[TS] Malicious Sniper

The preseason was a double-edged sword for Curry.

The large-scale item patch that would apply to the new season provided Curry with new content.

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But that was just temporary content; in reality, Curry’s main content was the Solo Queue Broadcast.

During the preseason, playing Solo Queue to increase scores and ranks didn’t mean much.

After all, everything was set to reset with the new season starting.

Ultimately, playing Solo Queue during the preseason only meant gaining a little matching score, MMR.

‘The item lab content won’t last long either.’

No matter how much of a revolution the patch was claimed to be.

If there’s one thing the persistent Koreans are good at, it’s finding answers quickly and directing attention towards one solution.

‘I need content that can hold out until the Platform Tournament in December.’

One item lab content studying new items couldn’t possibly sustain an entire month.

At the very least, he had to last until the official start of the Platform Tournament in December.

Of course, during this period, he could take a break and even go on a trip.

However, for the hard-working Curry, even a brief rest felt like a luxury.

After pondering deeply, Curry decided to clear his head by logging into the Twitch where he streams.

Sometimes, Curry would gain inspiration for content by watching other streams, so today he didn’t fail to search for inspiration.

Setting the category to League of Legends and sorting by the highest viewer count, he checked out the top stream.

“Hmm?”

The stream listed at the top caught Curry’s eye.

There was no title for the stream, nor was it a well-known streamer’s nickname or account.

Yet, around 8,600 people were watching.

Considering it was morning, that number was nearly impossible to comprehend.

Curiosity led Curry to enter the stream, drawn in by that impossible number.

Upon entering, the first thing that caught his attention was a woman’s hand from a hand cam.

It wasn’t surprising to see a woman playing League of Legends.

What was strange, however, was that the chat was clean—there were no bots assisting with moderation, and there was no manager in sight.

Usually, when so many viewers gather, and the chat has no restrictions, it tends to get messy.

But this chat was filled with viewers who shared nothing but respectful comments.

That unusual sight was so fascinating that after watching for a while, curiosity bubbled up.

How on earth was this possible?

Driven by curiosity, Curry watched the stream under the username ‘zxcv1234’ for a while.

Within an hour, he learned many things.

The owner of the stream was the famous ‘Unknown Yone Master’.

Also known as Barcode, the Yone master was a woman.

And most importantly, her occasionally heard voice was exceptionally charming.

Entering a League of Legends community he hadn’t visited for a while, Curry instantly understood why viewer numbers were so high.

The comments were flooded with stories related to ‘Barcode’, creating such a buzz that it was no wonder so many were watching.

Curry gathered details from the most recommended post titled ‘The Bet Incident Between the Wandering Swordsman and Barcode’.

Soon enough, an unfortunate content idea from the past popped into Curry’s mind.

That content was called ‘Meeting with the Master,’ which involved inviting a master of a specific champion to play together.

Previously, due to schedule coordination and lack of consent for appearances, this came to a halt for various reasons.

But if he could invite the central figures in the League of Legends frenzy—Wandering Swordsman and Barcode—this content could once again spread its wings.

‘During the preseason, I could present a new format—something like introducing the master’s researched item builds…’

With an item patch that could almost be considered a complete reset, would it be appropriate to introduce new item builds researched by the masters?

The timing couldn’t be better than now when everyone was bewildered about which items to choose.

However, he still needed to recruit masters who could appear on his broadcast to make this happen.

‘For now, this person is still streaming…’

There’s nothing more annoying in this industry than interrupting someone else’s broadcast.

So, deciding it was best to make his request after the stream ended, Curry began his efforts to reach out to the Wandering Swordsman.

*

The Lonely Gourmet: …Could you do a Collab Stream with me?

A sudden request for collaboration from Curry*.

It didn’t seem like he had recognized my identity, but it wasn’t exactly a warm response.

I wasn’t sure if Curry meant an in-person meeting or just a game collab, but if it was the former, I planned to decline outright.

IlilIililI: A Collab Stream? Meeting in person might be a bit…

The Lonely Gourmet: Ah, no! I absolutely do not mean meeting in reality!

The Lonely Gourmet: There’s a Collab Stream I did six months ago called ‘Meeting with the Master.’

The Lonely Gourmet: It’s a content format where I introduce various tips from celestial-tier players who are good at specific champions.

“Hmm…”

I chuckled at the urgency in Curry’s messages.

I remembered the ‘Meeting with the Master’ content too.

It surely had received good feedback, but for some reason, it didn’t last for Curry.

I weighed the decision to collaborate or not.

If I were to only consider fun, collaborating would probably be more enjoyable.

What worried me was that I might be revealed as the notorious ‘Nayun Queen,’ who had relentlessly targeted Curry.

The Lonely Gourmet: So, it’s not doable…?

As I continued contemplating, Curry sent a message filled with gloom.

Just reading that message made it clear what kind of expression Curry was making, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Since I was already in one broadcast, I had no reason to say I couldn’t join this one.

‘This could be my chance to legally target him, right?’

Moreover, from the perspective of a ‘streamer’ participating in the Collab Stream, I would have the opportunity to take my shots at Curry.

During the preseason, targeting him garnered a lackluster response, which made it feel boring.

Just when I started to feel like I was returning to the tedious past, Curry tossed me this delightful opportunity.

IlilIililI: Alright. Let’s do a Collab Stream.

The Lonely Gourmet: Thank you so much for accepting! I thought you might decline since it was so sudden…

IlilIililI: I honestly considered turning it down, but then it didn’t seem like it would be boring.

The Lonely Gourmet: Knowing you’re looking forward to it makes me feel an intense pressure. I’ll guide you regarding the details on [Discord Link] here.

I joined the server Curry sent through the Discord link.

And not long after, a long message arrived from Curry.

It contained detailed schedules for the Collab Stream.

‘This should be entertaining.’

The simple preparations I needed to make before the collaboration were to gather new item builds for Yone and several tips people wouldn’t know.

It was almost like there were no preparations required at all.

And so, while expecting the Collab Stream with Curry, I continued playing Solo Queue.

Suddenly, my eyes were drawn to the hotfix patch notes applied to the main server.

The hotfix patch content revealing the nerf to the previously overwhelming Guinsoo.

The nerf indicated that Guinsoo’s price increased by 200 gold, and the additional damage dealt per crit reduced from 45 to 40.

“That’s a bit ambiguous.”

I immediately purchased Guinsoo and summoned a training dummy to test it out.

Honestly, I didn’t feel the effects of the nerf in damage.

From a simple calculation, the damage drop seemed 10,000, so it made sense that I wouldn’t feel it.

But the most decisive nerf was the price nerf, and I would need to test Guinsoo multiple times in-game to truly feel it.

Whenever it came to item price nerfs, it was tough to grasp how much it impacted until experiencing it firsthand.

So, I left training mode and dove into Solo Queue, researching the item build I would use for the Collab Stream.

*

“Hmm… Was it not a good stream?”

While queuing for matches, Wandering Swordsman muttered as he glanced at Barcode’s Twitch account, which had yet to go live today.

He had made a bet to show Barcode how entertaining streaming could be, and while he succeeded in winning that bet, she hadn’t streamed since.

[What are you mumbling about, Swordsman?]

[Geez… Are you only going to talk to yourself?]

[It’s annoying that you’re talking to yourself, Swordsman.]

“Uh, it’s nothing much. Just lost in thought…”

Attempting to downplay the playful banter from the viewers, Wandering Swordsman shifted his focus elsewhere.

Still, his mind was occupied with curiosity about why Barcode chose not to go live.

What on earth was she doing?

Was it because the player who beat her was a woman?

However, he dismissed the thought.

There was no way that such a trivial reason could pique his interest.

When Barcode had spoken with a woman’s voice, he was taken aback.

Next, he felt a strange sensation when he finally admitted she was female.

But beyond that, he felt no other emotions whatsoever.

Then why on earth was he so preoccupied with why she wasn’t streaming?

‘Is it a sense of responsibility?’

The reason Barcode revealed her gender was due to the stream, and going live was because of the bet they made.

Perhaps, from Barcode’s perspective, she wanted to keep her gender a secret but had to reveal it due to the bet?

Just as his curiosity began to settle, guilt filled the void.

He was the one who had instigated an ignorant bet about this, so he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.

Resolving to apologize to Barcode later, Wandering Swordsman stared blankly when an alert popped up on Twitch.

[zxcv1234 is live: Curry’s Collab Stream]

“…So, it was all in my head.”

Wandering Swordsman felt the urge to hide, but now was a significant broadcast time to interact with viewers.

Pretending nothing had happened, he seamlessly continued his stream.

*

The news of Curry and Barcode’s Collab Stream spread widely.

It garnered even more attention and excitement than when Wandering Swordsman and Barcode had their first stream.

[Seating!]

[Seating!]

[So when are they coming out?]

[Hehe… Sis…]

[Streamer Barcode, go live!]

[Barcode, awaken!]

Even though Curry’s stream was still on the waiting screen, a considerable number of viewers had accumulated.

Despite the fact that the official start hadn’t even happened yet, 10,000 viewers had already gathered, and at this rate, it would surely exceed 20,000 easily.

Watching the spectacle unfold, Curry attempted to eliminate rising tension and relaxed his throat.

Once nearly all preparations were completed, Curry moved the mouse to remove the waiting screen from the broadcast.

[Ka-ha!]

[Ka-ha!]

[Ka-ha means hello, Curry!]

[Ka-ha!]

[So when is Sis coming out?]

[Why not an in-person collab?]

[Ka-ha!]

“Hello, everyone! It’s great to see you! Ka-ha ka-ha~”

Chirping his greeting, Curry waved at the camera.

Then he settled into his chair, placing both hands on the desk.

“Today, as previously announced… I have invited that individual who’s igniting all sorts of discussions in various communities these days!”

[Quick quick quick quick]

[I’m dying, I’m dying, I’m dying]

[Hehe… Hehe… Hehe…]

“Okay, everyone. Do we really want to show our ugly side to someone from the bright side? Let’s show some gentlemanly behavior!”

[Meaning to calm down]

[Any more spamming and it has to stop]

[What happens if the ASCII art spam runs wild?]

“If it runs wild, that’s when the viewing stops. If the stream stops, it’s gonna be a real problem!”

[For real lol]

[That’s for sure]

[Quickly bring her in before my patience runs out…]

[When we’re gentlemen, we should act like gentlemen!]

With the atmosphere and sentiment of the chat room firmly in his grasp, Curry moved his mouse once more and quietly said.

“Now then, without further ado!”

“I’ll connect with that person now.”

After a few beeps that broke the silence of the broadcast,

The call was connected with a unique sound that signaled the connection.

“Are you the famed ‘Unknown Yone Master’ who carried the game against the Showdown player, Barcode?”

With a pre-prepared line, Curry started the talk.

A small giggle followed by a woman’s voice came through.

“Yes, that’s me.”

Her voice blended with a charming vibe, mixed with playfulness and a hint of sultriness.

Just listening to it felt like exhaustion dissipating, a voice so alluring.

As that voice reached Curry’s ears,

The chat in his stream exploded like never before.

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