A Swordsman’s Stream

Chapter 34

“Hello, everyone.”

Sojun turned on the stream from the lobby as usual.

It felt natural and familiar now.

Just like they say, humans are creatures of adaptation.

Sojun stretched as he opened the chat window.

– Soha
– ㅅㅎ
– Is the sparring ground real?
– Explain
– Explain
– Is this really Sojun-nim?
– Explain

This morning, the throne of the sparring ground, which Shin Hayun had regained after a week, was taken away by someone else again.

Naturally, one person came to mind.

unknown.

The mysterious figure who had dethroned Shin Hayun, who held the position for years.

There were even rumors that unknown was an AI developed by the company due to malicious behavior, but most did not deny that they were the most likely person to retake the throne.

They had a track record, after all.

However, the name that appeared on the rankings was not unknown, much to everyone’s surprise.

Jin Sojun.

Of course, it didn’t appear as the streamer Sojun.

Only the three characters of the name and part of the capsule number’s latter part were disclosed.

But still.

“Everyone, you are talking about the sparring ground, right?”

It was hard for the viewers to believe it was a mere coincidence that another individual named Jin Sojun had taken over the 10th level AI.

– Of course, yes.
– Is that the streamer? Not a namesake?
– I got chills while browsing the community.
– No way it’s another Sojun, lol.

Other gamers did not know Sojun well yet.

He could expand his reach by playing different games over time, but he hadn’t built enough recognition yet.

However, the dawn users of Assassin’s Creed were different.

They had heard Sojun’s name at least once in passing and remembered the excellent control he showed.

It was only natural that the dawn users of Assassin’s Creed went wild.

『Shin Hayun was dethroned again. But why Jin Sojun?』
『This sparring ground reminds me of ‘that guy’.』

– Ah lol, the one who logged off without finishing the quest and then took a break the next day?
└ Yes, that guy.
└ Why has he become the one whose name must not be spoken lol.

『”That guy,” if you are seeing this comment, give up on the favorability quest with Christina nuna. It will be good for your welfare.』
『The possibility of unknown being Nameless』

– 100%. Can’t you tell from the way they behave?
└ When you see how malicious they are, it’s obvious lol.

『So he really surpassed Shin Hayun?』

– Lol, does Shin Hayun seem like a trivial opponent?
└ Yes
└ The sparring ground is different; they didn’t face each other directly. Who knows when Shin Hayun will reclaim it lol.
– Anyway, he surpassed them.
– Isn’t our Breath assassin amazing? So proud!

『A creepy fact. unknown appeared a day before ‘that guy’ started streaming.』

– Then our Breath, being their first game, went to the sparring ground and won even before playing? Lol.
– At this rate, we really need to question if he’s a real-life swordmaster.
– Maybe he has Cheolsu in his lineage?
– Not a college student but in special forces lol.

『Looking at it now, even his silhouette looks handsome.』

The dawn users of Assassin’s Creed naturally assumed the ranking Jin Sojun was indeed him, and even further, believed unknown to be him too.

“Everyone, the 10th level AI match is indeed me.”

Sojun acknowledged.

If he weren’t going to reveal it, he would’ve denied it or not disclosed the information altogether.

The number of viewers tuning in was higher than usual.

“But I am not unknown.”

They wouldn’t believe it, but anyway.

– This AI of the streamer was so polite this time that it was hilarious. Saw someone else fighting them; they usually step on the opponent after parrying a sword, but this time they bowed and greeted, giving time lol.
– Lolololol
– That’s even worse lol.
– No one can deny it’s the streamer.
– The pinnacle of shamelessness.

Sojun couldn’t help it.

He had been branded as someone who engaged in malicious behavior because he greeted and input commands with Taewoo.

So, he decided to just outright deny it.

“What can they do if I say it’s not me?”

Besides, it wasn’t a tremendously big problem.

Among those who didn’t know him, there might have been people who viewed his anonymous behavior as disagreeable.

Even among those who knew him, there could be some.

But Sojun knew well that wanting everyone to like you was an arrogant notion.

He had been in high positions in his previous life, after all.

“No, if you all keep misunderstanding and not believing that it’s me, the real unknown could take over again soon.”

Sojun put on a serious face but it wasn’t convincing anyone.

-So, he’ll come back as unknown?

-Announcing fabrication ㄷㄷㄷㄷ

-Trying to manipulate the market, huh? LOL

-Who would believe that?

-Streamer Jin Sojun: Declares he will win the fight against himself!
-LOL LOL LOL

As playful conversations were exchanged, the number of viewers reached its peak.

People wanted to see the conclusion of the hidden scenario ‘Choice’ and the hidden quest ‘Hunting.’

Some were simply there out of curiosity after hearing about Sojun’s new 10-level AI.

“Hm.”

-Really?
-Are you the jerk who was being a prick?
-Get ready to be trashed by Shin Hayun soon LOL

A few people were disrupting the chat. These were transient viewers, those who did not stay in one place and wandered from room to room. Most of these transient viewers were just ordinary viewers, similar to any others.

Yet, as a wise man once said, if five people gather, one will be trash.

Whenever transient viewers suddenly flocked due to some incident, disruptive viewers inevitably got mixed in.

‘The solution for times like this is surprisingly simple.’

You just had to impose a follower-only chat restriction.

The majority of his stream viewers were followers, with a high follow rate.

Thus, restricting chat to followers didn’t hinder the communication of the existing viewers.

Sojun immediately set it so only those who had followed for at least one hour could chat.

-Comfortable
-It was hard to cut them.
-Good job

The managers were also posting chats, having been busy catching all the trolls.

‘There are even a few English chats.’

Was it because of the sparring ground?

Though it was a sparring ground only for people from Korean servers, Shin Hayun was quite famous, so others might have come just to watch.

Anyway, Sojun started the game.

“Alright then, let’s finish.”

* * *

Sojun looked around.

All the assassins nearby had collapsed in the alley, rendered unable to fight.

“Of course. See, you didn’t need to do it again. Who was it?”

Sojun interrogated the people who had posted chats when he mentioned ending the stream.

-It wasn’t me.
-Who said it? Let’s stop the fake news.
-Raise your hand! It wasn’t me.

“Now you’re all suddenly loyal. Shall I review all the chat records of those chatting now?”

Sojun had the ability to review all chat logs of a viewer in his stream.

This was termed as reviewing.

“How about a ban if caught?”

-Sorry
-I did it too.
-Run!
-We apologize sincerely.

People who had been evasive a moment ago started confessing. Some even resorted to paying fines, quite literally.

『’Bail’ donated 100,000 won!』
『Sojun-nim, I spread fake news because you said you’d end the stream, but please forgive me with this donationㅠㅠ』

“Ah, thank you ‘Bail’ for the 100,000 won donation. But sadly, I can’t forgive you without knowing your ID.”

Sojun walked out of the alley towards an abandoned factory.

-LOL
-Give more money!
-A true monster bred by capitalism

“Autopsy won’t be necessary for now. You all turned yourselves in honestly, and someone even posted bail.”

『”‘Scammer Dice’ has donated 10,000 won!”』
『It was me!』

The identity of the bail poster was revealed: a viewer using the nickname Scammer Dice.

-High roller? What a villain, lol.
-Even a high roller can’t endure the stream ending.
-Exactly, lol.

Sojun chuckled as he recalled what Alpaca had said: Every viewer harbored a villain in their hearts. The abandoned factory had arrived in no time. He climbed the stairs.

The inside was damaged, likely from an explosion, with scorched marks adorning the walls. When Sojun reached the rooftop, Arthur, who had been waiting for him, clapped his hands.

“Impressive. You survived our raid. It’s my complete defeat.”

Arthur then dropped the dagger in his hand to the ground and raised both hands. It was a sign of surrender. However, Sojun didn’t trust him. As he had entered the rooftop, he noticed flickering shadows around.

It was a characteristic feature when an assassin was in disguise.

“As expected.”

His hunch proved right. With honed senses, he heard someone approaching. Sojun swiftly turned his body. The Arthur in front of him vanished like a mirage, and the Arthur closing in from behind grimaced as his ambush plan failed.

Sojun grabbed Arthur’s arm and flipped him over.

“Not as challenging as a master assassin.”

It wasn’t a surprise. The organizational leader didn’t primarily need personal combat power. The quest concluded and disappeared.

“Oh, the quest ended. But if I hadn’t noticed the ambush earlier, would I have had to start over?”

-Could be, lol.
-That would be mean.
-Good thing streamer-nim showed the strategy first.
-Why’s his intuition so sharp?

Sojun looked at the subdued Arthur. He wanted to kill him, but his body wouldn’t move. Was it on auto-pilot? Arthur, struggling on the ground, spoke with difficulty.

“How… My disguise was supposed to be perfect.”

Far from perfect. Assassins in his past life could almost slow their heartbeat to a stop for better disguises.

‘That’s what makes it fun, though.’

Sojun watched with interest to see how the situation would unfold.

“Damn you, you’ve ruined everything! Now that it’s come to this, I’ll blow up the entire city if I have to, just to take you down!”

Oh?

At that moment, a sword pierced Arthur’s arm.

“Aaaargh!”

Sojun’s gaze shifted from the blade’s end in Arthur’s arm to the hilt. A woman in uniform stood there.

“How disgustingly pathetic. Yeah, the magic you’ve set up underground in the city has already been dealt with. Are you insane? This is why assassin groups are a joke. Freedom, my foot.”

He couldn’t agree more.

“Hello?”

She beamed at Sojun with a bright smile. She seemed generally cheerful.

“My name is Viola.”

It was the woman with purple hair who had appeared when the Tower Lord was captured. The viewer reaction turned explosive.

-Beyond pretty, unbelievable, lol.
-Nuna, do you have a boyfriend? Nuna, do you have a boyfriend? Nuna, do you have a boyfriend?
-Keep her away from the streamer!
-How do I join the Organization?

Because she was beautiful. Sojun shook his head slightly. Viola continued speaking.

“And I’m affiliated with the Organization’s central unit. Wait, don’t stare at me like that.”

How was he staring?

“All these events in the city were unexpected for the central unit. Due to the central unit’s confusion and lack of control, things got out of hand. They sent me to resolve it, but it looks like I’m too late.”

A hint of bitterness tinged her expression.

“So, what’s the plan?”

A sarcastic tone escaped Sojun’s lips. Of course, it wasn’t Sojun’s doing. The viewers knew that too.

-Sorry, nuna, our streamer’s a bit rude, right?
-Sojun, did you skip etiquette class yesterday? Follow me.
-Why’s his tone like that? Who dares speak like that to our Viola nuna!
-Be careful of bans, lol, they’re absolutely crazy, lol.