hotmtlnovel Chapter 17
Chapter 17
[Omniscient Cthulhu: Breaking news!]
[Omniscient Cthulhu: After getting completely wrecked, Mangming drops the ‘it’s a smurf’ card. ᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ]
[Omniscient Cthulhu: Legendary move.]
[Oh, come on... This is too much.]
[Honestly, this is next-level cringe.]
[Hwanhee: Mangming, does this feel right to you? Mangming, does this feel right to you? Mangming, does this feel right to you? Mangming, does this feel right to you? Mangming, does this feel right to you? Mangming, does this feel right to you?]
[Absolutely revolting...]
[Mangming, come on, this is too much.]
"Ah..."
Even though the comments weren’t directed at him, Jihoo couldn’t help but feel secondhand embarrassment.
It reminded him of an old, cringeworthy memory—back when he’d taken a semester off from university. He had tried to muster the courage to confess to a female classmate. After carefully planning, he had gone to a nearby flower shop and bought an expensive bouquet. For a college student, spending over ten thousand won was a big deal. He’d brought the bouquet to their MT trip and confessed, only to be rejected outright.
‘Ugh... bad memories.’
At that time, he had wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. Now, this current situation gave him a slightly milder version of that same feeling.
"Let’s not be too harsh. I’m sure Mangming had valid reasons for thinking it was a smurf," Jihoo said, trying to mediate.
It was a fair point. There was always a possibility that the enemy midlaner really was using a smurf account. Without concrete evidence, it wasn’t right to accuse someone unfairly.
[Omniscient Cthulhu: Breaking news! Updated info just in!]
[Omniscient Cthulhu: Turns out, the enemy mid is NOT a smurf, lol.]
[Oh no...]
[Someone tried to shield him, but this is just sad, lol.]
[What even is this?]
[Trash-tier confirmed.]
[Kang Hoo-min: Yup, yup. It’s true. Mangming has officially entered the has-been category.]
[Kang is spitting facts as usual, lol.]
[But honestly, he kind of is a has-been.]
The chat filled with comments ridiculing Mangming, branding him as a washed-up player. Jihoo couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him. Sure, having Mangming on his team and watching him flounder was frustrating, but Jihoo didn’t think he deserved this much ridicule.
"Honestly, he’s doing fine for his age. Only getting solo-killed twice is pretty impressive," Jihoo said sincerely.
For someone older, it was an achievement to maintain such a performance.
[Omniscient Cthulhu: Still, the enemy mid isn’t a smurf...]
[Hwanhee: If it were a smurf, we could understand, but this? Lol.]
[Yeah, he’s just washed up.]
The chat was still on fire, so Jihoo decided to take a direct approach.
[Ally][LondonIsInDanger][Dows]: Hey, midlaner.]
[Ally][LondonIsInDanger][Dows]: My chat keeps calling you a has-been. What’s your take on this?]@@@@
As expected, the chat erupted in shock.
[Omniscient Cthulhu: Did you seriously just ask that, lol?]
[Hwanhee: Are you insane?]
[Kang Hoo-min: Yup, she’s nuts.]
[Isn’t it ‘he’s nuts’?]
[Either way, totally insane, lol.]
After a brief silence, the midlaner responded.
Jihoo glanced at the viewer count. For the first time, it had crossed 100.
‘This is unexpected.’
He never thought he’d reach triple digits. It was clear Mangming’s presence had drawn in viewers.
Jihoo addressed the chat, "I’d love to unban Mangming, but the chat has been pretty chaotic with trolls. If you have something to say, donating might be faster."
It wasn’t about greed—it was about maintaining order in the chat.
[Omniscient Cthulhu: Greedy much, lol.]
[Omniscient Cthulhu: One donation and now you’re acting all high and mighty, lol.]
[Hwanhee: Money is important, though.]
[Take what you can get.]
[Kang Hoo-min: With Mangming’s personality, he’s definitely going to donate again.]
A moment later—
[Mangming has donated 1,000 won!]
-You have such a lovely voice.
"I get that a lot," Jihoo replied smoothly.
The chat went wild again, with comments about Mangming’s antics and Jihoo’s voice. Jihoo ignored most of it, focusing instead on maintaining the stream’s flow.
Just then—
Ding-dong!
"I’m home!" Yeram’s loud, cheerful voice echoed through the house.
[???]
[Omniscient Cthulhu: What was that?]
[Who is that?]
[Hwanhee: Who’s there?]
[Is there a girl in the house? Is there a girl in the house? Is there a girl in the house?]
[Who is she?]
The chat exploded with speculation. Jihoo sighed and explained, "It’s my younger sister. Don’t even think about posting inappropriate comments."
Some chat members were clearly toeing the line, and Jihoo decided it was best to shut them down early.
At that moment—
[Mangming has donated 1,000 won!]
-Is that your sister? ᄒᄒ
Mangming, of course, couldn’t resist chiming in.