Swordmanship Veteran's Game Stream Chapter 151
【Read only at hivetoons.org】
He was in his mid-to-late twenties, a person who had left the professional scene after playing for three years right after graduation because he felt the limit of his skills.
To be precise, he had judged that he could not become the best. His skills were mediocre in that realm, and because new talents kept rising up from below, he had lacked the confidence to hold his ground.
However, at the time of his retirement, he at least performed around the average.
Thus, many people posted various speculations regarding his sudden retirement. Of course, no one got it right.
[I'm hesitant to ask, but could it be a terminal illness?]
[You guys cursed at him and compared him to others every time he lost, isn't that why our Penguin is leaving!]
[Yeah, he probably made a lot of money anyway, so just go, Penguin, I loved you!]
The most absurd thing was a post that went up because he had gained a bit of chubby weight back then due to stress.
[Wait, did this bastard Penguin!!! get pregnant? Congratulations! Have a good life!]
This was still deeply engraved in Penguin's mind even after several years had passed.
Calling a 190 cm tall man pregnant. What a truly unbiased person—not.
So, Penguin resurrected as a streamer the day after his retirement, putting to rest what was and wasn't a controversy.
Because of that post, he had impulsively revealed himself and started his streamer life right away, deviating from his original plans.
‘Anyway, it was a good choice. I left while they were still applauding, and found a different path.’
He had not chosen this profession because he judged that he could become the best in the streamer world.
He originally possessed such competitiveness in games, but he had no desire to be like that as a streamer.
Who on earth would he defeat, and who would acknowledge him even if he won like that?
It was not a matter of making a living either.
As long as he did not squander it on luxury, he had already earned enough to feed himself for a lifetime, so he was fine unless he fell into gambling or drugs.
Even if it was not on the level of major American sports, the market had grown so immensely that even if it was just for three years, a first-string player could earn an astronomical amount of money.
It was simply because it suited his aptitude. One could not live as a jobless person just playing games all day, could they?
Though to be honest, it was true that the latter also appealed to him.
In any case, today Penguin was deeply contemplating whether or not to fold up his fun streamer life.
'Has the day of doom finally come for the profession of a streamer?'
-Supply with zero demand is on, lololol
-Danang shiver shiver, this is a viral ad for a trip to Danang
Penguin weighed whether he would receive applause if he left the industry right now, or if he would exit to boos, before finally giving up on the thought.
'From now on, I will only shower that player named Jin Seo-jun with extreme praise.'
Perhaps due to a deep-seated, unconscious grudge from being teased, the massive-bodied Penguin—who had worked out diligently for several years and was now a muscle monster—finally cried out.
And that cry sounded extremely gruff to the other three commentators and hundreds of thousands of viewers.
Penguin thought to himself once more.
'From now on, I will only blindly praise Seo-jun.'
Objectively speaking, Penguin had a truly average-looking face.
He just had a massive frame. And his face was angular.
It was that such a man had just offered a greeting to conduct an interview with Seo-jun, attaching "meow" to the end.
[Player Seo-jun. Hello....... ....... ....... ......meow.]
It was gruff and deep.
It was a low, echoing cave-like voice. The cat sounded authoritative.
Perhaps because he hesitated a great deal before uttering each word, those characteristics were far more pronounced than Penguin's usual voice.
Captured in a video call on the upper-center screen that had appeared on the broadcast, Seo-jun was maintaining a poker face.
[Seo-jun! Is this by any chance too burdensome for you?]
Bangju asked with a smirk.
Rather than burdensome, it was hilarious.
If they were close like the people next to him, he would have laughed. Or even if they had met as enemies in a game.
He failed to hold back his laughter.
Even Seo-jun, who had attained the realm of a clear mirror and still water to always maintain his tranquility, could not endure it.
-Lolololol failed the desperate laugh-holding challenge lol
-Ah lol, if only he wasn't wearing that headband, he would have held his laughter lololol
-The operations team is truly amazing. Buying it that quickly
[Very well, Commentator Penguin. We will let you off now.]
[Thank you! Thank you so much!]
[Hehehe, in any case! We are letting you off just this once because we are worried it might be difficult to proceed. I think this much is enough to have you immortalized anyway. Anyhow! Player Seo-jun! It has been a while!]
[I want to say hello too! Hello!]
"Yes, it has been a while. Hello, Caster."
[T-then, me too? Hello, I'm Taeyang, in charge of commentary.]
-No, lololol is this a fan meeting lololol
-What is up with the streamer's popularity, lololol
-Everyone is trying to line up to get close to the next champion, lololol
-A guaranteed giant streamer!
-I don't know about being a giant streamer, but making a fortune is guaranteed
-Isn't he already making one?
[Now! It seems things are organized. I will proceed as originally planned. Player Seo-jun! You have entered a streamer tournament for the first time, and you were immediately selected as the MVP in the very first game. How do you feel about this.......]
Arin wrapped up the situation and attempted to interview Seo-jun.
The question was standard and safe. There was nothing to criticize, and no reason for it to cause trouble.
They only needed to listen to Seo-jun's response, but the official broadcast chat went wild.
-Arin-noona? Why on earth is she suddenly doing the interview herself?
-Wasn't Penguin supposed to do it, lolololol
-That natural interview intercept was legendary
-It's not because that guy is handsome, right? She's just being faithful to her work, right?
-She said she was glad Penguin was doing the work instead! But why is she intercepting it?
Then, while speaking, Arin caught a glimpse of the chat's reaction and said.
[To be honest, 'Was it nice because Seo-jun appeared often in the highlight reel, yes or no?' Hahaha. Since I watched a marvelous play, it's a yes for me. At any rate, how do you feel, Seo-jun!]
Arin slipped out of it smoothly. Of course, no one believed her.
Seo-jun pondered for a moment and then expressed his thoughts.
[Could you tell us in more detail why it was fun?]
"The new game was interesting. It's my first time playing the battle royale genre."
Confirming that games were indeed fun, Seo-jun nodded.
[Ah! So you were happy because you got to play a new game. I see. Mmh. I see!]
-Streamer, if you do the interview like that, how are they supposed to react lololol
-Actually, the streamer was always extremely joyful whenever he played a new game lol
-Everything he does must be so fucking easy, of course the game is bound to be fun
-For real lol, in the past I used to play Nin10do games with a TT chip using cheats, and it was fun
Seo-jun looked at his own room's chat and suddenly snapped out of it.
"Ah, the question was how I felt about being chosen as the MVP, right?"
[Haha. Yes, that's correct. It is a tournament you are participating in for the first time, right? A truly vast number of viewers have been watching since the beginning, and you didn't even show any nervousness, going beyond displaying your true skills to showcase super plays! How do you feel about that!]
Arin properly explained once more.
The pressure of being watched by hundreds of thousands, along with the allied and enemy streamers playing together.
It was impossible not to feel nervous.
Therefore, asking for the thoughts of someone who had displayed such prowess from the very start was a natural follow-up.
Seo-jun was not an ordinary person.
Seo-jun expressed his thoughts. Exactly as he had felt them.
-He is originally this kind of guy. Please do not hate him. He is originally this kind of guy. Please do not hate him. <-- Guys, go spam this quickly lololol
-Crazy bastard. Crazy bastard. Crazy bastard. Crazy bastard. Crazy bastard.
-Please talk normally lol
-Upvote if you think the streamer is fucking poorly socialized lololol
'The strong do not need such a thing.'
Whether that applied to modern society as well was not important.
Since it seemed to apply to streamer society, at least.
Seo-jun smirked as he took it a step further.
"There were no crisis situations. So, well, I won easily."
He smiled brightly. His eyes were innocent, as if he had no intention of trolling or provoking anyone.
Among the team members who were quietly watching Seo-jun's interview, Rumi, who was quick-witted, was the first to let out a sigh.
Naturally, the other team members also glared lasers at Seo-jun.
They thought they knew what he was trying to do, and prayed it wasn't that.
Even if it was, they hoped he would stop here.
[Ah. So you are saying there were no crisis situations just now?]
"That is correct."
Yet Seo-jun nodded and continued the interview.
[Even the fact that you couldn't open your parachute at the beginning?]
"Ah, that was a plan."
It was not. He had simply not even known the criteria for whether it would open or not, so he had just fallen to let whatever happens happen.
[But because of that plan, a close situation occurred when you fought bare-handed, didn't it?]
"Originally, every attack is either hit or not, one of the two. If you aren't hit, dodging it from ten steps away or dodging it by a hair's breadth is the same thing. But... mmh. Was it a close one? I think I just won easily."
He shrugged his shoulders.
That exact sight was shown on the screen.
-Gosh, so irritating lolol
-But he wasn't hit, right? Anyway, he wasn't hit, right? lol
-Streamer, are you trying to build up karma? lol
[Then what about when you confronted Player Hwangso? At that time, if you didn't have the frying pan, wouldn't it have been a tight situation where even a single mistake would end it? Deflecting bullets with a frying pan was also your first time doing so!]
"Since that wasn't such a difficult play, I think it's ambiguous to call it a crisis."
-It's only not difficult for you, fuck lolololol
-No, thinking about it, bullet parrying was also just done as an improvisation lol
The price for evil deeds committed in a past life.
In other words, it was a word that had absolutely no relation to Seo-jun.
Since he remembered his past life, he knew very well that there was no such price he had accumulated.
However, this word 'karma' was not used according to its dictionary definition.
It was not about a past life, but was simply used to bring up one's usual behavior when trouble broke out.
Moreover, in this kind of tournament.
-I know what the streamer is trying to do right now
-Are you trying to become the villain of this tournament? Jin Seo-jun!
-Now this is the Heavenly Demon lololol
-Uh-huh, he's the Assassin Order GOAT lol
Behaving as though one has already won before the tournament even finishes is described as building up karma.
This was because those who behaved like that failed to win with a very high probability, and those remarks returned exactly like karma.
Arin also seemed to have caught on to some extent.
As to what kind of concept Seo-jun was trying to go for.
Well, there would be people who seriously disliked this sort of thing, but the majority loved it.
Not because they were enthusiastic about Seo-jun, but because the tournament itself became more exciting.
Now that trash-talking had also become a culture.
[I see! Do you have any goals going forward?]
"It's winning."
[Then at this point, is there a team that seems most likely to get in the way of that victory?]
"Mmh. As you saw today, after all."
Seo-jun curled up his lips and began to build up karma.
"I don't think there is."