I Have Reasons to Hate Streamers

Click. The cold metal rang out softly.

The flame-imbued lance turned its head searching for prey, and from within the thick armor, a tense breath was exhaled.

The opponent who should be visible was nowhere to be seen.

Is it stealth? Or did they already create distance and enter concealment?

Just as he was about to slowly move the tip of the spear, a voice was heard from where it shouldn’t be.

Right in front of him.

It was where the shield was blocking his view.

“You. Starting to lose focus, aren’t you?”

“Crazy…!”

“Let’s end it with this round. There’s no point in continuing.”

The lance knight’s gunlance fired a massive explosion.

A deafening sound that momentarily deafened even the one who fired it.

The flash was dealt with by briefly closing his eyes, but nothing had improved.

A hot sensation arose at his ankle.

A dagger had passed through where the shield couldn’t protect.

He was being attacked.

This meant that the barrage hadn’t hit the assassin, Gawol.

Having completely lost track of the opponent’s position, Traveler had no choice but to try to hit where he thought Gawol might be aiming for.

He swung his shield while turning around, but nothing touched his hand.

At that moment, Traveler’s reason confirmed his defeat.

The tendons in his knees were cut, and as blades dug into both shoulders, it became difficult to wield his weapon.

Two daggers mercilessly butchered the enemy, securing victory.

[The practice match has ended.]

[Winner: Gawol (Assassin)]

As soon as the match ended, Traveler collapsed on the floor.

With a look of disgust. At the same time, an expression of disbelief was directed at the small girl.

“You, where did you work as a pro?”

“I’ve never been a pro gamer.”

“Then… why is your stamina better than mine?”

“It’s not stamina, it’s concentration. You don’t get out of breath while playing games, right?”

The gap between pros and amateurs is large.

Not just in terms of skill, but there were significant differences outside of the game as well.

It’s different from how nervous you get before a match, to how long you can maintain concentration.

Overcoming this gap isn’t something that can be done in just a day or two.

He thought he would need to be somewhat considerate since he was practicing with an amateur.

Traveler was bewildered by the opposite result.

“In other games too?”

“I told you, I’ve never been a pro gamer.”

“An athlete? Or maybe something like a Go player? Your review skills are familiar, and you’re definitely not from an ordinary background.”

“If you want to hear about my past, bring more money. If you’re not going to review, can I consider today’s practice over?”

“Alright. I’m sorry. Let’s do the review before we go.”

Traveler quickly regained his composure.

The two of them carefully went over their recent match.

The assassin’s hiding spots. The reason for the blind spots in vision.

Conversely, the basis for when the lance knight’s defense was successful.

Although there were some differences in approach, the exchange of opinions flowed smoothly.

At the end of the conversation, Traveler laughed as if in disbelief.

“How did I only find someone like this now?”

One thing was clear, it wasn’t an unpleasant laugh.

* * *

[Infinity Black has ended.]

[Gawol, thank you for using our service.]

It had been a long time since I came out of the connection device in a normal state.

Usually, when I left the game, it was when my body was screaming in protest.

I would crawl out only when my body was drenched in fatigue and my stomach was crying out in hunger.

I hopped on one foot to open the window, and lay down on the bed with a clear mind.

To feel unfamiliarity in this…

It seems my lifestyle had deteriorated quite a bit.

Not that I have any intention of changing it, though.

There were only two types of times when my mind was clear in reality.

When I just woke up. And when I went for rehabilitation training on weekends.

The reason why someone like me came out of the connection device was…

– At the moment I mentioned, Rime player rushes forward!

– The fortification came in at an exquisite timing, and the guard gauge is completely depleted.

– There’s slight damage to the health bar, but the gunlance’s energy charge is complete.

– Closing the distance with the enemy using a shield charge─ Burst!

– The paladin’s shield can’t withstand it and the front line collapses.

It was because I needed to analyze my next opponent.

While I could watch videos inside the game, it was quite inconvenient for note-taking and data collection.

In these cases, it was better to turn on the computer.

I took out an old tablet and tucked it under my arm, then sat down in the chair, almost lying down.

The chair I’ve been using since my player days, now comparable to a bed in size for my current body.

It’s something I bought without sparing expense when it came to my health.

The soft sensation pressed against my flesh.

The lance knight I had to face next was a class best described as a “one-man fortress”.

A defense that doesn’t lose out even to most tankers. At the same time, its burst damage can rival that of decent dealers.

However, it was also a class that had to give up many things in exchange.

I displayed Rime’s gameplay video on the monitor and scribbled notes on the tablet.

– Habit of activating guard first when situation assessment is difficult

– Prioritizes stance preparation over securing vision

– Surprisingly slow reaction speed

However, his judgment ability and battle sense are exceptional.

Is his personality on the calm side? No. There have been instances of losing points due to excessive engagement in recent matches.

It’s a misconception caused by his high baseline play. He’s covering his originally aggressive tendencies with experience.

The order of checking surroundings is basically front, right, left, up.

This guy’s weak spot is below. It’ll be a point to exploit.

‘With this kind of tendency, he should have used some weird strategy at least once… When will I get through all these records.’

Even in my player days, I tried to memorize opponent videos as much as possible with my eyes.

In crucial moments, people tend to rely on experience.

By sharing the opponent’s experience, my options increase.

Some people rely on the coaching staff for this kind of analysis, but…

At least I wasn’t that type.

I need to engrave it in my eyes to feel satisfied.

Until that person’s movements and judgments naturally come to mind.

Well, I don’t have a coach to delegate to now anyway.

There was a lot of material to look through as he’s been a pro for quite a long time.

After finishing this, I need to organize the rest of the opponents too.

Especially Reaper, whose play is complex, was already giving me a headache.

“Ughhhh…”

How many hours had I been immersed in analysis like this?

After stretching my arms wide and gulping down some cold water, I felt hungry.

I put down the tablet and stretched my body for a moment.

Suddenly, as my sprawled body became energized, the corners of my mouth turned up.

Today was the day I decided to reward myself for all the hard work.

I flipped past the screen I was taking notes on, and opened a delivery app I hadn’t used for a very long time.

Immediately, numerous temptations aimed at me!

But my heart had already found its steadfast companion.

Only chicken. My devoted heart moved relentlessly towards chicken.

Only amateurs waver like reeds after deciding on a menu.

[Your delivery order has been completed!]

[The restaurant has accepted your order!]

[Estimated delivery time: 31 minutes remaining]

That’s right. I now had enough leeway in my wallet.

Enough to order chicken that I hadn’t been able to eat for a very long time.

It was thanks to the profit share I received from Soolbbang and Elderin recently.

I won’t be able to receive broadcast revenue in the main tournament, but instead, prize money accumulates with each win.

After that… I’ll probably have to earn money by doing PK again.

There’s a path I’m a bit hesitant about, though.

[Message from Elderin]

– Gawol! Would you like to do an interview after this arena is over?

– It might be fun if you come on as a guest and do content together 🙂

– Of course, it’s okay if you decline, so please think about it and give me an answer!

– Fighting for the arena! ￣▽￣)b

I still couldn’t give a definitive answer to this either.

I felt sorry for keep putting it off.

It’s not that I don’t want to do it.

This incident made me realize that broadcast revenue is much sweeter than I thought, and it’s something I’ve wanted for a long time.

The problem was that it lacked sustainability.

In the end, if I can’t do broadcasts, it’s just a momentary dream.

It’s the same with going pro. Fundamentally, it was a problem that could only be solved if my leg was fixed.

Recently, I’ve been planning in other directions too, but ultimately, it’s on hold.

It was a direction that was difficult to realize right now.

[Your order is almost here.]

[Delivery has been completed!]

While I was pondering for a moment, the chicken arrived.

I hopped on one foot again to grab the crutch I had set up, retrieved the chicken bag, and returned.

After placing it on the table, I felt excitement deep in my chest.

Come to think of it, Elderin said he’d treat me if I won the arena.

A meetup in reality. I should give an answer to that too, right?

…I wonder if he’ll buy me something delicious if I go.

The chicken I ate after a long time was really delicious.

So much so that my long-standing worries felt trivial.