LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 173 - The Sight Arouses Desire
The broadcast of ‘CravingWarmAmericano’ was nearing the remarkable milestone of 40,000 viewers.
Without any collaborations or replays, merely through solo rank broadcasts, there were only a rare few who could draw such an audience across any platform. While the end-of-the-world themed content had contributed a temporary boost of interest, it was a benefit that all KoK broadcasters enjoyed simultaneously.
Thus, attributing Lee Yena’s surge in viewer numbers to sheer coincidence due to momentary interest was unfounded. It was more accurate to view it as the result of her consistent growth and significant charm that drew in the floating viewers of KoK like a black hole.
Indeed, her broadcast had become irresistibly captivating for the KoK transient viewer base. As the season’s conclusion approached with less than two days remaining, she began her marathon broadcasting. In the Challenger tier, no less—not just Platinum, diamond, or Master.
Moreover, Lee Yena, who occasionally swapped between keyboard and mouse play, offered generous broadcasting hours compared to typical KoK streams. Her playstyle was always aggressive and stylish.
Of course, the reduced amount of irrelevant chatter compared to usual broadcasts also played a part in retaining newcomers.
Despite viewers’ assumptions that this was due to her nervousness from having a larger audience, it was simply because she concentrated on the game.
Thus, it was only natural for her to revert to her usual self upon ending the game.
“Well… Should we call it a day for now? Oh, quite a crowd today. I was going to take a break… but since you’re here, why don’t we watch the KoK opening video together?”
Her voice could not hide her fatigue.
Perhaps because of that, or simply because she had been broadcasting for nearly eight hours, the chat’s response was not harsh even as she suggested taking a break at an exciting moment.
On the contrary, the prevailing sentiment in the chat was that she should rest well tonight to be ready for tomorrow’s run.
Fueled by this supportive atmosphere, Lee Yena seemed to find something on GP Hustler’s official G-tube channel and played a video.
“Oh, here it is. From this point… to here. There’s a serious problem with this video. Has anyone noticed?”
A Holy Knight gazed up towards the sky. In front of him, a Warrior appeared with the silhouette of an axe, leading up to a clash between the two warriors.
This scene was one of the highest-rated intro videos among viewers.
What exactly was the serious problem?
“Please stop causing fires while the water flows in.” and “Shit, this crazy girl is at it again.” were quickly drowned out in the chat by a flood of question marks and sporadic mentions of armor and attire authenticity.
Reflecting on these mixed reactions, Lee Yena sighed lightly and, in a voice deep and somnolent, almost as if lying down, she continued.
“Too few of you got it right. In a game that showcases combat as its main attraction, isn’t it bizarre to have a logger appearing as the main villain? It’s unnatural. We need to recreate this scene. I think it would be more fitting if the logger is shown working diligently near the forest background. I personally believe this should be prioritized over balance patches.”
“Hmm… Quite a few loggers here. The forest won’t have any trees left. Alright then, while those barbarians tend to their business, the rest of you can check this link… It leads to the official suggestion board on the KoK website. Many people aren’t aware, but posts with numerous recommendations are regularly monitored.”
“Where is it… Ah, already dropped to fifth place. Here, ‘Please reshoot the opening video’, this post was fascinating. If this post climbs to the top, it might just shock me awake. If that happens, I might just return to ranked games. Yeah.”
To sum it up… she was directing her viewers to the official KoK website suggestion board.
Perhaps it illustrated some growth that she didn’t use her broadcast as leverage. Unfortunately, it wasn’t an opinion many agreed with.
『???』
『What is that』
『Did you read the suggestion board?』
『Are you kidding me!』
『???』
『So you’re telling us to rig the recommendations?』
『Is she always like this?』
『When is the next broadcast?』
[Well, I was wondering how long you could keep up the act of being normal.]
“Alright then, I am utterly exhausted… I’ll go to bed. I’ll come back when I wake up. Everyone, have sweet dreams.”
With that, Lee Yena, who had said all she wanted to say, quickly disappeared as if she didn’t care to check for any reactions.
It was partly because she thought she could check the persuasive effect through the number of recommendations after waking up, but mostly because she was too tired to resist the temptation of sleep.
* * * *
My head felt fuzzy.
=Victory!=
I massaged my aching neck while staring at the victory screen that finally appeared, but the feeling of being shrouded in fog did not dissipate.
It must have been sleep deprivation. It was understandable. Although I had been lying down for six hours, I hadn’t slept for even three of those hours.
My pounding heart had made it impossible to fall asleep.
Suppressing the urge to rely on a sleeping potion, I had eventually given up on sleeping and had sat back down in front of the computer five hours ago.
My win rate had dropped to around 70%, as I repeatedly won and lost. Nonetheless, I had managed to climb the rankings, thanks to my persistent victories.
I stared blankly at the text beside #19 that read “GetDevoured.”
If the recent victory was reflected… I would be beyond 18th place.
Where should I set my goal? First place, really…?
It had been a goal set impulsively. Now that the top was in sight, it was hard to ignore the ambition brewing deep inside my heart.
-『Anonymous』 has donated 1,000 won!-
【You’ve got iron stamina, for real】
-『NextDoorOppa』 has donated 10,000 won!-
【Take care of yourself, GetDevoured. You’re already not in the best health, so don’t overdo it.】
-『Anonymous』 has donated 1,000 won!-
【You started in the 400s yesterday and now you’re aiming for first place. Absolutely insane】
Although I had turned off the chat as I couldn’t afford to pay attention to the excessively fast messages, it didn’t hinder communication significantly. Even during brief breaks, donation messages continued to pour in.
-『Anonymous』 has donated 1,000 won!-
【Feels like you’re really going to hit first place. The vibes are unreal】
Well, that would be nice, but… momentum alone won’t do it.
“It’s going to be tight. Even if I maintain my current win rate, I’ll gain about 60 points every 10 games… There are about 10 hours left.”
Factoring in queue times and assuming the average game takes 30 minutes, I could gain 60 points in 5 hours and 120 points in 10 hours.
The gap to first place… was currently 117 points.
Assuming first place didn’t increase their score, the gap was narrowly reachable. If my win rate increased just a bit, I could secure it more stably, but that wouldn’t be easy. The win rate for team games had its limits.
Even with my muddled head, the conclusion was the same after recalculating. At this pace… I would either fail narrowly or succeed in a dramatic comeback with a last-game win. Either way, it would be quite a dramatic conclusion.
Of course, there was also the possibility of an early slip and end. If I lost five games in a row… I might have to give up.
While lost in thought, waiting for the queue to pop, donation requests for communication kept coming in. Questions ranged from personal inquiries to whether I was a former professional player of other games.
-『Anonymous』 has donated 1,000 won!-
【When did you start playing as a rogue? Your skill level is impressive!】
Perhaps it was because I had been diligently answering questions. Even familiar questions like this were being asked repeatedly. This question was not one that usually came up anymore… It really showed how many new viewers had tuned in.
How to manage all these people? Although numbers do equate to strength, the suggestions post hadn’t received many upvotes.
Yet, I still had to respond earnestly. Whatever the reasons might be, after all, the viewers had come because they liked the broadcast. In the end, thinking about it, it made sense.
“Well, let me think. Considering the time I started seriously, it’s been about eight years now. Yes.”
-ㅇㅇ donated 1,000 won!-
【Don’t get it wrong~ it means I spent the first 7 years literally thieving~】
-ㅇㅇ donated 1,000 won!-
【It’s really touching to see you settling into an honest life after your dark past as a tomb raiderㅠㅠ】
The tone of these donations was starkly different from the messages sent by the newly arrived viewers. Honestly, it was a bit of a welcome… familiar reaction.
At any rate, it meant that despite the many new viewers, my existing friends were still watching the broadcast.
-ㅇㅇ donated 1,000 won!-
【How many times have you been convicted, teacher?】
“… I don’t know. I haven’t checked.”
Probably none, I thought.
I glanced at the mirror nearby – a tired-looking woman with dark circles was staring back at me through half-closed eyes. She didn’t exactly look innocent, but it wasn’t the face of a criminal either.
Honestly, I didn’t know.
Realizing this made me aware of how little I actually knew about himself. Or maybe, it would be more accurate to say I knew almost nothing. Fear of making a mistake while trying to understand…
I needed to know.
After this broadcast.
-Someone With A World’s Experience donated 1,000 won!-
【A precision examination revealed, surprisingly, no criminal record! GetDevoured, darling~ thieving is all well and good, but from now on, don’t get caught and live honestly, okay?】
-ㅎ
Ah… I let my guard down. My pride was hurt. I hadn’t expected it. That show was here too. From the nostalgic TV programs, I might need to check what else was similar.
Adding this and that to my ‘to-do later’ list, I continued the light conversation with viewers… and suddenly, another thought crossed my mind.
Hadn’t I spent too much time on trivial thoughts?
The queue… was still not popping.
* * * *
『Poster: ㅇㅇ』
『Title: Challenger level players are all just cowardly bastards』
『(Screenshot)
GetDevoured has been queuing for 15 minutes now and still hasn’t gotten a match.
On the last day, are you seriously only thinking about flaunting your current position? LOLOLOL
Guys, cut off all your dicks, you damn bastards.』
– To be honest, those already in the top 10 have no reason to queue.
– If you’re a man, you should aim for first place, damn it.
– How can you run when a crazy woman is smashing everything?
– Are you seriously not queuing because you’re scared of one female broadcaster? Cut off your dicks, you bastards.
– I told you five times, she’s not a female broadcaster.
– Normally, queues at that challenger level don’t come up easily. It’s normal.
– It’s 2 PM right now. Normal people don’t play at this hour.
– There’s no such thing as a normal challenger.
『Author: ㅇㅇ』
『Title: Just try to snipe at least』
『Let’s watch some gameplay~~~~
Where did all those annoying snipers who ruined fun broadcasts go?~~~~』
– How are you supposed to snipe the 18th place challenger, you idiot.
– For real LOL
– If you could snipe that, you’d be broadcasting instead of sitting in your room trying to snipe, damn it.
『Author: ㅇㅇ』
『Title: Breaking News: GetDevoured announced a solo study』
『Said they will wait just 5 more minutes to see if there’s any correlation between queue time and ocarina performance.
Please, challengers, start a queue…… I’m begging you……』
– What…
– Honestly, there’s been a lack of discipline.
– For real, seeing all the newcomers comfortably watching KoK makes me sick.
– I wish they’d dodge the queue and say, ‘I want to play a bit more. Should we wait for the next queue?’
– How many hours of GetDevoured’s broadcast have you watched?
– Don’t they perform well these days, though?
– Which makes it even more annoying. Why do newcomers get to hear the real performance?
– Trying to subtly show off is disgusting. You might as well openly flaunt your old-timer pride.
『Author: ㅇㅇ』
『Title: Breaking News: Current State of GetDevoured’s Broadcast』
『Screenshot』
『They’ve just displayed “Scared?” all over the screen LOOOOOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOL』
– She’s really are out of her mind.