"Alright, I've won."
I returned to the lobby and declared it confidently. Since I came in first, I had every right to be this bold.
The responses came immediately.
[Mission Success!]
['KimchiMandu' has donated 100,000 won!]
[I… admit defeat.]
KimchiMandu's admission of defeat was followed by other donations.
[Mission Success!]
['HanBaek' has donated 50,000 won!]
[That was fun.]
[Mission Success!]
['ArrogantUndead288' has donated 10,000 won!]
[Please do it again next time!]
.
.
.
Adding up all the donations, the total was close to 700,000 won. It made me feel great.
"Alright, since KimchiMandu has admitted defeat, I'll escort you down from the VIP section."
I said that as I deleted KimchiMandu's chat from the corner of the screen where it had been pinned. Then I checked the current broadcast time.
'Over six hours…'
I could consider that I'd met today's quota.
"Okay, that's it for today's stream."
―Huh?
―We've had our luck, let's play one more round
―You're planning to leave as soon as you get the mission reward
―Bye
After announcing the end of the stream, I checked the chat and one comment caught my eye.
"You're planning to leave as soon as you get the mission reward."
Honestly, leaving right now might make my image look bad. But I was exhausted.
'I need to go sleep…'
I had gone out early this morning and started streaming as soon as I got home. Ending the stream now would be tough for me too.
'Still… I have to.'
Streaming is an industry built on image. If someone develops a weird impression of me now, it could be problematic. That person might even post strange things on online communities.
"Then, I won't play any more games. I'll just chat a bit before ending the stream."
―Yes!
―The host knows how to care about the viewers
―I was a little worried you'd leave after just taking the mission reward
―Still, there's some consideration
Delaying the end of the stream a bit, I got positive reactions from the viewers. As a result, I ended up streaming for another thirty minutes before I could finally close it.
"Ugh… streaming really is tough…"
Having lived almost anonymously for a while, this kind of broadcast was rare for me. Honestly, today's VIP stream could be the type some viewers might not like.
Some viewers prefer hiding among the crowd in chat, while others want to stand out.
If KimchiMandu had been the former, today's stream would have been difficult. Fortunately, KimchiMandu was the latter and also a viewer friendly to me.
"Maybe I should at least give a subscription later?"
Though they're already a subscriber, so it probably isn't necessary.
I chuckled and lay down on my bed. My shabby one-room apartment came into view as I reclined. When I was at my peak, I had invested almost everything in equipment and staff, leaving little behind.
'This time, I'll save properly.'
I thought that as I sank into sleep.
"Ah… what do we do now?"
"What do you mean, what do we do? We just have to find a replacement."
Two men were drinking canned coffee and talking in the company lounge.
"But all the participants for the tournament were already finalized, and now someone suddenly can't join."
"Still, it's better that they told us before the participants were announced…"
The team leader sighed in response to his subordinate. They were part of the staff for the streamer tournament known as the 'Quajik Streamer Tournament,' or Quas Tournament for short. These two men were responsible for the event. They even had enough authority to select participants.
"Still, it can't be helped. Their kid suddenly got sick; we can't force them to participate in this tournament."
"But where else can we find someone with that level of balance?"
Despite the team leader's calm explanation, the subordinate kept repeating discouraged statements. The team leader felt the same, so he didn't try to stop him.
"We'll have to comb through all communities, Quajik, everything."
"YuchiaPa was definitely an SSR tier streamer, right?"
"Yeah… right."
The Quas Tournament had ranking tiers: N, R, SR, SSR, UR. Each rank had four streamers, totaling twenty participants. UR-ranked streamers would take the lead and select teammates of lower ranks.
This time, the UR-ranked streamers would have a penalty, making SSR-level streamers especially important.
And now, someone who fit that profile couldn't participate. The tournament prep team was in crisis, needing to find SSR-level streamers overnight.
'Of all times, it has to happen while I'm team leader…'
The team leader sighed. This was a critical moment. Successfully executing this tournament could elevate his position significantly. Delaying the tournament would be tantamount to giving up.
Back in his office, he began combing through communities and Quajik posts. Hours later, as night fell, a subordinate entered, holding a phone.
"How about this person?"
"No, their game knowledge is high, but their physical skill isn't enough."
"Understood…"
The subordinate left, and the reason they were staying up all night was simple: physical skill. Knowledge could be lower, but SSR-level physical ability was essential.
'URs can match pros in terms of physical skill…'
They needed someone with decent skill who might lose often against pros but was strong enough to compete—a very specific level of physical ability. Finding it was extremely difficult.
"We can't postpone the tournament…"
The schedule was already public, so postponement wasn't an option. A substitute had to be found within the timeframe. The team leader racked his brain. Suddenly, the office door swung open and the subordinate reappeared.
"Team leader! Look at this!"
"I just told you this person wouldn't work."
"No, no. It's someone else!"
"Someone else?"
The team leader's expression showed skepticism. The person had returned within five minutes claiming it was someone new.
"Who is it?"
"This person!"
The subordinate held out his phone, and the team leader's curiosity peaked.
'Why is he so excited?'
Though usually cheerful, he had never seemed this excited. The team leader took the phone and his face froze. The face on the screen was far too familiar.
"Wh-why is this person here?"
"I was shocked too! I saw their profile in the Battle Hill category and couldn't believe it…"
The subordinate suddenly stopped talking, seeing the team leader staring wide-eyed at the screen.
'Why is the team leader so shocked?'
Waiting a moment, the team leader finally spoke.
"…Do you think this person could be SSR tier?"
"Yes, definitely."
"On what basis? They were a specialist among PC streamers, but what about Capsule?"
The subordinate spoke eagerly.
"I checked their replays. They haven't played Battle Hill much and haven't shown strong physical skills—except in one match. In that match, they showed exceptional physical ability."
"Wait, I thought you said there wasn't even one match like that?"
"Ha, that was a figure of speech…"
Receiving the team leader's sharp glance, the subordinate turned his head slightly, feeling that the leader was scrutinizing intentionally. He continued anyway.
"There was a special-rule match recently that became a hot topic in the community."
"Right."
"Margus was among the survivors in that match."
"Margus? The same Margus who will be our commentator?"
"Yes, that Margus."
"And… how does that prove this person's skill?"
"Because the werewolf was this person."
The team leader's expression stiffened. Special-rule matches were rare, and when broadcast online, they drew even more attention. A mid-tier streamer, Ramen, had participated and was taken out early by this person. Despite being SR tier, Ramen was defeated instantly.
"And that match ended in a werewolf victory."
"Margus won too…"
"Yes."
Convinced, the team leader watched the video from start to finish. His conclusion:
'Physically, this person can pass SSR.'
In terms of game knowledge, however, they wouldn't even qualify for N-tier.
"Two weeks until the tournament…"
"That's enough time for them to reach at least SR level knowledge-wise."
"Alright, understood."
The team leader dismissed the subordinate. Being the highest authority, he could make the call immediately.
The issue was contacting the streamer.
'Can I even reach out…?'
The streamer, Pilgong, was a university classmate and had previously been assigned to the team leader. The last interaction hadn't ended well.
'No choice…'
He could handle this responsibility for the sake of the tournament.
"Haah…"
I yawned widely and opened my eyes. Sleeping like I was knocked out had left my body feeling relaxed.
"What time is it?"
Checking my phone, it read 1:34. It had to be PM. I had gone to bed around midnight, so I'd slept nearly thirteen hours straight.
'Can a person really sleep this long…?'
I had.
"First, let's eat."
Muttering, I ordered my favorite food. A short wait later, it arrived, and I opened the package to prepare my meal.
"Nothing beats budae-jjigae…"
Just as I was about to take a bite with the broth and ingredients over rice, my phone rang loudly. I hoped it was an alarm, but it was a call.
"Who keeps calling me while I'm about to eat…"
Seeing the name, I froze for a moment.
Im Seungwook.
A university classmate, now working at a large company, and a supporter who had previously managed me at Quajik. We hadn't kept in touch much after our partner contract ended.
'What's this about…?'
Honestly, our relationship wasn't great. Seungwook wanted me to switch to Capsule streaming, while I wanted to stay a PC-game streamer. Being too young, I had fought with him over it, and that had been our last contact.
Sighing, I calmly answered. Knowing him, a call during work hours meant business.
"Hello."
Immediately, a voice responded.
"You idiot."