I skillfully entered the broadcast title.
[Discussion with American Returnee Quick Eagle! Demon King vs. Evil Dragon, Who’s Stronger?]
Even I think it’s excellent. At this point, they won’t be able to resist coming in.
In the beginning, I couldn’t even do this properly and received help from Seo-yoon, but that’s not the case anymore. I have now become a proper streamer.
Of course, there are still many things I don’t know. I’m still a rookie streamer.
But I’m quickly acquiring knowledge, so I believe I’ll be perfect in no time. Even if I take a long time, it should only be two to three months. After that, I believe I won’t get lost ever again.
“Is this your first time?”
I was imagining my future as a streamer when Quick Eagle, sitting next to me, asked as he munched on the apple I gave him.
I shook my head and replied.
“Nope. I’m about to start.”
“Ugh, I’m nervous!”
He says he’s shaking, but in reality, he looked incredibly relaxed. Just looking at him smiling while eating the apple made that clear.
I’ve heard he has appeared on TV multiple times, but this is his first time on an internet broadcast.
Still, he wasn’t nervous at all. His expression and gestures were so laid-back. It seemed he had quite a bold personality.
‘Just like Liam.’
Our former hero also rarely showed any signs of nervousness. Quick Eagle and Liam definitely had a lot in common.
Especially, they both had a childlike quality.
The difference, however, is that this returnee sitting next to me was, unlike anyone else, not reckless.
“Pink friend, if I make any mistakes, please warn me with a glance.”
Quick Eagle munching on the apple made this unexpected request. I was a bit taken aback by his cautiousness.
His consideration not to blindly trust his words and his alertness surprised me a little.
This was something Liam wouldn’t even think of doing decades later. It was arguably the biggest difference between the two.
“Understood.”
I nodded with a light smile and pressed the ‘start broadcast’ button. Then, I took a proper posture.
“It just started.”
“I see.”
At my words, Quick Eagle folded his wings tightly. Even though they were already quite reduced compared to their original size, he was tucking them in even more.
After adjusting his wings, he leaned back in the chair. His large frame made the chair look small, but it was enough to support him.
“Come on in, friends!”
Quick Eagle then smiled broadly and waved at the webcam.
“We’re not on the broadcast screen yet.”
“Oh, really?”
He shrugged his shoulders in an unexpectedly cute manner. Well, he was only 24 years old, so he was in a prime age for being cute.
I looked at my younger returnee friend with fondness for a moment. Then, suddenly a question arose.
“You said you’re 24. Does that mean you were 14 when you reincarnated?”
To be thrown into another world at such a young age and suffer for ten years… it must have been quite the mental struggle.
For simply leaving some curse on the production team’s social media, the price seemed too steep. I looked at him with a somewhat pitying gaze.
If it had been before, I would have scoffed and said it was karma, but these days, I felt differently.
Now, I was treating the young ones with a ‘mother’s heart.’ I couldn’t just pass by without thinking of my kids.
“Huh? No, no.”
But at that moment, Quick Eagle denied my words.
“I didn’t count the time spent over there as my age. There’s no need to combine it, right? I might as well live young.”
His playful wink made me feel somewhat tricked.
I felt he was quite mature for his age, but Quick Eagle was actually 34 years old. I relaxed knowing he was still younger than me.
‘…Even combining it, he’s still quite young.’
Then, immediately afterward, I felt a deep sense of disappointment.
I was currently 36 years old, but if you count the years I lived as Park Si-woo, it would be even more. It was a pitiable fact.
Not that I wanted to calculate my exact age, because I wasn’t keen on it. But anyway, it was clear that I was older than Quick Eagle.
“No matter how I calculate it, you’re younger than me.”
I said this with a calm expression, as I always do, not revealing my inner thoughts. I couldn’t sulk about my age after all.
Quick Eagle smiled widely in a carefree manner.
“Buddy, we’re both returnees, so age doesn’t mean anything. What matters is the heart, right?”
“…That’s right.”
That was a good point. I couldn’t help but nod.
Age didn’t matter. Why had I forgotten such a simple fact?
I nodded a bit while raising my evaluation of the young black man.
‘Heroic indeed.’
Honestly, I was impressed.
Just now, Quick Eagle must have noticed I was sensitive about age and deliberately said that to pacify me.
His adept social skills and polite language truly depicted him as a hero. I felt somewhat ashamed for thinking he was on par with Liam.
“So when are we starting?”
“I’ll adjust the broadcast screen now.”
I silently apologized as I displayed the webcam on the broadcast.
Chat messages began to rapidly flood in. Most of them were about today’s special guest.
-Is that really Quick Eagle?
-???
-Wait, why is he here?
-Isn’t this weird?
As I skimmed through, it seemed the reaction was overall one of surprise, with the usual chaotic buzz lingering.
“Why are you so surprised? I’m the pope. This level of arrangement is not difficult.”
After showing off a bit, I requested Quick Eagle to introduce himself. The jovial young black man waved at the webcam as if he were waiting for this moment.
“Hey, it’s Quick Eagle. I’m sure you all know me, so this is enough, right?”
His relaxed and confident greeting sent the chat room ablaze again.
-You speak Korean too?
-When did you learn?
-How come you’re so fluent? LOL
-Something about it seems a bit awkward, though?
Liam had cast a translation spell on Quick Eagle, so everyone was perceiving his English as Korean. Some viewers felt a sense of discord, but they didn’t seem to mind too much.
“How’s the response?”
At that moment, Quick Eagle whispered to me. The translation spell worked for spoken words but not for writing.
“They’re surprised. It seems like they find it amazing you’re speaking Korean.”
When I relayed this in a whisper, Quick Eagle immediately made a confused expression and gesture with his hand.
“What are they so surprised about? Don’t you know I love Korea? Bibimbap, Yi Sun-sin, the land of Taekwondo! I love you!”
With exaggerated cheer that sounded like I should call the bartender, the atmosphere in the chat room heated up.
If handled poorly, it might come off as forced excitement, but he managed the mood skillfully, making it just amusing.
He really did seem seasoned, as he claimed to have been on TV before. He was adept and cheerfully leading the broadcast seamlessly.
I figured I could just leave him to talk on his own during the broadcast.
‘Brought him on well.’
The reason I invited Quick Eagle to the broadcast was for the buzz and fame.
He’s a popular returnee and hero. Maintaining a good relationship with this young black man would help our order expand its influence easily.
Of course, I wasn’t getting my hopes too high. For now, merely spreading my name to other countries would suffice.
“Everyone, just for your information, Quick Eagle here has officially become a member of our order today.”
Taking my chance, I stated abruptly, and Quick Eagle pretended to pray.
“I’m originally non-religious, you know? But since there’s an actual Goddess, I couldn’t help but believe.”
This was a prearranged conversation. A scheme to elevate our order’s reputation. Since he had genuinely decided to become a member, it wasn’t a lie.
“If you all get the chance, become members too! I heard you can join by donating 500,000 won or subscribing for six months!”
Unfortunately, my promotional pitch sounded a bit unnatural, but it would surely be of some help.
[Nung Corporal donated 1,000 won]
-But how did you come to be here?
At that moment, a donation came in asking about how he appeared. I was already planning to share that.
“For those of you who watched the last broadcast, you’ll know, but there was a little incident yesterday. The husband, taking my joke seriously, really flew to America.”
I tried to present the event as a trivial matter, but unfortunately, it didn’t come across that way.
-A little? Incident?
-I thought it was a serious situation! LOL
-Why would you make a joke so seriously?
-This is literally the worst.
“Liam, please temporarily ban anyone who found that so boring.”
I controlled the abusive chat while continuing my explanation. I briefly summarized what happened last night and how Quick Eagle ended up on the broadcast.
Of course, I slightly embellished the reasons for the invitation.
“And so, thanks to the Goddess’s will, he decided to appear. My broadcast is the most fitting place to publicly announce he’s a member.”
Using the Goddess’s name to explain this made the unexpected appearance seem more persuasive. It was indeed beneficial to have an appropriate justification.
I smiled softly and clapped my hands lightly.
“Let’s wrap up the chit-chat here and jump right into the main broadcast.”
Starting off like that, I displayed the text on the broadcast screen.
[Is Demon King Balreer Stronger vs. is Evil Dragon Hekatrith Stronger?]
“As the title says, we will discuss who is stronger between the two final bosses.”
A topic that anyone interested in creative works has pondered at least once.
It had no real significance, was impractical, and utterly worthless. After all, who would win ultimately depended on the writer’s whim.
But it was fun. Comparing two equally infamous entities was intriguing in itself. That was enough.
“I believe the Demon King Balreer, the utterly villainous final boss of the game Apollis Tales, the worst demon under heaven, who can smash the ground with bare hands and tear through the sky with force, is stronger.”
Next, I pointed at Quick Eagle.
“And this gentleman supports the Evil Dragon Hekatrith, the final boss from the drama ‘Dread Dragon.’”
After completing the introduction of the debaters, the viewers began reacting heatedly.
-Look how many titles you piled onto the Demon King. LOL
-That auntie is embarrassing.
-Is the Demon King that strong?
-Isn’t it the Four Heavenly Kings that are tougher?
-The Evil Dragon just wins.
Taking a brief glance, it seemed the chat was leaning towards supporting the Evil Dragon. But since these were the opinions of ‘ignorant’ viewers, I decided not to care.
“How’s the response?”
Quick Eagle asked casually while munching on his apple. I thought for a moment before answering.
“Many believe the Demon King is stronger.”
“Really?”
Quick Eagle scanned the chat, furrowing his brow.
“But why is everyone asking questions?”
“It’s as if the discussion is already over even before starting, so they’re asking if that’s okay.”
“Oh dear.”
I attempted to add some psychological pressure, but he showed no signs of being rattled at all. Instead, he was smiling broadly.
“Everyone doesn’t know what they’re talking about. If they knew what conspiracy the Evil Dragon had in mind, their opinion might change.”
What kind of plot had he hatched to say that so cryptically? Quick Eagle paused momentarily before removing any hints of laughter from his face and spoke.
“Hekatrith’s goal was to destroy the entire world. That doesn’t change even in the drama that disregards the original. But you know what? He had a hidden agenda too.”
“What was it?”
“An invasion.”
That single low yet heavy word followed by a slightly agitated tone reverberated.
“That guy recognized the existence of this world and attempted to invade. And he nearly succeeded. If it weren’t for me and my comrades, this place would’ve been devastated by now.”
“……”
That was a shocking story.
Though I couldn’t be sure of its truth, it probably was the truth. Someone who would boast like that wasn’t exactly prone to exaggeration.
So now my position felt a bit awkward.
‘…The Demon King was just impotent, right?’
The Demon King from our side had lost all ambition after living for countless years. So he’d shut himself in his castle and only came out when someone dared to challenge him.
While the Demon King’s army aimed to destroy the surface world, he, in essence, was utterly powerless.
But if I said that as it was, it might feel like we were already defeated before even debating who was stronger. The objective consciousness of the villains seemed to differ too drastically.
So what should I do in such a case? The answer was simple.
“Quick Eagle, I’ll issue a warning—first strike.”
“Why?”
“We’re trying to determine who’s stronger, which is the topic of discussion, yet you veered off into something completely unrelated. Please refrain.”
After all, I was the host.
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