A Swordsman’s Stream

Chapter 81

– 12 consecutive victories, that’s insane, hahaha!
– This is the Heavenly Demon!
– Did they really pull this off, hahaha!
– Please become the cult leader! Please become the cult leader! Please become the cult leader!
– Ah, hahaha. If you’re going to do so well with that username, you might as well take responsibility for the Demonic Cult!
– Today’s stream was legendary.
– It’s over now.

The clock hands pointed to 10:10.

Sojun stretched and returned to his original spot.

Then, seeing the opportunity, Ark approached him.

“Truly, well done!”

“Thank you. You also worked hard, Ark-nim.”

“All I did was watch. But you, Sojun-nim, achieved 12 consecutive victories! 12 in a row!”

Ark continued speaking.

“You didn’t lose even once, not even a single round, right?”

“Yes.”

– Wow.
– Truly amazing.
– It seems like many people will revisit today. I never thought you’d be this good.

Ark and Sojun simultaneously turned their gazes back to their chat windows, before returning their attention and exchanging glances.

They both smiled inwardly.

“In our chat, there’s an opinion that you could beat a pro, Sojun-nim. Have you ever fought a pro?”

In the real world, he had.

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Ah, is that so? I’d like to see it sometime.”

“Maybe we’ll meet someday.”

“Indeed! These days, there are many former pros who’ve turned streamers, and since pros often stream while gaming, there are many chances to encounter them.”

Sojun nodded.

Though being busy was the biggest issue, most pros were at least somewhat familiar with Travel and its culture, so they weren’t completely out of touch.

They might meet while gaming.

“If I do meet them, I’ll do my best.”

“Oh, you’ll do your best to make them lose their job?”

– Hahaha, will make them unemployed!
– Losing to a streamer is a straight path to unemployment.
– Becomes equal to a regular viewer, hahaha.
– I wonder how it will turn out.
– With a new game, it might be more than possible to win.

“Alright, that was just a joke. Anyway, today we saw duels with rankers, Heavenly Demon Divine Art, and those 12 consecutive wins. There was so much to watch.”

Ark began delivering the closing remarks.

It seemed to be the end of the stream.

Sojun quietly turned and opened the Travel window.

『Ark – 140,000 viewers watching』
『Jin Sojun – 18,000 viewers watching』

The results were astonishing.

It was close to a collaborative stream of major companies.

It meant that most viewers interested in the Battlefield were watching this stream.

Ark’s Battlefield content’s highest record was around 150,000 viewers, if he recalled correctly.

It fell slightly short of that, but that was without including Sojun’s viewers.

Including his viewers, surpassing the highest record was not an overstatement.

“Moreover, Sojun-nim accumulated a bonus of 66,650 Reputation Points just from today’s winning streak. Considering the original 6,000 points you had, it’s like you’re the equivalent of 14 rankers walking around!”

Ark raised his voice as he spoke.

– That’s a bit intimidating, isn’t it?
– What a thought, imagining a swarm of zombies, haha.
– First place is guaranteed. Others would have to win 14 times for just one of your wins, hahaha.

“Indeed. Now, both the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions are in a panic. Because now, the Demonic Cult has the most rankers! Even if they could lose in ranker battles, our side’s 14 would never lose! Thanks to the great variable that is Sojun-nim, things are going to get even more exciting.”

Ark then paid his respects to Heaven-Slayer Star.

“I wish Heaven-Slayer Star-nim good survival. And with that, I’ll end today’s streaming here.”

It was over.

Watching Ark point his fingers into the air, Sojun also said,

“I’ll be ending my stream along with Ark-nim, goodbye Travel.”

– The Demonic Cult has really hit the jackpot.
– Ah.
– Will there be a win?

“Today’s collaboration was a great success. Next time, rather than just streaming remotely, I hope to have the opportunity to invite you to my studio for a proper collaboration.”

“If it results in something fun, there’s no reason to refuse.”

Although when the time came, he would need to figure out which capsule the other used.

“Haha, when that time comes, I will give you the best treatment a fan can offer.”

“Fan, you say?”

“Yes.”

“Do you watch my streams?”

“Of course. I’ve watched most of them live. I even donated during last time’s stream.”

Ark was not a streamer who frequently went live.

He considered himself more of an analyst or commentator.

Thus, he had ample time to watch Sojun’s streams.

“I remember.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But I thought you only watched that one time. As you know, the event of capturing the Tower Lord was lively enough that it wouldn’t have been strange for newcomers to join.”

“I did start watching during that event, but I’ve continued ever since. Your skills are excellent, and the streams are entertaining.”

“Thank you.”

Surely there was no need to track down the donation ID and conduct a background check, right?

He felt an urge to verify what mischief strangers might be up to every time someone claimed to be a viewer, probably due to all the peculiar people around him.

It was a truly lamentable situation.

“Anyway, today’s collaboration was a complete success. Normally, surpassing a hundred thousand viewers is tough, but with a count of a hundred fifty thousand, it’s safe to say that nearly everyone who’s interested tuned in. At this rate, I wonder if I might actually become a major corporate streamer.”

A major corporate streamer.

It referred to the select few streamers who could effortlessly pull in tens of thousands of live viewers or boast over a million iTube subscribers.

They were, for all intents and purposes, like walking small businesses.

Despite the streaming market’s growth, “Travel” continued to be considered niche; however, the notoriety and popularity of major corporate streamers were comparable to celebrities, making them anything but niche.

Even Sojun, who had once entirely distanced himself from the world of capsules, had heard of their names.

“Major corporate streamer—I don’t think so. It seems even being a mid-tier streamer is quite distant.”

“Hehe, well, while I’m not saying it’ll happen immediately, don’t we all wonder what the future holds? Besides, wouldn’t you say you’re already a mid-tier streamer?”

“What?”

“Surely, you’re not saying you can’t gather ten thousand viewers.”

“My usual steady viewership has been around five thousand.”

“But you nearly hit twenty thousand today.”

“Today’s an exception.”

“That may be true, Sojun-nim.”

“Yes.”

“People here are fanatical about skilled individuals.”

“……”

“Seriously.”

Ark wore a serious expression.

“Got it.”

“Of course. Anyway, I’ll send you today’s donation earnings from my channel later.”

“Sure.”

It was part of a deal made the night before that Ark would share half of the donations.

Incidentally, Sojun believed that the earnings should still be divided even if he himself participated.

“Don’t be too surprised when you see the amount later. The folks here really are crazy about skilled people.”

* * *

It was just as Ark said.

Today’s stream not only dominated most of the discussions, but the public opinion was positive.

『After today, there’s likely no more need for debates on who’s the World’s Greatest hahaha』
『Streamer Sojun executed the strategies he had hinted at in old forum posts, and it truly elevated his rank. No wonder he’s a Grandmaster.』
『Getting caught by the Dull Sword only means there’s a big skill difference.』
『Why is this guy Sojun so entertaining???』
『Battle Analysis. Namgung Clan Store Owner Edition』

There were also serious analytical posts.

『The Orthodox and Unorthodox faction leaders now find themselves at a strategic loss due to a single individual from the Demonic Cult!

“How does such a person emerge from the Demonic Cult?”

“What have our own experts been doing all this time!”』

The username Fanatic stood out. It felt familiar.

The writing too.

Sojun chuckled softly while reading through the comments.

-It’s hilarious that things happened just as he said hahahahaha
-Why is this user named Fanatic? He only seems to speak the truth. Aren’t they a genuine journalist?
-The comments he made in the midst of battles were even more outrageous.
└ 『Breaking News』 In a bid to compete against the Heavenly Demon, the Orthodox Faction turned to ranking second substances. ‘It’s impossible to confront him without substances.’
-The Demonic Cult has something more potent than the Great Soul Pill.
└ Demonic Cult’s supplement lololol
└ It’s not even Korean red ginseng, damn lol
-This person writes articles based solely on truth, no fabrication whatsoever.

『Can we speak nonsense if we won?』

-Yes
-Yes
-Of course
-Why ask the obvious?
-The moment you win, it’s no longer nonsense, youngsters.
-If you’re mad, what is it?

『Those Demonic Cult folks are full of themselves. You haven’t won yet lol』
『If we haven’t won, then what, their ranking warriors got thoroughly thrashed.』
『Honestly, if the Heavenly Demon joined the Orthodox Faction, I would bow and welcome him like crazy.』
『Only give a thumbs up if you’re willing to trade 14 of your ranking warriors for the Heavenly Demon lol』

Sojun, walking forward, thought to himself.

“Indeed, the response is great.”

Eight out of the top ten real-time posts were related to him.

The most active community at the moment was No Justice.

“By the way, why was I called?”

He was currently heading to a pavilion marked on the Demonic Cult’s map.

Tang So called him here right after the stream ended, and though he would typically ignore Tang So’s words, since Lee Dongsu and the No. 1 Swordsman Under Heaven also summoned him, Sojun leisurely made his way toward the pavilion.

As he arrived at the door, he heard voices.

“I’m counting on StoneWallRobberKing and the Boss. Who owns these IDs?”

“I don’t know, it seems like they’re not here.”

“So, those two unknowns just happened to share similar thoughts with us, giving downvotes too?”

“Seems like it.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter! We shot them down successfully!”

What were they talking about shooting down?

Why did he feel uneasy?

“Calling me over for this kind of nonsense? Do they even know who I am? If they knew my main character, everyone would be surprised.”

“Quiet down, Bandit King.”

A symphony of nonsense filled the air.

Maybe he shouldn’t go in.

With a perplexed expression, Sojun opened the door.

Inside he saw Lee Dongsu, who had sent him the message with a large avatar, Tang So, the No. 1 Swordsman Under Heaven, and several other people.

Their commonality seemed to be that they had all chosen the Demonic Cult as their faction.

Tang So, who appeared to be leading this gathering, approached him first.

“Finally here? Despite me calling you many times before, you never came, but you show up as soon as someone else calls. Well, even without you, my plan to make the Demonic Cult win is unaffected.”

Starting with nonsense, aren’t you, Tang So?

What victory for the Demonic Cult?

Sojun watched with squinted eyes, prompting him to speak more.

“Nonetheless, one cannot disregard you, so I intended to entrust you with an important role. Will you accept?”

Translated, those words meant he’s pleading for cooperation.

It was truly like that.

“Is it possible for the Demonic Cult to win?”

“Of course. But thanks to the Reputation Points you’ve acquired, if you follow our directives, we can win even more easily.”

“Is that so?”

In any case, he intended to cooperate.

Just not with this person.

“Indeed. And know that about half of the Reputation Points you gained include our share, so don’t think of dropping out.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Do you think your 12 consecutive wins just happened by chance?”

“Then?”

“It’s thanks to us, managing to curb unfavorable public opinions for the winning streak!”

So they were gathering en masse to manipulate it.

Ah.

He understood why the Bandit King looked so aggrieved.

How could one not be disgruntled when gathered and told to give downvotes with busy players?

“We weren’t directly writing posts or giving likes to manipulate. We were simply responding to a group that tried to slander you.”

Right. But isn’t that still manipulation?

It seemed like they were pricked by it too, saying it wasn’t manipulation. Sojun hoped they hadn’t done any strange antics.

He thought he should learn more details later through Lee Dongsu or the No. 1 Swordsman Under Heaven.

“Anyway, setting that aside. Can we really win?”