The Veteran Swordmaster’s Stream (Novel) - Chapter 3
Chapter 3
“I’m asking why Level 10 won’t work?”
Tae-woo let out a sigh and began to explain.
“That’s because you can only challenge Level 10 after defeating the Level 9 AI. Besides, Level 10 isn’t a normal AI.”
“What is it then?”
“It’s an AI that mimics the best person among those who cleared Level 9.”
Oh.
“Just so you know, the current Level 10 AI is someone you know well too.”
“Shin Ha-yeon?”
“That’s right.”
“Then, if someone beats the Level 10 AI, does the AI change to them?”
“Probably. For your information, Shin Ha-yeon has been Level 10 since five years ago. Anyway, hurry up and start.”
Seo-jun was inwardly impressed.
“Alright, for now.”
***
‘He’s finally starting.’
Tae-woo watched Seo-jun with intrigued eyes.
The way he swung the sword through the air didn’t make it look like it was his first time holding one.
‘Did he learn at an academy just to play games?’
It was said that there were such people.
People who visited martial arts academies in reality and built up their bodies to play games well.
However, from the perspective of a seven-year veteran streamer, he thought it was better to play one more round of any game in that time.
Why did even outstanding athletes sometimes mess up here?
There was only one reason.
‘Because one’s real-life physical abilities are not reflected in the avatar.’
Although a virtual reality avatar scanned one’s body and moved according to one’s will, none of them could perform beyond their configured limits.
That meant a rugby player standing two meters tall could lose in arm wrestling to an ordinary 160-centimeter-tall adult woman.
What mattered in virtual reality was skill, experience, and willpower.
And in some games, there were countless instances where people moved much faster than in reality.
‘Although it might be better than not learning at all.’
Tae-woo thought it was inefficient.
*Peep!*
A whistle sounded from somewhere, and Chul-soo began to move.
‘Is he nervous? He should raise his sword. Pfft.’
Even as Chul-soo approached, Seo-jun remained standing still.
Kim Tae-woo wanted to quickly see that easygoing friend’s face get painted with bewilderment.
He had also thoughtlessly challenged Level 4 and received a thorough beating from Chul-soo when the Training Ground first came out.
Because a one-on-one duel without the assistance of skills was harder than one would think.
It was at that moment, when he was looking forward to seeing his always-composed friend tumbling on the ground.
After cleanly tilting his body to dodge the sword swung by Chul-soo, Seo-jun slashed Chul-soo.
Chul-soo’s HP decreased by 1.
The sparring rules in the Training Ground were simple: each started with 10 HP, which would decrease by 1 whenever damage was dealt with a sword, and the first to reach 0 HP lost.
Chul-soo backed away to widen the distance.
‘Was it a fluke? But why is Chul-soo backing off?’
Was the Level 4 AI a bit easy?
‘He should counterattack right away.’
Just as Tae-woo harbored doubt,
“He’s not coming. I guess I’ll go.”
This time, Seo-jun approached Chul-soo.
Tae-woo felt the scene that would unfold next playing out in his mind.
‘He got excited over a fluke. If he charges in like that, he’ll just get stabbed and lose health… What?’
Chul-soo’s response was definitely textbook, to the point of being excessive for a Level 4.
However, Seo-jun clashed his own sword against Chul-soo’s to alter its trajectory. He naturally deflected it to the side while rotating his body to deal damage once again.
The series of actions was so smooth and natural that even Tae-woo, watching from a third-party perspective, felt as if Seo-jun’s speed was faster than Chul-soo’s.
‘But this is virtual reality, a physical advantage is impossible.’
His seven years of experience were telling him.
That it only looked fast because there was no waste in the series of movements. That the speed of the swinging action itself was the same for both Chul-soo and Seo-jun.
Seo-jun charged at Chul-soo once more and began to toy with him.
Whether it was blocking Chul-soo’s sword five consecutive times from his spot without taking a single step, or tripping Chul-soo’s leg to knock him down and then stepping on Chul-soo’s sword to prevent him from lifting it.
When Chul-soo had only 1 HP remaining, he began to strike him with his hands and feet, which did not deplete HP.
*Thud.*
*Thud.*
To him, every single one of Seo-jun’s movements looked highly practiced.
As if he had predicted the opponent would move that way, he threw his body into the enemy’s range without hesitation.
Even for attacks that seemed impossible to avoid, Seo-jun dismantled them by finding a path to survival that he couldn’t see, as if he had already known about them beforehand.
“Hey, hey. Did you really play this seven years ago? Damn it, that’s anticlimactic. Hurry up and finish this, and just do Level 7.”
Why hadn’t that guy played games until now when he had such skills?
Obnoxious jerk.
A guy who looked like he would do well just streaming with a facecam, and he even possessed the skills?
However,
‘Even so, succeeding with just skills alone will be quite tough…’
As a friend, worry came first.
As Seo-jun slit Chul-soo’s throat, a notification popped up.
[You have won the sparring match.]
[HP 10 / 00:02:23]
[Current Rank: 107th]
Tae-woo momentarily felt puzzled by the window that popped up.
‘Why is the ranking showing up instead of just the record? Ranking compilation is only done for Level 9…’
Tae-woo noticed that Seo-jun was manipulating a window in midair even though the sparring had ended.
Then, a cluster of light gathered in front of Seo-jun and began to take the shape of a person.
He felt a sense of déjà vu at this scene that resembled a summoning ritual.
‘Could it be?’
What was summoned was a robot.
The appearance of the newly created robot was also human-like. Although not finely sculpted, its general shape was female, and the nickname floating above its head was:
[Shin Ha-yeon]
His mouth fell wide open. It felt like goosebumps were breaking out all over his body.
“Hey, was that Chul-soo you just beat actually Level 9?”
Chul-soo had been beaten so one-sidedly that he hadn’t even realized it.
That Chul-soo’s movements had definitely surpassed Level 4, no, even Level 8 which he had barely managed to beat!
Seo-jun chuckled as if it were truly nothing and spoke.
“Well, it’s no big deal.”
To think he had easily subdued an opponent that even professionals couldn’t defeat easily.
‘If he even beats Level 10, this is completely…’
perfect stream material.
Tae-woo was a streamer to his bones.
Tae-woo swallowed his saliva and fumbled around to press the recording button while thinking, ‘No way he’ll win, right?’
‘I was planning to put him through his paces a bit under the pretext of a collab stream. At this rate, won’t I be the one begging him for a collab stream later?’
Before he knew it, his worry for Seo-jun had cleanly vanished.
***
He felt a sense of incongruity.
Even when walking, when swinging his arms, and when breathing.
Even when clashing swords.
However, it wasn’t to a large degree.
‘Since it’s a good capsule, it really is different.’
The advancement of technology was astonishing.
And.
Seo-jun looked at the robot blocking his sword head-on.
[Shin Ha-yeon]
He had felt it before, but she was indeed a genius.
If this robot he was facing now solely mimicked Shin Ha-yeon’s control, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Shin Ha-yeon was more talented than anyone he had seen in his past life.
‘Ah, except for one person.’
In any case, it was surprising that an expert of this caliber could emerge in the ten-odd years since virtual reality had been introduced.
“Perhaps if you devote yourself for eighty more years, you might be able to defeat me.”
Just as Seo-jun was enjoying himself for the first time in a while, Tae-woo shouted from the side.
“What kind of bullshit is that? Hey, hey! Don’t look over here, focus!”
Tsk.
Currently, Shin Ha-yeon’s HP was reduced by more than half.
In comparison, Seo-jun’s HP was not reduced at all.
Tae-woo seemed completely excited.
Seeing how he had even turned on the recording, he was indeed something.
As expected of a professional.
Seo-jun deflected the sword while looking at Tae-woo beside him instead of Shin Ha-yeon’s AI that was charging at him.
“Tsk, tsk. Can’t you tell even after watching this far?”
“I told you to focus!”
He looked like a real fool.
In any case, because this was a space where everyone exerted the same strength and couldn’t exceed the same speed, only mental strength and skill were prioritized.
There was no way Seo-jun, who possessed the memories of his past life, could lose.
Even without internal energy, one’s realm was eternal.
Realizing that swinging as usual wouldn’t work, Shin Ha-yeon’s AI began to mix in unconventional movements.
‘Is this also Shin Ha-yeon’s movement? Or the AI’s own judgment? Whatever it is…’
Before Shin Ha-yeon’s sword could even reach its targeted spot, the sword extended by Seo-jun scraped against the opponent’s blade and altered its path.
*Scraaaape!*
The sound of blades scraping against each other, which he hadn’t heard in a long time, sounded pleasant.
The sword thrust aiming for his neck missed by a hair’s breadth, and Seo-jun did not miss that moment to knock the sword away.
Along with the sound of the sword clattering to the ground, the AI’s body was wide open and defenseless.
*Slash!*
He slashed diagonally across the torso of the neutralized AI.
[HP 4]
After being slashed by the sword, the AI quickly backed away to retrieve its sword.
However, half a beat faster than that, Seo-jun was closing the distance.
The gap between the two narrowed, and the AI allowed another strike.
[HP 3]
In a fight, if your speed is the same as the opponent’s, it was important to make the next move first.
To do that, one had to be able to anticipate the enemy’s movements.
It was obvious what the AI would do in the current situation.
Seo-jun accurately stabbed the AI’s arm as it reached out to grab the sword.
*Clang!*
The tip of the sword failed to pierce the arm, and the sound of metal clashing against metal rang out.
[HP 2]
Despite its arm being scraped by the sword, the AI kept moving and succeeded in grasping the sword on the ground.
However, after recovering his sword, Seo-jun immediately entered the next action.
A vertical slash that was incredibly faithful to the basics.
*Crash!*
The AI raised its sword to block, but the tip of Seo-jun’s sword reached the AI’s head.
[HP 1]
From what he had experienced in a few spars, although the maximum limit of strength was the same here, it didn’t mean the same amount of force was exerted every time.
What mattered was the complete transmission of force.
The wrist of the AI, which had blocked the strike while slumped on the ground, bent.
‘This kind of part is realistic.’
Nevertheless, it kicked off the ground and rushed forward to stab Seo-jun.
A feat possible only because it was an undying robot.
But suddenly, such a thought occurred to him.
Wasn’t it the same for him not dying?
Without bothering to dodge the sword, Seo-jun stabbed the AI’s body at the same time.
In his past life, it would have been a move of mutual destruction, but it was different here.
Since, at most, his HP would only decrease by 1.
[You have won the sparring match.]
No blood flowed. The pain was also nothing more than a slight sting.
It was fun.
Seo-jun calmly pulled out the sword embedded in his chest and spoke.
“How is it? I beat Shin Ha-yeon. Is this enough for a skill-based broadcast?”
[The Level 10 AI is attempting to mimic the user.]
Tae-woo replied with a broad grin.
“Didn’t I tell you? You have to stream.”
Seo-jun smiled back at his friend’s foolish expression.
‘When on earth did you ever.’
[To mimic the user’s movements, additional sparring must be conducted. Would you like to register?]
“Hmm, it’s a hassle. Should I just not do it?”
“Shut up and do it quickly, you crazy bastard.”
***
Emerging from the capsules, Seo-jun and Tae-woo sat in the living room and conversed while scooping and eating ice cream.
“Hey, why did you do that?”
“What.”
“You uploaded your achievement of becoming the new Level 10 as private. If this gets revealed, surely thousands of people would flock over, you know?”
There was, of course, a reason for that.
“I haven’t even streamed once yet. Even if people flock over, they’d all be empty numbers. It’s a house built on sand.”
“A house built on sand?”
Even though he had built a wall between himself and studying…
*Groan.*
Swallowing down the urge of the old man inside him to lecture, Seo-jun explained the meaning simply.
“It roughly means a house built on sand, signifying that it will easily collapse if the foundation isn’t solid.”
“Then when are you going to make it public?”
“Once I settle down, and when the water flows in. That will be more effective than having them rush in now and then completely drain away.”
“Ah.”
Perhaps because Tae-woo was also a broadcaster, he understood in an instant.
“Did you actually do some streaming before? Like, it turns out you’re a major streamer or something. Ooh, that gives me goosebumps.”
“What kind of foolish talk is that again?”
Tae-woo stroked his arms as if he got goosebumps and began to explain.
“Do you know what hosting is?”
“When a streamer ends their stream and sends their viewers to another streamer’s room?”
“To be precise, it’s playing another streamer’s video on my screen. The viewer counts are combined. But even if a streamer with a high viewer count hosts a streamer with a low one, which raises awareness and is a chance to rise, it doesn’t have much of an effect. Do you know why?”
“Why?”
“Except for a small minority, they can’t capitalize on that opportunity. Even if their viewers increase like that, there are cases where a month later, only the usual viewers are watching again. It’s exactly the house built on sand that you mentioned. As expected, you’re built for streaming. In that sense, Seo-jun.”
“What.”
“When should we do our collab stream?”
What kind of bullshit was this again?
“If we upload the video, it’ll definitely make it to the trending videos! Plus, if we do a collab stream on top of that!”
*Thud.*
Seo-jun kicked the shin of his friend who was talking nonsense and spoke.
“Be quiet and go do the piled-up housework.”
“Aaargh! Ah, right, housework! Hey, can’t you let me off just once? Huh?”
“No.”
“Didn’t you say there’d be no take-backs?”
Tae-woo clutched his shin and lay down on the sofa.
***
The next day. After entering the lobby, Seo-jun began to prepare for the broadcast.
His goal was to build up a certain level of recognition as a streamer in a short period of time.
In that case, what game should he start with?
Tae-woo had explained it like this the previous day.
‘Mainly, because popular online games have that many streamers, it isn’t easy.’
Moreover, to get noticed, one had to climb to a high tier.
‘Packaged games have no pressure, but there are no people either.’
Each had its pros and cons.
And Tae-woo had said with a grin.
‘But there is always a best move where the downsides are few and the upsides are maximized.’
Indeed.
The game Tae-woo recommended was famous enough that even Seo-jun had heard of it.
It was also highly suitable for Seo-jun’s situation.
With a peculiar smile born of anticipation, Seo-jun logged onto Travel and prepared for his broadcast.
After writing the broadcast title, he had to set the category for the game he was playing.
The total number of viewers for that game seen through the category was:
“It’s third place.”
Seo-jun began downloading the game after confirming its popularity once again.
A packaged game that had opened just a week ago, and because the series’ own recognition was so high, it was currently drawing the maximum amount of attention.
-831,000 Viewers-