Discovering and streaming new games is always a bit nerve-wracking.
No matter how confident you are, there’s always that lingering fear—”What if the stream gets boring if the game doesn’t meet the audience’s expectations?”
In that sense, I’d say this Stella Craft stream was quite a success.
The introduction of a new game brought a refreshing vitality to my streaming and gaming life.
It’s like a confidence boost, knowing that I’ve stepped away from being a one-trick pony with Soul Warfare.
Thanks to that, the next day’s Soul Warfare ranked games—my climb toward the Challenger tier—were streamed with newfound enthusiasm.
“Oooh, goodness…!”
Stretching my back after finishing the fourth day of streaming, I felt my tense muscles relax.
The remaining time wouldn’t exactly be a holiday, though; I’d be busy sorting through editor contest submissions.
I emailed today’s stream files to Dayoung and logged into my YouTube channel.
“This counts as a big deal, doesn’t it?”
Though there was no one to answer, the numbers on the screen made the words spill out on their own.
About 300,000 subscribers on the YouTube channel and 400,000 followers on the Switch channel.
The highest-viewed video this week surpassed 1 million views…
I’m not an expert in the streaming industry, but for a streamer who’s only been doing this for three days, this kind of growth seems extraordinary.
‘Unless we count legendary broadcasts hosted by pro gamers, I might be the only one, right?’
‘Or not, whatever.’
***
Two Stella Craft videos from day three, decorated with witty thumbnails, had ironically outperformed my Soul Warfare streams by over 20% in views.
This is the power of editing—and the appeal of classic medieval games, I suppose.
It was quite surprising, even to me.
“Editing, huh….”
I watched the Stella Craft video that Dayoung had edited.
Sure enough, it was enjoyable from a third-person perspective.
Even though the stream ran long, the well-planned time distribution kept it from feeling exhausting.
The dull segments had been boldly cut out, and amusing memes or funny quips were added at just the right moments to spice things up.
Even split into two parts due to its length, the videos performed exceptionally well.
‘So this is amateur work?’
“Dayoung… you did a great job.”
She’d told me that with a professional editor, the content could be refined into something even more entertaining.
She’d strongly recommended that I find a skilled editor.
“Hmm….”
Tapping my fingers lightly on the desk, I felt a rush of emotions.
‘Was it a sense of urgency? Anxiety? Restlessness?’
It was hard to pinpoint, but one thing was clear—I needed to be meticulous in selecting the right editor.
Judging by the growth rate, I couldn’t afford to make a careless choice.
“Let’s check my emails while I’m at it.” [email protected]
I’d deliberately ignored them to focus on streaming, but now that the week’s streaming schedule was done, it was a good time to take a look.
The dedicated email address, linked to both my YouTube and Switch channels, was [email protected].
I thought I’d done a decent job promoting it, but I was curious how many applications I’d received.
“…Ah.”
The number displayed in the inbox—1,394 emails—made me slightly dizzy.
‘What’s this? That’s way too many emails for just three days.’
‘Were all of these editor applications?’
“That can’t be.”
Shaking my head, I dismissed the thought.
It was probably mixed with spam, considering I’d announced the email address on my streams and YouTube channel.
Filtering the emails by the subject line ‘YouTube Editor Application,’ as per the contest guidelines, I narrowed it down to 328 emails.
“Good thing I followed Dayoung’s advice.”
She’d told me to set specific application formats whenever hosting a contest or collecting submissions through email.
Thanks to that, I could start compactly and efficiently.
The real question was whether I could properly sift through and identify the real gems among these submissions.
“Let’s sort the applications first….”
There could still be phishing scams or spam emails among them.
‘Who knows?’ Someone might have even sent indecent content.
The actual showdown between editing samples could wait.
First, I had to weed out the junk.
“I mean… there’s no way I’d handle all this alone.”
“That’s why you called me,” Dayoung said, shrugging her shoulders.
Meeting her in the MS room, her gesture implied she’d already anticipated this situation. Was this the insight of a seasoned pro?
“Normally, a well-prepared, big-name streamer would hire someone or even have a manager for this kind of thing. Times have changed.”
True. Handling this alone would be too much.
Even if I could manage, meeting the contest schedule would be nearly impossible.
‘How many times did I stumble over nonsense yesterday while reviewing submissions?’
***
Without a break after the stream, I spent seven hours checking whether videos were legitimate entries or nonsense submissions.
Some had only formatted the subject line correctly while filling the body with absurdities.
For example:
[Show us your face!]
[Where do you live?]
[I recommend this game—want to duo with me?]
Or worse:
[Hi, I’m the manager of Old World Dung Beetle Team. Earn some quick profits by forming meaningful connections with others. My number is….]
[What’s your usual underwear brand?]
[What’s your bust size?]
[How many cups are you?]
[Let me show you my junk—show me yours too!]
And let’s not forget the occasional explicit content, body-cam clips, or gross images inserted into the middle of actual editing portfolios.
The creativity and persistence in their absurdity were truly baffling.
‘What can I do?’ It’s just the reality of having a large applicant pool.
Like they say, with abundance comes garbage.
“Good job, me. You really worked hard yesterday.”
The extreme difficulty of sorting through everything felt like something only a warrior’s discipline could endure.
Getting to the final list of valid applications had been no small feat.
“Filtered down to 83 applicants, huh?”
As Dayoung scrolled through the list, she tilted her head slightly.
‘Was there a problem?’
“Maybe it’s because your stream hasn’t been around that long? I thought you’d get over 100 submissions.”
“There were more than 100, but some of the quality was… honestly, not great.”
“Wow, if you’re saying that, they must have been complete amateurs. Probably just taking a shot in the dark.”
Dayoung nodded in agreement, adding a knowing “makes sense” as a comment.
Come to think of it, ‘how had Dayoung managed all this back in the day?’
Before awakening as a warrior, she had already been a seasoned streamer since her high school days.
With her pretty and cute looks, plus her youthful appearance as a student, she must have been a magnet for all kinds of troublemakers.
From what she said, it was hard to tell if she’d shaken it off already or if it had never really bothered her.
Anyway, now wasn’t the time to get lost in thought.
“I figured you’d need help, so I cleared my streaming schedule for this week. Let’s power through, shall we?”
With her rallying cry, Dayoung embodied the spirit of an unwavering supporter, and I followed her lead, ready to ride her proverbial carry bus.
***
“The effects are way over the top. Overdoing these can ruin the vibe. Kill .”
“The video pacing is good, but everything else is too bland. Pass.”
“What’s with all the first-person POV shots? What fun is that for viewers? There’s no flow. Kill.”
“This is way too suggestive. Do they want the channel to get banned? Kill.”
“This one’s politically charged. That’s an immediate no. Kill.”
‘Is she writing a death list or what?’
Watching Dayoung ruthlessly eliminate submissions, I kept my mouth shut and observed quietly.
It wasn’t like I could argue; her standards were higher, and the rejected videos really did have major flaws.
I started worrying she might reject every submission, but she did set aside a few that seemed promising.
And then, about halfway through…
“Oh, this one’s pretty good.”
Just when we were losing hope, we discovered a gem.
Even Dayoung nodded approvingly.
“Right? This is the best one so far. It’s up-to-date with trends and memes, the pacing is excellent, and the effects are minimal in a way that enhances immersion.”
“Most importantly, they tailored it to your streams, which earns extra points. The compatibility between the streamer and the editor is crucial.”
‘Dayoung often said that creating a portfolio using the streamer’s content was a smart move since it allowed her to gauge their synergy.’
“Now, let’s see… The nickname is…”
“A-Jin?”
“What is that? Sounds kind of lame.”
‘Coming from you?’
I swallowed the words before they left my mouth, choosing silence over provoking her.
After spending the entire weekend reviewing submissions, we managed to select seven finalists.
***
“Beautiful weather today. Did everyone have a good weekend?”
[Woohoo~!]
[Noona, you seem extra energetic today!]
[Finally… something big is coming.]
[Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump.]
Greeted by an enthusiastic audience, I opened this week’s first stream with a smile.
Today wasn’t just any stream.
It was a significant moment—a chance to find a new partner who could shape my channel for the coming months, maybe even years.
“As I’ve already announced, I’ll remind you one more time for anyone who missed it.”
“Today, we’re hosting the final round of the editing contest.”
[Who wouldn’t know that by now?]
[That person is YOU.]
[á„…á„‹, hello.]
[What kind of weird or wacky video is waiting for us?]
[The editor must be female! Editor must be female! Editor must be female!]
[If it’s a male editor, we riot! Male editors are not acceptable!]
[ᄉᄇ. These crazy fans are at it again.]
[Noona, control your chat, please.]
The chat was lively—chaotic even—but that energy was part of the charm.
For any contest or competition, the excitement of the crowd set the tone.
“Alright, let’s get started.
“Welcome to the Ultimate Galaxy Editor Contest on the Friede Channel!”
Slowly but surely…
[Let’s gooo!]
[If my eyes suffer, noona, you’re to blame.]]
[We’re babies. Protect us from terrible quality.]
[Hurry up! Let’s do this!]
It was time to begin.