Chapter 19 : I care

The first broadcast of the “Ronin Swordsman,” who had not been streaming for a long time, attracted an incredible amount of attention.

It was precisely because of this attention that his first broadcast managed to rack up an impressive 5,000 viewers.

However, rather than the interest in the Ronin Swordsman waning after the initial broadcast, it only grew stronger.

This was because, in addition to the microphone setup he had promised, he had announced that he would be holding a Q&A session where he’d answer various questions.

At the time, the number of viewers who saw his announcement was 5,000, so naturally, the news spread even more quickly and widely than it had after his first broadcast.

The next day, despite being an amateur craftsman with no professional broadcasting activities, the Ronin Swordsman—who was already one of the most famous—drew even more viewers.

A total of 6,000 people gathered during the morning hours, nearly 1,000 more than the previous day. During this time, the Ronin Swordsman revealed his deep, resonant voice, which had been kept under wraps.

All he did was reveal his voice, but the viewers’ reactions were hotter than expected.

Remembering the purpose of today’s broadcast, the Ronin Swordsman quickly started answering questions.

Several questions came up, and he continued talking until the question he had been waiting for finally appeared.

After what felt like a long time, the question finally popped up on the screen.

[What’s the relationship between you and the mysterious Yone craftsman? You two were meeting for all 10 rounds yesterday.]

At last, the Ronin Swordsman saw the question he had been hoping for, and he naturally began answering it.

“Actually, the reason I went live yesterday was also related to Barcode-nim.”
[?]

[??]

[???]

[What the hell is that supposed to mean?]

[Yeah, I thought it was a bit weird too.]

[It’s definitely suspicious that someone who hadn’t streamed suddenly went live.]

[I watch a lot of high-tier broadcasts, but it’s the first time I’ve seen two people meet 10 times in a row.]

[Meeting 10 times in a row isn’t an easy thing, lol.]

Carefully observing the reactions in the chat and making sure not to drag the mysterious Yone craftsman into trouble, the Ronin Swordsman cautiously continued.

“I kept losing to Barcode-nim, and I really wanted to win. So, yesterday, I was the one who added him and asked if I could target him.”

“Barcode-nim agreed to it, but with one condition.”

“Yes, the reason I went live for the first time was because Barcode-nim told me to.”

[Oh… was I the only one who didn’t get it?]

[So, you asked to target him, and Barcode actually targeted you back, right?]

[So basically, Barcode didn’t want to defend, so he attacked instead.]

[It’s like a counterattack in a game of defense and offense.]

[The guy who said he’d target him is legendary, but the one who flipped the situation and made him go live to target him back is a legend too.]

[If they both agreed beforehand, I don’t see the problem.]

[It’s not abusing the system or anything, so it should be fine.]

[Honestly, I had a blast watching yesterday’s stream.]

[In the end, you did win, didn’t you? Especially at the end, haha.]

The viewers understood the Ronin Swordsman’s position.

It wasn’t strange at all that, after repeatedly losing to the mysterious Yone craftsman, he would want to win at least once.

Seeing the positive responses in the chat, the Ronin Swordsman slightly lifted the corner of his mouth and continued speaking.

“But Barcode-nim and I made a bet yesterday.”

[A bet?]

[What kind of bet?]

[Did you guys bet on something like a no-reset or a deathmatch?]

[Hahaha, if it’s a no-reset match, that’s legendary.]

[No, don’t say that! The Ronin Swordsman can’t lose! 😭]

[Why do you think the Ronin Swordsman lost?]

[Fact: Actually a 9-game losing streak.]

“No, it wasn’t anything like a no-reset match. After losing seven games in a row to him yesterday, we made a bet. If I managed to win even once in the next three games, Barcode-nim would have to stream for a day.”

[Huh?]

[Wait, seriously?]

[So not only the Ronin Swordsman, but Barcode is also going live…??]

[Something big is coming… something big is coming… something BIG is coming…]

[So when’s it happening?]

[Hurry up!]

The Ronin Swordsman chuckled quietly, too softly for the mic to pick up.

As soon as the topic of Barcode going live came up, the chat exploded so fast it was almost unreadable. Seeing this, the Ronin Swordsman had no choice but to activate “Follow-Only Mode (1-day)” to slow things down.

In a calm, reassuring voice, he spoke to his viewers:

“The reason I went live this morning is because of Barcode-nim.”

“He said he was going live in the morning, so my stream is basically just a waiting room for his broadcast.”

“As soon as Barcode-nim goes live, I’ll host his stream.”

“Just so you know, I’m not ending my broadcast entirely. I do plan on going live again later.”

[Ronin Swordsman! Ronin Swordsman! Ronin Swordsman! Ronin Swordsman! Ronin Swordsman! Ronin Swordsman!]

[As expected, someone who truly embodies romance is just on a whole different level.]

[Holding my breath until Barcode-nim goes live! Hoo!]

[6000 viewers gathered, and he’s playing this hosting game like it’s nothing, haha.]

[Is he just super understanding, or is he actually a villain? I can’t tell.]

[To be fair, Barcode-nim is the one who made the Ronin Swordsman go live.]

[Ah, haha, the Ronin Swordsman also managed to get 5,000 viewers on his first day.]

[Theoretically, Barcode-nim could get 50,000 viewers if he wanted.]

[What kind of theory is that, you crazy person, haha.]

The Ronin Swordsman waited with about 6,000 viewers for Barcode to start his broadcast.

[zxcv1234 is live now:]

The notification that Barcode’s broadcast had started arrived from the account the Ronin Swordsman had followed in advance.

As Barcode went live, the Ronin Swordsman’s role was now complete.

“Everyone, Barcode-nim has started his broadcast.”

[Finally?]

[Let’s go, let’s go]

[Let’s go, let’s go]

[The mindless sword-wielding squad is on the move.]

Following what he had learned beforehand, the Ronin Swordsman quickly entered the hosting command.

Just like that, around 6,400 viewers were transferred to Barcode’s broadcast.

After ending his own stream, the Ronin Swordsman followed the viewers and entered Barcode’s broadcast.

The Akali of Showdown was known worldwide.

Top-tier players gathered in the space where Showdown’s Akali played, and during the World Championships, Akali stood out as one of the most impressive players.

Akali was considered “art” in the world of Showdown.

So much so that an international fanbase was born from watching his gameplay.

It was clear just how masterfully he controlled Akali as a champion.

Because of this, most viewers believed that Barcode’s Yone would be perfectly defeated by Showdown’s Akali.

Yes, Barcode had an astonishing 50-match win streak, but that record was set during his preparation for the World Championships, so most pro players weren’t playing solo queue at that time.

In reality, Barcode’s Yone had never faced a pro from the first division in solo queue during that 50-match win streak.

While it was undeniable that the feats achieved by Barcode’s Yone with the newly released champion were impressive.

However, some people argued that the records set by the “mysterious Yone craftsman” at the time were nothing more than a case of “robbing an empty house.”

No matter how famous Barcode was, his achievements couldn’t be compared to those of Showdown, who had proven himself in the highest-level leagues.

Even in terms of champion matchups, Akali was clearly superior to Yone.

With his 2-stack Q and E, Yone’s typical playstyle, where she would engage and trade damage, could be easily neutralized by a single E from Akali.

Given these various conditions, no one watching Barcode’s broadcast expected Yone to win.
But then…

[First Blood!]

As soon as Showdown’s Akali was first blooded, the mood of the stream began to shift.

‘Even though he’s on our team, this guy is insane…’

I clicked my tongue at Zac’s ruthless 2-level gank right after eating red buff.

Usually, Zac would take W at level 1 for smooth jungle clear, but our Zac took Q instead, asking bottom for a hardcore leash.

Then, at level 2, Zac took E, which was his core ability, and began aggressively trading with Akali.

It seemed like Showdown hadn’t expected Zac to gank at this timing without taking W, and as a result, Akali got hit by Zac’s E, followed by a combo with Zac’s Q and my airborn skill, giving us the kill.

‘What were you planning to do if the gank failed…?’

Luckily, the gank succeeded.

But if Zac had failed that 2-level gank?

His jungle path would have been exposed, and…

Because Zac didn’t take W, his jungle speed was significantly slower.

Naturally, this meant that more time would pass, and the gap between our jungler and the enemy’s would start to widen.

If it were a typical Zac, he would have known he was vulnerable to counter-ganks and wouldn’t have taken such a risky move.

But, well, thanks to Zac, I did manage to secure a kill.

The process was nerve-wracking, but the outcome was good, so there was nothing to complain about.

After Zac’s gank, I pushed the lane and recalled back to base.

At that moment, I had 600 gold.

Normally, I’d have bought two daggers as part of the basic build for Guinsoo’s Rageblade.

But this wasn’t just anyone I was facing; it was Showdown’s Akali.

If I relaxed for even a moment, the kill would be on his side, not mine.

To play it safer in the laning phase, I decided to buy a Doran’s Blade and a refillable potion.

Having an extra Doran’s Blade felt reassuring in the early stages, but I didn’t let my guard down.

Returning to lane, I farmed the big wave.

In the meantime, Akali took a few steps back, using his lower movements to disappear from sight.

*lillilill* sent an alert that the enemy had disappeared.

I immediately pinged Mia in the spot where Akali had vanished.

In Diamond-tier, you’d need to ping about six times for your team to catch on, but this was the Celestial tier, after all.

When Mia’s ping went off in mid, our Ashe and Braum, who had been pressurizing the enemy, retreated briefly to secure vision in the surrounding area.

It didn’t take long for Akali to return to mid, and I was more than ready to greet him.

Yes, Akali could easily counter Yone’s EQ combo with a simple flip.

But the way I saw it, by entering with E, trading damage, and then using E to disengage, a trade could still be made with some success.

In fact, after one exchange, both Akali and I had similar amounts of health missing.

Without Doran’s Blade, that trade would’ve been a significant disadvantage for me, but I couldn’t help but admire Akali’ ability to trade so efficiently.

“First time facing off against you, but you’re really good…”

I muttered to myself, throwing out a few more trades.

But every time, Akali used his skills with such precision that he minimized any losses.

From small movements to perfect positioning to maximizing the effectiveness of his passive, each trade left me gasping for air, my head spinning.

Still, I didn’t stop trading.

I kept pushing the limits, aiming for the crucial level 6 timing.

While trading, I set up a big wave.

Akali was level 5 and had no flash, while I was just about to hit level 6, with my flash still available.

*Green Liquid Monster (Zac) is coming!*

At the same time, our Zac was positioning himself, preparing for a dive from the bush under the hill next to the mid tower.

The smell of a dive began to waft in the air, and like a ghost, Akali sensed it and tried to retreat.

But as soon as the tower aggro was drawn to our minions, Zac leapt in and blocked Akali’ escape.

Zac successfully prevented Akali from fleeing with his E, but Akali quickly deployed his smoke screen and vanished from sight.

To make matters worse, Zac’s Q was missed.

I focused on one direction of the expanding smoke screen and used my E, Flash, and Ultimate in quick succession.

With Yone’s signature slashing motion, Akali was pulled out of the smoke and into view.

The tower aggro was now on Zac, so I quickly finished off Akali, using my E to retreat back outside the tower’s range.

Now, we just needed Zac to escape safely.

But then, at that moment, a bandage from the Blade Nest came flying in, landing on Zac.

With Zac already under tower aggro, he became affected by the passive, and it seemed like he was about to meet his end at the hands of the heartbroken Amumu.

Then something unexpected happened….

On the last piece of Zac’s jelly, a ping for Malphite’s teleport appeared.

As a result, Zac, revived from the passive, leapt to the opposite Blade Nest and managed to escape.

Malphite, riding in on his teleport, walked out with the sturdiness of a steaming bowl of *gukbap* (a dish of soup and rice).

“Malphite…!”

I couldn’t help but call out to him in a voice tinged with admiration.

This is what a team looks like, I thought.

Not every Challenger is a top laner who would make such a selfless play.

Malphite’s in-game name was *JirisanGodaeAmseok* (Great Rock of Jirisan), a true tank’s name, and his play was the kind only a full-blooded tank could pull off.

His sacrifice gave our team immense advantages.

[Is that the true top lane…?]

[He took teleport just to save Zac?]

[The top laners I’ve seen so far… what were they doing?]

[Tanks are the ones who really use teleport like that.]

[Those Kal-champ players who only use recall and teleport back should take notes from this]

[But even Barcode is so good at Yone ]

[It’s not just any Akali, it’s Showdown’s Akali.]

[Malphite made me cry both up and down]

[This is what K-Solo Q warriors are like, huh?]

[Wow, but how did he land the ultimate so perfectly through the smoke screen?]

[Heeung… a pro of LoL… ]

I glanced at the chat while returning to base.

Most of the messages were praising Malphite, but every time my own name was mentioned in between, a strange feeling stirred in me.

*’Why does this bother me?’*

I couldn’t shake the feeling, and deep inside, something kept tugging at me.

So this is why streamers check their chats so often…

I ended up getting distracted by the chat, and before I realized it, I was already at the lane.

I recognized that my focus on the game had slipped, so I quickly tore my attention away from the chat and started focussing on the match.