A Swordsman’s Stream

Chapter 61

*Bang!*

A clear and bright sound rang out.

The dagger, which had flown in a straight line along the shortest path, was deflected by Sojun’s sword.

The dagger failed to halt Sojun and the distance between them closed rapidly.

“It seems no one has avoided it? So, I guess it was all blocked.”

Sojun moved his sword to slash the enemy.

His right hand, gripping the sword, rose above his left shoulder.

“Who can block that!”

The sword infused with inner ki sliced through the enemy who, startled, couldn’t even properly draw the dagger.

*Slash!*

– Hahaha, seriously, who could block that?
– Even bullets are slower than that, I’m sure.
– Really, lol.
– FYI: Bullet speed is 400m/s, much faster than a dagger.
– Get lost.

The enemy’s stamina dwindled.

Right after slashing the enemy from left to right, Sojun quickly reversed the grip on his sword and prepared to slash again.

“W-wait……”

*Slash!*

Continuously, he slashed again from left to right.

It was the reason for the reverse grip.

By placing his thumb at the end of the handle, he could stabilize the sword effectively.

*Crunch!*

The eyes of the enemy, now reduced to half health, displayed even greater bewilderment.

“Wait! What happened to my stamina?”

“Conversation during battle is a luxury.”

In panic, the enemy fell back onto the ground.

Sojun raised his sword high and swiped it downwards.

Slash and slash again.

– Yeah, conversation is too much of a luxury.
– Time is money.
– Especially for someone using the Absorption Technique.
– Especially even more for Streamer-nim.

As the enemy died, his rapidly depleting inner ki and stamina returned to their original pace.

Killing one enemy released the Absorption Technique.

“Hey! Why did you die so quickly?!”

A bandit, who had been running from afar, used his reserved inner ki to employ lightness skill as his comrade neared death. However, his comrade died during his approach.

Recognizing the situation, the bandit chose to attack Sojun instead of fleeing.

*Thud.*

Sojun turned around and saw a bandit behind him, stepping in to swing a large sword.

But Sojun’s body was already moving backward.

Choosing evasion over countering, Sojun retreated before immediately stabbing forward when the enemy’s sword missed.

His inner ki quickly began replenishing again.

“Wow, he dodges well, doesn’t he?”

After retreating a few steps, the bandit sneered.

“Your sword is so bandit-like that it’s actually hard not to dodge.”

“What do you mean by bandit-like?”

There’s nothing special about being bandit-like.

“It means simple.”

“Heh heh. Simplicity is strength. It’s why I chose the Green Forest. No one thinks to counter.”

“Well, that might be true.”

With stamina and inner ki at their peak, who would choose to counter?

– You said conversation was a luxury earlier. Haha.
– Lol, reset earlier, hahahaha.
– He acts as he pleases!
– But hey, that bandit is kinda cool?
– Simplicity is strength, indeed!
– Oh, proud to be of the Green Forest.
– Is there anyone not aligned with the Demonic Cult here?
– Are you crazy? Follow Streamer-nim to the Demonic Cult?
– Yeah, I did that.

In the chat, Sojun briefly scanned the nicknames of viewers he’d met during the run.

‘So they followed me here.’

Truly amazing!

There were so many incredible people in the world.

“Huh.”

The bandit inhaled deeply, preparing for the next move.

The movement was large and slow.

It was because his sword was heavy. The bandit had been almost dragging the large sword along the ground.

“There must be plenty of lighter weapons in the Green Forest, choosing such a large sword reveals much about you.”

“What do you know!”

*Whoosh.*

At first, the large sword was so slow it was noticeable, but it gradually sped up and loomed larger in Sojun’s vision.

Yet, the sword merely moved from top to bottom.

“Your attack is too straightforward.”

It was the consequence of no one choosing to counter his attack.

Sojun crouched and assumed a stance.

The descending sword met his force and rose perpendicularly, foiling the enemy’s attack.

“I can’t believe you didn’t consider the most basic parry.”

Parrying the attack only put one at a disadvantage, which was why most people avoided it.

However, it wasn’t that significant a loss for Sojun.

“Ugh.”

Whether it was because of an entirely unexpected blow or the strong rebound from the parry, the bandit stumbled backward.

Sojun took advantage of the enemy’s unsteady state, attacked to deplete his health, and then stood with his sword poised in front.

“Come on.”

“This time, I won’t be caught!”

The bandit’s next attack was cleverly timed to prevent another easy parry.

But who was Sojun?

“Ugh!”

Again, the bandit staggered backward.

Sojun reduced his health further, smiling as he pointed his sword at the bandit.

“Come on.”

-Streamer-nim is enjoying himself right now
-The happiest expression I’ve seen today
-A simple choice is strong, says the guy who chose Green Forest – fake madness.
-The guy who named himself Heavenly Demon and chose the Demonic Cult – true madness.
-Crazy psycho lolololololol
-Choosing the Demonic Cult definitely is madness lolololololol

While Sojun’s attention was briefly diverted, the bandit seized the moment. Yet it was easily blocked.

Sojun wasn’t the type to lose focus without being prepared for such possibilities.

He fully depleted the bandit’s health. And as the sound of a cart approaching reached his ears, instead of joining it, he ran forward.

“Let’s capture them before the cart arrives as I mentioned earlier. And everyone…”

The reason he could parry the bandit’s sword was all thanks to the Absorption Technique.

Normally, using twice the resources would be disadvantageous, but the Absorption Technique gradually replenished the resources nonetheless.

Sojun’s chosen trait filled them up not just gradually, but extensively.

Thus, Sojun concluded,

“The more I think about it, my trait build seems really good. I can feel it increasingly as I play the game.”

-No, I’m not buying it.
-But isn’t it usable even if it’s not just for schoolyard bullies?
-Don’t be fooled.
-I’m not fooled. It’s not even the Demonic Cult lololol

Ah.

It might not be the Demonic Cult after all.

Sojun clicked his tongue and swallowed his disappointment.

* * *

“One consistent feeling while playing ‘For Justice’ is that the game feels a bit lonely. If not for that, it would be a great game.”

The game ended, and the cart reached its destination.

The destination was a bit further than the enemies’ starting point.

-You’re always catching them alone in front of the enemy’s base, you crazy guy lolololololol
-No one can match your madness
-Professor, you’re going too fast

The remaining teammate standing beside the cart remarked,

“The ride was surprisingly smooth, but what is this subtle feeling?”

Enemies didn’t even get the chance to see the cart before the game concluded.

When the cart passed by the enemy base, Sojun went ahead to capture them himself.

“Anyways, thanks for the ride! I’ll subscribe to your channel on iTube! Just search for Heavenly Demon14, right?”

Constantly on edge that Sojun might miss an enemy and anxiously guarding the cart during the game, she expressed her gratitude before leaving.

“Oh… she’s gone.”

She left without giving Sojun the chance to correct his streamer name.

『’Solution’-nim donated 30,000 won!』
『Quickly contact your editor and change the channel name!』

“Wow! Is that really a viable option?”

He said this, though looking rather unenthused.

-Wow!
-You’re kind of a genius, aren’t you?
-This is collective intelligence! This is the audience!
-lolol
-If necessary, just send a game message instead of changing the channel name, you idiots lolol
-Haha, this is also collective intelligence! This viewer, too!

Luckily, sanity prevails.

“Oh, and before the next round starts, isn’t there something we need to settle?”

Sojun opened the chat and spoke.

“I remember your ID. It’s the same as your Travel ID and game ID. You know what happens if you back out?”

Thanks to the implied threat, the payment arrived swiftly.

『’OfCourseIKnow’-nim donated 100,000 won!』
『Of course I know. But while the money is fine… my magical girl and Christina all went up in smoke…』

The notification rang and text appeared on the screen.

“Hmm?”

The donated amount was insufficient.

It wasn’t an outright scam, for sure.

If they explained their situation, perhaps a lack of funds or being a minor with limited allowance, Sojun was willing to let it slide.

But since the viewer hadn’t conveyed any such reasons…

“Could it be you want to donate again?”

He was right.

The subsequent donation followed after a brief delay.

『’Even if you must go’-nim donated 100,000 won!』
『I got a penalty for leaving the game, but isn’t this level of trolling okay?』

-The Streamer-nim predicted it.
-Wow! He made a grand exit even when leaving.
-He’s not gone.
-Lol, what a waste of the penalty! Hmm!

So it was said.

“Ah, yes. Thank you for the donation. Let’s move on to the next round.”

From the mountain to the tavern, and back to the mountain, they were summoned once again.

“Hello!”

“Hey there.”

Sojun initially waited quietly.

Surely, there wouldn’t be any viewers again.

“……”

He merely confirmed it.

“Why is this person silent and just staying still?”

“Isn’t the loading stuck?”

“Is that possible?”

“Dunno.”

Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be the case.

“Hello.”

Only then did he greet.

“Hello. Do your best.”

“Enjoy the game.”

They both naturally headed to the area with the carriage, though no NPCs came to escort them.

Sojun quietly followed after speaking.

“Seems like there’s nothing, thankfully.”

The viewers understood what he meant.

-No sniper this time lol.
-Those two don’t seem to know.
-Snipers these days are lazy! Why can’t they do it like me?
-You failed this time too.
-How do you snipe when you can’t play because of a penalty lol?

As the game’s reputation matched individuals of similar skill levels, the more they played and won, the easier sniping would become.

The number of people with high reputation would gradually decrease.

This phenomenon is similar in other games with ranking systems.

“The items you need to protect are these.”

Among the items in the carriage, the one to protect this time was liquor.

『Baekhwa-ju』

The box containing Baekhwa-ju was closed.

“Let’s go!”

The carriage set off, and Sojun leisurely departed beside it.

“Since I can attack from a distance, I’ll stick to the carriage, and Heavenly Demon-nim, please protect the NPCs as much as possible.”

“What about me?”

“Cover whatever seems lacking.”

“Got it.”

“How about you, Heavenly Demon-nim?”

Sojun listened quietly and nodded.

They quickly assigned roles and followed the carriage.

They moved slightly and then—”Enemies!”

An NPC shouted, having spotted the enemies.

“They’re coming openly. Let’s get ready.”

“Hope it’s not bad luck from the start.”

Sometimes the enemy’s attack randomly hit the item.

“True, they’re coming!”

Sojun watched from a distance as the enemy clashed with his teammates.

Two enemies had closed in on the carriage.

The teammate who was to cover gaps joined them there.

“Where’s the rest of the enemy?”

Preparing to protect the item if needed, Sojun surveyed the surroundings.

On the opposite side of the road, one more enemy appeared.

The nickname looked familiar.

『Baekho7』

This time, the sniper was in the enemy team, not a teammate.

Sojun sighed inwardly.

“You missed me, didn’t you? Bastard.”

He decided to avoid snipers from the next round and looked confidently toward Baekho.

“Who are you?”

“What… what?”

Seeing the momentarily puzzled look was satisfying.

“Hmm… I’ve never seen that ‘ID’ before.”

When Sojun emphasized the ‘ID’, Baekho noticed he was being teased.

“Bastard. It’s because of you.”

Well, it was a fact that it was his first time seeing it.

-Baekho ‘7’ lol lost his rare nickname lol.
-Hmm, get real lol.
-He probably had his account deleted and made a new one lololol.
-Still couldn’t abandon the Baekho name lol.
-Should’ve gone with Baekho14 instead of an awkward 7; lack of sense tsk tsk.
-Exactly lololol.