The Hero's Streaming Life with the Saintess-Chapter 18: The first rule of a pro streamer: use good equipment.

“Damn... why is this thing so expensive?”

It was one of those rare pieces of equipment that even Korea’s top five guilds had only a handful of.

Built from special materials, made specifically for large-scale Gate clears.

Displays a live monitor feed through the user’s goggles, enabling smooth communication between Hunters and rapid command relays from HQ.

Even worse? There wasn’t even a listed price.

Each unit was custom-built per request, and depending on the functions, the cost could swing wildly.

But one thing was clear—it wasn’t in the “a few million” range. It was astronomical.

“No way I can ask the Association to fund it...”

“Hmm... Personally, I hope you don’t go that route.”

Right.

Asking them would just turn into another debt down the line.

I mentally folded that idea and put it away.

Should I ask the Hanul Guild?

‘Nope. Not gonna use the parental card either...’

“Hero, what if we got a sponsor?”

As if I could save up for that equipment through ads in this lifetime...

Even if I took on hundreds of sponsors, I wouldn’t make enough.

“No, Hero! Not sponsoring someone else—what if we got sponsored by the company that makes the gear?”

“Oh!?”

Free equipment and ad revenue?

Now that’s a true dirtbag business model. I’m impressed.

But would any company really provide that kind of high-end gear for free?

“I actually think it’s totally possible.”

“Huh? You really think so?”

“Son, do you have any idea how much companies spend just trying to prove the reliability and durability of their equipment?”

Mom’s explanation made way too much sense.

Even if they had the money, it was nearly impossible to find someone willing to test equipment inside a real, dangerous Gate.

But here I was—a streamer, ready to waltz into one and livestream the whole thing.

“There’s bound to be at least one company that bites.”

****

[ThatFreakingStrongHero: Heading into a Gate—Sponsorships Open]

Pure clickbait title.

I learned from the best—Noodoongji-senpai.

And sure enough, the chat went absolutely feral.

[Not “doing” a sponsor, but “accepting” one? LMAO]

[What happened to all those donations? Did he blow them on crypto or something?]

[So which Gate is it gonna be?]

Ever since I one-shotted that “Black Angel” on the west coast, speculation had been swirling about which Gate I’d go to next.

“Ahem. Hem. Ahem.”

[Here he goes again with the teasing]

[Sigh...]

[OverflowingDivinePowerPouch has charged 300,000 watts!]

– Just spit it out already! Where are you going!?

“I’ll be going to none other than... Mount Baekdu.”

[???]

[Wait, seriously? That Baekdu?]

[We hyped him up so much he’s actually going all in...]

Naturally, people were concerned.

Fighting monsters that come out of a Gate is one thing.

Going into their lair to fight them? Entirely different league.

[Even the entrance is supposedly scorching hot, you sure?]

[Yeah I heard it’s all lava in there]

[Wait, how’s he even gonna film it? Gonna carry his phone in there?]

[LOL not even a Nokia would survive that]

“Which is exactly why I’m seeking a sponsorship.”

People started guessing: Sports drinks, ice cream, performance shirts.

As if I’d go all the way to Baekdu just to promo a damn energy bar.

“I’m trying to acquire a specific piece of filming equipment for this content.”

[Shouldn’t you ask on the tech boards or streamer forums for that?]

[Yeah or just hit up Noodoongji again]

I shook my head and waved my index finger.

I already had the best, top-tier PC setup for streaming.

“This isn’t for a regular stream.

I need this gear specifically for Gate broadcasts.

And here’s the thing—this won’t be standard equipment.”

With that, I pulled up a custom-made PowerPoint.

Blue and purple slides.

The chat immediately praised my outstanding aesthetic sense.

“I can’t afford it. I looked it up and it’s stupid expensive.”

[Wait, so you’re using elite-tier guild equipment for a livestream?]

[Knew he was insane but this confirms it]

[Bro for that price, just buy a building in Seoul instead]

“I mean come on—it’s me using it. That’s worth something.”

[Bro you’re literally a highway robber LOL]

[Do you even know how much that thing costs??]

[Just looked it up. Only major guilds or the government can even dream of affording that]

How can they be this short-sighted...

Thankfully, a few people were actually thinking it through.

“Think about it—if this gear holds up inside a Gate marked ‘unclearable,’

people are gonna start calling it God-tier equipment.

It’ll go viral.”

That logic hit home with a lot of folks.

[Yeah actually... these companies do throw money at proving reliability]

[But the risk is if the gear fails mid-broadcast, right?]

Exactly.

I wasn’t planning to do any rehearsals.

Once I had the gear, I was diving straight into the Gate.

If it broke during the stream?

That company’s rep would crash through the floor.

“That’s it for today. I’ll announce the Gate entry date later.”

Just before ending the stream, I paused.

“If you really believe in your product,

reach out.”

****

[Posted by: SaintessFootTowel]

[Title: Legend /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Status Achieved Again]

[Body: (Clip of him saying he’s going to Baekdu)

This bastard... squeezing in a sponsorship request mid-announcement...]

ㄴ Can you even survive fighting inside a place that hot?

ㄴ Who knows, maybe he’s heat-resistant

ㄴ “Heat-resistant” my ass lmfaooooo

[Posted by: ThrowThatResignation]

[Title: But seriously, what if he clears it?]

[Body: North Korea’s already gone. Who gets the land if he wins?]

ㄴ If Korea takes it, the potential is limitless

ㄴ But it’s tricky, right? He gets the monster corpses, sure,

but the land is another story

ㄴ Hmm... I doubt that country would sit back and let Korea claim it

ㄴ “That country”?

ㄴ Yeah. They’re already pissed about the Black Angel incident

Surprisingly, I thought I’d be flooded with offers...

But so far, not a single message.

Looks like nobody wants the risk of their gear blowing up live on stream.

“Seriously? These so-called companies run like this and they’re this timid?”

And just like that, the news was buzzing again thanks to my Gate comment.

Reporters wouldn’t shut up about the geopolitical and economic benefits of reclaiming former North Korean territory.

They even said there’d be strong government support for the Gate raid.

“Yeah, keep dreaming about piggybacking on my success.”

I wasn’t going to accept their support.

Even if I did, I’d go with Hanul Guild.

Why the hell would I accept backing from a random company when my parents run one?

BZZZZZ... BZZZZZ...!

A message.

Not from any of the companies I expected—but from Nova Group.

“Nova? Why them?”

I’d already researched all the big names.

Some sold mass-produced cheap crap. Others made high-end custom gear with insane quality.

But Nova? They didn’t even make this kind of product, let alone sell it.

– Hero, we wanted to reach out about a sponsorship opportunity.

“Should I head over to the place we met last time?”

– Yes. We’ll send a car immediately.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll come myself.”

We’re in just as much of a hurry as they are.

****

“Long time no see.”

There stood the same head researcher from before, alongside several men in suits.

One of them was pushing a cart loaded with gear—

Goggles, monitors, earpieces, even a smartwatch-looking thing.

“This is what you’ll be using, Hero. It may not look like much, but it’s extremely lightweight. And...”

The researcher grabbed the monitor and goggles—

And slammed them to the floor.

‘...?’

Clearly confident in his product, he picked them back up.

Not a scratch. Not even a scuff.

“This is the HyperNovaVision X1 Pro. It’s a prototype—not even released yet.

Right now, it’s got basic features only, but we can add any functions you want.”

He handed me a catalog.

I flipped it open and immediately shut it again.

There were way too many functions.

What I wanted was simple:

Durability.

And a display that shows chat and donations clearly.

“Then it’s perfect. You can use it as-is.”

“This fast? Really?”

“Yes. Please, use it however you like.”

“But it’s not even released yet. If it breaks during use, the PR backlash could be brutal.”

He just gave a wide grin—full confidence.

“Also, you might not care, Hero, but most guilds treat their raid tactics and info as top-level intel.

We’ve taken strict security measures, so don’t worry.”

I shrugged.

Security didn’t matter anyway.

I’d be streaming the whole thing in public.

****

[ThatFreakingStrongHero: Sponsored Gear Review]

[Bro actually scammed someone into giving him gear lol]

[What is it? SpectraLink? Optima XR?]

“Nope. None other than the pride of South Korea—Nova Group.”

[Nova makes this kind of stuff??]

[Damn, first I’ve heard of it]

“This hasn’t even been released yet.”

I brought a hard case into frame and opened it.

New novel chapt𝒆rs are published on ƒгeewebnovёl.com.

Inside were six spheres—each a bit larger than a coin.

[What is that? Playing marbles?]

[Why are they packed so carefully like they’re holy relics]

[Squid Game season 3, let’s goooo]

“These... are cameras.”

I picked up the orbs and tossed them to the ground.

With a mechanical click, they transformed into miniature drones.

They hovered into the air and started filming from multiple angles around me.

[Holy shit. That’s some next-gen tech]

[I swear I saw that in a movie once]

“All stream quality starts with gear.”

Rule #1 of pro streamers:

Use good equipment.