The Veteran Swordmaster’s Stream (Novel) - Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Lee Geon-yeong woke up groggily.
The time was noon.
When he pulled the curtains aside, bright sunlight streamed into the dark room.
Out of habit, he grabbed his phone, which had no notifications, and opened ITube.
He scrolled down, but since there was nothing to watch, he closed it.
Then, he opened ITube again.
He scrolled down.
Since there was no thumbnail that piqued his interest, he closed it again.
“Mmm.”
He fiddled with his phone on the bed like that for about ten minutes before heading to his desk.
Then, he turned on his computer, which was in sleep mode, and opened Travel.
His ID was PublicToiletBrickExtortionKing.
He turned on the stream of the streamer he always watched around this time and went to hydrate himself.
Gulp, gulp.
“Hmm. As for food… I guess I won’t eat.”
Lee Geon-yeong decided to skip lunch.
Technically, it was breakfast rather than lunch, though.
He had no appetite.
And cooking was too bothersome, anyway.
He washed up, gave the house a rough cleaning, then returned to his room and closed the door.
Then, he sat in front of the computer.
‘I can’t go on living like this.’
It had already been two years.
Since he had started living as a recluse like this.
He originally had been moderately outgoing, sociable, and had quite a few friends.
However, after being bullied at the academy he attended from his second year of high school to prepare for the art college entrance exam, he lost his confidence, gave up on both the college entrance exam and the school finals, and ran away.
Afterward.
He grew to hate meeting his friends.
Because he felt so pathetic, and if he met people, he would have to expose this side of himself.
Being inside his room made him feel at peace.
Perhaps it actually suited him quite well.
As he watched streams and surfed the internet, the day flew by in the blink of an eye, and the sky grew dark.
Although it was only natural since he had woken up late, a night sky stripped of sunlight made one feel even more depressed.
Lee Geon-yeong prepared dinner.
He just had to take out a few frozen dumplings and pop them in the air fryer, and that was it.
‘It’s a relief I don’t have an appetite. Hehe.’
Tomorrow, a day just like today would repeat itself.
He felt sorry to his parents, who sent him living expenses.
His parents silently supported him, even though their son had failed his college entrance exam and his second attempt.
But he had not failed.
He had not even been able to try.
Because he was afraid of failure.
“Haaaa.”
Lee Geon-yeong let out a deep sigh.
“I’m trash.”
He did not waste money.
Since he stayed only in the corner of his room in the first place, once this lifestyle dragged on past several months, he had no reason to spend money except for the bare minimum living expenses.
But he was wasting something far more important: time.
He knew it, too.
“I want to change…”
Really.
He felt so pathetic he thought he might die.
But he lacked the strength to change.
Just then, the streamer’s voice drifted from the computer.
[I’m looking for an editor right now, so if there’s anyone among you viewers who wants to edit my videos, out of my gameplay videos…]
It was an announcement that he was looking for an editor.
The name of the streamer who said those words was Jin Seo-jun.
A streamer who had been broadcasting for less than a week.
Thinking about how someone who had just started was already riding high and creating an ITube channel made him feel somewhat strange, yet envious.
The streamer was the exact opposite of him.
He possessed outstanding talent and a highly confident, albeit slightly obnoxious, personality.
‘I used to be like that too.’
However, the talent he had mistakenly thought he possessed in his childhood vanished like an illusion as he grew up, leaving behind only a failed, hidden shut-in.
[Alright, then for real, Tra-bye!]
The stream turned off.
Fitting for a novice streamer who had not even set up an offline screen, a dark screen appeared.
His face was reflected in the monitor.
He stared blankly at his eyes reflected in the monitor before muttering.
“An editor. Should I… give it a try?”
Did he need something, anything, to challenge himself with?
He began searching the internet and learning about video editing as if possessed.
At a time when he would normally be browsing Travel to find another stream.
***
The next day, he edited videos as well.
“This goes like this, and the shortcut is…”
The desire to improve by learning something new.
It was a feeling he had not felt in a long time.
The corners of his mouth turned up.
It was fun. He feel like he had become useful.
“Here, I should do it like this… Is there a way to add another effect? I should search for it.”
The whole day passed as he edited.
Although it felt like time passed even faster than before, today, at least, its passage did not feel futile.
And he also seemed to have a bit of talent.
Lee Geon-yeong wanted to break free from his gutter-like self and do a proper job.
The editing work even seemed to suit his aptitude.
‘Now that I’ve uploaded the video, if I write the email…’
All he had to do was write it, but…
His hand, which had been glued to the mouse, pulled away.
Lee Geon-yeong’s eyes shook momentarily.
Then, he closed the email window, grabbed his phone, jumped onto his bed, and opened ITube.
‘I did a lot today, so I’ll do it tomorrow.’
Humming to himself, he returned to his usual routine.
And the next day, he postponed sending the email.
And the day after that, too.
It was the same the following day as well.
Before he knew it, five days had passed since he had swept any thoughts related to video editing out of his head.
He deleted the editing software and thought.
‘Well, it probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway…’
Negative thoughts rationalized his escape.
Would a video made after only learning for a day pass?
No.
Then it wouldn’t work out anyway, so what was the point of sending it?
There was no point.
Giving up made things comfortable.
***
[Going to catch the Queen today.]
The stream turned on.
“Hello, everyone.”
– Hi
– Seo-ha
– Seo-ha
Over the past week, the number of viewers did not increase; rather, it dropped.
This was a result that Tae-woo, Movie Soft, and Seo-jun had all expected.
For among the viewers at the time, while there were those who tuned in to watch Seo-jun, many also sought him out simply to see his skills.
Even so, there was a reason why Seo-jun had accepted Movie Soft’s proposal.
‘Concrete Base.’
It referred to the viewer base that liked the streamer and continued to watch regardless of the content of the stream.
Seo-jun had spent the past week solidifying his concrete base, albeit shallowly.
For he could not always hunt Rulers in the game.
And it did not drop as much as expected.
‘It was 3,000 when I caught the Magic Tower Master.’
The previous day’s stream had 2,300 viewers.
A figure far higher than expected.
– The Queen is a total pushover LMAO. Just you wait.
– I’m telling you, the original peerless one is different.
– How is the streamer the original? Dawn of the Assassins hasn’t only existed for this series.
– If you’re good, you’re the original, period. Even soup-and-rice restaurants are the original if they’re delicious.
– Real LMAO
[‘RiggedDice’ has donated 10,000 won!]
[Seo-ha! I’m thinking of starting Dawn of the Assassins after watching you, Seo-jun. What do you think?]
“Ah, thank you for the 10,000 won donation. This game is fun. And it’s super easy. You just have to follow what I do.”
Although the money had not been deposited yet, Movie Soft was an advertiser.
So he gave them some lip service.
– LMAO don’t listen to him.
– If you buy it to play matchlessly, you’ll regret it one hundred percent lol. But I recommend buying it.
– Streamer, you devil.
– Please, just buy and play Dawn of the Assassins.
– I remember how he did nothing but show off under the guise of doing a guide stream a few days ago.
Was this not it?
Whatever the case, it was fine.
“Well, anyway.”
Seo-jun was currently in the lobby.
“Before we start the game, I have something to say.”
Through a viewer search, Seo-jun had discovered that BrickExtortionKing was present.
– What is it?
– Important announcement?
– It’s not going to be something like him actually having a girlfriend, right? Shiver.
– Saying you’re going to donate all the money you’ve made so far. It must have been a difficult decision, but we respect and support that choice.
Seo-jun ignored the chat, which was flowing with a stream of consciousness, and opened a window.
It was none other than the application video uploaded to ITube by BrickExtortionKing!
“BrickExtortionKing, who is currently watching the stream? Is this really you?”
– How is his ID Public LMAO Toilet LMAO Brick LMAO Extortion King LMAO
– LMAOOOOO
– Could there really be two people in the world with a nickname like that?
– Why are all the nicknames in this channel like this?
“I left a comment on the video and tried to contact you through your Travel ID, but you didn’t look at them. I have something to discuss, so please check your messages.”
The quality of the video Seo-jun had watched the day before was completely to his liking.
It was not because special effects were used exceptionally well, or because the editor’s unique techniques were implemented.
The reasons were sense and neatness.
Befifting a viewer who had tuned into every single live broadcast, BrickExtortionKing did not miss the fun points of the video, pinpointing them precisely and polishing them neatly.
“I don’t know why you didn’t send an email, but I want to have a serious conversation with you.”
– Oh! Is he hiring an editor?
– Play the video.
– No, but why did he make it public instead of private LMAO.
– I want to see it.
“The video? You guys go watch it yourselves.”
Seo-jun added a word, aiming to increase the video’s view count while he was at it.
– The introduction is freaking hilarious.
– LMAOOOO
– Going there right now.
[This is the application video for streamer Seo-jun’s editor.
Hello! Hyung-nim! I’ve never learned editing properly, but I’m confident I can work hard!
Because all I have left is time. Haha, I’m unemployed.
Also, since this is my first video, I can improve more and more!
A growth-type editor. Isn’t this absolutely amazing?
If you need any verification, please contact me! I’ll edit other things too.]
– That’s so much TMI LMAO.
– Were you unemployed, BrickExtortionKing!
– If you weren’t unemployed, why on earth would you steal bricks from a public restroom lol.
– Even unemployed people don’t do that. I know because I’m unemployed LMAO.
***
“Ah, fuck. How embarrassing!”
Lee Geon-yeong ruffled his hair with both hands, then slammed his fist against his thigh.
“Why is that thing set to public?!”
The sentences he had scribbled carelessly in the video description.
And the embarrassing ID he could not proudly speak of anywhere.
On top of that, his very first attempt at editing.
It was a three-piece set of humiliation.
“How did he even find it? The view count is low, too.”
He hurriedly went to ITube and set the video to private.
– Oh LMAO, the video got taken down in an instant LMAO.
– What a shame.
– Was the Extortion King watching lol.
– LMAO forced public humiliation.
– Anyone can tell he uploaded it by mistake.
[Ah. Was it uploaded by mistake? Oh dear… I know nothing about it. Anyway, please check the comments and contact me.]
– You killed the Extortion King, Seo-jun! You killed the Extortion King, Seo-jun! You killed the Extortion King, Seo-jun!
– They say he died of embarrassment.
– This is the fault of the person who uploaded it as public LMAO.
– Real LMAO, that unemployed bastard.
Lee Geon-yeong closed the Travel comment window.
But he could not remove it from the streaming screen itself.
He just closed the broadcast window.
“Ugh! How embarrassing.”
After calming his racing heart, Lee Geon-yeong carefully played the video he had set to private.
For even though he had taken down the video out of fear and panic at the fact that so many people could watch it, he figured there had to be a reason why Seo-jun had mentioned it on stream.
“Right, now that I’ve been caught anyway, let’s see if he left any comments…”
Lee Geon-yeong’s muttering stopped.
[Jin Seo-jun] [20 hours ago]
[Wow, was this a video made after only learning for a day? Your talent is amazing. I don’t know why you didn’t send an email, but I want to work with you, BrickExtortionKing. If you’re interested, please be sure to contact me,]
With a complex and subtle expression on his face, he stared intently at the screen—no, at the comment.
His eyes turned red.
A long silence ensued.
Finally, he muttered in a slightly trembling voice.
“I did… expect it would be something like this, but…”
Haaaa.
Letting out a deep sigh, he looked up at the ceiling.
The ceiling, which had felt like a comfortable prison as he occasionally looked up at it while using his phone in bed, now looked different.
It was absolutely not because tears were gathering in his eyes.
“……”
He replayed the video he had edited several times.
“It’s my first day of learning, so even to me it looks like a mess, talent my foot…”
He was laughing self-deprecatingly.
But at the same time, he was smiling more broadly than anyone else.
A sense of liberation.
It was like finding an exit after being trapped in a maze.
“Alright, let’s give it a try.”
Talent.
A streamer more outstanding than anyone else had told him he possessed talent and wanted to work together.
“If he just said whatever to exploit me with passion pay, Hyung-nim or not, I won’t let him get away with it. If a controversy breaks out, it’s his own loss.”
With trembling hands, he began to draft an email.