The Niruk Cup Begins (1)

"Fuhihihihi…!"

Nam Haneul laughed at the camera, her hair a total mess. The broadcast screen displayed Emerald 1 as her tier.

After breaking into Platinum, it had become impossible to carry games purely on overwhelming physical prowess. Sure, she was invincible the moment she used her skills, but that brief window couldn't dominate an entire match. Without the occasional boosts from her status window, she might not have even reached this tier.

"I-I said I'd do it…! Hehe…."

She was currently in a 24-hour no-sleep state. She didn't need to push to Emerald 1, but once she got the momentum, she couldn't stop. Her stream had devolved into something close to gaming addiction.

"B-But… just 100 more points, and I'll hit Diamond too…."

"Y-Yes, got it."

Hong Suyeon popped into the chat every now and then. Thanks to her, Nam Haneul's stream stayed hot without losing buzz. Ever since they started collabing, Hong Suyeon hadn't done her own solo streams. Some of her fans had migrated over ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠here, waiting for her.

"O-Okay then, I'll rest now and be back for the Niruk Cup broadcast."

Like she had zero intention of defying those words, Nam Haneul wrapped up the stream immediately. After over a week of nonstop broadcasting, she was starting to get the hang of it.

Viewership at shutdown: 1,721. Incredible for someone so new to proper streaming.

"Huu…."

She shuffled toward the bed, then froze. Something felt off—her nerves on edge, a dull ache low in her belly. This is—

"Ah, again?! Already?!"

Her second period since becoming a woman. The constant body changes from the status window had messed up her cycle. A bit late, but here it was—she hurriedly grabbed the pads she'd stashed and suited up.

"Ugh…."

The massive Neon-hosted streamer LoL tourney, the Niruk Cup, was about to kick off. She worried her condition might drag her down.

"N-No, better it starts early. If it hit during finals…."

Shivering, she collapsed onto the bed. It wasn't full-on yet, but the warning signs already felt like a flu.

"Hoo…."

Dreading the pain ahead, Nam Haneul opened her status window. Nine days of missions had stockpiled a decent chunk of points.

Over a thousand points. Plus some unallocated ones from mission rewards that could go anywhere. Raising stats past 70 cost 30P each, and past 90? A whopping 100P.

"I-I'll use 'em later."

Her intellect surpassing 55 had also wiped out the "Brute Force" trait. She felt her memory sharpen, her thoughts deepen.

That's why she'd hoarded over a thousand points instead of blowing them.

No rush to spend 'em.

She figured her status window powers alone could get her to Emerald. Plus, low stats meant easier missions—the system tailored them to her level.

She planned to save until the Niruk Cup really ramped up.

"No point spending early…."

Notably, mission rewards kept pumping her singing stat. Luck bonuses had spiked it big a few times too.

"…Gonna need to sing soon or something?"

She sensed her luck stat foreshadowed the future—not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just random good breaks, but prepping for big events ahead.

"W-Whatever."

Even with boosted intellect, she was just above average. No marathon deep thinking for her.

Clutching the blanket, she pondered point allocation. She could hoard more, but….

It's job change season, though.

Job decided by actions during job change missions. Sticking to low stats for easy clears felt risky—high risk, high return, right?

She decided and dumped points into one stat.

If overthinking was the issue, boosting intellect to think better made sense. And now she wondered why she hadn't started here.

"Ooh… oooh…!"

She felt smarter! Well, she imagined it anyway. Higher intellect didn't change personality—just sharpened reasoning, math, memory.

"Definitely… makes more sense now, ugh."

Bad shape aside, she hugged the blanket tighter. 613P left. With the tourney looming, game stats tempted her.

But she shook her head. Deep down, pro gamer wasn't the goal.

I'm a streamer, right…?

Niruk Cup was a LoL tourney, sure, but on a streaming platform. Broadcasting skill might matter more than game skill.

"Hmm…."

Problem: Her status window's broadcast skills boiled down to Acting. And without a script, its utility felt meh.

"W-What to do…."

Fingering her lips, she stared at the window. Options: Draw new talent/trait, allocate stats, boost existing ones.

Topicability—for a big streamer tourney, overwhelming buzz was key.

So… define my streaming identity first.

Right now, she was a full-time LoL solo queue streamer. But what set her apart? She was a pretty girl among mostly guy LoL streamers.

Other girl-cam streamers existed, though. Girl-cam, game focus, or something else?

Quitting streaming for other jobs? Off the table. She was having fun; it fit.

Decision made, points spent.

Charm. Pretty opened doors in life. With Acting, acting could be a path later. No limits now that she'd escaped her trash life via status window.

Don't cap my potential….

Satisfied at first, then puzzled—Aura at 1?

Hmm… so only masters have it.

Probably vibe, overwhelming presence. She'd missed it on Hong Suyeon's window before—her own growth unlocked more info.

Window closed, she buried her face in the pillow. Bad shape, and tomorrow she'd relay the Niruk Cup team draft stream.

"Leftover points… emergency fund…."

After the grueling marathon, sweet rest claimed her.

"Aaa~ welcome everyone! LoL specialist caster Bang Jihun—"

"LoL expert commentator Nam Suhyun here!"

"Great! Before the regular season, one tourney draws all eyes?!"

"Right! The Niruk Cup, which just kicked off!"

Nam Haneul scrambled up, did hasty makeup, and fired up the stream. Day 1 was the director auction for players. She just reacted to the feed.

Normally, this official broadcast would siphon viewers from streamers like her. But she had double her usual count. One reason:

Appearance: 100

With makeup boosting certified status window perfection.

Streaming on her new Jaman-built rig with top mic and cam.

"H-Hi everyone?"

The reaction was explosive.