The Fate-Seeing Genius Streamer - Chapter 75

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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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74. [Infinite War] I, Hikaru. Coolness, Confirmed. (4)
Sworn siblings.
Though not bound by blood, it was a term for those who had forged a bond of loyalty approaching that of siblings.
Well.
In the current situation, to be precise, it would be more accurate to call it sworn sisters rather than sworn siblings.
It was a relationship one could occasionally observe, but for Hikaru, it transcended mere excitement—it was exhilaration itself.
‘…[Infinite War], well. I’ve been doing it since childhood, but this is certainly the first time something like this has happened.’
The reason was obvious.
…Literally speaking, throughout my entire life, I had never made a proper friend.
Even for a sport widely known to the public, delving deeply into Gaming Martial Arts was not the norm.
It was only natural.
Even if one possessed keen interest and exceptional knowledge and insight into soccer, baseball, or even basketball, there were boundaries.
It was uncommon for people who watched sports matches consistently to desire attaining skill levels comparable to professional athletes.
The same applied here.
There were certainly those who delved deeply into Gaming Martial Arts, not to mention professional gamers.
While not at the professional gamer level, there would be cases of people learning combat techniques as a hobby in their neighborhoods.
The problem was…that even in such cases, it remained merely a hobby; only an infinitesimal minority honed their skills to semi-professional gamer levels.
It was uncommon for someone who wasn’t even a professional gamer to dedicate themselves to skill improvement at a professional level.
Spending all my remaining time buried in [Infinite War], repeating practice sessions, it was inevitable that I had no friends in reality, yet the root of the problem never disappeared.
Beyond catastrophic, my utterly shattered social skills (?) meant that those who initially showed goodwill toward me as a rare female gamer naturally fled.
As if that weren’t enough, the fact that I chased after Geom-hu, known as a living legend within [Infinite War], compounded matters, pushing me completely into outsider status.
Within [Infinite War], there wasn’t a single person I could relate to; the moment anyone realized I was Hikaru, they would immediately disable the chat function.
Was that why?
━Since the outcome is never determined by skill alone, one learns to rise above anxiety.
Throughout my life, having neither friends nor even someone to talk to, today’s events left me in quite a good mood.
━A sporting spirit is an indomitable competitive drive. Thus, the desire to prove oneself through results was merely expressed somewhat roughly.
Unlike the previous occasion when I maintained an icy demeanor throughout, Joo Seo-jin listened to every word I said, and rather than dismissing me, even provided plausible justifications.
Was that all?
━Hmph. Shouldn’t a Grand Master of [Infinite War] and a martial artist pursuing the Spirit of Infinite Harmony conduct themselves precisely thus?
━Impressive. I concur.
Caught off guard by his unexpected eloquence, I too found myself agreeing while putting on airs, yet despite such behavior, Joo Seo-jin not only refrained from mocking me but responded in kind.
‘…Honestly, even though I became Geom-hu’s direct disciple, I thought he was just an annoying fellow with nothing but talent to show for it.’
Perhaps it was because throughout my life, no one had ever listened to me with such depth.
Though the first impression had been nearly disastrous, by the end of our conversation just moments ago, my favorable impression had already reached considerable heights.
As mentioned earlier, I had intended to make him both a conversation partner and my first friend, but not long after, I completely changed my mind.
‘Making a friend isn’t bad, but I can’t carelessly throw away an opportunity like this, can I?’
A rematch.
Originally, the ranked match should have ended with my defeat, yet here I was, facing him again to properly determine our true skill levels.
For this day, ever since the previous match ended, I had undergone training upon training, honing my abilities to their limits, and even acquired techniques sufficient to reach the Challenger tier.
To win?
No. I wasn’t just confident about winning—I was certain I could utterly crush him.
I was brimming with the conviction that I could repay the humiliation of losing one-sidedly before Geom-hu, whom I had admired for so long.
‘Without a doubt, I’m the one who’ll win. So I should definitely use that to my advantage.’
Though it had faded somewhat by now, the lingering resentment that had accumulated from last time hadn’t entirely dissipated.
I knew rationally that it was Hikaru’s fault, but there was nothing I could do about the spite that welled up regardless.
‘If I add conditions to the match and establish a sworn sibling bond, neither of us will harbor further grievances.’
Making my first friend in life into a sworn younger sibling whom I’d come to admire for their skill?
Just thinking about it sent a thrill through me.
‘Isn’t this just romance overflowing beyond all limits?’
Ever since childhood, I’d harbored such romantic notions about wandering knights and warriors that this felt even more fitting.
Of course, there was one more rational reason as well.
‘If I make him my sworn younger sibling and subtly appeal to Geom-hu to take me as his direct disciple… since he’d be my sworn sibling, I might naturally claim the position of his first student?’
It was still mere imagination—or rather, wishful thinking—but it wasn’t entirely implausible.
Even if Geom-hu had despised Hikaru intensely in the past, things might change if he became sworn siblings with someone like Joo Seo-jin, whom he regarded almost as a favored disciple.
It was a scheme that seemed to hit three birds with one stone, and I believed in it without doubt.
That was why.
“After the match ends, the loser will address the winner respectfully. More precisely, you’ll call me ‘Hikaru noona.'”
“…I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”
For some reason, watching Joo Seo-jin’s expression darken even before the match began, I felt a flutter of unease.
“Like I said before, there’s no way to know how a match will turn out… If it’s not me who loses, then—”
He was hinting that Hikaru might be the one to lose, but I didn’t take it at face value.
‘…Hmm. That didn’t seem to be the case, but maybe he’s more shy than I thought?’
Anyway.
It seemed I’d have a younger sibling who would require considerable attention going forward, but that wasn’t necessarily bad.
Deciding to play along with his rhythm, I accepted his words with confident, self-satisfied assurance.
“No~? Not at all, not at all! Don’t worry about it, don’t give it another thought. Do you really think I’d lose twice?”
“That’s not what I meant—”
*Snap.*
“Okay, that’s enough, alright?”
Hikaru thrust an empty hand forward, speaking as if she already knew everything.
“Anyway—. You lack conviction, conviction! You’re worried I won’t keep my promise, aren’t you? Let me assure you.”
The thing is—
[READY───]
“Tsk. Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely— absolutely, there’s no way that could happen, but if by some miracle I were to lose?”
[START───!]
“Well. If that were possible, I wouldn’t be unable to call you by an honorific in return, would I?”
Having made such bold declarations, I even burst into a grin as I made the public announcement.
“—’Older brother,’ that’s what I’d say.”
…Most unfortunately, that is.
* * *
And then───.
* * *
In the ways of this world, miracles were never granted easily.
* * *
2 minutes.
No more, no less—the match ended in precisely that span of time.
With overwhelming superiority, I dealt unilateral damage before we could even exchange blows, claiming victory.
Crash, bang───!!
Within [Infinite War], the in-game physics engine released the consecutive hit judgment, and my body flew far away along with the momentum.
Across the Training Ground, bouncing like a low-elasticity basketball after tumbling across the floor.
Along with the background music signaling the end of the match, a system window materialized.
The thing is—.
[K.O.]
《 WIN! 》
━2P: Joo Seo-jin(=Anonymous Monk)
-??;
I’m not sure.
Haha, seriously lol
I’m shaking/trembling (expressing fear, shock, or cold)
-Wow, this is legendary tier stuff lolololololol
-How the hell did you pull off a 2-minute finish lololololol
‘Skill gap’.
Literally—I had knocked Hikaru down in one stroke with overwhelming superiority.
It was completely different from when we faced each other in [Infinite War]’s ranked matches before.
I had struggled to bridge the gap in both distance and lethal capability between us—but that was merely due to lack of experience.
Following [Night Soul], then [Infinite War], and now [Blood Born], my current skill level had undergone evolution rather than mere growth.
Despite being born with innate talent, my true abilities had simply been revealed slowly due to lack of refinement.
I had already reached a level worthy of being called a martial artist trained in Gaming Martial Arts.
The same applied.
During my first streaming session of [Blood Born], my foresight ability had unexpectedly been strengthened as well.
Unprecedented talent combined with accumulated combat experience, and my eyes that perceived fate had also evolved.
The skill gap had long since formed a gap closer to multiplication than addition.
Whew—haaa───…
Having pierced through at maximum speed and knocked Hikaru down with a single blow, I pressed my forehead.
‘…What do I do?’
There was no mistake.
Unlike my opponent, given the nature of a playable character who must fight barehanded, victory couldn’t be guaranteed unless I subdued them in one strike.
There was no other way but to accelerate to maximum speed, set up an extreme setup, exploit the opponent’s small mistake, and retire them with overwhelming damage and a counter punch.
‘…If I don’t finish it in one go, I’d literally be giving them an opening to reverse it. I had no choice.’
In other words, it was a situation where I couldn’t afford to go easy on Hikaru like some kind of exhibition match.
Losing here would be problematic, so I’d settled the match quickly enough, but my mind remained thoroughly unsettled.
When the voice donation came through and the video feed went live, it only got worse.
Ding—.
[【KeepingPromisesIsGood】 donated ‘10,000 won’.]
*{ Video }
━Hikaru legend lololololololololololololololol
《 When the match ends, the loser addresses the winner with respect. More precisely, you’ll call me Hikaru noona. 》
-lol
-lololol
-lololololololololol
《 Tsk. Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely—there’s no way it could happen, but if some miracle occurred and I ended up losing? 》
The next moment.
《 Well. If that were possible, I could just as easily call you by an honorific in return, couldn’t I? 》
As the video feed neared its end, Hikaru’s smug expression suddenly flickered—just as it cut to black with a soft pop.
《 ───Older brother, that’s what I’d call you. 》
The Streaming window.
Beyond the darkened video feed, a woman sat collapsed on the Training Ground floor, cold sweat dripping down her face as she stared in my direction.
“Huh…?”
Hikaru’s eyes had gone blank, her pupils trembling with shock.

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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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