Streamer Crazy About Slaughter - Chapter 64

***

I’m not feeling well.

I think I need a break.

I want to rest, even if just for a moment.

In the midst of the ongoing league, I suddenly said that I wanted to take a break.

The ACK Pro League is gaining immense popularity year by year, and this year, several leagues have started simultaneously in different regions. It’s an important time as the first Another World international competition of the year is about to be held.

Even knowing all of that, I really said it.

I want to rest, I feel like I can’t play in the matches.

At first, everyone, including my teammates, couldn’t accept my sudden words.

I had been playing the game silently without showing any signs of discomfort.

I had been compliant, doing as told without showing much emotion, so perhaps they couldn’t accept this sudden change in me.

Teammates who had been in sync with me, along with the coaching staff and management, tried to persuade me in any way they could, but with my consistent attitude, they had no choice but to accept it.

Thus, I left the team accommodation and went to the officetel I had arranged beforehand.

I might not have even realized that I subconsciously wanted to rest.

Or maybe I wanted to escape, to be alone; it felt like I had been feeling this way for a while.

That’s probably why I had even signed a contract for the officetel in advance.

Outside the dark room, the glamorous night view of the city was visible.

I stared blankly at it.

“…I don’t know.”

I murmured those words while leaning back on the bed.

My disheveled black hair obscured my sight, but I just continued to gaze blankly outside.

The brightly lit city contrasting perfectly with my dark room seemed to keep capturing my attention.

Yet, I didn’t have any particular thoughts.

I simply didn’t want to do anything, just lying down on the bed like this.

—Lethargy, burnout.

If I were to express my current situation with my limited knowledge, those two words would fit, at least.

I let out a hollow laugh and put on a dry smile.

The image reflected in the window, illuminated by the city lights, felt foreign.

……

—Another World nickname, Joan of Arc.

The current number one ranked player in Another World.

A female player known as the core ace of the top team ‘TSJ’ in the ACK Pro League.

The woman lying blankly on the bed in the officetel was ‘Yoon Eunha.’

Since her professional debut, she had never missed a league title, dominating every match and performing overwhelmingly, even when her performance seemed to dwindle, she managed to deliver at least one solid performance.

Among the users who became fans of Another World as it gained explosive popularity, many declared themselves her fans.

Yoon Eunha was very popular.

Not just ordinarily so; her personal fanbase was almost equal to that of the entire TSJ team’s fanbase.

There were several reasons for this.

Overwhelming personal skill.

An attractive in-game play style that captivates users.

Beautiful looks in reality.

A gentle voice during interviews.

From minor personality controversies to having a past that was spotless and without blemish.

Compared to other pro players in Another World who often found themselves in various controversies after debuting, Yoon Eunha had hardly any noise around her.

Even in terms of dating history or anything related to men, people tried to dig up her past in any way they could. Although some rumors, made with malicious intent, circulated, none of those rumors were ever proven to be true.

Thus, the words that described Yoon Eunha were unique.

Flawless player.

Saint.

She seemed almost like a being that was not human.

She presented an image that was close to perfection as a professional player.

From the compliments of officials to silly nicknames given by fans, everything fit.

Moreover, the fact that Yoon Eunha’s in-game nickname was ‘Joan of Arc’ might have hinted at her stardom from the moment she debuted as a pro player.

“…Let’s get up.”

As if forcing myself to regain my composure, I murmured in the empty officetel.

I felt that if I didn’t do this, I really would just lie here on the bed doing nothing, so I said it consciously.

I noticed that I had been talking to myself more frequently lately, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Spending weeks alone without meeting anyone had its side effects.

After that, Eunha headed to the restroom.

Splash.

With the sound of water splattering, her skin appeared under the faint light, clear to the point of being pale.

While washing with cold water, I tried to snap out of my stupor, even for a moment.

……

Before, I loved games so much that I felt I had nothing else as a hobby, but now that I had become a pro player and gaming became work, I could no longer enjoy it as much as I used to.

Yet amusingly, even now, I have nothing I like more than games.

I like Another World, but I’ve come to like it less than before; that would be the right expression.

Ironically, that is the reality.

“…”

When I returned to the room and turned on the light, a capsule-shaped connection device caught my eye.

However, I still hesitated to log into Another World.

I knew that if I logged in, people I knew would start talking to me, and I didn’t want the burden of their concerns.

Right now, being alone felt comfortable.

It wasn’t that I was actually sick and needed to rest, or that my heart was hurt; honestly, I didn’t know.

I just wanted to be detached from the world for a while.

The desire to be alone was strong.

Rather than fearing the attention of the world, I felt more reluctant about it.

At first, I enjoyed the attention I received from so many people.

It felt nice to be recognized by someone.

Realizing there were people who genuinely liked me.

I felt like I was experiencing success as a pro player.

However, once that attention reached an extreme level, akin to stalking, I no longer welcomed it.

“August 1.”

It had already been two weeks since I had come to this officetel saying I wanted to rest.

The ACK Pro League was nearing its end.

Naturally, the schedule of ACK came to my mind. In no time, the league’s schedule would wrap up, leading straight into the playoff season. The players would have to face a grueling schedule with more added to their already existing training times.

Thinking about that made me smile unintentionally.

While the schedule was tough, if the expected results were achieved in the end, I would likely feel a sense of deserved reward.

As I thought about that, I muttered blankly.

“It doesn’t feel like resting.”

I had left the accommodation saying I wanted to rest, but ultimately, I was only thinking about the ACK league. Everything was related to Another World.

Finally, while booting up my PC, I tried to take some interest in what was happening in the world.

Having spent the past two weeks like a recluse, I didn’t know anything about recent information.

And the overwhelming lethargy that filled me now. I wished for something that could erase that feeling of emptiness that I couldn’t clearly define. Yoon Eunha fervently hoped and wished for that.

……

After about three hours of turning on the PC, I learned a lot of information.

First, I found out about the ACK Pro League, concerning my own team, TSJ.

Though I was on a break, there was no discord with my teammates, nor dissatisfaction with the coaching staff or management.

In fact, it was laughable to say I was dissatisfied when they visibly tried to cater to my preferences.

A ‘successful’ professional team simply wouldn’t have discord.

Due to the team’s outstanding performance, the management was highly motivated with bonuses and support.

Moreover, since the players were performing well, even teammates who initially didn’t seem that way were now sweetly communicating and not lacking smiles.

Isn’t there a saying that praises even whales to dance?

Being on a team with good performance implies that such praise brings along rewards, fame, and various other benefits.

So, it seemed the team was handling things well, even without me.

They had recently suffered a defeat and seemed shaken, but at least the players filling in for my absence were holding their own.

After that, while wandering around various communities to learn about the patch direction of Another World and its current trends, I came to know about one particular user.

After watching a video related to a user named ‘Lin’, which happened to pop up on the Newtube algorithm, I started to search for any videos featuring this user, almost entranced.

Before I knew it, three hours had passed as I found most of the videos related to Lin on Newtube.

Additionally, I learned that the user Lin had become a streamer.

—A person who broadcasts on the Twitty internet platform.

I knew about the existence of streamers but had never looked into it, so I accessed the Twitty site to check it out. My eye was drawn to a certain broadcast positioned at the top.

[Lin vs Gosu: The Match of the Century! If you don’t watch, you’re missing out!]

The title was quite clickbaity, but I was engrossed by the name ‘Lin’ and clicked to watch the broadcast.

After an hour of witnessing the duel between Gosu and Lin, my heart raced as the streamer approached them to converse, and I felt an urgency.

I quickly completed my registration on the Twitty site.

“How much should I donate…”

Murmuring blankly, I wanted to connect in some way, to talk to this person named Lin.

That thought filled my mind entirely.

Even with a donation of about 100,000 won from someone else, the streamer merely expressed gratitude with words, and didn’t deliver a message to Lin.

“…Would 1 million won be enough?”

Murmuring blankly, Eunha then casually added money to her account.