Chapter 14

Chapter 14: [Knight Soul] Want to Try Being a Streamer? (1)

[Streamer has donated ‘100,000 won.’]

━Impressive indeed... They say the world is wide and masters are many, and it seems that was no false saying. That was a technique fit to enter the ranks of peerless masters.

Admiration.

[Streamer has donated ‘100,000 won.’]

━I propose this. How about exchanging your enlightenment for my Peerless Divine Arts? If you teach me how to defeat the boss monsters of [Knight Soul]... I can also provide corresponding teachings.

A proposal.

[Streamer has donated ‘100,000 won.’]

━If you teach me how to defeat the boss monsters of [Knight Soul], in return, I shall pass on to you the enlightenment of [Limitless War].

After manipulating the streaming window and sending her voice that way through donations, Sword Empress secretly puffed herself up and laughed loudly inwardly.

‘Huhu! This is an opportunity not only to receive my Peerless Divine Arts... the essence of [Limitless War], but also to stream together! Now, what do you think? Is that not attractive?’

It was only natural.

[Limitless War].

Sword Empress was counted among the most legendary figures among its professional gamers— and had now become a major streamer.

Refusal?

She had not even considered such a thing.

Even if they had ridden the ranks of rising popularity and their viewer count had increased sharply, were they not still unable to compare to Sword Empress?

They should surely know better than anyone just how great an opportunity this was.

《 Enlightenment...? 》

However...

‘Hm? ......Mmm? W-Why does his reaction seem strange?’

Something was strange.

《 W-Wooow...! Is, is that true? S-Sword Empress is...? She’s going to teach you...? O-Oppa...!? 》

Myangbangwool.

Ju Seo-yoon bounced up and down, shaking her body and even flapping her arms and legs in joy, but the actual person who had received the proposal was different.

He looked indifferent.

《 Hmm. 》

That was... the reaction of a merchant who had concluded that the deal did not balance out.

Before the Sword Empress could understand that strangeness more clearly, the answer came back.

《 I’m not sure about that. If you want to learn how to defeat boss monsters— I’d like to receive something else as payment. 》

His tone sounded indifferent.

《 As tuition. 》

...Sword Empress’s body stiffened, practically freezing.

‘...I-I was rejected? Me? This, this Sword Empress?’

...It was the moment she tasted humiliation(?) she had never even imagined.

***

Silence.

Not only within the game, but even in the streaming window, chat messages appeared one by one before stopping, as though there had been a communications blackout.

Standing beside him, Ju Seo-yoon opened and closed her mouth, expressing her mental shock, but... Ju Seo-jin, the person standing at the center of that storm, was utterly calm.

= Please give me a mission. If you set a mission asking me to teach you how to defeat [Knight Soul]’s boss monsters... I’ll treat it as tuition and lecture you right away.

= .......

No.

Rather, the way Ju Seo-jin continued speaking even looked composed.

A moment later, question marks burst out in the chat window.

-?????????

-Is this real??

-Wow lolololololololololololol. Teacher Seo-jin just rejected Sword Empress’s collab proposal??

-Tuition, my ass lololololololololololololol. He really pulled “Give me the money” right here lololol.

-Is he really possessed by a money ghost or something.. Doesn’t someone need to exorcise the money ghost possessing Teacher Seo-jin.....??? He’s rejecting this??????

The chat window.

It was not only the viewers.

Ju Seo-yoon also stopped opening and closing her mouth, grabbed Ju Seo-jin’s shoulders with a tearful face, and shook him.

= Why! Wh-Why on earth are you rejecting it...! Sword Empress herself is saying she’ll teach you the essence of [Limitless War]...! Does it make sense to ask for that in moneyyyyy......?!

= ?

Ju Seo-jin did not bother correcting his lightly swaying body. 

With a consistently expressionless face that even looked somewhat dazed, he answered.

= Hmm... That— how should I put it, enlightenment...? Rather than exchanging game knowledge like that, I’d prefer receiving tuition...?

= Uuuu— That’s what I’m saying! Do you even know how important that enlightenment is? Sword Empress is a former professional gamer! A living legend of [Limitless War]! She even appeared on the news in the past! You don’t know?

= I don’t.

= .......

-?? Lolololololololololololololololol.

-This is freaking hilarious lolololololololololololololol.

-???: What is that, you nerd?

-When Teacher Seo-jin became controversial, he said, “I don’t know-leh,” lololol.

-Starting from his face, he was giving off a total popular-guy vibe.. and now he’s saying he doesn’t even know Sword Empress..?

-Wow.. Is it for real that he doesn’t know Sword Empress..? She won the [Limitless War] World Championship four times in a row?? Shit lololol.

Sword Empress.

A legendary professional gamer who had even won the [Limitless War] World Championship four times in a row.

When he said he knew nothing about her, the chat window heated up.

Ding—.

[Streamer has donated ‘100,000 won.’]

━Ha...haha...! Th-That can happen! If you do not know me, then refusing the proposal is only natural...! If you desire compensation for sharing enlightenment, I shall accept that as not bad either...!

A donation.

Most voice messages sent through donations were virtual voices provided through TTS, but─── Sword Empress was answering not with a TTS virtual voice, but with her own voice.

Was it because of that?

Sword Empress’s donation, that voice message... carried a slightly trembling quality and a sense of humiliation(?).

It was an emotion she could not hide.

-Lololololololololololololololololololol.

-Look at Sword Empress’s voice shaking lololololol.

-Ah, lol, Teacher Seo-jin doesn’t know anyone except people who give him money lololol.

-Is it for real that he’s trying to teach the Sword Empress how to defeat [Knight Soul] boss monsters for money? Lolol.

-Lolololol, I seriously can’t breathe, what do I do, shit lolololololololololololol.

Was that why?

Ju Seo-yoon panicked and showed movements that creaked like a wooden doll... then offered an apology that was not quite an apology(?).

= Uuu. Um... I-I’m sorryyy...! My real older brother seems to be completely ignorant about that side of things, so I think he doesn’t understand what it means to receive teachings from you...! Please understand!

= That’s not true. It means if I teach her how to defeat the boss monsters of [Knight Soul], she’ll teach me the game called [Limitless War], right? I understand that───

= U-Aaaah───! I’m saying that the fact you’re saying that at all is proof that you don’t understand this situation at aaall...!

= Hmm. I don’t think so. I think I understand. No? I’m pretty sure I do.

= Grrr! I said noooo! Gyaaah!

= .......

However— unlike Ju Seo-yoon, Ju Seo-jin still showed a consistent attitude without any particular reaction.

Because of that, Ju Seo-yoon reached the point where she could not endure the stress and let out a strange scream.

Laughter did not stop in the chat window floating in one corner of the streaming window, but only for a moment.

Before long, the donation began outputting another voice message once again... and Sword Empress’s voice rang out, mixed with a strange trace of laughter.

[Streamer has donated ‘100,000 won.’]

━A mission... Since you said you wanted tuition, I shall do as you wish. Either way, I will gladly accept it, so do not worry.

And then.

[Streamer has donated ‘100,000 won.’]

━However... since I am setting a mission— an assignment, that is— I would also like to add one more condition... How about this?

The next moment.

[Streamer has donated ‘100,000 won.’]

━Defeat every boss monster in [Knight Soul] without dying even once. If you fail— the premise is that you become my disciple and receive the essence of [Limitless War].

For some reason, Sword Empress’s voice message rang out as though she were grinning.

[Streamer has donated ‘100,000 won.’]

━If, by any chance, you succeed, I shall give you ten gold pieces.

-?

-Crazy..

-Ten gold pieces..? Calculating it Sword Empress-style..?

-Fuck.. She’s putting ten million won up as mission funds?? And even if he fails, she’ll teach him [Limitless War]????????

-Wow lololololol. Is this real?? Lololololololol. Legendary lolololololol.

It was simple.

[Streamer has set ‘10,000,000 won’ as mission funds.]

━Now... what will you do? Will you accept this mission?

<Mission: Defeat every boss monster in [Knight Soul] without dying even once>

*Time Limit: 14 days

...It was a retaliatory(?) proposal to somehow drag him onto Sword Empress’s own main stage and form a master-disciple relationship.

***

The result was obvious.

Ten million won.

Of every mission he had received while playing [Knight Soul], the largest amount of money was on the line.

The answer was already decided.

[Mission]

━Objective: Defeat every boss monster in [Knight Soul] without dying even once

*Mission Funds: ‘10,000,000 won’

*On Failure: ‘Play [Limitless War] as Sword Empress’s disciple’

Looking at the mission details floating in the streaming window, Ju Seo-jin revealed a rare, awkward business smile.

= Hmm— Sword Empress. Thank you for the mission. I won’t disappoint you. I’ll do my best.

= .......

Ju Seo-yoon glanced sideways at that awkward-looking business smile, moved her lips, then let words slip out like a sigh.

= Oppa...... you’re seriously amazing... in a lot of ways...

= ?

= Huuuu— It’s nothing. I was just talking to myself. Whewww! Good grief!

= I see.

= .......

At Ju Seo-jin’s plain reaction of simply accepting it, even to her subtle way of implying things... Ju Seo-yoon lost her words.

-Lololol.

-Iron wall defense!

-Kya.. Now he even wins psychological warfare with no damage. God Seo-jin!

-Myangbangwool.. Please stop.. Now you’re the only one who looks ugly.. Sob sob...

At this point, Ju Seo-yoon’s act of trying to hint things to Ju Seo-jin seemed close to meaningless whining(?).

The viewers giggled, but it did not last long.

= Ah. And... that— [Limitless War]...? Even if I clear the mission, I’ll learn that from Sword Empress. As a service.

A surprise statement.

The moment Ju Seo-jin said that without changing expression in the slightest... he then added with his eyes shining faintly.

= So I hope you’ll continue setting many missions for me in the future. I’ll do my best so that you won’t be disappointed, Sword Empress.

-???.....

-Even if he clears the mission, he’ll learn [Limitless War].. as a service.. This guy lololololololololol. Ah, this is killing me lolololololol.

-He’s talking like he’s already cleared the mission, shit lolololololololololol. Isn’t the service joke seriously insane? Lololol.

-No, wait.. No way.. Is he really saying he’s going to clear every boss monster in Knight Soul with no deaths..? Even if it’s Teacher Seo-jin, this is a liiittle much lol;

Service.

Literally, it meant that even if he cleared the mission Sword Empress had set, he would play [Limitless War] for her.

Ju Seo-jin thought of it as courtesy toward Sword Empress... but the person receiving it did not.

Ding—.

[Streamer has donated ‘100,000 won.’]

━Huhu...... You seem confident. Good, very good. That is manly spirit. I am impressed. Truly. I am truly moved by your ambition.

Unlike the content, which was full of praise, Sword Empress’s voice contained a faint anger— the emotion commonly called being “pissed off.”

[Streamer has donated ‘50,000 won.’]

━I too shall follow your spirit and place one more reward upon success. I think doing it like this would be suitable.

After all... interpreted differently, what Ju Seo-jin had said was an endlessly arrogant declaration of intent: ‘I can clear that mission as much as I want.’

[Streamer has donated ‘50,000 won.’]

━How about making a bet on how we address each other? If you fail, from the moment you receive teachings in [Limitless War] from me... you must call me ‘Master’ and serve me with utmost respect.

In other words— it was a kind of provocative(?) remark.

Words that could make someone furious with pure intentions and no malice.

And... people were prone to fits when their pride was wounded.

[Streamer has donated ‘50,000 won.’]

━Heh... Conversely, if you truly manage to defeat every boss monster in [Knight Soul] without dying even once— yes, I shall personally serve you as ‘Master.’ Well, that will not happen.

Especially— Sword Empress, who had high pride as a former professional gamer, could not help being that way all the more.

That was why she made a provocative proposal.

-?????????????????????????????????

-?? Is this real? If Teacher Seo-jin loses, he has to call Sword Empress Master and speak formally to her?? And serve her with utmost respect too?? Shit lololololololol.

-Character deletion bet ON lololololololololololololololol. Wow lolololololol. The angle for crazy fun just appeared lolololololololol.

Because she could not simply keep losing to the terrifying provocation(?) created by Ju Seo-jin’s purity.

-But.. If Teacher Seo-jin really kills all the Knight Soul boss monsters with no deaths, what happens..? I’m asking because I really don’t know.. Yeah;

...Even if it was an action far removed from rational judgment— one she would have no choice but to regret.