A Swordsman’s Stream

Chapter 85

MONSTER.

The indie game development company, which had eyed streamer Sojun as an advertising model, was once again in a two-man meeting.

Today’s meeting subject was none other than the rising star streamer Sojun, whose value had soared along with his viewership, recently hitting an impressive 18,000 viewers.

“Listen closely.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know what a bull market is?”

“A bull market?”

“Yes.”

Why did he suddenly bring up the bull market?

Employee Park Hyuksoo thought to himself.

It’s often said that small companies run by sheer willpower alone, yet his boss seemed more like a friendly neighborhood loafer than anything else.

He knew a lot but lacked specialization in any particular field—just like a certain hyung.

In reality, that wasn’t true.

When it came to games, the boss was highly proficient. Surely, after earning a considerable amount at his previous job, he had saved up to start his own company.

Even so, Park Hyuksoo’s current sentiment was, “What’s our ‘Great Leader’ going to rant about this time?”

The reason only he was stuck in these meetings was simple: others found the boss somewhat intimidating.

‘Oh well,’ he sighed internally.

Despite their unorthodox approach to operation, they genuinely cared about their current project.

“So, what’s a bull market?” he asked.

“Haven’t you ever dealt with stocks?”

“No.”

“Hmph. To make money these days, you need to get into stocks.”

“That type of manipulation doesn’t work on me. Asset values inherently fluctuate, and what you’re talking about is classic boomtime manipulation.”

“Well, you’re surprisingly knowledgeable.”

“No, I’m not.”

“……”

“……”

“Anyway, listen up. A bull market is essentially—”

“Yes?”

“When I buy, that very moment is the peak of the bull market,” the boss continued.

“Oh.”

It sounded like words from someone who had lost quite a lot of money. Had he gotten stuck at market peaks often?

“As you said, asset markets go through cycles of ups and downs!”

Hyuksoo agreed.

“So?”

“Now, is this streamer at his peak or not?”

So this was the point he wanted to make.

“18,000 viewers. It’s quite substantial, and among the mid-level streamers, he’s pretty high up.”

“Exactly.”

“But his streaming duration hasn’t been long.”

“Correct.”

“The current audience largely flocks because of the unique content, ‘Battlefield’. Before that, it was around 3,000 to 4,000.”

“Right. So, what does that mean?”

A bubble.

Indeed, it was a bubble. Once “Battlefield” ended, numbers would surely drop. Everyone knew it.

“Now, putting jokes aside, seriously, it might be better to approach when his viewer count is slightly lower.”

“Reaching out now would indeed be costly.”

Surely the streamer wouldn’t assume all 18,000 viewers as his regulars and overcharge, but he would definitely tag more than when his viewers were around 10,000.

There’s nothing wrong with valuing his worth highly. Thus, they were carefully biding their time. Lowering live viewers below 10,000 could significantly cut costs.

“If we save money wisely, we might target another team.”

“If you dealt with it from the start……”

Seeing the wildly popular streamer continue his rise, Park Hyuksoo regrettably thought they should have nabbed him early on.

“That is… there’s no excuse for that. We were searching for a better option……”

They had to be cautious. If this game failed, it was straight to bankruptcy.

“Ah, we have a problem.”

“What’s that?”

“The game is set to launch shortly after ‘Battlefield’ ends. What if the hype doesn’t fade by then?”

“Battlefield!”

And a few weeks later, lOS. Publishing after “Battlefield” ended was an unavoidable decision to maintain audience interest.

Otherwise, delaying by at least a month meant struggling to pay wages in the meantime. Naturally, many competitors would be eyeing that time as well, making marketing all the more critical.

“Well, surely not.”

“Is there anything about ‘Battlefield’ that’s likely to draw significantly more attention?”

“Honestly, no one knows for sure how buzz will be generated, but there won’t be occurrences like 12 consecutive victories in duels, as happened yesterday.”

“Indeed, that was truly legendary.”

“Seeing that made me want to hold on even more.”

“There really must be something incredible. Causing a stir wherever he goes.”

“Please, let it be our game too…”

“So you’re saying there’s nothing more?”

“Probably. Just today, many viewers might drop.”

“Yes.”

“Oh. The stream is starting now. Let’s see how many join.”

Suddenly, Park Hyuksoo had a thought.

The CEO had said that if he bought, it would be at a peak value.

So then, if the CEO decided not to buy now, doesn’t that mean it wasn’t at a peak?

Normally, one only experiences the true peak of a rising market when entering with regret, thinking they should have invested earlier.

‘Nah. That’s impossible. That’s clearly a peak.’

Park Hyuksoo shook his head vigorously, dismissing the ominous thought.

For the record, he too had some experience with losing money in stocks.

* * *

“Hello, everyone.”

Sojun changed the camera angle in the lobby to focus on him and then greeted everyone.

“Yes, what did I do today? Just attended lectures at school. Is being a streamer a hobby?”

To be honest, he did enjoy it like a hobby. It suited him well and was enjoyable, which was the reason.

But he was aware that this was work.

Of course, a streamer has to feel comfortable themselves.

Otherwise, the viewers sense it, feel discomfort, and stop watching.

In that sense, teasing or being teased by viewers was a professional act.

‘Come to think of it, being a streamer was my true calling?’

He shivered at the thought.

While he always questioned Taewoo, the one he had been watching intently, for being lacking, he found out that the work of that lacking person was his true calling.

“Oh, if it’s not a hobby, you insist I stream for at least 10 hours a day? That’s hardly a professional attitude. Streaming for 10 hours a day is overwork.”

– It’s true, but we really don’t care.
– Do you know why we’re viewers? Because we don’t work.
– Overwork, what’s that again?
– Just keep working, streamer-nim.
– Remember, streaming always takes priority over health.

Hmm.

Was there really no chance to witness the heartwarming scene of viewers caring about his health?

“Ah. A lot of people are coming today.”

Viewer count had hit 7,000. It was increasing, but he wasn’t sure how much it would rise.

Even Taewoo, a veteran of 7 years, mentioned that it was unpredictable, given all the incidents Sojun got involved in.

However, it was expected to be lower than yesterday.

– Ah, lol, if you don’t watch this, what do you watch?
– The streamer was a hidden master, lmao.
– It’s unbelievable how well he does it.
– The Demonic Cult will truly win!
– Some still have false dreams.
– Anyway, looking at the future Battlefield should be entertaining.

As the viewer count continued to rise, it eventually surpassed 10,000.

Though he didn’t obsess over it, it felt quite satisfying.

“Alright.”

It was time to kick things off.

“Everyone, because of the winning streak I had yesterday, my Reputation Points increased a bit?”

Contribution points from yesterday’s game were only applied to the first four rounds, so there wasn’t much of a difference.

However, Reputation Points were another story.

– Not a bit, lol.
– It was indeed legendary.
– Watched it in Ark’s room, it gave me chills.
– A true Heavenly Demon.

Starting today, the Reputation Points he accumulated would be applied.

“Now, for others to get first place, they would have to win over 10 times for each win I get, right?”

Even as someone unfamiliar with the game, Sojun explained it kindly.

The reason? Was it to brag? Not exactly…

“Anyway, securing first place for me is practically confirmed, wouldn’t you agree?”

– Eh
– Frustrating but inevitable
– Accept defeat
– Truly the World’s Greatest already
– Sign it, veteran warrior, the Streamer is the World’s Greatest!

While losing the remaining rounds could alter outcomes, he was certain it wouldn’t happen.

The world was full of unthinkably absurd events.

Even so, Sojun could wager everything on the belief that he wouldn’t lose a single match.

“So, the magical girl phase is over, right? Haha.”

Sojun laughed genuinely, feeling joyful.

Even with immense self-belief, the world was filled with variables, and one wrong turn of misfortune could lead to a stumble.

But now, he was confident he wouldn’t stumble nor drown.

‘Underestimated the viewers too much.’

He never imagined such penalties would be proposed and selected.

– keke
-Oh, haha, this isn’t going well.
-Honestly, it’s a pity, but if you’ve won 12 times in a row, it’s time to move on.
-I’ll let it slide since you’re being genuine~”
-They must have worked really hard.

It was fortunate that others were agreeing.

Of course, even if they didn’t agree, nothing would really change.

Some viewers seemed rather confused about what was being said.

– What on earth are they talking about?
– What’s this about a magical girl?
– Newbies, haha, they’re adorable.
– Aren’t you all going to catch up quickly?

『’Mage’ has donated 20,000 won!』
『travel–clip』

– There was such a hidden story.
– No wonder they were grinding their teeth and playing hard.
– Hahahahahaha!
– So it was a heartfelt battle, haha!

The clip was extracted so aptly that everyone understood at once.

Once a donation started rolling in, more contributions followed perfectly in time.

『’Last Broadcast’ donates 100,000 won!』
『This is the viewing fee!』
『’Just’ donates 30,000 won!』
『The Streamer-nim got scared of a challenge more than Martial Techniques or cooperation, haha!』
『’Yesterday’ donates 40,000 won!』
『Yeah, you turned off the stream really quickly.』

.

.

.

Without any post-show or follow-up stream from the previous day, they didn’t really receive donations proportionate to the aftermath.

Nevertheless, viewers appeared as if they were waiting to contribute.

“Everyone. Thank you for the donations. Anyway, that’s the end of the penalty for today. Let’s move on.”

As ‘For Justice’ began, the background folded momentarily and then unfolded, revealing numerous users.

Sojun switched to his personal channel and opened the Battlefield interface to check his Reputation Points.

『Reputation Points: 72,637』

– Impressive!
– The hope of the Demonic Cult.
– Crazy to have the power of 14 individuals alone, haha.
– Watching ‘For Justice’ yesterday, I really thought the Demonic Cult could win, which was hilarious!
– This year’s Demonic Cult is different!
– Don’t call it the worst clan; call it the top clan.
– While dodging the magical girl, the Demonic Cult ended up in a winning position, haha!
– But the Orthodox Faction will still win, got it?”

As Sojun read the chat, he glanced at the time.

6:57 PM.

The Battlefield would open in three minutes.

Today’s game was a standard 4 vs 4 capture mission.

However, since it showed where the rankers were playing, it wasn’t quite ordinary.

“So, you think the Orthodox Faction will win? Are you sure about that?”

He counted the time.

Two minutes left.

– If not, then who will win?
– No matter how much you carry, your team members are a bit… Don’t underestimate the Unorthodox Faction.

One minute.

– Now it seems like it will be challenging to penetrate where the Streamer-nim is defending.
– We can bypass them.
– Why attack the Demonic Cult in the first place? It’s obvious they will come in last; just leave them alone.
– So where will you go today?

“Today? I’ll head towards the Orthodox Faction.”

Sojun pointed to where the Demonic Cult and the Orthodox Faction were facing each other on the map.

Thirty seconds.

– Will you be defending then? Or attacking?
– I wonder if they’ve even crafted a strategy. They probably got excited planning for their first potential win, haha.
– But still, the Streamer-nim acts alone as they please, destroying the only hope.
– Hahaha!
– If nothing else, they don’t listen to viewers at all, suggesting full potential!
– Whose side are you all on anyway?
– Will we cooperate? Maybe or maybe not. I’ll do what I want to do.

A bluff.

Ten seconds.

– The Demonic Cult leadership must be in tears over this.

Despite Sojun having matched the rankers’ levels, everyone was busy joking.

The Demonic Cult had never won before.

“Well then, let’s get started.”

It was finally 7 PM.

“Today, let’s tackle the Orthodox Faction.”

At the meeting point of the Orthodox Faction.

Sojun chose to attack for the first time.