Master Swordsman’s Stream - Chapter 136

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 136

Seo Jun was drawing the hottest attention among the participants at Lilos.
He’d showcased the 4-Second Judgment Sword with Kael and the Crazy Predictive Shot with Eric, but such plays hadn’t garnered much interest.
To be precise, attention had spiked momentarily, but viewers simply noted “Oh, he’s quite skilled” or “That’s a possibility” and moved on.
However, the situation shifted when another issue became entangled with his skill.
Harmony Rate: 10.
This number, which Seo Jun had merely revealed in passing to provoke a reaction, created far greater ripples than anticipated and dominated discourse for an extended period.
The reason was simple.
Generally, people’s Harmony Rate averages around 60, distributed between 50 and 70.
So ‘in general,’ everyone acknowledged that Harmony Rate doesn’t necessarily make poor skill better or good skill worse.
Furthermore, even up to the 80-to-90 range, any impact is considered negligible.
But what about 100?
Of course, overseas there were Bronze users exceeding 100, so it wasn’t absolute, but the conventional wisdom was that an extremely high Harmony Rate meant you were nearly guaranteed to excel.
You adapt quickly, learn readily, build proficiency rapidly. You climb higher. You enter the professional world more easily.
That’s right.
An exceptionally high Harmony Rate carries significant meaning—precisely because such cases are vanishingly rare.
So some people had initially been curious about Seo Jun’s Harmony Rate.
Wondering if his might be that extraordinarily elevated.
But when it was revealed, the reality proved exactly the opposite.
And it was a case that had never before appeared.
An extremely low number.

[10?! A 10?! Is that even a possible number?]

It made sense.
There was evidence.
Yet those who couldn’t believe even after seeing it submitted inquiries directly to Surface.
Of course.

[They say it cannot be disclosed.]

Privacy mattered.
So they began speculating whether Seo Jun had any reason to lie—specifically, to claim a low Harmony Rate.
To garner attention?
He’d already become a successful streamer with 20,000 viewers. If he stirred up controversy here and it was exposed as a lie, only he would lose. He wasn’t someone with nothing to lose.
Though watching streamers with much to lose commit scandals regardless had proven humans aren’t rational beings.
Still, users of Riven thought Seo Jun wouldn’t be ignorant of this.
Blatantly lying to attract attention was a different class of problem altogether.
So the opinion that Seo Jun was just fishing for attention remained a minority voice.
Then what remained?
Plenty.
The Harmony Rate uselessness theory.

[Actually, wouldn’t an extremely low 10 not make much difference?]

-Right, even trying a good capsule versus a bad one feels reversed, so isn’t a 10 fine?
-For real, at this low it should be meaningful

Completely dismantled.

[So, is it time to bring up the Seo Jun idiot hypothesis?]

-Note: This hypothesis was destroyed and disappeared at the hands of the 4-Second Judgment Sword.
-Seo Jun looked like Joss to anyone?
└Wow, Joss!
-Yeah, even League Challenger Spoon lost~

Completely dismantled.
And the next theory emerged.
The real-world levitation hypothesis.

[This guy must literally be flying around in real life, right? I mean, literally lol. In virtual reality his Harmony Rate is too low so he can’t fly around]

A hypothesis so incoherent it was hard to parse even with a sprinkle of Spoon’s nonsense added to the mix.
Unpacked, it essentially meant “In reality, he can display even more insane movements, and what we’re seeing now is a nerfed version!”
This held a grain of plausibility.

-10 so it’s possible
-Maybe he really did organization work before…
-Oh lol a martial artist right lol
-Shouldn’t he have been an athlete? Feels like a national loss

Someone even spoke the truth.
But neither the person who wrote that comment nor the countless others scrolling past knew it was genuine truth.
So they fell into a mystery.
How exactly does Seo Jun with a Harmony Rate of 10 play? How does he excel? Precisely how much does it impact his skill?
Three days wasn’t enough time to find answers to all these questions.
And the operating team, taking this into account, scheduled Seo Jun first—when the most eyes would be watching.
And then.

[I’m not buying.]
[I don’t think I should either.]

Ha Yoon-ho and Tae-u spoke in unison.

-Ahh lololololol
-Not holding back on trashing a friend? lololol
-Not buying the team leader?
-If it’s Tae-u, he’s probably just fed up from getting beaten so much at home! This has to be it
-For real lol I installed a CCTV at their place and he’s always getting hit

* * *

Tae-u answered Bang Ju’s question immediately, but in that same instant realized someone else had answered simultaneously and quickly glanced over to identify them.
Ha Yoon-ho.
The two swiftly exchanged their thoughts. And grasped the intention.
‘Could he be thinking the same thing?’
‘Yeah, me too.’
The two smiled wickedly.
Then Tae-u sent Ha Yoon-ho a private message.
Had Seo Jun known this entire sequence took less than a second, he would have been astonished.

-I’ll handle the personal stuff. You go with your prepared skills as-is
-K

Since only their faces were visible on the current video call, few would catch this entire exchange.
Not that there was anything wrong with it, but still—such collusion thrived on discretion.
Yes.
Collusion.
‘I didn’t expect him to target that guy too, but we’ve got to cooperate for now.’
Unfortunate, but unavoidable.
Bang Ju spoke.

[Ah! Immediate responses from both of them! So Seo Jun is currently in the Mid Position for Group A. I wonder if either of you would mind sharing what’s bothering you? Let’s start with Team Leader Kim Tae-u. Most viewers know you’re close friends with the player. So why wouldn’t you want him on your team?!]

Exactly as planned.
Tae-u mentally erased the prepared list of Seo Jun’s weaknesses. Ha Yoon-ho would be the one to handle that.
They’d agreed on it. In under a second.
What he needed to do now was agitate and fabricate.
This pre-tournament event, with 200,000 viewers on the official account alone, was where team leaders shared their thoughts.
For use in tomorrow’s auction.
So he could be confident.

[Precisely because of that friendship.]
[Sorry?]
[Well, because we’re friends, there are various memories I have of Seo Jun that make me hesitant to pick him for my team.]

Their objective.
Drive down Seo Jun’s valuation and reduce competition.
People often say one thing and buy another anyway, so they could trash him now without repercussion.
‘Though trash-talking might be a bit risky.’
Regardless.
‘What should I talk about.’
There was plenty to say. Seo Jun was such an odd guy.
Tae-u retraced his memories and decided to bring up how Seo Jun behaved during the class sports competition.

[I see. Could you tell us a bit about what that was?]
[In first-year high school, we had a class-versus-class competition. Seo Jun didn’t show any teamwork at all. During PE or morning practice, we all trained together, right? Well, he didn’t even participate in the games.]

The truth was Seo Jun hadn’t participated because he was certain that if he joined, they’d win regardless.
He’d offered to coach them instead, but regardless, it looked like a lack of teamwork.

[Oh, is that so?]
[On top of that, he’s good at politics. He divides teams well and manipulates them however he wants.]

While watching from outside, Seo Jun had identified who made mistakes in each game and informed all his classmates of these facts, getting them to accept it.
Then he’d take that one person to the thinking room after school.
And later, when the competition ended, they realized.
Seo Jun had somehow manufactured excuses and taken each of them aside at least once.

[Haha…]
[He’s also self-righteous. He insists he’s always right!]

In fact, Seo Jun was always right.
Thanks to his training and coaching, their class won the sports competition.
‘It was fun.’
Memories came flooding back.
Because of their common rival Seo Jun, the class had become unified.
They’d developed camaraderie and cooperative spirit.
‘Now that I think about it, maybe the past got romanticized a bit. Fun my ass.’
Physical pain is easily forgotten, leaving only vivid memories of victory.
But the important thing was their team had won.
Because of that, Seo Jun should be bought.

[Viewers, I know this might look like we’re badmouthing a participant, but these two are close friends who even live together, so please consider that context. Honestly, this level of spice isn’t much, right?]

Bang Ju added an appropriately explanatory addendum.

[Well then, we should hear from Ha Yoon-ho next.]

* * *

-That’s so Tae-u lol
-Isn’t he buying anyway?
-Coming from a classmate and roommate, it’s credible enough! lol
-But he definitely has teamwork, right? lololol Would he act like that in an official tournament?
-We’ll find out tomorrow if he was spouting nonsense or being sincere lololol

Ha Yoon-ho paused to collect himself.
If Tae-u had spread useless information, he needed to deliver the real blow.
‘Even if it’s just the two of us competing, I’m not sure how high it’ll go, but in any case it’s best to exclude other competitors as much as possible.’
Ha Yoon-ho had come in knowing that Tae-u was gunning for Seo Jun.

[To be precise, I think it’s somewhat ambiguous.]
[Is that so?]
[Yes. At the internal competition I held a few days ago, Seo Jun did beat Spoon, but he didn’t win the game itself. He didn’t get additional kills in the Lane Phase either. It wasn’t dominant. Moreover, these past four days he’s only played the two same heroes.]

Seo Jun had deliberately stuck to just two heroes to seem intriguing. And of course, it also reduced strategy exposure.
Ha Yoon-ho seized on this point.

[One thing Lilos demands of Position A is Play Making. You know—leading the game to victory, orchestrating reversals.]
[So you’re saying his proof in the League is still insufficient!]
[Right. And his Harmony Rate is far too low. He might lack proficiency with other heroes. With so many unknowns, I see Seo Jun as carrying risk.]
[Ah, that aspect certainly can’t be overlooked, can it?]
[Of course. If he didn’t have these risks, I’m confident he’d be among the top-tier Position A offerings. Maybe even up to 500 Points.]

Each team leader receives Points equal to 1,000 minus the average asking price for their team leader grade.
Ha Yoon-ho therefore had the most ammunition. Of course, since the auction order is randomized, the Points situation could shift depending on circumstances.

[So at what price would you consider it?]
[If it’s within 200 Points, I might take a shot.]
[Understood. Then shall we hear from our other team leaders? Rain! What are your thoughts?]

Streamer Rain was one of two female streamer team leaders among the six.

[Yes? Yes. Oh. He’s really handsome.]
[…….]
[Oh! I don’t mean anything else—just genuine admiration. Looking at his photo, I couldn’t help myself.]
[…….]
[Um, well, my main Position is Mid too, so I don’t think I’d be picking Seo Jun anyway. I didn’t really give it much thought… Bang Ju? Why aren’t you answering? Bang Ju?]

-…
-Wait, where’d I put my spear?
-Looking for people to raid Seo Jun’s room
-Keeps dumping on streamers, honestly
-ㄴ The world’s just hateful

[I’m suddenly hating the world too…. Hehe. So Mental, what do you think?]

Bang Ju recovered his composure and spoke again. Mental, a late-thirties corporate streamer of Grade E like Ha Yoon-ho, answered with an unbothered tone.

[Um…. Well…. Yes. Wait, was I the only one thinking about buying him?]
[Huh?]
[Isn’t it a must-buy?]
[Wow!]

Bang Ju’s energy shot up at the unexpected reaction.
Mental was a team leader who, unlike the others who adjusted strategy based on auction circumstances, relied heavily on impulse and intuition.
He frequently bought items he’d fixated on for enormous prices.
So there was even a saying that the real variable in the auction wasn’t the order of the items, but Mental’s instinct.
And he’d set his sights on Seo Jun.

[Are you serious?]
[Haha. With everyone else saying they’re not buying, I feel even more certain. I absolutely must bring Seo Jun to our team.]
[I see!]

-Mental hyung… who’s the victim this time? lololololol
-Everyone says they’re not buying and his conviction suddenly got stronger lololololol
-This is ridiculous
-Mental’s stubbornness can’t be stopped ㅅㄱ
-He’s in his 30s, he could have strong convictions!
-Late 30s but sneakily falsifying info lololol

At the declaration of participation from the Variable himself, Tae-u outwardly maintained his composure.
‘Damn. I built up this whole thing and why’d he have to take the bait. So how much am I supposed to spend tomorrow then.’
Meanwhile, Ha Yoon-ho steeled his resolve inwardly.
‘Fine. No matter what it takes, let’s see where this goes.’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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