Greatest Esports System
Chapter 26: First Viewer

Chapter 26 - First Viewer

Seunghoon didn't expect much.

It was past noon on a weekday, and he hadn't advertised the stream anywhere. His channel also had no tags, so he knew it'd be impossible for others to find it.

Still, as Rise of Legends loaded and the home screen music filled his headset, he couldn't help but feel a little bit thrilled at what he was doing.

Seunghoon clicked [Ranked].

His cursor hovered over the queue button.

Then, without thinking, he pressed it.

[Searching for Match...]

The timer began ticking.

Seunghoon leaned back slightly in his chair with his arms folded. His eyes flicked toward the Litch window pinned at the edge of his screen. The counter was still at zero.

There was no chat and no activity going on.

But oddly enough, that made him relax.

[Match Found.]

The draft began.

He locked in Mid Lane automatically. As the bans came through, he watched them out of habit, not even fully thinking about them.

Then came his pick.

He hovered over Seryn again.

"...Should I try someone else?" he murmured.

Thinking about it, his hand clicked on another hero.

[You have selected: Orian]

[Red has locked in Orian (Mid)]

He smiled faintly.

Orian's portrait glowed at the center of the screen of his screen.

She was a slender woman with porcelain-like skin and joints that moved gently as she moved. Her long white hair was tied into a loose bun behind her, and her eyes shimmered with an unnatural silver hue. They were like glass reflecting light from deep underwater.

Orian was a popular pick. At least currently in the meta.

Orian's entire playstyle revolved around her orb.

Harmonic Pulse (Q) – Sends the orb to a target location, dealing magic damage to all enemies it passes through. Upon arrival, it lingers briefly, zoning enemies with a static field.

Echo Bind (W) – Commands the orb to release a shockwave, damaging nearby enemies and briefly slowing them. If the orb is attached to an ally, the shockwave shields them instead.

Threadline (E) – Pulls the orb back to a chosen ally or self, granting a brief movement speed boost and a protective barrier.

Final Dissonance (R) – The orb unleashes a burst of magnetic force, pulling all nearby enemies toward its center and dealing massive damage.

Seunghoon leaned forward slightly and rested his hand on his mouse. He hadn't played Orian in this account. However, he knew that he just need to play her again to remember her.

"She's perfect for testing aim and control," he muttered, almost to himself.

And besides... if this stream was going to start somewhere, then it might as well start with something familiar.

The game loaded in.

The screen faded from black as their champions spawned into the base.

[Welcome to the battlefield.]

He glanced at the Litch overlay.

Still, no one was watching him.

[0 viewers.]

'Good. I hope no one watches me.'

As soon as Seunghoon took his eyes off them, he focused on the game. Seunghoon clicked [Buy Items], then sent Orian out to the lane.

Seunghoon's camera panned out as Orian stepped onto the lane. Her floating orb pulsed beside her in a slow, rhythmic orbit.

He played normally, letting his hands move by instinct. He last-hit minions. He checked the minimap. He placed a ward near the river entrance. Everything felt normal for him.

It was like muscle memory, except now, he was hyper-aware of his every move.

After a minute, he muttered quietly, just under his breath.

"Okay... and here comes wave three."

His voice came out a little stiff, but that was expected. He wasn't used to talking during games. Still, if he was going to stream, then he needed to get used to this.

He cleared another wave, watched the enemy midlaner try to posture for a trade, and responded with a quick Q-W combo. Orian's orb darted forward, exploded, then returned to her shoulder with a soft glow.

"Nice. That was a good trade," he murmured.

Another silence followed.

"Alright... so if you guys are watching—uh, if anyone is watching—I'm just testing stuff for now," he added, his voice was awkward, like someone practicing a speech with no audience. "The audio might be bad. Don't judge."

He huffed a small laugh and leaned back slightly. His eyes flicked toward the stream overlay in the corner.

Still zero.

He cleared another wave, roamed bot to check vision, then returned mid. Orian's movements were fluid, and his accuracy in hitting his skills was sharp.

At the looks of it, he was doing fine.

"Okay. That's a good angle. I'll hold the wave here..."

It was a little weird, narrating to no one. Still, he figured it was a way for him to practice. It was like talking to himself while studying.

Then, something blinked on his screen.

He paused mid-click.

The viewer counter in the Litch overlay ticked up.

[1 viewer.]

"Wait, what?" Seunghoon blinked.

He leaned closer toward his monitor, just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

Yep.

It was real.

There was someone actually watching his stream.

"...Uh."

He sat up straighter and immediately reached for his mic settings. His voice wasn't that loud earlier. Did they even hear what he said?

He cleared his throat softly.

"Um... hi?" he said, slowly.

His voice came out low and cautious.

"Can you hear me?"

A few seconds passed.

Then a line of text popped up in the chat box.

[EchoKing22: Yeah, I can hear you.]

Seunghoon's mouse froze.

His heart skipped for a second—not out of fear, but from a strange kind of rush.

"Seriously?" he replied, eyes wide. "Oh. Uh... wow. Okay."

He let out a nervous laugh and ran a hand through his hair.

"I didn't think anyone would actually find this stream. I didn't even put a title on it."

[EchoKing22: Just browsing Rise of Legends. Yours popped up near the bottom. Thought I'd check it out.]

"Oh."

Seunghoon blinked again. Then gave a small, surprised smile.

"Well... welcome, I guess."

He looked back toward the game. The enemy midlaner had overextended, and Seunghoon's Orian caught them with a clean combo.

[Red has slain an enemy!]

He exhaled sharply.

"Alright. That was clean."

A moment later, another message appeared in chat.

[EchoKing22: That was sick.]

Seunghoon smiled again, this time more naturally.

"...Thanks."

He wasn't used to this. Having someone watch him in real time. Respond to what he was doing. It felt different. Personal. And a little exciting.

He adjusted his posture and leaned back in.

Maybe...

Just maybe...

This streaming thing might not be so bad after all.

The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!