beat Baekho.
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: Assassin’s Dawn looks fun. Should I try it?
『JustOneCoin』: Want to join?
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: Let’s go after the battlefield ends.
『JustOneCoin』: Oh, right. There was the battlefield.

‘For Justice’ opened a game mode called the battlefield twice a year for three weeks in each quarter. In the battlefield, factions clashed over power, and people earned contribution points for their faction by winning battles. The top 16 contributors received special rewards and were invited to a competition hosted by the game company.

『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: But if only Sojun had come to us a bit earlier to adapt to the game, he might have scored well in this battlefield too, right?
『JustOneCoin』: What good would that do now? The battlefield starts tomorrow, haha.

The battlefield was set to start the next day. It was too much of a stretch for a newbie, who had just left the beginner’s zone, to aim for a high rank.

Even if that streamer adapted perfectly to the game and the clan in one day, that one day’s gap was significant in the battlefield. Thus, other rankers felt regretful. However, the Bandit King, Lee Dongsu, had a different thought.

“I think it’s possible, though.”

The reason was simple. Sojun played the game better than himself, a pro gamer. Lee Dongsu had captured the Mage Tower’s Lord just yesterday and was proceeding with a hidden quest today. He wasn’t solely occupied with the Assassin’s Dawn all day, but hadn’t Sojun succeeded in just one attempt?

“Of course, knowing that hyung’s personality, he would care less about rewards and just do whatever he wants.”

In any case…

『Bandit King』: It’s certain that if Sojun had come a bit earlier, he would definitely be first in personal rankings, haha.
『JustOneCoin』: That’s a bit much; heh, that Bandit doesn’t have any sense of contribution because he never played the battlefield.
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: Since he defeated Shin Hayun, it seems possible for him to be around the top 16?
『Third Elder』: Isn’t top 16 a stretch too? Just because one is good in the sparring ground doesn’t guarantee they’re good at ‘For Justice’. There are many other factors.
『JustOneCoin』: That guy is already wary because Sojun uses the nickname Heavenly Demon, haha.
『Third Elder』: What top 16 for a newbie who hasn’t even chosen a faction yet, haha. That’s nonsense.
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: That might be true.
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: But there’s one thing that’s certain, haha.
『JustOneCoin』: What is it?
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: The Demonic Cult will be last in this battlefield again.
『JustOneCoin』: For real, haha.
『Third Elder』: Hah… Just wait and see from tomorrow! This battlefield will be different!
『NamgungClanStoreOwner』: Reminds me of a certain baseball team in Busan, haha.
『JustOneCoin』: The team that says this year will be different for the past 30 years? Haha.

* * *

Sojun stretched his body briefly as he stepped out of the capsule. It was his morning routine.

“Hmm. Today, I’ll choose a faction, and then what next.”

The last game the previous day ended rather anticlimactically, except for the appearance of the White Tiger. He had reached the level to choose a faction and turned off his stream, deciding to explore with his viewers today.

“Should I go with the Demonic Cult?”

Given his nickname, it seemed fitting, but honestly, he did not have much of a preference. As long as the stream was fun, he didn’t mind what he did.

“Besides, when I ended my stream yesterday, the viewership was 6,000 people…”

An enormous number of viewers. It seemed the aftermath of the sparring ground would continue today as well. It was certainly a good decision to disclose it.

Having grasped a sense of the stream to some extent, Sojun thought to himself. Although viewership dropped some toward the stream’s end compared to the beginning, it was inevitable.

“There were a lot of foreign viewers, which was understandable.”

Many might have left after witnessing the ending of the Assassin’s Dawn. Still: “I put the first button on the new game well.”

Feeling satisfied with this, Sojun sat at his desk, turned on his computer, and opened his sponsorship records. As he looked at his week-long performance report, his mouth gaped open.

“Oh.”

『This Month’s Sponsorship Total』
『4,370,000 Won』

Adding the 700,000 Won earned during the joint stream with Alpaca, his weekly earnings surpassed 5 million Won.

‘Since the base salary for editors is 150,000 each.’

He could consider the monthly break-even point surpassed through sponsorship revenue alone in just a week.

‘That’s crazy. Initially, I anticipated a deficit…’

Moreover, there was advertising revenue. According to his editor Han Jimin, iTune had already hit the algorithm, and his subscribers exceeded 20,000.

“I might really be able to afford a capsule without the tournament.”

Not that he intended to give up on LoS. Sojun mulled over the progressing events step by step in his mind, organizing future plans. It was then that Sojun’s phone chimed.

『Han Jimin』: Boss, you should take a look at this.