Streamer Crazy About Slaughter - Chapter 10

As I nervously searched for information about broadcasting, I quickly learned what a “streamer” was.

Streamer

It generally refers to a person who conducts internet broadcasts on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, AfreecaTV, and KakaoTV. In Korean, they are commonly referred to as internet broadcasters.

In simple terms, it was a word used to describe people who do internet broadcasts, abbreviated to “inbang.”

Thus, while searching about streamers, I could find the addresses of internet broadcast platform sites nearby.

Tweetie

Currently, it was the most famous internet broadcast site in Korea and also the largest.

After accessing the site and taking a brief look, I found that various game broadcasts largely dominated, while there were also some broadcasts centered around chatting with viewers called Just Chatting, where people communicated about current topics or daily life.

Out of curiosity, I started checking out broadcasts with fewer viewers and found chats filled with juvenile or incomprehensible words popping up in real-time.

They appeared to be buzzwords or terms related to the streamer, but since I didn’t know much about this world yet, they seemed like words I couldn’t understand.

In fact, it wasn’t that I completely didn’t know anything about internet broadcasting. Even from the faint memories of the past, I could tell that “inbang” existed.

It was more fun for me to play games directly than to watch someone else play, which is probably why I never felt particularly interested in things like inbang.

However, I had simply not watched it because I found it didn’t quite match my taste after looking for it a few times.

“…”

Looking at the broadcaster and the chat room for a moment, I hesitated without realizing it.

And it seemed I had developed a bit of fear about trying something I didn’t fully understand.

It felt completely different from the omnipotence I was accustomed to in the Black Ark world, where I enjoyed danger and adventure—this felt like something entirely separate.

Then I checked another window.

[Did the aggro-capturing little brat run away?]

[Yeah, he ran away, lol]

[Those idiots who grab aggro are all like that; they just talk a big game]

[Does he have the conditions to stream Another World? They say you can’t broadcast with a shabby computer, isn’t he just a loudmouth? lol]

Bang!

In an instant, I felt anger rise up, and I slammed my desk again.

“Ah…”

I regretted hurting my own hand as I clenched it tightly and let out a disheartened groan, but still, I wanted to prove myself to those trashy viewers.

I opened another window and searched for “how to broadcast on Tweetie.” I wondered whether I was the only one searching this or if many were trying, as there were quite a few types of articles.

As I opened and checked those articles one by one, I found that broadcasting setup wasn’t as difficult as I’d imagined.

It merely involved setting up the broadcast as instructed and pressing the broadcast ON button to start streaming.

It was so simple that it almost felt like it was encouraging me to become a streamer, and I found myself rummaging through other sites just to make sure.

Additionally, it turned out that my original interest in games meant that even the PC specs I checked on the first day were up to date, making it feel like there was no pressure to start broadcasting.

So, the only remaining issue was connecting to Another World and broadcasting, and that was just one thing.

Scrolling through Tweetie and looking at broadcasts with the highest viewer counts, I found that most streamers were playing Another World.

From the articles and sites I had checked, it was evident that, being a world-renowned game, many streamers were streaming Another World.

Naturally, it was expected that broadcasting games with more users would be advantageous. I recalled a game called “Pol” that dominated in inbang from my memories.

However, I was curious about how virtual reality was streamed, so I took a closer look.

“…Are there really 20,000 viewers?”

Among those top-tier broadcasts, the one with the highest viewers was a streamer named Hana, who had a whopping 20,000 viewers.

To think that 20,000 people were watching at the same time just to see one person—I used to think nothing of it, but now, it felt quite impressive.

Having been in front of thousands in the world of Black Ark, the number 20,000 didn’t feel very tangible to me.

Curious about the streamer named Hana, I clicked to watch her broadcast.

What I saw was more fascinating than I had expected. I wondered how they broadcast a virtual reality game; it seemed like the character from Another World was displayed from a third-person perspective, and a character that appeared as Hana was moving across the screen.

Interestingly, the character’s face was also displayed separately on one side of the screen, as if there were a cam, showing a range of emotions like surprise or laughter.

Since it seemed that a separate cam couldn’t be used in virtual reality, it looked like her character’s face was displayed as a small cam window.

“Ah, how’s my voice, everyone? Can you hear me well?”

[Yeah, we can hear you well]

[I’m hearing it just fine]

[Looks like everyone can hear it well?]

Moreover, the atmosphere felt entirely different from broadcasts that had no viewers. The chat in the chat room seemed to see about ten messages popping up every second, at least.

It also seemed like Hana was testing things out, as if she had just started broadcasting, and I began to pay close attention.

I intended to make those who labeled me a hacker and left all sorts of colorful insults eat their words.

Parrying, that’s something easily done.

You guys can’t do it; I’m just an ordinary user.

I wanted to refute each and every one of those ridiculous comments.

And before anything, I needed to observe a famous person to ensure I wouldn’t feel awkward in my actions after I started broadcasting.

I wanted to perfectly rebut whatever flaws those viewers might detect when they came into my stream.

“So, I’ll head straight into the arena now. Ah! First, I’ll invite Tullia!”

From the mention of the arena, it seemed to indicate PVP, and it intrigued me further. A streamer with such a vast audience likely had a skill level above those users I had faced.

Afterwards, various UI windows appeared, and invitations were sent out, soon, the screen began to darken.

As the screen gradually brightened, it transformed into a setting reminiscent of a great colosseum, and there, Hana’s character and another male character took their positions.

Hana’s character was a sharp-looking blue elf, wielding dual swords, while the user called Tullia, who was opposite, had the appearance of a muscular man holding a great sword.

Just looking at them, it was clear that their gear was anything but ordinary.

“I won’t go easy on you this time; be prepared!”

It seemed that the battle started with Hana’s character moving first.

…

Not long into watching the broadcast, Han Serin lost interest. Although the responses of the streamer and the chat room were undoubtedly novel, I still had Hana’s broadcast window open.

The fight between the streamer and the invited user, however, was…

“…Is this it?”

What appeared before my eyes seemed far too low in quality.

To express it a bit harshly, it looked like children playing house rather than a serious duel.

Colorful bursts of light erupted wherever their weapons clashed, seemingly dressing up their combat with flashes, but…

“Well.”

To me, it felt like simply swinging a sword, decorated with a touch of color play.

They revealed their flaws but didn’t exploit them, and it seemed they were just using predetermined techniques.

The encounters with opposing swords felt exceedingly unnatural.

Rather, the combination of dual sword users and great sword users was a rare sight, making me feel foolish for expecting some dazzling technique in a fight between the streamer and the viewers.

The brightly glowing bursts around their weapons were undeniably intimidating and looked cool, but the reality of just clashing together without regard for the reach of their weapons, weight, the completeness of techniques, the opponent’s weaknesses, and spacing completely shattered my expectations.

“…Why are they doing it like that?”

Staring at the screen, I found myself unable to suppress my voice.

“Hah. That’s not how you swing a great sword.”

The sight of the muscular male character swinging the great sword chaotically was increasingly uncomfortable to watch, especially since he only used predetermined techniques.

Was that muscle just for show?

They were game characters, not real people; why did they swing their weapons like that?

The unnatural movements were reminiscent of merely pressing the buttons corresponding to the techniques.

“Wait… If he had just stabbed there, it would have been over right then.”

The more I watched the screen, the more frustration bubbled up, and I found myself biting my lip and clenching my fists.

Why were they swinging their swords like children playing?

I had used the Crescent Moon Blade, a weapon not commonly wielded by others in the Black Ark world. However, I didn’t solely use the Crescent Moon Blade.

During the initial years after falling into that world, I had tried out various other weapons to see if any fit my hands.

Although I wouldn’t claim I had mastered different weapons, I could definitively say that I was much better than the childish level of play I was seeing on the screen.

[Wow, what was that parry by Hana?]

[Seriously, Hana’s skills are noticeably improving]

[Why does that guy Tullia with the great sword use it so well? I couldn’t swing it properly because it’s heavy]

[They say if you use it a lot, you get used to it]

[The techniques are super flashy. I half thought Tullia is just a rich kid because of all the donations, but how does he do so well?]

[Wasn’t that just a reverse victory technique? What was that that Hana perfectly dodged…]

[Maybe it’s because they are tiered players, the level is clearly different]

In fact, I was more appalled by the rapidly rising chat window, seemingly ablaze beside the fight between Hana and the viewer.

Seeing those fans idolizing such childish swordplay was something I couldn’t comprehend.

Suddenly, my gaze fell to the number of viewers below.

21,563.

“…Are 20,000 people really watching this?”