Chapter 80

Kim Ina couldn’t help but widen her eyes when she clicked on the page linked by the viewer.

The problem wasn’t that the broadcast had fewer than ten viewers. There were thousands of broadcasts with that level of viewership. The issue was the voice coming from the broadcast.

[“This is a kill angle. I’ll catch it once.”]

After saying that, the streamer moved dazzlingly and subdued the opponent’s champion. The combo speed was impressive, and the timing of the flash was mind-blowing. It was the kind of kill angle you’d see in a mad movie on NewTube.

Her eyes were drawn to the flashy champion, and then her ears perked up at the voice.

– “Totally sounds like an elementary school kid, lol?”

– “Is that a girl’s voice?”

– “Wah wah wah wah wah”

– “Wait, how old is she…?”

Kim Ina couldn’t help but be startled when she heard the voice of an elementary school student coming through the broadcast. The only time she had been this shocked was when some crazy viewer edited a NewTube video into a 19+ terror clip. Because Kim Ina reacted too slowly, she got a 3-day suspension.

The voice was also incredibly pleasant to listen to. And the voice coming from the broadcast was unmistakably that of a female elementary school student. Not even a male elementary school student. Hearing a female elementary school student’s voice in such a high tier, which ordinary people rarely reach, was almost impossible.

“Is this… Am I hearing this right?”

– “Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy”

– “Sounds like my niece who comes over during the holidays.”

– “It’s a young kid’s voice, but it’s not whiny or annoying. It’s actually nice to listen to.”

– “No way, a female elementary school student in Grandmaster? That doesn’t make sense, lol.”

Kim Ina had to react quickly. Just by listening to the voice, it wasn’t even a middle schooler’s voice—it was an elementary schooler’s.

Kim Ina was almost accusing a little girl, who was probably 15 years younger than her, of being a “helper.” Being a woman herself, she reacted even more strongly. Couldn’t this be a future star in the gaming world?

“I think I must have been mistaken earlier when I accused her of being a helper. Watching the stream, her skills are really good. If she keeps this up, she might reach Challenger soon.”

– “The abyss is calling.”

– “Got wrecked by an elementary schooler in lane, huh? LOL”

– “[Breaking News] Kim Ina gets wrecked by an elementary schooler and accuses her of being a helper…”

– “Who claimed she was a helper?”

– “Wow, but a female elementary schooler in Grandmaster? Isn’t this insane talent?”

“Wait! Honestly, didn’t you all agree when I accused her of being a helper during the stream earlier?”

– “Your Honor, I said no.”

– “That was then, lol. The situation’s different now.”

– “Me.”

– “Rock.”

“Honestly, voice modulation is possible these days, right? Isn’t she using something like that?”

Kim Ina raised a reasonable counterargument. In today’s world, AI technology has advanced so much that voice modulation is easily possible. In the past, unless you were a master of voice imitation, it was impossible for a man to produce a woman’s voice, but nowadays, with just a simple file and a bit of tweaking, you can easily change your voice.

And there was no sense of awkwardness at all. Kim Ina thought this streamer was using voice modulation. A female middle schooler in Grandmaster is already insane talent, but a female elementary schooler in Grandmaster? This is the kind of talent that pro teams would keep an eye on. In soccer terms, this is like a prodigy who’s been showing potential since their youth.

– “What if even this isn’t the case?”

– “What’s Kim Ina gonna do now that she’s caught?”

– “Honestly, if I got wrecked by a female elementary schooler, I’d probably lose my mind too.”

– “Helper Accusation Season 2 ON LOL”

“Wait… I’m not saying we should accuse her again. I’m just raising a possibility. It doesn’t hurt to be cautious, right?”

However, Kim Ina couldn’t help but be dumbfounded by the streamer’s actions that followed.

—

Starlight Cherry Tomatoes have been released on the market. The price is set at 5,000 won per Starlight Cherry Tomato.

When cherry tomatoes are 4,000 won per 1kg, there were concerns within the company about releasing them at such a high price. 5,000 won is enough to buy a decent convenience store lunch box.

However, the management of Starlight Food was firm. The space to grow them was limited, so a high-volume, low-margin strategy wasn’t feasible.

When the nutritional content and calories of Starlight Cherry Tomatoes were revealed, the public reaction was one of disbelief.

“No way, a single cherry tomato has 1,000 calories? That can’t be real.”

“Not just that, but the nutritional content rivals that of supplements! How can such a small cherry tomato have this much nutrition?”

“This is truly Starlight Guild…”

“Considering the scientific prowess of the weapons sold by the hunters, it seems like a product that could definitely exist…”

“Still, isn’t this too expensive? I’d rather buy a kilo of cherry tomatoes and eat those.”

Despite being launched with an advertisement, the public’s reaction was lukewarm. And for good reason—it was just a single cherry tomato packaged alone. Of course, there were also some that were packaged more luxuriously, like high-end chocolates, with three tomatoes in a pack.

—

For Yang Jaewan, an employee working in the Yeouido stock market district, encountering a single cherry tomato was akin to fate.

Working in the stock market, having time to eat a proper meal was a luxury. Since joining the stock market, he hadn’t had a proper meal. So much so that he, who used to weigh more than the average, had lost so much weight that his friends couldn’t recognize him.

Today, Yang Jaewan stopped by a convenience store during lunch to quickly grab a meal. After the stock market closed at 3 PM, he could eat relatively comfortably, but before that, he had to maintain a battle-ready stance, as if in a war.

So, as usual, he lingered by the display to buy a convenience store lunch box. He could have gone for cup noodles or triangle kimbap, but since he was tired of those, he decided to treat himself to a lunch box today.

However, a special advertisement on the display caught his eye.

[“Finish your meal in just 3 seconds! Try Starlight Cherry Tomatoes!”]

“Huh?”

He looked at the detailed description on the packaging.

“One tomato can provide 1,000 calories and is rich in nutrients? What kind of ridiculous food is this?”

It sounded absurd. A single cherry tomato, the size of a 500-won coin, providing 1,000 calories and filling you up? Even a passing dog would laugh at that.

But Starlight Food, a major corporation, wouldn’t engage in false advertising, right? And as he watched, many people were buying the Starlight Cherry Tomatoes.

So, he decided to give it a try and bought a pack containing three tomatoes. Thanks to a launch discount, he could get three tomatoes for just 10,000 won. It was a groundbreaking deal.

He planned to have this for both lunch and dinner today. If it didn’t fill him up, he could report it for false advertising, but if it did, he’d save time, which was a win.

Yang Jaewan returned to his desk with the tomatoes. Even though he usually ate quickly, today he was the first one back in the office.

“It’s so quiet…”

In a few minutes, the office would turn into a war zone, but for now, with the lights on and the office somewhat empty, it felt strange.

Sitting at his partition, Yang Jaewan unwrapped the package and took out one tomato.

“Oh? The color looks good, and the smell is nice too?”

As someone who usually enjoyed cherry tomatoes, he could tell this was high-quality. He examined it for a while before popping it into his mouth.

After a couple of chews, he closed his eyes, savoring the melting texture of the tomato. It wasn’t the kind of food you’d normally savor, but this tomato gave him the feeling of eating something luxurious.

And then came the unbelievable feeling of fullness.

Yang Jaewan’s eyes widened as he sat in his chair. How could such a small tomato fill him up so completely? He didn’t even feel like eating another one.

“Maybe I’ll get hungry again once I start working? Like when you fill up on water.”

But even after lunch and as he resumed work, the feeling of fullness persisted. And before he knew it, he was working overtime and leaving late without feeling hungry.

From that day on, Yang Jaewan became a devoted follower of Starlight Cherry Tomatoes. He even recommended them to others. Once you got used to the convenience, other instant foods just didn’t cut it anymore.

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