Chapter 18: Newbies Are Precious

“Hoo-ah…”

If there’s a heaven, surely this is it.

It’s been so long since I’ve had such a delicious meal, and I felt immensely happy.

Why had I been living on cold potato soup and bean sprouts all this time when there are so many tasty things in the world?

Ah, right. It was because I didn’t have money. Money, yes. That was the problem.

The more money, the better. Of course, that’s true.

Some people say that true happiness can’t be bought with money, but most of the problems you face in life can be easily solved with it.

So, I needed to make money. Money isn’t the best thing in the world… but it’s essential to life.

To make money, I needed to stream. If I stream, money will follow.

I should work hard at streaming. That way, I can buy pizza every day…

Happiness wasn’t something I needed to search for far away.

Simply ordering pizza was enough to make me happy. I was that kind of simple person.

Unlike the times when I merely filled my stomach, this was a rare occasion where I savored the food, and I was just finishing my meal.

My face felt hot.

By the time I came to my senses, I was already flushed.

Feeling the heat, I shook my head from side to side.

…It’s hot.

“Mm.”

A slight nasal sound escaped as I turned my head.

Was I trying to act cute on purpose or what?

I’ll be honest. I had a drink.

It’s not like I planned it or anything, but eating pizza just felt incomplete.

Forgetting to order cola was my mistake.

I needed something carbonated to cut through the greasiness, and thankfully, there was a beer in the fridge.

I don’t even remember when I bought it, but when I saw it, I thought it would be perfect.

Pizza and beer… “Pimaek.” It’s a ridiculous combination, but today was a special occasion.

Alcohol is something you drink depending on the mood, not based on the food pairing.

Anyway, it was a pretty satisfying meal.

“Hmm-hmm.”

Humming, I threw myself onto the bed.

I remembered hearing somewhere that lying down right after eating was bad for you, but… whatever, I’m just going to lie down today.

With Camilla’s superior body, I believed I’d easily overcome something as trivial as acid reflux.

The genius dancer of the Abyss, Camilla, doesn’t know such things!

After rolling around on the bed for a while, feeling a comfortable fullness, I pulled out my phone.

Not for any particular reason, just thinking I’d check out other people’s streams while I relax.

You could call it market research.

When you open a store, you check out the other shops in the area and the market.

As a business owner, I felt like I should understand how others in the same industry were running their streams.

With that in mind, I opened “Twitch” and found more streams than I expected.

“Chit-chat streams.” Streams where people just talk.

I watched in amazement for the first 10 minutes.

People never seemed to stop talking.

Being able to talk nonstop like that was a skill in itself.

The next category was also a “chit-chat” stream, but it had to be classified differently.

Hmm, it was embarrassing to watch.

The women were showing a lot of skin while dancing energetically.

These first two types of streams were not something I could do.

Could I manage if I absolutely had to?

Maybe if a robber burst in with a knife or strapped a bomb collar around my neck, then sure, I could do anything.

I’d turn on the stream, throw out random topics, talk for hours, and dance half-naked in front of the camera.

But would doing that really lead to good results?

I don’t think so.

There’s a clear difference between being able to do something and being good at it.

Those two fields were naturally far removed from me.

I should say they didn’t suit my temperament.

…Come to think of it, Camilla is a dancer, right?

I’ve never tried, but maybe I could be good at dancing too.

No, that’s still a no.

Even if I could physically do it, I don’t really want to.

Waving my arms, legs, and hips, smiling in front of a camera with everyone watching?

That’s not about talent; it’s a matter of personal preference.

Mentally, I just can’t accept it.

Long story short, there’s a different kind of streaming that suits me and that I’d be good at.

That’s the type of stream that takes up the biggest slice of the pie on Twitch, with over 100 different categories.

I’m talking about game streaming.

More specifically, Abyss—the game currently ranked number one in PC cafe occupancy, and selected by Forbes as the most beloved game among people in their teens and twenties.

Our game, which comes with all sorts of accolades, is more than worthy of the label “God Game.”

As an example, the category with the most viewers on Twitch right now is Abyss.

It still amazes me, making me realize just how different this world is from the one I used to know.

A game that was barely hanging on with 3,000 concurrent players, on the verge of shutting down, had suddenly become a “God Game” overnight.

It’s as shocking as my appearance changing to look exactly like Camilla’s.

Anyway, I started focusing on streams in the Abyss category, ignoring the rest.

These streamers were people I would likely cross paths with as I began streaming.

I was also curious about the atmosphere of other streams.

Alternate character streams, build research, duo collaborations, in-house event matches…

Nothing really stood out.

As I was scanning through the streams, ranked by viewer count from top to bottom, one stream title caught my eye.

It was—

“Day 1 of Learning Camilla, Aspiring to Master Camilla.”

A stream featuring Camilla, something I hadn’t seen in any of the other streams I had explored.

“Hoo…”

Currently, it had 3,400 viewers, a fairly large stream.

For some reason, the name of the streamer hosting it didn’t feel unfamiliar to me.

Streamer Nicang.

I remember coming across them once while playing the game.

If I recall correctly, their role was an ADC.

And now they were playing Camilla?

Intrigued, I began watching Nicang’s stream.

“Hmm, hmm, ohhh…!”

Camilla is fundamentally a niche hero.

Her pick rate is low.

Players of Abyss tend to avoid and shy away from Camilla.

It’s probably because of her excessive difficulty.

But once you get the hang of her, there’s no other hero as fun and appealing.

In short, I wished more people would recognize the charm of Camilla.

“Ah, in that situation, you should’ve used E on the creep instead of Q.”

An involuntary murmur escaped my lips, feeling a bit of regret.

I wasn’t angry or frustrated.

Not even annoyed.

It was just a bit disappointing.

It was the first time I had these kinds of thoughts while watching a stream.

It’s probably because it’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone else playing Camilla on a stream.

• “Ahhh, I died again!”

“Oh no, that’s not good.”

On screen, Nicang made another control mistake and died miserably.

That’s not how you’re supposed to do it.

At this rate, Nicang might not enjoy Camilla and might quit playing her.

Anxiety, and the effects of the alcohol.

I think those two things are what made me unconsciously type in Nicang’s chat.

[Press Q with the right timing.]

[Confuse your opponent with your movement; that’s the key!]

[If you’re unsure, don’t dance—it causes damage loss.]

It wasn’t much different from the typical backseat gaming advice viewers often give to streamers, but I didn’t regret it.

It’s better to offer some guidance than to let a budding player give up.

Newbies who play Camilla are precious, after all.

I decided to generously share all the knowledge I had.

“…How do I even do this?”

It felt like facing a massive wall.

After countless games, I still couldn’t figure out how to handle this hero, Camilla.

No, to be honest, I had a rough idea. It was just not a very pleasant one.

‘This is trash…’

A beautiful piece of trash. I fully agreed with the chat message I saw earlier.

Camilla felt like an empty shell—pretty on the outside but practically useless.

‘But that person played her well…’

However, when I thought about Kayak’s case, things were different.

Nicang, as if worried they might’ve missed something, replayed the game and asked the viewers.

“What do you guys think? What am I lacking?”

[Everything.]

[Is that even a question?]

[Try aiming Q more precisely.]

[I think it’s just the hero that’s bad.]

[Why does she keep dancing while fighting?]

[It’s hilarious how she gets killed while dancing, lol.]

[Nicang’s just dumb.]

Even after turning to the collective wisdom of the chat, unfortunately, no useful answers emerged.

The chat was filled with unhelpful comments, just lightly mocking Nicang.

“I’m stupid for even asking you guys. None of you have played Camilla, right?”

[Yep.]

[Played one game, lol.]

[You only know if it’s bad or good by tasting it yourself.]

[Why would I play her, though?]

[Camilla is better off watched than played.]

[?]

[Address?]

“I’d be better off figuring it out on my own. Unless you’re a Camilla expert, don’t give advice.”

Bang bang.

Nicang concluded, and for a while, no more backseat gaming comments popped up in the chat.

[It’s better to use W for mobility than for damage.]

As soon as Nicang had another death, another backseat comment popped up.

Already irritated after being demoted today, Nicang seized on it.

“I said only Camilla experts can give advice. Use W for mobility? Do you even know Camilla? Are you as skilled as Kayak?”

But the viewers’ reactions were different from what Nicang had expected.

[That person’s nickname…]

[That’s actually Kayak.]

[That’s the real Kayak, lol.]

[Turn off the stream, what are you doing, lol.]

[Kayak can’t resist watching Nicang’s Camilla gameplay…]

“…Is that really Kayak?”

Nicang muttered in disbelief.

As soon as the words left their mouth, another chat message appeared.

[Start the next game. I’ll guide you step by step.]

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