Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 12

Human relationships are truly mysterious.

Hearts intertwine, and given enough time, they tend to develop into close bonds.

On the contrary, even after spending a long time together, one can feel distant, and it’s also possible to have chemistry with someone just days after meeting.

The relationship between Hero Forming and Dayoung can be seen as similar to this kind of drifting relationship.

Thinking about that, Light Hero Friede softly gazed at this shy little guest, Sehee.

Since I was invited to Dayoung’s MS Room last time, it felt like I should be the one to invite this time… but it seems the shock was pretty strong.

It’s barely been two days since we met, so it’s too early for casual chit-chat.

Unless it was a surprise collaboration like last time, of course.

If we’ve made a promise, shouldn’t we figure out how to plan it together?

Of course, this is all under the assumption that the conditions align.

“Wow! This is the Moses 7+ limited edition MS Room, right? I’ve never seen it before.”

I recognized it from the character creation, but wow….

Dayoung’s cheeks, nodding in self-satisfaction, looked really plump and chewy.

Sehee, trying to suppress the urge to tug at them, recalled the previous day’s collaboration.

Hero Forming’s MS Room felt, how should I put it… like a slightly larger one-room apartment?

“Ah! Look at me! Thank you so much for preparing the place for me, Friede.”

“It’s nothing. By the way, what will you do for the collaboration?”

“Ah, I’m thinking of focusing on Soul Warfare like last time. Since both you and I are masters, we should aim for something above Grimall together.”

For now, this much is fine.

Initially, I was thinking of suggesting various things.

But considering it’s been less than two days since we met, it might be a heavy topic to bring up now.

Maybe if we deepen our relationship later, I could suggest different content.

With Dayoung’s rough plan in mind, Sehee took a breath and continued questioning.

“If I were to do a collaboration with Hero Forming, what’s in it for me? I’m just an ordinary viewer, not a streamer.”

Ah, here we go. Well, it would be strange if it didn’t come up.

If it hadn’t been mentioned, I would’ve brought it up first instead.

With topics like this, it’s better to tie them up neatly from the start; otherwise, it could get exhausting later.

The deal I’m about to propose is of the kind anyone could think of.

In fact, if someone were bourgeois enough to build an MS Room like this, it wouldn’t even be a blip on their radar.

That leaves only one answer.

‘I have to play the sympathy card.’

Cringe, but what can I do?

Now that I’ve dropped to the status of a low-tier streamer, I’ll have to manage it this way.

Trying to steady her fluttering heart, Dayoung opened her mouth.

“Ah, of course, I’ll give you a portion of the earnings. I’m just a low-tier, but my excitement skyrocketed while collaborating with you, Friede. If you keep participating, I’m sure I can achieve even better results. That means there will be a bigger share for you as well.”

Trying to sound calm, but you can already see everything in her gaze.

“Even though I can’t give as much as big-name streamers, I hope you can think positively about it.”

Her eyes glistening with a sheen reminiscent of a frog calling out ‘Kongji~ your luck is too thin,’ it shows that if every result is overshadowed by constant misfortune, it’ll be hard for anyone to handle.

‘If you had a talent that could originally lead to success, the sense of loss would hit harder.’

If she realizes it or not, there are probably traces of a curse somewhere that drives her toward bad luck and misfortune.

Just like how these things usually go, lurking around Hero Forming, draining her luck like a parasite.

‘To uncover the cause of the curse, I need to get closer to Forming.’

And one more thing…

This isn’t about a sense of duty as a hero, but rather Sehee’s extremely personal business.

“Actually….”

Seeing Sehee slightly drop her voice, Forming’s eyes widened.

Thinking she faced a significant turning point to escape from low-tier status, Forming’s heart raced more rapidly.

Would her next words be an acceptance or a rejection?

“Actually, before meeting you, I watched your YouTube channel, Forming. I mean, it sparked my curiosity about you and how I got in touch with you, that kind of feeling.”

“Ah, I see. I wonder if it was entertaining.”

“Yeah, I didn’t watch everything, but I picked a few. Whether it’s your current broadcasts….”

Pausing for a moment, Sehee met Forming’s gaze and declared.

“Or broadcasts you did three years ago….”

“….”

“I don’t know what happened during those two years of silence, but I decided after watching Forming’s broadcasts.”

Relaxing her expression, Sehee gently smiled and continued.

“Let’s do it together. Collaboration.”

“Excuse me?”

“Let’s do collaboration together. But, I’d like to slightly change the conditions. I have two requests… is that alright?”

Unable to contain her trembling excitement, Forming jumped up and shouted.

“Please, say anything! I promise to accommodate as much as I can!”

With her bull-like excited state, Sehee waved her hands to calm her down.

Anyone seeing it would think she was about to make some grand request.

“It’s nothing serious. The first is just… I’d like you to teach me about being a streamer.”

“What?!”

“I’m interested in being a streamer too. No matter how much information there is, you need someone right beside you to give you direct feedback. I thought you’d fit perfectly for that.”

Sehee proposed a deal in return.

The revised conditions were clearly beneficial for her too, so there was no hesitation in her voice.

“Being a streamer isn’t just about broadcasting, right? There are so many things to manage, like broadcast planning, editing, and channel management, which you know all too well, Forming.”

“That… I can certainly help with.”

“Great! And the second….”

With a serious expression, pointing her finger at Forming, Sehee said,

“I’ll ask for that later. But please promise that you will listen…”

“Excuse me?”

With a richer smile, she said,

“I won’t make any strange requests, so don’t worry.”

As her white and slender finger touched her pink lips, a wave of panic hit Dayoung, as if she were pierced through the nose.

Is this… alright?

* * *

[General] Hey, what’s this broadcast?

Hero Forming? It’s low-tier but the broadcast is engaging.

I saw her dueling with that crazy Beach Hero.

She even took down Marang with a Broken Greatsword, haha.

ㄴLight Hero is somewhat famous in the Marang zone, yeah, even with that broken weapon.

ㄴWas Marang just a target for that weapon?

ㄴIf you watch the clips, her reaction speed is absolutely insane.

ㄴLong time no see, Forming, I didn’t realize you were back.

ㄴAre you a regular?

ㄴYeah, yeah, I had tons of viewers before but I wonder how you fell from grace like that? Seriously, a two-year hiatus without notice was a fatal blow.

ㄴYou had a lot of viewers, why did you take a break?

ㄴWho knows?

ㄴAh, haha, but a two-year absence without notice was crossing the line.

ㄴI wanted to catch that broadcast before but couldn’t bring myself to do it. Is it popular now?

ㄴHey, you too?

ㄴI’m swamped with collab requests coming in like a tidal wave.

ㄴWhat’s there to lose? Duh.

ㄴThat Beach Hero girl’s voice is heavenly.

ㄴAnd Forming is cute too.

ㄴHaving the great hero big sister and the adorable little hero sister on screen is a treasure!

ㄴWhat the heck, haha.

ㄴThis crazy guy, haha.

ㄴWe decided to call this freak a lunatic.

[General] Warning! Beach Hero’s insane perspective!

At first, I thought she was just trying to grab attention with that Broken Greatsword, but it wasn’t that.

The screen switched to Beach Hero’s first-person view after Forming died, check it out.

It’s exactly like power-holding while riding a bike, right?

ㄴDamn, this screen is totally dizzying. Is this what they call a Newtype?

ㄴNewtype? What are you, a boomer? Haha.

ㄴFor real, at this level you could pilot something, multitasking like crazy.

ㄴForget piloting, a delivery guy would probably hit it big.

ㄴWhat was that one-minute-twenty-second scene? How did she dodge and counterattack without even having eyes in the back of her head?

ㄴIf I knew that, my tier wouldn’t be here.

ㄴSo you’re saying she’s a Newtype, huh?

ㄴThe white devil of Soul Warfare, scary.

ㄴI searched her record, and she’s only wearing a chestplate and a helmet; the rest is all leather, haha. But her character creation is full platinum hero skin, wtf.

ㄴLooks like she’s playing it super safe while dodging critical hits, relying on agility.

ㄴI thought Soul Warfare was impossible with plays like that.

ㄴIt might work with something like Warden or Schneider?

ㄴWhat’s up with that skin? Where’d she get it?

[General] Light Hero’s record is insane!

Over 90% win rate with 18 wins out of the last 20 matches.

Not just a low-tier player; she’s top-tier.

ㄴLooks like it’s a concept, but if you hand her a different OP weapon, she’d be hopeless.

ㄴI want to see that.

ㄴShe’s playing a whole different game level.

*

*

*

The reactions aren’t bad.

As long as the topic isn’t ridiculous, having interest in streamers is always a plus.

In a broadcast featuring the overwhelming interest of Hero Forming, phenomena like this are as rare as rain in a drought.

Upon reflection… it seems scanning the Hero’s Equipment was quite a favorable choice.

It appears the virtual reality device interpreted the Hero’s Equipment merely as clothing.

I thought that as a hero, one should present oneself as a hero regardless of the reality or online boundary.

‘It ended up working quite well.’

Hero Forming’s broadcast remained placid as a serene pond.

A puddle that never received a new source would forever stagnate.

Though desperately blocking the despair from loyal viewers, it ultimately remained a typical low-tier broadcaster destined to decay.

However, a stone thrown by viewer ‘Light Hero Friede’ sent ripples through that pond.

“Haah—.”

A subtle flutter echoed in my chest.

After collaborating with Hero Forming, I too would likely walk the path of a streamer soon.

Having kept my heart set since before reaching Master, it seems that everyone faces the initial nervousness.

Even though I haven’t even started yet, much less prepared for the broadcast, I already feel this way.

Ding!

The alarm brought me back from my thoughts. Hero Forming’s broadcast had started.

*

*

*

“Poha~. Good evening.”

[Poha~]

[You’re looking particularly healthy today, teacher.]

[Teehee, Mom, I almost died outside!]

[Is this really the low-tier Forming? My heart is swelling.]

[Did the low-tier saleswoman vanish?]

[Whoa, the chat room is packed with people!]

[Looks like Forming is on the rise!]

[Is today an important announcement?]

Just in time for the broadcast, Dayoung blinked in surprise at the bustling chat room.

The current viewer count is 1,780. Just three days ago, it was hard to even break 500.

Is this the power of a hero?

“Ah, the weather was truly nice today, right? On such a day, I should be outside playing rather than broadcasting.”

[Leaving the broadcast? With who? Leaving the broadcast? With who? Leaving the broadcast? With who? Leaving the broadcast? With who? Leaving the broadcast? With who?]

[Forming, you’re not ditching us, right? I’m a little sad…]

[Take on a new member!]

[Not a Dullahan, but still cute!]

[Don’t forget the loyalty of your low-tier days!]

[Is this event related? Is there an announcement?]

“However, Hero Forming cannot abandon our dear viewers and go to paradise alone. That’s why I’m starting the broadcast like this. And a huge incident!”

Pausing for effect to capture everyone’s attention, Dayoung’s lips curled into an enigmatic smile.

Clearly not silence due to ignorance but rather a built-up anticipation that would shake the viewers’ hearts.

Naturally, the chat room reactions began boiling like a pot simmering with steam.

[Thump thump thump thump thump]

[Hey, newbies, sit tight and watch.]

[Something big is coming… pwoosh.]

[That guy above is a sicko, haha.]

[Is it related to the announcement? Is it an event? Something’s coming?]

[Ah, just tell us, host!]

[Never saw Forming like this before, now I see she’s quite the tease, huh?]

Hoping for the best surprise, Dayoung thought now was the right time as she covertly sent an invite to her MS Room.

Upon confirming the acceptance request from the other party, a bright figure soon appeared in the MS Room along with a radiant light.

Those who watched the previous broadcasts would recognize, the ultimate in character creation adorned in white armor and a golden cape.

Dayoung spread her arms wide to welcome her low-tier savior.

“Ta-da! I’ve invited Light Hero, Friede! Everyone, give her a warm welcome~!”

“Hello. I’m Light Hero, Friede.”

Responding to the greeting, her voice echoed out as Hero Forming’s chat room seemed to freeze in overload.

Hmm, how should I describe it? A response cold as ice yet burned with intensity.