The Ninja Warrior broadcast successfully concluded.
Extreme wall climbing that surpassed even Islamic warriors.
From the start to the end of the game, I probably spent more time with my feet on walls than on the ground.
I complimented myself on the concept of stealing objects using throwing knives, which still seems like a pretty solid idea.
It wasn’t about assassinating players but rather assassinating objects.
Taking them out from beyond their detection range—now that’s a playstyle fitting of a true ninja assassin, isn’t it?
Well, it wasn’t an invincible strategy without counters.
As time went on, people started figuring out ways to deal with it.
[Wow, now even archers are entering the labyrinth lololol]
[Well, what can you do? Melee can’t detect Sensei right now.]
[How long are you going to be the ever-giving tree?]
[Even if Sensei’s outfit blends with the camouflage and wall climbing is top-notch, when the archers come, nothing can be done.]
[To stop archers with guards, you’d need another Sensei-level wall-climbing ninja on your side.]
Let me know if you need further changes!
Archers, due to their stat and weapon buffs, had good detection even in the dark labyrinth, making the final rounds quite challenging.
I eventually had to abandon wall climbing and opt for a direct confrontation to get through.
Still, I think I had enough fun to make it worthwhile.
***
[Mission Success by Kimkkaettulakku! 580,000 won awarded!
—Wow, can’t believe you actually did it.]
[Kimkkaettulakku’s money is melting away again today.]
[Think you can pull this off in front of Sensei? Take on a mission, and you’re off to the Han River.]
[lololol Watch your mouth unless you want to end up in big trouble!]
A sense of pride welled up in my chest, knowing I had achieved so much more than the mission payout.
The amount just sent by a viewer was accumulated from a challenge: 10,000 won for every object I stole as a ninja warrior.
In total, I had stolen 58 objects during today’s broadcast.
They weren’t all major or critical targets, but it was still an astonishing record.
Having completed the mission, I felt elated and eager to savor this feeling for a while.
I returned to the Soul Warfare lobby.
“Alright, I think I’ll wrap up the stream here. That was quite a long run.”
[?? This counts as a long stream?]
[Sensei… don’t you have any sense of dedication in your heart?]
[Sis, this is way too short. It’s not even half the usual streamer content.]
[Do more, do more, do more, do more, do more!]
So, they think the stream was short… Comparing it to the average stream times of other streamers, I guess they’re right.
Including this one, I’ve rarely gone over three hours lately.
I mean, this isn’t a job for me—it’s not labor for survival.
I don’t feel the need to push myself unnecessarily.
As long as I get just the right amount of attention to keep me motivated, that’s enough.
‘Still…’
‘Maybe… giving a little extra service wouldn’t hurt?’
Instead of the beautiful sunset from last time, Soul Warfare’s characteristic dreamy and gloomy night sky filled the screen.
As a ninja standing beneath the massive moon, I adjusted the camera angle to show only my back again, just like before.
“Alright then…”
Removing my ninja mask, the cold, frosty wind bit at my skin.
My golden hair, which had been tucked inside, scattered in all directions.
Breathing in the refreshing chill deeply, I turned toward the camera and made a V-sign before ending the stream.
“Bye-bye.”
I ignored the exploding chatbox as I shut down the stream.
After all, whether the chat went wild or not at the end of a broadcast wasn’t my concern.
“If it’s during the stream, that’s a different story.”
***
Left alone in the MS Room, I logged into my broadcasting channel.
Switch Panel board—its setup was quick.
Before the application date expired, my channel was already established.
The first post on a board should always be written by its owner.
[Friede Panel Board]
Author: Friede777
This is Friede’s board.
After quickly typing it out, I hit the submit button.
‘But what’s this?’
When the board refreshed after submission, my post was in the second position.
Someone with a username I’d never seen before had taken the first spot with some bizarre rambling about ‘claiming the first post.’
To be honest, it caught me off guard.
I’d received the notification for the board setup and immediately wrote my post, ‘but someone managed to beat me to it?’
‘How should I even interpret that?’
‘Is this obsession? Are they living their life properly?’
Various thoughts crossed my mind.
‘But what could I do?’ All rights to the board belonged to me.
The post by whoever that was claiming the first spot was deleted immediately.
My post naturally moved up to the top.
Sure, I could screenshot this and brag, ‘but what would be the point?’ It’d be nothing more than a petty victory.’
Returning to the present, the panel board was bustling.
The reasons were varied—complaints about only showing my back again, grumbles about the broadcast being too short, and…
***
[Title: Hello, this is Ajin.
Author: Ajin (Admin)
Hello.
I’m Ajin, recently appointed as the video editor and board manager for Friede’s stream.
First, I want to take this opportunity to apologize to everyone I may have hurt during the contest process, and to Friede, who hosted the event.
From now on, I will do my best to fulfill my role as a suitable editor and board manager for Friede’s streams.
Thank you.]
(Insert a generic kneeling apology meme here.)
***
Ajin’s apology post.
The reaction wasn’t bad.
Since no explicit insults were involved, the situation seemed to be smoothing over.
Especially with the kneeling meme—it seemed to be the clincher.
After all, it’s not common to see someone bring in a real-life photo for an online apology.
‘So, what news is there for today?’
I skimmed through the panel board and then checked the mailbox registered to my channel.
It was the mailbox of a streamer who hadn’t even been active for two weeks yet.
Overflowing with fresh, hot content, the sight of the inbox almost felt warm.
[Your application for the STK Brawl Tournament has been accepted.
Hello, Friede777.
Thank you for participating in the brawl tournament hosted by the STK team.
This tournament will begin with a private preliminary round one week from now.
If you advance to the main round, the matches will be streamed live through virtual reality online.
Additionally, please note that there will be interviews and filming sessions for tournament advertisements.]
And…
Apart from the confirmation email about the STK Brawl Tournament and its schedule, there wasn’t much else of interest in the inbox.
It was a bit disappointing that there wasn’t anything substantial.
‘But what could I do?’ Everything went straight to the trash.
That’s when it happened.
***
Ding!
A notification echoed through the MS Room.
‘Who would send me a personal message at this hour?’
If it were Dayoung, she’d be streaming right now.
Tilting my head slightly in confusion, I opened the message box.
And there it was…
[General] Breaking News: Cicadas Spreading in Ranked Games!
(A meme of someone clinging to a wall like a cicada before falling due to a control mistake.)
Every ranked game, there’s at least one player clinging to the wall like that.
Sometimes, over four people on the enemy team are stuck to walls, just hovering around.
If they were good at throwing knives or assassinations, I wouldn’t mind, but they keep messing up and falling to their deaths.
Friede, you [expletive]! Because of you, ranked games are full of bugs!
Loo: What ninja warrior? They’re cicada warriors.
NunaEatsMidir: Oh lol, Friede’s definitely a ninja warrior. Watch out for fakes, though.
***
[General] Cicadas in Master Rank—Seriously?
Some are surprisingly good at this tactic, managing to pull it off successfully.
That ninja warrior concept is hard to execute, but when done right, the ambush assassinations are wild.
(A meme of Islamic assassins dropping en masse from the ceiling.)
I was casually heading down an alternate route to snag an object, and suddenly, something started falling like crazy from the ceiling.
Freaking lunatics.
[Loo: Wow, like cockroaches dropping from a torn ceiling.]
[Loo: Friede poisoned the game.]
[GarterBeltJik: Aren’t those trying to mimic Friede or criticize her just pathetic? Disgusting, really.]
[Loo: Aren’t you that sweaty guy who’s always in Friede’s chat?]
[GarterBeltJik: Who knows?]
***
[General] Stop the Cicada Noise Already!
Damn it!
(A meme of an object stolen with a throwing knife.)
They kept trying to steal objects from the start, and in the end, they stole a crucial one that led to our comeback loss.
[Loo: Can’t believe they managed to steal that.]
[Nn: Lotto-level luck right there lolol.]
[Loo: Whether it’s the thief or the one stolen from—both are hilarious.]
***
[General] My Thoughts on Trying the Cicada Run
First, here’s my rank.
(Grandmaster-tier proof screenshot.)
I’ve been seeing the so-called “Cicada Run” trend on Friede’s stream, combining Islamic warrior and ninja warrior playstyles.
Here’s my experience with both, after resetting my stats and giving it a proper go.
Islamic Warrior
The fun comes from ambushing while hiding on walls or ceilings, but if there are more than two enemies, it’s not worth it.
Wall climbing takes skill, and if you’re spotted, you’re basically a sitting duck.
Extreme difficulty.
Ninja Warrior
Wall climbing control is even harder than with the Islamic warrior.
On top of that, you need to hit critical points on objects with throwing knives.
Of course, there’s no aim assist.
Even with maximum critical damage, throwing knives are weak, so timing is insanely difficult.
Absolute madness.
Conclusion
Don’t try this, you [expletives].
[Loo: Lol, I feel you.]
[ThinMan: Can’t believe these scrubs think they’re anywhere near Friede’s level.]
[Loo: Just read the situation properly, damn it.]
[Loo: Actually, unless you’re Challenger tier, don’t even try it.]
[Loo: Friede’s execution is unmatched lol.]
***
[General] Another Rear View of Friede Today!
Author: ThinMan
‘A ninja revealed to be a blonde beauty under the moonlight?’
‘What a perfect story idea, isn’t it?’ So captivating, right?
The lone assassin, strategist, and wanderer.
Sis, you’re killing me!!!
[Loo: Damn, she’s so annoying, always just showing her back.]
[Loo: Streams are so short these days—just raking in money, huh?]
[ThinMan: Yeah, Friede’s loaded, upper class, rich, and stunning.]
[RandomUser: How do you even know Friede’s face? Are you her acquaintance or something?]
[ThinMan: Who knows?]
[Loo: ThinMan’s attitude is pissing me off these days.]
***
“Haha, heh, hehe.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
The amateurs in the community praising Friede so fervently—it was hilarious.
But they were only seeing fragments of Friede, Ji Sehee, from her streams.
‘Is there anyone who’s really dug into her as much as I have?’
… There is.
The face of that mediocre, insignificant small-time streamer, Park, came to mind, and Ajin’s expression twisted in irritation.
But that superiority would only last a moment.
***
Ding!
A new personal message notification rang out, catching Ajin’s ear.
When she checked the contents, her facial muscles twitched uncontrollably.