Kayak’s participation news in the Abyss Streamer Tournament didn’t just make the manager happy; it caused a wave of other reactions too.
First, it brought tears of relief at the thought that the urgent fire had been put out, and along with that came a slew of pragmatic benefits.
The most notable was the announcement of other streamers joining the tournament.
– Hehe, I want to join too… I’m a fan of Kayak.
– Just having Kayak on the team guarantees some kind of benefit, right? If we happen to get picked, the practice broadcasts will probably have thousands of viewers.
– Can I join too… Uh, just submit the application, you say? That’s scary…. Ah, yes, President, I understand. I’ll apply…!
[Anya applied too, everyone! ㅇㅇ]
[Who the heck is Anya, you crazy Hako fan?]
[Don’t you know the supreme knight Anya?]
[Even Kayak, the person in question, doesn’t know of her existence; what supreme knight? ]
[Can we stop talking about the bloodsucking mosquito squad living off Kayak? Haha....]
[Hako fans, please stop the viral nonsense, Hako fans ^^]
[Ugh, they’re all converging because Kayak is participating; it’s like a swarm of flies.]
[But hey, it feels good that the tournament is shaping up nicely.]
The community buzzed with continuous updates throughout the day. Posts about who applied for the Abyss Tournament and who confirmed their participation kept flooding in.
From small-time broadcasters to those rising in fame, the number of applicants more than doubled, leaving the manager happily pondering who to choose.
Then came another participant, one who would shake up the Abyss Streamer Tournament alongside Kayak.
– Oh, Kayak is participating? Then maybe I’ll give it a shot too…
– Don’t joke around; I’m not that kind of person. I’m not just a fan; I’m curious about Kayak’s coaching skills because she’s coming as a director. You probably don’t know, but she’s really good strategically. The top-tier challenge can’t be won with just physical skills. And as a former challenger from the early seasons 1 and 2—
– Can you stop recording? Alright. But I did originally plan to participate in the tournament. Watching others play lately has ignited the fire in me. A lot of people don’t even know I was a challenger. You were a challenger? Look at that. Many still don’t know me. I have to show them this time: the nightmare Taker from the foundational Challenger seasons 1 and 2—
[Taker is joining too, ssssss]
[Abyss Tournament is coming back with a bang, lol]
[Just Kayak;]
[So this is the glory of Kayak, or whatever, Jesus, why isn't the meeting starting? Because Kayak hasn't shown up yet...]
[Taker, that crazy son of a gun, is thrilled that Kayak is joining and is going for the tournament.]
[Taker wouldn't gain much by joining the tournament anyway, lol.]
[The intentions are so transparent it's ridiculous.]
[Taker is really a famous buffalo, yep.]
It was Taker. Following the news of Kayak’s participation, he announced his intent to join the tournament, causing the community to buzz even more than before.
Even with Kayak alone, the tournament was already worth attending, but with Taker joining, the lineup became ridiculously luxurious. The situation flipped in an instant.
Previously, the mood was somber as they mourned the impending doom of the Abyss Streamer Tournament and sent condolences to the streamers participating in AJST, but now it began to feel festive once again, just like before.
As the tournament day approached, a notification from the Twitch side went up.
<11th Abyss Streamer Tournament>
…
Participating streamers – Kayak, Taker, Ins, Anya….
This was not a leak, but real official news.
Four directors and 24 players. A total of 28 names were revealed to form four teams.
*
Hako only has to sell Kayak’s name to gather viewers.
This was a recurring whisper circulating throughout Twitch lately.
What does this mean? Even if one isn’t a fan of Kayak, mentioning her name would provoke reactions like “I’m a fan of Kayak! I started streaming after watching Kayak’s broadcast—!”
This created a sort of urban legend where excited Kayak fans, known as Kayakers, would rush in to help fill the viewer count at the sight of a streamer claiming to be a Kayak fan.
It’s partly right and partly wrong, hence it might be a bit different from an urban legend.
In reality, many streamers hoped for a taste of Kayak’s blessings and claimed to be her fans, but only a few were true fans. Most were just “fans” in name, mere conceptual fans.
However, those who claimed to be Kayak’s fans conceptually often faced harsh consequences.
They would undergo an inquisition from the Kayakers, being classified into ‘real’ and ‘fake’.
Once outed as fake, many would succumb to the torment from the Kayakers and end their streams in despair. Kayak remained oblivious to these underground affairs.
It was something Kayak was unaware of, a matter of the underworld.
Needless to say, nothing in this world is easy.
Back in the day, just broadcasting her worship of Kayak would attract a horde of Kayak fans, but now there were dozens of procedures to prove one’s status as a fan. The gathered viewers could turn into knife-wielding thugs at any moment.
Thus, the saying that “Hako attracts viewers just by mentioning Kayak’s name” has become outdated.
A more accurate expression would be “Hako attracts inquisitive Kayak fans.”
But what happens when one withstands all that scrutiny to the point of genuinely calling themselves a true fan of Kayak, to the extent of even grilling the inquisitors?
“Hey guys, did you watch Kayak’s broadcast yesterday? There was an event in the cafe! I might join it too.”
[Looks like Anya is just perfect for it.]
[Anya is a famous Kayak fan.]
[Anya <<< Best output of a Kayak fan.] Currently, there are 700 viewers. It’s almost embarrassing to call it just Hako's show. In such cases, it was the streamer Anya who proved it firsthand. From her very first broadcast, Anya displayed her fan spirit for Kayak. Since then, she faced the gathering Kayak fans every day. In the end, she succeeded in subduing them all, gaining recognition that her passion for Kayak was even higher than that of many other fans. After that, Anya's streams felt half like a waiting room for Kayak. It was like a cafe where people gathered to chat when Kayak's broadcast wasn't running. While it could have been unpleasant to be treated like a waiting room, Anya didn't mind at all. After all, the streamer herself would turn off her broadcast shortly after Kayak's went live to watch hers. One could say that her identity as a Kayak fan outweighed her identity as a streamer. Given such circumstances, it would be more fitting to say that Anya was pleased by the waiting room treatment. Recently, most of her broadcast’s communication topics revolved around Kayak, which meant more people to chat with, and that was a good thing. [Anya's auction room is up!] [Let’s watch the auction stream!] [It'd be great if Kayak could pick me!] [Kayak is a truly famous director!] [Kayak will surely recognize Anya's passion!] “Oh, the auction's live?” As they chatted for a moment, the viewers announced the start of the tournament broadcast. Today was the day it all began, so Anya also needed to watch how the auction would be conducted and which team she would belong to. "Hey there, viewers! Welcome to the 11th round of the Abyss Streamer Tournament! Yes, the 11th round is back again!” “Despite all the drama and chaos... somehow, we made it back!” “You all missed us, right?” The official chat room was blowing up with comments. As the casters and commentators were welcomed, relentless insults towards Il-soon and his girlfriend, who were responsible for this mess, poured in. Seeing those fierce chats, Anya mumbled to herself. “Seriously, we almost lost the Abyss Tournament. Those folks would’ve missed out too. The Abyss Tournament holds some memories for me. Oh, I participated once in the 6th round. Didn’t win, but still... Anyway, the reason this tournament isn’t gone and is running again? All thanks to Kayak. I worship you, Kamen...” [JustKawah] [Worship the goat] [Ka-men] [Sudden worship? LOL] [Natural worship vibes, whoa] [Guess this is how you do Kayak 1st Sword] [Inquisitor Anya, whoa] [Anya's reaching cardinal level at this point] [If Kayak sees this broadcast, she might freak out and leave, LOL] Anya was effortlessly hitting that worship pose. She looked completely nonchalant, as if she hadn’t meant to bring it up at all. After a brief worship session for Kayak, the commentators resumed. “Alright, before we introduce the participating players—” “Let’s start with the directors!” “Director Rozie, can you hear us?” Following the guidance of the commentators, the directors started to greet one by one. “Yes, we’ve met three directors, and don’t those voices sound familiar?” “Our Abyss Tournament has been around for a long time, so the directors have had their turns in the past.” “But this director is different. She’s participated in the Abyss Tournament before but is making her debut as a director—” “Please welcome the only female among the four directors, the first champion of the Abyss Tournament, Kayak!” The introduction was notably longer than the others, and the wording was elaborate. It was inevitable, considering everyone knew who was the reason this tournament could happen and who was in the spotlight. With the commentators’ high-energy introduction, “Hello, I’m Kayak.” Kayak made her entrance.
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