Season 4: Chapter 198. Shareholders' Meeting (2)

Although unofficial, ForeverAlone had practically declared a coup. Streamer Garden, the hub for all talk regarding streamers, naturally became the center of this storm.

[1. Breaking News! ForeverAlone declares assassination of Almond lolol]

— You crazy bastard, how is that an assassination declaration? LOL

— Is there even such a thing as declaring an assassination?

— “Assassination declaration,” my ass

— LMAO

— Jumps straight to assassination

— The moment you declare it, you can’t assassinate him anymore, you idiot

— He couldn't even do it in LIL, where he’s a Challenger. You think it’ll work in Survival Craft?

— lololol for real

— lolol this is so true

— An ending fit for a dictator lolol

Gi-Chan, watching this unfold, found his hands trembling.

‘No, I never said I’d assassinate him... I only said... I’d return everything to normal...’

It felt as if no matter what he said now, it wouldn't matter. A grand, sweeping flow was already moving. He turned off his stream, claiming to take a break as he monitored the community trends.

—

Big things are done by ForeverAlone!

—

Overthrow the Almond dictatorship!

—

Let’s go for the normalization of Cheese Village!

—

The fact is that Cheese Village will get healthier.

However, watching only proved to be poisonous. The situation outside the stream grew even more intense. One by one, talk of ForeverAlone’s coup dominated the trending posts.

[2. Killing the handsome guy... That was all it was from the start....]

—

Holy crap

—

That’s too much LOL

—

Even if he’s ForeverAlone, this is just hilarious

—

LOL

—

Crazy

Even his intentions had been distorted now.

‘The coup hasn't even happened yet! Is it right for the meaning to be distorted already!?’

The world was truly too fast these days.

[4. The reason why ForeverAlone can kill Almond here.jpg]

==== ====

(Photo)

Everyone is two heads tall here lolol

==== ====

The photo came from an

LIL

match when ForeverAlone played the blind monk character. At the time, he had covered his eyes to avoid seeing Miho’s Pool Party skin.

— Ah, that one lolololol

— LMAO the monk, holy crap lolol

— What is that??? lolol

— Didn't you watch the LIL match? So many newbies.

— People who watch Survival Craft don't watch LIL lolol

— Blindfolded ForeverAlone lolol so funny lolol

— Is this Black and White Chef? lolol

— ??? Ryoiki Tenkai~

— Holy crap lololol

— True, can ForeverAlone actually compete with Almond here?

— A world where faces are equal....

“

Ha?

” Gi-Chan sighed. “It’s not a matter of whether I can kill him or not...!”

He finally got a chance to grow closer to Almond. How could this happen?

However, Gi-Chan’s eyes drifted to the donations piling up on his official Cheese channel.

‘Damn it.’

In the end, a streamer had a streamer’s duty.

***

Completely unaware of the chaos that had erupted, Sang-Hyeon returned from his jog.

“

Whoa...

It’s starting to get hot.”

As soon as he arrived, he stripped off his clothes and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

Fwee~ Fwee~

Sang-Hyeon was even whistling, which was rare.

‘Fishing today and camping too~.’

It was likely because of his building anticipation to play

Survival Craft

.

Fwee~ Fwee~

Ju-Hyeok, listening to the whistling, gradually turned pale.

‘Damn it.’

He could clearly feel what Sang-Hyeon wanted. The situation, however, went in a completely different direction. Still, he couldn't just hate it either.

[3. What’s truly legendary here]

==== ====

(Photo)

This guy hasn't even started his stream yet

==== ====

Indeed, that guy was Yu Sang-Hyeon.

—

lololololol

—

For real lololol

—

Kyah

— It’s been a while since I saw that photo lolol

— Boss Sang-Hyeon

The photo came from a fashion pictorial shoot with Almond looking very stylish. Viewers often used this photo when he made a super play. Occasionally, when he played poorly, they would post a bloated selfie instead.

— It was posted constantly during the Civil Empire Tournament lololol

— Almond will watch the videos when he turns on the stream, right???

— But even if he watches it, isn't it all just about him?

— For real

— True

Ju-Hyeok thought to himself.

‘The moment he turns on the stream, a donation bomb is guaranteed....’

Viewers were looking forward to Almond’s reactions just as much as ForeverAlone’s. It was inevitable. After all, the Knights and ForeverAlone were the direct parties involved in this massive fertile catastrophe. Among them, everyone was likely most curious about Almond and ForeverAlone.

—

When is Almond streaming??

—

Isn't it about time for Almond to come on?

—

Upvote if you think Almond is taking a day off because he’s scared of the coup lolol

Actually, the time he started

Survival Craft

streams was usually random. Perhaps because they were waiting so long, speculative posts began appearing because he was a bit late.

— But honestly, even if it’s Almond, how can he beat Zelu, Black Pepper’s awakening, and the internal enemy Lackey ForeverAlone? It’s better to just rest lolol

└ For real....

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

└ Zelu’s awakening looked crazy strong

└ I think they made that for when Cheese Village is driven all the way to hell lolol and that’s in Zelu’s mouth lolol

— Paprika Village was indeed driven to hell lololol

— But Black Pepper was just bragging about being a Dark Knight and suddenly didn't log in lololol

└ LMAO for real

└ Right, I guess something came up lol

└ She’s a mother....

└ Ah... suddenly real life lolol

└ Even a Dark Knight has to send the kids to kindergarten.

— Almond will probably just skip streaming today.

Ju-Hyeok found it absurd that Almond would avoid streaming because of a coup.

‘There’s no way.’

That guy would charge in even faster and do more. He would probably be stubbornly difficult to kill. It would be better to just politely ask him to step down. Ju-Hyeok had tried to persuade him to end everything like that. He hadn't expected the incident to escalate this much.

“

Phew.

That was refreshing.”

Thud.

Sang-Hyeon stepped out of the bathroom just around the time the first public release of

Cheese Craft

finished.

“What are you looking at this early in the afternoon?”

Ju-Hyeok’s serious work usually began after lunch. Even to the unobservant Sang-Hyeon, things seemed strange right now.

“Ah, uh...

haha...

” Ju-Hyeok panicked over how to change the subject.

Vrr~ Vrr~

A message arrived on Sang-Hyeon’s phone.

Vrr.

Vrr~

It seemed like a considerable number of messages were coming in.

“

Hm?

”

Getting messages at this hour was surprising enough. With so many coming in, Sang-Hyeon’s attention shifted.

“

Phew.

” Ju-Hyeok felt relieved.

This had bought him more time to think.

“

Whoa.

What is this? They said they’ve released all the way up to Episode 4?”

‘What?’

Ju-Hyeok froze in shock.

“Look at this. I got messages from Sweet Radish and Sweet Potato.”

[SweetRadish: Bro. We are so done.]

[SweetRadish: They lifted the embargo on episodes 1 to 4. These crazy producers!]

[SweetPotato: Oh no, brother. It seems Cha-Young and Gyuri are already in private contact with each other too... We’re totally screwed...]

[Almond: Who are Cha-Young and Gyuri?]

[SweetPotato: That’s Black Tea and Lemon, sir.]

[Almond: Ah lol]

[SweetRadish: We thought we should start a group chat, so we made one.]

[SweetPotato: They say Cha-Young is exploding and cursing on her private stream right now... What will happen to our Knights, sir!]

‘Wow.’

Ju-Hyeok felt flabbergasted. The other streamers seemed desperate as well due to their deep immersion in

Survival Craft

.

‘Why do these guys talk exactly the same way?’

Radish Servant and Potato Servant even talked reverently in real life because of all the roleplaying these days, except they didn't refer to Sang-Hyeon as Lord.

Vrr.

[SweetPotato: That ForeverAlone punk apparently said something about starting a coup, sir!]

It seemed they were prepared to serve their Lord for the rest of their lives.

“A coup...” Sang-Hyeon meaningfully said.

He looked ready to dive into

Survival Craft

immediately.

‘Oh no.’

Ju-Hyeok stood up, grabbed his shoulders, and steered him toward the computer.

“Sang-Hyeon, calm down for a second. Watch

Cheese Craft

first.”

He thought it would be better if Sang-Hyeon reflected on his own past mistakes. Above all, as a manager, he knew they couldn't miss this.

‘A reaction stream is such a goldmine!’

Ju-Hyeok couldn't just let others take all the profit from this incredible opportunity.

‘The Lord sets the stage, and these random guys are raking in millions right now.’

Ju-Hyeok’s mental calculator had been busy since morning because of this massive commercial opportunity. He wanted Sang-Hyeon to take it step by step and absorb all the profit.

If Sang-Hyeon just rushed into

Survival Craft

and caused a scene trying to suppress the coup, he’d just be doing others a favor. Of course, this was only Ju-Hyeok’s perspective.

‘He won't think that way.’

Sang-Hyeon somewhat lacked the economic and commercial concepts. If he liked it, he liked it. If he didn't, he didn't. To put it another way, he was incredibly sincere. Because he was that kind of person, he had stepped up for the

Civil Empire

tournament as well.

Ju-Hyeok didn't want to change that because it was a huge part of Almond’s charm as a streamer. However, money had to be made. Thus, he acted cautiously.

‘How should I win him over...?’

Sang-Hyeon looked at the text messages scrolling by for a long time. “Is it really the time to watch

Cheese Craft

? They’re saying there’s a coup right now. Things are going crazy.”

“No. Not yet.”

“Huh...?” Sang-Hyeon looked at Ju-Hyeok with a bewildered face. “What. You knew!”

Whoosh!

Sang-Hyeon glared.

Ju-Hyeok knew he’d be angry. “I only found out a little while ago myself.”

“No way...” Sang-Hyeon felt a sense of betrayal.

Anyway, Ju-Hyeok began persuading him. “The viewers would want to see the

Cheese Craft

reaction first.”

“Don't the viewers want to see

Survival Craft

more?”

True, that alone wouldn't be enough.

“No, just going to

Survival Craft

blindly won't work.”

“Then?”

“You have to win.”

Sang-Hyeon gave him a look that said, “What does that have to do with watching

Cheese Craft

?”

Ju-Hyeok thinly smiled. “You know how it goes. Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will win a hundred battles.

Cheese Craft

shows the other side’s perspective too. Watching it will benefit you.”

It was considerable sophistry, but somehow persuasive. Sang-Hyeon wavered slightly.

Then, Ju-Hyeok drove the point home. “In

Survival Craft

right now, you become stronger by gaining the support of the viewers.”

He was referring to the so-called concept of Chakra.

“Right now, you’re at a huge disadvantage. If you look at the communities, the prevailing public opinion is to overthrow you. You need to persuade the viewers while watching

Cheese Craft

. You have to tell them that you weren't wrong... so you can become stronger in there and suppress the coup.”

“Oh...”

Not a single word seemed incorrect. It all sounded right.

Sang-Hyeon nodded after realizing something. “I see!”

Wait, Ju-Hyeok hadn’t expected such a reaction.

‘What did he realize on his own? This is a bad sign.’

He couldn’t let Sang-Hyeon think for himself.

“So... I just have to watch

Cheese Craft

and explain.”

“Yeah... Wait, ex-explain?”

“Why the company had no choice but to become like this. Like our Ah-Sung recruitment briefing!”

‘Why are you putting your dictatorship explanation and Ahsung’s recruitment briefing on the same level...’

Ju-Hyeok’s head began to ache.

‘Hm?’

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

‘Is it similar?’

That guy occasionally hit the nail on the head.

‘Oh.’

Ju-Hyeok also thought of an idea.

“Then, it’s not a recruitment briefing... How about this?”

***

A few hours later, rumors of a coup began circulating.

Ding.

Almond’s viewers received a notification.

[Almond has started streaming!]

His stream finally turned on.

—

Gasp

—

The real one has arrived

—

Return of the Lord lololol

—

Kyah lolol

—

Look at the speed, people are flocking in

—

The title lolololol

[LIVE: Knights Shareholders' Meeting]

Almond was sitting at a desk, wearing a suit and thick-rimmed glasses.