Season 2 - Chapter 219 - 1 vs. 42 (2)
For skill-based streamers, G-Star presented a significant opportunity. Why? Because G-Star could attract attention they couldn't gain on their own, allowing them to showcase their skills and gather more viewers in return. This was the essence of the challenge system.
[Many are here at G-Star for the challenge hunting lol]
[List of skilled streamers participating in G-Star]
[This year's challenge is packed]
[Choose your streamer wisely to win a chicken dinner. List of streamers available for this challenge.jpg]
If a streamer succeeded in the challenge, the prize went to the viewers and not the streamer. In other words, the better the streamer, the higher the chances viewers had to win a reward.
It was a great opportunity for skilled streamers who hadn't yet attracted much attention. Through this challenge, they could easily make themselves known. With hundreds of thousands of viewers, they could bring that much attention to their channel.
— Fry Guy? Maybe I'll check him out.
— Red?? What's up with him? 500 challenger points? Why so unpopular? This is my first time hearing of him.
— Looking for hidden gems~
Viewers seeking rewards hunted down lesser known yet skillful streamers.
— Master Pepper, damn he’s still streaming, he’s still top tier
└ I kinda watch Master Pepper…
└ He even won an amateur Battle Large competition
Thanks to this, community comments heavily mentioned top ranked players who weren't popular like Fry Guy, Red, Master Pepper, etc. These were the so-called challenge hunters.
— Wow, the hitmen lol
— The lineup, damn
— Their ranks are insane. Why don't they go pro? lol
Among these professional hitmen, Almond's name was relatively modest.
— Almond is awesome too... why is his rank like that? lol
Although Almond had gained considerable fame, he didn't have any games where his rank was overwhelmingly high due to various reasons.
— Idiot doesn't know that rank is for socialites
└ True lol. Gamers just grind challenges while the socialites casually hit diamond and go out to play.
└ He's openly a casual gamer.
— VNS rating is on par with JeonJaPa. Who cares about that stuff? lol lol
— Maybe it's because his career is short? It takes time to climb ranks…
They called Almond a socialite, a casual gamer, or someone who didn’t have enough experience yet due to a short career. All of this was true to some extent, but they were also excuses in a way. Ultimately, the reality was that he didn’t have a single game where his rank was overwhelmingly high.
In situations with tangible rewards, people preferred options with visible outcomes.
— I'm switching channels today
— Poor Fry Guy…
— Too many strong competitors…
Considering these factors, Almond's channel was bound to lose viewers.
“Sigh.”
Ju-Hyeok already knew this fact.
"I'll think more about it and get back to you."
"Yes, yes. Please feel free to contact me anytime!"
After leaving the meeting room, Ju-Hyeok quickly turned on his phone to check.
'I knew it, but...'
His expression darkened.
[Current Viewers: 23,000]
The current average viewership for Almond's channel was in the mid 30,000s. That meant more than ten thousand viewers were missing compared to usual.
'It can't be helped today... Almond is still on the more popular side among streamers doing the challenge.'
In fact, there was a bigger problem than whether or not viewers trusted Almond's skills. Being relatively popular among skill-based streamers was actually problematic here.
Having a lot of fans meant the chances of winning a chicken dinner were lower for them. It was obvious who had the advantage between being one of the lucky viewers out of a hundred or out of forty thousand. Given the circumstances, having 23,000 viewers was a grateful compromise.
'In the end, we have to show them like always,' Ju-Hyeok thought as he looked at the screen where the ninja mode challenge was going on.
If the challenge caused viewers to leave, then attracting viewers through the challenge was ultimately the right path.
'Especially since it's heating up.'
The game had been lukewarm at the start and began to pick up rapidly. The number of players dying continued to increase.
"Another kill! The siege net hasn't even tightened up that much yet!"
"Is this the characteristic of ninja mode or is it because of the challenge? The flow is faster than the original Battle Large modes!"
The pace was fast with top players participating en masse. The ninja movements looked markedly different from the movement in the standard Battle Large.
"Now?!"
The voices of the commentators rose dramatically, incomparable to before.
"That amazing player who showed us an incredible play, player number one has encountered someone!?"
Player number one? Who was player number one?
'Ah.'
Ju-Hyeok recalled the cosplay models laughing and guiding Sang-Hyeon just before he met the marketing manager.
'Isn't Sang-Hyeon player number one?'
Ju-Hyeok walked a bit closer to the screen. The murmurs of the crowd could distinctly be heard.
"Wow, player number one and player forty-two?"
"Is that player forty-two?"
The commentators set aside the curiosity about player forty-two momentarily and explained, "The person who just encountered him is player number forty-two! The one who received the most bets!? He’s starting off with a smoke bomb!"
"The house has a U-shaped layout. If the smoke spreads in the yard, it'll be hard to leave without passing through it!"
"Why was player number one so deep inside the house?"
Player number forty-two received the most bets. Ju-Hyeok was dumbfounded when he checked the bets for player number one. Player number one had extremely low bets, almost at the level of a casual participant.
'What? Do these guys not know who player number one is?'
It seemed the audience didn't quite know who player number one was yet. Well, if Ju-Hyeok himself had forgotten, it was only natural for the audience. Almond probably arrived too early and went in ahead of the others.
'That's pretty good.'
Although it was a bit funny, it was an opportunity. This could actually make for good video content. Ju-Hyeok immediately phoned BornToB to make arrangements.
"BornToB, yes. I'm currently near the challenge viewing area. I'll capture some footage of the audience here. Yes, we can try interviewing them after the challenge is over."
The additional footage BornToB was about to shoot would shine when uploaded to YouTube.
'Assuming Almond wins. He'll win.'
Ju-Hyeok always acted under the assumption that Almond would win.
'But the screen's all blurry. Is it the smoke?'
Ju-Hyeok stood on his toes and craned his neck even though that wouldn't clear the smoke from the game. He couldn’t see the situation inside the game clearly.
***
The acrid smoke had completely engulfed the courtyard of the tiled house. An enemy had obviously appeared. The timing was impeccable, especially since Almond had just discovered a ninjutsu scroll.
He had to choose whether to flee immediately or still grab the book regardless.
'I need to get the book.'
He crawled toward the location of the bookshelf after recalling its position.
[Ninjutsu - Body Replacement Technique]
'I can see it.'
The ninjutsu scroll, glowing blue, was in his sights. He didn’t even take the time to read the description and quickly stuffed the scroll into his inventory.
He needed to get out quickly. Although he acted fast, the speed at which the smoke filled the room was unavoidably faster.
'Where is the window?'
By the time he pocketed the scroll, the smoke had already filled the room.
[Smoke Bomb: Prolonged inhalation of the smoke will cause dizziness and coughing.]
The smoke bomb wasn't just for obstructing vision. Staying in it too long could cause disorientation.
— The room's spinning... literally.
— Isn’t it just supposed to block your vision??
— Wow, gotta get out of here.
— Does it really make you dizzy?
Fighting in a dizzy state would undoubtedly be disadvantageous. He needed to open a window to escape.
Almond felt his way along the wall, trying to find a window. Then, a thought suddenly struck him.
'The enemy is most likely on the roof.'
Given the way the smoke bomb was dropped, the enemy was probably on the roof. He was observing the situation and waiting for the right moment to enter and kill Almond.
'Why hasn’t he entered? Probably because he doesn’t know my exact location.'
Due to the commotion of the NPCs, the enemy couldn’t pinpoint Almond’s location.
He only knew that Almond had entered this house. That was why he threw a smoke bomb in the courtyard, which was the central area.
"Ah! Fire! It's fire!"
"Oh my! Madam!"
Furthermore, NPCs hopping around in confusion added to the chaos.
[Dizziness]
The world began to sway and the smoke gradually distorted his vision.
— Open the window!!
— Ah...
— What's with his vision??
— Go to the vents!
A window? If he were to open a window here, the smoke would visibly pour out like from a chimney.
'That would reveal my location.'
Then, his location would be compromised. Would he fight after revealing his location first or fight while dizzy? He had to choose.
'Let's make a choice. If I delay any longer, I might lose both options.'
NPCs darted about and gradually left the house. Soon, Almond would be left alone inside and dizzy from the smoke. That would mean revealing his location and fighting while dizzy. The worst-case scenario was losing both choices.
'Ah.'
Almond realized that if he could lose both, then he could also gain both.
'Could this work...?'
Almond picked up a piece of firewood lying on the ground.
***
At this moment, nothing could be seen from Almond's perspective.
"Looks like we'll need to switch to either forty-two's perspective or the drone's view," the commentators suggested.
The camera angle switched to player forty-two's point of view.
"Ah, right now, player forty-two is on the roof and quietly observing the situation?"
"Why is that?"
"He's probably waiting for the NPCs to leave the house due to the smoke. Then, he plans to kill Almond, who will be left coughing and dizzy from the smoke."
"Ah, so he's waiting because it's chaotic with the NPCs around! He might be waiting to catch the player if they try to escape through a window. The moment the window opens, the smoke will escape."
Pro gamers turned commentators could pinpoint these tactics because smoke bombs also existed in the original mode.
"As expected, all the NPCs have left! Well, that scholar's chances in the civil service exam have just gone up in smoke!"
As expected, the NPCs had all left.
— LOL
— Study and then study some more... until a hundred revisions are made... - Yi Hwang
— Really xD
— Poor guy
"Player forty-two is armed with a sword and shurikens. Is he making his entrance into the house?"
Player forty-two descended from the roof to hunt down Almond, who he assumed would be left dizzy and alone.
"He's moving in slowly, but he hasn't figured out which room yet?"
"He's probably listening for coughing sounds."
After descending from the roof, he looked around. As he entered a room, he realized something was off.
"There's no sound of coughing?"
Almond would definitely be coughing if he inhaled the smoke.
The house was empty.
"Ah...!"
The commentator exclaimed, "Didn't Almond acquire a book on the disguise technique earlier?"
"Ah!"
They finally understood what happened.
"One of the NPCs that left earlier was him!?"
Almond had blended in with the NPCs and already left the house.
"It seems so! Ah! This means Almond not only got the scroll, but also managed to escape safely!"
"What a pity for player forty-two!"
Using the disguise technique, Almond made himself look like an NPC and fled through the main gate.
"… Ah. Did I miss him?"
Player forty-two thought so too and was about to kick a piece of firewood lying on the floor in frustration.
"Damn it!"
Boom!
Suddenly, the piece of firewood he was about to kick burst into white smoke.
[Ninjutsu - Body Replacement Technique]
[If you place this technique on an object of your choice, you may switch places with it within 30 seconds.]
And it turned into a ninja.
"!?"
Swoosh!
A sword quickly unsheathed, followed by a precise step and an upward strike.
Shiik—
Almond executed a perfect slash he honed in Civil Empire.
Chaak!
Crimson blood sprayed against the blue sky.
— ?!??
— Wow, what's that?
— Ah
— Ketchup splurt!
— What's happening?
— ??? "Sir, you've omitted ketchup on your Fry Guy order~!"