I Couldn’t Afford to Buy Mana, so I Started Streaming

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After the match, I felt a bit dazed from the steepping session.

I floated around naked in the bathtub, wasting time aimlessly.

Ding ding ding!

Finally, the alarm rang, signaling that the steepping was complete.

“Ugh… What time is it now?”

It was 7:30 PM.

I had spent three hours and fifteen minutes steepping.

Stretching, I took one last deep dive.

“Phew! I’m dizzy.”

If I went to the hotel and lay down on the bed like this, I could probably sleep for twelve hours straight.

But there was still some schedule left.

Growl—

My stomach seemed to recognize it too, sending me a signal.

I stepped out of the Magic Recharge Room and changed my clothes.

Standing before the body composition analyzer, I checked my physical condition.

“Yikes. I lost 2.5 kg after only running for 15 minutes?”

I needed to quickly replenish my nutrients.

I flung the door open and declared, “I have arrived!”

With my hands on my hips, I mimicked the line Saetbyeol usually says when she enters my room.

“Hey, Na-me! You’ve really worked hard!”

“Hmm…?”

The only person waiting in front of the Magic Recharge Room was Professor Cheon.

Suddenly feeling embarrassed, I bowed my head.

“So, um… Where are Saetbyeol and Luri…?”

“They’ve all gone ahead to the dining room. Why did it take you so long? They were waiting at seven sharp.”

“Yeah, it seems like it took about 20 to 30 minutes longer than last year. Maybe it’s because my mana capacity increased.”

“Let’s hurry up. Everyone is waiting.”

I walked to the dining room with Dad.

Since we were near the stadium, we didn’t need a vehicle.

“Do you want me to carry you if you’re tired?”

I perked up at that but then felt, “Hehe, I’m okay.”

Thinking rationally, it would be an indulgence to claim that someone who just finished steepping was tired.

We reserved the entire pub that served fried chicken, barbecue, and T-bone steak.

Descending the building’s staircase to the basement floor, we entered a lobby decorated with Texas longhorn steer.

Several aunts and uncles, presumably friends of the athletes, sat around a round table, having ordered their food early.

My friends were gathered at a long rectangular table at the back of the restaurant.

“Hey hey hey!”

I raised my hand high.

I even jumped up just in case I wouldn’t be noticed.

“Hmm?”

“NoName!”

“Wow! Everyone, clap!”

“Hmm?”

Clap clap clap clap clap!

Suddenly, a standing ovation erupted.

My seat was right in the center of the sofa area.

As I tried to pass by and asked for permission from my friends,

“Na-me, congratulations on your first win!”

Thump—

“Didn’t you get way scarier while I wasn’t looking?”

Thump—

“Yay! Hit me, hit me!”

Wobbling and bouncing, Saetbyeol sneakily got in between us and started hitting me.

“Yap.”

“Squeak! Nooo!”

I retaliated by pinching her side hard.

“Na-me, give me a plate! I’ll serve you.”

“Thanks, Love Unni.”

“Oh, oh! My Na-me, eat a lot before you go!”

“Just take a little for me since the plates are plenty…!”

Love piled meat high on the plate, and I panicked, trying to decline.

I took a breather and grabbed a glass.

“Oh?”

“By the way, it’s non-alcoholic.”

Saetbyeol chimed in from the side.

“I know?”

“Puhihi.”

“I heard that there are toasts in Korea, but are we skipping that?”

“Wow, Na-me’s toast! I can’t wait!”

The kids from the Narita Sect urged me on.

“Do we really need to do that for something that’s not even alcohol?”

“Woo woo woo!”

“Okay, okay. Thanks for gathering here today, um… I don’t know! Everyone weaker than me, raise your glasses!”

“Waaaah!”

“Spicy!”

I gulped down the drink in one go and put the cup down.

After that, we had a normal time eating meat.

I felt so hungry that I needed to fill my stomach before we could talk.

“Yum! Amazing.”

Texas-style brisket, subtly marinated with a smoky fragrance, melted smoothly in my mouth.

“Whoa, hot!”

Golden fried chicken, bursting with juice under its crispy exterior.

“Wow, this melts in my mouth.”

Dripping with sweet and salty barbecue sauce, tender ribs fell apart easily.

“Om nom nom.”

Corn on the cob that was grilled golden with butter and herbs.

Was I eating too hastily? I felt several pairs of eyes on me.

I slowly set the corn down and wiped my mouth with a napkin.

“I feel alive again.”

“Wahaha!”

“Why?”

Suddenly, Giselle and Ruohan were laughing and looking toward me.

“Monica called for a video chat.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yep, let me pass Na-me to her.”

Monica Ricci, who couldn’t attend due to external schedules.

She was flaunting her voluminous blonde hair, reminiscent of a lion’s mane.

“Um. Na-me, congratulations on your victory. Our Ricci family is always rooting for your progress.”

Monica struggled through her awkward Korean.

“Ugh. Hehe.”

“Don’t laugh! Hoo… I’m truly bummed I couldn’t attend the family event that I mustn’t miss this month. I heard the Austrian players are pretty skilled, congratulations. I’ll cheer for you in the remaining two matches.”

“Aw. Thanks for the support.”

“And—”

Ding—

Giselle snatched the phone away, cutting off the call.

“If you’re going to talk, you should attend the party.”

“That’s true.”

Giselle and Ruohan nodded in agreement.

Now the atmosphere was drifting towards chit-chat rather than eating.

“By the way, Saetbyeol, you look perfect from head to toe. How are your legs so long and your waist so slim? It’s like a deity shaped you from the start—”

“Hehe. I’m just wearing the body Na-me made for me! Mei is pretty too.”

“Well, that’s true, but still. You must have taken care of yourself to maintain such a figure.”

“Don’t all Magic Duel athletes have great figures?”

“No, when it’s off-season, I easily gain weight. Even though I eat normally and don’t exercise, it just all turns to fat.”

“Mei, it’s because you’re lazy! Sometimes you look like a fully pregnant penguin.”

“Shut up, Hiroyuki!”

Saetbyeol was already fitting in well with the athletes.

The topic naturally shifted to my National Exchange Tournament match.

“Na-me! What was that wand you used?”

“Bbang-sil!”

“Bbang-sil?”

“It’s a treasure I rented from the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”

“What’s the Northern Sea Ice Palace?”

“Whoa, is that for real?”

All the Magic Duel athletes were immediately curious about the wand.

Furthermore, Ruohan seemed to know a lot about the Northern Sea Ice Palace.

“Everyone, look at this. When Na-me brings her hands close, the blade crosses to the other side.”

“Wow, that’s cool! So amazing!”

“Na-me, Na-me.”

This time, Emika approached, asking about my swordsmanship today.

“Yeah?”

“Could you explain the combination from the first minute?”

“Of course.”

“I don’t quite get the transition to Hiraseigan from the upper stance. After the quadruple, you had the distance for Ichokugai, why didn’t you follow up? You could have hit 30% right there.”

“Aah. Jumping from the 20th technique to the 138th is just a slight opening check while gauging skill? Of course, if it were you, Emika, you would have immediately responded with Menkaeshido, but if someone doesn’t know the technique well, they can check the day’s athlete’s condition with that. And what I submitted was just a setup.”

“Oho… I get the first part. But what was the setup for?”

Whisper whisper—

I revealed the truth of today’s match to Emika.

“!”

“Hmmph.”

“You’re such a bad kid.”

“Eek!”

Emika pinched my cheek.

“What’s that?”

“Is it a fun secret? Tell me too.”

Just then.

“Whoa, Röpke is here!”

“Did Na-me invite him?”

“Yep, over here!”

Paul Röpke appeared in the restaurant.

“NoName Wizard!”

“Hmm, yes?”

* * *

Today, I took some time to discuss the match with Röpke, my opponent in the Round of 64.

At first, he seemed a bit heated, but gradually cooled down.

“I had a personal goal to finish in 15 minutes, but for me, the best choice is to end the match early. If I go into a long match with Röpke, it’s obvious I’ll be at a disadvantage.”

“I got that in Na-me’s interview. Sigh… why did I do that?”

Röpke realized his mistake while doing his math.

In any case, the pace of the match was dictated solely by his judgment.

If he slowly set up his defense properly, there would certainly be an opportunity to adjust strategy in the second half.

To sum up his blunder in one line:

“He was too conscious of attempting submissions, missing the chance for a continuous series in a favorable tempo.”

But if he didn’t realize this, my turn and his turn would repeat, speeding up the tempo.

“Wow. In the first half of this match, the total number of strikes combined was 222?”

“It was a crazy slugfest. Have there been matches like this?”

“Wasn’t there the highlight of Emika and Cecilia’s 249 strikes two years ago? What was the hit count then? Even if we only matched half…”

“Ugh!”

Cecilia trembled with PTSD at Ruohan’s words.

“Cecilia was in the Quarterfinals—”

“C-Cut it out!”

Emika slyly leaned over toward Cecilia and whispered “Sepaldak” in her ear.

“I’ll look it up. Let’s see. In the second half, Cecilia had 59/85 strikes, while Emika had 96/129, looking only at strike counts, Emika had slightly more.”

“What was Na-me’s count?”

“Na-me had 92 effective strikes out of 114 total strikes.”

“But what we should focus on is Na-me’s strike ratio. An 80.7% strike rate is virtually unheard of even in G1 matches.”

Strikes are counted when the barrier is damaged due to a failure in evasion or defense.

To count as effective, it needs to inflict damage greater than the barrier’s recovery speed.

“So you’re saying that Röpke got knocked flat, right?”

Saetbyeol sincerely summarized from the side.

“Uh, no, that’s not exactly what I meant…! Just that the NoName player… um, what should I say.”

Emika accidentally hit him with a factual statement.

“Exactly. Indeed, today, NoName really overwhelmed me more than I could show.”

Röpke slumped his shoulders, acknowledging his defeat.

I handed him a plate piled high with meat as a form of encouragement.

“Eat this and regain your strength. After all, I won’t affect the results of this D group. You should consider it lucky that you met me so early!”

“Why wouldn’t it affect? It just means missing out on the Round of 32, but it still counts toward the points—”

“I can just let you accumulate one loss each, can’t I?”

“Kyaaa! NoName! NoName! NoName!”

Huning Jr. kept the atmosphere lively whenever he could.

“Röpke, your next matchup is against John Marshall, right?”

“Ah, yes. I’ve never had a chance to meet him in any championship.”

“Then why not ask this senior for some tips? He might have some golden advice!”

“Me?”

Levi Huning Jr. wiped his nose.

Honestly, he simply fell out in the Round of 64 through bad luck.

I remembered him from last year’s National Exchange Tournament, where he fought without a hint of a smile.

If you looked purely at sparring skills, he was right after Emika.

The USA Youth Championship’s record-holder for most participations—65 matches with 44 wins, 18 draws, and 3 losses.

This year too, aside from ties with Nathan Chen, he had an overwhelming record of 6 wins, 3 draws, and no losses.

“Those I defeated don’t even remember the match details anymore, haha!”

“I saw your true colors.”

“No, I’m serious! Try playing 65 matches! I legit forget how I fought!”

Still, they shared valuable tips generously with Röpke, being a year his senior.

“Ask me! I’m the legend who knocked that reggae-haired guy flat.”

Hiroyuki proudly patted his chest as he approached.

“That guy lost to me after facing me in the Round of 32.”

“Ahem, I need to hit the bathroom for a second…”

But when the class pres Emika stuck with him, the urgency for him to leave showed.

Tap tap—

Lu Ri, quietly observing the conversation from the corner, called out to me in the confusion.

[Respected Eomeoni.]

“Hmm?”

[Could we talk outside for a moment?]