Chapter 61

"I'm just proceeding as I know I'm possessed by the game I created."

"That's exactly the problem. If you had the right skills, you would have already figured it out."

"Does that mean Ozwald is trying to kill me?"

When I asked with a dark expression, Chekhov laughed sardonically.

"Finally, you understand your situation. Yes, Ozwald is trying to corner you to kill you!"

"Then why doesn't he just kill me directly? Why go through all this trouble?"

"Killing you directly…."

Chekhov stopped speaking and suddenly closed his mouth.

It was clear he didn't want to share that information.

"Anyway, the important thing is that you are in a very disadvantageous position in the broadcast."

"I see."

'The channel manager can't kill the BJ directly, it seems.'

Chekhov enthusiastically pointed out every mistake, saying this was wrong and that was wrong.

Then he paused at a certain point.

"…Quest rewards are coins?"

That was clearly a look of being caught off guard.

"Ha! Ah… Are you going with this strategy?"

Or, should I say, a look of anxiety?

"This is the biggest problem. The quest reward system is the most effective and surefire way to make the BJ grow, but you're wasting it on just coins! And you're not even properly distributing the shop items!"

I tilted my head.

"You can buy wish tickets with coins, you know."

"Prioritize improving your rank and channel level. Then you can earn coins that can't be compared to what you have now. Do you understand?"

Thinking about it logically, Chekhov was right.

"But I haven't been particularly inconvenienced so far, have I?"

Apart from the frustration of not having advanced etiquette, I've had the necessary items when I needed them.

"Haah. You're really as stupid as can be. The reason you've reached this position is solely because this is Ozwald's first romance broadcast."

Chekhov explained, raising his voice, that the upper world was a real war of the stars.

"A BJ with no competitiveness like you will never survive. You'll be eliminated soon."

As I blinked, Chekhov approached with a lecherous smile, as if trying to seduce me.

"It would be different if you were my BJ."

Indeed. My prediction was right.

"I can make you the top BJ in the shortest time. I promise the best treatment."

At that moment, I noticed something and raised my hand to stop him.

"Wait, behind you!"

"If you want to switch, I can—"

Plop!

"Ugh!"

The sound of flesh being pierced was surprisingly crude and poor.

It made my stomach churn even more.

Ozwald appeared behind Chekhov, extended his hand, and pierced him.

It was clearly just a gloved hand.

Thud!

A transparent liquid surrounded by glittering stardust-like particles spilled onto the floor.

It was a beautiful light, despite the gruesome scene.

Chekhov turned his head back with bulging eyes.

"Ugh… Do you know that the penalties for harming a channel manager have been strengthened…?"

Ozwald replied calmly.

"Yes, I know."

Then he twisted his hand.

Crunch!

"Ugh! Damn it! Don't touch the core! Do you think you can get away with this to the top channel manager!?"

A system window appeared next to Ozwald.

I was frozen in place, only moving my eyes to check the screen.

It read [Compensation Complete].

Ozwald shrugged.

"You're safe now."

"Stop! Stop—! Damn it, I won't touch this BJ again!"

Only then did Ozwald withdraw his hand.

The black glove was covered with small particles of light.

Chekhov spat out countless curses, staggered back, and disappeared.

Ding!

[Channel Manager - Ozwald has blocked the Throne 'Watch Jackko's Broadcast for the Throne']

The Throne who was causing trouble was also blocked.

Everything was settled in an instant.

I looked at him with a pale face.

It felt like the effects of the potion were wearing off again.

I knew he was ruthless.

I knew, but seeing it firsthand was a huge shock.

'He's someone I can't deal with on a normal basis.'

Still, the biggest gain today was knowing that this man can't kill me.

'I need to remember that channel managers have cores and their blood is special.'

"Ha, this."

Ozwald took off his glove, wrinkling his face as if it was dirty.

The black glove turned to dust and disappeared in mid-air before it hit the ground.

"It's been a while since I've seen you, but I've put you through a bad experience."

He patted his shoulder, his voice slightly nervous.

"The Thrones are probably watching an ad right now. Seeing a channel manager interfere with a broadcast is an amateur move."

Today's Ozwald was as usual, a well-dressed rogue, but there was something different.

'…Could it be snow?'

Ozwald's flamboyant dyed hair and red suit were covered in white snow.

It was a completely out-of-season look, making it clear he had rushed here from somewhere else.

'Even so, snow in spring?'

Without thinking, I reached out to his shoulder.

The snowflakes I touched were cold.

"…It's real snow."

"Do you like snow?"

There was no reason to lie, so I spoke honestly.

"I like it."

Ozwald kissed my cheek.

I stiffened in surprise, and he smiled.

"Have you been well?"

Ah, it was a greeting.

I unconsciously tried to wipe my cheek but restrained myself.

I was already quite used to Ozwald's whims, but this action was still hard to get used to.

Moreover, today's kiss came at a completely unexpected time, making my heart sink.

Ozwald shook the snow off his head like a dog.

"…It's cold."

He said it would all fly off on me.

"Did it fly off?"

He gently rubbed my wet cheek with his ungloved hand.

It was an affectionate action that made me feel embarrassed.

"Never mind, I—"

"Having my kindness rejected is not a good feeling, Miss Theresa."

Do as you please.

I let Ozwald do as he pleased, as I always did, but then a question came to mind.

"Is something like today common?"

"Other channel managers coming to visit? No, that's not common. It's an unwritten rule not to interfere with each other."

Ozwald removed his hand from my cheek and looked up for a moment.

His deep blue eyes, gazing into the air, showed a faint trace of annoyance.

"There are occasionally managers who try to meddle. Especially the broadcasts I manage are often targeted."

The troubles of a successful person, I guess.

"That manager said I don't have many skills. Is that okay?"

"Since this isn't a hunter or infinite loop genre, excessive skill infusion would only reduce the fun of the broadcast and blur the essence of a romance broadcast."

'So you're a love expert.'

Chekhov focused on the fact that my quest rewards were coins, not growth skills.

Why did Ozwald choose coins over skills?

"Aiming for the shortest sponsorship record?"

Then a new record notification would appear on all servers, and many Thrones would flood in.

Ozwald chuckled at my muttering.

"I like that you're not completely stupid."

I frowned at his ambiguous words, and Ozwald extended his arm.

I'm used to this now.

Like a well-trained dog, I placed my hand on his arm.

Ozwald smiled slightly, as if praising my action, and slowly started walking.

We began to stroll around the abandoned annex.

Thanks to the rain yesterday, the fresh scent of soil and grass filled the air.

The chilling events of just now quickly felt like a distant past.

Ozwald spoke.

"Actually, I got the idea for this strategy from your playstyle."

"My playstyle?"

"Recently, broadcasts are all overly stimulating and don't allow viewers to delve into a person's struggles and life. After all, who would watch that? It's boring and trivial."

This was a trend seen in all content industries.

As time passed, people increasingly found deep and intricate things slow and frustrating.

"Then, a BJ with a rather ordinary world view appeared, compared to other broadcasts."

Is a world with all kinds of races and magic considered ordinary?

Aren't the Thrones' standards too skewed?

"Given the abundance of overly stimulating content nowadays, the Thrones were probably feeling fed up. So, I personally analyze that the retro sentiment of the 'villainess' is popular."

"……"

As an ordinary Earthling, I couldn't keep up with the conversation at all.