A Swordsman’s Stream

Chapter 97

– Kya!
– Wow, LOL
– The Heavenly Demon is simply a genius. A streaming genius, LOL
– So damn cool.
– The excitement is overwhelming.
– He really is a crazy guy, LOL

In Ark’s room, where Sojun’s stream was being mirrored, the chat was erupting with an incredible influx.

‘So this is why he asked me to mirror the stream.’

The previous day, Sojun had asked if Ark could mirror his stream if he happened to stream.

‘Unbelievable!’

Had he anticipated such a development?

Although Ark tried to maintain an objective perspective, he couldn’t suppress the excitement welling up from deep within.

And he wasn’t even part of the Demonic Cult!

Most prominently, Sojun’s handsome appearance played a significant role.

Streamers usually position the camera to face the audience during interactions, and thus Sojun’s handsome face was prominently featured, with his calm, slightly arrogant demeanor captured perfectly by the angle.

The result?

– Demonic Victory! Demonic Victory! Demonic Victory! Demonic Victory! Demonic Victory! Demonic Victory! Demonic Victory!”
– The Orthodox Faction is totally doomed, LOL
– Rise, Demonic Cult!
– We can’t lose, seriously, LOL. Let’s go defeat the Orthodox Faction now.
– So damn handsome. Such a master swordsman. Though he usually talks nonsense, at times like this, he delivers. With Christina by his side, he’s just awesome.

A classic scene was born on this Battlefield.

Was he aiming to become a major player already?

Sojun’s stream had attracted 20,000 viewers.

Had Ark not mirrored the stream, it could have exceeded 30,000.

It almost reached a major company status.

Though it was regrettable, due to Ark streaming, the viewership was capped at 20,000.

However, thanks to Ark’s efforts, over 100,000 people ended up watching Sojun’s stream, which was beneficial.

Sojun had once said.

“Winning the Demonic Cult’s victory is more important than my highest viewer count.”

To overpower the Orthodox Faction, not only rankers but also heavy users and even casual players who played just one game were all needed.

“Ah! Sojun-nim has declared war! Users of the Demonic Cult and Orthodox Faction should hurry and join the battle now! The stage is set! All that remains is a battle of strength!”

Whether more Orthodox or Demonic Cult users would participate remained uncertain.

No, was it really uncertain?

After witnessing such a scene, it was not hard for Ark to predict whose morale and participation rates would soar.

“The Demonic Cult has just a few more rankers! And…”

The Orthodox Faction might have more general users, but would that still be the case today?

And, “Even if others’ win rates without Sojun-nim hover around 50%, or the Orthodoxs are slightly higher, if Sojun-nim wins them all, it’s all meaningless!”

Eventually, it circled back to this.

The conclusion of this Battlefield.

The Orthodox Faction had said.

“We must stop the Heavenly Demon! Orthodox users must defeat the Heavenly Demon in the game to protect our base! Absolutely! He’s not even the final boss, so what’s happening here?”

Strictly speaking, the Heavenly Demon was the attacking hero, while the Orthodox Faction, historically victorious, was the demon king.

The Demonic Cult was the underdog.

It was an underdog often finishing last and never having won.

Even their chat room title was ‘2nd Place Please’, a minority.

But the people who watched Sojun’s stream, and those who witnessed his calm demeanor today, would not be able to tell who the demon king really was.

– It really is like a final boss, LOL.
– The name ‘Heavenly Demon’ fits, LOL, the demon king itself.
– Yes! This is the Heavenly Demon! This is the Demonic Cult!
– This is what I wanted.
– Hah, truly, Orthodox Faction, you’re done for, LOL. And tomorrow, it’s the Unorthodox Faction’s turn! Just wait!

* * *

『Han Jimin: Wow, did you see that just now?』
『Lee Gunyung: Yes.』
『Han Jimin: The Boss is really enjoying the game to the fullest, LOL. It must be so fun.』
『Han Jimin: Was he really the Heavenly Demon in a past life? LOL』

Han Jimin made a comment that would have Sojun spiraling into insanity if he heard it.

Luckily, even though Sojun was in their chat room, they planned to keep their banter ongoing.

That comment would soon be pushed up and forgotten unless Sojun scrolled up to check for anything noteworthy.

『Lee Gunyung: Seriously, for real.』
『Lee Gunyung: Wow, if we win the Battlefield like this, it’s legendary.』
『Han Jimin: Should we do what we can?』
『Lee Gunyung: Cheering?』

Hmm.

Han Jimin momentarily showed a grimace.

Her gaze at the monitor was as if she’d discovered something absurd.

『Han Jimin: That’s StoneWallRobberKing’s job.』
『Lee Gunyung: …』
『Lee Gunyung: Avoid mentioning nicknames…』
『Han Jimin: You were so good at chatting on the stream yesterday too.』
『Han Jimin: You know your nickname stands out, right?』

Despite Sojun’s dislike, the VIP status made it even more noticeable.

『Han Jimin: Anyway, let’s make some shorts immediately.』

Shorts don’t generate money.

It’s ambiguous to attach ads and make a profit from videos that are under a minute long.

However, shooting direct ads in shorts is a different story, but never mind.

Shorts are mostly used for promotion due to their accessibility, which draws in viewers.

『Han Jimin: So more people need to know. How the Battlefield is unfolding right now. The possibility of the Demonic Cult winning.』

They weren’t just looking at today.

They were thinking ahead, after surpassing the Orthodox Faction.

While witnessing the Demonic Cult’s victory, Sojun’s editors began to move.

* * *

How did the Demonic Cult lose its base again?

Yeah.

It started coming back to mind.

When the Orthodox Faction was at its peak.

When the Unorthodox Faction was also at its peak.

In fact, only the Demonic Cult was at its worst, making it seem like the others were at their height, during the time when MubiSoft was hearing all kinds of criticisms from Demonic Cult users.

At that time, the Demonic Cult was suffering from a severe manpower shortage.

The reason? The worst balance patch.

Even with poor performance, the Demonic Cult couldn’t retain its users, leading to their departure.

“Thanks to you, I’ve broken free from the vile Demonic Art!”

“I felt as if I had been playing the game with my eyes closed until now. Now, with open eyes, I leave for the Orthodox Faction.”

“I’ll never return to this trashy Demonic Cult again!”

Only about 20 competent players remained.

Those who stayed were regarded by other factions as fanatics in their past lives, so dire was the situation.

That was how it was many years ago…

And why was that again…

Ah.

The Heavenly Demon.

Not nicknamed Heavenly Demon2 or Heavenly Demon3, but simply the Heavenly Demon.

The user who had been the main cause of the Demonic Cult’s nerf.

So strong in ranked games, it was almost said to be Shin Hayun smurfing.

Of course, it wasn’t Shin Hayun.

She mostly played with her main account, and the Heavenly Demon’s avatar was not a woman but a man, with an entirely different physique.

If it’s Shin Hayun-level control, it’s possible to perform well even with a differently built avatar.

Though usually difficult, overly buffed bandit users sometimes hear the term crazy, but it’s possible for pros.

And yet, expert analysis showed different styles, their denials confirmed differing opinions, confirming it wasn’t her.

There was once a player known as the Heavenly Demon.

Many hidden masters exist.

However, there are few like the Heavenly Demon.

So MubiSoft had nerfed the Demonic Cult because of the unbelievably dominant Heavenly Demon.

But the nerf was so severe that it drastically affected regular players.

Furthermore, around the start of the Battlefield during that era, the Heavenly Demon suddenly stopped playing, whether due to the excessive nerf or their professional gaming career, nobody knew.

The Demonic Cult became a laughingstock, slowly yielding territory to the Unorthodox and Orthodox Factions.

– Hey, LOL. Orthodox Faction, want to make one last move against the Demonic Cult? Curious, aren’t you?
– Just for today, an alliance! Unorthodox Faction!

Leading to the result of being chased from the Battlefield due to open collusion.

Back then, how much criticism did MubiSoft receive?

The Demonic Cult users flooded forums for over a month, questioning why they were nerfed so severely because of the Heavenly Demon.

Looking back now, Heaven-Slayer Star thought.

‘You were wrong, MubiSoft.’

At first, those who knew were skeptical, wondering if the current Heavenly Demon14 was that Heavenly Demon.

But the original Heavenly Demon’s ID remained searchable, and knowing that Sojun wasn’t secretly a pro gamer quelled their suspicions.

That was all fine until it was realized that…

‘You were wrong, MubiSoft!’

The 14th Heavenly Demon was even more excessive.

MubiSoft, after facing immense backlash, adjusted the Demonic Cult to at least be competent, leaving the Heavenly Demon Divine Art untouched.

They claimed it was too good.

Even after the entire Demonic Cult, in unison, declared it unusable except for top-tier pro gamers, MubiSoft stubbornly refused to budge.

Heaven-Slayer Star now thinks otherwise.

‘They should have doubled down. Rather than being stubborn, they needed a bigger nerf!’

MubiSoft was wrong.

Heavenly Demon Divine Art shouldn’t be buffed but nerfed even more.

“Block them! Please!”

A greater adversary had emerged.

The original Heavenly Demon, who shone for a few months, didn’t even participate in the Battlefield and vanished.

I acknowledge the quick thinking and readiness to snag rare names!

He was skillful, I suppose. Heaven-Slayer Star wasn’t a ranker back then and never fought firsthand, but he must have been good.

But compared to the 14th generation’s genuine Heavenly Demon?

“Just let anyone win once.”

Heaven-Slayer Star prayed, watching the map.

Nobody knew who would be pitted against the Heavenly Demon.

Roughly 60 rankers from the Demonic Cult.

Roughly 80 rankers from the Orthodox Faction.

Both factions were currently putting everything into this battle.

It was as if Demonic Cult players, hyped on adrenaline, rushed in all at once, with the Orthodox responding by also jumping in.

Falling back for later fights against general users to secure wins wasn’t an option.

Purely considering all rankers achieving victory, the Demonic Cult had a slight advantage.

Thus, they fought outright but had to satisfy one of two conditions.

Achieving an overwhelming number of victories without the Heavenly Demon or defeating him.

As of now, most rankers finished their third match.

And Sojun was on a winning streak.

Of course, the cards weren’t revealed yet.

“5 days left. Survive through today and tomorrow. If the Demonic Cult doesn’t seize us in these two days, they won’t be able to target the Unorthodox Faction.”

The Demonic Cult, being undoubtedly insane, might try to sabotage the Orthodox Faction for the remainder of the period if their championship slips.

However, in such a case, neither the Demonic Cult nor the Orthodox Faction would end up victorious.

If they could stall for just two days, the Orthodox Faction could mentally declare victory after outplaying the Demonic Cult.