A Swordsman’s Stream

Chapter 72

The next day at 6:30 PM.

Sojun started his stream in front of his computer in his room.

He needed to focus continuously for three hours today, but it was already too much to get into the capsule.

“Hello, everyone.”

Just before, Sojun had seen posts about him on the community, and he stretched his hands while watching the viewer count rise.

-Hi there
-I’ve been waiting for this!
-I’ll listen to Ark’s commentary later, but I’m here for now

A lot of people joined.

The viewer count quickly exceeded ten thousand, making it evident that yesterday’s fifteen thousand was no illusion.

‘At this rate, I’ve reached the level of a mid-tier streamer.’

Even if it was temporary, it was okay.

Once Ark started his stream, even more people would come to watch.

More than anything, Sojun had no intention of losing today.

-Haha, are you seriously provoking again?
-Where do you think you’re going, Demonic Cult?
-You’re done for today
-Streamer-nim, don’t you think you’re pushing it a bit?
-I’m scared this has gotten so big…
-Hahaha, you made a decision without a plan

Shortly after starting the stream, concerns began to surface.

After the last fundraiser, there seemed to be a lot to say.

That’s why he decided to start with some communication time before starting the real event.

So he needed to answer diligently.

“Everyone, if there’s something I can’t do, I’ll say I can’t do it.”

He left it at that.

-Haha, couldn’t agree more
-That means something you said yesterday is something you could do, right?
-Shh.

Even if his words were vague, there were people who understood perfectly.

Sojun smiled and began to interact lightly with the audience.

『’CheatingDice’ sponsored 100,000 won!』
『Are you really confident that you won’t lose even once today?』

“Of course. Ah, thank you for the sponsorship yesterday. Thanks to you, I was able to send the response about the Martial Arts Manual well.”

While thanking the sponsors, Sojun clapped his hands as if something had occurred to him.

“Shall we have a point betting for the first time in a while?”

This seemed like something worth doing.

The reason why Sojun hadn’t done much point betting before was because winning wasn’t consistent.

If everyone bet on him winning, where would the fun be?

Seeking fun through Sojun losing didn’t make sense either.

But for today’s event?

-Let’s go! Finally!
-How long has it been since the last bet hah
-I’m betting all 250,000 points without hesitation
-Bark bark! Bark bark!
-When you bet on nicknames, the excited barking begins hahaha
-Finally, we can place our memories on a bet

With a smile, Sojun opened the channel point betting.

There were two options: whether he wouldn’t lose even once, or if he would lose at least once.

“It feels like it’s going to be close this time. Think about it. Will I really not lose even once against all these seasoned veterans?”

-You shouldn’t be saying that hahaha
-I just became sure hearing Streamer-nim’s words. He really has the confidence not to lose even once.
-Expert in Sojun haha
-He doesn’t like to see us succeed hahaha

Regular viewers bet that Sojun wouldn’t lose even once, while newcomers, seeing the open point betting as an opportunity, bet on the other side.

-What are these natives even saying? Haha, of course, bet on him losing at least once
-Thanks to the foolish natives, I’ll gather points well!
-It’s close to fifty-fifty
-Let’s go for double points first
-We’ll export some wealth to you

* * *

6:40 PM.

“Hello. Everyone!”

Ark’s stream started.

People tend to continue watching the streams they were already on.

That’s why more than seventy thousand viewers who had watched his stream the previous day joined quickly.

Ten thousand.

Twenty thousand.

Forty thousand.

Sixty thousand.

While the true users who cared about the number of game rounds hurried and joined after finishing four rounds, most were there already.

For a day, one could escape the Battlefield and enjoy streaming as if watching a sports match.

Of course, it wasn’t always the case that Ark’s stream had a large number of viewers.

“Wow. This level of speed isn’t easy for just anyone.”

It was almost the last day of the Battlefield, a time when the decisive moment came to see whether the winning faction would be the Orthodox Faction or the Unorthodox Faction, and only then did people gather this quickly.

It seemed that the previous day’s provocations were too well executed.

Had everyone been waiting just for this?

-When will Heaven-Slayer Star snipe?
-I hate that Demonic Cult guy getting the attention, is that normal?
-Let’s go!
-Cheering for the streamer-nim
-Wow, can we see the rankers’ fight in full today?
-Give a boost to the Unorthodox Faction’s prestige
-LOL, is it a fight to see if an Orthodox Faction ranker wins first or an Unorthodox Faction ranker?

After simple interactions, about ten minutes passed.

『Viewer count: 90,000』

It surpassed 90,000 viewers.

If this continued, it seemed likely to surpass 100,000.

Even a big corporate streamer would need to plan a large-scale event to start with such numbers.

This was likely because, so far, Sojun’s actions proved at least he wasn’t just anyone.

“Since his contribution is number one.”

Ark swallowed dryly.

This collaboration.

If it failed right from the start, it would be a disaster.

Riots could break out and public sentiment might turn sour.

Of course, it wasn’t something under his control.

Entirely.

“Hello.”

It depended on the streamer being summoned into the game.

“Sojun-nim! It’s already at 90,000. How many in your room, Sojun-nim?”

“Around 15,000. I’ll sync my streaming screen now.”

The streaming was conducted independently by each.

“Is it done?”

“Yes.”

While most collaborations ended in a win-win situation, this particular joint stream held plenty of gains.

Sojun could attract many viewers through Ark, and Ark could prove once again that the representative streamer of For Justice was indeed him.

‘May the results turn out well!’

Ark secretly hoped that even if Sojun lost, at least the visuals would turn out well.

“The screen sync is working smoothly.”

Without any setup conflicts, Sojun’s screen was linked.

The rehearsal paid off.

Sojun’s screen appeared on Ark’s stream, which viewers were watching.

“It’s about time to start. I’ll head outside now. Fighting!”

After a goodbye, Ark left the capsule and sat in front of the pre-set computer.

Then, beneath the screen that appeared in Sojun’s view, the seated Ark was shown.

“Hello.”

-There he is
-So he was in-game just to say hi!
-This is the way to stream!
-Another easy day for Ark

“Haha. I plan to commentate from here. Despite needing to spectate in the middle, the computer is more convenient. Haha.”

Once Sojun moved to the center on the screen, the game started.

The screen transitioned.

“Alright! The first game is starting now! Sojun-nim chose the central area where the Demonic Cult, Orthodox Faction, and Unorthodox Faction meet. This is to prevent any one faction from targeting specifically.”

Just because the area touches three factions doesn’t mean a single game faces all three.

It was the same as any other area, just random which faction one might face.

The position was defense.

“And today’s game mode is Duel. Duel is a mode where you fight one-on-one in a small map. It’s a best out of three.”

Duel was nothing special as a game mode.

Without a team, all wins and losses were determined by individual skill.

“The opponent is… Ah! A regular user.”

Ark sighed in disappointment.

-LOL
-Failed to snipe in the first match
-What crime did that guy commit
-It’s not a fail, just not attempting

On screen, the opponent recognized Sojun’s face and nickname.

『“Oh crazy! Why do I have to face him!”』

Ark shook his head.

“Are the rankers avoiding him? Well, since the first four matches are where you can earn contribution points, it’s not strange for them not to snipe. In fact, it’s reasonable.”

The first match ended anticlimactically.

* * *

With the first game proceeding uneventfully, people expected that at least until the fourth game, Sojun would win without much trouble.

And this prediction was shattered by the second match.

– Oh hahaha
– Are they meeting right away?
– Did I make a mistake?
– A ranker would never
– A threat already at a 4-win streak!
– Starting off deliciously

『Unrighteous Dignity』

His awareness of the familiar nickname on the interface and the viewers’ reactions revealed to him that he had caught a big fish from the second match.

‘Unexpectedly met quickly.’

When he had talked with Ark, Sojun had assumed he wouldn’t meet him until the fourth match or would only encounter much lower-ranked users because of the significant gap he had created. But it was unexpected.

“Only ranked 5th in contribution? Wow, that’s even better.”

Why they had decided to snipe him now was unknown.

“Let’s go.”

What he needed to do was clear, which Sojun liked.

Win the game.

『The game is starting.』

The sparring includes 1 vs 1, 2 vs 2, and 3 vs 3 matches.

Naturally, as the number of game participants increases, the map gets bigger.

Thus, today’s one-on-one meant the map was small.

Therefore, merely a short walk from the starting point would immediately bring him face to face with the enemy.

The preliminary match was a straightforward test.

Sojun was encountering a true expert here for the first time.

“Hello, I’m ranked 5th currently; I’m Unrighteous Dignity.”

The opponent greeted him.

It wasn’t a misalignment.

Feeling a slightly underhanded vibe, Sojun responded with a smile.

“Alright. I am the Heavenly Demon.”

-Hahaha. I didn’t expect this today either.
-Starting the Heavenly Demon villain mode? hahaha
-Split personality level
-Should lose once acting like this

“Hehe. I thought the early bird catches the worm, so I came early. You’re not angry, right?”

Oh.

He was provoked.

He couldn’t stand idly by.

The early bird, huh.

“Do you know? No matter when the worm wakes, it gets eaten by the bird anyway. If it wakes too early, it just shortens its short life.”

“Haha.”

The opponent tried to maintain composure as he spoke, but he couldn’t hide the twitch of his lips.

What Sojun didn’t know was that “Unrighteous Dignity” had multiple accounts and had been causing a stir in the community.

“Come at me first.”

Maintaining just the right amount of tension, Sojun approached slowly.

The trash-talk ended here.

Now it was time to prove himself with the sword.

While it’s a one-on-one, that doesn’t mean there’s no strategy.

Step by step.

The distance slowly closed.

“Ha. This is fun. Well then, without reservation, I’ll attack first.”

As soon as the opponent finished speaking, they quickly closed the distance.

“Unrighteous Dignity” had chosen a sect known for assassination techniques.

The characteristics of the “Assassin Sect” included stealth and speed.

Their speed not only encompassed movement speed but also attack speed, with the added advantage of having faster lightness skill than other clans.

In team battles, they could exploit these traits to introduce unpredictability through unconventional play.

And in a one-on-one?

The opponent lunged like a predator, aiming for Sojun’s throat with heightened speed via lightness skill.

Noticing the stance, Sojun assumed a prepared position.

‘Is it a strong attack? Rankers typically don’t attempt strong attacks, but he’s doing it right off the bat.’

A strong attack delivered high damage but ran the risk of body stiffness if parried, and making large moves against a skilled opponent was akin to inviting them to parry.

Sojun had deliberately allowed the first move, readying his sword to parry.

Even as a strong attack, it was fast.

Perhaps they intended to exploit this?

However, not being able to respond to a frontal assault seemed impossible for him.

*Clang!*

It was a light clash to test each other.

And Sojun was somewhat impressed from that exchange.

‘The parry wasn’t successful.’

As the opponent withdrew their sword moving onto the next motion, Sojun analyzed the previous situation.

‘They slightly twisted the trajectory just before contact?’

The adept utilization of speed showcased a veteran’s finesse.

Apparently, the strong attack wasn’t without reason.

It seemed today’s stream would be much more entertaining than expected.