I Became a Malicious Streamer

The real practice began the next day.

One week later, the semi-finals would be here before we knew it. It was either a long time or a short time, but it was certainly not enough for strangers to coordinate with each other.

Of course, no one expected perfection from them. How well could a hastily assembled team really perform?

People were simply excited to see various streamers come together, practice, and create chemistry among them.

In that regard, our team could be seen as fitting the viewers’ needs. The chemistry was already starting to show among the team members.

“Daesik, save me!”

“Don’t just ask to be saved, step back a bit!”

“Ah, I got cut. Byeoljji got cut.”

“Why did you get cut again…”

The voices of the players came through my broadcast.

First, Hyeyang. Then Daesik. Byeoljji. It’s Daesik again. I could tell by their voices that they were currently playing a game while I was watching.

I’m not sure if we can call this chemistry, but if the viewers feel that way, then perhaps that’s what chemistry is.

[It’s a mess, lol]

[I expected it, but it’s worse than I thought]

[Why are they so bad?]

[We only picked the bad players, after all]

[Ah-ha]

[Poor Daesik]

[To play among women, you need to endure that level of hardship]

[Ah lol I don’t care about team games, just carry me]

[All the women are really pretty…]

[Isn’t Rariri a no-cam?]

[She used to show her face; she was pretty, yep]

[Rariri, Daesik, Hyeyang, Mollru… the whole world is Daesik]

[Is the Bangjang also Daesik?]

[I think they called it Daesik in the beginning]

[It doesn’t matter anymore; it’ll just get bigger than Daesik]

[Is it important right now? We’re getting our butts kicked]

[Why are we getting pushed back? The other team probably isn’t even on Discord]

[The kids aren’t listening to Daesik]

[Daesik is sounding so lame]

[But Daesik’s orders are unclear. It’s obvious he’s flustered]

[His form has really dropped]

A team ranked game proceeding as a 5v5. The players were thrown into the game to just play a match together.

I wanted to observe the gameplay and gradually provide feedback, but life never goes as planned.

“It’s probably faster to find what’s not a problem rather than finding the problems…”

As I muttered this, agreement flooded into the chat room. After all, they were people who spent all day watching game broadcasts. To the ones who have developed a keen eye for gameplay, this chaotic situation must have looked like a mess.

I felt the same. I had no idea where to start tackling this.

For example, it was like cleaning a messy dining table. I had my own manual for putting the scattered items in their places, putting dishes in the cupboard, and wiping down the table with a cloth.

But what if I spilled freshly cooked stew all over it? What if I accidentally dropped my food? Or broke a plate?

Just thinking about it felt overwhelming. How could I clean this up?

“Wait, why has Daesik become so bad? I fixed him last time, but he’s broken again.”

[Ah, Daesik has broken]

[For real, he’s no different from a total scrub now]

[I guess we need to tighten the screws on him again]

[Only the Bangjang’s rigorous training can finish off Daesik]

[Daesik must’ve broken on purpose, wanting a one-on-one date with Bangjang, lol]

[Whoa]

[What what what what what wow]

[Daesik was a secret admirer]

I thought others might be able to be like that. They were so low-tier, and since I hadn’t seen his previous play, I didn’t really feel it. It was just like, “Oh, this is how it is.” I hadn’t expected much, so I wasn’t disappointed.

But Daesik was different. I had taught him twice, and he had performed well in the past. How could he have dropped so much? Isn’t it ridiculous for someone who made it to Challenger to be struggling in Diamond?

“Has the aging curve already hit him…?”

[Ah]

[He is about that age]

[But Daesik is still in his 20s]

[Should we consider the end of the 20s as still being in the 20s?]

[They say the aging curve usually starts around 26]

[Daesik~]

[BJ will also hit the aging curve in just 2 years, right?]

[Would be curious about that]

[Nope! Mollru’s a cheat character, she won’t get that]

[For real lol hard to imagine]

No, no. It can’t be an aging curve just yet. Last time with the one-on-one teaching, he got better. Besides, there are streamers over 30 who still maintain their physicality. Sure, people differ, but Daesik shouldn’t have dropped that much.

He just seemed to lack situational judgment and the ability to use skills appropriately. That’s something I could definitely help him fix.

Alright, then it’s feedback time now. Let’s see if we can make some changes.

Feedback wasn’t going too smoothly. If it was going well, that would be strange.

The key difference from the last tournament was that overall, the players’ tiers had dropped. Because of this, my feedback didn’t resonate as well with this group.

“Don’t understand?”

“No, I get what you’re saying, but when it comes to practicing it in-game, it’s not working.”

“You need to be able to use it in practice. That’s how you win.”

“Okay…”

I taught them some clever tricks—though I wouldn’t call it a secret technique—with most of the techniques being common ones used by players. After being taught, Byeoljji couldn’t play as I instructed during the next match.

In fact, trying to do something he wasn’t used to made him more nervous, and he seemed to play worse. There was nothing to be done about that. Time would solve these issues. It would be stranger if things got better right away.

The same went for the other team members. Each of them took on a task I assigned them and struggled to perform it in-game, and then they started groaning.

I continued to work with Daesik, giving him tasks. Since Daesik had a good eye for the game and was relatively seasoned, he managed to fix some of the issues I pointed out after a few attempts.

“That’s our Daesik! Okay then, this round, let’s play like you don’t care about your teammates and just go for a rampage!”

“Why is it only me who keeps having all this to do?”

“Because you’re Daesik, the team leader and ace. To escape being useless, you have to do this.”

As soon as I mentioned “useless,” Daesik, who had been complaining, fell silent.

[Ah lol to win, you must do things you’re not good at]

[You need to be perfect!!!]

[The harsh standards only for yourself make for a sad O Daesik]

[Ah… being an ace is tough, O Daesik]

[Bear the weight of the crown]

[Mollru went even harder than that last tournament and won, so Daesik has nothing to say, lol]

The game continued. Everyone was trying to keep my feedback in mind as they played. Overall, their gameplay had improved compared to before. It finally felt like a team game.

However, as the game smoothed out, another problem began to emerge.

“Ah… I’m sorry. I got cut. No, I got cut.”

“Ah, I messed up the heal. Sorry.”

Every time a mistake occurred, they visibly grew more dispirited. Forgetting the Hiddink strategy, formal speech returned. Their dialogue also grew sparse.

This was normal. Losing game after game, it was impossible to maintain the energy they had before. Daesik, who had some composure, tried to lift their spirits, but that only works a few times. When mistakes kept happening, it was only natural for their confidence to decline.

But just because it was expected didn’t mean it should continue. The calls within the team dwindled.

While avoiding unnecessary briefings is good, it’s equally important to avoid not speaking up when necessary during the game.

If the initial game was about finding coordination, this current one was clearly the opposite.

After the match ended, I immediately initiated feedback.

“Everyone, apart from Daesik, your calls are way too few. You need to voice anything you think is necessary for the game, no matter how small.”

“Yesss…”

Their voices lacked energy. They answered like this, but I knew they wouldn’t speak up in-game.

After all, nothing lifts team morale like winning, but we weren’t in a position to achieve that right now, so we needed a drastic measure.

“It’s the time for another special tactic beyond the Hiddink strategy.”

“What is it?”

My drastic measure wasn’t anything particularly special.

“From now on, instead of saying sorry, let’s say I love you.”

“Excuse me?”

Daesik replied in a bewildered tone.

“Apologizing all the time doesn’t help. It’s better to say ‘I love you, I’ll do better’ and just shake it off.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but that…”

“Just listen to me. This is the way to go.”

[Love you strategy entering, lol]

[What kind of ridiculous strategy is this?]

[The genius Coach Mol’s drastic measure, wow]

[Daesik about to get bombarded with love confessions, lol]

[Daesik is so lucky]

[If Daesik messes up, he’s going to confess right back, lol]

[Oh]

[For real, it might be effective]

[Daesik likely won’t mess up at all]

[You could make it so that he doesn’t feel any guilt at all]

It seemed the viewers also agreed with my drastic measure.

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