“Hello, viewers! Thank you for waiting. I’m your caster Lee Hyuk Jin, here to provide commentary for today’s match. And next to me, we have our streamer Taker and ack Announcer Kim Yeo Ji.”
[Did you come? Did you come? Did you come? Did you come? Did you come? Did you come?]
[Nuna!]
[Hyuk Jin is in a good mood today, haha.]
[Did Yeo Ji put thought into her outfit for the viewers?]
[Taker’s hair flip is killing me.]
[Are we finally starting?]
[The wait was too long.]
“Well, cutting to the chase, let’s discuss the match that will be taking place today. The second Taker’s Abyss Streamer Tournament will proceed with the final four, and shortly the matchups will be determined, followed immediately by the start of the games.”
“Is there a specific reason you’re deciding the matchups right before the games?”
“Of course! It’s to make the games more exciting. If teams know who they’ll be facing in advance and practice accordingly, they might analyze the opposing team and prepare specialized strategies. Sure, the bans and picks are part of the skill and the game, but that’s not the main focus of our tournament. Plus, isn’t it just more thrilling to jump straight into the game right after the matchups are drawn?”
[That’s true.]
[Hmm… isn’t there another reason?]
[It’s a bit sad watching you try so hard to make it sound good.]
[It’s all because of ‘those guys’.]
[?? What happened?]
[Go read the Jamwiki about the first Taker Abyss Streamer Tournament, yeah.]
[One genuinely clueless guy brought the current director and all the coaches to analyze and turned it into a boring match.]
[Oh no;;]
[That event barely had any prize money and was truly a friendly tournament, but that one person ruined it all, haha.]
[But other teams’ matches were fun.]
[If they had won, it would have been a legendary moment.]
[The ones we can’t even mention by name.]
[Boldemort has become a permanent banned word on Taker’s stream…]
“There are also a few other changes compared to the first tournament. Taker, could you explain it to the viewers?”
“Sure! This time around, unlike last time, there are no bans on specific heroes during the pick and ban phase. Instead, there are no hero bans at all, and each team can ban a total of three characteristics, taking turns once each.”
[Ah… that pick and ban phase again.]
[That day haunts my nightmares.]
[Argh! Evil of the pick and ban, leave my head!]
[Is this because of the first tournament?]
[Banning characteristics sounds fun.]
[So you can’t use six characteristics at all?]
[This brain battle is going to be wild!]
“The rest is just the usual tournament rules. After the characteristic ban, you pick, and the heroes picked by the opposing team cannot be chosen.”
“Not allowing mirror matches is like the ultimate unwritten rule, right?”
“And for the semifinals, we’ll have a best of three, and the finals will be a best of five.”
“So far, these rules are relatively familiar. Is there anything else we need to pay special attention to?”
“Oh, this is a rule that was recently added….”
Caster Lee Hyuk Jin paused for a moment before continuing.
“All participating players will each stream a small cam to prevent illegal programs and proxy gameplay. Even no-cam streamers will have to set their cam to show at least their hands.”
“Oh, is this to verify that they are playing themselves?”
“Exactly. Similarly, to prevent stream sniping and map peeking during the official broadcast, there will be a 10-minute delay in the stream.”
[Handcam confirmed ㄷㄷㄷㄷ]
[Kayak’s hand will be exposed ㅗㅜㅑ….]
“This tournament really leaves no room for error ㅋㅋㅋㅋ”
“Unlike the neighborhood hole-in-the-wall tournaments, Eonix is sponsoring this one, haha.”
“There can’t be a repeat of past mishaps, right?”
“Dullahan players are forced into handcams ㅋㅋ”
Despite the somewhat strict regulations, people seemed to accept them to some extent.
Most of those watching the broadcast had experienced the last tournament, and they were well aware that Eonix was seriously preparing for this tournament.
The scale of the tournament had changed. The prize money had changed. The number of viewers had changed.
It was clear that something unusual was happening, and with that came stricter regulations. The viewers had no intention of complaining about any of that.
As long as it was fun, that was all that mattered.
They were all hoping for the tournament to start as soon as possible, and some seemed even more excited about a specific streamer using a handcam.
“Alright! That wraps up the overall explanation of the rules and precautions. We shouldn’t drag on any longer, right?”
“Exactly! The number of viewers for the official broadcast has already surpassed 40,000. With so many viewers eagerly watching the tournament, we can’t stretch this out any longer.”
“Then, let’s move on to the next item. The matchup selection. I’m already excited to see which teams will face off among the four fierce contenders….”
“I’m already looking forward to which team will face off….”
[Dude, this is taking forever!]
[Just reveal it already and let’s start the game!]
[My chicken is getting cold, boohoo!]
[Yeah, my chicken hasn’t even arrived yet, sweet deal lol.]
[At this rate, this is a fast-paced broadcast compared to others. Those other streams go slower than a turtle!]
[Kayak vs Yu Hye, huh?]
[Let’s go, Dekal Team!]
[Anyway, Yu Hye’s gonna win!]
“Oh, the results are out! Streamer Kayak, leading her team, Kayak Team, will face off against Streamer Dekal, who heads Dekal Team, in the semifinals!”
“The other two teams, Yu Hye Team and Quattro Cheese Whopper Team, will battle it out in the semifinals next.”
After finishing his speech, Lee Hyuk Jin exchanged glances with the staff and spoke up.
“Oh, they’ve just announced the players are ready. Let’s dive into the match between Kayak Team and Dekal Team first.”
“The second annual Taker Abyss Streamer Championship, which team will advance to the finals?”
“Let’s find out!”
As the commentators shouted one last time, epic background music played and the screen transitioned.
*
“I’m so nervous! What should I do?”
“I wish it was the second match instead. Of all times, it’s the first match….”
“Aaaaaah, I can do this. I can do this.”
Everyone gathered in the Discord room to watch the live broadcast, and as soon as the matchups were revealed, the people were thrown into panic.
They had been warned that being in Group A for the semifinals meant they had to compete right away, but just because they were preparing didn’t mean the nerves would be absent.
Now that the moment was finally here, the team couldn’t hide their anxiety.
It was somewhat expected. Except for one team member, Han Kang, everyone said this was their first tournament.
Experiencing anything for the first time is bound to be nerve-wracking.
First day of school, first love, first job.
How could they not be nervous in such a scenario, especially with the stakes being this high? It made sense why the viewers were in such a frenzy.
Even Han Kang, who had participated in tournaments before, was feeling the pressure of the viewer count and couldn’t hide his subtle tension. I was the only one calm within the team.
Because of this, as the highest tier member, the team leader, and the one with a lot of experience in various competitive events, I had the duty to soothe my team members, but I just couldn’t do it.
Right now, I wasn’t in a situation to be calm either.
Swish—
I waved my hand to one side.
I wave my hand in a certain direction.
Suddenly, something white zooms past in one corner of the computer.
It’s the screen broadcasting the cam. That white thing that just passed by is my hand, and right now, I’ve set up a small cam in front of my computer to capture it.
When I first heard that I had to use the handcam, I was so flustered. I thought there would be a day when I’d turn on the cam, but I never imagined today would be that day.
“….”
I briefly raised my hand and stared at it.
My small, pure white hand looked flawless, without a single spot.
It was a hand that exuded a strong ‘woman’ vibe, completely different from the original me.
Surely, Camilla must have struggled just as much as, if not more than, my original self, so how can her hands look like this?
Is it really okay for the hands of someone who danced in the battlefield and swung blades to look this beautiful? Shouldn’t they be all scarred up and missing a few fingers at least?
…Well, it’s not like I dislike my current appearance.
Having a normal body is better than being disabled, and being unnaturally beautiful is better than just being normal.
Anyway, I set up the cam to show my hands playing the game according to the tournament rules. I was hesitating just a bit.
Some might say, “It’s just your hands and not even your face,” but for me, this was a small yet significant step in my long history of broadcasting.
It was an action that couldn’t be taken without a substantial resolution.
“Ha….”
My wandering hand finally comes to a stop. I let out a small sigh and neatly place both hands on the keyboard and mouse.
Even so, the chat window remains utterly quiet. That must be because of the delay set for the tournament.
It’s not that challenging. Once I focus on the game, these thoughts will disappear. Now that I’m actually doing it, I find myself laughing at how panicked I was before.
“Everyone.”
Only after finishing all that prep did I turn to my team members, who were just as nervous as I was.
Speaking as someone seasoned in these tournaments, I can say there’s no need for long speeches to ease the tension.
“Let’s win.”
Just that one phrase toward victory is more than enough.
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