A Swordsman’s Stream

Chapter 82

“I will explain that to you, Sojun-nim. Hello. It’s the first time we’ve met in-game. I am ThirdElder of the Demonic Cult, the brain behind the operations.”

A peculiar man, with a young face and a beard, approached Sojun from the back.

It seemed more sensible to tweak one’s avatar, but compared to the other unfamiliar individuals standing there, staying normal was preferable. Sojun refrained from additional remarks.

Among them, the half-naked person with orange skin was downright hard to look at.

He wondered what kind of item made his skin glisten like that.

They all seemed familiar, like the IDs he had seen in the chatroom.

They seemed normal there, at least.

“Hello. You’re the one who chats the most in the Demonic Cult’s chat room, right?”

Sojun gave a slight nod in greeting.

“Haha, yes.”

“Huh. The brain is me!”

“Be quiet.”

Tang So sure adapted well to the Demonic Cult despite coming from the Unorthodox Faction. Quite impressive.

“Momentarily diverging due to Tang So hyung, do you know the current situation of the Demonic Cult, Sojun-nim?”

Fortunately, Tang So quieted down and listened as the conversation returned to its main point.

“No, I don’t.”

“Our Demonic Cult usually lacks a number of rankers. The Battlefield relies heavily on the number of users. The game company never dreams of correcting this issue, damn MubiSoft.”

The Demonic Cult was generally regarded as mediocre in performance.

If that were all, they might have won once or twice.

However, the scarcity of users following poor performance was hard to overcome.

Casual users were fine. But losing about ten rankers, who amassed Reputation Points like spirit bombs, relative to other factions was significant.

But Sojun filled that gap today.

In an amazing manner, showcasing skills beyond imagination.

“The number of rankers is now on par, though we still have fewer casual users.”

ThirdElder looked at Sojun with a renewed appreciation.

For the first time, the Demonic Cult had a chance to win.

Despite being a new player, thanks to that streamer who whimsically chose the Demonic Cult because of a nickname.

When first hearing about the streamer, Jin Sojun, no one imagined this situation would unfold.

“So, we can win now?”

“Yes. The number of rankers is that important.”

Without a significant event or clear goal, it’s impossible for casual users to coordinate finely.

That’s why the number of regular users consistently playing battlefields daily is excessively small compared to the number who have participated even once.

It’s much more convenient and enjoyable to watch with popcorn and participate together at pivotal moments.

Sometimes, they play the game when bored.

“So, was everyone here to devise a strategy?”

“Not really. We wanted to finish the fourth round quickly to watch your stream, but that guy kept calling…”

ThirdElder gestured toward Tang So.

Ah. Some great kid.

“The main structure is planned by me and someone called Manui-ja(‘Demonic Strategist’), but most of it comes together casually in the chatroom.”

“A manager?”

“No, it’s Manui-ja.”

Manui(Demonic Mind)?

He had heard of it before. Within Martial Arts novels, those running administrative or strategic affairs in the Demonic Cult were called Manua.

In the Orthodox Faction, it was Divine Mind, right?

But what’s ‘ja’? Perhaps it’s the character ‘者’ (meaning ‘person’)?

He wasn’t sure.

“Haha. I see.”

Sojun decided to let it go.

There were countless issues within “For Justice” to contend with.

“The detailed strategy may vary by Battlefield, but there’s always a main framework. Until now, we’ve kept watch over their fights for the past few years, settling for second place wherever possible.”

“The scenario changed when this body arrived.”

Tang So rejoined the conversation.

“Be quiet.”

Sojun remarked, but ThirdElder ignored it, continuing on. He seemed to have already adapted.

“Sojun-nim changed things drastically by winning everything today. If we have a strong point now, it’s likely Sojun-nim’s skills.”

“My skills?”

“Yes. As Ark-nim said, Sojun-nim possessed the best skills, which meant he rarely lost. Having 14 rankers deployed to one area wasn’t too burdensome. However, if those 14 were guaranteed to win, it would indeed be overwhelming.”

Looking at it another way, if he lost even once, his strength would weaken that much.

‘I have no intention of losing.’

Perhaps the enemy needed to make a choice.

Either leave him and find another path, or somehow try to stop him.

“Hehehe.”

“So, what’s the basic strategy you’re considering?”

“Well, I’m debating whether to disclose it to Sojun-nim.”

“Why?”

“Because if it’s Sojun-nim, he’d probably announce the strategy openly on the stream, saying ‘Try stopping me if you can’.”

Then why call him here?

“…”

“I’m just kidding.”

Behind them, Lee Dongsu and the No. 1 Swordsman Under Heaven laughed.

“Anyway, we plan to rely on Sojun-nim and go with a power struggle.”

“A power struggle?”

“Yes.”

“Are you talking about a frontal breakthrough?”

“Exactly. You know what happens if we capture the rearmost area where the enemy base is located, right?”

The areas where the headquarters of the factions were situated were at the extreme northeast, northwest, and southern regions.

If they managed to push through and succeeded in capturing those regions…

“That faction would have to withdraw from the Battlefield.”

He knew that as well.

Though it was an exceptional situation, it occasionally happened.

“Yes. They’d retreat completely from the Battlefield. Hehehe.”

ThirdElder said that and laughed heartily, slightly shivering.

There was a hint of madness, but it was understandable.

Until now, only one faction had been forced to retreat.

Yes. It was the Demonic Cult.

“I see.”

“So, what do you think? Honestly, no matter the strategy, we need Sojun-nim’s cooperation. That’s why I asked Tang So hyung to bring you here.”

Indeed.

Talking face-to-face was better than just messaging.

Sojun shrugged and said, “Well, I’ll follow as much as possible. I don’t feel any pressure.”

“Oh!”

Truly, there was no pressure.

It didn’t matter if he lost in the game, failed attack or defense positions, or missed a game.

It was of no concern.

With so many Reputation Points accumulated, first place was guaranteed.

“A power struggle, that sounds fun.”

The basic strategy really resonated with him.

He’d fine-tune the details daily.

They would.

“Hehehe. Thank you.”

ThirdElder clenched his fists and cheered.

How delightful.

* * *

The clock hands pointed to 12:30.

Five and a half hours had passed since Sojun’s stream started at 7.

During those five and a half hours, Lee Gunyung, who had been glued to his chair in front of the computer, briefly lifted his hands from the keyboard and stretched his back.

He stretched out and closed his eyes.

“Ooh…”

He stretched his neck and other parts of his body before focusing back on his task.

What had he done during the past five and a half hours?

Between watching the stream, he entered various online communities to give negative votes to posts that displeased him and sent links to his fellow editor, Han Jimin, asking her to join him in the downvoting effort. But mostly, the time was spent editing.

Specifically, editing the footage from today’s stream.

“Hoo…”

He let out a sound of relief from his mouth.

*Gulp gulp.*

He drank straight from a large water bottle retrieved from the fridge, rehydrating his parched throat, then turned his attention back to his editing work.

There was no need to replay the video.

He had already marked the editing points while watching the stream and had discussed everything with Han Jimin.

His goal was to finish editing and upload the video as quickly as possible.

Why?

“I need to upload it as soon as possible. Before the spark fades.”

The live stream had reached an audience of 160,000 viewers.

Even if only 10% of them watched the newly uploaded iTube video in the early hours, the views would increase by 16,000.

While 16,000 itself wasn’t a high number, it was different when they were captured right after uploading.

“They say the video’s fate is half-decided in the first few hours after it’s uploaded.”

If many people watched the video during those initial hours, the algorithm would deem the video worthy of recommendation and distribute it more.

Therefore, Lee Gunyung wanted to maintain the current momentum while reaping the benefits.

Four hours had passed since he had properly started editing.

It wasn’t enough time to finish everything.

“Although the editing points and directions were set, it’s still tough to handle everything in four hours.”

He was only halfway done with the content.

If he finished editing in the next three hours, it might be better not to upload it at all, since it was unlikely to achieve high views during the time most people were asleep.

However, he wasn’t the only one editing the video.

*Ding.*

『Han Jimin: I’m done. How about you?』

He let out a small chuckle.

“Made it.”

They could upload the video just before 1 AM.

『Lee Gunyung: I’m done too. Let’s combine the parts, and if it’s good, we’ll upload it immediately.』

The method of editing today’s stream and uploading it in just a few hours was to split the workload between two people!

It was a secret trick.

『Han Jimin: Good job. Once again, we were ground down under the tyrannical boss…』
『Lee Gunyung: Hahaha, why are you talking as if the boss forced us? You were the one eager to split the work.』

Han Jimin handled the first part, while he took care of the latter.

This way, they could significantly reduce the editing time.

If their editing styles were similar, that is.

And indeed, surprisingly, their editing styles were alike.

“Thanks to learning a lot.”

He had both direct instruction and had been indirectly influenced by watching her videos.

『Han Jimin: I’m matching it now, and it’s smooth without any awkwardness. I’ll refine it a bit more and upload it by 1 AM.』
『Lee Gunyung: Yep, thanks for your help.』
『Han Jimin: You too.』

“Ah.”

He burned himself out.

Lee Gunyung reflected.

Had he ever worked so hard on something?

At least in the past few years of avoiding challenges, he hadn’t.

Though physically exhausted, his mind was calm.

And he found this state of his much more satisfying.

‘Even if there’s a lack of time, it feels like I’ve glimpsed the lives of those who live fiercely.’

It was all thanks to Boss.

With a cheerful chuckle, he hummed while taking a shower.

After preparing for bed, he lay down.

And he leafed through his phone, waiting.

“I want to see it go up before I sleep.”

How effective would it be?

Even Han Jimin, with her experience, wasn’t sure.

Such big hits weren’t common.

He was anxious and wanted to confirm it before sleeping.

Gradually, his actions slowed.

Was it because he was tired?

The work session hadn’t been long, but the intense short-term focus had been mentally taxing.

‘I hope it does well…….’

Gradually.

His eyes closed.

*Ding.*

As the clock struck 1 AM, the dark phone screen brightened briefly with a subscription notification.

A notification that a new video had been uploaded to Sojun’s channel appeared.