High-Pressure Chat with the Master and Karin's Stream Chaos
Suihwa's talent stream felt like the usual X-Net, but chatting with Komai Rito brought an entirely different level of pressure. I had to pour all my mental energy into every single keystroke to avoid screwing up. Anyone else might've been fine, but Komai Rito wasn't the type to let you relax.
"...Phew, glad he sees it that way."
Komai Rito had never looked down on me before, but this guy was such an extreme Japan-first nationalist that even if he praised my work, a tiny corner of my mind stayed wary. No matter how good the art, I was still 'Korean' after all.
With those thoughts swirling, I typed back.
His reply came almost immediately.
And just like that, my brief exchange with Komai Rito wrapped up.
"Haa... Thought I was gonna die."
The tension drained from my body in an instant. I sat there blankly, staring at the monitor for a moment. It was just a few lines of chat, but my head throbbed like I'd finished a marathon meeting. Conversing with someone who dissected every word and tone for meaning took way more energy than I'd expected.
At least I didn't say anything stupid.
Chatting with Yuu never made me this nervous—definitely the pressure from his reputation.
Once the conversation ended, a thought hit me.
"...This is unreal."
Me, collaborating with Komai Rito? Not some random hack, but the Komai Rito, who'd proudly joined Japan's 100-million-copies-sold manga club. Before I was an artist, I was just a hardcore otaku fanboy. Sure, he was a raging Japan supremacist, but in otaku circles, he was basically a god. Getting a shoutout from him and collabing? Insane.
Slap!
I smacked my cheek hard to make sure it was real. The sting confirmed it.
After barely calming down, I messaged Yuu.
Yuu had done me a huge solid, but I wasn't entirely grudge-free. She'd pushed the deal through without even asking me first. I'd ended up accepting the collab without time to think.
I probably would've said yes anyway after agonizing over it...
She could've given me a heads-up. Time for some petty revenge later, I thought, closing my eyes.
The next day.
Chirp chirp.
I sat at my desk to the sound of birdsong. With break in full swing, I was moving way less than usual. Felt like I hadn't stepped outside in ages. On a whim, I checked my phone's pedometer app.
"Sss..."
My weekly step count? A measly three thousand. Was I moving less than a damn earthworm? Embarrassing as hell to admit.
Maybe I should exercise for real. But ugh, no way.
Sighing, I opened X-Net. Rito's last message was still there:
No new replies yet. I'd figured Rito would send the schedule ASAP given his personality, but he must've had something urgent.
He'll contact me when it's time.
The guy wasn't one to go back on his word. I just needed to focus on my own stuff.
As I killed time, I got curious about Suihwa's recent vibe. Ever since my face got exposed on her stream, I'd felt her hovering with concern. Wonder what she was up to now.
Thinking that, I searched 'Karin' on Twis. Top result: a live broadcast.
"Whoa, she's killing it."
When we went to Japan and she streamed, she had even more viewers. I remembered hitting at least ten thousand every time. Anyway, doing a bit of streaming myself lately had made one thing crystal clear: Suihwa's insane broadcasting talent.
I hadn't fully appreciated it until I tried it myself. Now? Watching her pull consistent four-thousand-plus viewers every time was mind-blowing.
For a streamer to have that many loyal fans showing up no matter what? Huge deal.
Impressed all over again, I joined the stream.
- "Argh, this is so frustrating. How the hell do I even beat the Ender Dragon?"
Whoa. The chat speed was on another level. When I was in Japan as her cameraman, I only glanced at it occasionally, so I hadn't noticed. Now? It was absurdly fast.
Three times faster than mine.
And Suihwa's stream had 1,000-won donations popping non-stop, with the occasional 10,000-won one mixed in.
- "Thanks for the 10k! Btw, gotta eat soon—what should I grab? Recommendations?"
Hmm. Personally, dumplings sounded perfect.
Tap tap.
Chatting was kinda fun.
- "Pfft, cucumber cold soup? That's not a meal!"
Huh? Couldn't let that slide. Nothing beat cucumber cold soup for a meal.
Tap tap.
Before I knew it, I was hooked on the stream.
Objectively speaking, 'Karin' had zero gaming talent. Viewers agreed, and she knew it herself. No surprise there. Top tier in famous MOBAs? Bronze. Battle royales? Silver. FPS? Iron. Total disaster.
But she was still challenging the impossible: beating the Ender Dragon. Why? She'd signed up for a massive Mineblock server packed with big streamers. Despite years of streaming, she'd never joined one. Simple reason: no confidence in her skills. No desire to clown around on a server full of pros.
'Not like I'd gain anything from it anyway.'She'd always been a solo island streamer—no real reason to dive into those crowds.
But now? Different story. Big Mineblock events suck in all the casual viewers, so she'd always prepped content to snag some. This time? Nothing ready. Sure, she could whip up something one-off, but quality would tank.
So, desperate times: apply to the mega streamer server. And for practice, set the goal of 'Ender Dragon kill.' The journey there covers mining, crafting, potions, trading, combat, travel—basically all of Mineblock. Nail it once, and you'll get a feel for what to do (and not do) on a big server. That's why she was grinding this non-meta playstyle now.
Anyway.
- "Whoa, that's brutal—how do you mine iron ore with a wooden pickaxe?????"
"Ugh, everyone sucks at games sometimes."
The roast level from viewers was intense. Part of why she'd avoided games.
Sighing heavily, she kept swinging the pickaxe.
"It's not like I want to suck—gimme some encouragement and praise, folks."
Ah. I hate gaming so much.
How long had she been at Mineblock? Hunger started creeping in. Too lazy to pick, she crowdsourced the menu.
"Thanks for the 10k. Gotta eat soon—what should I get? Recs?"
As she thanked donations and fielded suggestions, one absurd chat caught my eye.