Chapter 17: A New Path

Honestly, it didn’t matter that much.

The [Snipe] build had been nerfed, but I wasn’t a dedicated Ranger player, and it didn’t mean I couldn’t snipe Leni anymore.

However, one particular emotion filled me to the brim.

Regret.
A deep, resonating regret.

After all, the [Snipe] build… wasn’t just a build; it was the build that had brought me this far, a build that shaped my current existence.

Regardless, what was unusable should be discarded. She offered her condolences to the Ranger players.

But what kind of species were humans?

‘We will find a way. As we always have.’

Yes, if one path was blocked, they’d find two more.

And who was I?
The creator of countless posts. I could publish a book filled with just the templates I’d created.

With that kind of talent, I could surely come up with another fun build.

Anyway, I hadn’t sniped Leni since the [Snipe] build was nerfed.

The reason was simple. Leni hadn’t reached her promotion series yet.

I’d popped my sniping cherry on her promotion series. Now, nothing less than a high-stakes match like that would satisfy me.

I couldn’t snipe other streamers; I was stuck in Iron. Leni was the only major streamer playing at this tier.

Realistically, even female streamers needed a certain level of skill to be popular. Gold was the bare minimum.

Leni was a special case, having built her following before focusing on LoL.

Sure, there were small-time Iron streamers, but… I wasn’t interested in those waters.

My goal was to elicit entertaining reactions from streamers, not to ruin their broadcasts.

“Ah……”

The following days were incredibly dull.

Dopamine was like that.
Once you experienced a high, nothing less could stimulate you.

Posting on LoL Gallery, watching streams, watching YouTube… it all felt bland.

Like eating mild ramen after indulging in spicy Malatang. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t enough.

<So! Everyone~ This is skill! See?>

Today was no different.

I had a YouTube stream playing on my phone, but I was watching mindlessly. Just background noise to fill the silence.

<Oh my god!!!! AKem donated $1,000!!!>

The streamer on my phone shrieked excitedly. A thousand-dollar donation elicited an enthusiastic response, her smile stretching so wide it seemed permanently affixed to her face.

‘Wow… I’m so jealous.’

Scenes like this always made my stomach churn with envy. Some people had to scrimp and save every penny, while others earned it with a single click from a viewer.

Speaking of which, I needed to find a way to earn money…

I’d been holding out, but I was reaching my limit. Living off instant ramen was driving me insane.

<Thanks to you guys, I can finally pay my rent after just two months of streaming! Really…>

The streamer in the video was on the verge of tears.

She’d earned that much in just two months? Even crying was understandable at that point.

‘Should I just start streaming…?’

Of course, I knew.

The streaming industry was incredibly competitive, heavily reliant on talent.

‘But I can at least try.

I could give it a shot. If it worked, great; if not, no big deal.

What was the appeal of streaming anyway? The possibility of anyone earning money by giving it a try.

And the low barrier to entry was a plus.

There was no rule saying I couldn’t do it.

“This should… be enough.”

I spent about a day setting things up. Nothing major, just installing streaming software and learning the basics. Having a powerful computer meant minimal startup costs, which was nice.

I didn’t bother with a camera.

A pretty face was a powerful weapon for streamers, but… I wasn’t interested in using it.

As I’d said before, I wanted consequence-free pleasure.

Showing my face would inevitably reveal some personal information, bringing with it unwanted responsibilities.

I didn’t want that.

Well… maybe if the stream became incredibly successful, I’d consider it.

“Let’s do this.”

Having finished setting up, I started the stream.

The title of my exciting debut stream: ‘[Sniping].’

I’ll admit it.

It was a remarkably uninspired title for the dopamine-fueled tsunami that was the streaming world.

But it was the perfect title for me. A reflection of my identity, and perfectly aligned with today’s main content.

“Hmm….”

It was 8 PM on a Saturday night. A remarkably ordinary time, but perfectly suited for my debut.

Why? You’ll find out soon.

Ten minutes passed, and the viewer count remained stubbornly at zero.

Unsurprising. I hadn’t addressed the most crucial aspect of starting a stream.

Attracting viewers. I needed to generate some buzz.

My stream title wasn’t exciting, and I hadn’t adopted a unique, attention-grabbing theme.

But I had a plan. Two, in fact.

-Click -Click

I navigated to my online home, LoL Gallery, to execute the first part of my plan. Without hesitation, I created a post.

[Come on in, everyone.] (Views 2192)
=Author: GOAtSolNoon

(Link to my stream)

Come.

Upvote: 31 DownVote: 3

-??????????????

 SolNoon squad, assemble!!
ㄴOne
ㄴTwo
ㄴNumber’s up!
ㄴPathetic lol
-Moderator, please ban these people
-Is this real?

A simple post containing only my stream link. There was no need for an attention-grabbing title. This method was more effective for someone like me.

People were drawn to the unexpected.

The quiet nerd at school who was secretly the most beautiful girl in town? Something like that.

A bad analogy? Whatever.

-Click

I closed LoL Gallery after seeing the upvotes trickle in. I also hid the viewer count on my stream.

Watching the numbers climb one by one could be fun, but I preferred the anticipation of a larger reveal. Less thrilling, perhaps, but the higher expectations were more to my liking.

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much. LoL Gallery had a lot of users, but they were usually referred to as a ‘small group’.

Their collective influence was limited. They weren’t known for accomplishing anything significant.

Well… 50-100 viewers would be nice. A rather generous estimate, but still.

<I’m like…some kind of…>

I played some music to pass the time. I figured the regulars on LoL Gallery would show up by the time one song ended.

Naturally, I chose one of my favorite recent songs.

<Trouble’s coming~>

I kept the volume low.

This was a regular studio apartment, not a soundproof booth. I didn’t want any noise complaints.

Talking to strangers was my least favorite thing.

“Su, su, su, supernova~”

I unconsciously started humming along to the music. Didn’t everyone do that with catchy tunes? It wasn’t intentional. At all.

“Supernova~~”

The song ended, and so did my humming.

I realized something was amiss when I finally checked the viewer count and chat on my stream.

[Current viewers: 192]

Nearly 200 viewers were watching my stream.

[lollollollollollollol]
[Couldn’t resist Supernova lol]
[Wow… so cute]
[Anyone clip that? Why aren’t clips being made?]
[Noona, can you sing one more song?]
[Hngh…!Hngh…!Hngh…!Hngh…!Hngh…!]
[ hell!!!!!!!!]
[She’s actually a woman?]
[You said you didn’t snipe Leni on her broadcast. Explain yourself.]
[Love you, love you, love you, love you]
[What’s with this act?]

The chat was on fire.

“Oh…?”

Ah, the mic… was on.

[ I’m smitten] (Views 1129)
=Author: ㅇㅇ(12.11)

(Clip of NoonSol humming: Su, su, su, supernova~)

I think I’m going crazy. Now I understand why simps watch streams…

Upvote: 25 DownVote: 0

Her voice is amazing. Who is she?
ㄴNoonSol
ㄴHuh? Isn’t she a LoL Gallery user? She streams?
ㄴYeah, it’s her first stream. Go check it out
ㄴInsane lol
-You idiot, it’s all an act
ㄴI don’t care if it’s an act, I like it
ㄴHonestly, it does feel very staged
ㄴReal talk, she’s expertly playing the viewers, 
-I hate SolNoon, but her voice is undeniable
ㄴReal talk lol
ㄴHer face is probably busted. Typical PC Bang voice goddess lol
ㄴVoice goddess lollol Why can I picture it?
ㄴNope, our NoonSol noona is gorgeous
ㄴUgh, this simp’s brain is leaking lol
-Is this really SolNoon?? That troll????

[Everyone, come and take a seat] (Views 2102)
=Author: SolNoonFan#1

(Clip of NoonSol humming: Su, su, su, supernova)

LoL Gallery’s ultra hyper S-class beauty is singing.

Come on in

Upvote: 31 DownVote: 3

-lol Cute
-S? Class? Beauty?
ㄴ(Author) Just by hearing her voice, you can tell she’s a beauty
ㄴlol You’re a nerd, aren’t you
ㄴ(Author)you
-Wow, SolNoon is now acting like a queen bee? This is insane
ㄴShe’s not a queen bee, she’s the queen lol. All hail NoonSol
ㄴ hell lol
-Stop with the viral marketing. I’m not watching
ㄴViral marketing? SolNoon isn’t big enough for that
ㄴlollollollollol