Chapter 34

"Hello, members."

Seo Jun turned on the stream in the lobby as usual.

Humans were creatures of adaptation, after all.

Stretching lightly, Seo Jun opened the chat window.

Seo-haBro, is the training hall thing real?Are you really Seo Jun?lol

As it happened, the records of the training hall that Shin Ha-yeon had held for over a week were taken back by someone the previous day.

Naturally, one person came to mind.

unknown.

The unidentified figure who had pushed Shin Ha-yeon, who had defended the top spot for years, down from the throne.

There were many rumors surrounding him, including suspicions that he might actually be an AI developed by the company due to his malicious personality, but most people didn't deny one thing:

unknown was highly likely to reappear.

After all, there was precedent.

However, the name that appeared on the rankings shattered everyone's expectations.

It wasn't unknown.

It was Jin Seo-jun.

Of course, it didn't directly state that it was the streamer Seo Jun.

Only the name and part of the identification number were revealed.

Still—

"You guys are talking about the training hall, right?"

To the viewers, it was hard to believe that another Jin Seo-jun with the exact same name had coincidentally taken over the 10-stage AI rankings.

Obviously lolFirst off, is that really your account? Not just someone with the same name?I was reading the community posts and completely lost it.No way it's another Seo Jun lolololol

Most players of Another Game didn't know Seo Jun very well yet.

His recognition would gradually grow as he played more games, but at the moment he wasn't that famous.

But Dawn of the Assassins players were different.

They had heard Seo Jun's name here and there and remembered the amazing plays he had shown.

It was only natural that Dawn of the Assassins players exploded over the news.

[Shin Ha-yeon got pushed down again. But why Jin Seo-jun?]

[Am I the only one thinking of 'that guy' when I see this training hall ranking?]

lol seriously, the same guy who didn't even do the quest and still smacked me all the way to the respawn point?

Why has the nameless king become "the one whose name cannot be spoken"? lol

['That bastard,' if you're reading this comment, please give up on the favorability quest with Sister Boristina. Asking questions every time is driving me insane.]

[Possibility that unknown = the nameless king]

100%. Couldn't you tell from the way he acted?Judging from the trolling, it's basically confirmed lololol. The true nature's finally revealed.

[Wait, then did he really surpass Shin Ha-yeon?]

Bro lol you think Shin Ha-yeon's a joke?The training hall and actual combat are different. It's not like they fought directly. Who knows if Shin Ha-yeon would win in a real duel lolBut he still beat the record.That's our assassin! Proud of him!

[What's even crazier is that unknown appeared before 'that guy' even started streaming.]

Then since our assassin's first game was this, he beat the training hall before he even properly started gaming? lolololAt this point we should seriously question whether he's a real-life swordmaster.Doesn't Seo Jun actually have a sword tattoo or something?So he's not a college student but a special forces soldier? lol

[Looking at him now, even his silhouette is handsome.]

The Dawn of the Assassins players naturally assumed the Jin Seo-jun appearing on the rankings was him.

Beyond that, they even believed he was unknown himself.

"First of all, yes, that 10-stage AI was me."

Seo Jun admitted it right away.

If he really wanted to hide it, he should've made the information private from the beginning instead of denying it now.

In fact, there were far more viewers than usual today.

"But I'm not unknown."

Not that they'd believe him.

lol the AI was even more polite this time. I watched someone fight it. Before, if you blocked the sword it'd immediately strike back, but this time it stepped back, bowed, and even gave them time.lmaooooThat's even worse though???Bro, it's obviously you.Peak hypocrisy.

Seo Jun couldn't help it.

He had simply copied Tae-woo's greeting gestures and movements, but since he was already branded as someone with a terrible personality, everything got interpreted that way.

So he decided to deny it openly instead.

"I'm telling you it's not me, so what can I do?"

And honestly, it wasn't that big of a problem anyway.

Among people who didn't know him, there might be those who disliked the fact that he used anonymity to troll others.

Even among those who knew him, there could be some.

But Seo Jun knew very well that wanting everyone to like you was arrogance.

After all, in his previous life, he had once stood at the very top.

"But if you guys keep refusing to believe me and keep mistaking me for him, the real unknown might come back and take first place again soon."

Seo Jun made a serious face, but nobody bought it.

He's coming back as unknown?Declaration of supremacy incominggggBro's manipulating public opinion himself lolololLike anyone would believe that.Streamer Jin Seo-jun declares he'll win the battle against himself!

As they joked around, the viewer count quickly filled up.

Some came wanting to see the ending of the hidden scenario "Choice" and the hidden quest "Man."

Others came simply because they heard Seo Jun was the new 10-stage AI record holder.

Is this dude really insane?You mean the bastard who used to troll everyone?Get ready to get destroyed by Shin Ha-yeon lololol

A few people were stirring up the chat.

These were the wandering viewers who hopped from stream to stream instead of settling in one place.

Most of them were ordinary viewers no different from anyone else.

But as some wise man once said, if five people gather together, at least one of them is trash.

And when a bunch of roaming viewers suddenly flooded in because of a big incident like this, troublemakers who ruined the chat atmosphere were bound to come along too.

'The solution in times like this is surprisingly simple.'

Just enable follower-only chat.

Most of his viewers were already followers anyway, to the point where his follower ratio was unusually high.

So even if he restricted the chat, the existing viewers could still communicate without issue.

Seo Jun immediately changed the settings so only people who had followed for over an hour could chat.

Peaceful.That was exhausting to clean up.Finally.

The moderators flooded the chat.

They had been busy dealing with all kinds of trolls.

'There were even some English chats too.'

Was it because of the training hall rankings?

The training hall only contained Korean server players, but Shin Ha-yeon was famous enough that foreign spectators might've come to watch.

Anyway—

Seo Jun started the game.

"Alright then, let's finish this."

Seo Jun looked around.

The alleyway was filled with the bodies of assassins lying scattered everywhere in complete destruction.

"See? There's no need to do it again. Seriously, who would?"

Seo Jun tracked down the people who had filled the chat earlier when he said he had broadcasted it.

It wasn't me.Bro, who said that? Stop spreading fake news.Raise your hand! It definitely wasn't me.

"They're so obedient only at times like this. Should I run autopsies on everyone chatting right now?"

Seo Jun could check every chat message viewers had posted in the stream.

People called it an "autopsy."

I'm sorry.I did it too.Run away!We sincerely admit our wrongdoing.

The people who had been stubbornly denying it just seconds ago immediately started confessing.

And then someone even paid bail money.

Literal bail money.

['BailMoney' donated 100,000 won!]

[Seo Jun, since you said you'd investigate, I spread fake news. Please take this and let me go.]

"Ah, thank you for the 100,000 won donation, BailMoney. But sadly, since the mods didn't stop you guys, I can't let this slide."

Seo Jun exited the alleyway and walked toward the abandoned factory.

"So what if I ban you once I catch you?"

Run!!!lmaooooGive him more money!A true monster created by capitalism.

"I'll let the autopsy slide for now. You guys honestly confessed, and someone even posted bail."

['RiggedDice' donated 10,000 won!]

[It was me!]

The identity of the bail payer was revealed.

A viewer with the nickname RiggedDice.

Wasn't he a big spender? Turns out he was evil lolEven big spenders can't escape the broadcast.LOL

Seo Jun smiled as he recalled what Malpaca once said.

Every viewer carried at least one troll personality deep inside their hearts.

Before long, he arrived at the abandoned factory.

He climbed the stairs upward.

Perhaps because of the explosion, the inside was damaged, and black scorch marks stained the walls.

When Seo Jun reached the rooftop, the master waiting there clapped his hands.

"Truly impressive. To survive our assault. This is completely my defeat."

Afterward, the master dropped the dagger in his hand onto the ground and raised both hands.

A gesture of surrender.

But Seo Jun didn't believe him.

Because when he entered the rooftop, he had noticed shadows wriggling nearby.

The viewers hadn't realized it yet, but it was a characteristic sign that appeared when assassins were hiding.

"As expected."

His prediction was correct.

With his sharpened senses, he heard someone approaching.

Seo Jun twisted his body.

The master standing in front of him vanished like an illusion, while the one sneaking up from behind panicked as his ambush plan failed.

Seo Jun grabbed the attacker's arm and slammed him onto the ground.

"For someone called a master assassin, the difficulty level's pretty low."

It wasn't particularly surprising.

For the leader of an organization, personal combat strength wasn't always the most important thing.

The quest completion notification appeared.

"Oh, the quest ended. But if I hadn't noticed the ambush just now and died, would I've had to restart from the beginning?"

Probably lolololThat was basically the final boss phase.Good thing the streamer showed the strategy first.Why are his instincts so sharp?

Seo Jun looked down at the collapsed master.

The man seemed like he wanted to kill him, but his body wouldn't move.

An automatic progression sequence, maybe.

The master lying on the ground slowly opened his mouth.

"How… My concealment technique was perfect."

That was nowhere near perfection.

The assassins from Seo Jun's previous life could slow their heartbeats to the point they practically stopped in order to hide their presence.

'Still, that's what makes this fun.'

Seo Jun watched eagerly to see how the story would unfold next.

"You damn brat! Your eyes ruined everything! Since it's come to this, I'll burn down this entire city if I have to and drag the Lady out myself!"

Oh?

At that moment, a sword pierced through the master's arm.

"Kghaaak!"

Seo Jun's gaze moved from the blade sticking through the master's arm to the hilt.

A woman in uniform stood there.

"How pathetic. Seriously. We already dealt with the magic you installed underground in this city. Are you insane? This is why assassin guys are always like this. Freedom, my ass."

She was saying exactly what he had wanted to say.

"Hm?"

She turned toward Seo Jun with a bright smile.

Her personality looked naturally cheerful.

"My name's Viola."

She was the purple-haired woman who had appeared when he captured the tower master.

The viewers' reactions exploded instantly.

Because—

Holy crap she's gorgeous lololololNoona, do you have a boyfriend? Noona? NOONA??Get away from my streamer!How do I join the Knights Order?

She was beautiful.

Seo Jun shook his head inwardly.

Then Viola continued speaking.

"And I belong to the Knights Order, by the way. Don't look at me like that for too long."

How exactly was he looking at her?

"Everything that happened in this city was outside the Order's expectations. The higher-ups were too busy with chaos elsewhere, so this place got neglected. They sent me here to fix things, but… well, looking at it now, I came way too late."

Bitterness lingered in her expression.

"So what are you trying to say?"

A blunt response came out of Seo Jun's mouth.

That wasn't originally what he intended to say.

And the viewers knew it too.

Sorry, noona. Our streamer kinda lacks manners.Seo Jun, looks like this big bro forgot to teach you etiquette yesterday. Come outside.What kind of attitude is that?! How dare you talk to our Viola noona like that?!Careful or you'll get banned lolololol everyone's gone insane lolol