Chapter 12: The Sniper and the Streamer’s Spiral
1.
Elena’s eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape, her body frozen.
For a moment, she couldn’t process what she’d heard, her eyes darting around.
“…What did I just hear?”
She thought she’d misheard. Carrier’s words were so absurd before they vanished.
– They’re going to snipe Noir?
– What a character lololol
– Leaving an 8,000-viewer stream to snipe a 250-viewer one? Bbi bbi bbi???
– Unbelievable…
“…Exactly.”
Elena’s feelings mirrored the chat’s. She was beyond baffled—utterly dumbfounded.
“They must’ve been joking, right? Who just says they’re going to snipe someone like that? What a wild exit!”
She initially thought it was a jest.
💸 [Nickname: ElenaLoveClub] donated
🪙 10,000G!
💬 I checked Noir’s stream, and Carrier’s actually on the enemy team???
But a viewer’s donation shattered her assumption.
“What? Seriously? Hold on…”
Elena hurriedly opened Noir’s stream.
『Noir』 『11K Followers』
『🎮 The Legendary Arena』
『💬 I’m definitely hitting Diamond today』
『Live Viewers: 1,162』
『Streaming for 00:09:43!』
Far more viewers than usual.
Carrier’s final comment had clearly drawn attention.
Even Elena was on Noir’s stream now, wasn’t she?
The loading screen showed a painfully familiar name on the enemy team.
『Carrier』
“Wow, they’re actually insane…”
2.
– They really sniped???
– ?????
– lolololololololol
– What a crazy btch lolol
Noir’s face froze. Her eyes widened as she stared blankly at the chat.
“Why are there so many viewers all of a sudden?”
Her heart raced as the chat surged. A buzzing rang in her ears like a vibration.
‘Did someone snipe me? But I haven’t done anything to cause that, have I?’
Was it her deduction at the end of the last Turkey & Chicken stream? But that was just her honest reasoning.
Her vision narrowed. The battlefield seemed to zoom in and out, her chest tightening like she couldn’t breathe.
“Why’s everyone here?”
She barely held herself together. She was still live, after all.
– We’re here ‘cause the enemy top said they’re sniping you lololol
– What even is this situation lol
– Newbies, get lost fck
– Don’t you know to shut up and watch???
– Nope~~~~ Screw off~~~~
The chat flooded too fast to read.
Dizzy, she squeezed her eyes shut. She felt like collapsing, but swallowed hard and spoke.
“So, the enemy top, ‘Carrier,’ was duoing with ‘Elena,’ then suddenly said they’re sniping me and left.”
– ㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇ
– Quick on the uptake
– How’d she piece that together from this chaotic chat???
– Pass.
– Pretty good streaming skills?
She roughly grasped the situation. The reactions confirmed she was right. But one thing didn’t add up.
“…Why, though?”
– Dunno?
– We don’t know either…?
– ‘Cause it’s fun???
Even the viewers didn’t know. They were just chasing dopamine.
‘Why…’
A surge of emotion welled up from deep within, choking her.
Frustration and anger swirled, overwhelming her.
What grudge could they have to cause this chaos? Her hard-won stability shattered.
‘I want to quit…’
She took a deep breath, forcing her shaky emotions down. She bit her lip hard.
‘Stay calm, Seoyoon.’
She couldn’t collapse now. The viewer spike was a good sign, wasn’t it?
Other streamers joined collabs and tournaments for influxes like this.
She’d done nothing, yet here it was.
‘Opportunity comes to those prepared.’
Noir swallowed hard and spoke.
“I don’t know why Carrier’s sniping me, but let’s proceed with the game.”
She walked toward the battlefield, keeping her voice as steady as possible.
“They must be pretty confident to snipe the Goddess of the Arena, huh?”
She spoke haughtily, acting. The viewers likely didn’t notice.
Inside, her stomach churned. Her face and voice were bold, but her fingers trembled slightly.
– ???
– This one’s a bit weird too;
– lolol Goddess of the Arena my ass lol
– That person’s undefeated from normals to placements???
“…They’ve never lost a single game? Is that even possible?”
– You’re seeing it with your own eyes, no?
– For real lol
– We can’t believe it either…
– Checked their history, and they’re actually undefeated???
– Insane…
“Then I’ll hand them their first loss. They’ll pay dearly for sniping me!”
She smirked. Checking the chat, Noir let out a quiet sigh of relief.
‘Good.’
It was still shaky, but the stream was moving forward.
She couldn’t relax, though—the momentum could break any moment.
‘I can’t mess up.’
One misstep, one tiny mistake, and they’d tear her apart.
Terrified, she kept up the act. She couldn’t crumble now.
‘Just keep going.’
She didn’t even hope they’d stick around. She just wanted the stream to end without incident.
💸 [Nickname: Anonymous] donated
🪙 3,000G!
💬 They said on their stream they’re sniping you. Not gonna report them? That’s a clear case.
“…Report?”
The Legendary Arena had a streamer task force handling collaborations and other tasks, but their main role was cracking down on snipers.
If a streamer reported sniping, the team could investigate and suspend the account.
“That’s a bit much, no? I was startled, sure, but it did boost my viewership…”
She wanted to report them immediately.
But it could leave a bad impression on viewers.
Even a justified report could rub people the wrong way.
“Crossing the Goddess of the Arena is no small crime. They’ll regret it soon enough!”
“…I’m reporting Carrier.”
Noir muttered glumly.
– lol
– Said they wouldn’t report lol
– So damn funny lol
– Said they’d make them regret it lol
The results screen showed the stats.
[Top Lane] – [Lanark]
[KDA: 19/0/0]
[Damage Dealt: 81,131]
[Damage Share: 61.2%]
[Summary: A true slaughterer!]
The sniper, Carrier, had carried catastrophically.
[Mid Lane] – [Inferna]
[KDA: 2/11/3]
[Damage Dealt: 31,372]
[Damage Share: 32.3%]
[Summary: Needs improvement.]
Meanwhile, she’d racked up over 10 deaths. A crushing skill gap.
“Needs improvement? They’re saying I need improvement? Ha…! Unbelievable.”
– lol
– You do need improvement lol…
– Got absolutely wrecked lol
When the viewers flooded in, she’d nearly panicked. But now, anger steadied her.
『Would you like to report the following player?』
『Nickname: ‘Carrier’』
『Reason: Streamer sniping』
Fuming, she hit the report button. It wasn’t calculated—just pure, instinctive rage.
– They actually reported lol
– Said they wouldn’t!!!
– So pathetic lol
– What about Carrier’s stream?
– Tough luck lol? Who told them to announce a snipe???
– For real lol
After hitting confirm, the chat sank in.
“…Carrier said they’re streaming?”
– ㅇㅇㅇㅇ
– Said they’re gonna prove they can hit Challenger???
– Can’t stream if they’re banned…
– Classic Noir, crushing budding talent lol
Noir flinched at the mention of Carrier’s stream. She hadn’t considered that.
“C-Can’t you cancel a report?”
The fact she’d reported them weighed on her.
– Think so?
– Can you lol
– Now you’re worried???
– Not like you’re helping after hurting;;;
🪙 1,000G donated!
💬 If the streamer who reported contacts the game company, they might lift it.
“Really? That’s a relief. I was worried I’d ruined a streamer’s future…”
She forced a smile, but her heart wasn’t in it. Something felt off.
‘It was just a moment of anger.’
Had her impulse tripped someone up? The more she thought, the worse she felt.
‘No. I’m the victim here.’
She bit her lip, nodding to convince herself.
‘They sniped me first. Said it on stream too…’
But her thoughts veered.
‘Was it really that bad?’
Did they deserve a ban for a single comment and one game?
‘Is it okay to push this far just because I was mad?’
The chat stormed on. Her head spun.
Closing her eyes, the chat still swirled in her mind.
‘Why am I like this? Why am I such a mess? Since when?’
Self-loathing churned, making her nauseous.
Earlier it was anger; now she just wanted to vomit.
‘I want to quit everything…’
She started streaming for human connection, but she was exhausted. She wanted to give up.
Yet the stream was still live. She had to see it through—for the viewers, at least.
‘Even if I escape, I need to apologize first.’
Above all, she wanted to apologize to Carrier directly. Even if she quit, that felt right.
– What’re you doing?
– Yo? Yo????
– You asleep?
– Calming the rage inside lol
– You don’t look good… You okay, Noir???
– Damn newbies lol moo~~~~
“Carrier, if you’re sniping me, you’re probably watching my stream right now.”
Noir swallowed hard and continued.
“Could we talk for a bit?”