Greatest Streamer System

13th April 2045.

It was a big day for Max and probably for a few more people. It was the day of the Knight's Journey program. Six streamers were first gathered in a room with Mr. Taka and some production crew for a briefing before the program was live.

They were put in a closed room with Mr. Taka and an attractive female standing beside him.

"First of all, welcome! And let me introduce you to our host today." Mr. Taka greeted everyone with a big smile on his face as a hologram screen flashed behind him. He turned to the woman beside him and continued. "Miss Evelyn, please go ahead."

"Thank you," Evelyn's voice sounded like an angel. It was soothing and really pleasant to hear. "Hello! It's nice to meet you. I am Evelyn Rees, and I will be today's host. I hope for a pleasant cooperation with all the streamers here!"

Max recognized her from his memories. She was an upcoming singer who was famous for her work in a few video games.

'And she's the one who sang for Knight's Journey ending song too, if I remember correctly. That's why they invited her.'

Not only was she pretty and had a good voice, but she also had the experience of being a host in the monthly game award before. Biozone Entertainment didn't spare any penny in order to make this program succeed.

It seemed like the others also recognized her as they only nodded in understanding. MadLad somehow had a happy smile, contrasting with his usual frown and unhappy expression.

'Is he a fan?' Max guessed.

Flexy and StoneSword didn't react differently, just like Max. They just recognized her and thought having such a good host was nice. Having someone good at their job would make the program easier.

Furthermore, Evelyn was already famous for driving a good conversation without trying to dig into the streamers' secrets, so she was well-liked by the community.

Lily also nodded softly, while RoninKnight just sat without doing anything.

The briefing continued for a while. Mr. Taka took over the talk and explained the details and schedule. They also provided uniforms of dark brown pants and tactical-looking jackets for the participants.

It was just like the usual program these veteran streamers often joined. But for Max, it was exciting, and he wanted to know more about it. He felt like he had regressed and returned to the first time he knew Parkour. It was the same feeling.

'It's fun.'

After the briefing was over, they changed into the new uniform provided and went to the live studio on the fifth floor, located deep inside the building. There, the make-up artists were already waiting for them.

"My, they are giving us some fine specimens– I mean, some fine-looking young men to work with." One of the make-up artists commented while holding her cheek. "Fufufu, this will be fun."

At those words, Max had an urge to run, and so was Flexy. They instinctively knew this woman was bad news.

Fortunately, that make-up artist was in charge of StoneSword, which relieved him from getting entangled.

While the participants were getting ready in the back, Mr. Taka and Evelyn were rehearsing on the stage.

"We will do the interviews first as planned and proceed to the reveal. After that, we will start the program." He said to Evelyn.

She nodded while looking at the schedule given to her through the small screen of her smartwatch.

"It's indeed the most optimal choice. But, Mr. Taka. I believe you know the risk if the new Synchronization Test's record holder doesn't win, right? From my source, I found out Puppeteer will also do a watch party after he gets the news that one of the participants has broken his record."

As a host, Evelyn had already been informed about the record holder. When she was informed of the identity of the record holder, she didn't believe that a newbie who had just played a game a week ago was the new record holder.

When she watched the clip, she came to the realization that one's skill wasn't really related to their playtime. Indeed, they could get better the longer they played. However, it was true that one's innate talent and IRL skill was also important.

'I am still worried about his inexperience, though. If he loses, then he will receive a backlash from the viewers and Puppeteer's fans. It's inevitable. Can he deliver the expectations that everyone placed on him? Or will he break down under the pressure?' She thought.

"I am aware of the risk." Mr. Taka pushed his glasses up, "But don't worry. We are selling surprises. And besides, we can always make some excuses that this is a team effort instead of an individual one. No one will complain even if the StoneSword and LilyPixel pair win, as they are the current record holder."

A grin appeared on the marketing team leader's face. He was confident that the individual named Breeze would surprise him and the audience once again.

'He achieved the top 6 in speedrun ranking with Flexy yesterday. That's already amazing achievement.'

Mr. Taka believed that a new world record of Fort Siege would be written today. Who would break the sub 48 minutes was still a mystery.

"If you are aware, then I won't say anything more." Evelyn smiled, swept her hand, and closed the screen, "I will check on my make-up again and prepare my line before we start. Please excuse me, Mr. Taka."

"Ah, yes. Good luck to you."

With that, Evelyn left to the back of the stage. Mr. Taka huffed while watching her.

'She just doesn't get it.' He thought, 'Or rather, it's because she saw many failed that she became skeptical. Being a famous host who was invited to many programs seemed to be hard too.'

The rise and fall of a streamer was as easy as changing seasons from spring to autumn. Flowers could bloom for a while, but they would wither soon if no one took care of them carefully.

Understanding that, Mr. Taka usually also didn't want to push his luck. But this time… the factor that forced him to take that risk was too good to ignore.

'I hope you deliver our expectations, Breeze. Don't crumble from the pressure.'

If Breeze couldn't deliver, then his promotion might be affected. That worried Mr. Taka a little bit.

'Well, let's trust him. Even if he loses, as long as he shows something amazing, then that will be enough.'

At that moment, all preparations were done.

"Mr. Taka! The production crew is ready. We can go live on time!" The director raised his voice loudly.

Turning toward him, Mr. Taka nodded.

"Alright! Good job, everyone. Let's hope this program will go as planned!"