Unseen Guardian Angel
The calculation had backfired.
I had figured I could knock out two quick League of Champions games before the chicken shop opened. But because of how League of Champions worked, no match ever played out exactly the same.
On average each game took thirty to forty minutes. Sometimes it dragged on and hit the full hour mark. Sometimes it ended way too fast, in ten or twenty minutes flat.
DreamIsDugUp [Team] You guys are a top-lane hacker, aren't you...
ChallengerClimber [Team] No, that's not a hacker. I saw it on a channel broadcast.
DreamIsDugUp [Team] Really? Care to explain?
ChallengerClimber [Team] Yeah, I looked at the VOD. Just someone with really fast reaction times and good decision-making.
DreamIsDugUp [Team] I was about to throw that in chat. Should've done it right lol
ChallengerClimber [Team] Yeah, I'm going bot-focused this game. Let's play hard.
DreamIsDugUp [Team] Wait, if they're not a hacker, don't we have to watch the top lane too?
DreamIsDugUp [Team] Of course I'd be happy if you watch the bot, but...
ChallengerClimber [Team] It's a no-risk, high-reward top lane pick. No need to worry about it lol
DreamIsDugUp [Team] Hahaha, it's not even a high-value top lane, it's a no-cost-benefit top lane lol lol
The first game had been average and unremarkable.
But in the second game, the player I saw the most as a teammate was matched up with me.
That player had deliberately set out to exploit me.
They said the charm of solo rank in League of Champions was playing fresh games against people you never saw before every single match.
Sure, you ran into the same opponents from the last game or a few days ago sometimes.
But even then, you barely had enough time to figure out how they played.
Still, ChallengerClimber had seen me a lot. They had already sized up my playstyle and knew exactly how to use me.
Even though they had cursed me out in the past for being a hacker.
After that explanation broadcast, they started apologizing the second we met, and they even explained it to the other teammates.
It didn't feel bad at all.
They had said they were "bypassing" me, but when it actually mattered they always stepped up.
[ChallengerClimber is sending a retreat ping]
ChallengerClimber [Team] I'm going to Rek'Sai
[ChallengerClimber is sending a retreat ping]
ChallengerClimber [Team] Crazy idiot, I'm going Rek'Sai
[ChallengerClimber is sending a retreat ping]
ChallengerClimber [Team] Don't ever pick Rek'Sai even if you flash it on me
BotChampsAndDills [Team] Haha, baby-sitting?
[Noel killed JunglerIsCantube!]
[Noel got a double kill!]
ChallengerClimber [Team] Top guy always has a plan, huh?
DreamIsDugUp [Team] Hahaha, Udyr's ult is insane
I knew they were weak on my left side, so they shared the vision info anyway.
No, besides that I didn't really help much.
But even that small bit of help made a huge difference.
I took the lead on top lane without slipping.
The enemy jungler had lost to me, but my jungler was farming steadily in mid and bot.
No matter what variable moves the enemy tried to create, once the gap opened our team could just sit back and enjoy it.
Eventually the enemy team accepted defeat and surrendered.
But that became a problem.
We had planned on using two games to kill two hours, but the second game ended in under twenty minutes and everything got messed up.
- ChallengerClimber : Top guy
- ChallengerClimber : Duo?
- BotChampsAndDills : Is she a girl?
- ChallengerClimber : If you play well, you're top to us
Winning was good, but the time was really confusing.
If we played another game, the chicken shop would definitely be open by then.
Then the chicken eating time would get pushed back.
It wasn't a huge deal, but our viewers were dealing with the exact same dilemma right now.
- Noel : No, I need to duo mid or support
- Noel : Top lane is only bad for me. The other side has to be mid-jungle, mid-support, or jungle-support duo
- Noel : The skill gap would be too big to handle
- ChallengerClimber : Okay, no choice then
So I told ChallengerClimber that I had to reject their friend request and asked the viewers what they thought.
Should we play another game or just talk a bit and order delivery?
"Everyone, the time is really awkward. We only have about thirty minutes until ten o'clock, and if we play a game we won't be able to order until the chicken shop opens."
- RekSaiQueen : Yeah? Just set an alarm at ten and play the game, then order.
- Tti-hwak-jjit : Tsk tsk, no sense of urgency with RIO champs
- Tti-hwak-jjit : When you're alive you have to control your champion, when you're dead you have to do politics. That's RIO champs for you.
- RangeWeaponFan : Really lol
"Right. And there's no guarantee I'll die exactly at ten. Besides, I didn't eat yesterday, so I really want to order the second the shop opens."
- SilverPantheon : What are you talking about, boss?
- Tti-hwak-jjit : You're saying you didn't eat at all?
- DiabloSausage : Noel usually only eats one meal a day...
- Tti-hwak-jjit : The hell? The game is important? We have to do the chicken shop opening rush.
I thought opinions would be split like yesterday, but no.
Because I hadn't eaten yesterday, everyone was telling me to wait for the chicken shop to open.
They had all come to my stream to watch me play, but apparently my hunger came first.
It was touching.
"Um, then maybe we can have a little more time. I'll go directly to the chicken shop and pick up the packaging? The store is right in front of my house. While I'm there I'll also thank the security guy and buy him a box of energy drinks or something."
I had even hinted that I might go out and pick up the chicken myself.
The delivery app allowed ordering after ten, but the actual store might open earlier.
If I went early and waited, maybe I could get my order sooner.
- Tti-hwak-jjit : If it's right in front of the house, I could even save on delivery fee and go myself.
- SilverPantheon : Boss, your heart is so kind 😭
- Hitommygun : The guy who only eats ramyeon because he has no money... what kind of vacation is that? You should eat properly too...
"By the way, I already received the settlement money yesterday. I can splurge for a while."
- Hitommygun : Settlement money? With that guy who beat you? He should eat some beans first.
- SilverPantheon : No, it's the guy who read the RIO champs community post while standing in front of his parents.
- Hitommygun : Ah hahaha, reading the post is fine.
- Tti-hwak-jjit : At least it'll be faster than ordering delivery.
- Tti-hwak-jjit : But Noel, walking with your leg... is that okay? Since you got the settlement money, even if you pay the delivery fee, ordering delivery would be better, right?
The worries weren't just groundless worry, they had realistic advice mixed in.
That was exactly what my neighbor's wife had said.
I was glad for their interference.
"Um, it's okay because Celestia already packed my crutch for me. Ah, maybe I should use the settlement money to buy a wheelchair..."
- SilverPantheon : Yeah, wheelchair sounds good.
- SilverPantheon : But isn't a prosthetic better than a wheelchair? What about prosthetics?
- Tti-hwak-jjit : Cheap prosthetics are more expensive than wheelchairs.
- Tti-hwak-jjit : High-elasticity ones that make walking even a little easier cost a million won.
- SilverPantheon : Dd;
- SilverPantheon : Boss, you have to keep working hard on stream and make money.
"Sigh, I don't need to buy anything that fancy. A crutch and a wheelchair are enough."
I accepted the encouragement in moderation.
Right now donations were coming in steadily, but I knew original donations were irregular and my stream didn't bring in much money even with the viewers I had.
Reminding me of that reality was a bit harsh.
Still, it was from a good place.
In the end I decided to go out and pick up the chicken myself.
But there was one problem.
"While I'm out picking up the chicken, you'll be bored... want me to play a YouTube video for you? Or should I just turn off the stream and come back later?"
When I left the room, my stream would become nothing. Viewers could chat for a little while, but I couldn't ask them to wait endlessly for me to return.
The viewers, however, gave me an unexpected solution.
- Tti-hwak-jjit : Let's broadcast from my phone.
- SilverPantheon : I heard you don't show your face on stream... that might be tough.
- Tti-hwak-jjit : Just angle the camera so your face doesn't show.
"Ah. That's a good idea."
Just like Celestia, I could broadcast from my phone.
I wasn't used to internet broadcasting, so I hadn't thought of it.
But a quick search showed it was pretty straightforward.
I could just cover the camera and do the stream using my voice only, right?
"Then if I go out with my phone, the viewers will be my unseen guardian angels. That's fun."
- SilverPantheon : Hahaha, that's how it works.
- Tti-hwak-jjit : If you fall, we'll report you immediately, fuck.
- Hitommygun : Don't talk like you're threatening lol lol
- Tti-hwak-jjit : Then if Noel falls, you won't call 119? Uuuu
- RekSaiQueen : Uuuuuu
- Hitommygun : There's really no way to stir up drama lol lol
So I quickly got ready.
Holding two crutches with my phone was too hard, so I changed into a shirt with a pocket.
I even slipped into swim trunks under my clothes instead of underwear.
...Besides the swimsuits, wearing swim trunks instead of panties was really uncomfortable.
At this rate I'd have to buy children's underwear or something.
Since money was coming in, I kept thinking about buying things.
People's greed really has no end.
Anyway, I switched the stream output to my phone instead of the computer, put the phone in my shirt pocket, and asked the viewers.
"Will you be able to hear my voice?"
- Tti-hwak-jjit : Yeah, it comes through fine.
- SilverPantheon : But if the phone is in your pocket, can we even see your replies lol
- Tti-hwak-jjit : Ah
"Right. Right now I'm watching chat on the computer, but once I'm out it will be hard to communicate with you all... I'll check chat while resting, so please bear with me if the conversation pauses for a bit."
- RekSaiQueen : Don't get hurt.
"Okay, I'll be back."
There would be a slight delay in communication, but I could look at my phone when I paused to rest while using the crutches under my arms.
That should be enough for me to broadcast like Celestia.
Then I should go order the chicken.
With ten or so unseen guardian angels by my side.
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