Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 31

If the amount increases, it’s tough to just ignore it.

The unreasonable demands wrapped in money made even someone like me, who doesn’t have to worry about cash because of the Hero’s retirement fund, think twice.

To be precise, it wasn’t the money but the heated atmosphere it created.

A slight sense of crisis crept in… I couldn’t shake the thought that, as Dayoung said, this might be out of line.

Looking down, I saw the Hero’s Equipment slightly rearranged into a bikini armor for my character.

Did the desire for attention lead me to this ridiculousness? I pondered.

Even with this issue, I didn’t think it would blow up too much.

I figured I’d just take a few donations or requests during the stream and eventually get exhausted and drop it.

Let’s admit it. I’m probably a bit too excited for my first broadcast. I need to reflect on that.

But what can I do now? It’s already done.

If the water has spilled, I’ll just have to gather it back up.

“Haah—.”

Taking a deep breath calms my mind.

I went ahead and manipulated the panel to click the mission button.

“Let’s see, doing a sexy Zero Two dance earns a three million won mission, right?”

—Ding!

With a chime, the notification for mission failure pops up.

“Ta-da, looks like success isn’t in the cards.”

[????????????]


[What the heck, why’s that guy here?]


[Burning three million just for a mission failure?]


[Hey, little sister! Act like a lady.]


[You’re getting cocky, Sensei.]


[Can’t you tell from our Sensei’s character that three million isn’t even a bite size?]


[Double it!]


[I was really looking forward to it, damn it LOL.]


[What do you expect from the reaction dungeon?]

Naturally, the reactions in the chat were half crazy, half complaints.

“I don’t like that kind of reaction. No matter how much you donate, I won’t do it, so if you want your money to gradually melt away, make sure to donate seriously.”

[Go on, you’ve donated 5,000 won!]


—Ma’am, your clothing and words are inconsistent, whoa.


“Words? Oh, clothing and words. Yeah, I see I misread this. From now on, no more outfits like this.”

[What?]


[Go on, you brat, your streamer’s outfit changed because of you!]


[A streamer in a hijab?]


[How about we go for an Islamic concept?]


[Ladies, we did wrong, so we won’t donate, let’s keep the outfits as they are.]


[Originally, wrongs till the second round should be forgiven, Sensei.]


[Nope, for us, the second round means only secondary characteristics.]

The recent donation provided me with a perfect excuse, as I was pondering decent justifications.

An unspoken declaration; the chat was more intense, showing no signs of cooling down.

Was it a blessing that there were no additional mission requests from the Golden Sun Frog?

If the amounts keep rising and the atmosphere erupts like a volcano, I almost considered reckless abandonment.

[Comrade Bearcha has donated 10,000 won!]


—Damn idiots, my sister’s sexy dance is something even two can enjoy, so I was being considerate.]

[You brat, do you think we’re that easy?]


[Hey! Keep the dog tags from clanging too loudly!]


[Seeing the dance waves of that white-skinned one, even Buddha looks handsome, real talk.]

[Unni and me have donated 10,000 won!]


—I heard your voice and came to see the stream. Your voice is so pretty! Are you training to be a voice actress?]

With a suitably positive donation, I let out a cheer inwardly.

Just the right timing to bury the previous topic.

“Ah, thank you for the compliment. I’m not aiming to be a voice actress. I’ve never practiced.”

[You’d definitely thrive as a voice actress.]


[If you learn Japanese and debut, you’ll be Lucifer.]


[Perk up!]

“Really? Is that so?”

I could sense a slight shift in the atmosphere of the chat.

With a relieving sense of regaining tempo, I went with the flow of the chat.

“Should I pick an RPG game later and try dubbing some lines for you?”

[Honestly, watched a stream of a gal practicing voiceover and it was pretty good.]


[If you dub a character with your voice, it’d likely trigger ear orgasms.]


[What medieval game will it be?]


[How about the Millennia Cycle series? The voice actors are top-notch and the story is solid.]

“I’ll plan out some medieval game content and let you know later. Today, I’m just doing Soul Warfare. Is that okay with everyone?”

Even though this was my first day as a streamer, I felt a sense of greed forming.

No matter how tasty the meat is, if you keep eating it, you’ll grow tired.

There must be a variety of dishes to make the main dish shine.

Taking advantage of the collective wisdom of the viewers seemed to outline a pretty decent picture, putting me in a cheerful mood.

If my voice is that nice, I’ll definitely need to think of content that gives off that vibe later.

This is something I should ask Dayoung after this.

* * *

[Unni and me have donated 10,000 won!]


—I heard your voice and came to see the stream. Your voice is so pretty! Are you training to be a voice actress?]

“Hah.”

Dayoung, who donated under a newly created ID, let out a sigh of relief as the chat took a different turn.

This doused the urgent flames. No, it was beyond that.

The murky, low desires seemed to wash away as the new topic rode the wind, bringing energy to Friede’s stream.

Dayoung, relieved by the improving atmosphere, leaned back in her chair and said in a cold voice.

“Hey. Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?”

“Uh-uh!”

At the suffocating breaths heard from behind, Dayoung didn’t even blink.

And rightly so, the first broadcast for a streamer is crucial, and Sehee was almost on the verge of crossing the Jordan this time.

This stream’s impact on future activities could imprint on viewers’ minds.

If I don’t solidify the direction now, I could easily be swept away by the audience.

“Ugh, just thinking about it is infuriating.”

If we assume Sehee had done the ‘sexy Zero Two dance’ this time, how would the chat atmosphere change from the next broadcast? Obvious, right?

The spectacular gameplay of Friede would become irrelevant.

It would purely become a repeat of donations focusing only on Sehee’s body, turning her into a camgirl streamer.

Sure, a broadcast’s theme can change based on future activities, but there’s no need to be branded negatively as a camgirl right from the start.

‘I didn’t even like that outfit.’

This is also Sehee’s fault. Seriously, bikini armor and dolphin pants?

There’s a limit to how far you can degrade the Hero’s Equipment.

If it wasn’t for the MS Room limited customization, I would’ve jumped in sooner and stopped such a character even in Soul Warfare.

“Uh-uh!”

Tightly bound and gagged, Bbaebba was struggling behind.

Let’s hear the nonsense they have to say this time.

“You got something to say?”

“Hey, Dayoung, gay! I didn’t think things through so… garrgh!”

—Bang!

“You’re still not getting it.”

Dayoung’s gaze, turning Bbaebba’s head into a ‘V’ shape, held no warmth whatsoever.

Unlike before, Dayoung couldn’t overlook this time, and Bbaebba was the same way.

“From this, if a twit like you lures in guys and makes them go up in views, you’ll just have to be ready to catch the wave! Strike while the iron is hot!”

Perfectly able to articulate such nonsense, Bbaebba looked like a Demon King with the glare in their eyes.

Narrow-minded, selfish, clueless to the surroundings…

Dayoung, previously managing to ignore such words, now realized how negligent she had been after a new interest like Sehee came into play.

Seeing this unfold made her aware of how much she had let go.

‘I can’t let this keep happening.’

By enabling their behavior, this is what it led to.

Ultimately, was this all my fault?

“Honestly, I’ll say it again. As I said before… yes, I had thoughts of riding the coattails of Sehee’s stream as well.

But she dreams of being a streamer, and she wanted to rise magnificently, not to become a cheap camgirl. Same goes for me.

We both envisioned a future where we could win-win, soaring together.

Moreover, she’s someone who saved me as a Hero. The one who saved you too.”

“Shut it! Is that really important right now!?”

Of course it is important.

“I don’t want someone like that to be made cheap while I float high. I’m not even happy to receive such help.

Did you think I’d be delighted?

If I had thought so, I wouldn’t have contracted you to save the world when I was summoned to this other world.”

“…!?”

Looking directly into the transformed eyes of a partner who had fought to save the world together… Dayoung knelt down.

“Bbaebba. You…”

Then, looking through slightly wet eyes, she saw Bbaebba’s bloodshot irises.

“Do you have as little pride as a Hero?”

“……”

In the other world, though a bit eccentric, they were pure and filled with passion more than anyone else.

How did they end up in this state? Was this also due to the curse of the Demon King?

‘Would that be better?’

If this is Bbaebba’s true form… it would be far too sad.

“It’s funny that this is the first time we’re having this conversation since returning to Earth.”

“Dayoung gay…”

“Don’t use that kind of tone anymore. If you say even one more word…”

Rising back to her chair, Dayoung turned away casually.

“You can take it as I’ve lost interest.”

The chair’s back, which separates them, felt thicker and greater than any barrier.

In her haste, venting out her feelings led her to mutter.

“Ha…”

She had only taken a sip of the coffee from the tumbler because her throat was too dry…

Dayoung let out an empty laugh unconsciously.

‘Ah…’

It was black coffee without a single sugar.

The bitter taste was unexpectedly sweet to the tongue.

‘So sweet.’

It was a profoundly melancholic flavor.

* * *