In truth, there was nothing to even consider as a betrayal.
It was common for viewer bases to overlap across different streams on the same platform.
In fact, if streamers were on friendly terms, they would often use the hosting system as their broadcast concluded, directing their viewers to another streamer’s channel.
Therefore…
For Yura, the presence of Third Life in that stream was not a cause for disappointment in the slightest.
After all, it was merely an overlap in the streamer pool for viewers; she hadn’t actually been NTRed (TL Note: A Japanese term, ‘Netorare,’ referring to a genre where a character’s lover is stolen by another).
[Isn’t this just NTR because you banned them last time? LOL]
Unnecessarily refreshing the page, Yura, stung by the community post, quickly pressed the back button.
Oh, surely not…
‘While I did ban them for 24 hours, they wouldn’t have gone to another streamer just because of that, right?’
True, when they were messing around with the ‘bail’ system last time, their antics became so severe that she had imposed a 24-hour ban.
Normally, it would have warranted a permanent suspension, but considering the ‘bail’ and a slight oversight on Yura’s part, her conscience only allowed for a 24-hour ban.
‘Even then, they had joined using multiple accounts.’
Moreover, as soon as the ban was issued, Third Life had immediately reconnected to the stream using a sub-account.
Yura was certain.
The fact that this viewer was now with Haeahn, engaging in a ‘betrayal’ that wasn’t really a betrayal, was simply because she hadn’t turned on her own stream.
It was a perfect score, a ten out of ten answer.
Having become increasingly busy with recent tournament preparations, Yura found her available streaming time significantly reduced.
While she was still holding the broadcasts she had promised to do regularly, even those were being kept to a bare minimum.
This was because she was pouring every ounce of her effort into preparing for the tournament.
Organizing a tournament within a mere three days felt far too rushed, no matter how she considered it.
Thus, she had extended the period to a week, but even then…
Even this was a tight schedule.
However, it couldn’t be helped.
Only by holding it within this specific timeframe could she significantly reduce the number of participants.
From the outset, the tournament’s cutoff had been set too low.
As Yura herself had to participate as both the tournament organizer and a defender of its rules, she had narrowed the scope for viewers to join.
Even with these measures, she knew various skilled viewers would likely participate with sub-accounts; in such cases, she planned to prioritize creating entertaining content for MeTube (TL Note: A fictional YouTube-like platform), even if it meant bending the rules.
“In that regard, it’s a bit disappointing…”
Yura murmured to herself as she watched Haeahn’s stream.
Haeahn’s stream, unusually, featured a viewer who garnered more attention than Haeahn, the host herself.
[Would it be possible to get some additional advice here?]
–ㅇㅇ님 (TL Note: A common placeholder for a username) sponsored 1,000 won!
[Instead of a gun, you should have gone with a long-range magic class. If you had surrounded yourself with barriers to maintain distance instead of having to dodge bullets, you would have lasted longer. Also, apply physical enhancement to your dynamic vision and dodge everything with your footwork, then BAM! Okay?]
[Uh… I understand, for now.]
‘Teacher, what on earth is ‘BAM!’?’
‘I get maintaining barriers, but applying physical enhancement only to dynamic vision…?’
‘Enhancing vision with physical strength requires understanding the entire nervous system; what even is this, LOL?’
Yura read the chat.
Mostly ‘favorable’ comments.
This was what disappointed Yura.
She didn’t particularly care about claims of NTR or viewers being her property. …In truth, she cared deeply.
It’s human nature to miss what was once present.
There’s a reason people say to cherish what you have while you have it.
Furthermore, Yura coveted the ‘attention’ that particular viewer commanded.
Turning her gaze sideways, her eyes fell upon the email window she had left open ages ago.
The game company’s explanatory email was prominently displayed in the mail window.
Yura herself had sent an inquiry to the game company and had received a response.
The difference between her and other users was that she had sent an inquiry, not a report, but the reply regarding the hack was the same.
The moment Yura received this email, a scenario began to unfold in her mind.
She knew that explaining it through PVP immediately wouldn’t work well.
The controversy and interest would not subside for a while.
So, she thought, why not leverage that, focus attention on the tournament, and then, with a grand reveal, drop the explanation, thereby seizing only the advantage of public interest?
However, to put it simply, her delightful fantasy failed to materialize.
For this to work, several preconditions were necessary: Third Life had to participate in the tournament, and public opinion against them had to continue raging like wildfire due to an inadequate explanation.
Yet, with the hacking controversy now resolved, the plan was rendered obsolete.
If only it hadn’t been resolved…
Third Life would have gained an opportunity to change the stream’s rules.
And Yura would have seen increased attention on her tournament, boosting her recognition—a win-win for both.
This made it all the more regrettable.
Of course, the probability of that scenario actually playing out was low.
Nevertheless, having her carefully constructed ‘happiness circuit’ break down was truly a sad affair.
Yura let out a short sigh.
“Sigh. I should just focus on preparing for the tournament.”
With things as they were, the only path left was to ensure the tournament itself was a success.
Haeahn’s stream had ended.
She closed the stream window, reopened her notepad, and delved back into planning.
Her current dilemma was whether or not to invite other streamers.
“Collaborating with other streamers isn’t a bad idea, but the prize, of all things, is a streaming rule…”
Since it was a small-scale tournament, doing it solo was perfectly acceptable, but given that it was content she was creating, Yura wanted to utilize every possible resource to achieve the best outcome.
Inviting other streamers offered significant advantages.
There was a reason many streamers collaborated.
By working together, their fan bases expanded, and their recognition grew, among other benefits that no streamer could afford to overlook.
However, this time, with the unique prize and no time to coordinate schedules with other streamers, she was contemplating doing it alone.
Then, *ding*!
[Haeahn Unnie: Yura, do you have a moment?]
“Huh? What’s up, right after your stream ended?”
A sudden message arrived.
Yura knew Haeahn well.
She was, after all, a close unnie (TL Note: A Korean term used by a female to refer to an older female friend or sister) from whom Yura sought advice and help for tournament rule planning.
[Yura: Yeah! Why, Unnie?]
[Haeahn Unnie: Well, it’s about your tournament preparations, you know?]
[Yura: Uh-huh, uh-huh.]
[Haeahn Unnie: If you’re looking for other streamers to join, would it be possible for me to participate in that content too?]
She had found another streamer to collaborate with.
And it was a voluntary offer, like a pumpkin vine extending itself.
****
The next day.
As dawn broke, her eyes instinctively opened.
This young body was accustomed to a disciplined life of early to bed, early to rise.
Upon opening her eyes, she performed a quick cat wash (TL Note: A Korean idiom referring to a quick, minimal wash).
She stretched leisurely.
Then, she engaged in some light exercise.
Having thus shaken off the morning drowsiness, she began preparing breakfast as the sun slowly made its full appearance.
“Time for breakfast.”
Breakfast was not to be skipped.
How precious it was.
*Munch.*
Today, instead of potato chips, she crammed a salad into her mouth.
She had become aware lately that she was consuming far too many potato chips.
Seeing ten open bags on the table, she resolved to abstain from potato chips for a while.
Her blood vessels were beginning to worry her, given that she had devoured ten bags of chips in a single day, not spread out over several.
Hence, this morning’s meal was a nutritious chicken breast salad.
Did you know?
Potato chips and salad actually pair incredibly well.
The crispness and saltiness of the chips are gently enveloped by the refreshing aftertaste of the salad.
It’s not sweet-and-salty, but salty and refreshing.
How could anyone resist that?
The only regrettable part was not being able to eat potato chips with her salad for the sake of her vascular health.
“I wish I could crush up potato chips and sprinkle them on top.”
With that thought, she posted on the community forum.
[Author: Third Life]
[Title: So, when do I get my 1,000,000 won?]
[(Image of DiamondGuardian’s death)
(Image of NotDukeOfAbdomenWarrior’s death)
When are you giving it?
I need to buy potato chips.
Give it to me quickly.]
– Murder, LOL.
– We’ve deposited it, customer. ^^
– Just one hamburger, please.
– Those are their main IDs, but they haven’t been logging in lately. They must be embarrassed LOL.
Hmm…
While she didn’t *need* to receive the 1,000,000 won.
Still, a bet was a bet…
They shouldn’t run away like this.
But since they might not have 1,000,000 won in their account, perhaps she should make them fulfill it in another way?
[Instead of 1,000,000 won, if you upload a video of yourself clearing the 1st floor of the tower as an unemployed character like me, I’ll forgive you.]
Personally, she believed that the best class in the game was undoubtedly ‘unemployed’.
It offered no buffs, but no debuffs either.
One could become a mage if they wished.
Or a swordsman if they desired.
However, other players didn’t seem to share this view.
[What do you think is the best class in Rio World?]
[Mage vs. Swordsman]
– Mage, obviously.
– No, you’re wrong. Swordsman is the best.
– Is Priest not an option…?
Constantly bickering over whether swordsmen or mages were superior.
That’s why she changed the bet’s condition, so they would understand the greatness of the unemployed class.
And so, she began her daily community browsing.
Lately, browsing the community had become quite enjoyable.
[Today’s ‘Backseat Gaming’ Verification]
[How did this Third Life bastard do this?]
[Is this really possible?]
Lately, more and more people on the community were unearthing her past ‘backseat gaming’ comments and verifying if they were actually possible.
It was a perfectly righteous phenomenon.
But not everything could be satisfactory.
[Sharing how to dodge slimes]
[Tips on how to catch an orc, as told by the Backseat Master]
[Here’s how to catch an undead, as told by the Backseat Master]
“That’s not how you do that…”
What to say.
The intention was good.
But they just couldn’t do it right.
Watching that made her stomach churn.
It felt like watching a contrary frog who did the opposite no matter how much advice you gave.
If they were doing it out of malice, her stomach wouldn’t be twisting like this.
But knowing that they were trying their best, only for it to go awry, made her feel even more internally wounded.
Hmm…
“What should I do about this…”
What was the best course of action in such a situation?
Just then, a particular post caught her eye.
[At least show an example, how are we supposed to do it if you only explain it in text?]
The answer to her dilemma came surprisingly quickly.
Haeahn and Yura flashed through her mind.
“Should I try streaming once?”
Seeing is believing.
She would show them with her own eyes.
So they would do it.
****
[Author: Third Life]
The supernova who had recently shot to prominence as a community celebrity.
Their posts consistently made it to the real-time best list.
Before long, Third Life had become one of the most famous main IDs.
[Title: Backseat Tips]
[(Stream Link)
Here’s the example you wanted.]
Seeing the title, she carelessly clicked the post, revealing a link inside.
And upon following the link, she found herself on a broadcast.
[Stream Title: Backseat Verification]
As she couldn’t resist her curiosity and immediately connected to the stream, the viewer, Yura, saw…
KIEEEEEEK!
“Gah!”
It was an undead’s head.
