I haven’t been playing [Knight Arc] for long, but I could tell instinctively.
In this rank bracket, spear users are low-skill players relying on their weapon’s strength to coast through.

They deserve punishment.

Slash.

Another spear user fell before my greatsword.
These were joyous days.

My idea of pub-stomping with a zweihänder was working perfectly.
Opponents in this bracket don’t know how to exploit a greatsword’s weaknesses.
Instead, they aim well—not at my body, but at their own spear shafts.
When I swing my greatsword, they flinch, pull back, and thrust their spears forward, not realizing their weapon could break.

The pattern in recent games is simple.

First, find a zweihänder.
In the “Plains of Extinction” area, they’re easy to spot—just pick one up from the ground.

Then, the hunt begins.
Players lucky enough to grab a spear early tend to pick fights everywhere.
These are the ones I feed on to grow stronger.

Each kill yields loot.
I take the useful items from their inventory and discard the rest.

Repeat this, and you can become absurdly strong.

High-performance gear.
An abundance of healing potions.
And my swordsmanship skill as a constant factor.

Thud.

The last opponent fell, and a familiar message appeared on the screen.

[To you, the final glory.]

Out of the 100 players in the match, I was the sole survivor, claiming the glory.
In simple terms, I took first place.

In the late game, failing to secure first place is practically impossible for me.
The question is, how long will this continue?

I haven’t faced a proper challenge yet.
Or maybe I’m just too strong.

The truth will come out once I reach Challenger.
[Knight Arc] is a global game.
If I make it to the top tier, Challenger, I should find worthy opponents.

– Why is she this good?
– At this point, I can’t even guess her main account’s tier.
– Gotta be a Challenger smurf, right?
– If she was Challenger, we’d recognize her face by now.
– So, what, she’s an actual monster rookie?

The chat was debating among themselves.
Is she someone’s alt account, or a prodigy with overwhelming talent?

I don’t plan to reveal the truth for a while.
It’ll probably stay a secret until I break into Challenger.

That day might take some time to arrive.

Beep beep beep!

A warning sound blared as the system displayed a message.
The mana cartridge’s remaining power was low.
Since the virtual reality device runs on mana cartridges, my playtime is limited.

I get about four hours a day.
A higher-capacity premium cartridge could extend that, but I’m not interested yet.

– Time to end the stream?
– If she could play more, she’d climb ranks even faster.

[BigBigBigBig donated 1,000 won!]
– I’ve got a spare mana cartridge with about seven hours left. Want it? If it syncs well, it should be usable.

“Haha…”

Isn’t a four-hour stream already a lot of work?
Plus, sharing my address could lead to annoying situations.
I appreciated the kindness but felt awkward, so I just gave a soft laugh.

– Scary… 😭
– Is she mad…?
– Something’s off with the vibe! Something’s off! Something’s off!

[BigBigBigBig donated 1,000 won!]
– Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I know address leaks are a concern. So sorry! 😭

Huh?

“No, I was just laughing.”

– You gave us that cold stare!
– Is roasting people, like, her instinct?
– Those eyes are chilling! 😭😭😭

It’s all because of these damn eyes.
Pale, sharp, and quick to turn icy the moment I zone out—those red pupils.
Probably influenced by my past life’s memories.

“I’ll take the sentiment this time. Thank you.”

I smiled brightly and bowed slightly.
The chat, which had been trembling in fear, melted instantly.

– So cute, lol.
– She’s fine when she’s like this.
– The extreme hot-and-cold is her charm, huh?
– Hot-and-cold streamer, lololol.

“Time to wrap things up.”

My stream has a pattern.
I start streaming as soon as I log into virtual reality, and I end when the mana cartridge runs dry.

– No talk stream?
– Just chatting, please!
– She really only plays the game.
– Big sis would be perfect for a talk stream.

The viewers begged for a talk stream, but I hate dealing with hassles.

“I’ll think about it once my stream gets bigger.”

The stream ended.
Logging out of virtual reality came next.

If I mess up the order, my one-room apartment might accidentally show up on stream.
I’ve already made that mistake once and dealt with the fallout, so I’m meticulous about this.

The grassy illusion of [Knight Arc] faded, replaced by my one-room apartment.

“Ha…”

I leaned against the wall, stretching my legs out.
Swinging a greatsword, fighting, and keeping up commentary for hours left me drained.

But I also felt a sense of pride.
My viewer count was growing, and the stream was steadily gaining traction.

The chat’s vibe was shaping up as I intended.
Not a camgirl stream milking lust for money, but a skill-based gaming stream.
I’d firmly shut down viewer demands, and my overwhelming skill helped a lot.

Feeling proud was only natural.
If I keep this up, I’ll pay off my debts to the orphanage kids, move to a bigger place, lie on a comfy bed, and blast the AC.

Honestly, I was confident I could succeed.
But actually making it happen is a big deal.
I boldly borrowed money, persuaded my orphanage teacher, and now I’m steadily chasing my dream.

I’m pretty damn great, aren’t I?

My head, resting against the wall, slid down slowly.
Lying alone on the cool apartment floor, I stared at the ceiling.

I’m probably grinning like an idiot right now.
Raising a fist toward the round fluorescent light glowing like a moon, I muttered,

“Just wait.”

Easy money. A comfortable life.
And success that commands respect.

I grabbed my smartphone to check online reactions.
First stop: the streaming community I frequented.

[Streamers’ Haven]

A major internet café for aspiring streamers.
Kind of like a community for students, civil service exam takers, or job seekers.

Before starting my stream, I used this place to learn about streaming.
Thanks to that, I could start broadcasting right after leaving the orphanage without much trouble.

[Enter search term.]

Tap, tap.

I typed “Joo Wooyeon” and checked the results.

Surprisingly, nothing.
No, literally nothing.
Not a single search result for Joo Wooyeon.

Why?
My stream felt pretty popular while I was live.

Then it hit me.
Even though my stream’s on the rise, I’m still a small-time streamer.
There’s no way a stream with less than a hundred viewers would already be mentioned here.
Especially not on a mainstream site like this.

So where’s my small but certain fame coming from?
If I can’t find traces in the mainstream, I’ll have to dive into the shadows.

I had a hunch where to look.

[Small-Time Streamer Gallery]

I knew it existed but had never visited.
It’s notorious for being a dark, toxic place.

Even the experts on [Streamers’ Haven] and the strategy guides there warned against going.
They said there’s nothing to gain from it.

But I was already on the site.
How could I resist when there’s talk about me?

The results came up quickly.
A lot of them.

[Joo Wooyeon << She’s gonna blow up soon, I bet]
Historically, pretty + good at games = guaranteed success.
Joo Wooyeon’s exactly that case.
= Comments =
– Who’s that?
– Another viral marketing stunt.
– Wooyeon, log in already.
– Sniping a third-rate streamer, lol, you think she’ll make it?

Viral marketing, my ass.
The ones gatekeeping small-time streamers here are all wannabe broadcasters.
Or jobless losers with too much time.

[Joo Wooyeon’s stream is actually pretty fun]
Her looks are 90% of it, but it’s still watchable.
= Comments =
– The one who sniped that third-rate Gu Yohan?
– Nah, Gu Yohan’s the one who sniped a random.
– Lmao, what??
– Gu Yohan’s such a legend.

Gu Yohan. A streamer I hadn’t heard of before, but he seems famous here.
Most comments were roasting him, but the posts themselves held some value.

More mentions followed below.

– Cutest female streamer I’ve seen lately.
– Yo, her eyes are kinda creepy.
– How old is Joo Wooyeon?
– I wanna get roasted by Wooyeon all day.
– Joo Wooyeon’s legit good at the game.
– That simp loser sniped a random, lololol.

This is more entertaining than I expected.

“Nice.”

Muttering lightly, I kept clicking “Load More” on the search results.