The streamer “Kimchi Ninja” was a famous assassin streamer known for their unique playstyle.
While being somewhat minor domestically, they had achieved notable results in card games, proving themselves as a skilled player.
Consistently employing peculiar tactics and psychological warfare, they managed to garner a degree of popularity, especially among more toxic viewers.
Their usual philosophy was that everyone should respect their opponents. At first glance, a straightforward statement, but the meaning was different.
To Kimchi Ninja, respect meant that the opponent should demonstrate a credible level of skill when matched against them. Conversely, opponents who were soundly defeated by Kimchi Ninja had, in a sense, disrespected them. Their usual refrain was that players who didn’t prepare adequately or give serious thought to their strategies should expect to pay the price.
For this reason, Kimchi Ninja’s main streaming material was “various forms of taunting.” Even in fighting games, where they had considerable experience, they used all sorts of bizarre methods as part of their charm—scenes where toy guns or foam hammers were swung around during sacred duels were common.
And yet, here they were, suffering a helplessly lopsided defeat for the first time.
– “I’m confident in assassin mirror matches.” (An actual statement Kimchi Ninja had made)
– 😂😂😂😂
– “Lacking respect.”
Two daggers were effortlessly immobilized. Kimchi Ninja couldn’t take the lead in attacks, and every gap they thought they had found was obviously a trap. The kicks that came every time they lost were starting to feel like scolding.
In fact, it was absurd to even call this a numerical disadvantage. Battle, when boiled down to its simplest form, was akin to rock-paper-scissors. Yet, whenever Kimchi Ninja threw out “paper,” their opponent would counter with “scissors” a moment later as if they had already read the moves.
And to make matters worse, after each victory, the opponent would nonchalantly say things like, “Oh, I won? Then according to the rules, I have to take one hit, right?”
Whoever had agreed to such rules, they could not recall.
「Mallduck23 has donated 3,000 won」
「Kick of Respect! Shin-smashing of Respect!」
– “Ninja, how can you not land a single hit?”
– “Honestly, it’s not that Kimchi Ninja can’t do it, it’s that the opponent is playing too well.”
– “Cabbage, what do you mean?”
In summary, Kimchi Ninja could see that they were exactly half a beat slower than their opponent. Annoyingly, this was entirely possible, considering they evaluated their own skills quite coldly.
In crowded gaming communities, an equal number of extraordinary players inevitably gathered. Among them were always those with physical prowess far surpassing their own—so-called geniuses.
No, being more honest, most top-tier players were physically superior to Kimchi Ninja. Kimchi Ninja wasn’t the type to overwhelm enemies with sheer physical strength or reflexes.
So, the real problem wasn’t being half a beat slower. The real problem was being “always” half a beat slower.
“This…this makes no sense…”
“What? You’re fighting well. Very impressive.”
Kimchi Ninja barely refrained from grinding their teeth.
It was obvious mockery. Although the viewers might only see it as a “one-sided match,” Kimchi Ninja could keenly feel that their assassin opponent was completely toying with them.
No matter whether they sped up or slowed down, their opponent’s reaction time remained consistent. Even when throwing gambits or unconventional tactics, the opponent responded with almost identical pacing. It felt as though they were not just outsmarted but preemptively anticipated.
For such antics to be possible, there had to be a considerable gap between the two.
In other words, the opponent was treating it like playtime, as if sparring with a child.
The most infuriating part was knowing there was no way out. Just as a five-year-old wouldn’t have a chance against a UFC fighter, no matter how aggressively they swung.
“Should I just give up? If this guy’s goal is to toy with me, quitting is probably the best counterstrategy.”
The thought that naturally arose in their mind could not be realized. The blame lay with the chat.
– “Still, the opponent seems skilled, and somehow holding on.”
– “Indeed, our Ninja hasn’t lost form just yet, right?”
– “The comeback is the most exciting part in situations like this.”
To the viewers, gaming streams were a hobby. But for the streamers, it was business. Internet broadcasters had specific roles or reactions expected from their audience.
Kimchi Ninja didn’t aim for clean broadcasts. Ignoring the excited chat and quitting would be counterproductive, especially for a streamer known for their trolling. Sometimes, one had to accept their karma.
Kimchi Ninja would have to endure the rising anger on their own.
“What are you thinking about? Taking your eyes off me like that is embarrassing.”
“Hmph…”
Whoosh!
The blade grazed their neck narrowly.
A shallow cut. Though not fatal, Kimchi Ninja’s spine tingled. If the opponent had wanted to, they could have ended it right then. Who could this person be? Even against professional gamers, Kimchi Ninja had never felt this kind of gap.
In the preliminaries, the opponents’ nicknames were not displayed. They were only revealed after the match. Yet, the opponent somehow seemed aware that Kimchi Ninja was streaming. Was it because of the mutterings before the match? Surely, it couldn’t have been audible.
‘Could it really be Gawol?’
Not only the style of teasing, but the way someone could handle an assassin so thoroughly was rare. Although hidden behind a masked nickname and avatar, it wasn’t entirely untraceable.
But there was no certainty. Many male professional gamers used female characters, and with the advancements in automatic translation, the possibility of foreigners couldn’t be ruled out.
Whoever the opponent was, it didn’t matter.
It was as if the viewers were being held hostage. Ending the game abruptly or dying too anticlimactically would shatter the audience’s interest. There was no choice but to play along with what they wanted to see.
– “This hit felt a bit stronger, didn’t it?”
– “One hit and 30% health gone.”
– “Whoa, why is he getting mauled so suddenly?”
To Kimchi Ninja’s chagrin, the opponent’s attitude started to change. Looks like it wouldn’t last much longer.
…
“It’s boring.”
The defeated body sprawled on the ground doubled as a makeshift bed as the victor reclined on top.
With no immediate next match, the plan was to stay like that until one came.
Because the surrounding dirt was abundant.
Apparently, most other users had a low immersion rate because they didn’t notice it, but I could feel the dry, gritty sensation in the sandy map. Even the texture of the earth sticking to clothes was noticeable.
Strangely, the fallen streamer’s corpse was surprisingly soft.
Was it because they didn’t wear metal armor like warriors?
Using their chest as a pillow created a comfortable resting position.
Closing my eyes for a moment made it seem like I could easily doze off.
“That guy was quite a pity. I wanted to see an ugly fight.”
Skilled streamers often have strong egos.
Smashing them into pieces is a surefire way to ruin their broadcasts. And there’s nothing more entertaining than a streamer who has lost the trust of their audience—it feels like stars falling from the sky into the abyss.
However, the unexpected persistence of the opponent dampened the interest. The streamer had gone on too long, exactly as they wished.
I didn’t want to fulfill their wishes. So, I killed them in one swift motion.
[Name: Gawol – Infinity Arena Preliminary Round]
[vs Sumo King Smoking: Win]
[vs Kimchi Ninja: Win]
[System: Overall Record 2 Wins, 0 Losses. One more victory is needed to advance to the second round.]
My Infinity Arena schedule was running smoothly. If nothing went amiss, I would win the next match and advance to the second preliminary.
As it was the first day back after some time away, the second round would kick off in two days.
I couldn’t wait to meet Luche.
They said the official channel would broadcast the main tournament. Since Luche was the only star I acknowledged, capturing a match video with her would undoubtedly feel like flying to the heavens.
As I idly lounged on the fallen male character, the distinctive deep voice of the matchmaking system soon echoed.
[Infinity Arena Preliminary Round – Round 3 Matchmaking completed.]
[Do you accept the match? Y/N]
[…You will be teleported to the battlefield in 20 seconds.]
In that leisurely moment of matchmaking, I was unaware.
Of what was happening on the internet.
Infinity Arena is an event-based tournament.
Thus, there’s no death penalty even if you die within the game.
More importantly, if you don’t press the confirmation screen after death, you can still observe the battlefield in third-person view to see what your opponent does.
Kimchi Ninja, preoccupied with chat management right after their defeat, had no time to focus on the game itself, leaving their screen fixed on the battlefield. As a result, the solo act of Gawol on the dead assassin was broadcast live.
A small assassin girl was seen leisurely lounging on the male character’s body, wiggling around.
[Author: OlderSisterBackSeatHow4]
[Title: What is Gawol doing? 😂😂😂]
I just faced Gawol and was crushed by them.
And now, they’re wiggling around on Kimchi Ninja.
Is she doing this to flaunt her femininity?
Is she wagging her tail right now?
[Comment]
– What does Gawol look like? Urgent!
– Haha, why the rush?
– If you’re going to write this, share the video.
I didn’t realize…
What was happening on the internet.
