Chapter 69: An unexpected pledge

“Can I leave first, then?”

“Yes, since it’s only the preliminaries, we’re not conducting interviews. You can head out now. Great job! See you in the finals.”

‘Letting me leave first but then leaving themselves right away—what’s that about?’

As the formalities wrapped up, the staff member left the room in a hurry, and I couldn’t help but let out a small sigh.

Still, the results were good.

Six wins, no losses.

The final record secured my spot in the round of 16.

The grind up to the round of 32… actually ended faster than expected.

It felt a little anticlimactic, but finishing things quickly is always a good thing.

So, I decided to see it positively.

***

Leaving the prelims waiting room, I returned to my usual MS room and logged out without hesitation.

I missed the air of reality and felt an urgency to take a real, deep breath again.

[Would you like to log out?]

“Confirm.”

The feeling was like surfacing from underwater after holding my breath too long—swimming up to finally breathe again.

There was an odd sense of liberation.

Despite the late hour, my body felt unusually energized.

‘It’s silly to feel this way about a virtual reality game, but what can you do?’

During the competition, I couldn’t log out casually, so I had to sit idly in the waiting room for hours.

Sure, I browsed the internet, but there’s a limit to how much you can do.

Sitting there in solitude, with no one coming by, was mentally taxing in its own way.

“Whew!”

I stepped out of the capsule and stretched to loosen up.

Virtual reality is great and all, but after long sessions, your body definitely feels stiff.

If only they could fix that somehow.

Even with the ergonomic cushions designed for comfort, there are limits.

I couldn’t imagine how uncomfortable the budget headsets must be, the ones without any capsules at all.

I opened the window to let fresh air circulate through the room, which had grown stuffy.

***

In the meantime, I powered on my computer.

My mouse cursor instinctively hovered toward the Soul Warfare community page, but I quickly redirected it to YouTube instead.

I avoided the forums—both the Soul Warfare Gallery and my personal channel’s discussion boards.

I had already tasted the chaos of fake enthusiasm after my first match victory.

Even a small taste had been too much.

This was my break.

Not the kind of five-minute respite you get mid-match, but the well-earned rest of someone who’s finished a full day’s work—having completely wrapped up the preliminaries.

Grabbing a can of beer from the fridge to quench my thirst, I aimlessly clicked through YouTube links following the algorithm’s suggestions.

Before I knew it, I was watching a popular YouTuber’s review of a barbecue restaurant near Seoul.

I wondered if the choice of food-related content, especially about meat, had something to do with my physical and mental exhaustion from the competition.

Eventually, I glanced at the time and realized it was already late evening.

“They must be going crazy by now.”

The preliminaries should be wrapping up, meaning most of the results were probably out by now.

Soon, the tournament bracket would be finalized and announced.

It was exciting to think that I had climbed to the Challenger tier and made it into the finals of a major amateur tournament.

‘Not bad for a streamer who hadn’t even debuted a month ago, right?’

While flashy gameplay clips are important, a solid competitive record that others can see is just as critical.

Still, I couldn’t complain.

I felt pretty good about myself.

***

Ding!

A notification popped up on my smartphone.

It was from the chatroom linked to my MS room ID.

‘The room’s name?’ Brave Warriors Streamers.

The members were, of course, Friede, Forming, ThinStick (nicknamed Stick), and Ajini—a party of four.

[Forming: Good work, sis.]

[Ajini: You were amazing, sis! Keep up the wins! ><]

Seeing this message from the group, it was clear the preliminaries were over.

Now, the main tournament brackets would be released soon.

‘Who would I face next in the round of 16?’

I could just check the community boards myself, but today, I didn’t feel like poking my head in there.

So, I’d outsource the information.

Of course, I had a reliable helper.

‘I’ll ask Dayoung to check for me.’

I wasn’t eager to wade into the chaos and madness of that community myself.

As the saying goes, if you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back.

‘But didn’t I already pass that stage?’

…Or maybe not.

***

“Whew. Another day done. Great work, everyone.”

As the preliminaries ended, Dayoung stretched her body to loosen her muscles.

Even though it was virtual reality, stretching gave her a refreshed feeling, as if her mind was clearing up.

It had become a daily habit she hadn’t skipped once.

***

[Forming: Got lucky and made it to the finals!]

[Friede: Thought you’d ride the bus to Grandmaster and get demoted right away… but you’ve held on well so far!]

[Still, you did great. It’s a shame you stumbled at the end. Good luck, Forming!]

[If it were me, I’d have made it to the finals, lol.]

[Seriously, stop criticizing Forming when she’s doing fine at Grandmaster. Let’s not give advice unless we’re above her rank.]

Dayoung shrugged as she glanced at the lively chat in her MS room.

She wasn’t far above the Grandmaster cutoff herself, just barely holding on before the tournament started.

At least she’d managed to participate without being relegated.

‘Even if I got knocked out…’

There were no regrets about her preliminary exit.

Now, her focus would shift to the finals broadcast.

Streaming matches during the tournament was an unmissable opportunity for any streamer.

Unlike official coverage, personal connections allowed for unique, alternative angles.

For example…

‘Maybe I should do a behind-the-scenes vlog for Friede’s waiting room.’

‘It would be custom content tailored to Friede, something the official channels would never offer.’

‘Sure, people might criticize me for leaning on personal connections, but who cares?’

‘In this industry, connections are a powerful tool.’

‘Using them to provide fresh content for viewers was just another way to keep them entertained.’

‘If people wanted to watch a formal broadcast…’

‘They can go to the official STK channel like old men watching pro baseball.’

‘Those watching my stream weren’t here for the STK tournament itself.’

‘They wanted my take on it.’

‘This should be fine.’

So, I’d just keep riding the wave with a relaxed finals broadcast.

The only reason I was lucky enough to stream the preliminaries and finals was because I’d applied in advance.

Fortunately, the STK organizers had approved my request for both.

They only granted these permissions to well-known streamers, so it felt like I’d finally moved past my “small-time” days.

Feeling quietly proud, Dayoung’s attention was caught by a specific chat message.

[Friede isn’t broadcasting?]

‘Why don’t you just ask her directly on her stream?’

‘Then again, would they even have the courage to do that?’

‘Seriously.’

She swallowed her words, leaving them unspoken.

If Friede had streamed her matches, Dayoung’s own broadcasts would’ve been more lively.

But Friede had declared a streaming hiatus during the tournament.

Her channel had been in an uproar ever since.

‘Was she just that focused on the competition?’

[Forming: Wouldn’t Forming be in touch with Friede?]

[Other streamers don’t seem to have any connections to her either.]

[There are rumors she ignores collaboration requests too.]

Once viewers latched onto a thread, they wouldn’t let go.

Dayoung, noticing their growing curiosity, flashed a mischievous smile.

It was the kind of smile that said, ‘I know something you don’t.’

“Hmm, should I ask her for you?”

It was the simplest kind of showmanship, but…

[No way… Forming’s in contact with Friede?]

[Haha, why would she abandon the person who saved her from the toxic crowd?]

[Two beauties teaming up? Count me in!]

[Have you seen Friede in real life?]

The effect was immediate.

Maybe it was her long streaming experience, but Dayoung instinctively knew how to tease just enough to keep her audience engaged.

She chuckled.

“Well, yeah, we’re pretty close. She’s kind of a homebody, though. And of course, I’ve seen her in real life.”

It wasn’t some calculated response, just intuition guiding her.

But even that small tidbit was enough to inject new life into the stream.

[Wait, what?! Why didn’t you say so sooner?!]

[Is she as beautiful as they say? Cool, pure, and breathtakingly gorgeous?]

[Decide if you’re going full simp or just gushing admiration, geez!]

[UncleBrother donated 10,000 KRW!
-So, can you reach Friede right now?]

“Ah, thank you, UncleBrother! Friede, you say?”

Dayoung pretended to deliberate for a moment, but no one believed she was seriously considering it.

“Alright then, let’s check in with Friede, shall we?”

She opened her message window.

The preliminaries were over, so Friede was probably just relaxing now.

[Forming: Great job, sis.]

[Ajini: You were amazing! Keep up the wins! ]

The notification light blinked moments later.

[Friede: Thanks ]

The chat exploded.

[Friede and the host are basically sisters now?]

[Lol, she saved you from the toxic crowd, and you’re still in touch?]

[Wait, isn’t Ajini the same person who got selected for Friede’s editor contest?]

As the chat clamored for more, Dayoung switched to a private message.

[Forming: I’m live right now.]

[Friede: Oh, how’d the prelims go?]

[Forming: I got knocked out. ^^]

[Friede: @@]

A typing notification appeared.

[Friede: I’ll win for you. I’ll avenge you.]

Dayoung felt her heart lift at Friede’s sweet response, but a sense of unease made her ask again.

[Forming: ??? Are you serious?]

[Friede: Yeah. Who’s my next opponent?]

[Forming: Someone called “Gunder,” a streamer ranked 120th in Challenger. Even for you, that’s…]

This wasn’t someone you could think of as just another ranked match opponent.

Everyone here was playing at full power for this tournament.

[Friede: k.]

[Forming: ??]

[Chat: Wait, did Friede just shrug off Gunder? That guy’s basically pro-level!]

Dayoung, flustered, watched as her chat filled with questions.

[Forming: Are you sure? I’m live right now.]

[Friede: Yup.]

A typing notification appeared again.

[Friede: Turns out Gunder’s my first opponent in the finals. Guess I’ll avenge you there.]

[Forming: What?! Calm down, sis!]

[Friede: I’m calm.]

Her determination was unshaken.

[Friede: If I lose, I’ll reveal my face.]

‘This woman… is such a menace.’