Chapter 38: Should I try streaming properly?

After drinking herself to sleep, Seol-Ah woke up on the morning of Lunar New Year’s Day.

She had a bowl of dried pollock soup with whisked eggs for breakfast, prepared lovingly by her family, before they all went out to watch a movie together.

Afterward, she returned alone to her studio apartment—or should she call it her studio “apartment”?

Anyway, she returned to the so-called “Legendary Apartment.”

“That was so awkward, I thought I was going to die.”

Her father’s proud and affectionate smiles had been almost too much to bear.

Her mother still avoided eye contact and didn’t really acknowledge her.

“So, what exactly is Seol-Yoon’s alcohol tolerance?”

Looking back, Seol-Ah couldn’t shake the feeling that Seol-Yoon had remained perfectly sober, even while she herself had completely transformed into a sloppy drunk.

If that’s her tolerance, there’s no way she’d make any embarrassing mistakes unless someone spiked her drink.

That’s a relief.

“Wait, how could I let my guard down? The world is a dangerous place!”

What if someone did try to spike her drink?

Seol-Ah made a mental note to sternly warn her sister about this again.

The whole world was out to get both her and Seol-Yoon! It was a fact!

“Should I start a stream?”

Her dad had said she could spend her whole life relaxing, but she refused to become some aimless dropout or societal reject.

She’d evolve from an unemployed, useless shut-in into a professional streamer shut-in!

And yes, she still had no intention of going outside.

The world outside her front door was like an alternate dimension—full of danger and mystery.

Without trustworthy companions, venturing out was simply impossible.

“I should do this properly.”

Streaming wasn’t just about doing it; it was about doing it well.

There was a difference between merely streaming and streaming with purpose.

So, what exactly would she do well?

[Stream Title: Challenger Marathon – Let’s Go All the Way!]

Yeah. This would do.

She had succeeded with her “Unbeaten Level 30” challenge last time, so this time, she’d aim for a Challenger marathon.

Pressing the “start stream” button, she immediately began queuing for a game.

<Your Highness!>

<Wow! A Lunar New Year stream!>

<Happy New Year!>

<You call that a clarification stream? And now you’re just streaming like nothing happened?>

<Shut up! She’s doing a Challenger marathon!>

<Can’t miss a Challenger marathon!>

<But aren’t you making holiday pancakes today?>

“Ah, happy new year, everyone! It’s nice to see you again today.”

<Why is her pronunciation so perfect?>

<Is she a professional voice actor?>

Ah.

She had mentioned this before.

The vocal cords themselves aren’t the only difference between male and female voices; the way they’re used—speech techniques—differ as well.

Having lived as a man for most of her life, her initial voice after the transformation was… odd.

She had been using male vocal techniques with female vocal cords, which produced a bizarre, unnatural sound.

To fix it, she underwent vocal training, and the result was a voice akin to that of a trained voice actor or announcer.

She usually didn’t think much of it, but hearing compliments made her self-conscious.

Stop focusing on my voice and just watch the game!

“Mic test, mic test. Can you hear me clearly?”

Today, she decided to stream using her male voice.

<Turn off the voice modifier!>

<Why are you doing this, teacher?>

<Do you hate your viewers?>

<Just imagining her using an expensive mic for this makes me mad.>

<…Is she just embarrassed?>

<Classic tsundere move!>

“Uh, no, that’s not it.”

<Sure it’s not. LOL.>

<Why did it take us so long to notice the voice modulation?>

<Teacher, stop messing around and turn it off.>

They had a point.

Serious gaming meant turning off distractions, both on her computer and in her head.

Even though her computer’s specs could handle it, why risk it?

She turned off the voice modifier.

“It’s not like I was hiding my voice because I was embarrassed, okay?”

<Is this a bit, or is she really this clueless?>

<Doesn’t matter. She’s cute either way.>

<Uh-oh, I’m starting to imagine her as Nox.>

<How can you imagine her as Nox without a cam?>

<Because she posted Nox’s picture in the corner of the screen.>

<She’s a real otaku, huh?>

<Why not make a virtual model?>

<Don’t pressure her. She’s a game streamer.>

The game found a match, and champion selection began.

Unlike the blind pick mode, where all ten players choose champions simultaneously, draft pick mode involved taking turns selecting champions after a ban phase.

The process was time-consuming and reminded her of the clan wars in Magical Fight.

Back then, players would also take turns selecting characters.

“Does anyone here remember Magical Fight? What a masterpiece of a game.”

<Why bring up Magical Fight during a Teamfight Arena stream?>

<Traitor! Leave our village!>

<Guess she’s moved on. NTR complete.>

When it was her turn, she picked her signature champion, the Illusionist.

“Challenger-bound rocket, launching now.”

<Ooh, her main champ.>

<She’s the Illusionist herself, isn’t she?>

<What does she even look like?>

“Why does it matter? Just watch the game.”

The match began, and as always, she excelled.

Her viewers, while joking, couldn’t help but marvel at her gameplay.

“You’re watching a legendary player, so sit straight and take notes!”

<Why does that line sound suggestive?>

“Suggestive? Are you okay?!”

She groaned.

Sometimes, her chat was too much.

But as she dominated the game, they couldn’t help but watch in awe.