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* * *

[Hey you idiot! Open the door!]

[I’m cold! I’m so cold!]

[Boo hoo, we’re just babies, you have to protect us!]

[The skill to drain corpses is quite impressive, isn’t it?]

[What the hell, you just keep posting vlogs! Hurry up and start broadcasting!]

[Are you grinding with a guy? Why aren’t you coming, you piece of crap!]

[Ahh, mama, I’m so tired!]

[??? : Before the season ends, I’ll be Challenger 1st place!]

[This woman who totally ignores the promises is suspicious…]

[How amusing~]

[Paddle when the water rises? More like just diving in…]

Friede’s broadcasting schedule was left unattended without any updates after an unexpected hiatus. A rising star had suddenly declared a break, and it was only natural for Friede’s channel board to turn into a chaotic mess full of mixed emotions.

Days had already passed since the sudden hiatus notice came after the major content event ended.

Although it was a hiatus notice, it offered no indication of when she would return, effectively being an indefinite break. Still, I held onto the hope that she’d be back soon, as it was perfectly logical for a streamer to capitalize on the current growth. Although Friede’s broadcasts had been somewhat lacking in diligence until now, she wasn’t entirely inactive, so I managed to endure based on some level of trust rooted in reason.

However, even that patience began to run thin…

The seed of doubt was planted due to the vlogs that arose one by one over time. A fancy house, a supercar worth billions, a user of virtual reality devices worth tens of millions…

Such titles initially served to enhance Friede’s dazzling charm. They practically flooded discussion boards. A female streamer with godlike beauty excelling in games and being wealthy was the perfect gossip material to indulge in.

Yet, amidst the burning hot topic, a certain claim started to extinguish the flames… That became one of the quickly growing elements of anxiety for the audience. It was none other than Friede’s streaming motivation. The very reasonable counterargument of why an affluent person would pour their heart into streaming began to surface. Some realized that perhaps she started as a hobby and could quit at any moment if she grew bored, given her current favorable circumstances.

Of course, her die-hard fans shot down such claims. She was the one who hugged them at the fan meeting. There was a heartfelt rallying cry that she wouldn’t abandon us if she was that kind. Still, as the broadcast transitioned from Saturday to Sunday, and now just 30 minutes away from changing to the next day with no update in sight, anxiety was inevitable.

At this time, Friede was busy with various activities, like the modification of her colleague Bbae and helping Azin move, but that was only information they were privy to.

Perhaps that’s why.

The sudden notification of Friede’s broadcast brought in double the usual number of viewers to her channel. Most of those who had set notifications rushed to join, a massive move from the Friede faction. What caught my eye as I logged in was a familiar author who just posted a hot-off-the-press new message.

[Hello, this is Friede. I’ll be starting the broadcast.]

It had been ages since the hiatus notice, and now this was Friede’s broadcast announcement.

Some people screamed just from the title while others clenched their fists. Even if they were ridiculed for making a fuss over an internet broadcast, that didn’t matter because the joy they felt at that moment clearly overwhelmed any rational filter. With anxious hearts, but quicker than anyone else, they tapped the title.

[Hello, this is Friede. I’ll be starting the broadcast.]

Author: Friede777

The broadcast starts… now. ^^

Like Snow White choking on a poisoned apple, viewers were caught up in the dilemma of whether to watch the early morning live broadcast, but hesitation was no longer an option. Automatically filled with a waiting screen, the live stream channel was there, offering a notification that felt like a poisoned chalice for many office workers preparing for Monday. But there was no hesitation in clicking it.

* * *

“Hello.”

[Can’t even breathe!]

[Hmph! The viewers are angry.]

[Host, let’s do that thing, okay?]

[Wait, why is it a cam stream today?]

[The timing for starting the broadcast is really something, isn’t it, Sensei? ^^]

[What the heck, no Soul Warfare?]

[What did you do during your break? Did you meet a guy? Did you hit it off with one of the guys you met at the fan meeting? Were you texting and going on dates? Did you end up at a motel sharing a shower while the bed turned golden with water?]

[This is a chaotic start.]

“Yeah, this guy is getting kicked and banned. Sweet dreams!”

Well, starting the broadcast wasn’t surprising anymore.

With my signal, Azin, who was promoted to admin, started going around with no mercy. It’s clear that a reliable person like Azin is way better than the useless Bbae. The performance is guaranteed.

I quickly scanned the chat, getting rid of several troublemakers without mercy, while the flood of entering viewers was chaotic as expected. Still, the general response was pretty similar.

“Um, the reason starting the broadcast at this time is nothing special. I just happened to have someone I was scheduled to join who was free at this time, so I had no choice.”

[Who are you duoing with that you, Friede, would synchronize your time?]

[Getting led by someone else’s play, Sensei? How valuable!]

[It’s with a Challenger, right? Who? Gunde? Bisu? Haldir?]

[They’re all guys, jeez. -,-]

Well, of course, a duo would naturally mean a user of the same rank, and most of those would be some dark figures, so I couldn’t blame them for their reactions, even if I wasn’t performing a nude show in front of my duo in Soul Warfare.

“What’s wrong? Am I that lesser than others? Haven’t I experienced some growth?”

[Sensei’s growth level is like a mayfly, right?]

[A mayfly dying in a fart truck!]

[Fart truck? What the hell is that, you nerd.]

[Don’t know?]

[This chat is filled with uncles.]

[Ugh, an uncle-heavy viewership. This feels like something out of an indie comic.]

[And Friede has gained 100 fans! ^^]

―FriedeGoldX has been kicked out.

[Azinmk1: Please keep chat respectful. Violations will result in kicks and permanent bans.]

[Azinmk2: For those enjoying the broadcast, please subscribe and set notifications!]

[Azinmk3: When Soul Warfare starts, let’s have fun with various donations and missions!]

[Azinmk4: For any awesome ads or sponsorships to enhance Friede’s broadcast, please email the broadcast notice…]

The periodically appearing admin messages filled the narrow chat window tightly. Truly, an ally who fights solely for me, Friede. See this, you guys? This is the technique of fluid doppelgänger! Hell, my already ridiculously huge chest feels even more grand now.

Unlike before, it seems like chat admins can only manage one channel per account connected. It’s like a premium service you can enjoy, and it fits perfectly with Azin’s abilities. Look at this spectacle. Without needing to send signals anymore, Azin kindly sent troublemakers over to Siberia without a second thought. Compared to the previous days with Bbae, this swift and clean handling warmed my heart even while on air. I had been waiting for a talent like this.

With the chat admin spot completely filled by Azin, I was in a situation that could rival an army of a million. If Azin were to fully unleash all her abilities, even hacking skills, wouldn’t that make us a cyber attack squad?

I found myself intoxicated with a sense of victory and waved my fingers excitedly.

“Everyone better behave. Our Azin admins use fluid doppelgängers, you know? If you misbehave, you’ll all be peeling oranges in Siberia.”

[Do, domhwangcha!]

[Shit, just realized there are a ton of armed guys!]

[But why do all their IDs look the same? Did they coordinate?]

[The host has finally filled the place with admins!]

[Magic sword cut! It’s a magic sword cut!]

The lively atmosphere quickly calmed down with a fierce cleanup. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a quick status change during a broadcast.

“Uh, where did I leave off? Oh right. There’s still a little time until our promise, so I thought I’d start early since I was bored. You know how warming up is.”

“What did you do during the break? I met up with some friends and had some personal time. Helped a close friend move too.”

“Am I likely to hit Challenger while boosting my rank? Well, I guess I’ll have to try, right? But as I said, I’ll put in the effort.”

“I didn’t upload anything secretly during the hiatus because I don’t want to do that solo. If I suddenly hit the first rank with a win streak, everyone will go wild.”

The broadcast flowed quite smoothly. It had been ages since I had an interaction session like this with the viewers. Looking back, I only remembered streaming ready-made content like a bulldozer. One could say it was quite inconsiderate broadcasting. So, it felt rather enjoyable to delve into this brief yet charming interaction with the viewers.

Glancing at the clock, I noticed the promised time was approaching.

Just in time, an alert ping flashed across my screen.

It signaled that it was nearly time to return, a muted cue.

* * *

 

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