It’s not that kind of malicious broadcast

It had been a challenging journey. Quite naturally, too.

Shihoon, who also took pride in being a capable broadcaster, had joined the clash tournament without much hesitation. However, truthfully, he found it hard to believe he would climb up that high.

After all, wasn’t the tournament teeming with professional gamers? For an average broadcaster, merely participating would usually be an achievement.

Despite this, he had performed beyond expectations.

Could it be thanks to his in-depth study of the features of the newly released mode?

No, it was likely due to the considerable time he had invested in analyzing duel scenarios and developing builds, even before the mode’s release. He had consistently trained, driven by someone whose provocations were almost a passive trait.

In some sense, Yena might have had a small part in Shihoon’s success in passing the first preliminary round. Not that Shihoon would ever voice this, no matter the circumstance.

Regardless of the cause, the achievement was satisfying—worthy of pride. In a field where many believed one-on-one duels truly measured skill, making it to the top 32 in the country was commendable. The viewers’ attention had skyrocketed, too.

Being last in the prediction poll was a bit disappointing, but it was inevitable. Aside from the clear outlier, Lee Yena, the remaining 30 participants were all professional gamers.

Of course, not everyone saw it that way.

『CravingWarmAmericano: Hello.』

『CravingWarmAmericano: The man with the 0.4% odds.』

『CravingWarmAmericano: You seem a bit like a sports movie protagonist. It’s kinda cool.』

『CravingWarmAmericano: There might even be posters saying, ‘99.6% predicted his loss.’』

『CravingWarmAmericano: I’m envious.』

Right as the voting results came in, a message had flown in like this. Some sort of congratulations, or close to that. Too shy to purely congratulate, she opted for a playful jab.

It was fortunate he wasn’t broadcasting at that moment. He wasn’t confident he could keep a straight face. If he had been caught chuckling at the phone, who knew what viewers would have said?

He needed to be cautious. Lately, more and more viewers had been pushing for a forced link between him and Yena.

‘… Better than those crazy times when they linked me with Dodaddaddy, but still.’

Shihoon had no particular complaints, but he did worry this might negatively affect Yena’s broadcast. After all, it was dangerous for a female broadcaster to be constantly linked with a specific male.

Shihoon understood better than anyone how terrifying obsessive fans could be.

It would be better if Yena was friendly with multiple male broadcasters. However, due to her seemingly aloof yet incredibly shy nature, Shihoon was the only male broadcaster she interacted with.

When asked if he truly disliked this—well, he found it hard to give an immediate answer.

『Revan: Ha.』

『Revan: Advancing or not, I will never fall before meeting you.』

Nevertheless, he had to issue a warning. Even if it made him chuckle, those words had struck a competitive nerve.

『CravingWarmAmericano: Gasp;』

『CravingWarmAmericano: 😧』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Isn’t that a flag?』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Facing the opponent who brutally killed Revan in the finals.』

『CravingWarmAmericano: A cheerful flashback scene showing him cutting wood…』

(Revan is typing a message…)

『Revan: Even if I die, I’ll meet you and land a punch before I go.』

『Revan: Really, look forward to it.』

『CravingWarmAmericano: 😟』

『CravingWarmAmericano: 🤔』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Got it.』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Then I’ll look forward to it…』

『CravingWarmAmericano: 🙂🙃🙂』

『Revan: Those emojis, seriously.』

『Revan: What will it take for you to stop using them?』

『Revan: I’d even pay if it were a premium service.』

『CravingWarmAmericano: 🤔』

『CravingWarmAmericano: I’ve never thought about it.』

『CravingWarmAmericano: How about you start speaking informally, instead?』

『CravingWarmAmericano: You already use informal speech when you’re angry.』

『Revan: So you knew you were making me angry.』

『Revan: When are the brackets coming out?』

『Revan: I really need to meet them.』

That was CravingWarmAmericano. It wouldn’t be easy to win against her.

Still, he had put in the effort. Since that humiliating defeat, he had been working diligently on custom builds… which, due to Lee Yena’s frequent shifts between various characters, had already somewhat been rendered ineffective.

… Nonetheless, he was confident he could land at least one solid hit. Maybe even win a set… Perhaps, if a surprise strategy worked perfectly, he could win the entire match. It was only a best of three. There was no rule against upsets happening.

And if he somehow managed to clinch victory.

He wanted to see her expression when he’d mock her with all his might. It would certainly be quite a sight.

『CravingWarmAmericano: I want to meet too』

“Ha.”

Shihoon wondered what exactly Lee Yena was thinking.

Shihoon wanted to know but also didn’t want to know. He just swallowed his words, one after another.

(Revan is typing a message……)

* * * *

32 participants per server. I slowly scanned through the list of those who passed the preliminaries.

In the Korean server, there were a few familiar names. But as for the other servers… I didn’t know any of them at all.

J. Dox wouldn’t be in there… would I? The North American West was full of Challenger-level players.

I probably didn’t participate. It’s not that I failed to qualify.

Surely not.

In any case, it was a higher-level competition than expected. There were quite a few pro gamers. Honestly, it was quite surprising that a ‘kind-hearted logger’ made it this far—something that deserves praise in many ways. Indeed, one had to acknowledge a certain level of skill.

I even voted with that in mind. As one of the 0.4% minority, aside from that, the reactions were too interesting when I poked—so it was hard to stop.

I should control himself. The more familiar the relationship, the better the boundaries should be kept. And since the preliminary finals were offline…

There would be plenty of opportunities to tease later.

Speaking of which, they said the top 16 will be broadcast officially.

Wouldn’t it be fun to watch Revan’s game live if I makes it?

Direct and indirect hosting was banned, but dual-room broadcasting wasn’t.

I could watch secretly without giving it away.

Yeah. Let’s do that.

Tournament broadcasts were something viewers eagerly anticipated. Once the tournament started, the forum was flooded with such content.

For some reason, it felt like the number of people who wanted me to ramble on remained consistently high. Could I do well with the broadcast…? I had done a few joint broadcasts before, but…

Even calling it a ‘broadcast’ was a bit much… but cheering, just to that extent, might be alright.

Yeah.

Let’s go with that.

* * * *

The first day of the second round of preliminaries.

The time when the participants who made it to the round of 32 warmed up or adjusted their aim through practice matches.

《Alright! Both players are ready. Now, moving forward to the 5th match of the round of 16! It’s Revan versus Pagol!》

Lee Yena had been watching the official broadcast leisurely.

『Tournament Cheering Together』

The title, which could never be thought of as belonging to a participant.

『Why is a participant here?』

『Let’s go practice』

『Boyfriend cheering broadcast?』

This message has been temporarily blocked and deleted.

『Wow, bringing 15,000 viewers to cheer for your boyfriend. Revan must feel so superior right now』

This message has been permanently blocked and deleted.

『Haha, you can’t win for sure~』

『Champion’s composure ㄷㄷㄷㄷ』

『Where did that amazing Knight from earlier go? Only 10 seconds left』

《Hmm… My turn is much later. Please think of it as me taking a look at my competitors while I have some free time.》

-ㅇㅇ has donated 1,000 won!-

【No, your match is next, you crazy girl】

《That’s exactly what I mean. It’s much later.》

-ㅎㅎ

Whether it was because of her easy victory in the first match of the round of 32 just now, or because she had spent time finding faults in everything before the game started, Lee Yena seemed to speak in a cheerful voice.

《Truly, doesn’t that guy look weak just based on appearance? The name ‘Warrior’ is too good for him. I think he should apologize to the warriors of history. Please tell Revan later.》

As she said this, the screen showed the faces of the two players at the bottom, with a swirling cursor. Revan focused with a tense expression, and his opponent Pagol, who seemed relatively relaxed.

Pagol was famous as an energetic rookie and the top knight of a team that had placed second in the regular season.

His skill was evident as he had ranked third in the winning predictions for the tournament. Hence, it was natural for Revan to be tense.

《Revan is famous as an amateur War Master. When I talk to the players, they often mention that if they have any concerns about the Warrior build, they discuss it with Revan. In the round of 32, he showcased a sophisticated build and strategy that lived up to his reputation. I am really looking forward to seeing how far Revan can advance!》

《Yes, nothing gets your heart racing like the rebellion of a talented underdog amateur. However, this is a steep hill to climb. Pagol, his opponent this time, is a traditional top knight. Since one-on-one scenarios are common and there is less interference from the Underground due to the top’s nature, he must have found it easier to adapt to this clash.》

《That’s right. Pagol, who rampaged in the top lane this season’s KS, will he be able to fully unleash his talent on the icy battlefield? Just as I am saying this, the two players meet at the top!》

Then, the clash.

“… What?”

Lee Yena’s excitement suddenly dwindled just a few minutes after that.