Chapter 74: The Genius Awakener's Livestream (3)

Toitch was the world’s largest internet streaming platform, and Jerry Kim held a solid position among the top streamers on Toitch, specializing in gate-raiding content. His striking facial features, signature orange hair, and incredible skills as a solo Awakener made him stand out as a streamer.

Swoosh

!

Arrows of blue light flew through the air and pierced through a Murloc once in the shoulder, once in the knee, and four times in the side.

“Ahhhoooo!”

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Jerry Kim shouted in triumph.

The orb floating beside him lit up, projecting a holographic message in the air.

[Mission Complete: Defeat a group of three or more monsters within five minutes!]

[Almond donated three million won!]

[Wow, I can’t believe you nailed it on the first try.]

Jerry Kim flashed a bright smile.

“Thank you so much, Almond, for the generous donation!”

He made a playful V sign toward the orb and shrugged.

“Don't you think this mission was way too easy, chat?”

He viewed the live chat on his stream, which filled up rapidly.

┗LOL, he’s insane.

┗Seriously. Sure, he's a six-star Awakener, but how could he take down three five-star monsters in under five minutes?

┗Three minutes and fifty-eight seconds to be exact.

┗He’s so fucking fast.

┗Absolutely cracked.

┗Jerry Kim! Jerry Kim! Jerry Kim! Jerry Kim!

┗Don’t say my name! Don’t say my name! Don’t say my name!

┗So this is the true power of an apostle of the twelve Zodiacs.

Perfect.

Jerry Kim grinned, content with the endless compliments and praise from his audience.

This is it! This is why I stream!

Streaming made him good money, but the compliments in the chat were what made him ecstatic.

Looking down at the three Murloc corpses on the ground, he loosened his shoulders and sighed.

This much is nothing.

He was ranked among the higher end of six-star Awakeners, and he didn’t possess just any Stigma but that of Sagittarius. Taking on three five-star monsters at once wasn’t much of a challenge for him.

Just then, he noticed a party of two walking toward him from the other side of the tunnel.

“Huh?”

They have a Star Spirit and even a pet.

Jerry Kim’s gaze sharpened as he observed the pair with interest.

“Wait... Th-Thunder Wolf?”

It was the rising star who had received the Weaver's Stigma and gained global fame as a super rookie.

What's he doing here?

According to official reports from the association, he was only a four-star Awakener who wasn’t qualified to be in this dungeon, which was filled with five-star monsters.

Maybe being the Apostle of the North Star lets you bridge a one-star gap somehow. Plus, he’s clearly in a party. And that woman next to him...

Jerry Kim’s eyes wavered as he gulped.

Sh-She’s fucking gorgeous.

In all his years as a streamer, he had met countless female broadcasters, yet he had never encountered a girl who could take his breath away like this.

┗Wait, is that really the Thunder Wolf?

┗Isn’t the Thunder Wolf only a four-star?

┗Nope, still a three-star.

┗But didn’t an article say that he’s a four-star?

┗LOL, you believe that? He only awakened like six months ago. How could he already be a four-star?

┗True lol.

┗Didn’t he defeat the monster in Sokcho by himself tho?

┗That’s also bs. There were over a hundred Awakeners there. No way he fought that thing alone.

┗That's a dungeon with five-star monsters. How’s a three-star even there?

┗He’s probably getting carried.

┗Who’s that woman? She’s hot.

┗lmao, mommy!

The live chat exploded over the Thunder Wolf’s unexpected appearance.

Jerry Kim's mind raced.

The Thunder Wolf, huh? This... is great!

If he could get a super rookie like Kwon Oh-Jin to appear on his stream, it was bound to be a success.

But, of course...

He grinned slyly.

That alone isn’t going to satisfy me.

Simply boosting his viewership wasn’t enough. If he could turn this into a competition and defeat more monsters, he would earn a legendary title as the man who defeated the apostle of the North Star.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

After another year or even just six months, he would never be able to beat the Thunder Wolf.

But while he's still a four-star, I’ve got a good chance.

Rumors even suggested he might still be a three-star. Even if he had really hit four stars in just half a year, he couldn't bridge the two-star gap between them even as an apostle of the North Star.

And it’s not like I’m some no-name Awakener with a random Stigma.

Though inferior to the North Star, he still had one of the twelve Zodiacs' Stigma. It would be odd if he lost despite the power gap.

“Would you be interested in appearing as a guest on my stream?” he asked.

Kwon Oh-Jin cocked his head. “What?”

A stream, huh?

The idea intrigued him, though he hadn’t expected to cross paths with someone like this.

Song Ha-Eun interjected, “He’s not interested, so move it.”

“Wait, Ha-Eun.”

“

Eh?

Don’t tell me you're actually thinking of joining his stream?”

It does pique my interest. If I use this chance to demonstrate my strength, it might finally get rid of all those ridiculous rumors.

While he had no desire to become a streamer, showing up as a guest didn’t seem like a bad idea.

“

Haha

! Thank you so much!

Oh

, I’m Jerry Kim, a streamer specializing in gate raiding!”

He extended his hand.

Kwon Oh-Jin gave him a small nod and shook it. He could see the live chat erupting with activity in the hologram beside Jerry Kim.

┗Damnnnn!

┗Lol he actually hit on the Thunder Wolf.

┗What an enchanting man Jerry is.

┗Forget the Thunder Wolf! Rizz up the girl next to him lol

Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes sparkled with interest.

Is that a live chat?

Curious, he glanced at the bottom left corner of the screen, where it indicated thirty thousand viewers.

“Thirty thousand people are watching this stream right now?”

“Yes!

Haha!

I’ve got a pretty big audience,” Jerry Kim replied with a proud grin. “And I bet even more will be joining now.”

He had managed to bring the Apostle of the North Star on the stream as a guest, after all. Word would spread, and viewers from other streams would join his.

“So, what do I do now?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked, glancing at the camera floating in the air.

“Why don’t we start with a simple interview? Everyone! If you’ve got any questions for the Thunder Wolf, drop them in the chat!” Jerry Kim announced, steering the stream like a pro.

┗COUT? COUT?

┗Are you really a four-star?

┗COUT!

┗How did you awaken as the apostle of the North Star?

┗Can you take on two Murlocs at the same time?

┗COUTTTTTT!!!

“You don’t have to answer every question. Just pick whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“...

Uh

, what does COUT mean?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked, pointing to the word that kept popping up in the chat.

“Oh, uh...”

Jerry Kim scratched his head, smiling awkwardly.

Song Ha-Eun glanced at the chat disdainfully and sighed. “They’re asking what color your underwear is today."

“What?” Kwon Oh-Jin was flustered. “Why the hell are they asking me something like that?”

“It’s,

uh

, just part of streaming culture!

Haha!

”

Jerry Kim coughed awkwardly and avoided eye contact.

┗LMAO seems like he's never watched a stream before

┗Knock it off you idiots lol

┗His reaction is killing me lmao

Kwon Oh-Jin stared at the chat looking bewildered.

Since when did asking a stranger about their underwear become a cultural thing? What kind of ridiculous culture even is that?

“Let’s move on to other questions...” Jerry Kim muttered.

Kwon Oh-Jin scanned the chat and answered a few questions.

Now I get the general vibe.

It was a bit unfamiliar still, but he began to understand what the audience wanted and why they were watching.

Jerry Kim steered the stream away from the interview. “Alright, that’s it for questions! Wow! In that short time, sixty thousand more people have joined!”

The number of viewers had skyrocketed to over ninety thousand during Kwon Oh-Jin's short interview.

This is insane!

Jerry Kim smiled brightly. He had never seen anything like this before. At this rate, surpassing a hundred thousand viewers seemed inevitable.

I knew this was going to blow up!

Having the Thunder Wolf on his stream was a luxury draw that proved even more effective than he'd anticipated.

Alright, then. It's time to get to my real goal. In front of tens of thousands of people, I’ll beat the apostle of the North Star.

“For our next segment...” Jerry Kim smiled slyly. “How about a simple competition?”

“Competition?”

“Yes. Something simple, like who can take down the most monsters within a set time limit.”

Jerry Kim pitched the idea casually, and the chat exploded with fiery reactions.

┗Is this guy for real? Challenging a four-star to a timed match? lmao

┗Don’t play dirty, Jerry Kim!

┗Bruh, no way the Thunder Wolf can beat Jerry Kim right now.

┗This is like a diamond-tier challenging a gold-tier.

┗You know he’s gonna milk this forever if he wins.

┗“The man who beat the apostle of the North Star."

┗One year later: I totally wrecked the Thunder Wolf back then. You should’ve seen it.

“Of course, I’ll add a handicap to myself to make it fair,” he added, brushing off the audience’s comments. “We’ll figure out the handicap through a poll in a bit. So, what do you think? Are you interested?”

He smiled provocatively at Kwon Oh-Jin.

The chat was a mix of viewers mocking Jerry Kim for the ridiculous bet and others eager to see the match unfold.

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled as he watched the rapid stream of comments scrolling automatically.

So this is why he suddenly wanted me as a guest, huh? He wants to take me down in front of a big audience?

It was an understandable gamble for someone who didn't know Kwon Oh-Jin well.

I’ll play along,

he decided.

“Sure. Sounds fun.”

“

Haha!

Did y'all hear that? Mr. Oh-Jin just agreed!” Jerry Kim exclaimed toward the camera.

“But...” Kwon Oh-Jin interjected, stepping forward with a smirk. “Isn’t it kinda boring if it’s just a simple competition?”

“Sorry?”

“Let’s add stakes to it.”

Kwon Oh-Jin’s suggestion immediately ignited the chat once more.

“

Haha!

Mr. Oh-Jin, you sure know a thing or two about keeping people entertained! Alright, then! Shall we wager some Starstones for fun?”

“All in.”

Jerry Kim’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

“Let’s wager every single Starstone we have.”