A Swordsman’s Stream

Chapter 55

He ran a simulation in his head.

He could proudly claim that he had identified most elements of Deathmatch after just one round.

The structure of the room, the material of the stairs, even the form of the outer walls.

The result of his mental simulation was clear.

“It’s possible.”

He declared confidently.

– 4 minutes, haha.
– I’m an amateur, but I think 6 minutes should do it.
– I’m ~~ not at all but special, ~~ not the usual
– If it’s streamer-nim, it’s possible!
– I believe in Heavenly Demon-nim!
– Open the door, boss! Open the door, boss! Open the door, boss! Open the door, boss! Open the door, boss!

The public opinion was split.

But those who believed it was possible were mostly joking.

It seemed like they were agreeing more because they didn’t want to contradict him rather than sincerely believing it could be done.

There were even people going crazy betting on opening the door.

“Ah, let’s hold off on point betting for later.”

He didn’t particularly want to do it.

– Why isn’t the door opening? Why isn’t the door opening? Why isn’t the door opening?
– I’m willing to give my points! I’m willing to give my points! I’m willing to give my points!
– Haha, I need to recover what I lost last time

The reactions were intense.

They seemed like addicts.

The world was truly in a degenerate state.

“Anyway, it’s only natural that I’ll make it in under 4 minutes. Who would bet on me failing? So I’m not going to place any bets.”

Even to his own ears, the statement was baseless.

But it was fine like this. He had always been this way.

If you do something right a hundred times but fail once, you get criticized; it’s similar to making logical statements a hundred times and then saying something irrational and getting scolded for it.

But if you always just talk nonsense?

– Just shut up and open the door
– Crazy guy, haha.
– I want to betttttttt
– Can you handle these folks?

There was some pushback, but he let it slide.

Streaming was live, so streaming comfortably was the most important.

When the streamer was at ease, the viewers could be at ease too, and they weren’t there to obtain amazing content and information but to have fun with the streamer.

Sojun was a good streamer in that sense.

He was skilled, not too serious, and good at telling silly jokes.

That was the veteran Kim Taewoo’s evaluation.

– There’s no answer, really.
– I would definitely bet on failure.
– So what’s the route to hit 4 minutes?
– Reveal your strategy!

A strategy, they said.

Truthfully, there wasn’t much to call a strategy.

“Since we’re talking about strategy, you guys know I’m quite good at games.”

Sojun sat down.

The building in the game’s center was shaped like a restaurant, and he almost called for the server out of habit.

Since it was a shared channel, he met eyes with a viewer watching from afar.

They mostly didn’t come too close. It seemed to be because it was virtual reality.

– He is good, haha.
– I mean, this guy’s a real genius.
– Except he sometimes spouts nonsense.

“I might not be the best at fighting, but I’m good at games because I’m smart, right? Ahaha, don’t laugh. If I wasn’t bright, could I have solved the Assassin’s Dawn mystery that no one else could?”

His reasoning was solid.

People might not acknowledge it, but that’s how it was.

– Haha, right back to talking nonsense, haha.
– Crushing with physical skills while pretending to be brainy, impressive.
– ???: What’s parrying?
– ???: What’s a Ruler?
– ???: I don’t even know much about the Assassin’s Dawn world?

“In any case, what I want to say is one thing: leverage your strengths well.”

That was the best strategy.

To utilize strengths effectively, one must know oneself well.

The same applies to knowing the enemy.

This is why there’s a saying about knowing both oneself and the enemy, enabling the victory in a hundred battles without defeat.

– So what’s the strategy, really?
– True, haha.
– Just hurry up and play the game.

“Okay.”

Sojun turned from the chat window back to the battle interface.

He selected the same area again.

Just as he was about to hit the start button for the game, a donation alert rang out.

『”Tang So” donated 10,000 won!』
『”4 minutes? Just as expected. Good at spewing nonsense as always!”』

The donor’s name was Tang So.

It was the name of the fool from the Tang family he had encountered earlier.

“Ah, thank you for the 10,000 won donation.”

He wasn’t sure if the donor was the same user from the game.

When making a donation, one could freely change the donor name.

Considering that impersonation was uncommon and supposing that Tang So realized the battlefield mode was a raid and then came to the stream to act cool, this donor might very well be Tang So.

It might have been a dimension focused on gathering information.

Whatever it was.

10,000 won was a gain.

– Is it really him?
– There’s a possibility. He’s famous for being an attention-seeker.
– If he’s famous, well, hahaha…
– Is the blockhead watching the stream now?

『Tang So-nim donated 10,000 won!』
『’If you do it within 4 minutes, I will personally grant you 100,000 won!’』

Suddenly, a challenge was thrown at him.

“Hmm, thank you for the 10,000 won donation. But if you’re truly that person, please don’t donate; instead, share your Travel ID. Let’s talk through whispers.”

Sojun’s current minimum donation amount was 10,000 won.

If it were 1,000 won, there could have been donations interrupting the flow.

It was not worth the annoyance.

『Tang So-nim donated 10,000 won!』
『’Did you think this honorable one lacks a measly 10,000 won? minj4635’』

– If he’s rich, why reveal his ID?
– Maybe he wants to show off.
– He’s cute, so cute.
– Not at all.

Reading the ID, Sojun smirked wickedly.

Of course, Sojun had requested the ID not for Tang So’s money.

He immediately searched for the same ID in the chat and banned the user.

A mission worth 100,000 won?

Unnecessary.

“Thanks for the 10,000 won donation, and you’re also banned.”

A provocateur needed to be dealt with ruthlessly.

“Travel IDs aren’t something you hand out easily.”

He should have hidden it like Lee Dongsu did, no matter what.

– Hahahaha, he spent 30,000 won and got banned.
– True education, haha!
– The streamer is like a god during streaming! He can kick you out too!

Anyway.

It was handled well.

Sojun laughed together with the viewers, pleased with how things turned out.

As he was about to start the game after a bit of chitchat.

“Stop!”

Someone tried to grab Sojun’s wrist, and sensing the approaching presence, Sojun swept the hand away.

Turning his head, Sojun showed a sign of admiration.

He only expelled a mere provocateur.

But it seemed it was indeed him.

Sojun thought he did well to kick him out again.

“Release the ban immediately. Then I might let you off just this once.”

Tang So approached and threatened him.

“I refuse!”

Sojun replied without batting an eye, instead smiling serenely.

“If you don’t unban me immediately, you’ll need to refund the 30,000 won!”

Contrary to Sojun’s calm demeanor, Tang So’s face grew determined.

– Hahahahahahahaha
– Ah, hah, it hurts when vending machines eat just 1,000 won, and the streamer ran off with 30,000 won!
– Yeah, 1,000 won hurts, lol
– Considering he came here so quickly, he must have been quite desperate.

Reading the chat made Sojun realize it was understandable to be upset.

No matter how playful the spending was, it was natural to feel upset when pranks couldn’t be continued.

There was no other way.

“To refund, it’s cumbersome as it requires a bank transfer. I’ll do it after the game if you share your Travel ID with me through a whisper.”

While Sojun bore a generous expression, a mischievous grin lingered on his face.

“Really? My ID is minj…wait, didn’t I tell you earlier?!”

Tang So flared up again, slow on the uptake.

– Master of mischief, haha!
– Knows how to teabag well.
– Actually, streamers aren’t obligated to refund donations.

That’s right, who told him to provoke?

Anyway, Sojun, feeling he’d had enough fun, decided to process the refund.

“Send your account number now. I’ll send it after.”

“Okay. But from whom did you learn to run after receiving donations, huh.”

Tang So grumbled, beginning to type his message to Sojun.

Sojun added another remark to him.

“Is the 100,000 won still valid if completed within 4 minutes?”

Tang So, hearing those words, looked up and stared silently at Sojun.

His gaze felt like a silent curse.

The glance was slightly prickly.

– Absolutely relentless, hahaha!
– What a guy.
– And yet, the streamer is kind enough to grant a refund.

After a momentary pause, a game message popped up.

Having confirmed it, Sojun turned toward Tang So.

“Is it settled now? You can leave.”

“I’ll withdraw this time. By the way, succeeding in 4 minutes is impossible. If you want a good record, let me give you a tip. Invest everything in speed attributes among your traits. And wait. Follow the route others are taking. That way, you might hit the 6-minute mark. Also, there’s another important tip among the Demonic Cult traits that…”

He was full of words, passionately lecturing.

“How do you feel now that they said they’ll refund you? Are you feeling better, or is it a gesture of kindness on their part?”

Sojun chuckled softly before he spoke. He found it bothersome to listen any longer, so he said, “Then let’s do this.”

“I have some experience with the Demonic Cult… it’s something like that.”

“We’ll have a bet. If I clear it within 4 minutes, I win; if not, you win.”

Tang So laughed, finding it amusing. “Ha. For a con man, you sure are confident! What are we betting on? 100,000 won?”

“No. The losing side will switch to the winning side’s faction. Today, immediately. How about it?”

“Uh…”

Tang So seemed at a loss for words for a moment.

“You said you have experience with the Demonic Cult? Perfect.”

He chuckled menacingly.

Are you scared?

If one loses the bet and switches factions, it might just cost a day. But aiming for the top, that day could be crucial.

– Scared?
– If you’re scared, just die.
– Can’t respond immediately, huh?
– Ah lol, come to the Demonic Cult.
– Living in the Demonic Cult is nice~

“……”

“Afraid? Then forget about it.”

“What nonsense. I’m not afraid. … Fine. Let’s bet. But let’s start immediately. Right now. Without watching other players’ strategies.”

The chat buzzed with comments on how ridiculous it was.

“I was going to start now anyway, but you’re right, it does look a bit ridiculous.”

“Whatever, just start quickly.”

* * *

– But is Streamer-nim really capable?
– Do not doubt the Heavenly Demon-nim
– There will be punishment if you fail

Sojun was summoned to the same spot as before.

60 seconds until the game starts.

“I told you earlier, use your strengths well.”

What advantages and disadvantages did he have at the moment?

The disadvantage was that it took a long time to reach the 13th floor, where the enemy commander was.

This was because he couldn’t utilize the trait against general NPCs.

And the advantage?

Defeating the commander didn’t take much time.

*Thunk.*

As the game began, an enemy burst through the door.

Sojun immediately seized the attacking enemy’s weapon and infused his sword with internal art, breaking through the wall.

A gust of fresh air rushed inside.

Sojun exited through the crumbled wall.

Landing outside, he looked up.

The top of the 13th floor was wide open.

If he wanted to get there.

He would have to exhaust all his internal art.

And fighting the commander with all internal art exhausted wouldn’t be easy.

But his additional advantage was his skills. The trait was also advantageous for resource recovery.

Sojun prepared to launch himself from the ground.

– No way lol
– Is he going to use lightness skill to climb the outer wall?
– I didn’t know that was possible lol
– But won’t he need to be in one go?

Like the viewer said.

The hovering lightness skill known as Air Step sadly did not exist in the game.

‘No matter how much internal art I use, the maximum height I can reach is about seven floors at once.’

Therefore.

Sojun bent his knees and sprang upwards.

“Hup.”

With a short shout, Sojun ascended and threw the stolen sword into the wall.

Because he had infused a small amount of internal art beforehand, the sword embedded firmly into the wall.

– No way lol
– Given the good lightness judgment, it’s possible, but can he land on that?
– How can he not?

Naturally.

Anticipating the situation before he jumped, landing on the sword embedded in the wall wasn’t too difficult for Sojun.

Infusing more internal power into his feet as he landed on the sword, it firmly supported his body.

The favorable judgment of the lightness skill decreased his weight.

Expenditure of the remaining internal art propelled Sojun upwards again, defying gravity, as he grasped the 13th-floor roof edge with speed.

“I told you, I can make it.”

The internal art was almost depleted.

However.

– It’s working lol
– Wow lol
– This is skill!
– Why does he show off such tricks instead of playing the game lol
– How will he defeat the NPC now with all his resources used up?
– Well!
– Somehow!
– Don’t trust Streamer-nim, I mean, lord-nim?

Only 18 seconds had passed.