I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 87

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[Tricky’s Personal Community – Yoo Jin]

[General] I have reached a point where I can’t sustain myself with just my fan love anymore…

Noona, please stop being so good at games… I think I could make over 20 ten-minute videos just from the kill highlights alone….

[All Comments] [Order of Registration]

=The fan account is working hard, hahaha.

=Hurry up and upload the videos! These days, I’m just waiting for your fan clips to be uploaded!

ㄴ[Author] I’m a fan too, but I also have my own job… If you trample on my pure heart like this, I’ll turn into a gangster!

ㄴHuh~cheap♥

=Every moment with Yoo Jin is legendary… When are you going to find an editor for real?!!!!!!!!!!!!

=At this rate, shouldn’t we crowdfund or create a Patreon to pay a salary? hahaha.

=Why not apply to be her editor yourself?

ㄴ[Author] I was planning to, but it seems she’s busy with tournaments these days, so I haven’t asked on purpose ㅠㅠ I’m thinking of submitting a formal application after checking the preliminary rank situation.

=There is an official account, but having edited videos is really nice. Always cheering you on.

=Didn’t Yoo Jin mention she runs her own YourSpace? It’s been over a month since the last broadcast.

ㄴFeels like forever, but a month? Did I see it wrong????

ㄴIt’s a bit surprising to hear she’s recruiting an editor for YourSpace after just a month….

ㄴFastest growth ever, hahaha. Come to think of it, there were 30,000 viewers on her first broadcast.

=Judging by her recent form, there’s no need to worry about the preliminary rank. Should we just ask boldly during her next chat?

ㄴ[Author] No, don’t… I’ll submit my resume and application myself, haha.

Haa.

Even though I sank deeply into my gaming chair, the fatigue didn’t easily disappear.

Balancing college and “Fanspace” – a word combining ‘fan’ and ‘YourSpace’ – was quite challenging despite my love for Yoo Jin.

It felt like walking a tightrope. A small misstep could mean abandoning one side. With the balance gradually tipping in real time, the situation was heading in a tricky direction.

I began to wonder if I shouldn’t have touched this at all.

Shaking my head and forcing my eyes open, the YourSpace statistics filled my vision.

Yoo Jin, as the top-tier fuel thrown into the furnace called Dark Zone, naturally made everything related to her simmer and boil. Fanspace was no exception.

In other words, the view count of the edited videos on the fan account I created was rising steeply.

Of course, there was no profit. It was pure fanspace. Even with over ten thousand subscribers and an average view count of over a hundred thousand per video, there were no crumbs falling my way.

The comment section was always a refined chaos. People who knew Yoo Jin and those who stumbled upon the algorithm. Even reactions from foreigners, increasingly more frequent recently.

Sometimes fights broke out, and moderating them was quite a task. I thought it would be nice to have some help, but hiring a manager for fanspace was… What kind of crazy idea is that?

Anyway, it wasn’t always good when things grew beyond one’s control.

From a management perspective and a content perspective.

“How many terabytes is this…?”

How much content could a streamer with just over a month of broadcasting show?

Even if she broadcasted ten hours a day without a single day off, it would only be three hundred hours. Of course, with the advent of virtual reality and time acceleration, it was a bit more, but still barely reached 500 hours.

And yet, the clips and super plays alone numbered in the hundreds. If you included those that appeared on other streamers’ and YourSpace broadcasters’ channels – though there was no need to – it would be beyond imagination.

And these were added almost daily. Even if she didn’t eat and only shot guns and learned small-unit tactics, Yoo Jin literally obliterated any opponent, no matter who they were.

Of course, it was undeniably pleasant to watch.

If some of the ever-increasing views led to more people watching Yoo Jin’s stream, that would be great. I found comfort and hope in comments thanking me for the edits, offering gifts or donations.

I, too, was one of Yoo Jin’s viewers – jokingly part of the “tail team” – and watching her broadcast alone brought great joy.

But sometimes, desires would spring up within me.

Consolidating the day’s fatigue and the hidden wishes deep in my heart, I took a deep breath and muttered.

“Ah… I want to be wrapped in Yoo Jin noona’s tail…”

There was no particular reason for being part of the tail team.

As always, Yoo Jin’s surroundings were operating smoothly.

Trying something new was like partially dismantling and reassembling a pre-set puzzle called routine.

Although I didn’t set a specific direction, generally speaking, it referred to tasks or work that sustained one’s livelihood or improved one’s abilities.

Therefore, like a rolling stone dislodging an embedded one, it meant cutting off the less prioritized parts first. Snip-snip, like using scissors. For example, if the puzzle of exam study was added to a routine that included daily naps, the nap part would be cut off.

Usually, such changes were enforced.

From that perspective, I was living a very different life from the first night I returned here.

A new choice, leading to a schedule in the Dark Zone that filled part of my evening. Another new choice, adding streaming. These puzzles sometimes overlapped in their time slots.

But without settling for that, I also seized the next opportunity. Although it was short-term, I took on a coaching position offered by SSM Entertainment. It wasn’t necessary, but the world doesn’t always operate on practicality alone.

It was something I could try out with the thought of gaining experience.

However, once the pedal was pressed and acceleration kicked in, a period of stagnation naturally followed.

When starting something new, work tended to pour in initially. But after digesting all that, a stage of familiarity arrived. It was because one would master a method of approach regardless of the difficulty of the task.

Like heated iron cooling and solidifying.

“….”

Three minutes until the broadcast started.

By now, I had become quite settled. By around seven in the evening, unless something came up, I would start the broadcast. How should I put it, it felt like my communication network, which could be said to be quite impoverished, expanded when I started the broadcast.

Even though it was in virtual reality, the bed was comfortable, and as if it had analyzed my interests, the algorithm displayed a few interesting articles or stories.

Rather than starting the broadcast thoughtlessly, I would somewhat check on the external news and share it with the viewers.

I saw this news today. Do you guys know about it? The world is turning like this. Or there is this interesting information….

Watching these, I realized the world was running on countless gears. Numerous tragedies and comedies, irrationalities and absurdities, laughter and happiness….

I got up and sat in the chair.

The screen lit up, and viewers began to flood in.

­Yuha

­Yuha!!!!!!!!!!!!!

­Today too, stable broadcasting, so good, haha.

­Teacher, please stop being so good. I can’t think of any more compliments.

­No way, haha. I’ll keep climbing up, beating everyone up~~.

Responding to my intention, the microphone appeared. I tapped the tip with my finger, and on the right side, the holographic form of the input signal strength went up and down.

Mic test result was normal. Taking a small breath, I opened my mouth.

“…Hello. Many people have come to the broadcast today as well. Even though it’s almost September, the weather is still murky. Fortunately, the temperature is gradually dropping.”

When there wasn’t much to say at the start of the broadcast or if there were no peculiarities to prioritize, I usually started with the weather.

It was a simple topic that could garner sympathy without leading to disputes. Throwing out a topic would bring related responses like fish biting bait. It was fair to call it real-time comments.

The weather is hot, the air conditioning bill is high. The humidity is so high that laundry doesn’t dry well. No matter how many times I shower in a day, I feel sticky… Unfortunately, these were hard to relate to.

Sorry. Since returning here, I haven’t used the air conditioner. I put my laundry in the dryer.

­These days, whenever I enter a relay room, all I see is you, Teacher. Stop monopolizing the channel!!!!

“RemiconSorry, thank you for the thousand won. Then, starting tomorrow, I’ll try to be as elusive as possible… Just kidding, of course.”

­Jang?????Nan???

­I saw this in ‘God of the Butt’ haha.

­What is this? Is she declaring an assassination? Does it mean to eliminate witnesses?

­Take it easy, haha. Someone might get scared to play the game.

­From now on, ‘pranking’ the enemies. Assay!!!!!

The preliminary rank, which started yesterday.

Maybe I should have expected this reaction. This too was becoming a concern lately. I was just an ordinary person, but if all my words and actions were misunderstood, it would be depressing.

Anyway, my sudden appearance in Unreal’s relay room yesterday, as expected, spread everywhere. It was predictable, but the direct hit was ultimately mine to bear.

On the other hand, I wasn’t sure if I should call it a positive effect, but these days, even without starting a game, I had over 5,

000 viewers. They probably came from all directions.

Lately, I was feeling my life in daily increments, and everything around me seemed to be growing rapidly. Except for my own perception.

It didn’t seem like a topic worth dwelling on, so I decided to talk more.

“…Today, while browsing the internet, I came across a brief article on the history of streaming. It said that sniping has decreased significantly compared to the past. Is that still the case?”

­At least in Dark Zone, it’s almost nonexistent, haha.

­Fact) You still see it occasionally in games like the neighboring AOS and others.

­It’s true that it decreases with first-person games, but it’s not gone.

­There are still many who push the boundaries.

­You wouldn’t know since you only play AP, haha. It’s quite prevalent in team games.

Indeed.

It wasn’t completely gone. It was quite an unexpected topic, but having a lot of people meant I could gather such information.

Meanwhile, I was recalling the article I read before starting the broadcast. It said snipers proliferate under various conditions, almost like introducing mold.

If it’s a team game, emphasizes cooperation, expects a lot from one player, and at the same time has strong anonymity, making it hard to find the trolling opponent, it’s a paradise for snipers.

Below that, many viewers from all over were bringing examples to my personal community.

In just a few minutes, almost all the examples from the past three months covered the pages.

“…There are quite a lot. If there are this many even after decreasing, I might get sniped someday too.”

­You hit Tier 2 within a week before anyone could snipe you, lol.

­You climbed aboard the space shuttle and went straight up, haha.

­Teacher, you’re speaking nonsense today.

­Who would follow you when they’d end up with a broken neck or back????

­This person has a habit of stacking nonsense, haha.

­Racing a fighter jet and hoping someone on a scooter with fireworks would shoot you down, what kind of mindset is that, haha.

“…Right. Now that I think about it, you’re right. So, stop hitting me. Your words are too strong.”

With such an elaborate analogy, I just had to surrender with a GG.

No matter how much I trained my body before returning, it was hard to beat tongues sharpened by the internet. Besides, I was alone, and they were fifty thousand strong.

It wasn’t even a Pyrrhic victory, but I was soundly beaten.

After that, trivial chit-chat continued. How today’s match was, what future content would be… I answered one by one, continuing the communication broadcast.

These days, with the personal community becoming active, there were many humorous posts, content suggestions, game recommendations, and requests for potential joint content. I read them all, though I couldn’t guarantee I’d do them.

What should I say, it felt like growing a plant. I just sprinkled some water, and it grew on its own.

Moreover, since an artist recruited from this community started officially creating thumbnails – though it was for a twelve-hour video – YourSpace’s accessibility slightly increased.

Though only by a small amount.

Anyway, amid all this, there was a post that got the most recommendations since yesterday.

The tab was under promotions, usually filled with strange or seemingly useless items and information, which piqued my curiosity.

The title was…

“…Ah.”

A short exclamation, though not of wonder.

It wasn’t a feeling of seeing something revolutionary, but rather closer to realizing you had lost your wallet long after the fact.

So, if you ask what it was…

­[Promotion – Yoo Jin Fanspace, trying to promote humbly for everyone.]

Yeah.

It was time to address this.

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