Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Aaack!
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Yura had planned to take today's stream easy.
Having hosted the qualifiers, she was getting used to running the tournament.
She'd even dreamed of savoring a leisurely cup of coffee.
But...
The chat was already ablaze before she could even properly start the stream.
The feed was a chaotic mess of unknown grudges and tournament talk.
Yura wanted to ask the same thing.
"...What happened?"
Had some scandal or downfall hit?
Just imagining it made cold sweat trickle down her back.
The thing streamers feared most: a single mistake sending them straight to rock bottom.
Once you crashed, recovery started with a mandatory six-month hiatus as tradition dictated.
You had to attempt a comeback with a shattered algorithm, lost fandom, and turned public opinion.
Of course, the wreckage was nearly impossible to rebuild.
Imaginative Yura pictured herself falling into oblivion, failing to recover, and fading away entirely—before snapping back to reality.
'I haven't done anything lately, right?'
She couldn't be sure, but nothing came to mind.
Besides, the viewers were demanding she "hand over" something, but...
Yura had nothing to give.
So then...
[Yura: Sis, did something happen?]
Yura cautiously messaged her co-host for this tournament.
Right now, Hean was the only one she could "hand over."
Hean always logged in later than Yura.
Yura, as the main host, set everything up first and gathered viewers beforehand, then Hean would join.
So there was still a bit of time before Hean arrived.
The wait for a reply felt endless.
In the meantime, Yura's overactive imagination kicked in again.
Did Hean have a boyfriend? Or was it a backdoor endorsement scandal?
Her mind swirled with possibilities when—
A reply came.
[Hean sis: No. Why? Something up?]
[Yura: It's just... viewers seem extra fired up today, so I wondered if you knew anything.]
Hean didn't seem to know the details either.
Or maybe she hadn't realized yet.
Should she ask more directly?
As Yura pondered deeply—
One chat caught her eye.
Yura's hawk-like gaze snagged that single line amid the scrolling frenzy.
'Why didn't I think of that?'
The easiest way to spot a downfall was egosearching.
When something blew up, nothing buzzed louder than the communities.
There was no moment quite like someone's crash for peak activity.
So Yura searched "Yura" online.
[Yura tournament finals when? Fr]
(13 minutes ago)
?
What?
Nothing there?
Just contest-related posts.
Next, she searched Hean.
Hean had even fewer hits.
What were they even looking at?
Wrong coordinates?
But the viewer reactions were too intense for that.
And it was organized.
Not dozens, but hundreds igniting the fire.
Watching the chat fly by made her eyes blur.
Not knowing why it was burning only made her dizzier.
If she at least knew the reason, she'd feel better...
Yura paused the stream and scrolled through community posts instead.
Egosearch failed, so now investigate the communities.
No need to waste time on minor posts.
She checked the popular posts tab, which showed the trends.
And there, she spotted a familiar nickname.
And more besides.
All by Third Life.
The popular tab was plastered with Third Life posts.
"What the..."
She'd never seen one person draw this much attention.
Yura's gut told her.
Whatever it was, this chaos tied back to that viewer.
A refresh showed a new popular post.
[Title: Yura's Stream Finally Burns Down] [(Screenshot of Yura stream chat)]
Yura, Yura... how'd you end up with viewers like that...]
A bit later.
Yura fully grasped the situation.
To sum up:
An Armchair Advisor viewer had streamed.
Crushed Cruise.
Posted on the community and just ended the broadcast.
Up to here, no connection to Yura.
The issue: that viewer ended to join her tournament finals.
Yura sighed in relief—it wasn't her fault.
Relieved again—no link to Hean either.
And...
"Why'd it have to be my viewer, damn it!"
She cursed Third Life, who'd dumped his mess on her.
Yura whispered lowly.
No.
More viewers were always better, even one more.
Think of it as hosting perks.
They seemed straight out of hell, but...
No.
Troublemaking viewers weren't needed.
No.
Still, the aggro helped...
Ugh!
In her near-schizophrenic turmoil,
Yura decided to calm the viewers first.
Knowing it wasn't her fault meant just soothe them.
News from communities and elsewhere had drawn record viewers.
Masses pouring in who normally ignored her stream.
More trolls and shitposters, sure.
But if she sorted the traffic well,
these finals could end even bigger than before.
Checking the chat, Yura murmured softly.
"Managers."
She summoned the managers after ages.
"Start chat control now."
The managers scanned like hawks, fingers flying at speeds sloths couldn't dream of, no matter the years.
Yura watched the chat devolve further despite the bans.
"No."
Banning one by one was endless.
New ones flooded faster than bans.
So Yura took drastic measures.
"Just."
The forbidden ultimate move, rarely used.
"Freeze the chat."
Ice Age arrived.
It wasn't entirely unrelated to her.
But confirmed not her fault, Yura went hardline.
She couldn't stomach more chat chaos.
So she unleashed an artificial Ice Age on the chat.
Viewers could freeze for all she cared—calm first.
"Finals haven't started yet. So everyone calm down and listen. Whatever happened on the communities, don't drag it here. Do it again, and bans double each catch. Overlaps count too."
She laid down the law and unfroze.
The chat greeted her a tad quieter than before.
Now she could finally start the tournament.
As Yura timed the kickoff—
Donations poured like a burst dam.
Malicious viewers demanded interview amnesty and perks via supers.
One started, others piled on, stacking a decent mission pot.
Seeing the amounts hit home how much attention they had.
Capitalist Yura mode activated.
Much better than before.
Especially since they were paying—no need to block.
'I can take the compensation for the hassle, right?'
Financially healed, Yura perked up.
Third Life interview seemed easy this time.
Ask if he could chat briefly before finals?
Not post-qualifiers like last time—he couldn't dodge now.
Pity from the failed prior interview, but capitalist Yura didn't hesitate.
Yesterday she was rattled, but seeing him as just another toxic advisor today? Meh.
"Hold on. Let me call him once."
Decision made, Yura messaged Third Life.
The reply:
[Third Life: Busy prepping for finals]
Ghosted.
Again.
Thought he'd debuted or something.
Fellow streamers should help each other out!
Yura wailed.
Prepping for finals? She got that, but...!
Aaack!
Mental damage comp flew away in an instant.
Meanwhile.
"Milk's out. Gotta buy more."
Third Life munched chips unfazed, watching Yura's stream.
Today's dopamine hit: Yura.
Busy watching.
Had to catch the live.
Once finals started, no proper viewing.
Binge now.
Academy professors' group chat.
Professors, annoyed at weekend work, debated the transfer student in chat.
The topic: grade-skip him or not.