[Title: Broadcasting While Endlessly Climbing Ranks]
[‘Gawol’ is broadcasting.]
[ON AIR | 00:03:29 | Zephyrion Continent]
On a thick tree branch high above the ground.
I was comfortably seated when a small drone-like object began buzzing around me.
This was the camera drone used for broadcasting.
Depending on the need, the drone’s footage and my perspective can be broadcast, essentially acting as the viewers’ eyes.
Right now, it’s showing a waiting screen, but once the broadcast begins in earnest, it will rely heavily on the drone’s perspective.
I’ve been advised that it’s better to use the camera perspective over my own.
Apparently, broadcasting directly from my perspective is much more disorienting.
Still, this drone moved in a way that reminded me of a tiny bird.
When I stayed still, it circled me slowly, but whenever I moved toward it, it darted away as if startled.
It proved to be more agile than I thought, making it difficult to catch.
– ?
– What on earth are you doing?
– ???
– What is that thing?
I tried to grab it a few times, but failed each attempt.
I could pause its movement by tinkering with the settings, but that felt like cheating.
I wanted to catch it with my skill.
The process turned out to be surprisingly fun, and I grinned as I pretended to lose interest before swiftly grabbing it and pulling it into an embrace when it came closer.
The camera drone flailed once caught.
Of course, this close it was easier to handle.
I’ve heard that in stealth mode, the physical properties of objects vanish, but clearly, under current settings, I can both touch and hold it.
– Seriously, it can be caught like this?
– Wow!
– Hmm…
But it’s putting up a stronger fight than I anticipated—it’s wriggling like a cat trying to escape.
Gripping it tightly with both arms, I pressed it against my chest and stomach to stabilize it.
The reaction when I stroked it with my hand was similar to a small animal.
All your struggles are futile. Once I’ve caught you, you’ve lost.
Do you have any idea how much I wanted you?
I’ve always wanted to broadcast a game.
You’re such a cute little thing.
How long had I been petting the drone? The number of viewers spiked.
It’s about time to get rid of the waiting screen, huh?
When I last learned, touching this button would do the trick.
“Huh?”
The broadcast screen I just checked.
The only option to remove the waiting screen is an ‘Activate’ button.
This means the screen cover isn’t active, right? Which also implies that the cover wasn’t on at all.
A slight chill ran down my spine.
Checking the chat window, it was already flooded with commentary about my chest.
I botched my first broadcast.
I didn’t start the broadcast without planning.
There was a minor mishap, but that’s merely due to inexperience.
I’ve also learned how to handle such situations.
It was obvious that my audience could lean towards negativity or chaos, so I prepared for that.
I already heeded advice from Soobin and Elderlyn.
Thus, this was all a game.
Rather than explaining unnecessarily, diving straight into a rank game seemed like the best way to turn the situation around.
Once the match was set, the chat window, which had been full of comments about my body, finally cleared a bit.
I decided to ignore the chat entirely and treat the persistent sexual harassment as if I didn’t see them.
Nothing incident-related happened in my broadcast.
[Rank Match – Black 0 RP]
[Battlefield: Duel Corridor]
[Rules: 5-Man Winner Streak]
“Good start. I’m pretty confident in my winner streak matches.”
But honestly, I was a little nervous.
I had to be extra careful not to let this nervousness seep into my voice.
Though it wasn’t at the top ranks yet, this was my very first solo broadcast.
I planned to make the combat as clean as possible since I started with a mistake.
I’m the kind of person who spends all my time secluded in a corner, still struggling with socializing.
So boasting about eloquence isn’t my style. Hence, showing off my skills would be more appropriate.
– Isn’t this practically home ground?
– An Assassin cheering for a winner streak? Haha.
– Aren’t you paired with Kanu in the queue?
– Why is he in this section of the rankings?
– Didn’t he recently lose points by trying out the Lance Knight class?
– Ah, haha.
Kanu is a name I’ve heard of at least once.
He’s a streamer who primarily sticks to the ranks, so we rarely crossed paths, but I do know he majors in Gunslingers.
I’ve heard he can even rise to the highest tier, Infinity, depending on the meta.
This means he isn’t supposed to be in this bracket.
Still, it turned out well. Combat can get boring if it’s too one-sided.
The viewers also expect a challenge; an opponent that’s too weak wouldn’t make for a fun game.
Of course, my choice of class was Assassin.
I chose a well-rounded build without anything too extreme.
Since it was a winner streak match, I decided to approach it with the intention of taking down all five opponents by myself.
“Why am I not turning on the team chat? Well, it’s a winner streak match, so there’s no need to discuss anything with the teammates, right?”
Actually, there are psychological factors involved in a winner streak.
Deciding the order of player appearances, and choosing the classes.
Things that might seem trivial are actually quite significant at a tournament level.
But this isn’t a tournament.
Rank games form temporary teams, so these nuances don’t apply at this level.
To be honest, I didn’t feel any tension.
1. Go out first and take down everyone by myself.
That was my plan, but I had been allocated the fifth slot—captain’s position—due to the fierce competition for the first place.
“Well, we’ve come this far, so let’s see what everyone’s skills are like.”
There are two types of players who specifically try to ruin someone’s game in rank matches.
One interferes as a teammate while the other harasses persistently as an opponent.
I faced both.
On the opposing team was a streamer who wanted to fight me.
On my team, someone who seemingly harbored a grudge against me.
“Hmm, this isn’t ideal at all.”
– Jeez, what’s he doing?
– Hahahahaha!
– This is ranked play?
– Is this the top 1%?
The first match.
The Paladin who went out front hit the ground.
He seemed to be shouting something, but the sound was muted.
Of course, there was no special strategy, and the Paladin didn’t get up, leading to an inevitable loss.
The Soul Conjurer who came next didn’t help either, resulting in a quick 2-0 disadvantage.
– ???: You’re about to face some serious losses.
– Good thing I didn’t check the chat.
– Are you finally seeing sense? Are you finally seeing sense? Are you finally seeing sense?
– Report this to the operators.
I felt a chill.
Had I only seen a filtered set of reactions all this while?
This clearly showed that I wasn’t universally liked.
I knew it.
I was prepared for it.
But actually experiencing it still hurt.
Still, the third match was won by one of our teammates.
After a fierce battle, our Warrior teammate emerged victorious and managed to whittle down the next rival’s health by about half.
Even the single remaining teammate performed valiantly, securing the second victory, though the mid-tier opponent proved challenging.
Kanu, the Gunslinger.
True to his reputation as a skilled streamer, his ammunition tore through our teammates.
That left three opponents, all in full health—my turn.
I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach.
Do I think I’ll lose? Absolutely not.
I’m extremely strong in winner streak matches.
Under optimal conditions, I can even achieve an all-kill in second-tier pro-level matches.
Even though I’m in the middle of a stream, this tier shouldn’t pose a challenge.
So the issue lies elsewhere.
In the entertainment value of the broadcast!
Will the viewers really find it entertaining if I just kill three users in this bracket?
I’m uncertain how engaging the fight with Kanu will be, but honestly, I don’t think there’ll be much spectacle.
[Round 7]
[ＸＸＯＸＯＸ]
[Kanu (Gunslinger) vs Gawol (Assassin)]
[You will be deployed in 3 seconds.]
To keep an internet broadcast entertaining, dopamine triggers are key.
The streamer needs to provide strong stimuli to the audience.
Just relying on my eloquence won’t get me out of this tight spot.
I have to find something entertaining… anything!
One idea immediately came to mind.
The Duel Corridor allows you to see your opponent right at the start.
Though this nullifies an Assassin’s first strike advantage, it now feels like a helpful detail.
The enemy came loaded with all sorts of firearms, which sparked an idea.
“How about we do this for this round?”
I pointed the tip of my dagger toward Kanu.
The moment the sniper rifle aimed at me and a bullet was fired, I deflected the red-marked trajectory while making a proposition.
“I’ll win this round using only firearms. I’ll only use my daggers for defense.”
– ???
– What are you talking about? You don’t even have a gun.
– Can an Assassin even carry a gun?
– No way, right?
