Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 164

I had no motivation or will to match the game anymore.

Feeling a sense of self-deprecation for the sight of myself, Eunha let out a bitter laugh.

The slight smirk at the corners of her mouth reflected her misery at being reduced to this, combined with a subtle grudge against the dogs responsible for this crummy situation.

“Ha! What is this? I can’t practice!”

Right now, her rank was the worst.

An outrageous hacking program, its origins unknown, came crashing in like a meteor, completely taking over ranked games.

Trom Games, the developers of the virtual reality game Soul Warfare, had been mercilessly swift and decisive in their actions against hack programs since its release.

They’d been so ruthless in hunting them down that they’d earned a kind of reverent nickname for their operations—Dog-Slaughtering Management.

Yet this game company’s response to the current incident was oddly sluggish.

While there were plenty of announcements regarding users who got permanently banned due to hacking issues, there were no fundamental solutions like emergency patches to prevent the current infiltration of hack programs.

Thanks to that, Eunha… and most users enjoying Soul Warfare hardly encountered hacking programs, and now faced with rampant hacks, she was on the brink of a panic attack from complaints and anxiety about the unknown.

The realism of virtual reality amplified the sense of dissonance she felt.

Yeah, it was like meeting an alien or something from this world.

“They couldn’t respond at all.”

An hour ago, Eunha reflected on the hack user she faced in ranked games, looking down at her hands in disbelief.

The hands that just moments ago held the sword of Lantertht, now seemed quite lackluster, moving with no purpose.

Their first encounter was in the Maze.

The new season’s map was great, but she also wanted to enjoy old maps sometimes, so she queued for a match, and there was a nickname she had never seen on the opposing team.

At first, it was just like any other peaceful flow of a ranked game. That unfamiliar user seemed to show appropriate skills for their rank.

Eunha faced that hack user in the maze’s bypass.

By coincidence, it turned into a one-on-one, separated from their teams.

To finish quickly, she went for a swift offensive from the start. Being a pro, her hands, adept with any weapon, dazzled with the sword of Lantertht that had become her second weapon after meeting Friede.

With her signature stance, she executed slashes, and the opponent hurriedly defended.

As the opponent, deceived by her psychological game, tried to parry, she was about to launch a strong thrust with a perfect timing.

“Uh?”

They… vanished.

That would be the right expression.

The movements surpassed mere quick reflexes, to the point where she mistook it for a lag phenomenon she had rarely seen in virtual reality.

But Eunha soon realized it wasn’t just a mere phenomenon.

It was like…

‘Just like my sister.’

No, it couldn’t be.

Eunha shook her head vigorously.

Ignoring gravity, they dashed along walls, ceilings, and floors. It was certain she should have hit them, yet they were already counterattacking from another dodge.

Later, evading shots from allied archers and wizards who were providing support from afar as well.

One could roughly think there was no difference between Friede and the hack user.

Both showcased overwhelming aspects, yet…

“Different.”

Eunha bit down with conviction.

If Friede’s physicality seemed like a peak human performance, her control embodying a hymn to humanity, then the hack user’s actions felt grotesque, ignoring the laws of the game like a cheat program.

Well, that left her in this state.

Sitting in the lobby with despair, she became akin to an old man in a back room, watching the outrageous show of those enraged by the hack user’s tyranny.

At that moment, a notification button lit up in the corner of her screen.

“What’s this?”

Who just logged in? Yoonsoo? Or maybe other team members?

‘Why now?’

Feeling a presence behind her, Eunha forced herself to turn her head despite her exhaustion.

Before her stood…

“Oh, you’re here, sis?”

Trying not to show it, she was met with her sister Friede, whose tired eyes and voice seemed to plead for understanding.

She thought it was an uncharacteristically weak display until their eyes met, and that thought washed away.

Her sister’s beautiful, big sapphire eyes opened wide, making her seem adorably cute, which wasn’t like her.

This wasn’t the time to get lost in gloomy emotions.

“Is there some kind of festival?”

Her sister’s curious gaze, looking around, showed small hints of confusion combined with a larger curiosity. It seemed this scene was quite unusual even for her.

Indeed, given the bizarre characters dancing in the lobby, engaging in fun activities, or even lighting campfires to perform circus shows while denouncing the hack users, it made sense that it was strange.

Eunha slightly shook her head at her sister.

“No.”

At first glance, it may seem filled with cheerful and ridiculous antics, but this was a space for players of Soul Warfare to express their grievances.

Observing that rare sight from the side, Eunha spoke with a sorrowful smile.

“It’s not a festival; it’s a funeral.”

—

“Hack?”

“Yeah, everyone’s in a panic because of it.”

Listening to Eunha’s story… it seemed something utterly beyond common sense had emerged.

Just what kind of hopeless thing was it that even Eunha, a top-tier ranked pro gamer, was reacting this way?

“I got a message earlier saying that Chan-hyuk also got hit. Right now, there’s a warning for the worst kind of ranked disaster.”

“So what are you going to do, Eunha?”

“I’m going to set up a channel with other team members later. The manager is currently coordinating with other teams.”

“Heh, you’re trying to find a way out, huh?”

“Exactly. With this app, we can randomly match participants for parties. I’ll use this to play games with those who join the channel.”

“Sounds like a pseudo Challenger vibe. After all, everyone in the channel is known to each other.”

“Right.”

Eunha’s firm nodding made me sink into thought as well.

Hacks… hackers.

If I rank up now, it means a hack user could appear in front of me.

According to Eunha, they were already overwhelming and spread across tiers.

The game company would eventually deal with the hackers, but until then, should I just give up on ranked? Or maybe try something else?

While lost in these thoughts, I felt a warm grip on my hand. Awakening from my reverie, I saw Eunha looking at me with a slightly hopeful gaze.

“Sis, do you want to join us?”

Me?

“Your skills are top-notch. Don’t worry about the numbers. We’ll gather all the second-string members, so we won’t be short on players. Let the operators deal with the hackers, and let’s play among ourselves, okay?”

Eunha’s suggestion was reasonable. If I played Soul Warfare, a lobby with users from the celestial realm would surely be safer than ranked games.

There’d be no chance of being struck down by a hack user, either.

Yet… why was it?

I found myself hesitating to grab Eunha’s outstretched hand.

“Sis?”

At Eunha’s voice, I realized why I hadn’t accepted her offer right away.

‘I am Friede.’

Before being a former hero, I was currently a streamer.

It was all about the broadcast potential…

—

[Hey, you bastards! Friede’s nude photos just dropped!]

Posted by: PpaePpaeJwa (fake)

Sorry, I drew attention just to show this.

(An image of Friede starting a stream with the title, ‘Friede Sets Out to Hunt Hacks’)

Is it real that Friede is fighting a hack user?

For real, it’s a battle of the strongest in the universe.

Did that nerdy loser actually suspect Friede of being a hack user?

Now Friede is actively hunting down hackers; my heart is swelling like her I-cup.

Friede truly is a legend.

ㅇㅇ: Wasn’t it exciting, Tenryeon?

LAmpadu: Why is Friede streaming?

Dad’sGroanBingBong: Is she really going to confront a hack user? I’m so looking forward to it, lol!

yaSergei: I’d rather see her in another fight.

ㄴㅇㅇ: What other fight are you talking about?

ㄴTheDominator: What else, you idiot.

ㄴSisterEatingMidir: You all are the real crazy ones, lol.

ㄴRedLotus: Don’t mess with my sister.

—

[This lunatic… really is a lunatic.]

Posted by: KimKkaettulakku

I have no idea what this lunatic is doing right now.

I never thought the prior bait would actually materialize.

I’m currently on my way to rush into the Sweet channel after skipping work.

이쑤신장군: Your supervisor must be bawling like a baby, lol.

ㄴKimKkaettulakku: It’s okay, my supervisor will be joining too, lol.

ㄴㅇㅇ: Amazing company you got here.

ㄴSweetGuy: That supervisor is me.

ㄴSunshineSword: Don’t dock that dock, dammit.

—

[Friede, hurry up and open it!]

Posted by: EyeSquintMeAhn

Why haven’t you opened it after all this hype leading to it?

Open up, now!

ㅇㅇ: What? I hurried over after seeing PpaePpaeJwa’s post, and it hasn’t even opened yet.

이쑤신장군: They said it’ll open in ten minutes. Seems like they’re preparing for the stream.

yaSergei: Something big is about to happen, whoa!