Chapter 14: Rival’s Recompense (1)

[Raidel: I was wondering… are you maybe a streamer or a pro gamer in training?]

[Raidel: Or are you already a pro, maybe…?]

Raidel’s fingers flew over the keyboard.

‘Who is this person?’

She really wanted to know who Silverhair was.

[Silverhair: Right now……]

[Silverhair: I’m currently working as a home security officer……]

[Silverhair: ㅜㅜ]

Completely different from the confident vibe during gameplay, this felt oddly shy—even over chat.

“LMAOOO”

“So they’re unemployed… ㅜㅜ”

“Same job as me 😭😭😭”

“Peak Delbung energy lol”

“Definitely not one of her regular viewers.”

“Technically not unemployed—they said ‘home security.’”

“Unpaid security officer.”

“Weirdly relatable, though.”

“Ehem! Hey, they’re not unemployed. They’re doing their job protecting their home, okay? No job shaming—bans for that.”

Raidel cleared her throat, trying to play it off—half-joking, half-serious.

Maybe it was a joke.

But if Silverhair really didn’t have anything else going on…

[Raidel: Thank you for guarding your home……]

[Raidel: If you ever get bored during patrol,]

[Raidel: Have you considered trying streaming?]

Raidel swallowed hard as she typed.

She was more nervous now than she’d been playing the game.

She wasn’t just asking out of curiosity—

She really wanted to suggest streaming.

“Is Raidel… trying to recruit someone???”

“Never seen Delbung scout a player before lol”

“But I mean, with reflexes like that, it’d be a waste not to.”

“Yeah I wanna see more of them too.”

“Bet they’d be good at VR games too.”

‘They’re too talented to just… disappear.’

There’s a saying from a famous pro esports coach:

Ordinary people don’t see it, but a seasoned scout can spot raw talent at a glance.

‘That reaction time… that spatial awareness… it’s not normal.’

Raidel wasn’t a scout, but she’d played enough games to trust her instincts.

And she could feel it.

This person—Silverhair—was a genius. A prodigy.

Incredible calculation, game sense, creative problem-solving.

Everything about them screamed talent.

It might sound crazy to say that after just one game session—

But actually, it was the opposite.

Even in just that short time, it was obvious.

Raidel wanted to forge a connection with a player like that.

‘It’d just be such a waste otherwise.’

Sure, there was a bit of personal interest involved—streamer growth, audience numbers—

But it wasn’t just that.

It really would be a waste.

Like watching a young Michael Jordan waste away doing nothing.

If you knew what that person was capable of, how could you not tell them to play?

If you were someone in the industry, you’d drag them to the court by the collar if you had to.

That’s how Raidel felt.

She couldn’t stand seeing this kind of talent go unused guarding their house.

Whether it was streaming or going pro—

She just hoped they’d do something.

‘Though I’m not sure they even know who I am.’

There was no response from Silverhair.

Well… yeah. It’d be weird if someone suddenly asked you to start streaming out of nowhere.

[Raidel: I’m a streamer too.]

[Raidel: Do you happen to know someone named Raidel?]

[Raidel: That’s… me.]

“‘That’s… me.’ LMAOOOO”

“Legendary line, lmao.”

“‘Hi, I’m Raidel’ — classic power move.”

“The username is Raidel, though.”

“Doesn’t help if they’ve never heard of you lol”

Raidel’s viewers were all over her, teasing her more than usual.

“Ugh, no, it’s not like that…”

Her cheeks flushed red.

She’d thought she’d toughened up a lot with experience—

But this was still embarrassing.

She never liked saying stuff like ‘Do you know who I am~?’

It just felt arrogant.

But now wasn’t the time to hold back.

She was willing to leverage her fame to get Silverhair on board.

“Is Silverhair looking up her stream right now?”

“They’re gonna see 40k viewers and freak out.”

“Hope they don’t think that’s your usual viewer count lol.”

The chat wasn’t wrong.

Raidel’s current stream had over 40,000 viewers.

After clearing Chain Roller, it had dipped into the 30,000s—

But as soon as she started messaging Silverhair, everyone started flooding back in.

Her average viewership was around 2,000. This was over 20 times that.

[Raidel: My usual viewer count is around 2,000, by the way.]

It looked like bragging, but it wasn’t.

She just didn’t want Silverhair thinking she was some massive top-tier streamer.

₩10,000 donation from ‘RaidelFanboy’!

• [Web alert] You must stream. I am a big-time streamer with 2,000 average viewers and once reached Master rank in Laienma…

“Can’t lie, 2k average is pretty baller.”

“Kinda looks like a mega-corp streamer throwing their weight around lol”

As expected, viewers kept teasing her.

₩5,000 donation from ‘Eungie’!

• But seriously, wouldn’t you wanna see Silverhair stream?

“Yeah, totally.”

“For real.”

“I’m actually curious what their stream would be like.”

“They’re not just good at these janky PC games, right?”

“I bet they’d crush at VR games too.”

“I just wanna see more of their gameplay.”

₩5,000 donation from ‘AragitWarrior’!

• I mean if they’re unemployed, why not? Especially with Raidel recruiting them.

‘It’s not a bad offer.’

It wasn’t like she was offering something unreasonable.

Raidel was a solid mid-tier streamer with a loyal audience.

Plenty of other streamers wanted to collab with her.

So if Silverhair partnered with her consistently—

It’d be a golden opportunity for someone starting out.

Raidel would benefit from having such a skilled partner,

and Silverhair would gain massive exposure.

It was win-win.

[Silverhair: Oh wow, so you’re a big name then]

[Silverhair: Thanks so much for the offer]

[Silverhair: I have kind of wanted to try streaming…]

[Silverhair: But there’s one thing I’m worried about……]

“😨😨”

“No way… is it a no?”

“I really wanted to see more of Silverhair…”

“ㅠㅜ”

“Get on your knees, Delbung. Beg if you have to.”

[Raidel: Gasp ;;]

[Raidel: Can I ask what’s holding you back?]

What could it be?

Was the “home security” thing actually a cover for real-life obligations?

[Silverhair: I don’t have a VR setup right now.]

[Silverhair: Planning to get one someday, but…]

[Silverhair: For now, I feel like I’d just drag you down in a collab……]

The issue was VR gear.

Whether for streamers or regular players—

The VR game market had taken over.

Not just for top streamers—even smaller ones were centered on VR content.

Keyboard and mouse gaming was already considered outdated.

Raidel too had VR as her main content.

‘Chain Roller was the exception.’

That game was just a meme indie game that blew up temporarily.

Fun now—but probably not long-term.

“Ah… it’s the VR problem.”

“Yeah that sh*t’s expensive.”

“I had to save for two years to buy mine…”

The biggest hurdle in VR gaming?

Cost.

Modern VR setups started at around 10 million won.

The fact that it was still popular despite the price proved just how fun VR gaming was.

But if you didn’t have that kind of money, you just couldn’t play.

Even among viewers, plenty didn’t own VR gear.

But for game streamers?

That was unheard of.

VR gear was as essential as a mouse and keyboard.

There were some who only streamed PC games—

But they were niche, usually just streaming for fun.

To stream seriously, you needed VR.

“Hmm…”

Raidel understood this better than anyone.

VR gear was insanely expensive.

And without it, it was almost impossible to run a full-time gaming channel.

After a moment of thinking, Raidel placed her hands on the keyboard.

[Raidel: In that case, Silverhair…]

[Raidel: Would you like one of my old VR rigs?]

“??????????”

“Wait—she’s offering a whole VR capsule???”

“Delbung’s for real this time.”

“🔥BIG DELBUNG ENERGY🔥”

“🔥SHINING DELBUNG🔥”

“Wait, is this the same Delbung who used to walk everywhere to save on travel fees?”

“WHO ARE YOU?!”

The chat exploded.

VR rigs weren’t cheap.

To give one to someone you just met?

“W-well, it’s not brand-new or anything! It’s a used older model…”

It was the VR setup she’d used back when she was a no-name streamer.

Old model, lower specs compared to what she used now.

“Still costs a f*cking fortune lol”

“You could sell that used and still get hundreds.”

“At least 4 million won if it’s in good condition.”

“God, I’m so jealous…”

Even as an older model, VR machines were crazy expensive.

And Raidel had taken care of it like a baby—it was practically new.

She could easily get 4 million won for it secondhand.

Maybe even 5 million if she found the right buyer.

And she was offering it for free to a complete stranger.

Naturally, the chat was stunned.

‘Totally worth it.’

Raidel thought to herself.

Today’s stream had been a massive hit, and she wanted to give back.

And for that level of talent, she’d happily spend even 5 million won.

‘Will they accept it…?’

She was giving the gear.

She was offering the opportunity.

Hoping this would be the start of Silverhair’s streaming career—

Raidel stared intently at the in-game chat.