Master Swordsman’s Stream - Chapter 34

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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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Episode 34

“Hello, everyone.”
Seo Joon started streaming from the lobby, as he did every day.
By now it had become natural, familiar.
They say humans are creatures of adaptation.
Seo Joon stretched while opening the chat window.

-Seo-ha
-SJ
-Wait, the Training Grounds is real?
-Yo
-Hype
-Yo
-Wait, are you really Seo Joon?
-Hype

This morning, someone had taken back the Training Grounds’ throne from Shin Ha-yeon, who had reclaimed it just a week ago.
Which meant one person naturally came to mind.
unknown.
The mysterious figure who’d dethroned Shin Ha-yeon after she’d held the seat for years.
There was enough malicious speculation and even suspicion that unknown was an AI developed by the company, but most people wouldn’t deny that unknown was the most likely candidate to reclaim the throne. After all, there was a track record.
A precedent.
But the name that appeared on the ranking shattered everyone’s expectations. It wasn’t unknown.
Jin Seo Joon.
Not that the streamer Seo Joon’s full name was displayed, of course.
Only three characters of his name and part of his capsule number were made public.
But.
“You folks are talking about the Training Grounds right now, yeah?”
For the viewers, it was hard to believe that this was merely a coincidence—that a different Jin Seo Joon with the same name had claimed the Rank 10 AI.

-Obviously
-Wait, is that really the streamer’s capsule? Not a coincidence?
-I literally got chills reading the community posts.
-Lol like there’s another Seo Joon ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Other game players didn’t know Seo Joon well.
He’d build recognition gradually as he played other games, but he hadn’t reached that level of fame yet.
But the Assassination Order’s Floating Viewers were different.
They’d heard his name here and there, and they remembered the exceptional control he’d demonstrated.
It was only natural that the Assassination Order’s Floating Viewers went into an uproar.

[Shin Ha-yeon got knocked down again. But why Jin Seo Joon?]

[Does anyone else think of ‘that guy’ when they see the Training Grounds?]
-Ah lol, the one who didn’t even finish the quests, went offline, and then took a broadcast break the next day?
└Yeah that guy.
└Why did the Silent One become the one whose name cannot be spoken ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[‘That guy,’ if you’re reading this comment, drop the affinity quest with Christina right now. It would be healthier for your life to listen while I’m being nice.]

[Possibility that unknown is the Silent One]
-100%. You can tell from how he acted like a jerk, right?
└The way he was a complete garbage human showed it all ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ His character came through.

[So Shin Ha-yeon actually lost?]
-Lol like Shin Ha-yeon’s nothing?
└Yeah
└The Training Grounds is different though, neither of them fought directly. Who knows if Shin Ha-yeon doesn’t take it back soon ㅋㅋㅋ
-Either way he passed her
-Is this our Assassination Order’s assassin? Proud moment!

[Chilling fact: ‘that guy’ appeared
a day before unknown
started streaming.]
-So you’re saying our streamer’s first game ever, and before he even had the chance to play, he went to the Training Grounds and won? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-At this point we seriously need to question whether he’s a real-life Swordmaster
-Does he have a Chuck Norris ancestor or something?
-So he’s not a college student but a special forces operative lol ㅋㅋ

[Now that I think about it, even his silhouette is handsome.]

The Assassination Order’s Floating Viewers naturally assumed the Jin Seo Joon on the ranking was him, and further suspected that unknown was him too.
“Yes, folks, this Rank 10 AI is definitely me.”
Seo Joon went ahead and confirmed it.
If he’d wanted to keep it hidden, he would’ve denied it and set the information to private from the start.
Indeed, more viewers than usual had entered the stream.
“But unknown is not me.”
They won’t believe it anyway, but oh well.

-The streamer’s AI this time was so polite it’s hilarious ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I watched other people fighting and before it would step on them when they parried, but this time it bowed and gave them time
-Lmao ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Isn’t that worse? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Obviously it’s the streamer
-Peak shamelessness

Seo Joon couldn’t help it.
He was already stamped as someone with a rotten personality, so those gestures just happened naturally while greeting Tae-woo and inputting commands.
So he decided to just deny it outright.
‘It’s not me, so what can they do.’
And it wasn’t really a huge problem anyway.
People who didn’t know him might find it distasteful that he was being a jerk using anonymity.
Some of those who did know him might feel the same way.
But Seo Joon knew well that hoping everyone would like you was arrogance.
He’d held a high position in his past life, after all.
“Look, if you folks keep not believing me and thinking it’s me, unknown might actually come back soon and take the seat again.”
Seo Joon wore a serious expression, but it didn’t land.

-unknown comes back again?
-Admitting to rigging it ㄷㄷㄷㄷ
-Trying to manipulate the market ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-You think anyone believes that?
-Streamer Jin Seo Joon: Declares victory in battle against himself!
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

As they exchanged playful banter, the viewer count filled up.
People who wanted to see the finale of the hidden scenario “Choice” and the hidden quest “Hunt.”
A mix of people who’d come just to watch after hearing that Seo Joon had claimed a new Rank 10 AI.
“Hmm.”

-Seriously this guy?
-Are you the one who was such a jerk back then?
-Get ready to lose to Shin Ha-yeon soon ㅋㅋㄹㅃㅃ

He could see a few people muddying the chat.
Floating Viewers.
Viewers who hopped from stream to stream without settling in one place—most of them were ordinary viewers no different from anyone else.
But as some wise person once said, if five people gather, one is always garbage.
When floating viewers suddenly swarmed due to some incident, inevitably the viewers who poisoned the chat atmosphere would come along too.
‘Actually, the solution’s pretty simple when it comes down to it.’
He could just restrict chat to followers.
His stream had such a high follow rate that most viewers were followers.
So even with the chat restriction, his existing viewers could communicate smoothly.
Seo Joon immediately set it so only people who’d been following for over an hour could chat.

-Peaceful
-Thanks for all the hard work moderating.
-GJ

The managers posted in chat.
They’d been catching all sorts of trolls too.
‘I saw some English chat messages too.’
Was it because of the Training Grounds?
It was the Training Grounds on the Korean server with only Korean players, but Shin Ha-yeon was famous enough that there could’ve been people who came to watch.
Anyway.
Seo Joon started the game.
“Alright, then, let’s wrap this up.”

* * *

Seo Joon looked around.
Assassins in states of total incapacity were scattered throughout the Alley.
“See. I don’t need to do it again. Who was that?”
Seo Joon pressed the viewers about who had been posting in chat when they said he’d go offline.

-It wasn’t me
-Who said that? Let’s stop spreading fake news
-Raise your hand! I’m innocent at least

“You’re only loyal at times like this. Should I do a Chat Log Review on everyone chatting right now?”
Seo Joon could check all chat records a viewer had posted in his stream.
This was called a Chat Log Review.
“If you get caught, how about a ban?”

-I’m sorry
-I did that too.
-Run!
-Get away!
-We seem to be entirely at fault

People who’d been playing dumb just seconds ago started turning themselves in.
And some of them even paid donations.
Literally called “bail.”

[‘Bail’ donated 100,000 won!]
[You said you’d go offline, so I spread fake news, please forgive me with this ㅠㅠ]

“Ah, thanks for the 100,000 won donation, Bail. But since you didn’t tell me your name, I’m afraid I can’t forgive you.”
Seo Joon left the Alley and walked toward the Abandoned Factory.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Give more money!
-A true monster born of capitalism

“I won’t do the Chat Log Review after all. You all confessed honestly and someone even paid bail.”

[‘Dice Scam’ donated 10,000 won!]
[It was me!]

The identity of “Bail” was revealed.
It was a viewer with the username Dice Scam.

-Big spender? Turns out they’re trash ㅋㅋㅋ
-Even a big spender can’t overlook going offline
-Real talk ㅋㅋ

Seo Joon smiled and recalled what Alpaca had said.
That every viewer carried at least one jerk within their heart.
They’d arrived at the Abandoned Factory.
He climbed the stairs upward.
The interior was damaged from the explosion, and blackened scorch marks clung to the walls.
When Seo Joon reached the rooftop, Arthur, who’d been waiting for him, clapped his hands.
“Truly impressive. To think you survived our ambush. It’s entirely my defeat.”
Arthur then dropped the Dagger in his hand to the ground and raised both hands.
A sign of surrender.
But Seo Joon didn’t believe it.
Because when he entered the rooftop, he’d surveyed the surroundings and seen shadows rippling.
The viewers hadn’t caught it yet, but it was a telltale sign that appeared when an assassin was using Camouflage.
“As expected.”
His suspicion was correct.
Through his finely honed senses, he felt the presence of someone approaching.
Seo Joon spun around sharply.
The Arthur in front of him vanished like a mirage, and the Arthur closing in from behind had his ambush plans dashed, his face twisting in rage.
Seo Joon grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground.
“A Master Assassin, huh? This is easier than expected.”
It wasn’t particularly surprising.
What a leader of an organization needed most wasn’t individual martial prowess.
The quest completed and Arthur vanished.
“Oh, the quest is done. But if I hadn’t noticed the ambush just now and gotten hit, would we have had to start from the beginning?”

-Could be ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-That’d be cruel
-Glad the streamer showed us the strategy first
-Why is his intuition so sharp

Seo Joon looked down at the subdued Arthur.
He’d wanted to kill him, but his body wouldn’t move.
Auto-progression, perhaps.
Arthur, sprawled on the ground, opened his mouth with effort.
“How. My Camouflage Technique should have been perfect.”
It was far from perfect.
In his past life, the assassins he’d known would move their heartbeats so slowly it was almost like they’d stopped it entirely to maintain perfect cover.
‘But that’s what makes it fun.’
Seo Joon watched with interest to see how the scene would unfold.
“Damn it, you’ve ruined everything! Now that it’s come to this, I’ll blow this entire City to smithereens if it means taking you with me!”
Oh?
Just then, a sword pierced Arthur’s arm.
“Aaargh!”
Seo Joon’s gaze traveled from the sword embedded in Arthur’s arm to its hilt.
A woman in a uniform stood there.
“How pathetic, seriously. Yeah, I already dealt with the magic set up underground in the City. You insane? This is why I hate the Assassination Order—freedom, my ass.”
That was exactly what he’d wanted to say.
“Hey there?”
She flashed Seo Joon a bright smile.
Her personality just seemed naturally cheerful.
“My name’s Viola.”
The purple-haired woman who’d appeared when they defeated the Tower Master.
The viewers’ reactions exploded.
Because.

-She’s so hot ㅁㅊㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Do you have a boyfriend? Do you have a boyfriend? Do you have a boyfriend?
-Get away from the streamer right now!
-How do I join the Central Organization?

Because she was beautiful.
Seo Joon shook his head internally.
And Viola continued speaking.
“And I’m with the Central Organization. But stop looking at me like that.”
Like what.
“Everything that’s happened in this City was outside the Central Organization’s expectations. Since the Center’s been in chaos, we couldn’t maintain control, so I was dispatched to try and resolve things. But honestly, I can see it’s all too late now.”
Her expression carried a hint of bitterness.
“So what are you saying?”
Sharp words spilled from Seo Joon’s mouth.
Of course, they weren’t his own words.
And the viewers understood this too, but.

-Sorry ma’am, our streamer’s got no manners, right?
-Seo Joon, did I skip your etiquette lesson yesterday? Come here
-Your tone! How dare you speak to our Viola like that!
-Watch you don’t get banned ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ really going insane ㅋㅋㅋ

—————
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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