Season 2: Chapter 100. B-Tier Commander (1)
Viewers flocked in droves despite the stream starting unusually early at 1 P.M.
— Hey, Boss Almond! You thought we wouldn't watch if you started at 1 PM? No way!
— Unemployed gang checking in!
— The kings of the jungle are gathering!
— What's with this lunchtime dessert streaming schedule!?
— 1 PM stream? You have no discipline, huh?
[Current Viewers: 1.6k]
Initially, around a thousand viewers showed up and the number began to swell from there.
[Current Viewers: 3.8k]
[Current Viewers: 8.2k]
[Current Viewers: 11k]
Remarkably, the viewership crossed ten thousand right after Almond started. Even though his average viewership had reached around twenty thousand before, such numbers on a non-event day were unprecedented. This was likely due to interest in the national team competition and yesterday's fan meeting buzz.
The title of the stream also played its part.
[Training to shock the world]
— What's with the title...?
— Is this the same nutcase who used to stream with premade titles? My heart swells...
— For the national team competition??
Even those only remotely familiar with Almond couldn't help but tune in with such an enticing title. Of course, some viewers expressed concern.
[RubySword has donated 10,000 won!]
[Wow, what kind of training are you doing...?]
Unfortunately, their worries were unfounded. Almond wouldn’t undergo any hellish training to shock the world on the first day.
"Thank you for donating right at the start RubySword. The title is simply referring to training for the national team competition where we will shock the world. There's nothing too extreme, actually."
In other words, it was just clickbait. The viewers commented further.
— That's typical of our nutty streamer
— Oh, just like that
— Now I feel like giving a walnut a good smack ^^
— Way to twist the narrative
'It's not entirely false.'
It was clickbait, but not a lie. As Almond nonchalantly thought this, another donation came in.
[CM has donated 1,000 won.]
[Hey! So what training are you doing? You’re doing something, right?]
— LOL That voice
— Is CM real?
— CM, that's a stingy donation!
"Yes, of course. We're training."
Using such a title without any actual training would be absurd. What the training would be remained unknown.
"I'm not sure what we're doing. I've arranged to meet Kimchi Warrior in This World. Maybe we'll find out there?"
— So you don't even know what training you'll be doing and you're talking about shocking the world? LOL
— This streamer! Such audacity!
— Yeah, just lure them in with clickbait~
An invite message popped up while the chat bombarded Almond with playful banter.
[This World Invite]
"An invite just arrived. Let's go."
[Enter]
Boom.
Almond's avatar materialized in This World and he found Kimchi Warrior waiting for him.
"Hello!"
— Oh, is that the commander from before?
— Commander Kimchi! Hahaha.
— Hi hi
— He has a unique ID, but he looks so ordinary LOL
— What, he seems pretty normal?
Viewers saw Kimchi Warrior for the first time and thought he looked quite ordinary. If they had to describe him unfavorably, he looked a bit bland. If they were being favorable, he had a gentle demeanor.
"Am I being judged on my looks right now?"
Kimchi Warrior seemed to have quick wit.
— Is this the commander?
— LOL! How did he know?
— He’s not just a pro gamer, huh?
Almond shook his head.
"No, no. This channel isn't about judging appearances."
"Ah..."
— ???
— This isn't a face judging channel. It's a face fan channel.
— (A face with absolutely no persuasive power)
— The most popular person in a channel that doesn't care about looks: Miho, Almond...???
— Raina, her face ID is the heroine of the channel, isn't it?
Kimchi Warrior just chuckled at the comments. He knew being judged on camera was part of the deal when showing one's face. He quickly moved on to the main topic.
"Starting today, we'll be working on raising your rank. You're curious about how we'll assist you, right?"
Almond nodded, prompting Kimchi Warrior to continue.
"Commanders and players can play as a duo. That's the system we'll be using."
— Oh?
— That's not gonna work.
— Seriously, what's the point? LOL
— 200 players and only one is my friend!?
— Is that supposed to work?
"... The viewers don't seem to think it’ll make any difference," Almond noted.
"Why not?" Kimchi Warrior asked with a puzzled look. Almond shared the chat box with him to communicate more easily.
[Would you like to share the chat with this user?]
[Yes]
The chat box floated in front of Kimchi Warrior.
"... Are they judging my appearance?" he joked after a glance.
— Busted...
— LOL
— Tell us before you share, nutty streamer
"They're still doing that?" Almond asked a bit flustered.
"Just kidding, but you said ‘still?’ Ah, well, I understand what you're all saying. Normally, commander-player duos are meaningless."
— -.-
— Kimchi Warrior, you're so handsome!
— We love your explanation~
Kimchi Warrior smoothly continued after their encouragement, "But it can be quite useful in situations like this. It's a different story if the player has great skill and the commander knows how to take advantage of that."
Then, someone who seemed to know a bit about Civil Empire asked a question.
[CivilFanboy has donated 1,000 won.]
[But your ranks don’t match?]
"Correct. The ranks of a commander and player can’t differ by more than two tiers. That's why we secured a B-rank commander. We've been brainwashing him with our strategy and expect a 70-80% win rate in the lower ranks."
Kimchi Warrior's strategy was simple. Get a B-rank commander and instill the strategy he had in mind into them through intensive training. If they could properly execute the strategy, a remarkable win rate was expected at least in the lower ranks.
"Our initial goal is to reach A+ rank. We plan to go up one rank per day until then."
Kimchi Warrior prioritized reaching A+ rank with an 80% win rate.
"The real challenge starts afterward... but we won't climb to A+ for free. We'll devise another strategy based on the data collected during the climb."
The real problem would start at A+ rank. That was when the real fight would begin. They hadn’t thought of how to break through that barrier yet and would have to find a solution while climbing the ranks.
"That's all. According to my calculations, we should play about eight games today."
The viewers reacted to Kimchi Warrior's confident and assertive tone.
— Wow, 80% win rate?
— That confidence is insane
— Is this what it takes to be on the national team?! Is this what it takes?!
— Looking forward to it!
— One rank a day?
Almond also felt surprised.
'We’re aiming for an 80% win rate?'
He wasn't someone to back down from chasing consecutive victories, but luck played a significant role in Civil Empire and his current win rate was only 50%.
To declare an 80% win rate in such a game so nonchalantly...
'Impressive.'
Almond increasingly admired Kimchi Warrior.
"Oh, is he here?"
In the meantime, Kimchi Warrior was communicating with someone.
"Oh, good. Then..."
Kimchi Warrior gestured to Almond.
"Shall we go? The commander is ready," Kimchi Warrior said and created a portal.
Whoosh.
The portal in This World led to Civil Empire.
"Am I not supposed to hear the strategy?"
Almond had only been informed about playing as a duo with a B-rank commander, but he hadn't heard about the important strategy they would be using.
"Civil Empire requires strategizing based on the map's situation, so you'll need to go in and see for yourself."
Kimchi Warrior blatantly lied about this, but Almond simply nodded and entered the portal.
[Login]
***
Swish.
Almond logged in and appeared in the waiting area of Civil Empire, the tavern full of mercenaries. He was leaning against the bar counter like usual when the tavern keeper approached with a whisper.
"Hey, Almond. Long time no see. Someone's been waiting for you here. Seems like a high-ranking official."
He was referring to the commander Almond was supposed to team up with. The tavern keeper handed him a note.
"He left this for you."
The note contained a message.
Ding.
[Commander BornToB has requested to play as a duo.]
Almond accepted and a grand portal appeared.
"You already have a commander looking for you, Almond!? Wow!"
The usual enthusiastic tavern keeper entered the portal first, followed by Almond.
'Uh?'
After entering, Almond found himself in a medieval palace meeting room. Someone sat in the main seat among a dozen or so chairs.
"Hello there."
[BornToB]
He was the commander Almond would be partnering with. This man in his twenties had an aura similar to the first time Almond saw Bubblegum. Something about their laughter seemed familiar.
"Wow, you really are incredibly good-looking. Ahaha."
Almond felt a wave of unease as he recalled Bubblegum's skills. Actually, it felt more like terror.
"Please have a seat. The queue is already loading. You just need to wait."
"Ah, okay."
The queue was already loading? Almond realized that commanders played the game from a different perspective.
'That makes sense.'
Mercenary players looked out for incoming requests to accept and join, but commanders had to find opponents to fight.
[Searching for a game...]
Almond expected it to take some time and settled into his seat.
"I've seen all your videos. I'm just worried I might become the problem... I mean, I live up to my nickname as a B-rank commander... I joined because I really want to rank up this time..."
"Ah... okay."
Almond was already feeling uneasy. Now this guy was essentially saying he was born to be B-rank.
'There must be a plan.'