Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 3

I place the meat in the oiled frying pan.

*Ssss—!*

The delightful sound tickles my ears, and the sweet aroma of meat tempts my nose.

Following the method I vaguely remember, I sprinkle salt and pepper on the meat and wait for it to cook.

After about 2 minutes, I flip it over, then flip it again.

Once the meat is cooked, I set the table with the salad I ordered.

It’s not exactly gourmet-level cooking, but it turned out to look quite appetizing, and I couldn’t help but feel satisfied.

After all, cooking is half about the ingredients…

“This is sex and the fall of the Demon King.”

The weather is nice, with the sun shining brightly.

As I enjoy the view outside while having this meal for breakfast-lunch, my heart fills with a sense of peace.

In moments like this, I’m reminded of the importance of money in modern society.

No matter how tough things get, if you invest time and money, those gaps can be filled.

The term “financial therapy” didn’t just come out of nowhere.

Here I am, a returned Hero, eating in this nice home and playing games — such a rich and carefree life.

All of this is possible because of money.

Let’s be honest. I like money.

And I absolutely love the lazy life that flows richly from a plentiful existence.

Before becoming a Hero and even after, I was never one to lead a planned life…

Still, I rationalize that I keep myself in check as much as possible.

“Hmm…”

As I take a bite of the meat… suddenly a thought crosses my mind.

What if I had returned with nothing, just a broke body…?

A stateless person with no identity and no money.

If I lost the Hero’s powers, I would be in a perfect state to become a homeless person.

Well, what would be the problem with being a Hero eating leftovers, though.

Still, I wonder if I would have developed a few scars on my heart while going through the hardships.

The reason I think about this out of the blue is because:

‘Was the title something like “The Hero Has Returned”?’

It’s a web novel that I briefly enjoyed while taking a break from Soul Warfare…

The Hero summoned to another world defeats the Demon King, saves the world, and returns to Earth.

However, after losing family and landing back with nothing but himself, reality proves to be anything but kind.

In the end, the Hero falls into darkness and becomes the Demon King — it’s a sad story.

I empathize deeply because I’m also a returned Hero.

‘What if I were in that situation?’

If my parents passed away while looking for me, and I had to start with nothing…

Could I truly overcome that sense of deprivation?

I’m not sure… But as I chew on the meat and contemplate, I don’t think I would stoop that low.

In simple terms, I won’t just blow up the Gangnam District I’m currently living in. After all, a Hero can’t be without dignity.

‘There’s also the vow I made before parting with the goddess…’

In conclusion, it’s something like this.

Thank you, humans. This Hero is staying put, so feel free to carry on with your livelihoods.

Once my meal is finished, these thoughts quickly fade from my mind.

After cleaning up, I sat down at my computer as if it was a habit.

I’m not sure if I can call this a habit since it’s only been a few days.

What I pulled up was YouTube.

I typed “Soul Warfare guides” into the search bar, and a ton of videos tailored to that keyword popped up.

If you’re wondering why I’m not logging into virtual reality like yesterday, let’s just say it’s a reflection on my mindless play from yesterday.

In truth, the ambitious start I had with Soul Warfare ended after just three matches.

Since it was my first time in team-based PVP, I had no idea what was going on.

I was just playing solo, chopping down the opposing team.

At this rate, I felt I’d end up floundering alone and falling into a rut.

While I usually familiarize myself with the basic guides before playing, let’s face it. It had been a while since I enjoyed a game, and I guess I was a little too eager.

“This looks fine.”

I clicked on a video titled “Soul Warfare Guide for Beginners.”

The reason for picking it was simple. The thumbnail looked neat.

As expected, the guide in the video was very straightforward and succinct but managed to hit all the key points.

First and foremost, clearing the story mode is essential to unlock weapons, other gear, and enchants in order.

Then there are recommended weapon choices based on playing style.

After that, there’s stat and skill build optimization and enchanting.

Watching this video made me realize just how reckless I had been tossing myself into PVP mode.

From others’ perspective, I must have looked like a newbie who didn’t even know the basics, diving in with just a long sword — how embarrassing for my team.

Now that I think about it, the chat during the game wasn’t exactly inviting either.

The only reason I didn’t receive sharp remarks must be thanks to my proven skills, but also the fact that it wasn’t a ranked match.

Of course, in story mode, like any game, the theme had its share of darker content.

In a 1v1 PVP match in a circular arena, using consumable items was off the table; it was a straight-up duel with only weapons.

The game also supports up to 3v3, which is worth mentioning.

In spectator mode, you could sit in the stands and enjoy the matches.

And then there’s…

*Team Battles.*

This is currently the most popular and central content of Soul Warfare.

In Soul Warfare e-sports, it’s precisely these team battles that are featured.

With 7 players per team, that means 14 players in total battling on a single battlefield.

It’s a labyrinth filled with objects, with the central attack lane connecting the two sides.

The structure is quite similar to the legendary brawl’s canyon.

With differences in elevation across the zones of the map, things like falling to your death or various creative tactics could be employed.

“Hmm… This is tough.”

Watching videos of players hunting down monsters filled me with sympathy.

Each jungle monster they were currently taking down was on the same level as the sub-bosses that showed up in story mode.

I had thought ‘object hunting’ would mean doing the same jungle monster hunting as in the legendary brawl.

Thanks to the advancements in AI alongside virtual reality, the movements of the monsters were frighteningly ferocious.

Their absurdly powerful attacks and hitboxes could easily spell doom in one blow.

Regardless of how slow they may seem, their speed and ruthlessness could snatch away your life in the blink of an eye.

The jungle monsters they were taking down would roughly be the level of the red and blue camps from the legendary brawl, and two players were unitedly tackling them.

If they got ambushed, it would truly turn into a chaotic mess.

In fact, behind the guide video, I watched as the team attempted to take down a large object, only to encounter the opposing team, resulting in a laughable scene of them brawling amidst the rampaging monsters.

Having grasped the guidelines to a degree from watching the guide video, I accessed the community site for Soul Warfare.

As I browsed the community, I got a feel for the atmosphere of the players engaged in this game.

[20M Drop Kick Parrying with Godbolttier] [95]

[That face is a cum-stain custom, and you say it’s a proxy? Nothing to filter out ㅅㅂ] [208]

[Stop the Gold Cup!] [1557]

[If you miss STK, the ultra-favorite team this season, maybe you should post a thumbs up or two?] [6974]

As I read a notable post, I was surprised at how little the sentiment had changed in a decade.

‘This isn’t any different from Korea ten years ago.’

Everyone seemed to be living quite leisurely.

Feeling slightly moved as I scanned the post contents, my attention halted on a particular notable post.

[Posted by: Armpit Wrinkle]

[Title: A cum-stained skin and a proxy? Nothing to filter out ㅅㅂ]

[A normie proxy, who skipped the story, entered low rank with a long sword and went around breaking our team’s heads one by one like it was a horror game.]

Attached beneath it was an animated GIF.

Seeing the uniquely customized face, I immediately recognized whose character this was.

The one inside the screen, wielding nothing but a basic long sword and causing chaos in the game was…

“Holy crap.”

It was me.

The post mentioned shooting down proxies along with various versions of me getting wrecked, all shown in animated gifs.

Honestly, if I said I wasn’t flabbergasted, that would be a lie.

For my whole gaming life, I had maintained a playstyle without any form of shooting at players.

Who would have thought such an issue would arise on my first game back on Earth, on the very first day?

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and scrolled down to observe the reactions.

[Forced Bribery Dwarf: Wow, check out that skin. Who made that? It’s not even on sale in the shop. The craftsmanship must be through the roof!]

ㄴㅇㅇ(156.xxx): Huh? Isn’t that a complete face of a guy who’s wearing a visor?]

ㄴㅇㅇ(114.xxx): What’s ‘WungO’?]

ㄴㅇㅇ(156.xxx): There’s a mobile adult game called ‘Destiny: Grand Oral’ that old folks play.]

ㄴㅇㅇ(114.xxx): How can you think this is a real avatar?]

ㄴㅇㅇ(156.xxx): Where’s the guy’s face in reality?]

[Black People Are Humans Too: It’s a historical fact that King Arthur was a woman, as can be inferred from the ancient Goguryeo watermelon maps. Hence, that skin is plagiarism.]

[ㅇㅇ(73.xxx): What are the capable users doing? Hurry up and create more of those adult cartoons!]

[ㅇㅇ(125.xxx): I can’t see because of the visor!]

ㄴㅇㅇ(73.xxx): Make it however you can without being able to see!]

There were those mainly chattering about my face…

[Daylight Sword: Hey you moron, why is that proxy? Do you think the proxy has never cleared the story mode or is playing PVP? Hahaha.]

ㄴGarlic Dwarf: Seriously, that’s just a challenger’s secondary account going on a rampage, it’s not proxy play.]

ㄴArmpit Wrinkle: What’s this now?]

Then there were the types who dove into the writer’s flawed logic and teased me…

[Noob: Nice job dodging left to avoid the spear in that eighth gif, but the reaction speed seems off. The poster could easily mistake you for a proxy.]

ㄴGarlic Dwarf: Live up to your name.]

ㄴRuler Jamaica: Tbh, right on.]

ㄴForced Bribery Dwarf: If you didn’t clear the story in low rank, you would still have unboosted stats and skill points, so you truly aren’t good at all, right?]

ㄴㅇㅇ(156.xxx): No way! If you can hold your own against a diamond player, then that lame skin is probably a high-ranked account.]

Lastly, there were those analyzing the gameplay through the animated gifs.

I found myself reading through every detail — the main post, the gifs, and comments below.

The contents varied from simple shooting to praises for my gameplay, or even accusations asking if I was a high-tier user’s secondary account…

Never had I thought such diverse reactions would come from a game I played for just a day.

Normally, I would quickly scroll through loan offerings but strangely found myself engrossed, analyzing every written word.

Trying to skip to the next post, but after reading all the comments, I’d scroll back up for another look.

It was a repetitive and meaningless act, as if I was greedily feasting on the posts.

At some point… I noticed my hand covering my mouth.

Why am I covering my mouth? What’s up with that?

Right now, how do I categorize this emotion?

“Hmm… Hah…”

I’m oddly feeling breathless.

The body awakened as a Hero, even without revealing its powers and strengths, doesn’t feel fatigue in daily life.

Let alone breathlessness would be nonsensical.

That’s why I felt slightly confused.

Could it be that the curse of the Demon, infiltrating a Hero’s resistance, is surfacing now?

With my muscles twitching in my cheekbones and oddly rapid breaths.

I needed to figure out what was happening in my body.

Then, I caught sight of the full-length mirror beside my desk.

Above my baggy hoodie, I removed my hand from my mouth to see…

“Huh.”

I saw my face begrudgingly suppressing a smile.

Seeing this expression, I finally realized.

“I’m too happy.”

I’m too happy and filled with joy.

It’s because of that… seeing those talking about me brought such a sweet feeling.

The character that felt just like me scanned my face, revealing their lustful desires.

They admired my skill unfit for a low rank, analyzing my gameplay, and I realized that all this feedback created a euphoric response.

I asked myself: Why am I so glad about something like this?

‘No, I don’t even need to ask myself.’

Thanks to the instinct of a Hero, it quickly dawned on me.

“I’m an attention seeker.”

What can you do?

With only memories of fighting against demons after awakening as a Hero…

Soon after my teammates perished entirely, I ended up slaying demons on my own, finally killing the Demon King after great hardship, only to be summoned by the goddess to settle things up and return to Earth before I could savor the ending.

I looked around my peaceful room.

In this startling quiet place, just days ago, I was battling the Demon King in hell.

A recollection devoid of any human communication, filled only with massacres.

‘At this point…’

It must be time to crave some attention from people, I rationalized my current feelings.

This is a modern society that can draw an audience’s interest like crazy, depending on how you leverage it.

Swallowing the saliva welling in my mouth, I gazed at the title of Soul Warfare.

Various thoughts about how to gain more attention stirred in my mind, but…

“…….”

The room was quieter than ever.