A Swordsman’s Stream

Chapter 103

He looked around, glancing left and right.

Even after attending for a year, new students who still held onto their freshness passed by.

Then there were those who, having lost their dreams and romance of university, also walked by.

Likewise, the upperclassmen, who had already discarded such ideals long ago, passed by him and crossed the main gate.

Various types of students were present.

And here was Chun Jaehoon, known by his nickname “No. 1 Swordsman Under Heaven” in “For Justice”, furrowing his brows for a reason completely different from theirs.

Once more, he surveyed his surroundings.

Wearing a cap over his court jacket and a mask over his nose, he looked around. His appearance was intimidating by itself, and he knew it, yet he didn’t care.

This was Korea National University, the top prestigious university in Korea.

‘A monster lives here.’

It wasn’t a metaphorical statement.

Swordsman pondered this as he merged with the crowd flooding into the campus when the crosswalk lights changed.

‘Just for missing one day, it has come to this…….’

Waking up at 6 AM to work out for an hour at the gym was certainly a commendable activity.

Just exercising was beneficial in its own right.

However, morning exercise not only woke him up physically, but by making it a routine, it became a source of great strength.

Therefore, its benefits to him were undeniable.

Yet, people can’t just live doing what’s good for their bodies all the time!

If humans could live by doing only beneficial things, global fast-food franchises would have gone bankrupt long ago.

The gaming industry would have collapsed, and the restaurant industry would have been restructured around health-oriented menus.

Hence!

Him skipping the gym this morning was as natural a fact as the global success of the gaming market.

‘Just hold out a bit longer.’

He who must not be named had said he would soon take a temporary leave.

Thus, he only needed to be cautious for about a month and avoid being caught.

『Is everything okay?』
『If you got hurt, take a good rest』
『Resting well is also part of exercising, so don’t feel guilty!』

Senior acquaintances from the gym, who had grown fond of him, sent concerned messages.

They thought that he enjoyed working out.

However, that wasn’t true.

He had somehow reached a level where he enjoyed it, and once he was there, he would undoubtedly do it, but going to the gym and working out were separate issues.

‘Still, hearing such encouragement makes me want to work on my lower body again.’

This was an addiction.

Exercise also released dopamine, making it addictive.

Gymaholics didn’t come to be without reason. This unexpected sense of accomplishment became a powerful driving force and was thus very addictive.

It was a substance necessary for human survival.

Of course, even such addictions could be easily cured by a single message received that morning.

『Jin Sojun: ?』

Just a question mark with no other words.

That one question mark was frightening enough.

Indeed.

It was time to cut off the mentor-mentee ties.

Hadn’t the arena concluded successfully?

He looked around amidst the crowd.

He assessed the faces of people coming out of the terrain and buildings, ensuring he could hide anytime.

‘Wild animals must feel like this every moment.’

He realized why giving food to squirrels or other wild animals was so difficult.

They always needed to be on guard.

No matter how vast the wilderness, one might wonder why he had to worry about meetings, but nature was no different.

Even if they had survived several years, a moment’s carelessness or mistake could lead to death, which was the fate of prey and why they stayed alert.

And then—

*Tap tap.*

Someone tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned around.

And locked eyes with a slightly taller, unfortunate-looking senior.

Yeah, if there were such risks, he should have been more cautious today but really didn’t expect to meet him.

Could have gone to school early or run away starting tomorrow.

“What are you up to?”

That was the harshness of the wild.

Living was tough.

He felt that truth painfully just now.

* * *

“Ah… well. I caught a cold…”

“Ah. So that’s why you’re wearing a mask?”

“Yes…? Yes! Oh. Of course. I can’t infect others.”

“Sure. Then you’ll be all better by tomorrow. Right?”

Swordsman felt as if Sojun knew everything but was letting him escape just once.

No one recovers from a cold in a single day!

That was definitely a threat.

He nodded his head.

Once.

Twice.

Increasing his speed.

“Alright. See you again from tomorrow.”

“Yes!”

And his instinct that Sojun noticed was indeed correct.

Sojun inwardly laughed and told him to enjoy his classes before departing from the main gate.

‘Where do you think you’re sneaking off to?’

Sojun entered a nearby restaurant.

It was 2 PM, making it a bit late for lunch, but one couldn’t always follow a timetable of their choosing.

He decided to eat leisurely before heading to his meeting place.

‘By the way.’

Lately, he felt gazes fixed on him more frequently.

On campus, on University Road.

It could have been mere imagination or paranoia, but Sojun trusted his instincts.

And indeed, it was true.

Occasionally, such posts would appear on online university communities.

『Korea National University’s maximum output. Heavenly Demon14. Acknowledged???』

– Another Demonic Cult follower…
– What’s that LOL
– Didn’t expect there to be so many people walking the demonic path in Korea National University. Let’s go!
– Went to the iTube link, said he’s really good looking
– Entrepreneurs from Korea National University? Investors? Developers? And they say they’re a better swordsman than Heavenly Demon?
└True LOL
– Crazy people

Such posts typically had very few comments compared to view counts.

It was because “For Justice” was considered rather niche.

Nevertheless, the recognition of Sojun was steadily rising within the school through such accumulated posts.

But since Sojun never used social media before he started streaming, he was oblivious to this phenomenon.

‘Hmm? He’s on break too.’

As Sojun scrolled through iTube while eating, Taewoo’s announcement popped up.

It was because he was subscribed.

『Whether the weather’s nice, bad, or just right, I won’t be streaming today.』

It was Taewoo’s break announcement.

He mentioned leaving earlier; perhaps he was planning to return late?

Maybe after the meeting, he’d ask Taewoo about dinner plans as Sojun naturally checked the comments.

Could they be similar?

-First… killing.
└ LOL That’s poignant
└ Taewoo, better watch out at night LOL
└ Crazy LOL
-So what kind of day would mean not taking a break? I’m very curious.
-When will this guy find his original motivation? Always taking breaks
└ Didn’t watch his early streams? Always had emergency streams and breaks, you must never find that early motivation again, Taewoo

Could be similar.

Really is.

‘Indeed.’

Sojun thought he was on the right path.

Although lacking slightly, Taewoo was a successful streamer.

He had been growing continuously, from the early capsule days 7 years ago to now.

Therefore, ‘I should learn more.’

Sojun, feeling a sudden sense of inadequacy, burned with the zeal to learn—for no reason.

Seeing this, he realized how infuriating the break announcement he had made today would be from the perspective of a viewer.

『Today’s stream? Oh, I left it in the new era!』

– It seems you left your conscience there too

『Hello, viewers. Are you all having a great day? My stomach is upset, so I’m not having a great day. With that said, you know today’s stream, right?』

– If you give your home address, I’ll send you probiotics. Ha-ha-ha. Go on, give it!

『A pet sparrow at home pecked away the capsule’s interior line. Sorry.』

– ??? Unbelievable
– It’s illegal to keep sparrows. I’ll report you so that you can keep taking breaks indefinitely.
└ LOL
└ Infinite break envy.

‘Need to be careful from now on.’

It was a good lesson learned.

* * *

“Hello. I’m Park Hyuksoo from indie game development company MONSTER”

“Hello.”

“I have to apologize in advance. Our CEO wanted to come himself, but with only three days left until the new release, he’s very busy.”

“I understand.”

Understand and more.

No matter how small the development company was, whether the CEO showed up or not, realistically, it seemed more appropriate for them not to come.

“Alright. Then…… hmm. Should we start explaining once the other person arrives?”

There were still about two minutes to go.

“Let’s do that.”

Sojun sucked on the straw of his drink placed on the table.

And two minutes passed.

No one came.

Park Hyuksoo typed anxiously on his phone.

“Ha-ha, it seems the other streamer will be a bit late. Due to some circumstances.”

“Is that so? And how long would it be?”

“About 30 minutes……”

“Hmm……”

It happens.

“Well then, could you tell me who the counterpart is?”

“Wouldn’t a surprise be better?”

In three days? Really?

“If I’m not satisfied with the counterpart, I really might not sign the contract. I mean it.”

“Don’t worry! It’s someone Sojun-ssi knows!”

Hmm. Is it Alpaca-nim?

Or perhaps there was someone fairly known in “For Justice”?

Ark did mention not playing this type of game.

He felt uneasy.

Taewoo came to mind just because.

However, if it truly were that guy, it meant Taewoo had prepared to go out for a meeting at 4 PM from early in the morning.

It was astonishing by itself that the guy was preparing so early, and coming in 30 minutes late?

‘No way, as a person, he wouldn’t do this, right?’

Sojun ruled out Taewoo, trusting at least a basic level of common sense.

“Alright. Just don’t blame me later. For now, please go ahead with the game explanation.”

“Sure. First off, our game title is, as you confirmed via email, Two Heads are Better.”

Thanks to Han Jimin, who sorted and summarized numerous games, he had a general idea of most games sent via email.

However, he still needed to listen to a more detailed explanation from the developer’s side because he chose this game.

Two Heads are Better.

More accurately, it’s a short version of the English proverb “Two heads are better than one.”

In Korean, it roughly translates to ‘two are better than one’?

It well reflected the characteristics of a collaborative game.

“The basic story starts with two friends developing a game. They have a big fight, halting development, then the magic forces them into the halted game.”

Developers.

At this point, Sojun asked what he often wanted to ask.

“Is it, perhaps, partly a true story?”

“…… I can’t say it isn’t, ha-ha. Anyway, the progress is quite standard.”

Cooperation was needed to solve tricks and move forward.

It was the essence of a co-op game.

And generally, in these games, it was preferable that the other person was either intelligent or physically adept to avoid getting irritated.

At that moment.

*Jingle.*

The cafe’s glass door opened with the sound of a bell.

“Sorry, I’m late……”

Seeing his counterpart, Sojun nodded in satisfaction, smiling.

What the heck.

It was truly Taewoo?

“I won’t do it.”

He concluded immediately.

“Yes. Excuse me?”

Once again, cooperative games required a somewhat decent level of intelligence and skill in the partner to avoid frustration.

No further explanation required.