The Game Streamer Gallery.
Affectionately known as ‘Gemsgal.’
This place was notoriously famous as a gathering spot for malicious internet broadcast (TL Note: ‘Inbang,’ a Korean term referring to personal live streams, often on platforms like AfreecaTV or Twitch) viewers, to the extent that it was said to be detrimental for anyone to even be mentioned there.
Typically, the forum was flooded with discussions about various streamer controversies, unjustified criticisms (TL Note: ‘Eokkka,’ a Korean slang term meaning to unfairly or baselessly criticize someone) of major streamers, and endless defamation.
Consequently, whenever a story about a streamer surfaced,
– For nobodies, only obituaries.
Comments of that nature would invariably appear.
However, the posts uploaded today had a distinctly different feel.
[ A male streamer made history today LOLOLOL ]
[ Hyun-io showing insane physicality LOLOLOL ]
[ New male streamer with an incredibly hot voice LOLOLOL ]
As these sudden posts began to proliferate, confusion descended upon Gemsgal.
[ What the hell, a male streamer? Is this viral marketing? ]
Some users suspected viral marketing, as similar controversies had erupted several times before.
In reality, finding a ‘male streamer’ was already difficult, and most broadcasts involved simply turning on the camera, smiling brightly, and engaging in pseudo-romance.
Even then, most of them would retire within one to two years, having connected with a billionaire or a celebrity.
Such broadcasts were solely for the male-obsessed (TL Note: ‘Nam-misae,’ a derogatory term for women overly eager for male attention) ‘broth’ fans (TL Note: ‘Yuksu,’ a slang term referring to obsessive, often male, fans who financially support streamers, implying they are ‘simps’ or ‘sugar daddies’), who flocked to them despite knowing their ultimate purpose.
– Not viral. They’re streaming a game right now!
– Bullshit, what game? Is it one of those click-through story games?
– Playing Spiral? A Level 287 Elemental Mage.
– Playing *what*? What the hell are you talking about?
– It’s exactly as I said, you idiot. A male streamer at Level 287? They’re a true gamer, seriously.
Yet, an undeniable atmosphere suggested that this time, something was different.
Empirical evidence of their genuine love and enjoyment for gaming was already unequivocally clear, and with play videos soon uploaded, entire dozens of pages were plastered with posts about them.
[ Hyun’s Speed (TL Note: Likely a specific in-game stat or a metric related to the streamer ‘Hyun’) surpassed 7000 LOLOLOL ]
[ He said there are too many people, and he’s overwhelmed, so scram, you Game Streamer Gallery bitches ]
[ 8000 rivals now. It’s hard to get married, sigh;; ]
[ Surpassed 10,000! Congrats congrats congrats ]
[ Day 1 daytime stream, crowned president LOLOLOL. Comment: ‘Ah, this is too much?’ ]
[ The stream truly reeks of masculinity LOLOLOL ]
[ His style is definitely different from those pseudo-romance male streamers, yeah. ]
Despite the resistance from a few users, Gemsgal was completely overrun.
This phenomenon was not confined solely to Gemsgal.
[ Male streamer takes over Trippy on Day 1? ]
[ Hyun-io: ‘I used to prepare to be a pro gamer…’ ]
[ New male streamer earns 6.5 million won (TL Note: Approximately 4,700 USD) in 1 minute after opening donations LOLOLOL ]
[ Hyun-io says he won’t accept donations for a while LOLOLOL ]
The news completely dominated all communities and even internet articles, spreading like wildfire to those who had previously shown no interest in internet broadcasting.
This was the culmination of everything that had transpired in just a single day.
****
[ 12,809 viewers ]
“…… Is this a dream?”
Seeing the unmistakably displayed viewer count, I rubbed my eyes for a moment. After that, the number climbed even higher. Now it was 12,855.
Each time I closed and opened my eyes, the viewer count continued to rise. This wasn’t some cryptocurrency bull market; it just kept trending upwards.
“No, everyone, why have so many of you come? Mado has already left.”
I had parted ways with the streamer Mado, whom I had coincidentally met during the Lich Raid, just a few minutes prior. She had burned with an intense desire for us to collaborate again soon, so I had even exchanged personal contact information with her, off-stream.
When I secretly checked her broadcast on Trippy, I realized she was a considerably large streamer.
‘So that’s why the viewer count exploded. They’ll probably leave soon,’ I thought.
“Why does it keep increasing?”
Now it was 13,000.
Even I knew that daytime usually saw fewer viewers.
But for this many people to have gathered… I was probably the most-watched streamer on Trippy right now.
“Everyone, I haven’t prepared anything… I’m just going to play a few arena matches and then turn off the stream. This isn’t the kind of broadcast that should have so many viewers. I’m truly grateful, but could you perhaps come back when I’m properly prepared…?”
– Wow, first time seeing a streamer negotiate for people to leave LOLOLOL
– It’s so obvious he’s overwhelmed LOLOLOL. His expression is transparent, seriously.
– What is there to prepare? Just showing up is perfect, yeah.
– Arena sounds fun, yeah;; Let’s go to the arena, please don’t turn off the stream.
– What’s your arena rank?
“My arena rank? Probably Master 3?”
From my perspective, it wasn’t particularly impressive. It was a rank that skilled players could achieve simply by investing enough time.
However, the chat’s reaction was entirely different.
– LOLOLOL a guy at Master 3, seriously insane.
– If you’re that good, a bit more and you’d be Grandmaster, right? Weren’t there no male Grandmaster users?
– There aren’t even male Master users in the first place, yeah. Except for those parasitic guys who got boosted by duos;; They’re all support users anyway.
– Do you use Elemental Mage in the arena too? Isn’t Elemental Mage considered like a 4th or 5th tier in the arena…?
That flood of extreme praise only made me more overwhelmed. I worried that even if I messed up, I’d still receive applause.
“…… Well, Elemental Mage is my main, but I also use other classes. I’ve already leveled all classes to arena level, and some that I’m particularly good at, I’ve leveled even further.”
The arena was a mode within Spiral where players battled with all classes standardized to level 100 and identical specs.
It was divided into 5v5 and 1v1 modes, each considered an entirely different game, with separate tournaments for each.
Naturally, the 5v5 mode was the most popular. Since I primarily played mage-type classes, which were relatively weak in 1v1, I focused on 5v5.
“For today, I’ll just play one match as an Elemental Mage. If I don’t get a queue, I’ll just end the stream…”
– Oh damn, please let the queue pop, please.
– Hey, all you Masters, come out!!! Seriously, try to snipe him.
– Isn’t 99% of this chat ‘minerals’ (TL Note: A slang term referring to low-ranked players, implying they are stuck in lower tiers like minerals underground)? Would there be any Masters? LOLOLOL
– What, you can’t snipe a male streamer because his tier is too high? LOLOLOL That’s ridiculous;;
“…… If you’re going to snipe me, just don’t stream-snipe.”
– Roger!
– Declaring death if you stream-snipe LOLOL
– Seriously, stream-sniping a male streamer is so embarrassing, you should just rip out your uterus (TL Note: A vulgar Korean slang term used to express extreme disgust or disappointment in someone’s actions, implying they should lose their ‘female’ attributes for such a shameful act).
Stream-sniping, no matter what, was a bit unnerving. Not that saying anything would actually prevent it.
With that, I queued up. Since queues generally didn’t pop quickly during the day, I figured I’d have to idly chat (TL Note: ‘Nogari,’ a Korean slang term for casual, often aimless, chatter) for about five minutes. Just as that thought crossed my mind.
*Thump—!
“Did you guys actually snipe me?”
– Why would we fake snipe you, LOLOLOL? How many people are here?
– Those of you who got queued, you know the drill, right? Please, let’s play a long game T_T
– You guys are our hope. Please, don’t act like losers; play hard, and play long, okay?
– 13,500 people are watching you, damn it. If you mess around, we’ll send friend requests immediately.
Damn, that was fast.
As the nicknames of my matched teammates appeared, I spoke with a voice tinged with slight disgust.
“…… Why are these nicknames like this?”
▶Booboo Boobajumbo (TL Note: A nickname that combines vulgar terms for female anatomy with ‘bazooka’ or ‘jumbo’, creating a suggestive and crude name.)
▶ScentOfAMaleWarrior’sRichSweat
▶IfTeamsFightI’llGrabYourVagina (TL Note: A crude and aggressive nickname that combines fighting between teammates with a vulgar term for female anatomy, implying a punitive or threatening action.)
▶InSummerPantiesFallOffToo
Perhaps my voice truly sounded disdainful.
– Wow… damn it, our Twitch viewers (TL Note: ‘Teusu nyeon-deul,’ a slightly derogatory term for Twitch viewers, often used humorously or to express exasperation) are amazing, embarrassing us wherever they go!
– Boobajumbo, you crazy b*tch, get out.
– Isn’t he going to end the stream today? Seriously.
– Twitch average LOLOLOL
– Super f*cking Twitch average LOLOLOL
– We don’t know those bastards…
The chat was filled with users disavowing any connection to them. I let out a wry chuckle at their reactions. Still, it was kind of cute.
“As long as their skill is good, that’s what matters. Let’s just get a proper team composition.”
Booboo Boobajumbo (Teammate): Roger, fighting! Haha.
“…… You, please try to limit your chat a bit. I spoke on stream, and you’re replying in the in-game chat.”
Booboo Boobajumbo (Teammate): Roger, fighting! T_T
Classes were quietly selected, tears seemingly flowing.
In 5v5 arena, players choose three lanes and a hunter position to play the game. I typically went mid.
Given the relatively short lane length and the ability to project influence in the mid-lane, it was ideal for mages who could swiftly clear incoming enemy forces.
“Gardener, Spearman, Sniper, Engineer… not bad.”
Booboo Boobajumbo (Teammate): ^^7
ScentOfAMaleWarrior’sRichSweat (Teammate): ^^7
IfTeamsFightI’llGrabYourVagina (Teammate): ^^7
InSummerPantiesFallOffToo (Teammate): ^^7
It was a very standard and unremarkable composition. The reason for this was likely that all four of them were my viewers.
Of course, for me, this was a good thing. There was no class harder to pick than an Elemental Mage when the team composition wasn’t coordinated.
*Thunk—!
I immediately selected Elemental Mage, and soon all five opposing picks were also chosen, signaling the start of the game.
On the loading screen, I let out a small laugh as I observed the classes of our opponents.
“…… The opponent has a Blood Assassin.”
– Isn’t a Blood Assassin a counter? They have so many mobility skills.
– Yeah, if mages can’t take the initiative, they just get easily killed.
– Ugh, someone should have had the sense to pick a matchup favorable for Elemental Mage.
– But is there even a matchup where Elemental Mage is favored? LOLOLOL
The chat filled with messages. Most were a mix of concern about the difficulty and insults directed at the presumed sniper for their lack of foresight.
However, I hadn’t mentioned it because it was difficult.
“I’ll try to get a solo kill within 5 minutes.”
– ???
– Confidence LOLOL
– A solo kill prediction LOLOLOL
– His spirit is insane LOLOLOL
Disbelieving reactions immediately flared up, but I merely smiled.
And indeed, exactly three minutes and thirty seconds after the game began.
FIRST BLOOD—!
– Wow, crazy, he actually got it LOLOLOLOL
– What? Why is Elemental Mage so strong early game?
– Wow, his range control is insane, he just neatly beat them down LOLOLOL
My prediction had come true.
