Chapter 156. Content Not Everyone Can Do
Chapter 156. Content Not Everyone Can Do
Laughter flowed without pause for a long while in Ellis's stream.
I watched the bright, excited atmosphere beyond the monitor and then shook my head slightly.
"Alright, alright. All you runaways, it's about time to come back here now."
I murmured with a smile toward the chat window.
It's fun because it's the first time. If this kept going, it would definitely become overdone and annoying.
'Hmm... but still...'
After that, I quietly opened the donation window.
I typed out a single message and subtly clicked the charge button.
[ World's Strongest Hero has donated 1,000,000 Watts! ]
- I got curious while reading the applications and came to take a look. I apologize for my viewers, who are embarrassing to show anywhere.
[Hero... are we embarrassing?]
[You little punk, we're your own children!!!]
The moment the donation alert rang out.
Ellis's voice stopped.
- O, one, ten, hundred, thousand, ten-thousand... heek!? One million won!!!???
The virtual character's eyes went round and wide, and she became speechless.
She checked the nickname in that instant and then covered her mouth with both hands as she shouted.
- U-uh, Unknown Hunter... no, the Hero from the other world!?
The eye-tracking technology must have been quite sophisticated, because her pupils wavered this way and that.
[Ah, a golden-spoon Hero donates for a dirt-spoon Hero T_T]
[It's really like the little match girl seeing a warm family through the window...]
And right after that, I sent another donation.
[ World's Strongest Hero has donated 1,000,000 Watts! ]
- But I heard you're a Hero too... shall we have a match sometime?
In that moment, Ellis's eyes grew wide again.
- U-uh, th-that's...! When I crossed over from the other world, I used up all of my mana...! So...!
She stammered and looked flustered.
It just felt like I was looking at a little kid sister.
[Whoa Called out in the wild]
[We've got to sort out the hierarchy!]
[E Q Flash R E!!]
[What? Did he just say Flash?]
As I watched her roleplay hold up even in this situation, a smirk escaped me.
[World's Strongest Hero: It was a joke! Keep working hard on your streams!]
Then I quietly closed the stream window.
Her elated voice was still ringing out, and beyond the screen, viewers' laughter and teasing comments buzzed noisily through the air.
"Hoon, are you going to pick her?"
"Yeah, I think she'll be fun."
[Whoa Right away?]
[?: By any chance, could you start working from tomorrow?]
[He really sounds like some jjotso boss lololol]
And at the same time, the sound of a personal DM came through.
[Nudungji: Here's roughly the people I looked over]
[Lucia: Mine's about this many?]
"Oh... fast, as expected."
Without the viewers seeing, I skimmed through them.
As expected, since they'd done this kind of content a lot, they had written short comments on why they picked each one.
At that moment, a viewer asked from a corner of the chat.
[But how many are you picking? How many go into the gate?]
[Yeah, earlier I saw some streamers who were hunters applied too]
[You haven't set a number?]
I hadn't decided on anything.
I only had a plan to "try out gate tour content."
But I did have an excuse I'd thought up beforehand.
"For now, I'm thinking of picking plenty of candidates and keeping some buffer room. I'll explain in person when we have the meeting later, and someone might decide to drop out at that point too."
[Right, you can't force someone who doesn't want to do it]
[Scared? lol]
[But who'd say no to this golden-egg-laying content?]
[If you've got two Unknowns and two S-ranks, I'd go too]
A cascade of questions followed.
[By any chance, which gate are you going to?]
[What's the rank?]
[At least tell us the environment]
[You're not going to one classified as unclearable, right?]
"I can't tell you right now..."
To be precise, there was nothing to tell them right now.
Because truly nothing had been decided yet...
"First of all, we won't go anywhere with an environment that's too harsh or dangerous. I can block strong monsters myself... but if the environment is bad, those people's bodies won't be able to endure it, right?"
That said, I wasn't going to visit some pathetic gate either.
A gate that ordinary hunter streamers couldn't go to—a gate only hunters like me and Laila could enter.
I would head to a gate that was at least B-rank or higher.
"Anyway, I'll post the list of those who made it in an announcement. Our viewers will be able to check it too."
[But, I mean, is there no interview or anything?]
[Yeah, even jjotso companies do interviews...]
"Well, we don't really need interviews."
Anyway, the viewers who were looking over the applications alongside me were digging up and reasonably filtering out any streamers with controversies on their own.
The chat had grown calm before I knew it, and after scrolling down to the very last application, I skimmed over the list I had shortlisted.
Hmm...
It wasn't made up of only huge streamers, but I hadn't only pushed low-tier streamers either.
A fairly balanced mix.
"Looks pretty good... what do you all think?"
When I murmured quietly, the viewers reacted as if nodding along.
[Yeah, balance is decent]
[If it's only huge ones, it's the same flavor you always get. If it's all low-tiers, it gets boring. This much is just right, I think.]
[(Emoticon giving a thumbs up)]
[This is a good chance for small streamers too. If it's fun, they'll get an influx of viewers from big companies.]
I nodded at the viewers' satisfied reactions.
"Alright, then... let's wrap up here for today."
With a smile and a final comment, I waved my hand.
"Good work, everyone!"
As soon as I pressed the end stream button, the broadcast screen went dark.
"Phew... my eyes feel like they're going to drop out..."
"Do your eyes hurt?"
"They don't actually hurt, but... it just kinda feels that way..."
A needle could probably poke my eyes and I wouldn't flinch.
Even so, I'd been reading tiny text without a single break...
─ Squish...
"Come here~"
I buried my face in Laila's chest and breathed in.
This holy power pouch really did make me happy no matter when.
Even if I sometimes wring it out a bit too hard...
---
To be honest, even calling it an announcement wasn't much of anything.
It was the list I'd narrowed down with the viewers and the list narrowed down with Nudungji and Lucia's help.
- If I had to pick, these people?
- Right. My opinion is similar to yours, Hoon.
"Hmm... is that so?"
After ending the stream and spending some sweet time with Laila.
I talked privately with Nudungji and Lucia.
They analyzed each applicant's potential from angles I hadn't even thought of.
- Anyway, with you and Laila, plus Max Hunter and Emir Hunter there, nothing dangerous is going to happen, right?
"That's right."
- With this VTuber who has a Demon King RP and... that Hero VTuber you mentioned, you can draw out a good streaming angle from a rivalry setup.
"Oh..."
I was different, having simply picked based on the feeling of "they look fun."
They were already worrying about the "synergy" between streamers that came from experience.
"You two really are seasoned veterans..."
At those words, the two laughed and said.
- Of course. We've tried a lot of this and that.
- Right. Hoon and I were streaming even before that platform pulled out of Korea.
"Thank you. It was a lot easier thanks to you."
- Sure. Then I'll see you then!
- Hehehe... I'll get to see Laila's face after so long too~
"Haha... then I'll see you then."
I hung up the call while listening to the sound of Lucia's uncle-like laugh.
Whenever Lucia saw Laila, she hugged her and fussed over her as though she could not help herself.
"So then... writing it like this should be good."
"Hoon, you have to write that at the end too!"
[Hunter, You Can Do It Too - Final Successful Candidates Announcement!]
A table organizing each participant's name, nickname, main stream concept, and simple remarks.
And below it, I wrote a phrase like this.
※ Dropouts may occur at the meeting stage, and the number of participants may change depending on circumstances.
The announcement alert was immediately sent to subscribers, and viewers swarmed in and began to leave comments.
Some people let out a sigh because the streamer they wanted didn't get picked,
some people felt joy because the streamer they wanted did get picked,
some people were excited, saying anything was fine and they were looking forward to it,
One thing for certain was that, in any case, everyone was looking forward to this content.
And this announcement was instantly carried over and spread across various communities.
Who made it, who didn't.
What unusual streamers were there, and also what familiar streamers were joining in.
[ Author: Anonymous ]
[Title: Wait, who are these guys lololol]
[Content: (Screenshot of applicant list) How do a Hero and a Demon King end up in the same party lolol]
↳ Holy shit lolololololol This was some spicy entertainment
↳ It's hilarious how they've blatantly set up a rivalry angle lol
↳ But when you look at that Demon King, she seemed like some insanely charming girl though...
↳ Meanwhile the Hero was a total kid lolol
Like with Nudungji and Lucia, the reaction "the chemistry was good" was common.
Also, as people checked who passed, the streams and Nutube stirred with energy.
- Oh my, it's only natural... how could this Demon King possibly have failed?
- Aaaaah!!! I made it!!!
- The Hero and I become one body... An attack on the Hero is an attack on me...
I hadn't placed a separate embargo on them.
On the contrary, I actively encouraged the successful candidates to use this as streaming material as well.
─ Buzzzz...
"Yes, hello."
- Chairman, are we really proceeding like this?
"Yes, that's right."
- All the advance preparations for the meeting are complete.
Providing a venue simply for the meeting and buffet food support for their meals.
Vehicle support so the streamers could come comfortably to the meeting place and to the gate.
Support for suits and filming equipment to prepare for the absolute worst case scenario, even though such a thing wouldn't happen.
"That's good. Shall we send out the date right away?"
- Yes, I am proud to say we have prepared everything perfectly, without a single margin of error.
My foundation's employees were truly competent.
That's why I could freely shower them with copious welfare as well.
'What's leftover for me was money. If I run short... well, I'll just take a stroll through a gate and come back.'
Not that I'd actually ever run short...
Chuckling to myself like that, I sent out the messages en masse.
[Hunter, You Can Do It Too - Meeting Guide]
"It's content no one else can do... so I hope no one drops out."