A Swordsman’s Stream

Chapter 12

The story then returned to yesterday.

“Do you have something to talk about?”

“What do you mean, you punk?”

Alpaca was conversing with his editor and manager, Lee Suhan.

“You’re saying the person we’re collaborating with has been broadcasting for only two days. But does he have the full source material?”

He was referring to the collaboration with a new streamer.

Lee Suhan raised an eyebrow in doubt.

Usually, the Newcomer Discover Content targeted streamers who were just starting to gain attention.

Whether it was due to a competition, a collaboration, or any other reason, it did not matter, as long as the unpopular streamer was beginning to receive some interest.

Alpaca invited them both to save his own stream content and to help those streamers.

Most of the viewers of these invited streamers were new.

To these new viewers, Alpaca provided content that unearthed the streamer’s past actions, simply put, their dark histories from when they were unknown, to foster bonds and provide entertainment.

That was the Newcomer Discover Content.

The time it took for streamers to gain the spotlight varied greatly.

However, a streamer who had only been broadcasting for two days was unprecedented.

“But Suhan, there’s something you’re mistaken about.”

“What’s that?”

“That person is coming as part of a Master Invitation.”

“Master Invitation? You haven’t done such a thing before. More importantly, two days into broadcasting… Ah!”

Lee Suhan clapped his hands, as if he had realized something.

“So, a famous master has started broadcasting! What game is he a master of?”

Alpaca sighed.

If only Suhan had watched today’s stream, he would know the whole story.

However, Alpaca could not expect Suhan, who was managing his YouTube, handling his editing, and also acting as his manager, to watch every stream.

But still.

“Assassin’s Dawn.”

“What? What kind of master could there be in a game like that? Pfft.”

Suhan had not missed Alpaca’s stream because he was busy, but rather because he was engrossed in the game “The League”.

It had been a few years already.

“As I thought you would say that. But your opinion will change once you see the video.”

When Alpaca fiddled with his phone, preparing to show something, Suhan scoffed.

“Oh come on. Being good at an assassination game doesn’t mean much. I’m not watching. I’m not buying.”

You’ll have to watch it anyway when you edit it.

Alpaca swallowed those words.

“What’s so fun or difficult about PvE? Huh? The characteristic of those games is that if you put in a little effort, you can clear them.”

PvE, meaning Player Vs Environment, simply put, a player fighting against AI. It was the opposite of PvP.

From the past until now, Alpaca had encouraged Suhan to try Assassin’s Dawn, but Suhan refused, saying there was no fun in fighting machines.

“So, it’s a kind of Master Invitation?”

“Yes.”

“Then do as you like. I have another game to play.”

As Suhan was about to head into his room, Alpaca remembered.

“Oh, by the way.”

Alpaca recalled the reason he had initially brought up the collaboration.

“Can you lend your capsule to the streamer coming tomorrow?”

“What? We have an extra capsule, don’t we?”

Suhan responded seriously.

“He insists it has to be your capsule. You recently upgraded to the most expensive one, right? He has low synchronization, apparently.”

“How can a master have low synchronization?”

Synchronization, the measure of how much one perceives the virtual reality world as real.

The belief that high synchronization was necessary for good capsule gaming was more than half true, if not mostly.

Incidentally, when this number exceeded 100, they would deeply immerse themselves in the fantastical world, and upon coming out of the capsule, they would feel a sense of alienation.

It’s akin to a diver experiencing the bends upon surfacing, known as Fantasia Bends. These individuals, characterized by high synchronization, exhibited extraordinary performance in the virtual reality world.

After a moment of deliberation, Suhan gave a short answer.

“Oh, no. I’m not doing that.”

“Why not?”

“Why should someone who plays worse than me use my prized, newly upgraded capsule?”

Despite his sporadic gaming, Suhan maintained a high tier in The League.

“He will probably play better.”

Based on Alpaca’s objective assessment, he was certain the streamer Jin Sojun would outperform him.

Even in PvE, few people could replicate such movements.

The problem was that Lee Suhan wouldn’t bother to watch the video, and even if he did, he wouldn’t acknowledge it.

“Sigh. I guess I’ll have to offer mine.”

His capsule wasn’t bad either.

Although it was obvious that Sojun would win, it wasn’t reasonable to expect him to argue with his editor just to borrow the capsule.

However, suddenly, upon pondering Lee Suhan’s question, Alpaca felt goosebumps as a different thought dominated his mind.

“Come to think of it, even with a low synchronization rate… it means he was showing that kind of play in an unsuitable state.”

Wow.

So, how well could he fight in reality?

A gangster?

No, he uses a sword… a Yakuza?

In Alpaca’s mind, a man with a large scar on his face, wearing a floral shirt, and holding a cooking knife, appeared.

* * *

“Hello, I’m the streamer Alpaca.”

Alpaca’s eyes widened with a slight tremble in his hand as he opened the door.

It was because Sojun’s face looked exactly like the avatar he showed in virtual reality.

“I thought he had just tweaked it like other people after scanning his real face, but it was exactly as scanned!”

Fortunately, Sojun’s face was a neat and handsome young man, contrary to Alpaca’s imagination from the previous day.

“Yes, hello. I’m the streamer Jin Sojun.”

On the other hand, Sojun was also looking around.

He was curious about what the studio of a streamer thriving in their early 30s looked like.

“Hyung, long time no see. I’m here too.”

“Taewoo, it’s been a while. Come on in this way.”

After shaking hands with Alpaca, Sojun followed him to a spacious living room.

It looked like an ordinary home from the outside, but it felt meticulously divided between working and resting spaces.

As he and Taewoo sat on the sofa, Alpaca went to the kitchen to make coffee, and a man with a rough appearance emerged from a closed room.

“Hello, I’m the editor, Lee Suhan.”

Lee Suhan reached out his hand to Sojun with a wide grin.

“I’m the streamer Jin Sojun. Nice to meet you.”

Sojun felt strength in the firm handshake. Was it a display of dominance?

“I heard your synchronization rate is low.”

“Yes.”

“But you’re good at the game.”

“Well, I’m decent.”

While creating a short announcement video for their joint stream the previous day, Lee Suhan had a chance to observe Sojun’s play.

He felt a sense of competitiveness upon seeing surprisingly good skills.

Thud.

The peculiar tension was broken.

Alpaca placed the cup on the table with a sound.

Glaring at Lee Suhan out of the corner of his eye, Alpaca seated Sojun.

“Okay, now that introductions are done, let’s talk about the stream. Have you seen the announcement video?”

Sojun nodded.

The video posted on Alpaca’s fan cafe and iTube alongside the joint stream announcement.

The video, which flamboyantly resurrected Sojun’s play and intertwined it with scenes of Alpaca boasting, was brief yet perfect for promotion.

“Thanks to you, Sojun, the response is hot. Indeed, with your skills, the video comes alive and it’s enjoyable to watch.”

Whether that response was genuine or not would be revealed soon.

“It was all the editor’s work. What can I say?”

Lee Suhan scratched his nape with an awkward smile at the compliment.

“Hahaha. Not at all. I noticed while editing that you’re really good at the game. Have you really only been playing for two days?”

“Well, no. I’d appreciate it if you kept it a secret, but I did play briefly a long time ago.”

Sojun thought there was no need to hide the fact that he had played the game in the past.

“When was that long time ago?”

“I played The League briefly seven years ago.”

At the mention of seven years, Alpaca, and at the mention of The League, Lee Suhan perked up.

“Were you good back then? What tier were you?”

Lee Suhan’s eyes sparkled.

Tier is a term for rank in English.

It’s commonly used in games to indicate the level of an item or a player’s rank.

“Silver.”

Silver was a tier where the majority of average users were placed.

“That doesn’t seem right. There’s no way you suddenly got good after not playing for a long time.”

“Well…”

Sojun shrugged.

Lee Suhan eventually comprehended. It wasn’t him, anyway.

However, the current level of Sojun, as seen in the video, was similar to him.

Thus,

“Sojun, would you like to spar with me in the sparring ground?”

Lee Suhan wanted to clash with Sojun at least once.

He said this while rolling his eyes, gauging the reaction.

Sojun looked troubled.

On the other hand, Taewoo, who was beside them, brightened up and asked.

With a meaningful smile, he said,

“In the sparring ground with Sojun? Why?”

“I want to test my skills.”

“With him?”

“Yes.”

Hahaha!

Suddenly, Taewoo started laughing hard.

Lee Suhan looked at him, feeling irritated, as if questioning what was so amusing, and the Alpaca, lost in thought, lifted its head to look at Taewoo.

And Sojun seemed to understand why he was laughing.

“Hyung, don’t do it.”

“Huh?”

“Anyway, don’t do it. Haha.”

“…?”

At some point, Taewoo had been staring at Sojun. With a mischievous smile.

Sojun understood the implication of that look.

He was asking for permission to speak.

Sojun nodded, signaling consent since Taewoo was friendly with them, and even if the story leaked, there wouldn’t be any evidence.

“This is a secret too, but if you want to face him in the sparring ground, just challenge the 10th level.”

Essentially, Taewoo’s statement that Sojun was “unknown.”

Upon understanding this, both the Alpaca and Lee Suhan’s eyes widened in shock.

“Is that… for real?”

“Of course.”

Taewoo, seemingly having waited for this moment, pulled out his phone, played a video, and handed it to the Alpaca. Lee Suhan then quickly stood up and moved next to the Alpaca to watch the video.

And thus began the outbursts of admiration.

“Wow.”

“Oh.”

“This?”

“Isn’t that Shin Hayun?”

“It seems we’ve welcomed someone even more extraordinary than we thought.”

“My sudden collaboration today just became intimidating.”

“Wait, didn’t he get hit even once?”

“This is completely one-sided.”

“Wow.”

“The final move was insane.”

The Alpaca, now more confident, alternated his gaze between the video and Sojun, muttering about it being seven years ago, and Lee Suhan, upon finishing the video, addressed Sojun.

“I will consider you my hyung.”

The competitive look in Lee Suhan’s eyes completely changed.

“Pardon?”

“If you’re good at the game, you’re hyung.”

Sojun was so flustered that he could only open and close his mouth like a fish.

When you think about it, being treated like a hyung wasn’t strange, actually, being treated like an elder wasn’t either.

Sojun lightly punched Kim Taewoo, who kept laughing. He just felt like hitting him.

Then Lee Suhan looked at his watch and tapped the Alpaca on the shoulder.

“Hey, what are you doing? It’s almost our hyung’s stream time.”

“Oh? Nothing at all. Okay! Let’s start the stream. Here, let me show you my capsule…”

“Please come this way, hyung. Let me lead you comfortably.”

The Alpaca stared incredulously at Lee Suhan, who was escorting Sojun to his workspace capsule.

Now I have to reset everything, damn it.

Sojun followed Lee Suhan into the workspace, while the Alpaca sighed and walked toward his stream room.

He then changed the settings on the capsule.

And also prepared for the post-stream gathering materials.

Even though his broadcasts had many spontaneous elements, he was meticulous about this kind of preparation.

Still,

‘Even if it’s AI, to think he beat Shin Hayun.’

The Alpaca felt like he wanted to continue his relationship with Sojun even after this stream ended.

And if by any chance, Sojun was the user he suspected…

‘No, that’s too much.’

Shaking his head, the Alpaca stepped into the capsule.