Streamer Crazy About Slaughter - Chapter 52

A new beam of light emerges inside the Colosseum, and I gaze at my opponent across from me.

“…?”

The moment I confirmed my opponent’s appearance, I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

The matched opponent was, amusingly, a user wielding the same great sword as I was.

That absurdly large black sword was undeniably shaped like a great sword. Along with it, there was heavy-looking black armor and a helmet. It felt as if I was looking at a medieval knight straight out of a novel.

“…sh*t.”

Perhaps my opponent recognized me too. The expression revealed beneath the helmet looked surprised. And that expression seemed to scrunch up slightly as if they knew me.

Before the duel even began, my opponent appeared to instinctively sense their impending defeat.

I felt a bit sorry for them, even though they hadn’t done anything wrong, but I also thought they would be a good match. Just when I was trying to get accustomed to the great sword, facing an opponent who also wielded a great sword would be the ideal way to gauge my skills.

“Why are you cursing right off the bat?”

Being on stream, I spoke more softly to my opponent.

“Ah, sorry. Um, Lin? Could you go easy on me for a bit? I’d like to try matching our weapon styles.”

“Yes. I understand.”

As expected, they knew who I was.

Still, it was nothing like the request from the previous malicious player; I could let such a request slide with a bit of affection.

To be honest, even at this matchmaking level, all the users looked like newbies to me.

—The duel will begin shortly.

The familiar phrase appeared, and soon my distance to the opponent was forcibly widened.

Before the countdown began, I checked the chat window that was displayed in my peripheral vision.

[LOL]

[Even the first match opponent is a knight class with a great sword, lol]

[LOL]

[Plus, the opponent has a buster sword type, haha]

[A great sword against a great sword, my heart swells, haha]

[Fake great sword dancer vs. real great sword knight, lol]

[Claymore vs. Buster Sword]

[I love this matchup, lol]

Reading the chat, I found the term “fake great sword dancer” amusing.

“…Pfft.”

After all, my opponent was a user who clearly resembled a knight. And they were equipped with a great sword befitting that image. That great sword was, after all, a massive “buster sword,” a romantic notion in its own right.

In contrast, I was a dancer class. Compared to them, my claymore felt thin.

‘Well, they’re not wrong.’

I suppose I am a fake.

Thinking that, I realized that combining my stream and gameplay was more enjoyable than I had anticipated.

—3… 2….

As the countdown began, I lifted the great sword I held with both hands with one hand, pointing it horizontally at my opponent.

A kind of performance.

The magic of broadcasting pushed me towards actions I wouldn’t typically take without hesitation.

—1.

As the countdown ended, I narrowly nodded my great sword.

“Come at me.”

With a provoking gesture and an arrogant stance, I spoke to my opponent.

If I were to swing with intent, I could end it in one stroke.

But I thought that might disappoint the viewers. I also figured since it was my first ranked match, I should take it easy and loosen up.

Thump.

With the sound of heavy metal boots striking the ground, my opponent charged straight towards me.

Thump… thump… thump, thump, thump!

The appearance of the knight accelerated as if taking a running start.

With the massive black great sword held firmly in both hands, they barreled towards me.

‘This is so predictable.’

Watching them, I could already predict what kind of attack they would employ.

Before I started streaming, I had learned a few great sword techniques, and I had at least read about the main techniques once.

So, I knew what technique my opponent would use.

Knowing when they would strike meant it would be easier for me to parry.

‘Simple parrying feels somewhat lacking in style though.’

Thinking that, I took a step sideways to widen my stance. I then gripped my claymore with both hands, angling the sword downwards toward the ground rather than at my opponent.

I had no intention of using great sword techniques in this duel, just trying to familiarize myself with the great sword.

Thump! Boom!

My opponent finished their final charging stride, propelling their heavy body into the air.

Holding that absurdly large great sword, they skillfully launched themselves—despite the size of that black sword, it was impressive how they managed to lift their body into the air. Yet, it was clear to me that my opponent was intoxicated by the fantasy of their own character.

Whoosh—

A terrifying sound slicing through the air.

With a fierce momentum, the enormous black great sword came crashing down, attempting to obliterate me. The entire sword was wrapped in a black aura, which I imagined was simply a matter of personal aesthetics.

Feigning a trivial thought, I tightened my grip on the claymore slowly.

The name of the technique my opponent employed was:

—Pressuring Strike.

A simple technique that used the immense force of the great sword to smash down on the opponent. But because of its simplicity, its destructive power was extraordinarily high.

I was sure the technique’s power was considerable, but it was a maneuver I’d only use when I felt confident enough not to get parried. It clearly had significant risks… yet they executed it recognizing me.

Sliding forward.

At the same time, I took a big sweeping arc, meeting their incoming strike with a clean parry.

The elegant movement of Serin drawing a clean crescent arc from below to above captivated the viewers like I had used some new technique.

And the very next moment.

Clang!!

The simple sound of metal clashing was a harsh cacophony that painted the air beautifully.

The burst of light from the collision was so overwhelming that even I felt a slight ringing in my ears.

Moreover, the recoil in my hands holding the now slightly trembling great sword.

Recognizing that, I let out a dazed chuckle.

“…This is a great sword.”

It was undeniably weighty.

Parrying was undoubtedly a nearly foolproof technique, but it couldn’t entirely erase the weight of the opponent’s great sword upon collision.

No matter how prepared I was and holding onto the claymore tightly, the moment I met that massive black great sword, I nearly stumbled backward.

Boom!

My opponent crashed into the ground after their aerial attack. If it weren’t a video game, it would have been a devastating sight that could easily k*ll someone under that weight.

And the reason my opponent flew like that was clear.

If you successfully parry while in the air, there’s no recoil.

But conversely, if you get parried in midair?

The result is the sight of a user who has just been sent flying into the ground. They faced a sort of penalty without even having a moment to regain their footing.

That’s why they must have dropped their great sword, but the sight of my opponent without their weapon seemed a bit disappointing.

If they had kept grip on it, they would have felt more confident, but losing it as a result of the parry brought them a lot of disappointment. If they had chosen the great sword, they should’ve held on to it with all their might.

I suddenly felt the reality that we were still in the beginner matchmaking zone.

I dismissed the thoughts of figuring out the great sword in my head.

Dragging it out did not sit well with me; I strongly felt a desire to quickly end this against a newbie.

I gathered strength in both hands gripping the great sword, raising it forward.

Simultaneously, mimicking a thrusting pose, I instantly slammed it down to the ground.

Thud!

As a dancer wielding the crescent moon blade has a movement technique called ‘Bloodstep,’

the dancer using a great sword has another technique: ‘Leap.’

There are common skills learned based on the combination of ‘Class + Weapon,’ but there are also new techniques that emerge based on that combination.

And ‘Leap’ belonged to the newly formed set of techniques for ‘Great Sword + Dancer.’

—Leap.

At the moment my body with the great sword thrust off from the ground, I quickly soared forward, hovering in the air.

Dancers differ from other classes in that they possess a passive skill called ‘Glide.’

When airborne, they can execute additional movements based on their posture; however, the height at which they lift off must reach a certain level. Many restrictions apply to reach that height, and even Serin rarely utilized it.

But now, due to ‘Leap,’ I had surpassed that airborne standard and could use additional movements.

—Wind Strike.

Quickly spinning my body, I forcefully kicked my foot towards the air.

Boom!

In that moment, a sound like something bursting from my toes propelled my body forward, launching me even faster.

There, my opponent was just about to regain themselves.

“Wait a second!”

I saw them hastily raising their hand and urgently shouting, but I had no intention of stopping.

Furthermore, my opponent had already been sent flying into the air by my parry earlier.

Hadn’t they dropped their weapon at that moment?

In the state of gripping the claymore, I lunged forward, piercing my opponent’s hand with a decisive thrust.

Whoosh!

A clean blow piercing through their flailing hand reached straight to their head.

There was nothing cruel or even horrific about what unfolded.

As my blade dug in, they were immediately enveloped by a mosaic, and at the moment the kn*fe touched their head, they vanished into light.

—Victory!

The celebratory music and victory message appeared. My score increased by 30 points to 2760.

I redirected my claymore, which had pierced through my previous target, downward.

Thud!

The claymore striking the ground resonated uniquely. While I was starting to get used to it, the heaviness prompted me not to want to hold onto the sword any longer.

“This is fun.”

I muttered that while absentmindedly manipulating the hologram.

I wondered how my performance looked to the viewers.

I was relatively satisfied with my expectations, but I was curious about what the viewers thought.

What would ordinarily be a simple solitary victory felt charged with anticipation for the audience due to the broadcast.

“How did I look to you all?”

While saying that, I opened the chat window.

[Wow…]

[Is that a dancer technique shooting forward while twisting in the air?]

[From the parry to the final extension, was that a movie or something?]

[Did you intend to pierce the hand and then the head??]

[I subconsciously gasped while watching, LOL]

[Why is your great sword so skillfully handled?]

[Older sister!! I’m dying!! No seriously, each movement is so beautiful!?]

[This is crazier than watching a crazy YouTube video]

[Are you a great sword user originally?]

Just by watching the chat reactions, I felt inexplicably pleased.

The simple chat responses seemed to affirm me, and I couldn’t help but feel uplifted.

“It’s not my first time holding a great sword. I mentioned it on stream yesterday, right? I know how to use other weapons. It seems many viewers are watching my stream for the first time today.”

I opened my mouth casually, but I hoped for more compliments from the viewers.

At the same time, my gaze flicked to the viewer count.

—16,290 viewers.

`…Is this even a realistic viewer count?`

I couldn’t help but doubt my eyes for a moment. Wait, it’s only the second day of streaming.

Are that many people really watching my broadcast?

Ding-ding!!

『BrokenIce donated 50,000 won!』

As I expressed my gratitude for the donation, my mind flitted back to the question of viewer count.

“Thank you for the 50,000 won donation, Broken Ice! But viewers, what’s going on today? My viewer count seems way too high…”