It was a tumultuous day.
Starting from the qualifying rounds of the brawl tournament to the top 16 today, I’ve been on a fast-paced rollercoaster ride.
For someone like me who had never participated in a gaming tournament, this rapid progression was quite refreshing.
To be honest, I can say I’m pretty excited about it.
No matter how weak a person might be, when they receive a lot of attention in a big event, a spark of energy is bound to ignite.
Let alone someone like me; my tension was through the roof.
And that’s why I ended up cracking open a beer at this late hour and shouting “Cheers!”
Although, not everything about this tournament was to my liking.
If I had to voice my complaints as a participant… the tournament itself was fun, but the two-weapon limit was pretty tricky.
“Ah…”
I miss the Broken Greatsword.
It’s so tantalizingly close in the sky.
That big, beautiful sword…
The one that’s shabby yet proclaims a kind of nobility greater than any weapon.
Is this how it feels to lose a cherished friend?
—Tap!
—Gulp, gulp.
The beer flowing down my throat from the second can felt surprisingly sweet.
Even though the moon wasn’t up tonight, sometimes this murky darkness can have its own charm.
Today, I find myself longing more than ever to see him.
Anyway, it seems like I need to vent a little tonight.
The frustration of not being able to use the Broken Greatsword feels like the ferocity bursting out of a caged beast.
How do others relieve such pent-up feelings?
Well, they probably just vent to their acquaintances or something.
Just as I picked up my smartphone, a different thought crossed my mind.
Today… I want comfort in a different way.
I crawled back into the virtual reality capsule and entered the MS Room.
I typed on the keyboard to set up the broadcast.
—Friede After-Party Broadcast—
This should do nicely.
“Wait a minute.”
Just as I was about to start the broadcast without a second thought, several posts about the Abyss from before floated back to the surface of my memory.
Before starting the stream, let me scan my current state first.
[Friede, you absolute piece of crap!!!!]
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Wouldn’t it make me the number one winning candidate if I did this much?
I’d rake in the cash just by sharing my thoughts on making it to the finals and the skill levels of other players!!!
Why the heck aren’t you streaming right now!!!!!!!
[Aaagh, that jerk is just seeking attention, tsk tsk.]
If you keep not streaming and just sit idle, you know we’re going to get even more restless, right?
You’re such a rotten scoundrel ㅡ ㅡ
If you think we would just let it slide, you really have it all wrong.
Please…ㅠㅠ
[Viewer, head’s about to burst!]
I just want to see you, any broadcast will do, sir!
I’ve got ample support ready.
I’m all yours!
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“Looks like they’ve been struggling quite a bit.”
The bulletin board had signs of some degree of organization.
It was a scene that showed how hard A-jin, who juggled being the chat administrator, had fought.
I’m glad there’s no impulse to hit the back button like last time.
Most people just want the broadcast to start honestly.
After all, if you’re a streamer, shouldn’t you meet the viewers’ straightforward desires as a return?
To help sweep away the gloomy feelings too.
After adjusting the settings appropriately…
“Broadcast ON.”
Muttering that as if it were some sort of magical incantation, I began the stream.
This broadcast might actually be pretty… fun.
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The always noisy Friede broadcast’s panel board.
Since Friede’s main broadcast is on Switch Channel, that’s where most of the Friede fans currently reside.
Right now, they were on the verge of overflowing with complaints, and the reason was Friede’s advancement to the top 16.
The Friede panel board was in chaos with predictions and VS games against the remaining players who were expected or confirmed to advance to the quarterfinals.
The rapidly rising female streamer who sprang onto the scene less than a month ago.
With the skill to win in the fierce STK brawl tournament and to crush foes, including headshots.
Even those who had only heard Friede’s name until now found enough reason to start paying attention through this tournament.
So various little rannies were flooding the bulletin board,
And some obnoxious groups armed with snakes were frantically downplaying Friede’s skills under the guise of VS games.
The raucousness of their antics filled the air with a wild motivation, encouraging the fans to rise up against them.
Administrator A-jin had spent an entire day cleaning up this chaotic mess.
Now that it was calmer, though the host declared a break, some still had their lips puckered out in annoyance.
Thanks to the absent broadcaster, the bulletin board was at risk of igniting again with a miraculous logic forged from twisted affection.
[Hey you crazy losers! The host started streaming!]
Author: Black Steel Dwarf Getting Bribed
Everyone gather~!
The dinging notification brought news that Friede’s broadcast had started.
Without needing to depend on a single fan who posted on the bulletin board, most of Friede’s viewers rushed into the stream at once.
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[Whew!]
[Noona, you didn’t abandon us!]
[No, she got caught too.]
[Congratulations on making it to the quarterfinals!!!]
[Geeez, since we captured Gunder, let’s go for the win!]
[Lotus, you better show up! Warden, better stand up!]
[What’s up with Friede’s skills, who finds Warden troubling and Lotus trembling?]
How long had it been since the broadcast started for them to always act like this?
All the barriers like follower limits, 2-chat per minute limit, and chat speed restrictions had already become too natural at this point.
[What’s going on? Why does the screen look like this?]
[You still haven’t turned on the cam?]
[Are you doing it in the MS Room today? Or is it a real cam stream?]
[Noona, please say something!]
Watching the wave of countless chats, I thought of quietly waiting for it to calm down, but at this rate, I’d be pulling an all-nighter, so I decided to place my hands on the keyboard first.
Though the cam wasn’t on, chatting with the admin was absolutely doable.
[Friede777: I’m thinking of doing an after-party broadcast today. Before I turn the cam on, let’s have a Just Chatting time. ^^]
[Of course an after-party, Noona.]
[Ah, let’s turn the cam on quickly… I’m not a sinner here.]
[Hey Fri, show us your lady-like side.]
[You declared a break but then just switched back on? The sun must be rising in the west now.]
Yeah, “declared a break.”
Originally, I had planned to take a break, but people’s hearts are fickle, and plans always change, don’t they?
This broadcast to relieve that frustration follows the same logic.
[Friede777: Actually… I’d like some comfort today.]
So I just said it honestly.
[Your comfort?]
[Who did it? Who made our Noona struggle?]
[Oh my… you’re comforting her loneliness?]
[That’s a heck of a prize @@]
[Sensei… I’m wonderful at comforting. 190 cm tall, sweet handsome guy, Seoul resident.]
[Yeah, the next boat will be dripping with pig slime.]
The reactions were, well, always intense.
The surprise wears off after a while, but this is always just standard.
However, the lack of nutritious chats was a bit of a downside.
Have I been overestimating the viewer quality in my room?
For about a minute, while I observed the responses, one notable chat caught my attention instantly.
[By the way, what happened? It’s a celebration for making it to the quarterfinals, right? Why like this?]
Yeah, that’s the one. This is the kind of talk I wanted.
[Friede777: I feel so weakened because I can’t use the Broken Greatsword in the tournament… ]
[Ah, LOL, that jerk is really obsessed with the Broken Greatsword.]
[A woman obsessing over a broken sword, seriously? LOL]
[You heard tons of strong ones today. Why fixate on the broken one?]
[Is it a fetish for not being able to wield substandard gear?]
“…Isn’t it peculiar? Is a malfunctioning item a fetish?”
With the mic off, it was an empty question no one could possibly hear.
There’s a term called “item power” you see.
Everyone who’s played games probably knows quite well.
Usually, it’s determined by the quality of the equipment,
But through this tournament, I realized that item power doesn’t apply to me in that way.
[Friede777: I wonder why other weapons feel so off in my hands… it’s so tough.]
「Zikgatarbelt donated 50,000 won!
—Sister, if you use the Broken Greatsword, can you sweep them all?」
[Friede777: Thank you for the donation, Zik! Hmm, I think it might be easier to win today than in my previous matches ^^ Oh, except against Haldir.]
That gentleman’s battle is just a theoretical perfect counter, regardless of weapon preferences.
If there hadn’t been an advantage in synergy, pulling off a one-shot wouldn’t even be possible.
“It doesn’t fit in my hand.”
The Spiked Spear, the Lion Knight’s Greatsword, the Rapid-Fire Crossbow… each of these felt even worse.
It’s different from the variations in recoil based on weapon types in FPS.
For instance… the performance might be outstanding, but it’s just that item that doesn’t match ‘me.’
A lack of feeling in the gear?
It seems less about untamed weapons and more about how they dull the user’s spirit.
Well, it’s nonsense that a hero can’t handle weapons, so it’s true that I could master them without practice.
But still, it didn’t fully awaken my main capability.
As a result, I almost ended up struggling against Gunder inadvertently.
“Is there such a thing even in virtual reality?”
I cocked my head in confusion.
Usually, the “feel” of equipment is a mindset players encounter through real sports tools.
“No, it isn’t.”
Ultimately, this is just a small stubbornness of mine that isn’t fulfilled by self-satisfaction.
It’s that stubbornness of not wanting to use anything but this weapon, even though I know I can.
[Friede! Bold Declaration! The Broken Greatsword will win it all!]
[You’ve already won with other weapons, so don’t be a pain! LOL]
[So if you use the Broken Greatsword, you can chop bones and flesh, huh? What a hoot!]
[Then just use the Broken Greatsword, why not?]
[LOL, it’s like savoring delicious food!]
[Seriously, saving delicious food for later is absolutely the thing!]
[Friede777: Next time…]
“Next time….”
I feel like I need to gear up a bit more.
Now that I’ve seen Gunder’s level, I’ve roughly gauged the caliber of a top-tier player.
[Friede777: I’ll gather my thoughts and give it my all. So, I’d appreciate your support, everyone! ^^]
[Of course!]
[We trust you, Noona.]
[Make sure to win and show a brilliant duel with the Lotus!]
[Though Gunder’s gone, I believe you will duel them someday.]
[Seriously, those jerks really didn’t just get a smack on the head from Friede, but they were split in half!]
I have a tendency to be boastful at the end, but that’s still a decent enough cheering session, right?
The human heart is fickle like a reed, it’s interesting how such a simple combination of text in the chat can feel comforting.
「yaSergei donated 30,000 won!
—Sensei ㅠㅠ Please give us an application for “Ice Prince” to rally our spirits.」
[Friede777: Thank you for the donation, YaSergei. Ice Prince, huh? Hmm… @@]
[Who’s the jerk that donated?]
[Hey, since that Islam Warrior had the audacity, are you going to take responsibility?]
[Bring that jerk down!]
As I clenched my teeth in anger, watching the onslaught of comments aimed at the donating viewer, I shifted my settings and turned on the mic.
“Yeah, I’ll do that.”
In an instant, the chat went silent.
Was it because of the overwhelming flood of comments?
No, it was literally silent.
No one was typing a single word in the chat as everyone remained still.
I changed the MS Room settings and, without my helmet, activated the camera.
And….
[What the hell, dude?]
[Oh man, LOL, right? This is an MS Room broadcast, isn’t it? LOL]
[An Ice Prince? Not a chance! Ah! Ahhhh!]
[LOLOLOLO Of course! Damn… you observant one!!!!!!]
My face was completely covered in a chaotic and eerie assortment of mosaic patterns.
