NoveLight ™
[Suspicious Horn]
[Item Class: Rare]
A very tough minotaur horn.
It has different magical properties compared to other beast horns from different regions.
Its high material value makes it likely to be used for high-grade equipment.
Can be rarely obtained from minotaurs residing in the Ancient Kingdom territory.
[Shop Sale Price: 300,000 Gold]
[Acquisition Method: Monster Drop]
[Usage: Material, ???]
Holding the horn in my hand, I could feel its weight.
The cross-section was cleanly cut, and the tip looked sharp enough to draw blood with a touch.
Sulbbang, examining the horn, came to the same conclusion as me.
“This looks like a quest item, don’t you think?”
As we continued our exploration, we didn’t avoid any monsters blocking our path.
Knowing the drop tables for these creatures could be helpful in the future, so we took down anything that crossed our path.
Of course, we avoided taking on too many at once.
Dying here would make all this effort meaningless.
Among the items we gathered, this “Suspicious Horn” stood out.
Its sale price was quite high for a simple material item.
With an obvious name and a usage listed as “Unknown,” my gamer instincts were tingling.
Whatever it was, we were definitely headed toward a tasty reward.
“Think a siege battle will open soon?”
“It’s possible. Looks like I’ll have to delay uploading this recording.”
The first siege battle in the New Continent, Zephirion, was scheduled to take place a month from now.
But it wouldn’t be possible to wage war on an undeveloped land.
There were certain conditions that needed to be met before a siege battle could be unlocked.
These conditions varied by region.
Some were as simple as defeating a field boss, while others involved completing long, epic quests.
Usually, bigger conditions like quests were placed in the central areas of the continent.
Since we were on the outskirts, it was more likely that our task would involve dungeon exploration or boss fights.
Sulbbang’s comment sparked my curiosity.
“Hey, just out of curiosity, how much do you make from video content?”
“For me, streaming is the main focus, so it’s not much. On average, I make this much per month.”
“Oh, I see.”
He scribbled a number on the dirt, then wiped it away.
It wasn’t a small amount, considering he wasn’t a minor streamer.
“Ask Seren for more on the video side. She’s the expert there.”
Sulbbang focused more on streaming, while Elderin had a balanced approach between videos and streaming.
Back in the second preliminaries, Sulbbang handled the live broadcast, and Elderin’s account posted the edited highlights.
It struck me that there was still a lot I didn’t know about streaming.
Maybe it was only natural.
I had only ever watched streams; I’d never done one myself.
I wasn’t shameless enough to consider my random intrusions as actual “appearances.”
I used to have vague dreams about becoming a pro gamer or streamer.
That longing, unmet, was probably what drove me to start PKing in the first place.
But I wondered if I was even prepared for this.
Maybe someday.
Maybe, just maybe, one day, my moment will come.
I must have been deep in thought because Sulbbang laughed and patted my shoulder.
“What, interested in streaming?”
“…A little.”
As if he couldn’t read the room.
Or maybe it was better that he didn’t know.
“Then why not guest on a few streams? You can do that now. Haven’t you been getting offers?”
“Yeah, I have. But guesting is a one-time thing. Does it really matter?”
“Of course, it does. What are you talking about?”
Since my arena victory, I’d naturally received a lot of collaboration offers from various streamers.
I’d refused, half out of stubbornness, half out of doubt.
The popularity I had now was just a flash in the pan.
In the end, the reality that I couldn’t stream hadn’t changed.
I couldn’t shake the fear that indulging in a shallow dream would just erase the curiosity people had about me.
But Sulbbang brushed off my concerns easily, with an attitude that said it was obvious.
“You could find out which types of streams suit you best. Just looking at me and Elderin, our audience demographics are totally different. If you try both, you’ll get a sense of which viewers you mesh with. That way, you’ll reduce the chances of failure.”
“Oh…!”
“You’re always weirdly clueless about stuff like this. Just let me know if you need help. I’ll support you as much as I can.”
“Th-thanks.”
I started seeing Sulbbang in a new light.
When I’d first met him at a gathering, I’d thought, “He looks fine, but why is he so timid?”
I was starting to feel guilty for having such mean thoughts about him.
Back in the karaoke room, how had he behaved?
Sitting next to me, he could barely sing, just fidgeting nervously.
Out of pity, I’d sung along with him, and even played the tambourine when he sang.
I guess he appreciated it; he’d looked at me for quite a while.
But really, so what if he’s a bit shy?
A kind heart is all that matters.
Good for you, Sulbbang!
“Alright then, I’ll take you up on that offer sometime.”
I had no idea that “sometime” would be only a few hours later.
Our efforts paid off.
After hunting the seemingly endless minotaurs and running whenever too many showed up, we scoured the area thoroughly.
In a secluded spot, we managed to find a dungeon.
Just as we’d predicted, the “Suspicious Horn” was the key to entry.
But there was a catch.
[Dungeon: ‘Ancient Minotaur Habitat’ can only be accessed at night.]
Unfortunately, this dungeon had a time restriction.
We’d discovered it just as dawn was breaking.
Considering we’d need to regroup with our other party members, it was an awkward time to keep going.
We considered taking a break, but Sulbbang thought it was a great opportunity to start streaming.
He suggested we find a suitable spot where our location wouldn’t be visible and stream for a bit as a “learning experience.”
I couldn’t refuse.
As soon as I nodded, a notification popped up.
[Sulbbang has started streaming!]
The viewer count began climbing quickly.
I found myself nervously watching the chat.
I took a deep breath and exhaled.
Thankfully, I wasn’t as anxious as last time.
Maybe I’d grown a bit more accustomed to streaming after the arena.
“Hello, everyone. I didn’t prepare much for today, but yes, Gawol is here with me.”
While Sulbbang handled the intro, I kept an eye on the chat.
Most of the viewers knew who I was.
Winning the arena had boosted my reputation, and I’d also crashed Sulbbang’s streams a few times.
Most of them were there to watch me kill Sulbbang, though.
In any case, I wasn’t a stranger to them.
I even recognized a few usernames from before.
「SpankMaster has donated 10,000 Won」
「Gawol, aren’t you going to kill Sulbbang today?」
「(Attached video)」
The donation video was a clip of me choking Sulbbang with my legs.
I think it was that same person from before, although I wasn’t sure.
Sulbbang, seeing the video, shouted indignantly.
“Hey, we’re in the same party today! I can’t kill a guest, right?”
“Well, I could always do it again if they ask. Just short of killing you.”
“Fine, once more—wait, what?”
“I can’t ignore a donation, can I? Money is important. They’re spending their hard-earned cash on this.”
“Where does that oddly professional attitude come from?”
How rude.
If I’m paid, I do the job.
This has been my rule since I started gaming, or rather, throughout my entire life.
Kendo only recently became recognized as an elite sport.
And athletes can only make a living thanks to taxes or fans’ support.
If you’re paid, you have to do your duty.
Even if it’s difficult, you should at least try your best.
That’s how I was raised.
“Anyway, today’s stream will be a casual chat with Gawol. All donations for Gawol will go to her, so feel free to ask questions.”
As Sulbbang spoke, the chat exploded with activity.
Maybe because this was a personal stream, viewers were quick to dig into whatever they were curious about.
Our party members usually avoided prying, even if they were interested.
But this was manageable.
I decided to set some boundaries and answer a few questions.
“Yes, I did train, but I’m not currently doing it. Whether I’m a pro or not is a secret. And I’m not answering any Swordmaster questions.”
「BunnyGirlStockingThief has donated 10,000 Won」
「Are you planning to reveal your face?」
「NoisyGirl has donated 50,000 Won」
「How do you train? Some of the moves you pulled off in the tournament looked difficult.」
The questions were coming in faster than I’d expected.
I was a bit overwhelmed, especially as the donations kept rolling in.
But a promise is a promise, so I’d answer what I could.
“I’m not planning to reveal my face yet. As for training… in-game, right? What I did was… uh…”
I started to enjoy myself.
Of course, I skipped questions about my personal life.
There was one particularly interesting question that gave me a little motivation.
The strength of a character is highly influenced by stats, but control is ultimately up to the player.
Things like balance and posture can only be improved through practice.
Back in my athlete days, I’d seen a good training method for situations like this.
Maybe a demonstration would be best?
The ground here was flat enough, so it wouldn’t be hard to show it off.
“Have you ever watched gymnastics?”