Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Virtual Test Hall Collab
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Soo-hyuk looked around the spacious room upon entering the virtual test hall.
A vast empty space about 1,300 square feet.
Glowing orbs scattered throughout served as lighting, illuminating the area brightly.
At the front was a large monitor connected to a kit. Hawk's Eye checked the viewers' chat through it.
'So this is where they do broadcasts.'
Soo-hyuk's gaze then shifted to Hawk's Eye.
A man with brown hair and thick eyebrows.
He extended a hand toward Soo-hyuk with curious eyes.
"Hello! I'm the streamer Hawk's Eye!"
"I'm the streamer Lee Soo-hyuk. Nice to meet you."
They exchanged a light handshake and greetings. Hawk's Eye grinned and began showering him with praise.
"Never thought I'd meet a celebrity like you in person. Wow, seriously. I lost my mind watching you take down the Giant Tribe leader."
"I think half of that fame is thanks to you, Hawk's Eye."
"Nah, come on. I just sped up the fame you were bound to get anyway."
He said it jokingly, but it was Hawk's Eye's honest sentiment.
His role as a review streamer was to accelerate the success of streamers like Lee Soo-hyuk.
That was it—nothing more.
They exchanged some casual chit-chat, mostly Hawk's Eye's praise.
A moment later.
"Alright, let's get friendly on the broadcast. That's how streamers bond anyway."
The mood naturally shifted toward starting the stream.
Streamers bond through broadcasts.
Soo-hyuk nodded at that.
"Sure, let's do it."
Soo-hyuk stepped aside, out of Hawk's Eye's broadcast frame for a moment.
An alarm rang on the kit.
At the same time, the viewer count at the bottom of the kit began to climb.
The screen was still black.
Watching the viewers pile in, Soo-hyuk's eyes gleamed.
'Already 2,000—no, about to hit 3,000.'
The numbers rose in real-time.
A quick glance at Hawk's Eye showed he looked flustered too.
His mouth hung open as he stared at the surging viewer count.
'This is beyond expectations.'
The viewers had already surpassed 5,000.
Hawk's Eye's average was around 8,000, occasionally topping 10,000 on good days.
At this rate, they'd hit over 10,000 before the broadcast even properly began.
'Heard it was buzzing on the forums, but...'
Maybe today.
They'd set a new personal record for peak viewers since he started streaming.
Once the viewers topped 12,000.
"Let's start."
John Tail gave the signal.
Hawk's Eye took a deep breath. Streaming in front of over 10,000 viewers was rare even for him.
Ting-.
The screen on the kit in Soo-hyuk's hand lit up.
The broadcast had begun.
"Ma-ha~ Hello, bros! It's Hawk's Eye!"
"Guys, am I invisible? I'm chopped liver the second the stream starts."
"Hey bros? I've been streaming for 6 years? Even if it's a small channel, I'm a vet. Soo-hyuk-nim is..."
The chat exploded as Hawk's Eye bantered with the viewers.
Soo-hyuk watched curiously.
'So that's how it's done.'
Hawk's Eye was a seasoned streamer.
Unlike Soo-hyuk, who just did tests, Hawk's Eye's stream had a clear flow.
"Long-time viewers know, but today's stream won't be long either. Sorry if you were hyped for a full collab."
"No, not panties. You know my style? No dragging, clean and to the point. Respecting your precious time, yeah?"
Interaction with viewers. Smooth progression. Donations.
As Hawk's Eye played around like it was all fun and games, his gaze turned to Soo-hyuk.
"Anyway, as you all expect, he's here right now."
Swoosh-.
The signal finally came. Soo-hyuk stepped forward.
"The next Master of Lightning, streamer Lee Soo-hyuk!"
Soo-hyuk stood beside Hawk's Eye, a short distance away.
"Hello, I'm Lee Soo-hy-."
A donation popped immediately. Flustered mid-greeting, Soo-hyuk switched gears.
"ILoveLeeSooHyuk-nim, thanks for the donation even here."
After a brief pause, he added,
"But if you really love me, it'd be great if you donated in my stream if possible..."
Viewers who knew Soo-hyuk burst into laughter.
Soo-hyuk was dead serious during tests, but his stream viewers saw him as the 'Money Bird'—greedy for donations.
Another donation followed. Hawk's Eye's eyes widened as he waved his hands.
"No no, wait, hold on. Of course we'll split! Half of today's donations go to Soo-hyuk-nim anyway!"
"Soo-hyuk-nim, say a word..."
"We split it."
Playful chats flew, followed by questions.
Half the incoming questions were about Soo-hyuk's bare face.
They figured fellow streamer Hawk's Eye must've seen it.
"Nah, haven't seen it. Heard even his manager hasn't."
Glance-.
Hawk's Eye glanced at Soo-hyuk.
It was info from John Tail, but Soo-hyuk's face was completely under wraps.
Twitch-.
Beneath the mask.
Soo-hyuk's eyebrow twitched faintly.
"No, he's handsome."
Chats flooded rapidly, donations popping non-stop. Most were to highlight their messages rather than big sums.
'Way more than my stream, for sure.'
Small amounts, but the barrage added up huge. A few chunky ones mixed in.
Hawk's Eye was stunned too.
'His influence is insane.'
Glance-.
Bantering with viewers, Hawk's Eye eyed the viewer count.
Viewers nearing 20,000.
Time to start for real.
"Alright, bros. Enough teasing the VIP. Time for the main content?"
Snap-.
Vwooom-.
Hawk's Eye snapped his fingers, and the test hall transformed.
The preset test activated. The system-enforced test hall expanded, revealing a massive arena before them.
"Today's test is this: Scarecrow Smash!"
Ding ding ding ding-.
With Hawk's Eye's signal, dozens of scarecrows appeared before Soo-hyuk and Hawk's Eye.
Scarecrows wielding swords, hammers, bows, and various weapons.
The infamous "Scarecrow Smash" test was well-known among players on the 3rd floor.
"So why this test? Two reasons. First, nothing better for testing control."
The test was ridiculously simple: smash as many scarecrows as possible within the time limit.
Simple content. Clear numerical metric.
And Hawk's Eye had one more reason for picking it.
"Second reason. Remember that viral comment I made a few days ago?"
Ding-.
Dead center on screen.
The test rankings.
And atop the familiar names, the one viewers craved.
Donations erupted like they'd been waiting.
No huge singles, but the frequency was unmatched.
And among them.
The question Soo-hyuk had been waiting for.
"KikiKick-nim, thanks for the donation. Soo-hyuk-nim, got a question-."
"No way."
Soo-hyuk's eyes sparkled as he nodded.
"Absolutely not."
43 scarecrows.
He'd lost count of attempts to hit that absurd record.
Back then, it felt like playing a game.
Of course.
The viewers didn't seem fully convinced.
'If I can't beat that, I should bite my tongue and die.'
As Soo-hyuk thought that.
Perfect timing. His eyes lit up at the timely mission.
A bet: beat #1 Lee Soo-hyuk's score for donations, or unmask on fail.
First risky mission, but the payout was beyond imagination.
'10,000 points?'
And then.
Missions piled up one after another.
Because of the stream's size?
The number and amounts dwarfed Soo-hyuk's own stream.
Plus.
"Half-split on this too? Oh... yeah. That's kinda off."
Hawk's Eye, eyes wide at the mission barrage, nodded at the chat.
"For these missions, I'll give it all to Soo-hyuk-nim."
Soo-hyuk's fondness for Hawk's Eye skyrocketed.