Chapter 2

Translator: True Detective

Chapter 2

1. This is Just Cup Noodles (1)

Star.

A term referring to people who shine brighter than others, just like the stars sparkling in the night sky.

To be honest, I envied them.

No, to be more precise, I wanted to become like them.

I, too, wanted to receive cheers from others, and I wanted to be loved by them.

And in modern society, there was a way for anyone to become a star, even without necessarily appearing on places like television.

‘Internet Broadcasting.’

Things like capital or connections aren't particularly important.

To rise in this jungle-like place, only one thing is needed: the star quality one possesses.

After losing my original job, I threw myself into this industry with a feeling that was half-adventurous.

I used to be somewhat famous before, and since I couldn't say I had absolutely no talent for internet broadcasting, I was able to secure fans who supported me to some extent.

However.

"...Sigh, fuck."

But even that was a story of the past.

Currently, I was nothing more than a bottom-feeder stuck somewhere in the deep sea.

A bottom-feeder among bottom-feeders, with no one watching and no one looking for me.

Although my loyal fans who still watched my broadcast comforted me like that, my mood didn't improve at all.

Regardless of the circumstances, the fact remained that I had failed at internet broadcasting.

Therefore, I intended to quit internet broadcasting after today.

After all, even if I continued broadcasting like this, it was hard to beat the Hunter-turned-streamers who performed feats like shooting fire from their hands or using magic.

"Phew... I overextended myself taking out a loan to buy new broadcasting equipment a while ago.... How on earth am I going to pay this back...."

If I sold the equipment second-hand, I might be able to recover about half the price... but since that wouldn't be enough, I'd have to look for a part-time job as well....

"This really sucks."

I'm not usually the type to enjoy drinking, but today I really craved alcohol.

So, on an impulse, I went to the convenience store, bought a few bottles of cheap soju, and drank them straight.

One glass, then two glasses.

I wonder how many glasses of soju I poured down like that.

Just when my vision was becoming blurry and my mind was feeling faint.

"...Mm?"

A message arrived on the smartphone I was holding in my hand.

"...What is this again."

For a moment, upon reading the message, I unintentionally burst into a hollow laugh.

"Viral marketing is really creative these days."

Although I was currently a bottom-feeder among bottom-feeders, I had been immersed in the internet broadcasting industry for a considerable amount of time.

What does it mean that someone like me has never heard of a platform called 'Trans-Dimensional Streaming'?

In all high probability, it must be a new platform that just jumped into this industry.

Otherwise, there's no way they would send something like this spam mail to a streamer like me.

If it were the usual me, I would have just deleted such spam mail without reading it.

But the current me was someone chugging soju after deciding to quit internet broadcasting.

Since I wasn't planning on turning on the broadcast after today anyway, I thought it wouldn't be too bad to fall for such obvious viral marketing.

"Let's see.... Do I just go in here?"

As I barely moved my fingers, which weren't cooperating due to intoxication, and clicked the link, I was soon moved to a site I had never seen before in my life.

The subsequent broadcast preparation process, well, I didn't even need to try to sober up.

Because it was something I had repeated every single day for the past years, my body itself remembered it.

"....."

For some reason, I felt a sense of regret, but after trying to shake off that emotion, I turned on the broadcast with trembling hands—

Chats came up instantly as soon as I turned on the broadcast.

Surprised, I checked the current number of viewers, and the number was a whopping 30.

‘No, a whopping 30 people entered this room as soon as I turned on the broadcast?’

To be honest, it was even a bit absurd.

I wasn't a so-called big-time corporate streamer, nor had I announced the broadcast, and I was someone broadcasting for the first time on this platform.

I thought I would be grateful if the number of viewers was just around 10 by the time the broadcast ended, but several times that number entered this room?

However, that wasn't the only strange thing.

‘What is this?’

I tasted a dumbfounded feeling while watching the chat the viewers were typing.

Universe? Martial Arts World? Cultivation? Elf?

‘Don't tell me, is this a hidden camera prank?’

But there would be no possibility of that since filming a hidden camera prank on a bottom-feeder like me wouldn't make for any content....

Only after seeing the comments the viewers were posting in real-time could I come to my senses.

I still didn't understand the conversation they were having, but staying spaced out like this continuously wasn't polite to the viewers.

"...Ah, I apologize. I was spaced out for a moment thinking about something else."

"Umm... my nickname is...."

For a moment, I thought of the nickname I used on other platforms, but soon I shook my head and spoke cautiously.

"My name is... Choi Seo-jin. Please call me as you find comfortable. If it's uncomfortable, calling me Room Manager is fine too."

"Ah... actually, I turned on the broadcast half-impulsively. Just 30 minutes ago, I couldn't even imagine I would be broadcasting like this."

Watching the chat of the viewers who seemed half out of their minds, I tilted my head.

"Artifact...? I don't know what that is... but this is just a cup noodle? A cup noodle that's ready in roughly 3 minutes if you pour hot water."

Because on the desk, there were only empty liquor bottles and the cup noodle I had just bought to eat as a snack.

However.

"...???"

These people, just what are they talking about right now?

No, they really don't know about cup noodles?