Chapter 39..
[Wow, this is kinda…]
[Heavenly Demon! Heavenly Demon’s Return! Ten Thousand Horses Rejoice! Heavenly Demon’s Return! Ten Thousand Horses Rejoice!]
[That’s really the Heavenly Demon, huh. He’s beating them to a pulp.]
[Lol, insane. Wow… normal matches aren’t even a contest.]
[What about ranked? Lol. Normals aren’t even close matches anymore.]
[Ranked might not work ‘cause of the beginner tournament entry requirements.]
[If he keeps winning and his rating climbs, he’ll show up as first-class.]
[Ah, it only goes up to first-class?]
[Yeah.]
The chat window started scrolling rapidly.
Two hours of normal matches.
And throughout those two hours, an unbroken win streak.
Other streamers and viewers tried sniping him in matchmaking, but—
Pow-pow-pow!
Bam!
Each one just got completely crushed by Lee Ji-han.
Of course, from the viewers’ perspective, it was thrilling to watch, but—
[Hide your strength! Absolutely hide it!]
[Don’t clip this! We need to see it in the tournament!]
[Lol, this isn’t a beginner at all, is it?]
[What if he’s not allowed in the beginner tournament, lol.]
Rumors like this started to spread, and viewers began to worry that he might not be allowed to enter the beginner tournament.
Of course, the tournament wasn’t everything.
But for their streamer to enter, make a name for himself, and solidify his position—naturally, that was a good thing for viewers.
It gave them a sense of belonging, and vicarious satisfaction.
Those two feelings united them under a single purpose.
[Lolol, Ji-han! Stop matchmaking! Stop!]
[Stop him no matter what! Someone donate to stop him!]
[His eyes are lit up, he looks like he’s having way too much fun!]
[Lolol stop! Hold him back! No matter what!]
Ddan-dara-dan-ddan ddan!
[‘ㅇㅇ’ has donated 50,000 won.]
—Ji-han, stop! Ji-han, stop! Check the chat!
Startled by the sudden donation alert, Lee Ji-han jumped.
“Huh? Chat? Ah, first off, thank you ‘Anonymous’ for the 50,000 won donation.”
He bowed politely, then finally glanced at the chat.
It was full of “lololol” messages, with many telling him not to queue up anymore.
“Hm? Why? What’s going on?”
Ji-han’s question.
[Don’t reveal your strength! Other streamers are hunting you down, and some are sniping too!]
[It’s a beginner tournament. If anyone claims you’re not really a beginner, you might get disqualified!]
[Yeah, that’s what we were worried about.]
[Aren’t you guys overthinking?]
[Not really, considering how nasty other fandoms can be.]
Chat exploded with comments, most of them worrying about Ji-han.
[Then what content should we do? The Gangho Sword Chronicle streams were fun.]
[True, Zombrace is still mid-patch anyway.]
[How about some Zerg?]
[Zerg? No way. Why not just keep playing Gangho Sword Chronicle?]
The chat started to split into camps.
Looking at it, Ji-han judged it best to calm things down.
“Alright, let’s pause matchmaking and think things over, shall we?”
With those words, the chat began to settle.
Ji-han wanted to keep fighting freely, but now that he couldn’t, a strange frustration welled up in his chest.
Normally, he wasn’t greedy about these things.
The only time Lee Ji-han ever let greed show was when working out.
But now, gaming had become his job—and his passion.
[…Ji-han, did we upset you?]
[Did we remote-control too much?]
[Don’t be mad, Ji-han;;;]
Seeing his brows furrow, the once-split chat united again—this time to comfort him.
Ddan-dara-dan ddan ddan!
[‘Namgung Hyung’ has donated 100,000 won.]
—Just got here. Why does my disciple look upset?
“Ah, Master. Thank you for the 100,000 won donation. No, I’m not upset, just… thinking.”
[Thinking? About what?]
Kim Soo-ho quickly granted Namgung Hyung temporary manager status.
His messages stood out more clearly now, making it easier for Ji-han to follow.
“Well, it’s about the beginner tournament. I’ve been showing too much of my strength. Some say rival fandoms might target me for it, so… I’m pausing to think about what content to do next.”
Ji-han summarized the chat’s concerns.
Namgung Hyung quickly offered a solution:
[Then try Story Mode. Set it to Hell difficulty—you’ll still play better than most.]
As expected of his master, he provided a clean answer.
“Story Mode? This game has a story mode?”
[Yes. Like all fighting games, really. Basically, fight after fight after fight… but you also travel around, like challenging dojos one by one.]
Hearing that, Ji-han’s expression brightened.
Endless battles, but without other streamers as opponents.
His throat had felt parched, but now it was like downing a glass of cold water.
[Of course, there’s still some risk of revealing your skills, but you can just say you fought AI.]
Namgung Hyung even pointed out the crucial detail.
Ji-han’s eyes grew misty with gratitude.
“Master! As I’ve been taught, I must bow nine times to you!”
The old joke about a disciple’s “nine bows” resurfaced once more.
[No, no! Absolutely no bows! This isn’t real martial arts, lololol]
[Lolol, so the bowing finally happens!]
[Lol, bowing to the Heavenly Demon]
[The leader of the righteous sect bows to the Heavenly Demon? What kind of wuxia is this, lol]
[Still funny though, so it’s fine?]
The chat grew lighter, participants laughing instead of worrying.
Even those fretting about “remote-controlling” now joined in the fun.
“Alright, let’s crank the difficulty to the max and try Story Mode. It’ll be a bit different from fighting other players, right?”
Ji-han organized his thoughts and opened the menu.
He clicked the button labeled Sword Chronicle—“Record of the Sword.”
Story Mode was beginning.
The Story Mode of Gangho Sword Chronicle was no different from any other fighting game.
A newcomer to the martial world travels across the land, fighting disciples from various sects.
Unlike gamers, the disciples used their sect’s martial arts and techniques.
Other than that, it was just fight after fight.
Excited, Ji-han began Story Mode. The screen flickered, and an ink-painting-style loading screen appeared.
Ddan-dara-dan ddan ddan!
[‘Namgung Hyung’ has donated 50,000 won.]
—Disciple, first thing you need to do is adjust the difficulty. Don’t forget Hell Mode!
“Thank you, Master. Alright, let’s check.”
The screen brightened.
Following his master’s words, Ji-han entered the settings and read the difficulty options:
“Third-rate Scrub Mode, Second-rate Adept Mode, First-class Master Mode, Transcendent Hell Mode… haha, the names are terrifying.”
He reached for Hell Mode—but paused.
He had already glimpsed the world of monsters through ranked matches, and viewers’ expectations had risen sky-high.
Streamer’s instinct.
Ji-han slowly moved his hand lower.
[?]
[???]
[Didn’t we say Hell Mode?]
[Lololol what’s this?]
[Wait, Life-or-Death Asura Mode??]
The chat erupted in laughter.
Ji-han’s sudden whim led him to pick the most shocking option.
Ddan-dara-dan ddan ddan!
[‘Namgung Hyung’ has donated 10,000 won.]
—Disciple? Why not Hell Mode? This one’s insane! Even I barely scrape out wins!
Life-or-Death Asura Mode.
A mode designed for only the very top experts.
[Lol, he’s lost it]
[I’ve seen it elsewhere—ex-pros struggled like crazy]
[Is the AI busted?]
[Yeah, it’s busted. Frame catching, motion skips, it can do it all.]
[Lolol what’s Ji-han gonna do?]
[Learn by getting smacked, of course]
[That’s how all fighting games work. You climb the Peak of Arrogance, then get humbled in one hit, lolol]
Fighting game fans found his choice thrilling, though unsurprising.
[I bet Ji-han can do it though]
[Right? Guardian! Guardian! Manager! Time to open that, isn’t it?]
[Yeah, open the point betting game, lol. We’ve stacked up so many points but no way to spend them.]
[Lol but even if we win, there’s nothing to use them on?]
[Hire a designer and make custom emotes already. Give us something to spend points on!]
[Lolol let’s just start the betting first]
Kim Soo-ho scrolled through chat.
Sigh… do we really need point gambling again? Will Ji-han be okay with this?
In truth, these betting games were a double-edged sword.
When the outcome felt fair, everyone enjoyed it. But once things went too far, real feelings got hurt.
They were just virtual points—but precisely because of that, many grew attached.
A risky kind of content.
But on the flip side, it could breathe new life into viewers of this niche game, Gangho Sword Chronicle.
[Ok, wait]
Kim Soo-ho typed briefly, then set up the betting system.
[Point Betting]
[1. Lee Ji-han wins]
[2. Lee Ji-han loses]
The interface was simple, but viewers exploded with excitement:
[!vote1]
[!vote1 !vote1 !vote1 !vote1 !vote1]
[!vote2 Obviously he’s gonna lose? How can anyone clear Life-or-Death Mode?]
[Lol I’m voting 2 too]
[I’m betting all my points. Tonight I’ll either dine in the martial world, or end up a beggar in the back alley, lololol]
The chat burst with energy. So many points poured in that it lagged for a moment.
“Alright, let’s see the results.”
Looking at Soo-ho’s summary of the poll results, Ji-han spoke.
“So, before the first fight of Story Mode, we closed the betting. If I win, those who bet on me win the points. If I lose, the ‘lose’ voters take them.”
He glanced calmly at the screen.
“Looks like it’s 40:60, with more people betting on my loss.”
He grinned.
“But I’ll show you I can win. To everyone who voted for me—just wait!”
The “win” camp erupted in frenzied cheers.
Then someone put the final stamp on it all—
Cha-ching!
[‘Namgung Hyung’ has set a 50,000 won mission.]
—Disciple, win your first match and claim this reward~
At the same time, a flood of missions poured in.
By now, Ji-han’s stream was no longer a safe playground.
It had turned into a full-blown casino.
