Gender Swap: The Introvert's Broadcast-Chapter 16: Meeting the GOAT of Ugliness

Having played Reore extensively, Jihoo's skill in the top lane position had improved exponentially. This gave him a reasonable amount of confidence when it came to lane fights.

He didn’t feel like he would lose against most opponents.

"I’ll try to dominate the lane this time."

However, there was no guarantee of victory, so he mentally prepared to lay down some groundwork—just in case. If he lost, at least it wouldn’t seem too humiliating.

[Omniscient Cthulhu: Laying the groundwork already? That's lame.]

[Don't lay the groundwork, don't lay the groundwork, don't lay the groundwork, don't lay the groundwork...]

[Hwanhee: How about Rumble with Dows?]

[Rumble seems fine, right?]

[I don’t know much, but if Dows gets the main cannon buff, the game is basically over, lol.]

Jihoo still didn’t know much about the intricacies of the matchups or the opponent’s skills. But he figured he’d learn as he played.

The game began.

[You have been slain!]

[Zad → Corki]

"Huh."

The team’s midlaner was unexpectedly taken down. This meant Mangming, the famed diamond-tier player, had been solo-killed. Jihoo was shocked.

He had assumed the midlane would be a guaranteed win. Hearing this tragic news so early in the game was jarring.

[Omniscient Cthulhu: Mangming, that idiot.]

[Omniscient Cthulhu: Got solo-killed again, lol.]

[Omniscient Cthulhu: Getting solo-killed by a gold player? What even is this?]

[Legendary stuff, lololol.]

[Against a gold player... unbelievable.]

[Hwanhee: Anyway, it’s supposedly a smurf account, ㅇㅇ.]

[If it’s a smurf, nothing you can do, lol.]

"Well, I didn’t see that coming."

As Jihoo was processing the situation, the chat continued to erupt.

[Ally][ClearSkies][Corki]: Haha, lol.

[Ally][ClearSkies][Corki]: Was that even a kill angle?

[Ally][ClearSkies][Corki]: These gold players are getting good these days.

[Ally][ClearSkies][Corki]: Agreed, lololol.

"Why is he talking like that all of a sudden?"

No one had even asked, yet Mangming started offering a self-defense narrative in the chat.

[Omniscient Cthulhu: Leave him alone...]

[Omniscient Cthulhu: He’s embarrassed.]

[Embarrassment acknowledged, lol.]

[He must be really embarrassed.]

[Kang Hoo-min: Based on my past experience watching Mangming’s streams, there’s a very high chance the chat is roasting him mercilessly right now.]

[Statistically accurate analysis from Kang Hoo-min, lol.]

[Hwanhee: But does he have to explain himself so pathetically?]

[That’s Mangming’s identity, isn’t it? Lol.]

Apparently, being a bit of a mess was Mangming’s streaming persona. That made sense. There were plenty of streamers like that out there. Jihoo figured this must be just another case of such a gimmick.

With that thought, he typed in the chat:

[Ally][LondonIsInDanger][Dows]: Sure, he got solo-killed, but let’s focus on the game.

[Ally][LondonIsInDanger][Dows]: Let’s do our best.

[Ally][LondonIsInDanger][Dows]: Fighting!

"Time to win this."

One solo kill didn’t tilt the game irreparably. Jihoo hoped Mangming would regain his composure and start playing better. After all, despite the chaotic persona, it wasn’t like he’d intentionally get solo-killed.

[Omniscient Cthulhu: Winning is all that matters.]

[Omniscient Cthulhu: Even if it’s an ugly win.]

[It’s better to win ugly than to lose ugly.]

[Better to be a winning idiot than a losing idiot...]

Meanwhile, Jihoo focused on his own lane. His champion, Dows, was solid late-game but weaker in team fights compared to Rumble. Thus, he needed to dominate the early game.

‘I have to wrap this up quickly.’

Analyzing his skill set, Jihoo noticed it wouldn’t scale well into the late game. Determined to take the enemy top laner down, he carefully lined up his abilities.

[You have slain an enemy!]

[Dows → Rumble]

"Got him."

The kill was simple enough. Using just the Ghost summoner spell to boost his speed, Jihoo secured the kill thanks to the enemy Rumble letting his guard down.

[Nice.]

[Omniscient Cthulhu: Now THAT’S how you secure a solo kill.]

[This is how it’s done, unlike Mangming, who gets solo-killed, lol.]

[If I were him, I’d end the stream and quit the game, lol.]

[How does a diamond-tier player get solo-killed by gold-tier anyway?]

[Hwanhee: Mangming must be feeling so ashamed right now, lol.]

Before starting his own stream, Jihoo had never realized how satisfying it was to glance at the chat after getting a kill. The detailed commentary and praise were genuinely rewarding.

"This isn’t so hard."

The 𝘮ost uptodat𝑒 novels are pub𝙡ished on freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

In fact, it wasn’t difficult at all.

"Ah, damn. Why did I let that happen?" Mangming’s voice cracked through the chat.

[Mangming OUT! Mangming OUT! Mangming OUT! Mangming OUT!]

[How do you even let that happen? Truly a worm moment.]

[Getting solo-killed by gold-tier—legendary.]

[Please tell me this is a joke.]

[Is this real?]

[A diamond-tier top laner getting solo-killed by gold-tier, lol.]

The chat was merciless. It was understandable—getting solo-killed by a lower-tier player wasn’t exactly common.

"Sigh..."

Jihoo typed calmly in response:

[Ally][ClearSkies][Corki]: Lol.

[Ally][ClearSkies][Corki]: Was that even a kill angle?

[Ally][ClearSkies][Corki]: These gold players are seriously good now.

[Ally][ClearSkies][Corki]: Agreed, lol.

"Okay..."

Even Jihoo felt secondhand embarrassment. Still, he figured this level of reaction was pretty common among streamers. It wasn’t too out of line.

[You’re so cringe, dude.]

[Seriously, this guy is beyond cringe.]

[Mangming OUT! Mangming OUT!]

[Isn’t this like a team without Hong-chul when Hong-chul’s missing? Lol.]

However, as the chat continued to explode, Jihoo realized it was time to rein things in.

"Chat, let’s keep it clean, no hateful comments."

Pretending to maintain order was essential for the longevity of the stream.

Back in the top lane, Jihoo’s earlier kill began to draw attention.

[Ally][LondonIsInDanger][Dows]: So, top lane got the solo kill, but how’s mid doing?

"Hmm..."

The team wanted another solo kill. Normally, Jihoo would’ve played it safe and focused on farming, but being overly cautious in a gold-tier match felt embarrassing.

[Ally][ClearSkies][Corki]: Okay.

[Ally][ClearSkies][Corki]: Watch me.

Boldly, Jihoo dove into a risky trade, exchanging health with the enemy midlaner.

Moments later—

[You have been slain!]

[Zad → Corki]

"Ah."

Jihoo had been outplayed. It became clear to him now—the enemy midlaner wasn’t just any midlaner.

"Their mid is a smurf."