It’s not that kind of malicious broadcast

Alcohol, you are truly a delight.

When was it again? Was it when I felt the Rogue Revival Movement had achieved half its success? I had resolved then to cut back on drinking. At the very least, I decided to refrain from drinking alone.

It wasn’t easy.

Having a clear vision had its advantages. At the very least, it enabled me to see the world as it truly was. To move forward, one must open their eyes, even if it stings a bit.

But…

Longing for a hazy mind and clouded vision was quite natural. Even if one didn’t get completely incapacitated, the degree of inebriation that made it hard to think about this and that was immensely beneficial to one’s health.

Mental health is health, after all.

In that sense, missing out on such a great opportunity was regrettable. It was a chance to drink with good people. Though it had become quite enjoyable to turn on the broadcast and drink with viewers, it was always better to have at least one person alongside in real life.

Ark…would be happy too. Probably.

“Anyway, Ark’s viewers, please take care of us today. I’ve heard there are many priest players here. We’ll be doing a priest session in part 2 today.”

“Uh, uh? Really? Isn’t it supposed to be a mage class?”

“The lecture is indeed about mages, but…for the practical part in part 2, I thought we could duo with a priest. A battlemage isn’t complete without having a dedicated priest, you see.”

– ㅇㅇ donated 1,000 won! –

“At the Great GetDevoured’s Potion…The end of the world is near.”

The comments continued to be supportive, and I could only be grateful.

-Heheheh

Letting out a small laugh, I raised a full shot of soju to the camera—only to stop just before doing so. If it were my camera, I would have heartily proposed a toast. But since it wasn’t, and the camera seemed expensive…letting even a drop of soju spill would have been a disaster.

I carefully set the glass back down. Thinking about it, maybe I should invest in some broadcasting equipment too. If I planned on continuing this, it seemed like something I needed to do. This broadcast had started spontaneously with a different intention, so most of my equipment had been basic.

I hadn’t thought much about it, but seeing the effect of expensive equipment in Ark’s studio with my own eyes…my thoughts started to run longer.

For the people who come to watch me, I should probably consider investing a bit… I wondered how much this would cost.

– 『username』 donated 1,000 won! –

『Ah! Ah! A potion hitting a person!』

As I lightly tapped the camera in contemplation, a donation with a ridiculous voice burst out, screaming.

I shouldn’t laugh. That kind of thing is probably banned on Ark’s broadcast.

“Please refrain from derogatory remarks. Ark’s broadcast is supposed to be clean and classy… What was it again? Anyway, it’s that kind of broadcast. Also, Priest has its own unique flavor. Is it a stamina potion or strawberry flavor… Ah, as expected, you’ve been banned. Ark’s manager is working diligently.”

Chatting flowed smoothly as viewers, catching the vibe, began to voice their opinions on the Priest class. The chat was filled with various malicious remarks, and even the manager’s swift actions to ban such comments were insufficient.

It seemed the IDs familiar to me were particularly intense in their comments.

“Someone said that it’s one thing to be a tough guy but playing a Priest while sober is… For now, please be careful with your comments. Still, well. Yes, there is some wisdom in the saying even a broken clock is right twice a day… It makes sense that being drunk might be better than being sober. In that sense, shall we have another drink?”

“… Please, those remarks… It hasn’t even been 30 minutes since you promised there wouldn’t be any broadcasting accidents…”

… Well, wasn’t that relatively mild as far as comments go? That person merely said that although he’s a tough guy, castrating while sober is a bit much.

“Alright, I’ll pour you some wine. Cheers.”

-User ㅇㅇ donated 1,000 won!-

【But normally, the KoK part is the first section, and the drinking broadcast is the second section, right…?】

As I poured more into Ark’s glass, sensing she wasn’t drunk enough, one viewer made a keen observation.

Indeed, I’ve contemplated that as well. Although it’s a VR game, drinking is generally sweeter after finishing what needs to be done.

But…

I wanted to get drunk a little quicker. For various reasons.

“There’s a reason why I need to drink quickly. It’s a long-forgotten story… Shall we revive my memory?”

“Cheers! Cheers! Everyone, let’s toast together!”

-Clink-

The clear sound of a small soju glass and a smoothly curved wine glass clinking rang beautifully.

After making a toast with Ark, whose expressions were richer than usual, I downed my drink in one go and took a small bite of the chicken in front of me—Ah, this combination is quite nice.

The taste made me slightly, just slightly, lean back more comfortably in the chair. It relaxed my guard… Ah.

Was it alright for the sound to be empty for so long? Not for my broadcast, but for Ark’s broadcast. Thinking that, I slowly shifted my gaze to the chat, which was surprisingly amicable.

Requests to turn the camera 30 degrees to the right, praises for the crunchy sound, comments on how Ark looked somewhat dazed…

… She did look a bit more spaced out than usual.

“Come on. Cheer up, Ark. Have a drumstick too. This build requires you to be out in the open and physically active, not just clicking leisurely in the safe zone, so make sure to eat well.”

“… Somehow your words seem drenched in Mage hate… Oh! Right. Will you be teaching that Fireball Mage later? I saw it on the broadcast yesterday. It was so awesome. How do you do that?”

“…… It’s forbidden by the Bug Assessment Committee. Unfortunately, it’s a discarded build. But don’t worry, if you master the Battlemage, it can be as good as the Flame Orb.”

It wasn’t a lie. In terms of fun, there weren’t many builds that could beat the thrill of twirling a staff while watching enemies burn from the invisible flame orb. However, it wasn’t a build that changed the meta like the Battlemage did.

Most importantly, I couldn’t let Ark use a build that had a risk of getting banned.

But…

Did the Well Priest have a bug risk? If I remember correctly, it seemed fine. I’m a little uneasy because it wasn’t verified by the Sensor. Should I contact him while Ark is practicing?

I need to check my phone quickly.

* * *

In melee combat, what else could be as important as range? Especially in a game where you don’t get tired due to in-game adjustments, it was entirely logical for anyone to use as big and long a weapon as possible.

Of course, this didn’t apply to KoK.

Unlike reality, using a greatsword in KoK meant making many sacrifices. The weight alone imposed restrictions on the choice of secondary weapons or armor, and even a slight obstacle around could hinder the battle.

Considering the romantic notion of wielding a massive sword, many continuously attempted it. However, it was no surprise that greatsword knights rarely appeared in ranked games.

And this was all before the emergence of the naked knight, who no one called a holy knight.

The impact of the naked knight wasn’t small. This build nearly dominated the game during its active period, and even after the “Faithful Flesh” ban made wall-breaking impossible, its influence remained.

Knights who once enjoyed the thrill of breaking everything with a greatsword found it hard to let go of the weapon. Surely, the game was meant to be enjoyed, wasn’t it?

-BOOM!

A massive sword smashed through wood with exhilarating force. It was a rough attack, far from clean. The attack trajectory didn’t consider follow-up moves or successive strikes, but that was natural.

If it hit, it could incapacitate even a knight clad in full plate armor. There was no need to worry about follow-up attacks.

If the opponent managed to dodge an attack that swept nearly two meters horizontally and countered, considering evasive maneuvers at the least would be sensible. However, for the knight swinging the greatsword, now was not the time for that.

A mage, having allowed this much close range, was nothing more than easy prey.

The mage, struggling to dodge the knight’s greatsword, was finally cornered. The knight approaching with steady pressure chuckled as he saw his prey desperately move their hands.

It was a casting motion. Seeing it cast right before his eyes without even a feint showed just how desperate the mage was.

There was no reason to allow it.

-BOOM!

Just before the two hands, tracing a magic circle in the air, finished their motion, the Knight charged towards the mage cloaked in a robe, brandishing a greatsword. The distance closed until the white of the mage’s eyes was visible through the dust rising from the ground.

A distance so close that the greatsword could cover any space for evasion.

‘Got you.’

From the stepping foot, through the waist, to the right shoulder, arm, and wrist. The Knight released the pent-up power from his twisted body all at once, swinging the greatsword diagonally upward from below. It was an unavoidable attack. There was no way such a flimsy staff could parry it. What’s left-

-Thunk!

At the moment when a powerful impact sound should have resonated, a deflating noise was heard instead. Simultaneously, the Knight’s vision wavered and shook.

‘Counter? From where? With what?’

He had confirmed the position and movement of the staff. There was no possible angle for a parry or counter. His head, filled with anger and confusion, naturally thought of an archer, but there had been no arrows in sight.

This implied there was an ally in his blind spot. How they had approached was a mystery.

‘Need to hit and retreat-’

As he thought that, about to deliver a light kick and retreat, something flickered from the bottom of his vision at the same moment-

-Thunk!

The Knight tumbled to the dirt ground, a jarring sensation coursing through his body. A perfectly timed strike had taken advantage of the moment he raised one leg to kick. The counter had been absurdly clean, almost absurdly so, leaving his health nearly depleted.

Even considering that, he had never expected to allow such an attack against the mage he had put everything into.

‘Magic Missile? When did they cast it?’

Despite understanding this, it wasn’t something he could comprehend. Yet, regardless of the mechanism of the attack, he had no intention of being caught off guard twice. He had been defeated this time, but next time-

-Whoosh!

Before his resolute eyes, the mage swung the staff up and down while whistling. As if telling him to get up, the mage motioned casually—flicking it—flicking it.

* * * *

“Hey, stop with the T-bagging! You’ll only add to the controversy!”

“There’s no better opponent to demonstrate a countering move than a Greatsword Knight. I should make good use of this encounter. From the next round, Ark will take over, so pay close attention to the counter timing.”

“Fine, I’ll pay attention. Just stop flicking the staff like that…”

“… Is it that you prefer windmill taunting? You seem to enjoy vile provocation… Alright. Here you go. Vroooom.”

“… Want some wine? I can’t watch this sober.”