The next day.
At last, the long-awaited day was coming to an end.
As soon as late afternoon arrived, Vivian calmly sat down in front of her computer and started her stream.
Having checked everything meticulously since yesterday, even the smallest details, her preparation was flawless.
All that was left was to hope the plan would go smoothly.
Taking a deep breath, Vivian pressed the ON button with fingers unusually tense today.
Her broadcast lit up.
‘Genius Alchemist’ always started at the same time, though the ending time varied.
Her regular viewers, who had been waiting in advance, immediately joined the stream as soon as the broadcast went live.
Even though it had just started, nearly a hundred viewers had already logged in.
HoHoKoKo2: Oh! It’s live! Haha.
OpOpLove: Wow, you’re still so punctual with your start time.
TwoMaro: Hello.
Magician Hunter: Sex.
As the chat window opened, familiar viewers greeted each other.
Vivian didn’t forbid friendly interactions during her streams, so the chat atmosphere was quite warm.
CEO - SY Group: Honestly, I don’t get why anyone watches this broadcast… I really don’t.
Of course, there was always some troll lurking around.
OpOpLove: …Who’s that troll now?
CEO - SY Group: ? ㅗ;
OpOpLove: Wait, the broadcast hasn’t even started yet.
CEO - SY Group: ㅗㅗㅗㅗ
OpOpLove: What an idiot.
HoHoKoKo2: Ignoring trolls is the best way to deal with them~
TwoMaro: Agreed. I’ve already blocked that user.
OpOpLove: Hmm; I might do the same.
Magician Hunter: Sex.
HoHoKoKo2: By the way, OpOpLove, you showed up right on time today. Haven’t seen you for a couple of days. Wow.
OpOpLove: Ah, it was my birthday recently. I partied hard and ended up suffering a nasty hangover.
TwoMaro: Strange. Why are the viewers suddenly increasing?
And just as he said, the numbers were climbing rapidly.
Less than five minutes in, the viewer count was approaching a thousand.
Even for a popular streamer like Vivian, this was a faster pace than usual.
HoHoKoKo2: Wait a minute…
Magician Hunter: Sex?
The answer was in the short message scrolling at the top of the screen.
‘First joint broadcast! Male guest appearance!’
Since starting her channel, Vivian had never done a joint broadcast.
Despite countless requests from other top streamers wanting to collaborate, she had always declined.
Now, for the first time, she was announcing a joint broadcast, sparking curiosity even among casual viewers.
About ten minutes in, the viewer count skyrocketed to nearly four thousand.
And when it passed five thousand, Vivian finally appeared on screen.
“Hello, everyone! Welcome to the broadcast of the great alchemist, Vivian!”
She greeted them brightly, waving cheerfully.
Viewers, who had been fiercely debating who the guest might be, flooded the chat demanding she reveal the identity.
“Wow, already this many viewers?”
HoHoKoKo2: Vivian, who’s the guest today?
“Hehe…”
Summer97: Who is it? Who?
“Well, you’ll be surprised! Just wait a bit longer!”
OpOpLove: Who is it?
“Guys, I said wait, okay?”
TwoMaro: So, who is it?
“Hold on, hold on.”
NoBigClub: Hurry up already; you’re dragging this out.
“……”
Ujoara: I know someone like this. Signed an e-book contract in 2013 and still hasn’t delivered the manuscript.
‘WildBear has left the chat.’
“Nooo! The broadcast just started and you’re already demanding the reveal!”
Vivian finally snapped after holding back.
CEO - SY Group: Enjoying making people anxious? Weird personality.
“What? Who said I wouldn’t reveal it? I told you to wait!”
zjstpqfj82: nods
“I’m not doing it! I won’t reveal it!! I’m seriously offended now…!”
Vivian exploded in anger.
But the viewers were already on her head.
‘TwoMaro has gifted 100 gold coins!’
“Oh my~! Thank you so much, TwoMaro! Got it! I’ll bring him out right now!”
The sudden shift in mood sent the chat into a frenzy.
For Vivian, today’s broadcast was absolutely critical—failure was not an option.
Though she wanted to proceed calmly, she had no choice but to speed things up.
But it wasn’t all bad.
Even if half of it was a joke, it showed how hyped the viewers were.
‘It’s still early; moving quickly might be okay.’
With that thought, Vivian grabbed the door handle.
And shouted,
“Come in!”
The door swung open.
At the same moment, the guest finally appeared.
Viewers were startled once by the awkward expression of Kim Soo-hyun as he walked in.
Then twice more when Vivian announced,
“Let me introduce today’s guest! One of the top ten stars of ‘War of the Stars’! The one and only—Mercenary Lord!”
Kim Soo-hyun walked up to the computer and bowed politely to the camera.
OpOpLove: Whoa?
EternalFire: ?
NoBigClub: Wow… so handsome; my heart’s pounding even though he’s a guy!
Summer97: Wow ㅠㅠㅠㅠ He’s so good-looking ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
EternalFire: Wait, why is he here?
TwoMaro: Hold on. Mercenary Lord? If he’s one of the top ten, is he a cheater?
The chat exploded.
Besides being a top ten player, there was controversy surrounding him.
OpOpLove: Wow… now I’m curious if he has a girlfriend.
Summer97: Hope not~
EternalFire: He does.
Summer97: Well… sigh. Then she must be a goddess too ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
EternalFire: Yep.
CEO - SY Group: Nah; how could a god date a human? Haha.
EternalFire: What? Calling a god ‘nah’? You’re done.
CEO - SY Group: What are you even saying lol.
The chat was flying by at nearly a page per second, no exaggeration.
Kim Soo-hyun just smiled awkwardly.
Vivian placed a hand on his shoulder with a somewhat smug expression.
“Alright! Since we’re here, shall we prove it quickly?”
“Prove what?”
“That you’re not a cheater.”
“I’m telling you, I’m not cheating.”
Kim Soo-hyun protested, clearly frustrated.
Vivian smirked and adjusted the camera to show the computer screen.
“No matter how much you say it, viewers won’t believe you unless they see it. Actually, they won’t believe you anyway. So, show them.”
Since his arrival, the broadcast had become overheated beyond necessity.
The best way to cool things down was to prove that Mercenary Lord was really Kim Soo-hyun, ranked seventh among the top ten, and that he wasn’t cheating.
“Jumping straight into the game, huh?”
Though she said that, Kim Soo-hyun willingly sat down.
He logged into ‘War of the Stars’ to prove he was Mercenary Lord, then started playing.
How much time passed?
By the end of the first game, the chat had calmed down a bit.
Result: Victory.
It was a one-sided match.
He picked the spider hero Vivian, finishing with an incredible 38 kills.
“Uh… want to play another round?”
But Kim Soo-hyun didn’t stop; he volunteered to keep going.
He knew one game wouldn’t be enough to quell the controversy.
Second round: Suramusa Gongchan.
Third round: Red Lion Ryu Jung.
Fourth round: Chichi Archer—no, Forest Hunter Hanna.
Fifth round: Light Prophet Sol.
After five games, Kim Soo-hyun displayed terrifying skill, winning every match.
Especially in the last game, a current pro gamer from the top ten appeared, but Kim Soo-hyun crushed him decisively with the support hero Sol, putting an end to the debate.
Throughout the matches, Vivian kept the camera focused not only on the game screen but also on Kim Soo-hyun’s full figure, leaving no room for suspicion.
“This should be enough, right?”
Kim Soo-hyun smiled and lifted his hands off the keyboard.
Checking viewer reactions intermittently, Vivian smiled triumphantly inside.
The chat was still a frenzy of excitement.
And it had only been two hours since the broadcast started; the viewer count had already surpassed sixty thousand.
The number of viewers had shot up almost vertically after Kim Soo-hyun appeared.
It was an incredible hit, an unprecedented success.
But as Vivian grinned, she suddenly shook her head.
‘Get a grip!’
The broadcast’s success was just a side benefit.
The real success had to come elsewhere.
Vivian took a deep breath and composed herself.
Crossing her arms, she sat down next to Kim Soo-hyun.
“I think you’ve proven your skill enough…”
The cheating accusations had clearly died down.
Now, the chat was just a chaotic mix of people praising Kim Soo-hyun or fiercely arguing over whether he was her husband or boyfriend, making the chat window a nonstop mess.
“Let me get straight to the point. The reason I planned this joint stream today is simple. Lately, I’ve been running a skill improvement segment… Damn it, what’s with these guys? They’re already counting their chickens before they hatch.”
『EternalFire has been forcibly removed.』
『KSH♡HSY (CEO - SY Group) has been forcibly removed.』
With a slightly annoyed expression, Vivian grabbed her mouse and kicked out the two most disruptive viewers.
Then, there was a sudden loud bang—someone slammed a wall somewhere—but she ignored it and quickly continued.
“Anyway, here’s the thing. Lately, I feel like my skills just aren’t improving. Like I’ve hit a wall. So, I figured I need someone to teach me, and that’s why I asked Mercenary Road for help.”
Perfectly scripted.
“Of course, this isn’t the end. You said just playing games gets boring, right? Honestly, I don’t really get it, but if you say so, then I guess that’s true. Anyway, after thinking it over, I decided to add a punishment element.”
Flawless acting.
“To sum it up: Mercenary Road is the teacher, and I’m the student. I’ll learn from him, and if I don’t get satisfactory results, I’ll have to face the punishment.”
Smooth as flowing water.
And now, the last part…
“So…”
Vivian glanced sideways at Kim Soo-hyun’s face, who was focused on the screen.
“About that punishment…!”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Drowned out by the sound of rain tapping on the window,
my keystrokes are still no song.
In this cramped one-room with no grass, no drop of dew,
I pound the keyboard as if suffocating.
But I’m alive here.