NOVEL NEXT Chapter 39
Chapter 39 – Precious Activity Funds…
Most games fall into two categories: games that are fun to play but not as fun to watch, and games that are enjoyable to watch but burdensome to play.
However, some games come along that captivate an era, thriving not only in professional matches and online broadcasts but also inspiring viewers to want to log in and try out the plays themselves.
KoK was such a game.
“Seriously, did some tournament feature an exciting Warrior build? Every match today, there’s a Warrior insisting on going underground.”
A game where, if a professional match showcased a high-difficulty build with impressive scenes, rank games would be filled with players trying to replicate it.
『Didn’t you see GP’s monster crit?』
『ㅇㅇㅇZeek hard-carried with dual-axe Warrior』
『That build with increased attack speed was sticking like glue』
『The backline disappeared against that crit』
Unfortunately for both Yena and Dodat, that day was when a popular team’s star player started as an underground Warrior, carried the game with numerous highlight plays, and was even named MVP.
In other words, it was a day where ‘I’ll go underground Warrior’ reigned in ranked games, regardless of tier.
“Oh, really? Zeke did? I need to check that out later.”
ㅇㅇ has donated 1,000 won! –
【Does this mean you’ll do Warrior】
An emotionless mechanical voice.
Despite this, the drawn-out voice somehow gave Dodat a fleeting sense of unease, which he quickly brushed off as he lightly explained.
“Thanks for the donation. No, it doesn’t mean I’ll definitely play Warrior. But you have to be aware of the pros and cons of trending builds.”
WarriorIsCallingYou has donated 10,000 won! –
【Warrior gogo now, dual-axe berserk build is OP】
Seeing a donation seemingly trying to push the Warrior agenda, dodat shook his head and sighed.
“Warrior? There’s already someone willing to play it every game; what can I do?”
Besides, warriors were the primary antagonists for the few rogue players like Dodat –
And as a former rogue main who would intentionally pick Warrior to troll, there was no way Dodat would comfortably switch to Warrior now.
Unlike rogues, warriors were inherently loved by many broadcasters and viewers alike, being one of the most exciting characters to watch.
Moreover, given Dodat’s impressive analytical skills, which had even elevated his instructional streams, there was a lot of anticipation for his take on the Warrior. The chat was constantly chanting for him to play Warrior.
『Sir Dodat, I’m curious about your Warrior too』
『Let’s see some Warrior action』
『Dodat-Teacher is great underground with rogues; imagine him as a Warrior』
『Oh, warrior!』
Seeing these messages, dodat suppressed his urge to say, ‘I don’t play that class’, and instead, smiled slightly and soothed his audience.
“Okay, okay. Playing it is difficult, but I’ll take a look at the build.”
As if responding to his concession, another fanfare sound chimed in,
WarriorIsCallingYou has donated 200,000 won! –
【Let’s go Warrior】
Thinking he should ban character selection donations in the future, dodat maintained a soft smile and replied as gently as possible.
“Thank you for the 200,000-won donation! Even without donations, I’ll check out the build after this game, so you don’t need to keep sending. And remember, I need to pick characters based on both our team and the opposing team… We can’t turn character selection into a donation competition.”
***
After the game ended quickly, dodat kept his promise and reviewed the Warrior build that had been featured in the pro matches.
“Ah, like this. Makes sense. They’re forgoing neutral mob health management. It’s a good build.”
『Seems like they’re giving up health management to keep the berserk cycle going』
『Looks insanely difficult though』
『Below Gold, not recommended』
『Encountering this in rank would be dizzying』
Knowing when to capitalize, faraday Games would upload short videos stitched together with highlights of pro matches and accompanying builds on their official website as soon as major league games ended in Korea, the U. S., Germany, russia, and more.
In the most recent upload, the Warrior—eyes glowing blood-red from the berserk trait which increased speed and attack power as health dropped below 30%—was repeatedly shown beheading priests and taking down archers.
These videos were designed to give viewers a rush and make them want to experience that thrill themselves.
“It does look cool. They should give rogues some flashy sequences like that.”
As he marveled at the video’s cinematics, the unsettling voice came through once again.
ㅇㅇ has donated 1,000 won! –
【Are you considering switching to Warrior?】
“I’m still going to play rogue. But since Warriors are my main opponents underground, I need to know their build.”
ㅇㅇ has donated 1,000 won! –
【Okay, I’ll wait】
***
“Wow, it’s already 2 AM. Let’s wrap this up with one song.”
『One last round』
『Sir Dodat~』
『DBDB~』
『One last round』
Even judging by his usual extended broadcast hours, it was time to end the broadcast.
As Dodat turned off his camera and began removing his VR gear, a familiar donation sound echoed in his ears.
ㅇㅇ has donated 10,000 won! –
【Play rogue and end the broadcast for 6,000 won】
『Persistent as ever』
『Why so pitiful LOLOLOL LOLOLOL』
『It’s making me sad』
『No rogue for you~ Move along~』
Checking the donation history, it was the same person who had consistently expressed a desire to see rogue gameplay since the start of the broadcast.
This is why character or build request donations were troublesome. While he could entertain such requests on his secondary account, he couldn’t do so on his main account.
‘I thought it’d be fine since I was planning to play rogue anyway… I made a mistake.’
It felt like he was taking the money and running.
Dodat didn’t feel great about it.
‘[email protected]… Where have I seen that ID before?’
The ID seemed familiar, likely from someone who had regularly donated during his streams.
“… You’ve been donating since earlier, right? I’m sorry, but there just wasn’t a good opportunity for rogue tonight. I promise next time, even without donations, I’ll play rogue if there’s a chance. So please refrain from character selection donations in the future.”
After offering his apology, dodat hesitated briefly before continuing.
“This doesn’t sit right with me. Let’s queue up one last time. If I can pick rogue, great; if not, I’ll dodge and end the broadcast.”
***
Where did it all go wrong?
《Ah… today’s really not my day. I’m ending the broadcast now. I’ll be back tomorrow. See you all then.》
It’s the Warriors’ fault.
It’s the rampant rogue hate.
Zeke… I didn’t watch the pro matches, but it must be his fault.
Staring blankly at the black screen showing only the word ‘Offline,’ I felt a sense of emptiness.
My precious funds… just 6,000 won left.
Dodat.
If he would just turn the broadcast back on and show a bit of good faith, I could forgive him.
Maybe… three days. No, a week of playing rogue exclusively, and even changing his ID to ‘RogueRogue’ or something like that. Just a small gesture of sincerity.
But naturally, the broadcast didn’t come back on. Was I paying the price for trying to pass off the banner I was determined to hold to someone else?
I reached out, grabbed my mouse, and stared at the ‘Start Broadcast’ button on Tw*tch for a moment. Over the past week, I’ve found myself in a slightly awkward and unfamiliar situation.
Thanks to the unexpected performance of the computer Yeri ordered for me, I could now broadcast with ease. The unintended buzz had made the broadcast somewhat of a hot topic.
I knew well that starting the broadcast would greatly help with visibility, yet I kept postponing hitting the ‘Start Broadcast’ button.
The reason was clear.
The KoK Forum, the base for my first Rogue Revival Movement, was flooded daily with various posts about… me.
After pushing down the initial rush of shame, I tried to laugh it off and thought about riding the wave of attention to generate even more buzz before starting the broadcast again.
But…
Reading countless posts and comments from so many people detailing what they wanted to do with and to my body parts, how they wanted to treat me, and the various ways they planned to prevent me from doing anything ever again…
Directly hitting the button to interact with these people in real-time, and announcing that I’m starting the broadcast, had become overwhelmingly daunting.
It wasn’t specifically painful. I didn’t hate the idea of streaming. On the contrary, aside from the last disaster, I actually found the previous streams quite enjoyable.
It was just that the idea of going out there myself and asking these people to come watch me felt strangely off-putting. But looking at it critically, would viewers gather if I just started streaming without any promotion?
In a world where even those streaming for over a year with a handful of viewers exist, it felt doubtful.
But, eventually, aren’t all these just excuses?
Perhaps this weak-heartedness is the real reason for my pathetic attempts at delegating rogue promotion to others, only to be betrayed.
As I idly twirled my mouse, lost in thought,
Buzz
A Discourse message from Ark popped up.
『Ark: Hello Yena-nim. Do you have a moment?』
『Ark: I wanted to talk about the last broadcast.』
Oh, right.
I hadn’t replied to that email.
Hmm…
She asked if I had time. I’ll reply when I have some free time tomorrow.
Yes.
But for now, it’s time to start the postponed broadcast.
『CravingWarmAmericano is live!』
『Rogue Revival Movement – Rogues Are The Best』