Chapter Ninety-Five: Now That Is Editing!

“Strange? I followed the pro’s walkthrough video exactly. How did it end up like this?”

Beside the university campus, in a forty-square-meter subsidized apartment, a young man in his early twenties was fully absorbed in a game. It was not his first attempt, but once again, he had failed.

On the screen, the assassin protagonist crept slowly up behind a guard. Unfortunately, before he could strike, other enemies spotted him.

The man gave a wry smile as he watched a mass of alerted guards close in on the game screen. Shaking his head, he abandoned his earlier cautious style; the assassin became a berserker and hacked a path straight through.

“Sigh... I really am just hopelessly bad at this. The pro made it look so easy in the guide. So which route should I take next?”

Luo Hao recalled what he had seen during the pro’s livestream yesterday. Back then he had been too busy getting excited to remember any of the commentary, and now most of it had already slipped his mind.

After watching the livestream of Assassin's Creed by the streamer Purehearted Little Angel last time, Luo Hao had been so fired up that he downloaded the game that very night. He had planned to copy the pro’s style and experience that same exhilaration for himself. Yet when watching it, everything had seemed simple enough. Why was it so difficult once it was his turn?

Where was the promised army of clueless guards? During the livestream, they had all seemed stupid enough, but now each one was acting like they had wall hacks. He had barely assassinated a few guards before being discovered.

Why was the gap so enormous?

After rubbing his aching, slightly numb fingers, Luo Hao sighed in disappointment and closed the familiar game screen.

Forget it. Someone with his clumsy hands should just watch the pros play in peace. It would save time, and save him from frustration.

“Better see whether those pros have any updates.”

Luo Hao opened the Star Dust streaming platform with practiced ease and casually glanced at the homepage recommendations and the popularity rankings. Every day, the platform released a staggering number of new videos. Though there were many excellent works that never made the recommendation list, he still preferred to watch the ranked ones first rather than sift through the new uploads one by one.

Right. First, the homepage recommendations...

What? Shadow is streaming again?

Luo Hao rubbed his eyes and looked several times before confirming that he had not misread it. Hadn’t it only been a short while since the last stream? Had Shadow changed his ways?

Luo Hao was also a fan of Shadow. Every time the man streamed, he would watch and tip. Unfortunately, over the last few years Shadow had become more and more lax, changing from a streamer who broadcast every day on the dot to one who only streamed whenever he found the time each month. Even his attitude toward his fans had changed a great deal. Though Shadow had never shown it outright, Luo Hao, as a die-hard fan, could still feel it.

Luo Hao even felt that Shadow was no longer the streamer he had fallen for in the beginning.

With a soft exhale, Luo Hao thought it over and still clicked open the livestream page. No matter what, he was a fan of Shadow, and no stream could be missed.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Shadow. Welcome to my livestream! Today we’ll continue the part we left unfinished last time...”

What surprised Luo Hao was not only that he had arrived just in time for the stream to begin, but also Shadow himself: on the screen, the streamer wore a gentle smile and spoke with easy fluency.

Hmm? Had Shadow really turned over a new leaf?

In the past, Shadow’s livestreams were full of stop-and-start remarks, and his interaction with the audience had grown less and less. Yet today he seemed completely transformed, as though he had returned to the style he had had years ago.

Had Shadow suddenly come to his senses and decided to make a fresh start?

At that thought, Luo Hao instantly grew alert, waiting with anticipation for what came next.

Sure enough, the half-day livestream that followed did not disappoint him. Compared to Shadow’s previous Assassin's Creed stream, it was better by more than a little. Smooth movement, crisp assassinations, and witty, humorous commentary from the streamer himself—it was practically perfect. Luo Hao watched in utter satisfaction and tipped several times before he finally stopped.

“That’s all for today’s stream. Thank you all, my dear fans, for your support. I’ll edit the recorded video from this session and upload it to my personal page...” After the stream ended, Shadow thanked the audience profusely before closing his room.

Although the livestream had lasted an entire afternoon, Luo Hao still felt unsatisfied. Indeed, once Shadow got serious, he was outrageously good. The title of number one gaming streamer on the Star Dust platform was no empty boast; it was skill, plain and simple.

After the stream ended, Luo Hao did not rush to log off. Instead, he switched to the comments section. Watching something this satisfying and not sharing his thoughts would make no sense.

Because of Shadow’s unusual performance today, the comments section was buzzing as well, and everyone seemed quite pleased with the change.

When Shadow gets serious, he is insanely good!

Shadow is so handsome! My Shadow is the most handsome!

The king has returned!

My divine Shadow’s gaming skills are number one in the world!

But doesn’t the little angel also have great game skills? I wonder who would win if they played a match?

Shadow versus Purehearted Little Angel?

The more Luo Hao thought about it, the more excited he became. Although in the previous face-off promoted by Star Dust, Shadow had lost badly, very few people were willing to accept that result. Anyone with eyes could tell that Shadow had not known about the match in advance, and neither streamer had personally admitted that the confrontation counted, so the credibility was low.

Just from watching today’s stream, it was obvious that this performance was on a completely different level from the last one. They really ought to compete again, ideally in a game that supported online versus play. That would be a genuine clash between titans, exciting just to imagine.

While Luo Hao was daydreaming, the comments section had already exploded again.

Number one in the world? I think Shadow was definitely scared, or he wouldn’t have changed so fast.

My Shadow needs to be scared? He’d crush that little angel in minutes!

Nonsense! I won’t comment on Shadow’s skill, but he really isn’t as thoughtful as the little angel. Last time’s livestream video was several hours long and was just dumped online like that. Who would bother watching it?

Didn’t Shadow say this time he’d edit it? That’s already pretty conscientious, isn’t it?

Edit it? Go check out the little angel’s personal website instead. That’s what you call editing!

Thanks to fellow reader Blaze and Remaining Clouds for the 1,500 Starting Point coins tip, thanks to fellow reader Teacher Machine for the 500 Starting Point coins tip, thanks to fellow readers Living Allowance Clockwork Spring and Wind Chime for the 200 Starting Point coins tips, and thanks to fellow readers End Big Brother, a Slightly Cute Royal, and Deep Love for Miku for the 100 Starting Point coins tips. Flowers all around!