The other streamers, who unknowingly approached the court and watched, clapped their hands and shouted excitedly.
"Dunk!" Lightning912 exclaimed.
"That was amazing," Tiamat55 added, nodding like a commentator. He pushed his glasses up, "His speed, jump, and everything else is... perfect."
"He's so fast. He even left MadLad in the dust." The vlog couple, the man called Rian, commented in surprise.
Not only them but also the viewers were pretty entertained.
— So cocky! He even declared it himself!
— Hahahaha, he's da goat!
— SLAM DUNK! Goddamn, that was satisfying
— Newbie did a dunk. What else? Will he do 3-pointers from the other side of the court next?
Among them, MadLad was the most surprising one. He didn't expect Max to do the same fake as him after he claimed himself to be a newbie.
'How?' He asked himself as he turned around, noticing Max looking at him. 'Is this talent? Or is it the influence of his high Synchronization Rate?'
But both didn't matter. There was also no inferiority complex he felt at all. Instead, a competitive spirit burned in his head as he sighed.
"One more!" He raised his voice loudly, pointing at Max. "Let's do it once again!"
Facing that challenge, Max raised his chin and sneered.
"Fine by me if you're not afraid of being beaten by a newbie once again."
'How cocky. I want to crush him.' MadLad thought in his mind as he took the ball into his hand. He handed it to Max before going on a defense.
And thus, the game restarted.
***
Max lost the second game.
MadLad played seriously for the second game and snatched the ball easily from his hand. Then, the streamer went to the other side of the court to make a 3-pointer that entered the ring perfectly in the middle without even touching the rim.
The smirk on his face was irritating, so he asked for the third game for the best of three. MadLad agreed, and the game was more intense than before. A few minutes had passed, but none had managed to score yet.
"Go, Breeze! Go!"
"MadLad, don't you embarrass our agency! Use fake! Breeze is a newbie, so break his ankle!"
"Go, MadLad!"
"Sorry, guys, But I will cheer up Breeze! Go! Just punch that MadLad in the face!"
Everyone cheered due to the exciting one-on-one between MadLad and Max. Currently, the ball was in Max's hand. He dribbled it skillfully, unlike when he first started, occasionally moving the ball from the left to right hand while finding the opening in MadLad's defense.
His concentration peaked, and he could see it.
'Over there.'
There was only one rule in this 1v1 situation. That was to score the ball through the ring.
— Look at MadLad's face when Breeze jumped; that was funny
Max approached his jacket he had thrown on the edge of the court earlier and wore it. Looking toward the others, he noticed that Lightning912 was laughing while doing some kind of transaction with Tiamat55.
Curiously, he approached them with MadLad after exchanging gaze. They didn't notice them, although the others were. Giving a gesture to make them quiet by putting his finger on his lip, he listened to Lightning912 and Tiamat55's conversation.
"Tsk, here is the $100. I never expected MadLad, who's good at basketball, to lose."
"Hehehe, thank you for the business." Lightning912 chuckled happily as he closed the trading screen.
Based on their conversation, it seemed like they made a bet from the game. That was unforgivable. Max couldn't allow such a scene.
Approaching Lightning912, he circled his arm around his shoulder. The blond-haired streamer was surprised when he felt his hand and turned to look at him.
"Hello, gentlemen. I heard about something interesting from a distance.
At that moment, the color disappeared from Lightning912's face. Tiamat55 was about to run away, but MadLad stopped him in the same way as Max.
Looking at the scared streamer next to him, Max whispered.
"You know what to do, right?"
Slowly, Lightning912 nodded and opened a screen. It was the Punch website, and he visited Max's livestream without hesitation.
[Lightning912 has donated 2,500 diamonds!]
[Lesson fee and tribute... Thank you.]
Looking at the message that appeared in his chat window, Max smiled in satisfaction and released the poor streamer.
"Hahaha, you're really a good fan. I didn't ask you to do anything, but you donated half of the money you earned from the bet for donation. Thank you, Lightning."
"H-Haha... No problem." The blond guy laughed wryly. "I still got half of the profit."
— What did I just witness?
— It's business
— They are just doing some exchange, guys. Nothing strange here.
— Hehehe, what a good friendship
— They meant business
— This is what we call profit, people. There is nothing strange here
Tiamat's fate was better because he already lost money. MadLad just asked him to order him a drink from the bar counter.
The gathering continued. They played games, laughed together, and got close. In fact, Max was also having fun playing together with them. Without him noticing, a few hours had passed, and the gathering came to an end soon.
In the corner of the bar area, MadLad suddenly approached him and gave him a note that said. 'Stay a bit longer after the gathering. There is something that I have to tell you.'
Max looked at the harsh-looking guy and nodded. If he couldn't say it now, then it must be something private. The note was also given in a way that his viewers wouldn't notice.
And after a few words from Amelia, the gathering ended, and Max turned his group streaming off after getting a shower of donations.
[Livestream Ended!]