Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: The Explosive Surge in Views
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The circumstances that led to Hanami's YouTube views exploding were as follows.
After the commotion stirred up by a certain old-timer, the Odin's Son Minor Gallery had settled into a lull.
The heated debate between Classic and Modern control schemes had more or less wrapped up as well.
Though the conclusion was a bit absurd.
It had basically boiled down to, "You guys are all useless anyway," which left a bit of a bitter aftertaste.
Still, the gallery's atmosphere wasn't bad.
When something's absurd enough to exceed tolerance levels, people just stop thinking about it altogether.
Users started posting Afterimage certification screenshots and chatting away, regardless of whether they used Classic or Modern.
For a brief moment, the vibe even felt refreshed.
New features added in the latest game started getting spotlighted one by one, overshadowed until now by the Classic vs. Modern debates.
Even the Gallery Lord—who'd had weak speaking power compared to Backside in the past (unavoidable, given Backside's reign of terror in 10 Wins)—let out a sigh of relief.
Even the old-timers who'd fled the overheated atmosphere started trickling back one by one.
They dove into debates while watching pre-recorded videos.
The center of attention was, naturally, Purple Hair.
No particular reason.
Just boredom.
Users addicted to the dopamine rush of infighting suddenly found themselves bored once the fights died down.
Thus, all eyes turned to the Gallery Lord.
That interest ignited when someone brought in footage a few had captured.
"Nerd posts get copied!!"
And it got a great response.
Clips went to the nerd posts,
Analyzed and compiled videos went to the nerd posts,
Neatly summarized versions went to the nerd posts.
The final summary spread across communities, boosting Hanami's views in the process.
They'd even slapped a massive YouTube thumbnail right on top— the direct hook that drew people to her channel.
As the old saying goes, three people gathered can conjure a tiger.
Dozens banding together in real-time birthed a tiger laden with rampant rumors, prowling between communities.
At least thirty, judging by old-game tech.
It's that grandpa old-timer active since arcade days.
That Low Rock On style is exactly some Japanese named pro.
Though it devolved into a meme fest midway, bored lurkers gladly joined the brainrot.
Thus, the "Gallery Lord"—hung with all sorts of nonsense rumors—morphed into a crudely photoshopped meme.
That crude quality, spreading to communities, sparked cult-like reactions instead.
The new game, drawing eyes with overwhelming positives and Metacritic buzz, caught fire.
An unprecedented level of attention for the niche fighting game Odin's Son series.
And then.
The post announcing the rumor-swollen subject's appearance drew incomparable interest.
"...?"
She felt the same overwhelming pressure upon belatedly checking the gallery and grasping the situation.
Odin's Son. Or now, Odin's Daughter.
This series wasn't a mainstream hit, but any comprehensive game streamer worth their salt knew it well.
Especially chat-heavy ones like Hanami.
Odin's Son had a singular personality, for better or worse.
Running a fan cafe and reaction content exposed her to all sorts of memes.
She'd cracked up watching a famous overseas streamer hurl their keyboard and mouse.
Couldn't play a game like that myself, she'd thought.
Maybe that's why.
From the moment she half-forced herself into Odin's Daughter, she'd been mulling a comeback.
Even getting pummeled by bosses all day hadn't demoralized her that much.
Since she'd delete it anyway. Just tough it out briefly.
...Life's unpredictable, ending up reinstalling like this.
Just glancing at the chat made her breathless.
The first three minutes with gentle opening music playing.
She held back words to gauge the mood.
The chat was going wild.
Viewers poured in at an unprecedented rate right after going live.
The scroll speed was unnatural.
Even her streamer-honed dynamic vision couldn't keep up.
Floated platform randos had all flooded her stream.
They're totally hyped.
Obviously migrants from communities.
The chat started lagging.
Gotta early-end if the vibe demands it.
She adjusted donation amounts first, reviewing emergency protocols in her head.
Then, with the grim resolve of a convict facing execution day, she spoke.
"Naha!! Hello, Lumi-fam!!"
A lively voice despite the whiny tone.
Yes, Hanami was an unstoppable broadcaster.
Not that the whine was insincere.
She'd felt daunted at first, truthfully.
Had a VTuber ever gotten this massive exposure on Korean communities before?
No wonder the Boss was freaking out.
Hype about how today's outcome would impact the VTuber scene.
Worries about what public opinion this stream would bring.
But past the anxiety, excitement bubbled up slyly.
Who cares about the VTuber scene's future.
Boss dumped the advance, not her.
"Everyone saw the announcement, right?"
"Yes. That's how it is."
Not her first rodeo with rabid fans.
The girl who'd once trembled at getting squashed flat by a dino-corp was now a veteran.
Nami calmly engaged, methodically taming the chaotic chat.
Pre-deployed helpers (from Iruka, Yuuri) moved in perfect sync.
"I didn't wanna do it either!!"
"If I don't, you'll come at me with knives!!"
Chat was too fast to handle, but trading banter somehow calmed the mood.
By the time the game screen loaded, she was smoothly steering the stream.
Lucky.
Nearly triple the usual viewers, and she was holding up fine.
No choice now— she'd wrap this broadcast cleanly and milk every editing angle to the bone.