A Swordsman’s Stream

Chapter 59

Sojun looked around.

It was a clearing in a forest, no, a mountain. In one corner of the clearing, there were NPCs present.

They were the escorts.

In the game mode, ‘Escort,’ this was a common setting.

“You’re from the Demonic Cult, aren’t you?”

The head of the escorts, an NPC who seemed to be the leader, approached and bowed his head in greeting.

“This way.”

He led them to the area where wagons and other NPCs were gathered.

Sojun and his teammates followed him.

“This is what you must protect.”

Several items, packaged in boxes, were loaded onto the wagon.

The leader pointed to one of them.

Then, words appeared above it, similar to how nicknames appear above people’s heads.

『Celadon』

Their task was to protect a bluish porcelain.

‘Seems fragile.’

The leader closed the box.

Then, he hurried to prepare for departure, leaving them behind.

“They won’t know what we have to protect. The item name visible above is only seen by us.”

The viewer noted, and Sojun replied.

“I know.”

“What? Really?”

“Yes.”

“That’s strange. How can that be?”

His voice, laced with genuine confusion, mirrored his tilted head.

-LOLOLOL LOL
-See, it’s not impossible nowadays.
-At least do some prep work, man.
-Are you even a real fan?

“Oh, well, how about doing some prep work to avoid ‘that thing’? Hahaha.”

By ‘that thing’, he meant Sojun’s punishment.

The female team member, who had been listening nearby, asked while handling the wagon.

“What is ‘that thing’?”

“That thing?”

“Yes, that thing.”

“Heh. If you’re curious, search Jisojun on iTube.”

“Why can’t you just tell me now?”

“It’s too embarrassing to say.”

The viewer, with a mischievous smile, suddenly picked up a stick, raised it like a ballet position, and spun around.

Then, he stopped and struck several poses using the stick like a staff.

He didn’t speak.

It seemed like a silent act of performance, yet its intention was clear.

Imitating a magical girl.

-LOLOLOL LOLOLOL
-He seems worse than the Streamer-nim?
-This madness is insane LOLOLOL LOL
-Look at him with his mouth open and eyes wide
-That’s creepy as hell LOLOLOL LOLOLOL
-Aren’t they a villain at this point?

The viewers laughed, and the female team member rubbed her arm, perhaps disturbed by the bizarre display.

“What is this?”

She was genuinely unsettled, and Sojun could relate.

As Sojun shook his head with a smile, he thought it was funny but also a bit much.

“Let’s move out!”

The leader ahead shouted.

Simultaneously, the game began.

『Escort the target to the destination safely.』

The escorts began moving, and the players synchronized their actions with them.

“Sojun-nim, do you really know what to do?”

Sojun nodded.

“Yes, really.”

Escort mode was straightforward.

As the target moved, you protected it from enemy assaults.

It was a 3 vs 3 situation. The party trying to seize the target would score higher if they captured it, but they could win merely by damaging it as well.

Therefore, the team protecting was bolstered with escorts as teammates.

While players respawned at the starting point, escorts did not, but they still provided reliable support.

As the enemies hadn’t appeared yet, the viewer struck up another conversation with Sojun.

“But, streamer-nim, how are you so good at fighting?”

“Didn’t I tell you?”

His viewers might already know.

He had always given a consistent answer.

“You remember your past life?”

“Correct.”

Sojun nodded, donning a look of confidence.

“Oh, was that real?”

“Of course. Do you think I was lying?”

Finally, someone believed him, a feat, since usually, no one did!

-They’re both not normal LOLOLOL
-The woman’s expression next to him is growing grim
-Their conversation is breaking my mind LOLOLOL

As the chat suggested, the woman walking beside the wagon had the expression of someone enduring senseless chatter and jokes from men day in and day out.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Are you really that good at the game? I heard you were called the Shin Hayun Slayer earlier.”

Shin Hayun was someone who was hard to not know if one was interested in virtual reality.

Moreover, the people who matched up today were somewhat renowned individuals, essentially meaning they were skilled. It was even harder for these skilled individuals not to know Shin Hayun.

Sojun glared at the viewer instead of her.

“Let’s get one thing straight.”

“What?”

“I’m not a Slayer.”

Slayer meant killer. Carelessly using such a word could end up being immortalized on the internet, lingering for an eternity.

– Streamer-nim scared???
– What’s wrong with being a Slayer!
– Why can’t I just say I beat Shin Hayun!
– It’s not about winning, people lololol

What should streamers be most cautious about? Controversy. They had to be careful with their words at all times.

“Then what?”

“Technically, I didn’t beat the real Shin Hayun, but rather one of her clones.”

She looked at him with a knowing gaze, as if to say she expected as much. She probably didn’t know that there were extremely few people who had defeated Shin Hayun’s clone until now.

“Shin Hayun, my foot.”

“What? You don’t believe me?”

Sojun didn’t care, but it seemed his viewer did.

“What am I supposed to believe?”

“That the Streamer is going to carry this round!”

“Yeah, sure. Like that would happen.”

After the viewer tried to mimic a magical girl, she had kept her distance from his viewer.

“Anyway, it should be time for them to show up.”

The woman responded.

“Right. Let’s be careful now.”

“Yep. I’ll stick close to the carriage. Not to mention, since the enemy is the Unorthodox Faction, we have to be particularly cautious of ambushes.”

Users of the Assassin Sect, equipped with stealth skills and high speed, were especially threatening in this mode.

On top of that, those affiliated with the Tang Family could destroy key targets from afar by throwing daggers, making them equally dangerous.

Ironically, the least threatening faction was Green Forest, who were bandits.

“Well, I’m not too worried. Sojun-nim is fantastic at catching assassins.”

“What makes you so confident?”

The woman clicked her tongue.

“Because….”

It was then. Sojun quickly swung his arm down, having noticed a subtle shaking in the bushes beside the path where the carriage was passing.

*Whoosh!*

The sword emitted a faint tearing sound as it sliced through the bushes.

Although they had verbally prepared for an attack, neither thought it was quite the right time for an enemy to show up yet. Sojun’s sudden action startled them.

“Ack! What the heck!”

An enemy with a concealed face screamed and jumped out from the bushes.

Judging by the red nickname, it was an assassin from the Assassin Sect.

‘He must have arrived early and waited because of his high speed.’

The assassin cursed, partly injured from Sojun’s strike.

“Damn, those eyes are too sharp. Usually, I don’t get caught like this. Seriously unlucky.”

The passive skill of the Assassin Sect was stealth. When still or moving very slowly, they became camouflaged, but it did not conceal the impact they had on their environment.

For example, footprints or the shaking of bushes could give them away. If one knew roughly where the assassin was, detecting these changes was fairly simple.

However, spotting such traces without any clue of their whereabouts was extremely difficult, unless one was extremely attentive or naturally observant.

– As expected, great at catching assassins
– Assassin Sect is just like a small-time corporation lololol, gets caught so easily
– Are your eyes actually those of a bird?

The assassin retreated.

“I’m leaving for now.”

The team members did not rush to chase after him. If someone followed him alone, they ran the risk of a disadvantageous one-versus-many fight when the enemy regrouped, and chasing as a group would leave the carriage and key targets unguarded, making them vulnerable to flanking attacks.

The viewer waved them off.

“Alright. See you soon.”

“In a few dozen seconds?”

“Hehe, yes.”

The woman laughed and then turned to Sojun beside her.

“By the way, your eyes seem really sharp… Wait, where is he going?”

Sojun, who had been beside her, had gone after the assassin.

“Oh, that’s right.”

“What is?”

“Absorption Technique.”

“What? Actually, wha—”

Sojun smiled, listening to the increasingly distant voice.

“You can’t just run away willy-nilly, can you? Right, everyone?”

He employed his Lightness Skill.

Due to the characteristics of the ki, the enemy’s speed was faster. However, as the enemy began walking soon after, the distance between them closed.

“Who said you could leave?”

– Ah, haha! First, if we fight, we have to kill the enemy, right?
– Indeed, it is a trait befitting a psychopath.
– I think it suits the Streamer-nim.

Sojun quickly approached, and the enemy sensed his presence and turned around.

“What are you? Following me? No, hold on!”

As Sojun dashed forward, he held a sword to the enemy’s neck.

The startled enemy thought he barely managed to raise his sword to block Sojun’s attack.

But that was a misconception.

The sword he had lifted to block the attack never clashed.

This was because Sojun had withdrawn his sword just before collision and landed to the side.

He had faked his attack so that his opponent couldn’t bother blocking with a sword.

In terms suited for this game, it was a fake-out.

“It’s open.”

*Swooosh!*

Sojun slashed the enemy’s side, who wore a startled expression.

As it was a strike imbued with inner ki, it took a significant toll on his health.

“Hey. Are you insane? Following me?”

“Why?, is it not allowed?”

“Of course not… Ha. What if I hold out long enough for my teammates to arrive?”

What do you mean, what if?

Coincidentally, a chat reflecting his thoughts appeared.

– You have to kill them all, haha.

* * *

*Clatter.*

*Thud.*

*Creak.*

The carriage slowly moved along the unpaved road from about 700 years ago, making all sorts of noises.

The escorts maintained a tight vigilance.

“To think I’d see this up close! Ah, is it not right in front?”

The viewer scratched his nose.

“What is?”

“That is the scene of a bus.”

“A bus?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a relief if you don’t return as a corpse.”

“Sit quietly.”

What are they saying?

“And also, why didn’t that person choose the trait that negates the Demonic Absorption Technique when the battle ends? It’s going to be quite tough to handle two from the start. But since we are still close to the starting point, if we hold on a little……”

While she was naturally thinking about the future direction of the game, a kill log appeared.

『Heavenly Demon14 –〉 Dongdong』

She spoke calmly.

“Luckily, it seems like he has some skill. 2 vs. 2 should be manageable.”

Even if Heavenly Demon died, since our side’s starting point was closer, we could regroup faster than the enemy assassin.

Even if not, she was confident they could win a 2 vs. 2.

“Oh no, that’s not it.”

“What is?”

“It’s not 2 vs. 2, it’s 1 vs. 3.”

“Why? Are you also going to abandon the carriage?”

Sojun’s viewer shook his head.

“No. You just know by looking. Anyway, it was worth sniping. I was already regretting changing to the Demonic Cult after watching the stream.”

“Wow. Did you come to the Demonic Cult because of the Streamer?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. You’re a real troublemaker.”

“If I were truly troublesome, wouldn’t I be running away by now? If my winning streak breaks, the magical girl will… Why didn’t I think of that?”

“What? Magical girl? What’s that?”

“Hehehe.”

A nervous laugh was heard.

“With the Streamer-nim’s skills, he should win even without me, right? I believe in him!”

What is this crazy person saying?

“But if I just leave, I might get banned.”

His ID was the same as the Travel ID.

He could also be dissected.

Even if he exited immediately and changed the Travel ID, he could be banned based on previous records.

Too bad. Otherwise, he would just leave.

“Excuse me? Hello? Can you explain a bit?”

The viewer ignored her and entered the team chat.

『Streamer-nim. If you win this game without me, how about 200,000 won?』
『Okay.』
『Instead, if you fail, show the Christina Loyalty Quest!』
『…』
『Agreed.』

“What are you two up to?”

“It’s an internal mission. Bye then.”

“What?”

His figure laughing suddenly disappeared.

Only after seeing the messages that came after did she realize what had happened.

『Hmm, isn’t there no need to leave the game?』

Indeed, one slot was missing when she looked at the team list.

“What a mess. Seriously.”

The sudden desire to switch allegiances couldn’t possibly be blamed on her.

“I’ll be sure to report them both once this is over.”

Both of them.