Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 180

“Is he okay? He’s been like that since yesterday. What happened?”

“Shouldn’t we go tell him?”

“I think he’s planning to go see the coach for a mental health consultation soon.”

The concerned gazes of my teammates surrounded me. Ah, has my heart been this obvious?

Trying to calm my mixed feelings of embarrassment, shame, and guilt, Eunha quickly rushed into the room after finishing her meal.

What am I doing right now?

Just because my sister decided to take a break from a specific game, is it really okay for me to feel this devastated?

Becoming a professional gamer… I’ve worked harder than anyone else with the determination and resolve to be the best.

Seeing how easily I crumbled at her words revealed the pathetic reality of my bare self, and I slumped down onto the bed.

“Haha, hahaha….”

Pathetic.

I never imagined my self-worth would fall apart like this… not even in my dreams.

Was my sister’s presence that significant to me? Or was it the game’s significance?

Maybe it was both.

The elements of Soul Warfare and Friede have become so invaluable that nothing else could replace them in my current life.

And one of them… is disappearing. It’s on the verge of disappearing.

If I hadn’t realized this from the start, it wouldn’t matter… but now that everything is interconnected, I can’t afford to give up either.

I often heard stories about professional gamers deteriorating due to boyfriend or girlfriend issues.

Before I knew Friede, I would just scoff whenever I heard stories like that.

How rotten must their mental state be to fall into such a miserable state?

But now that I’m in that mindset myself, I find it absurd, while a relentless anxiety gnaws at my soul.

And then….

“…Huh!”

Inside the room, as she sat on the edge of the bed, her vision went completely dark.

Beyond the fluorescent light going out, it felt as if all the light, sound, and existence in the world had been erased, sending chills down her spine.

Even when she tried to say something, or move her body, the crushing weight felt like being pinned down by sleep paralysis.

When only the emptiness of darkness settled in,

“Ugh!”

From the shadows, a grotesque being shaped by emaciated human forms molded like Legos was slowly approaching.

Where her torso should have been, a mass of human heads was assembled, and she could feel countless eyes gazing at Eunha.

And as that monster lifted its head….

—Creeeak!

A deafening scream that felt like it could tear through her eardrums erupted from the heads attached to the monster’s body.

It was like a symphony, entwined with the cries of blood and fear, and she caught sight of the monster’s face.

“…!”

A scream that couldn’t escape her lips resonated through her heart stained with terror.

The face of the monster she saw was, in fact, her own.

“Gah!”

With a gasp, as Eunha opened her eyes, she was met with the familiar sight of her usual room.

Ah, I’ve been having dreams like that frequently lately.

‘Have I really lost my mind?’

Pressing her forehead, the impulse and turmoil of whether to retire overwhelmed her thoughts.

And then….

—Creeeak!

The ringing in her ears from the dream continued even now, with her mind finally clear, so Eunha covered her ears.

“Shut up.”

It felt like the screams of a devil berating her, so Eunha hid under the blankets and buried her head beneath the pillow.

The ringing echoed in her ears, relentless like mosquitoes buzzing in midsummer.

“I can’t let this continue.”

Searching through her memory for schedules, she found a free time slot.

In three days, it seemed she should directly visit… to meet with her sister.

Eunha made up her mind.

* * *

Friede’s announcement of a break from Soul Warfare was more than enough to cap off her preceding storyline as a hacker and the war.

Just a single season. And considering the timing of her first appearance, she debuted late into the mid-season.

With a resounding victory against professional gamers at the end of Season 1.

She shattered the hackers who had toyed with professional gamers and showcased her skill in the war.

At this point, everyone had no choice but to acknowledge it: Friede was indeed the best player in Soul Warfare.

Given how extraordinary her trajectory had been, trying to label her with hacks or frames was futile; it was safe to say she achieved everything a normal user could hope for, rising to the pinnacle of respect.

So many were intrigued about her next steps.

If you asked where the highest honor could be found for gamers, everyone would agree.

Professional Gamer.

Even if she expressed reluctance to support the hectic schedule of a professional gamer, or she had amassed enough wealth to never need to be one,

there was a group of people on the internet eagerly waiting for Friede to debut as a professional gamer, obsessively posting about it.

Initially, there weren’t many of them, but the hacker and war stirred things up.

Posts with consistent content flooded every community.

Even excessive endorsements created an atmosphere where no one rejected the bizarre desire and madness.

It was excessive to the point that posts could be seen just hours after they went up.

In such a moment, Friede’s declaration sent everyone into a panic.

“Wow! They’re all saying the same thing.”

A slightly startled gasp escaped from Dayoung’s lips.

The hot topic posts on the Soul Warfare Outven site had long been swamped with similar themes.

Even the urgent news section of the site displayed massive thumbnails as if all game journalists were venting their frustrations about the situation.

“Not to mention the discussion board…”

Dayoung didn’t even have the courage to access the panel boards or Friede galleries, which could be described as one of her main bases.

If this was the state of the official game community, it’s no wonder.

[Friede isn’t going pro because of you bastards! You idiots!] [253]

[What have the teams been doing until now? They should have thrown money at Friede to recruit her, damn it!] [489]

[STK’s lost their chance! They’ve set up a pipeline with Lotus and Friede, how can they let her go?] [355]

[Seriously, STK is the worst! They had a chance with Lotus and Friede but made her quit Soul Warfare!] [124]

[This is more about Trom than anything else, you fools! They brought in an OP wizard during pre-season and bored Friede to the point of being uninterested.] [536]

[STK should have recruited Friede when they had the chance VS Trom’s ridiculous patchwork that drove Friede away.] [999]

“Things have gone haywire.”

Finishing the raid in War of the Hunt with my sister and preparing for the move, Dayoung’s evaluation of the atmosphere during her free time was sharp.

Originally, the flood of hot topic posts stemmed from the online warriors, unable to manage their raging feelings after hearing about Sehee unnie’s break from Soul Warfare.

STK, where Eunha was, wasn’t the problem, nor was Trom.

In the end, it’s about the player losing interest and quitting the game.

They knew very well that it wasn’t something to blame others for, but it felt like throwing down a smoldering cigarette butt in a field, igniting a flame on the site.

Well, at this point, unless her sister goes live to clarify her intention to return to Soul Warfare, it won’t die down anytime soon.

The problem is….

“My sister wouldn’t give a damn about any of this.”

Sehee unnie was, without a doubt, the most confident person in the world.

Her wealth was one thing, but even if the situation swung to its absolute worst, she could always flip the game with Hero’s Power.

The “game” here refers not to the current situation but to turning over the very foundation itself.

Would a dragon care about the ants whining below?

Worrying about Sehee unnie feels like one of the most pointless concerns in this world.

Right now, I should focus on my own matters instead.

“Okay!”

Stretching with all her might and reveling in the rush of blood throughout her body, Dayoung surveyed her room.

Her room still had furniture, desks, and a bed in place. As a child, Dayoung had gained her own space in this room.

Her dad had taught her that fostering independence starts with one’s own space, and the joy of finally having what felt like a secret hideout was something she cherished, often losing sleep over it.

Even though she had had some solitude after her dad passed away and she and her mom were together… still, this was a place filled with childhood memories of family.

“I’m moving…”

Finally leaving the house she was born in and lived in until now.

Her mom smacked her back, but did she really feel nothing? Just then, she sensed a presence at the door, and her mom appeared.

“Dayoung, what are you going to do with this?”

Ah, the game console that Bbae Bbae had bought. I wonder how Bbae Bbae is doing at Yuri’s house.

It’s been a few days since I’ve heard anything about Bbae Bbae. I felt a strange emotion wondering if giving away a pet was part of this. My pride was slightly wounded.

“I’ll pack it separately. But mom….”

“Hmm?”

“This house, dad started from nothing in his 20s and bought after ten years, right?”

“That’s right. Why?”

“Are you really okay with this? Leaving this house.”

At her question, her mom laughed softly.

“Are you really asking that? Just because we leave, the house won’t disappear forever. I’ll come back to clean and organize sometimes. If it ever becomes a problem, just let me know. Besides, living in a place like that has always been my dream.”

“Really? I’ve never heard this before.”

“Your dad promised me.”

Dad….

At that moment, a forgotten memory flashed in Dayoung’s mind.

—Dad said he’d make it so we can live in a better house someday.

Starting from nothing and becoming a proper owner of a house in Seoul within ten years.

When they had first arrived at this house, he had lifted her up, beaming with pride that they had a bigger home.

“Ah….”

To think I would remember this now.

If only I could fully forget it, my heart would be at ease.

“I feel good that the dream your dad couldn’t achieve is now being realized by our daughter. I’m sure he’d be happy, so don’t worry.”

“Okay.”

With her mom’s encouragement, it felt as if all the struggles and sorrows she faced as a hero were being compensated… as she glanced out the window at the bright sky, it seemed it would rain soon.

In three days, thanks to her sister’s kindness, it was the day she was finally moving, and she was looking forward to it.

* * *