A Swordsman's Stream

Chapter 128

Taewoo checked the content of the message.

Fortunately, his worries about the horror game were unfounded.

『CEO Ha: Taewoo, can you introduce your friend after your stream today?』

Instead, an unexpected request popped up.

‘Why suddenly introduce that guy?’

The fellow whose name he couldn’t mention.

Taewoo was intensely curious as to why that guy was brought up.

So he decided to end the stream immediately.

It was a perfectly logical structure.

“Guys, bye.”

Since he had planned to wrap up soon unless something came up, Taewoo concluded the streaming and quickly replied to the boss.

『Kim Taewoo: Why suddenly him?』

Ha Yunho was the CEO of Point, the MCN company Taewoo was part of, and he was also a streamer.

His peculiarity was that he did a lot of collaborations with many streamer acquaintances.

So it wasn’t unusual for Boss Ha to ask for an introduction.

It didn’t happen often, but it wasn’t unheard of either.

Especially since the boss had once expressed interest in meeting Sojun.

Still, he needed to know the exact reason.

『CEO Ha: Well, you see, I’ve become the team leader for LoS just like you…….』

The boss told Taewoo everything truthfully without holding back.

He had become a team leader this time, and he informed Taewoo that Sojun was also invited.

Taewoo already knew this from Sojun directly.

And it seems the boss found out from the operations team directly.

『Kim Taewoo: Why the operations team?』
『CEO Ha: They don’t know which group to put him in』
『Kim Taewoo: Oh, lolol』

Indeed, it was ambiguous.

To others.

『Kim Taewoo: So they asked you to open an internal match?』
『CEO Ha: Yeah, so could you introduce him today? We need to recruit him as soon as possible!』
『Kim Taewoo: Got it!』

Taewoo replied energetically.

But his mind started to get tangled up.

‘If handled poorly, this could turn out badly.’

Taewoo’s plan to win the upcoming tournament was simple yet foolproof.

The plan was to buddy up!

Jin Sojun.

Taewoo believed he could win by bringing Sojun, who was suspiciously good at fighting and games, from an auction.

‘With a billion won on the line, even that guy will get serious.’

Would even serious Sojun, who was almost unstoppable, manage?

Moreover, knowing that only a few, including Taewoo, were aware that Sojun had played The League back in the day.

‘Silver my foot. He definitely did amazing.’

If that’s the case.

You need to pick him up.

If he’s assigned to Group A, he’ll use points moderately to bring him in.

If he’s assigned to Group B, he’ll use as many points as needed to bring Sojun in.

After all, the value of an auction item varies according to the bidding value set by the bidders.

Would other team leaders know Sojun’s true worth?

If they haven’t seen firsthand how crazy he’s been right next to them, it would be tough.

Hence, even analyzing what was shown on stream, the value of Sojun from other team leaders’ perspective would inevitably be lower than Taewoo’s assessment.

So Taewoo just had to enjoy the profit compensation based on that difference.

‘Looks like the internal match is inevitable.’

However, if evaluations soar due to the internal match, that benefit decreases.

This was regrettable.

If he happened to meet a challenger and overwhelmingly won during an internal match, not only would the benefits decrease, but they might vanish altogether.

‘It’s not like he’d follow, even if I tell him not to do so well.’

Still, he felt that he should at least try.

『Kim Taewoo: I’ll go talk to him right away.』
『CEO Ha: Sure, thank you.』

* * *

“Hey.”

“Huh?”

“You know the MCN boss I told you about last time, right?”

“Yeah.”

As soon as Taewoo burst into his room, Sojun, who was sitting in a chair, turned to face him, listening to Taewoo’s straightforward words.

“That hyung wants me to connect you with him.”

“Really? Why? I don’t really plan on entering any MCN now.”

Sojun considered MCN first.

Taewoo’s MCN, Point.

Point was a company whose CEO was an active streamer and was mostly composed of acquaintances of the CEO.

The reason for founding the company was to help colleagues.

Even in the past, organizers of box-set format events were also due to personal and colleagues’ needs.

If the CEO of such an organization wanted to have a conversation, what could be the topic other than business?

“Don’t worry. It’s not about that.”

Taewoo firmly rejected the notion.

“Then why? Does he want to collab or something?”

Apparently, he liked doing collaborations. Even knew a lot about games.

“It’s similar. Except instead of just 2, 3, or 4 people, it involves 10 people.”

Huh?

“10 people, must be an internal match among streamers, then.”

The League was 5 vs 5.

“Right.”

“Hmm…….”

Did it originally work like that?

“By the way, this is related to LoS, so it would be good to get involved. They probably reached out to you too.”

Sojun looked at Taewoo with a vague understanding of his words.

“The operations team can’t assign you to a group.”

Sojun pondered the meaning for a moment, then raised his head with understanding.

“Oh, you mean they want it?”

“Yeah. That hyung is a team leader too, just like me. So, it seems they asked him.”

Then that hyung asked Taewoo, because the easiest way was through Taewoo, with whom Sojun stays.

“Got it. Give me his contact.”

Taewoo sent a message to Sojun.

“Here. And for a piece of advice, try to control your skill in this internal match as much as possible.”

“How do I control it?”

“Get A, but don’t become the top item in A. If you perform as well as A while being in B, both you and the team, as well as the operations team, will face criticism.”

“That’s certainly possible.”

“But once you get an A, no one can criticize you regardless of whether your performance is S, SSS, or EX grade. They’d just say that’s a good buy. Of course, to be a good buy, you can’t be too expensive, so you must not reveal all your skills. Do you get what I’m saying? This is extremely important.”

Taewoo spoke in a serious tone.

Even more so than when he first gave Sojun the reality check when he was initially trying to become a streamer.

“Understood.”

Sojun grinned and nodded in acknowledgment.

Taewoo’s intent was quite obvious to him.

* * *

Upon checking the mail, Sojun realized that the place that had invited him before had contacted him again.

The content was as expected: a request to participate in an internal match to assess his skills.

They did mention that if he was really hesitant, he could show his skills one-on-one in private, but Sojun opted for the internal match.

『Jin Sojun: Hello.』
『Ha Yunho: Hello! Did you hear from Taewoo?』
『Jin Sojun: Yes.』
『Ha Yunho: Haha. Well, due to a tight schedule, let me get straight to the point.』
『Ha Yunho: The operations team wants to decide on participants as soon as possible, so they’re asking for a quick internal match.』
『Jin Sojun: Yes.』
『Ha Yunho: So it seems like it needs to be done by tomorrow or the day after. When would it be possible for you?』
『Jin Sojun: Let’s do it tomorrow.』
『Ha Yunho: Alright, then. Just keep that day free! I’ll take care of everything else.』
『Jin Sojun: Thank you.』

Sojun and Ha Yunho exchanged a bit of trivial small talk then.

Ha Yunho’s loquaciousness, always up for collabs with many streamers, was evident.

『Ha Yunho: Hehe, the match should be interesting!』
『Ha Yunho: Lastly, do you have any specific requests? Like a preferred opposing tier? I can’t guarantee certain collaborators, but I’ll try to accommodate as best as I can!』

There were three possible tiers for Sojun’s opponents.

Master, Grandmaster, or Challenger.

Regardless of who he faced, if the results were ambiguous, analyzing Sojun’s skill level might become challenging, making it best for him to play many games.

Even though there might still be a chance of an unclear outcome, he’s likely to get a fair evaluation regardless of which tier they face.

Thus, Sojun didn’t mind who came his way.

The more pressing matter was something else.

『Jin Sojun: It’s okay, but there’s a favor I’d like to ask.』
『Ha Yunho: What is it?』
『Jin Sojun: You mentioned being recruited as a team leader, right?』
『Ha Yunho: Yes, yes. I’m a team leader just like Taewoo.』
『Jin Sojun: Then why don’t you consider placing me on your team?』
『Ha Yunho: What???』
『Ha Yunho: LOL, Why?』

* * *

It wasn’t collusion among the team leaders; the conversations between an auction item and a bidder couldn’t alter the auction result at all, so it’s entirely fine.

Even then, it was unusual for someone to promote themselves so openly.

In fact, most participants beseech the team leaders not to buy them at all costs once a competition draws in fierce bids.

Hence, Ha Yunho found himself laughing in front of the monitor.

The blatant request to be bought didn’t seem unusual compared to the behavior he’d seen on streams.

『Ha Yunho: Is there a reason I should buy you, Sojun-nim? I reckon it might get a bit pricey, you know?』

Though they’d have to conduct the internal match, assign ratings, and hear the team leaders’ opinions to get a clearer picture, it didn’t seem it would come cheap.

『Jin Sojun: It’ll probably be cheap.』
『Ha Yunho: No, not at all. LOL』
『Jin Sojun: Even if it’s expensive, it’ll be worth it. Because the team I’m on will win.』

A genuine mutter of awe escaped his lips.

“Ahh.”

Confidence.

Even though they engaged in small talk to familiarize themselves and create a good atmosphere, joking so unabashedly.

Was it not a joke?

Regardless, it was enviable. To have a skill level to be that confident among challengers.

“Though, why me?”

Had he made a good impression?

Of course not.

『Jin Sojun: Actually, Taewoo intends to buy me, but I’m not particularly interested in being on a team where he’s the leader.』

Upon seeing the subsequent message, Ha Yunho burst into laughter.

“Ah! His friend wanting to catch a break can’t be ignored. Haha!”

Turns out it was a request for a rescue effort.

Maybe if Taewoo was dead set on purchasing, he’d do so, regardless of the expense.

Thus.

『Ha Yunho: Hahahaha』
『Ha Yunho: Show me then. Using a hero other than Kael. Because it’ll get banned anyway.』

Ha Yunho is a fun-loving player.

That’s his image and indeed his reality.

However, he doesn’t engage in trolling or deliberately makes losing plays.

He aims to have genuine fun.

『Jin Sojun: Sure.』

There was no further need for words. He sensed the clear intention through the messages.

Ha Yunho wasn’t asking for mere victory or proof of his skills.

He requested Sojun to show something worthy of purchase, even at a high price, even if it meant competing against Taewoo.

Whether it’s an element of surprise or potential growth.

Whatever it may be.

“There really isn’t a tier that perfectly suits as an opponent. I’ll just have to ask a streamer who’s available.”

Aside from Sojun’s opponent, Ha Yunho had already filled the other slots.

Who was he?

He runs his company in a haphazard manner but is still a CEO!

『Do you have time?』
『What are you doing tomorrow?』
『Are you available tomorrow?』

It was almost as if he was delivering a “Do you know Cyber D” solicitation.

『Your good virtue shines bright』
『Are you aware of a match?』
『A match, perhaps?』

Yet, despite repeated attempts, finding a high-tier user streamer willing and available the next day proved challenging.

The schedule itself, coupled with the burden associated with an internal match, made it difficult.

“Hum. It’s tough to find.”

If he had been given about three days, who knows.

Shortly after.

“Oh? Thankfully.”

A positive response came through.

Fortunately, there was at least one willing streamer available who had an interest in the internal match.

Ha Yunho immediately explained the situation. In such cases, clarity was key.

“A challenger as an opponent, huh. Or rather, a grand master?”

Sojun’s streamer opponent was decided.

The streamer’s name? Spoon.

A challenger, his main position is AD Carry, with mid-lane as his secondary.

However, Spoon almost never played his secondary position, so it would be difficult to consider his mid-lane skills Challenger level.

But definitely not below Master, making him a suitable match.

『Spoon: So just play as usual, right?』
『Ha Yunho: Yes』
『Spoon: That’s easy enough. Boss, but if I completely crush them, won’t that streamer go to C tier?』

He seemed confident.

His attitude showed he thought himself as the evaluator, not someone being evaluated.

“Well enough for it.”

Even as a secondary position, he was still a challenger after all.

His physicality and game understanding wouldn’t just vanish.

But there was a nagging feeling that Sojun would surely showcase something impactful.

『Ha Yunho: Haha. I wouldn’t know about that. Still, do your best!』

Therefore, he made sure to emphasize once more the importance of giving his all and then posted a surprise notice about tomorrow’s internal competition.