Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Deliciously Well-Watched
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Deliciously well-watched.
The news that the Association was providing a 70-pyeong standalone house had me buzzing with excitement, so I asked Yoo Euisul,
"Any conditions for moving in? Are there CCTV cameras monitoring us? Can I smash the floor?"
Yoo Euisul turned her head toward me without a hint of patience and opened her mouth.
"Why are you asking me? Just ask your handler, Kim Junghwan, directly."
"…"
Fair enough.
Yoo Euisul didn't live in Association-provided housing.
Her place was a mansion so massive it couldn't possibly be Association support.
She probably didn't know the details of the policy either.
"What I do know is it's a house renovated for Awakeners, so the floor's probably fine to smash."
"Does that even make sense?"
"Doesn't it make even less sense for Awakeners to use a house without wrecking it? Have you ever once wondered why the Association gives out such huge standalone houses?"
"Nope. I just heard about standalone houses and the 70-pyeong size for the first time."
"Then rack that thick skull of yours and give me an answer that'll satisfy me."
"Uh…"
At Yoo Euisul's words, I thought for a moment.
And quickly reached a plausible conclusion.
"Because Awakeners are picky bastards?"
"Not a perfect score, but not zero either. Good thing your head's not as empty as I thought."
"Hey, you've been subtly dissing me this whole time—what makes you so smart, then…"
Yoo Euisul brushed off my words and continued.
"What do Awakeners even do at home?"
"Play games."
"Please think before you speak…"
"You play Battle Lounge at home."
"…"
My on-point answer made Yoo Euisul's face flush just a tiny bit.
So she does feel embarrassment.
It was the first human-like sight I'd seen from her.
Instead of responding,
screeech.
she pulled over and said coldly,
"Get out."
"…Did I make you mad?"
"I said get out."
"Hey, even if you're pissed, you should at least drive me all the way home!"
"You're home already, you thick-headed idiot."
"Oh."
I was.
Yeah.
Uh.
I bowed.
"Drive safe."
"Yeah. I'll hit you up. Oh, and."
Then Yoo Euisul rolled down the car window,
slipped on her sunglasses with a flick to block the setting sun,
and said to me in a cynical tone,
"Your half-cam stream? Deliciously well-watched."
"…Pardon?"
And with that,
Yoo Euisul vanished from my sight.
Not "fun to watch," but "deliciously well-watched."
What the hell does that even mean?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Before heading inside,
I called Kim Junghwan.
Pumped about the 70-pyeong standalone house, I blurted out to him,
"Gimme the house!"
[…Pardon?]
"Awakener housing support! I need it!"
[B-But last time you said you didn't…]
"Situation's changed."
I gave Kim Junghwan a quick summary of recent events.
Luckily, he was one of the devotees constantly monitoring my streams under the guise of 'surveillance,'
and he even understood 'Price of Blasphemy,' so he got it right away.
[Understood. I'll make arrangements so you can move in tomorrow if you want.]
"…Pardon?"
[What's wrong?]
"No… aren't there conditions? Don't we at least need to sign a contract?"
[We can skip all those unnecessary steps.]
Kim Junghwan went on to explain.
Since it's support for 'Awakeners,' they cut out all the time-wasting bureaucracy.
Just show up, apparently.
…If I'd known moving in was this easy, I would've applied ages ago.
Plus, it was a five-minute walk to Association HQ, so their occasional item appraisal requests wouldn't feel so burdensome.
Yoo Euisul's words to me suddenly made sense.
Me.
I really had no self-awareness as an Awakener.
Fair enough.
Awakeners are humanity's last bastion, the only ones who can face Anomalous Phenomena.
If they don't get treatment like this for risking their lives to resolve them, that'd be the real problem.
Still,
moving in tomorrow was a bit much for me.
I needed to properly apologize to the neighbors upstairs, downstairs, and next door before moving.
And pack my stuff.
"One last question."
[Yes, go ahead.]
"…Can I smash the floor?"
No more noise complaints in a standalone house,
but the floor probably wasn't made of adamantium.
Price of Blasphemy would still shatter it.
Better to ask upfront than cause damage and confess later.
Kim Junghwan reacted like it was no big deal.
[Go ahead. It's a house solely for Awakeners, so smashing the floor is small potatoes.]
"Yoo Euisul said something similar—what does that mean?"
Yoo Euisul had left without giving me a straight answer.
How is smashing the floor 'small potatoes'?
[Jia, do you know an Awakener named Oh Seung-hyun?]
"Yeah, I've heard of him."
Oh Seung-hyun.
Alias, Great Archmage.
True to his title, he wielded all five elements in reality like a game mage.
[A few days ago, Oh Seung-hyun was practicing his abilities in the attached training ground of his standalone house, and the whole place burned down.]
"Yikes."
[See? Nothing compared to Price of Blasphemy. Point is, Awakeners wrecking their supported houses happens all the time.]
"S-So what happened to him? Did he pay for it?"
[No, the furniture burned too, so there was property damage… but we didn't hold him accountable. Instead, we gave him a bigger house with a better training ground.]
"…"
The benefits for Awakeners were way beyond my imagination.
Now I got why they provided such huge houses.
From the start,
they were giving us big places to train our abilities at home.
[So don't worry about minor stuff like Price of Blasphemy. Just call the Association for repairs anytime. You too, Jia…]
"S-Sorry to cut you off, but do all Association standalone houses come with private training grounds?"
[Yes. As I said, they're exclusively for Awakeners, customized to our lifestyles.]
"Kim Junghwan. Sorry, but I have one request."
[…Go ahead.]
Unlike other Awakeners,
I didn't need a training ground.
Having one wouldn't make me train at home.
What mattered to me right now,
more than training,
was streaming. Streaming.
"Convert the training ground into a streaming room."
[…]
"Possible?"
[…No wonder things went too smoothly for dealing with an Awakener. Sigh…]
I bet Kim Junghwan felt betrayed right now.
Thought I was a polite customer, turns out I'm a complainer… that kind of betrayal.
But what can you do?
No need for a training ground, and letting it rot would be a waste.
[…Got it. Just note move-in might be delayed a bit.]
"No problem."
Then Kim Junghwan,
[Oh, and your half-cam stream? Deliciously well-watched.]
"…"
[I'll be in touch.]
ended the call after his petty revenge.
So,
what the hell does 'deliciously well-watched' mean, you otakus?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Moving's one thing,
but I had work to do.
At 7 PM, I went live.
Probably the half-cam stream hangover—
viewers were flooding in fast, even without my virtual avatar screen up.
💬 Comments — Dae Ji A Super Dae Ji A — Take Dae Ji A Cult Leader, take me sobbing — Ppang! Ppang lol — Ppang Ppang Dan Ppang Ppang Dan forever! Ppang Ppang Dan forever! Ppang Ppang Dan forever! — Nunaaa I'm dyingggg — Euhhuhuhuhu Euhhuhuhuhuhu — Holy Power Pouch ON Holy Power Pouch ON. — Blasphemy Pouch ON Blasphemy Pouch ON. ⭐ Superchat: 10,000 won — Spell to Make It Delicious Half-cam stream deliciously well-watched. Euhhuhu. ⭐ Superchat: 10,000 won — Very Red Pill Cheek level or higher. ⭐ Superchat: 5,000 won — Special Dae Jia Look at that holy power packed full today ㅗㅜㅑ ㅗㅜㅑ ⭐ Superchat: 5,000 won — British Gentleman Begging your pardon, may I bury my nose in it? Sigh.
Half-cam stream side effects.
The chat went berserk.
Some crossed lines, but the manager's moderation was top-notch,
so I didn't need to step in.
Dopamine crash detox is standard.
Streamers don't always need killer content.
Because big events aren't all upside.
The streamer suffers most during them, but viewers tire from full focus too.
So after yesterday's mega 'half-cam stream,'
today's stream would be
super chill,
perfect for zoning out.
Namely,
"Time for some gaming."
💬 Comments — Kraaaaaa Kraaaaaack — Huge one after big one Even huger one incomingggg — Emergency Chobisa Emergency, Chobi saaaave! — True Ant-Picking ON True Ant-Picking ON. — ? ? — Why the fuss all sudden Why are these people suddenly freaking out? — Newbie devotees confused lol Look at the influx devotees all confused ㅋㅋ — Cult Leader game skills time Cult Leader's game skills? Gotta taste 'em. — Death for tasteless control Death-brings-tasteless Cult Leader's disastrous controls incoming ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ ⭐ Superchat: 1,000 won — YY What disastrous skills today kraaaaack Don't worry too much.
Today's game is one I'm actually pretty good at.
Puzzle game.
"Professor Layton and the Curious Village, let's go."