Chapter 378
[Wow, guys, the host’s booth lineup today is insane, isn’t it?]
==
For now, even if you’re enjoying indie games, make sure to check out the host’s booth in the afternoon.
==
On the first day, there wasn’t a single person who passed the booth’s first round.
That was because Yamada Risa, a monstrously talented individual who had maxed out her form on a Japanese variety show, had completely shut out all the regular people.
But from the second day, the situation changed noticeably.
There were five who passed.
[Guess the ones from yesterday were just ordinary after all.]
==
The people with real skill, even Risa couldn’t stop them.
Everyone who complained that no one passed on the first day, reflect on yourselves.
If you’ve got the right qualifications, you can pass!
==
—Right????? Right??????? Right qualifications?????
└Triggered lololol. Did you try the talent show yesterday and get brutally destroyed? (OP)
└I’m a national team member lololol. A world-class professional performer isn’t just “right qualifications,” you idiot lololololol
—No, why is the scale getting weirdly huge! This was just supposed to be a cute little festival for the streamer’s fans! Sure, there was a little collusion with the game companies, but—
TrStar was indeed quite large to be called just a cute little festival, yet it still maintained its atmosphere as a fan meeting, so it was their own league.
But the scale kept growing.
More and more people were coming.
To be precise, a lot of regular people who couldn’t exactly be called fans of the streamer started showing up.
It was drawing outside attention.
And above all...
[No, seriously, why are you guys coming out of there?]
[Honestly, some people know who they are, some don’t, but all their specs are insane.]
[Risa noona lololol. Quick to give up.]
==
She must’ve sensed right away that it was impossible in a short time and just passed them immediately.
==
—Originally, she’s the type to challenge persistently.
└This isn’t her own stream lolololol
—Knowing Risa’s personality, she’s probably going to practice alone after the morning session if she finds it interesting?
└That’s exactly right lololol
—So in the end, she’s leaving it to the host.
[So why the hell did those guys come out? This doesn’t make sense?]
==
It’s not like the host went on some aggro rampage and provoked that industry or anything—he was just playing around with his own fans.
We’re curious.
==
—I don’t know about the others, but I think I know why that world-renowned magician showed up.
└I know too. Mage lololol. He must have come because he wants to have a go at the Sword God lololol.
└Real-world mage vs. swordsman debate lololololol
—Right. Why did they come? Did the prize money tempt them?
└It’s tempting, but more than that, aren’t they all gamers? If you’re a gamer, you can’t help but respect the host. And the chance to face someone you respect in your own field?
└You can’t resist that.
In reality, some of the fans’ guesses were correct.
They were all people with an interest in games and Seojun.
Some had come with the thought of maybe snatching the prize money, and others genuinely wanted to see if Seojun was as strong as they were in reality.
Most of all...
The magician had genuinely been unable to resist the idea of a match between magic and sword, and so he had come to TrStar.
But, their appearance at TrStar would not have happened without someone pushing them from behind.
No matter how interested they were, no matter how much they couldn’t resist, they would have hesitated.
They had their own reputations.
If others were joining in, fine—but going alone, with no prior discussion, just to challenge?
That wasn’t easy.
The one who contacted them from behind and gave them that push was Team Leader Seon.
‘If we leave him alone, he’ll run wild on his own?’
Team Leader Seon had taken a hint from the advice Seojun had given Taewoo.
Leave Seojun alone, and he’ll run wild on his own.
This was an absolute, unchanging truth.
At least, that’s how Taewoo saw it.
Interpreting that a bit further: no matter what happens, he’ll run wild brilliantly on his own.
And so...
‘Ah! So I can just set the stage as crazily as I want!’
That was the conclusion he reached.
So that very day, he looked for stars who seemed to be interested in Seojun’s remarks.
By checking their SNS and statements, he could easily compile a list, and Team Leader Seon immediately contacted them through the company and pushed them to appear at TrStar.
He told them other industry people would be coming too.
As a result.
‘Today, tomorrow, the day after—everything is prepared!’
With the most outstanding people in the world, no less.
What if he set things up like this and they had to pay out a fortune in prize money?
He didn’t know.
The committee was paying it out anyway, wasn’t it?
And...
Wouldn’t he run wild on his own?
“Kuhahaha!”
In truth.
Team Leader Seon was extremely anxious that a massive disaster might occur.
The laughter was to hide it.
He had set things up, way too big.
Recreate the techniques of those incredible people in just three tries?
There was no way.
“Well, there is! Because it’s Seojun! I witnessed the legend of that handwritten autograph after all! Even so!”
He didn’t know.
Maybe just today, they’d be handing out over 100 million won in prize money, and the booth’s operation would be suspended from tomorrow.
“Ah, whatever!”
It was already out of his hands.
* * *
“Shouldn’t we put a stop to this now? There was no mention that people like that would come! If it were just ordinary viewers, fine, but...”
Team Leader Seon, who was at least somewhat comforted by the fact that it was already out of his hands and that the company or its partners wouldn’t have to bear the prize money, was shaking a little less.
But for these people, it was different.
The money line of TrStar.
“It really does seem a little dangerous. Even Risa is giving up right away.”
It was an emergency for the operating committee members dispatched from the game companies.
Just a little while ago.
Professionals from various fields came to Seojun’s booth as if it had been choreographed, taking the first test, and that short time was enough to shatter their spirits.
“No, at this point, shouldn’t we retract the prize money? That streamer is ruining the event for his own amusement right now!”
From the perspective of the large game companies providing sponsorship, it was maddening.
Not only was the booth getting fewer people and interest being dispersed, but now they were looking at having to waste real money on prize money.
Seojun was indeed the worst kind of troublemaker.
No matter how much TrStar was an event for streamers and fans, weren’t they the ones putting up the money?
“We need to make him exercise some restraint, even now. And stop him from advertising.”
If the problem grew large enough to destroy TrStar, the solid last bastion, “Surface hyung,” would step in, but if the problem was not an earth-extinction-level event but a nuclear bomb, fully absorbing it was the game company’s role.
And Seojun was a walking nuke.
“Why are you suddenly bringing up advertising?”
“Do you think it makes sense for the person in charge of the booth to be running around inviting people this recklessly? It’s a lack of responsibility.”
“Isn’t it still too early to call it a lack of responsibility? In the end, if he does well in the afternoon, that’s all that matters, right?”
“Do you realize that we’d have to support prize money exceeding a hundred million won every day before you’ll admit there’s a lack of responsibility? Why did those people even come? And all together, as if they’d been waiting for it?”
They fiercely pressured the streamer-side spokespersons.
They even tried to block the flow of people’s attention being diverted to indie game companies if possible.
“That’s right! There’s no other explanation unless he called them. No one here thinks those people just happened to all decide to come to TrStar on the same wavelength, do you?”
“Just how far is he willing to go to get attention.”
“This is clearly happening because we offered the prize money.”
Ironically, that statement was correct.
If that hadn’t been the case, Team Leader Seon would certainly have been stopped.
But it had nothing to do with Seojun.
Of course, these people had no way of knowing that.
“‘How far to get attention,’ you say. Your words are a bit out of line. Streamer Jin Seojun is in a position where he doesn’t need to do things to attract people’s attention.”
“But if you look at his track record so far, you can’t deny that he’s risen through such actions, and that’s why habits are scary.”
“Haah.”
“What does Travel think?”
“Mm...”
There was only one person from Travel.
That one person always took the utmost care in expressing his opinions and did not step forward until the very, very end.
As the president of Travel’s Korean branch, it was behavior befitting his position.
However, he had one special trait, and the game company’s side had failed to accurately grasp it, which was their critical mistake.
“I, for one...”
“Yes.”
He was a fan of the streamer.
Just as many people working in this industry were.
And as a fan of the streamer, he naturally...
“I think we might not need to pay out the prize money?”
...watched Seojun’s streams.
“What?”
“Let’s watch and see.”
Like Eve Faimo of Movie Soft.
Those who rose to the position of president were all gifted with exceptional discernment.
* * *
“What? They’re telling me to go up to the booth right now? Why?”
It was just as Seojun finished a game at a booth and stepped outside.
“Ah, a lot of people passed the test? Oh, really?”
Seojun’s capsule was hidden under the stage.
—lololol The lineup is legendary
—Host, what are you going to do?
—Risa got through, gg
“Oh.”
Yamada Risa’s excellence had been confirmed the day before.
They got past a Risa like that?
Seojun looked at the chat window with interest.
“Ah?”
Once he grasped the situation, Seojun laughed.
He laughed refreshingly.
—lololololol
—Have you lost it?
—What about the prize money? lololololol
—No matter how much the stories about Sword Seojun get talked up, if real national team members show up, it’s tough.
—Will it really be tough?
While Seojun just laughed, the viewers began a debate.
Seojun’s stream was filming the game broadcast, so it couldn’t capture the live situation at the booth.
But this was TrStar.
It was a place where about half of the people there were potential users who could take photos or videos and post on the community.
And naturally, they filmed the special challengers taking the test and posted it.
Thus, a debate began.
The skills they had seen firsthand...
—Host, don’t watch the community and practice.
—This one’s really intense.
—Even masters who do this all the time couldn’t succeed in one try during a demonstration lololololol. And in three tries?
...were outstanding.
And no matter how outstanding, in the end, Seojun would pull it off anyway.
—Shut up with that nonsense.
—No, lol, the host just does it in one try, you know? lolol
—For real, what’s with all the fuss?
—The host can do anything. lolol
—You crazy bastards lololololol
—Honestly, the host, who set up a wall of lamentation for Round 1 and was hoping to sweetly watch fans’ talent shows, getting blocked and pissed off—upvote lol.
People debated, and in the end, they wanted Seojun’s reaction.
What was he going to do now?
Was he going to practice beforehand?
Or head off to take out a loan?
Collect debts?
And Seojun’s choice was...
“It’s lunchtime. I’m ending the stream.”
—Hey, you son of a b...
—Damn lololololol
—You absolute bastard lololololololol
—You guys fight it out, I’m off to eat~~~~
The first half of TrStar’s second day came to an end.