NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28
Congratulations! You’ve been selected for the 2nd Abyss Streamer Tournament organized by Taker. Thank you for applying!
One afternoon, I received this email. Turns out, the same message slid into my Twitch DMs too.
Honestly, if I said I wasn’t expecting it, I’d be lying, but I wasn’t holding my breath either.
It’d be more accurate to say I deliberately lowered my expectations.
Because if you don’t expect much, you won’t be disappointed. If I’d raised my hopes too high and then couldn’t participate, that would sting more than anything.
I’d been trying my best to erase thoughts of the tournament from my mind after applying.
Honestly, it wouldn’t have been odd if I wasn’t picked.
First off, my streaming experience is quite limited, which means my viewer count is probably lower than that of other participants. And let’s be real, the highlight video I sent was of some old-school game, so…
Just in case, I played a few solo rank games and sent an additional recording, but a proper highlight? Just that old video I submitted at the front.
I figured the organizers would be like, “What is this relic?” and just toss it aside; it wasn’t a big deal in my mind.
But who knew the results would come out like this? I was a bit dazed, yet somehow, I felt good.
—
Team selection will be conducted through an official broadcast. Please check the broadcast to find out which team you’ve been assigned to.
Teams, teams, huh.
Teams are important.
I read through the rest of the email, noting the upcoming tournament proceedings and important points.
They say teams will be selected through a broadcast. I definitely need to watch that.
Let’s see, the date is…
“Wait, that’s today…?”
And with that, I changed up my broadcast plans.
—
“Yes, that’s right.”
[Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak!]
[Kayak! You’re the pride of the Abyss Gallery!]
[Surprise worship √]
[Wait, this is actually happening lol]
[This tournament might draw some serious eyes, especially with Eonix involved]
[Broadcast Host debuting in front of tens of thousands?]
[Suddenly becoming a world-class player;;]
[My little Kayak…]
[Honestly, it started with three digits of viewers, so it was never really small…]
[Like Camilla’s heart pocket.]
Like Camilla’s heart pocket]
“Hey, calm down, everyone.”
The viewers’ reactions were nothing short of explosive. It was as if they planned to pile on the pressure, already talking about winning and how famous I would become after the tournament.
They weren’t entirely wrong. Indeed, lesser-known streamers often skyrocketed to fame through tournaments with a lot of fluctuating viewers.
However, I couldn’t say for certain that it would happen for me. After all, you never know how life turns out.
Even if there was a chance, at this stage, it felt like jumping the gun. In other words, it was just a lot of fuss.
This was the point where I announced I would be participating in a tournament hosted by the Taker. At the same time, the content of today’s broadcast was also set.
[Kayak]
-Watching the team selection broadcast together.
An official broadcast… this was an easy win broadcast only accessible to streamers who got participation rights.
I was happy to be able to stream comfortably, and the viewers had no reason to miss out on such satisfying content.
“Anyway, we’ll be watching the broadcast together today. Everyone, please sit back and enjoy. Who would I like to team up with? Well, I don’t know all the participants yet…”
As we chatted for a bit, the official broadcast switched from the waiting screen, revealing people’s faces.
“Hello, everyone. This is the 2nd Taker’s Abyss Streamer Tournament sponsored by Eonix. Before the match explanation and team selection, let me introduce myself. I’m caster Lee Hyuk Jin.”
“I’m streamer Taker.”
“And this is announcer Kim Yeo Ji. Hello!”
The brief introductions from the commentary trio opened the floor to the tournament.
I had heard that the commentary used to be done solely by the Taker, but calling in a panel like this meant that Eonix wasn’t skimping on their investment, which was no mere rumor.
The well-organized studio where the commentary team sat certainly gave off a formal tournament vibe.
[Wow, look at that commentary team!]
[Taker’s hit the big time, even got to see Yeo Ji!]
[Yeo Ji…]
[So pretty!]
[Already excited, lol.]
It felt almost like a festival, just the initial cue announcing the start of the festivities.
I, too, was thrilled to finally participate in the tournament I’d been wanting to join, excited to team up with my teammates whom I hadn’t seen in a while.
Oh, I was excited to finally meet my teammates and sync up after such a long time.
But not now. Right now, I was wrapped in this strange discomfort and wasn’t enjoying it like they were.
Wait, does no one notice this? Is it just me feeling awkward?
I felt I couldn’t endure this discomfort any longer, so I spoke up.
“Hey, everyone.”
[Yes?]
[What’s going on?]
[The teacher is introducing the players now, right?]
“Isn’t this part a bit uncomfortable? The font size doesn’t match, and there’s too much whitespace.”
I pointed out the part on the screen that had been bothering me to the viewers.
At the top of the screen, it said ‘2nd Abyss Streamer Tournament,’ but the last character ‘전’ is subtly smaller than the previous letters and doesn’t align properly.
As I hovered my mouse around it while explaining, the viewers finally started to understand and empathize with what I was saying.
[OMG]
[Why would you even mention that?]
[No wonder it was so quiet.]
[Teacher… please focus on the broadcast.]
[Why keep it to yourself?]
[Un-comfortable]
[Now I can’t stop thinking about it, ugh.]
“We’re all together, right?”
Don’t close friends share unspoken secrets?
As we opened up and formed a shared understanding like this, our bonds were naturally strengthened.
But for some reason, people looked furious about it.
– Yes, that concludes the introduction of Nicang’s players. Wow, Miriam really showed off some serious skills in the highlight reel, didn’t she?
Meanwhile, the commentators continued with the introductions.
Before I knew it, it was my turn.
– Now, let’s meet the next player. Recently, this person has been stirring up a new breeze in the Abyss broadcasts on Twitcie. The streamer Kayak! I heard she’s short for Weak Camilla. As you can tell by the nickname, she mainly plays the hero Camilla. She wrote down that her confident position is ‘all of them.’ Playing all positions as Camilla… is that a master? Compared to the other participants, this intro sounds a bit more confident.
[Here it comes!]
[The host has arrived! lol]
[‘All positions’]
[Wow!]
[Can’t stand uncomfortable things, but plays well…]
“I can’t help it, but I’m good at the game…”
“People may be a bit strange, but Camilla’s really good.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be the opposite?”
Somewhere, I’m feeling a bit jittery and slightly embarrassed. Above all, I never expected the things I wrote on the application would come out of the commentator’s mouth. Wasn’t that just a check?
The viewers, as if wondering when they started holding grudges against me, became gentle sheep and started to focus back on the broadcast.
I also tried my best to avoid looking up and focused on the broadcast.
– “There’s another noteworthy point about Kayak. Amazingly, she’s the only user among the competing streamers who has been playing since the game was released, and she achieved Challenger status from seasons 1 to 3. Wow, Challenger since the score system. I thought I played for quite a while, but I guess I have to take a backseat to Kayak.”
“…You’re praising me too much.”
Since I was currently watching the official broadcast, I couldn’t help but notice the chat in the competition’s channel.
From reactions like “So legit” to people shocked saying, “No way, is there really someone like that?”
Based on those reactions, it seemed my history wasn’t exactly common.
– “Now, that’s enough of the verbal explanations, and we will have a highlight viewing time from now on.”
Not long after the commentator finished speaking, the screen switched.
It was the video that I wasn’t sure about even after sending it out.
I really wondered if they would actually play this.
The beginning featured a pop song I had heard somewhere before, and alongside the subtle, weathered imagery of the Abyss, it illuminated a girl within.
Being an old video, I can’t deny it had a somewhat outdated editing style.
But why didn’t I search for a new video and used this one instead?
No matter how old-fashioned the editing is or how the game screen doesn’t look like what you’d find in the current game…
The essence was still intact, and the satisfying rush of a mad movie was undeniably there.
I was confident that what I wanted to convey would be delivered well enough.
As if to hit my expectations, with the familiar music playing, Camilla began to elegantly navigate the battlefield.
[??? What is this?]
The chat in the official broadcast, which had about 50,000 viewers, started to shake rapidly.