A Swordsman’s Stream

Chapter 60

“Indie game” stood for independent game.

It was a name derived from the freedom it entailed, as it was developed by a small team who established a company, free from various interventions.

“Let’s start the meeting regarding the situation we are in for now.”

“Yes, boss.”

Park Hyuksoo had long adapted to starting meetings right in their seats, as they didn’t even have a meeting room.

The place he and his boss occupied was a garage.

While one might wonder what they planned to do in a garage that wasn’t even in Silicon Valley, they were developing a virtual reality game with a team of 10 people.

Although the development team numbered 10, only two were in the garage because the remaining eight were working from home.

“We’ve almost finished the game, though the development schedule was delayed a bit, but we managed to handle it all properly. Thank you, everyone!”

The most significant trait of indie game development was the lack of money.

The absence of any oversight equated to there being no investors.

“Fortunately, thanks to institutional support and a positive reception on Stream, we haven’t even faced any delayed salaries. Isn’t this such a wonderful company?”

In an instant, Park Hyuksoo felt a surge of disbelief and glanced at the boss with incredulous eyes.

“I’m barely earning minimum wage. You said you’d make us rich, but what’s this?”

“We agreed to share the profits, remember? I don’t have anything left for myself. Even as the boss, I’m taking a similar share as you all.”

The boss had spent all the money she had saved from her previous job at a large corporation on the development of this game.

“What’s the use of that? The odds of succeeding are so low.”

Every year, more than 2,000 virtual reality games emerged in the world.

Only a few manage to recoup their development costs.

An even smaller number reach the heights of success.

Fortunately, their game received favorable attention and support from Stream, a subsidiary of Surface and a game distribution platform.

This achievement alone placed them within the top 10%, symbolizing potential recognition.

Though it might seem odd for an independent game company to receive funding from a distribution platform, everyone who can get it, takes it.

The path was not easy. Cases of salary delays and bankruptcies occurred frequently, and even if they managed to complete the game despite all hurdles, success was never guaranteed.

“Ahem, anyway. Let’s think positively since we’re almost done. Now, we only need to sell the game.”

“Alright. So, what’s the agenda for today’s meeting?”

“Even though we’re almost finished, we still have one hurdle left.”

“What could it be?”

“And that is—promotion!”

“Promotion? Don’t tell me Stream isn’t supporting us with the promotion? Are we just having this meeting to hint at needing more money?”

Hints about needing money were implied with such words.

“I have no personal funds left to support this. I can’t even if I wanted to. You know this, right?”

Park Hyuksoo stated firmly.

Fortunately, the boss hadn’t intended to take the conversation in that direction.

“No, don’t worry. We got a reply yesterday. The budget is 80 million won, for promotion.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. But 80 million won is a bit ambiguous.”

Of course, the amount was incredibly generous. There were countless games without any support whatsoever.

But here they had 80 million won.

Stream, the distribution platform, seemed to have taken a liking to their game.

However, the reason he said it was ambiguous was because—”Indeed, it’s a puzzle how to form combinations.”

Their project was a two-player cooperative game.

Therefore, the plan for advertising was to hire two streamers as a team, but this arrangement posed issues.

Whether to hire one team, including two major streamers together, or recruit four mid-sized streamers, or have individuals independently find a partner, all were matters of deliberation.

“So, speaking of which, can you draft a list?”

“Me?”

“Yeah, among us, you know the most about streamers.”

“I’m not even in charge of promotions.”

“We don’t have a promotion department in this company.”

That was indeed true.

All ten of them had gathered solely for game development.

Park Hyuksoo pondered deeply.

He wasn’t exactly a “trsu” fanatic.

He merely enjoyed casually browsing numerous streamers on iTube, gaining a broad yet shallow understanding of their culture.

As Park Hyuksoo continuously imagined who would match their game, a recent streamer he watched suddenly crossed his mind.

“Hm, boss. Would someone a bit below mid-tier be acceptable? There’s a rising streamer recently.”

“Who is it?”

“Jin Sojun. His track record in streaming is no ordinary feat….”

Park Hyuksoo began to explain about Sojun within his knowledge limits.

His boss gradually tilted her head more and more, listening to the extraordinary feats listed by Hyuksoo.

The reason was—”Our first pre-release chapter in the advertisement is horror-themed, isn’t it? But that person seems way too adept.”

The genre of the work was action-adventure.

However, the concept of the first chapter was horror, as the charm of a horror game lay in watching someone clumsy, lacking in skills, and frightful shiver in fear.

Yet, hearing about it, Jin Sojun appeared too skillful and seemed like someone who didn’t frighten easily.

Hyuksoo nodded.

“Still, wouldn’t the effect be even more maximized if such a person does get frightened? And, above all, you know the streamer Kim Taewoo, right?”

“Yeah, I know.”

The manager had recently gathered information on all mid-level streamers on Travel.

“They say the two are alumni. People know them well. So, I thought this combination might work.”

Upon hearing this, the manager paused, lost in thought, picturing the possibilities.

“Alright. Then let’s consider that combination for now. Also, the advertising cost could be an advantage.”

If they could save costs through the streamer named Jin Sojun while achieving effective results, it would be the best outcome.

“Yes, and if it comes up, you can ask them directly.”

“Ask what?”

“If they’re good at horror games.”

* * *

*Thud.*

The sword pierced through the chest.

『Dongdong Defeated』

-How can they not land a hit? Is it that difficult?
-Every time I watch, I think, shouldn’t the Streamer-nim open a swordsmanship dojo? I want to learn.
-Want to learn? Haven’t you seen how it’s done by the No. 1 Swordsman Under Heaven?
-Well, that is a bit much…
-Even in reality, they pull it off just like in the streams, LOL.

No. 1 Swordsman Under Heaven was Sojun’s first disciple to whom he had ever taught swordsmanship in this life.

Before meeting Swordsman, he had asked Taewoo.

“Want to learn the sword?”

“Are you crazy?”

“???”

“I know how you train athletes at the gym; unless I’ve lost my mind, I’m not learning from you.”

It had gone like that.

-Might be a skilled teacher, but definitely not someone you like as a mentor LOL.
-They just use it to relieve their own stress.
-Their bad habit is bullying.
-But once you graduate, the school disciplinarian that used to bully you seems more endearing LOL.
-Disciplinarian LOL Brings back trauma.
-Is everyone here of a certain age?

Sojun was met with harsh judgments.

It wasn’t something he’d ever heard in his past life.

Putting aside the chattering chat, Sojun weighed whether to wait here or return.

The road he stood on was on the route of a passing carriage.

Which meant if he waited, a carriage would eventually come.

‘The enemies will come this way too.’

It was the shortest path.

The side roads existed solely for preparation for ambushes.

“He went ahead to prepare but just ended up dead.”

A small voice reached his ears, possibly due to the distance.

It was an enemy.

The slow speed of the carriage ruled out the possibility of allies.

And just then, a team chat popped up.

『Streamer-nim. How about 200,000 won if you win this game without me?』

Upon checking the ID, it belonged to one of his viewers.

A challenge?

Sojun chuckled in disbelief.

“A sudden challenge, huh.”

It wasn’t a bad thing.

Although it was odd for a team member to pose a challenge in the middle of a game, the challenge itself wasn’t unappealing.

Sojun quietly backed away to gain distance and spoke.

“I’ll get right on it.”

He opened the team chat and responded.

『Okay.』

-So, if you do snipe, you can issue a challenge yourself LOL
-Definitely not normal.
-For real.
-I dreamt I was scared after posing with a twig LOL

Sojun thought about it. Among those chatting, there would surely be people similar to this viewer. A response came.

『But if you fail, show the Christina affection quest!』
『…』
『Alright.』

Sojun reluctantly accepted, and the viewers seemed thrilled.

Then, a system notification emerged.

It informed him that one of his team members had left the game, indicating they had quit.

“So…”

Sojun chuckled in disbelief once more.

“Is there really a need to desert the game?”

Desertion in the game incurred penalties. This system was in place to prevent situations where teammates were left in a bind whenever others exited a slightly disadvantageous game.

-Bold move
-He seems the type to buy losses LOL
-200,000 won and a desertion penalty LOL
-But he was remarkable.
-Ah! Not forgetting Christina!
-Oh right, the desertion…

Among the laughing chatter, one message stood out. Sojun didn’t know whether it was true or not, but he decided to remember the username just in case. If someone ditched a mission, they would get banned.

“So it’s 2 versus 3 then!”

Sojun sensed his approaching enemies and remarked, “Next, we should catch them before they even reach the caravan.”

Standing in the center of the street, Sojun breathed inner ki into his sword and waited as the enemies appeared.

“He still hasn’t returned to the caravan?”

“Then let’s catch them quickly!”

There were two enemies. In the game, it was usually challenging to deduce someone’s role based on clothing alone, but in “For Justice”, players dressed conspicuously according to their factions, making it easier.

The poorly worn-out clothes meant one wasn’t from the Orthodox Faction, so they must belong to the Green Forest. The other was dressed well, equipped with a dagger, clearly indicating they were from the Tang family.

‘Tang family always brings Tang So to mind.’

Tang So thrived after joining the Demonic Cult like a fish in water. Initially, they had chosen the Demonic Cult as their faction from the start.

They enjoyed sharing how they kept changing nicknames and joining the Tang family after not winning in previous battles, yet they showed determination to win this time.

“Is it the Green Forest? Such attire suits banditry, indeed.”

“What are you babbling about? Calling yourself the Heavenly Demon is so childish.”

“Let’s just catch him quickly.”

The Green Forest user advanced first. The bandit took the lead, while the Tang family user provided ranged support from behind.

*Whoosh!*

A massive sword cut through the air from left to right. Rather than parrying, Sojun ducked to evade the giant sword.

The Green Forest’s peculiar trait was that, lacking Martial Techniques, they made up with tremendous physical strength.

Parrying their attacks required a lot of stamina and inner ki, making it disadvantageous.

Hence, no one bothers trying to parry their powerful attacks. Simple yet potent!

However, there was also a simple countermeasure—evade if you can’t parry.

“You won’t even touch the caravan!”

Sojun calmly stated as he sidestepped their attacks.

“Why not?”

“Because that’s what I’ve decided.”

“This guy’s nuts!”

*Crash.*

The bandit’s sword plunged into the ground as Sojun tilted his shoulder to avoid the strike and used his martial technique to immediately close in on the Tang family member who had been targeting him with daggers.

The daggers flying toward him had been annoyingly persistent.

-He shit-talks as soon as he meets enemies.
-Targeting the Tang family first is a smart move. Brain’s actually working for once.
-He’s always been smart, just relies more on his body.

When Sojun charged, the Tang family member wisely retreated, maintaining his distance, an essential tactic for those using ranged or thrown weapons.

However, as he moved backward, the gap between them continued to close rapidly.

He had two choices: turn around and dash to widen the gap further or engage the incoming enemy with an attack.

“I’m glad you’re coming right at me!”

Daggers left the enemy’s hand. The dagger precisely aimed for Sojun’s brow as he rushed forward, making it subjectively twice as fast due to his advancing movement.

*Whistle!*

“Got him! No one has dodged this!”

Launching a dagger at an approaching foe was the situation the enemy relished most. They were confident it would hit, but…

*Clang!*

The clear sound of metal clashing resounded.