I Became a Malicious Streamer

The selection process for the chat room manager went smoothly.

I talked to the ten who passed the mock exam to understand what kind of people they were, skimmed through the chat logs, and ultimately decided with Si-young on the final candidates.

The selected individuals turned out to be the so-called “time Bill Gates,” or in other words, people who are unemployed.

I briefly pondered whether I was holding back those industrial warriors who should be entering society, but when I saw them firmly appealing that they really wanted to do this, I felt a bit relieved.

I advised them that if they ever wanted to quit in the future, they could discuss it with me. They confidently claimed that wouldn’t happen, but… the work doesn’t come with any rewards. Of course, I would take care of some things behind the scenes, but the compensation would hardly be satisfying compared to the labor intensity.

Moreover, it was possible that sudden financial difficulties could arise—like a need for money at home—forcing them to only watch broadcasts. Or they might suddenly discover a new dream. Opportunities always come unexpectedly.

Given all these possibilities, my position as the chat room manager was likely to be a revolving door. Still, I felt grateful to know that many applicants were interested; I didn’t quite understand why they were so eager for such a trivial role like chat room manager in my broadcast.

Maybe they wanted a taste of wielding power as a swordsman in the chat room. However, those who showed such tendencies during the interview were sniffed out by Si-young like a ghost, leading to their disqualification through guided questions. We were looking for partners to work with, not power-hungry individuals.

This made me think that Si-young’s idea of selecting people through interviews showed some foresight.

Unfortunately, the first applicant, Kim Myung-jun, a job seeker, didn’t get selected.

The reason was his status as an employee. He was ranked lower than the unemployed viewers who had ample free time.

In fact, Kim Myung-jun was quite a stellar candidate; he had been watching my broadcasts longer than anyone else among the ten candidates and, as a result, had the highest score in Mollru’s mock exam.

However, throwing work at a commuting employee after office hours was a tough thing for me to do. People need to rest to gain the motivation to work the next day, right?

Kim Myung-jun claimed he could manage with just four hours of sleep, but I thought, well, he might suddenly crash one day.

Plus, he was a fresh graduate, newly stepping into society. He would have enough on his plate with work without having to worry about my broadcasts too.

After I revealed my thoughts, Kim Myung-jun expressed his disappointment but left a message that if he was ever needed for some extra hands, he’d be grateful to be called. Just in case both of the two managers I hired this time happened to be unavailable.

That was why I picked two people, but who knows how life can go?

I wrapped up the interview by agreeing to Kim Myung-jun’s kind offer.

*

The 1st EOW Streamer Championship was an event that succeeded beyond expectations given the investment.

Naturally, a second event was on the way, sparked by the organizers’ eagerness.

The team leader in charge of the event began reflecting on the first one, analyzing what had happened back then.

What was the cause of the success?

There were various factors, like people being thirsty for large-scale content, the trendiness of EOW at that time, and the chemistry that suddenly formed among the streamers who were part of a team.

But at the core of it all, we couldn’t overlook this individual.

“Mollru…”

The newcomer who had appeared like a comet at that time. The broadcast that was already on the rise established itself as a major player by participating in the tournament.

Now she was the undisputed number one in the Korean Switch scene, synonymous with EOW. Her understanding of the game was so deep she could even commentate, and while it was an event, she showcased skills that stood shoulder to shoulder with professional players.

“If we think about the success of this tournament, having Mollru is a must…”

But then came the balance problem that had also emerged in the last tournament. At that time, Mollru’s tier was Master.

The other strong candidates, O Daesik and Sua, couldn’t compare to her. It wasn’t that they were bad; Mollru displayed exceptional gameplay beyond her tier, leading her team to victory, but at the same time, she gained a reputation for disrupting balance.

Moreover, after the tournament, Mollru’s solo ranked tier skyrocketed, further reinforcing those claims.

Still, at that time, it was the first tournament, and Mollru was relatively unknown, so it didn’t pose much of a problem.

However, this time, we couldn’t let it slide. There wouldn’t be a team capable of matching her against the top-tier challengers.

So what do we do? Mollru is necessary for success.

And even if it’s not about success, the team leader was a fan of Mollru, so he hoped she would participate. He was even entertaining the thought that if she did partake in the tournament, he could somehow monitor her broadcasts through company channels.

As mentioned earlier, competing as a player was impossible. Players can’t… players?

Suddenly, a light bulb lit up in my head. Did it really have to be a player?

“She can participate as a coach!”

During the previous tournament, she had already taken on a dual role as a player and coach.

Not only did she have sufficient physical skills, but her overall knowledge about the game also made her more than qualified for a coaching position.

In fact, there might be more streamers wanting to team up with Coach Mollru than with other teams.

The issue was that it was unknown whether Mollru would agree to participate or not.

That depended on how well he could persuade her from then on. However, I wasn’t too worried.

He felt that Mollru would likely find this tournament interesting too.

*

“Coach?”

-Yes, Coach Mollru. Cr. Doesn’t the name just fit perfectly?

It was a call that came while I was taking a break.

The EOW Streamer Championship I participated in at the beginning of my broadcasting career had succeeded so well that they planned to hold a second one, and the organizers wanted me to be a coach for it.

-If we want someone to participate, we usually reach out ahead of time. You’re the first person we’re contacting.

“Is that so?”

The scary thing about kind words meant to make someone feel good is that, if you listen for too long, you genuinely start feeling good.

Kings who were swayed by the intrigues of courtiers probably lost themselves to sweet words in such an intimidating environment.

“Is this next tournament going to be like the last one?”

It was a tempting offer, but I still had to clarify a few things. I couldn’t just accept without knowing the details.

-It’s similar, yet different. Last time, we selected players through an auction, but this time, we’ve decided on a different method.

“What do you mean by different?”

-This time, we’ll be using a draft! Do you watch baseball? It’s a method you often see in baseball leagues.

A draft, huh? That means the order will matter.

“How will the order be determined?”

-We’ll decide it by spinning a roulette.

Roulette? That really means putting everything down to luck, doesn’t it?

“Sounds like luck will play a big role.”

-Yes, but that should make it more fun.

Right. That could definitely add a unique twist to it. For someone who wasn’t very confident in auctions, this might be a better fit.

-Our predictions suggest that many new streamers will apply this time, aside from a few individuals from last time. We set the overall tier lower.

The previous tournament was indeed a bit high caliber for an amateur competition. There were even masters involved, and lower-tier participants trained under former pro coaches.

After all, I didn’t expect great things from the streamers. I’d be more interested in seeing them struggle in the mud rather than having a high-level match, or watching someone who couldn’t even act like a human grow through coaching.

Considering that, it would be better to set a lower tier for the standards.

-So, Mollru… are you interested in participating in the tournament?

To participate in the tournament is no light matter. Last time was one thing, but this time would be even more so. It was clear that more people would flock to it than before.

One could easily get caught up as a criminal and lose out on winning, and sometimes even shed tears over the frustration of defeat.

So, would I not do it? No, that wasn’t it.

It looked fun, and there was no reason not to join.

Streamer Mollru confirmed her participation as a coach.

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