Chapter 33: Zero Impact

Professional players are always in the know.

Social media, forums, and other platforms provide a constant flow of updates through diligent PR teams who monitor sensitive issues.

That’s why Wild, the captain of Team Proud, heard about the issue almost immediately.

“She starred in an adult video?”

His manager’s request was clear: avoid mentioning Legendary Streamer for the time being.

They had to observe public opinion, wait for the truth to surface, and assess the situation.

The team’s front office, detecting a potential PR disaster, even canceled Wild’s personal stream schedule.

After all, he had recently collaborated with Legendary on a joint broadcast.

While other team members might not be directly affected, if Wild went live, it would attract a tsunami of disruptive viewers that no one could manage.

“Is it really her?”

Wild debated endlessly.

Should he watch the video to assess the situation himself?

But what if it turned out to be his friend, and he saw something he could never unsee?

After much consideration, he concluded it would be best to ask Legendary directly.

But even that decision brought new concerns.

Was it appropriate to ask a woman about such a topic?

Wouldn’t that be considered harassment or something worse?

“Who the hell are you, really?”

At first, he thought she was just an old friend he’d reconnected with. Then came the realization that her voice was fake, her gender was female, and she was claiming to be only 13 cm tall.

Then, a bizarre photo resembling an orc chieftain spread everywhere, and now there were rumors of an adult video?

How could one person attract so many strange controversies?

Was she a living embodiment of chaos?

But amidst all this, there was one possibility Wild never considered:

That Legendary Streamer might be entirely unaware of the uproar.

[Stream Title: Placement Matches]

The reason she endured the grueling process of leveling up was simple:

To play ranked games.

And why did she want to play ranked games?

What kind of question is that?

To reach the top, defeat Victory, and claim the throne as her own.

Today marked the start of a brand-new legend.

She clicked the “Start Stream” button.

<Why would a rich girl star in an adult video?>
<Why would a rich girl star in an adult video?>
<Why would a rich girl star in an adult video?>

<s*x is when a man’s…>

<Did the spear-woman show up?>

<Is the video really you?>

<How much did you make selling it?>

<CEX CEX CEX CEX CEX…>

<What face do you have to show up on stream with?>

<Are we getting an explanation?>

“?”

What was all this?

Why were there so many people in the chat before the stream even started?

Were they lining up because this was a famous “hot spot” and they were afraid of missing out?

After glancing at the chat briefly, it seemed they were accusing her of appearing in an adult video.

Hmm.

Let’s piece this together.

“So, the woman someone’s impersonating me as filmed an adult video?”

Could that happen?

Was it impossible?

Even the slimmest possibility could lead to reality—something she didn’t particularly want to dwell on.

“Should I ignore this and just stream?”

She pondered for a moment.

Whatever video it was, it likely only looked like the woman in the fake SNS photo.

And she never admitted that account was hers.

She had only told people to leave her alone about looks because she didn’t care about her appearance.

Conclusion: no problem.

“Alright, let’s get into placements.”

<Aren’t you going to explain the adult video?>
<Is she insane?>
<s*x s*x s*x s*x s*x…>
<Why is chat like this?>
<We’ve reached the apocalypse.>

The chat felt like a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but it didn’t faze her.

The scarecrow they were attacking wasn’t her.

The troublemaker in question was the woman from the fake SNS account.

There was no reason for her mental state to take any damage.

“Yep, lying is the best.”

She felt relieved to have set up that scarecrow in advance.

[User oo donated 1,000 KRW.]
“CEX CEX CEX CEX CEX… CEX.”

When she ignored the chat, donations became the second wave of attacks.

But she ignored those, too.

Why bother responding?

<ᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ No reaction—she’s just hitting air.>
<Professionally speaking, that’s called attacking the void.>

The chat was relentless.

<We know you’re gritting your teeth and ignoring this!>
<Why isn’t she using the ban feature?>
<How could she possibly ban everyone in here?>

The viewer count stood at 22,000.

Given how spicy the issue was, it seemed like every troll in the world had shown up.

Well, let them have their fun.

Maybe they’d even stay to watch my gameplay if they got bored.

<She’s incredible with Illusionist as always.>
<Her chat is in ruins, yet she’s still playing well.>
<Honestly, it doesn’t seem like it’s her.>
<ᄅᄋ If it were her, could she ignore everything this smoothly?>
<If it really is her, she’s a legend among legends.>

Trolling and spamming require energy too.

Throwing stones and setting fires in a place with zero reactions for hours isn’t an easy task.

By the third, fourth, and even fifth games, most of the trolls had settled down, joining the audience to watch my gameplay instead.

<ᄆᄎᄃᄆᄎᄋ>
<Is Legendary Streamer a god?>
<ᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ>
<Why are even the trolls becoming fans?>
<She crushes ranked games like it’s second nature.>
<What language is that even?>

“Carry.”

I’m not a fan of pub stomping.

But that was back in Magical Fight, where ranked systems didn’t exist.

Here, climbing the ladder felt rewarding—like leveling up in an RPG. Even simple, repetitive victories brought a sense of accomplishment.

“Placements are over. That’s it for today.”

<Does 10 wins and 0 losses not even phase her?>
<Damn, she’s insanely good.>

<Where did all the adult video trolls go?>
<I was one of the guys spamming “s*x” earlier, but now I’m a fan after watching her play.>
<So is that SNS account not hers?>

With 10 wins and 0 losses, I ended placements at Gold 1 with 83 points.

But my games were already matching me with Diamond and Master players.

From what I’d read, this meant rapid rank-ups were coming.

The thought of facing Victory and Wild soon filled me with excitement.

With that, I ended the stream.

<She never addressed it, even at the end. ᄊᄇ>
<Maybe she didn’t even have the chat open?>

<Or maybe she turned off donation notifications?>
<If she saw it and still ignored it, she’s not human.>

<So much trolling, yet she’s casually raking in cash.>
<I’ve been listening to spam all day; my head is spinning.>
<Thanks for the money, trolls. ᄏᄏ>

<How much did she even make? The donations were constant.>
<It must’ve been 1,000 KRW every 10 seconds.>
<That’s 6,000 KRW per minute, 360,000 KRW per hour, and 25.9 million KRW a month.>

See? No matter how much you insult or troll me, it’s pointless.

I’m not that person.

I feel a little sorry for the woman people think I am, though.

But she’s in China. What could possibly happen to her there?

‘Still, I should at least know what’s going on.’

I searched the internet and found the video everyone was talking about.

Yep, she really does look just like me.

It might even actually be her.

As I thought that and watched the video—

“Oh! Yes!”

Wait, why is she speaking Korean?

Wasn’t the photo from a Chinese site?

Why is she speaking Korean?

“…No way.”

A sinking feeling washed over me.

Just then, my phone buzzed with an incoming call.

I don’t answer unknown numbers, so I let it ring out.

A text arrived moments later.

[Web Notification]
“Legendary Streamer, you are a witness in a case under the Information and Communications Network Act (distribution of obscene materials). Please report to the Gangnam Police Cyber Crime Investigation Team by 10:00 AM on January 20, 2023.”
— Investigator Kim from the Cyber Crime Investigation Team.

Excuse me?

To Be Continued…