Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: The Genius Awakened's Stream (3)
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Toichi, the world's largest online streaming platform.
JerryKim was a streamer specializing in gate-clearing who held a respectable top-tier position on that very platform.
His refreshing features and trademark orange hair were part of his appeal.
But above all, his main draw was that he was a rare talent among the Awakened who insisted on working solo.
*Swoooosh!!*
Arrows of blue light shot forward with a chilling sound.
*Thwack-thwack-thwack!*
"Aaaargh!"
One in the shoulder, another in the knee. The Neglish, struck by four more arrows in its side, let out a pained shriek.
"That's it!"
A cheer erupted from JerryKim.
A sphere floating beside him glittered, and a hologram materialized in the air.
[Mission 'Defeat a monster pack (3 or more) within 5 minutes' successful!]
[Almond has donated 3,000,000 won!]
[Damn, can't believe you did it in one go ㅂㄷㅂㄷ]
"Aigoo~! Almond! Thank you for the generous donation!!"
JerryKim beamed, the corners of his mouth lifting into a wide grin.
He made a V-sign toward the sphere and shrugged.
"Ah~ Isn't this mission a bit too easy?"
He said, glancing at the chat scrolling by.
-Wow lol, that's actually insaneㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Even for a 6-star, how do you take down three 5-star monsters in under 5 minutes? ㄷㄷ
-Not even 5 minutes. It took exactly 3 minutes and 58 seconds.
-Insane speed ㄷㄷ
-Freaking insane speed ㄷㄷ
-JerryKim! JerryKim! JerryKim! JerryKim!
-Don't call my name! Don't call my name! Don't call my name! Don't call my name!
-So this is the class of the Zodiac;
'Nice.'
Watching the rapidly scrolling chat, JerryKim smiled with satisfaction.
Chat messages praising him.
'Heh! This is why I stream!'
The income from streaming was great, of course.
But the chats praising him were an unbearably sweet pleasure.
"Hup."
He casually rolled his shoulders as he looked down at the three Neglish corpses sprawled on the ground.
'This much is nothing.'
He was a powerhouse, ranking near the top even among 6-star Awakened.
And he wasn't just any Awakened with some random Stigma; he was from the Sagittarius constellation.
Dealing with three 5-star monsters at once wasn't particularly difficult.
"Hm?"
Just then.
From the other end of the tunnel, a party of two was walking toward him.
'A guardian spirit and even a pet.'
JerryKim, who had been observing them with interest, suddenly widened his eyes.
"Black… Black Lightning?"
Black Lightning.
The super rookie who had recently garnered global attention after receiving the Stigma of Vega.
'What's Black Lightning doing here?'
According to the Association's announcement, wasn't he still a 4-star Awakened?
He was nowhere near the level to be in a dungeon where 5-star monsters roamed in packs.
'Well… if he's the Apostle of the North Star, maybe he can bridge a 1-star gap?'
Besides, he wasn't here solo; he had come with a party.
'The woman next to him is…'
JerryKim's eyes wavered.
*Gulp.* He swallowed hard.
'Ho-holy crap, she's gorgeous.'
In all his time as a streamer, he had met many female broadcasters.
But he had never seen a woman with such breathtaking beauty before.
-Whoa. Is that really Black Lightning?
-Wasn't Black Lightning a 4-star?
-Nah, he's 3-star.
-Huh? The articles said he was 4-star.
-You believe that? lol. It's only been a little over half a year since he Awakened. How could he hit 4-star?
-fr lol
-But he took down the monster boss in Sokcho by himself.
-That's bullshit too. There were over a hundred Awakened there, why would he fight alone? lol
-Isn't this a place with 5-star monsters? How can a 3-star be here?
-Isn't he just getting carried?
-Who's the girl next to him? She's insane.
-Hehe, Nunna!!!
-Whoa, whoa!!!!
The chat was also blazing with excitement over Black Lightning's appearance.
'Black Lightning.'
JerryKim's mind raced.
'Isn't this… a huge opportunity?'
Black Lightning was a super rookie the entire world was watching.
If he could get him to appear on his stream, it was a guaranteed hit.
'Of course.'
A slight smile crept onto JerryKim's lips.
'I can't be satisfied with just that.'
Just getting views wasn't enough.
If he could make a bet, like a monster-hunting speedrun, and win…
Wouldn't he earn the title of 'The Man Who Beat the Apostle of the North Star'?
'The chance is now or never.'
In a year, or even just six months, he would have no way of beating Black Lightning in a bet.
But right now.
'If he's a 4-star, it's definitely doable.'
In fact, there were even rumors he was a 3-star.
No, even if he had truly reached 4-star in just six months, it didn't matter.
Even the Apostle of the North Star couldn't overcome a 2-star difference.
'It's not like my Stigma is some random trash.'
It might pale in comparison to the North Star, but he still possessed a Stigma from the Zodiac.
Frankly, it would be strange if he lost.
"Would you be interested in being a guest on my stream?"
"Pardon?"
Oh-jin tilted his head, looking at JerryKim.
'A stream.'
He was intrigued, but he never expected to get involved like this.
"Not interested, so get lost."
"Wait, Nunna."
"Huh? What? You actually want to be on a stream?"
He was interested.
'If I prove my strength to some extent through this opportunity, the baseless rumors will disappear.'
He had no intention of starting his own stream, but making a guest appearance seemed fine.
"Haha! Thank you!! Oh, right! I'm JerryKim, a streamer specializing in gate-clearing!"
JerryKim extended his hand.
Oh-jin nodded lightly and shook it.
He could see text scrolling rapidly on the hologram floating next to JerryKim.
-Ooooooooh!!!!
-Lmao, he just roped Black Lightning in on the spot lol
-The charming JerryKim;
-Ah, never mind Black Lightning, try hitting on the girl next to him lol
'Is that the chat?'
Oh-jin's eyes sparkled with interest.
Curious about how many people were watching, he glanced at the bottom left and saw the number 30,000.
"Are there really 30,000 people watching this stream right now?"
"Ah, yes! Haha! I have quite a few viewers who watch my stream."
JerryKim grinned and shrugged.
"It'll probably keep going up from here."
He had just landed the Apostle of the North Star as a guest.
Viewers from various other streams would hear the news and flock here.
"So, what should I do now?"
Oh-jin asked, glancing at the camera drone hovering in the air.
"How about we start with a simple interview? Everyone! If you have any questions you've been curious to ask Black Lightning, please type them in the chat!"
JerryKim expertly hosted the stream.
-O-Paen-Mu? O-Paen-Mu?
-Are you really a 4-star?
-O-PAEN-MUUUU!!!!
-How did you end up Awakening as the Apostle of the North Star?
-Can you take on two Neglish at once?
-O-O-O-O-O-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PAEN-MUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!
A flood of questions poured in.
"You don't have to answer every single one, just pick a few appropriate ones."
"...What's that O-Paen-Mu thing?"
He asked, pointing to a frequently appearing chat message.
"Ah... that's."
JerryKim scratched his head with an awkward smile.
"They're asking what color your underwear is today."
The answer came from beside him.
Ha-eun sighed, looking at the chat with an expression of utter pity.
"What?"
A bewildered voice escaped Oh-jin's lips.
Why on earth would they be curious about the color of his underwear?
"Why would they ask something like that?"
"It's, uh, part of the online streaming culture. Haha!"
JerryKim cleared his throat with a *ahem* and averted his gaze.
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ He must be new to streaming.
-Hey, you crazy bastards, stop it ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Ahㅋㅋ His reaction is hilarious ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Oh-jin stared at the chat messages with a dumbfounded expression.
'To think that asking a stranger their underwear color is considered culture.'
What kind of culture was this?
"As for the other questions…"
Oh-jin scanned the chat and answered a few questions appropriately.
'I think I get the general atmosphere now.'
It was still a bit unfamiliar, but…
He could roughly understand what they wanted and why they were watching the stream.
"Alright, that's all for the questions!!"
JerryKim skillfully changed the subject.
"Wow… We've gained another 60,000 viewers just during the Q&A?"
In the short time they had a simple interview with Oh-jin, the viewer count had soared past 90,000.
'This is insane, absolutely insane!'
A bright smile spread across JerryKim's face.
An incredible number of viewers he had never seen before.
At this rate, surpassing 100,000 would be a breeze.
'Heh! I knew this would be a hit!'
The bait of the 'Apostle of the North Star' was more effective than he'd imagined.
'Alright… then.'
It was time to achieve his real goal.
'In front of tens of thousands of viewers.'
He would defeat the Apostle of the North Star.
"For our next content."
JerryKim grinned and continued.
"How about a simple bet?"
"...A bet?"
"Yes. Something like who can hunt more monsters within a time limit."
JerryKim made the suggestion in a casual tone.
-Crazy ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ He's challenging a 4-star to a time attack.
-Pathetic JerryKim!!
-That's so over the top ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ How is Black Lightning supposed to beat JerryKim right now?
-Isn't this like a Diamond vs. a Gold in a mid-lane duel?
-He's gonna win once and milk it for years lol
-'The Man Who Beat the North Star'
-(1 year later) ???: Seriously, I'm telling you, I totally wrecked Black Lightning back then.
The chat window erupted in flames.
"Hey, of course, we'll have to set a penalty for me."
JerryKim skillfully brushed off the viewers' jeers.
"We'll decide the penalty by a vote in a bit… So what do you think? Are you interested?"
A quick glance.
He looked at Oh-jin with a provocative smile.
The chat window flared up once more.
While some ridiculed JerryKim for proposing such an absurd bet, the overall mood was one of anticipation for the showdown.
'So this is why he suddenly asked me to be a guest?'
Oh-jin smirked as he watched the rapidly scrolling chat.
He had wondered why JerryKim had approached him out of the blue, and now he roughly understood the reason.
'He wants to beat me in front of a large audience, is that it?'
If one didn't know much about him, it was a thought worth entertaining.
'In that case.'
He should play along.
"Sure. Sounds like fun."
"Haha! You all heard that, right? Mr. Oh-jin agreed to this!"
JerryKim shouted, looking at the camera.
"But…"
Oh-jin stepped forward, a smirk playing on his lips.
"A simple bet isn't much fun, is it?"
"Pardon?"
"Let's put something on the line."
At his suggestion, the chat window blazed up once again.
"Hahaha! Mr. Oh-jin knows a thing or two about streaming!!! Excellent! Should we bet a few Seong'yuseok for fun?"
"All-in."
"...Excuse me?"
"Let's go big. Everything we have. All of our Seong'yuseok."
"......"
JerryKim's eyes trembled.