Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 168

Chapter 15: Soul Warfare

“Is this a light show or what?”

Light poured from Friede’s hands, and I felt it flooding my body too.

‘Not as flashy as I thought.’

Being the spellcaster, it wasn’t blinding enough to disrupt my gameplay or make me feel uneasy.

But wait—judging by the chat’s reactions, maybe I was the only one feeling this way.

Friede chuckled at the absurdity of the situation. Think about it; how ridiculous is it to have your skill be so bright you can’t see anything?

Supernova.

The top-tier skill of the Holy Order that boosts stats when health drops below a certain point, but it also comes with a downside.

It was a buff allowed within the confines of the game system, significantly underperforming compared to the hacks used by guardians.

But then again, that’s the standard for ‘regular’ people.

“Damn it!”

As Friede savored her enhanced senses, a shrill voice pierced through—No Ho-seong was telling her it was time to exit since he gave her a chance to transform.

I couldn’t help but snicker at the stark contrast between the weight of that first skill and the frantic sight of a desperate man calling for quick results.

In her robotic stance, she adopted the Draw Slash posture and took a step, feeling different from usual.

‘This ends now!’

No need to worry about parrying. This attack would take him down.

With a single strike, Friede’s entire body unleashed a flurry of strikes from every angle.

Like pulling a fish tangled in a net, I was confident this time I would send the woman soaring back down to the ground, buried in mud.

But in that brief moment when Su-ho’s eyes met Friede’s gaze, a chill ran down my spine as I read her eerily calm and composed demeanor.

“You’re slow.”

Her nonchalant words were faster than the multiple strikes of the Draw Slash. That was the moment her arm wielding the Holy Sword and her foot pressed firmly against the ground surged into action.

The blade cutting through the air sliced through Friede’s body, and the last remnants of doubt that gnawed at Su-ho’s heart vanished.

What does she mean you’re slow?! You were the one who was slow!

“Where are you looking? That’s just my afterimage…”

What?!

When that cold voice drifted from behind me…

Only then did I realize the Friede right in front of me had vanished like an illusion.

A drop of cold sweat trickled down my neck.

[What’s going on? Why isn’t our leader down yet?]

[Weird. Wasn’t that afterimage just a flashy effect? It seems completely different when Friede uses it.]

[Isn’t that basically a body-double at this point?]

[Those Trom Games bastards. With hacks rampant, even the skills feel buggy. Not Trom Games, but Trim Games, right?]

Even the chat room couldn’t accept the reality unfolding before their eyes, screaming in disbelief at what they were witnessing.

That last attack was an overwhelming strike you couldn’t dodge with your eyes wide open.

Unless you accounted for the hack program, it appeared as dazzling as the fanciest highlight reel.

No matter how strong Friede was, there was no avoiding that. Anyone human couldn’t escape it. That was a shared thought among all witnesses.

Yet, Friede shattered everyone’s expectations.

Supernova—Light Afterimage.

An additional effect granted to the caster’s body upon activation. The skill name and description sounded grandiose, but ultimately it was just a simple afterimage.

But combined with the speed granted by Supernova, it was enough to bewilder Su-ho’s mind.

“I’m sure I hit her….”

In Su-ho’s lament, a breakdown of common sense that surpassed hacks was evident.

“Now, shall we begin the second round?”

Seeing Friede casually announcing a rematch from the back made me feel an overwhelming urge to flee.

That day in the arena when I faced humiliation replayed in my gut… Su-ho instinctively felt it.

* * *

“It’s pretty impressive what games can do these days. So entertaining to watch.”

At first, Ji-hwa was perplexed by A-jin’s overhyped comment about the Demon King appearing.

Thanks to that, we ended up watching Se-hee’s live streaming together, and boy, was it an absolute blast—Demon King or not, this was a super fun match.

“You’ll probably choke. Here, drink some aid.”

“Oh wow, thank you, thank you.”

While cramming a handful of caramel popcorn into her mouth, Ji-hwa’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Se-hee is a total superstar. Anyone would find this fun, right?”

“You’re pretty carefree about it, huh Ji-hwa? But you get what I mean.”

Da-young sensed a hint of power from this world that couldn’t be found back on Earth; she was on guard.

Ji-hwa, however, responded with a disinterested shrug at Da-young’s serious expression.

“Come on, it’s just a game. What, is murder gonna happen? It looks completely ridiculous.”

Just a few silly antics in a game, how utterly laughable.

Looking at such a pathetic sight, I thought whoever was creating these ridiculous characters must be a fool.

‘If they showed up in reality, Se-hee would probably slap them and send them packing to Mars.’

Yeah, they did put some effort into disguising it as a hack program.

That so-called hack… masked as magic within the game displayed functions of simultaneous attacks with multiple overlaps, a multi-angle approach.

If within the effective attack range, a single strike could land at different angles and positions simultaneously.

The multi-parrying typically executed against a group of attackers often stemmed from such principles.

Moreover, timed follow-up attacks are added after the initial strike. Thinking you’ve dodged it only to be caught by surprise by hidden attacks in space.

With speed hacks boosting stats and tremendous durability, those caught in this space-scale barrage would be swept away.

“But if that thing is a hack, how did Se-hee get so fast? She said she wasn’t using Hero’s Power in virtual reality, right?”

“Well, I thought it was just a basic stat boost skill, but there seems to be something more to it. For instance….”

“For instance what?”

At Ji-hwa’s questioning, A-jin leaned forward, her eyes sparkling.

“It seems to include a reality sensation within that stat boost. That’s the only explanation.”

There’s no way her sister would use hacks.

Yuri, who had been quietly observing, tilted her head at A-jin’s explanation.

“So are you saying from Se-hee’s perspective, her buffs feel different from what an ordinary user experiences in the virtual reality?”

“Exactly. Good catch, Yuri. The time correction a regular person experiences in virtual reality is negligible, but for someone like Se-hee with the body of an awakened Hero, it’s phenomenal. Let’s face it, she’s spoken of at levels where even professional gamers would get wrecked. Just imagine how her senses would expand in a virtual reality!”

“Hm, I think I’m starting to grasp the mechanics here.”

Is it an effect that increases exponentially rather than adding on top?

While Ji-hwa choked and sucked down aid through a straw, a new question arose in her mind.

Even so, if Se-hee’s Hero body reacted to that degree, isn’t there a problem in the way it’s applied?

“Still strange. Why not just boost the stats normally without touching on perceptions?”

“Maybe it’s a bug?”

A battle between a buggy skill and cheat hacks…

As Ji-hwa tossed a piece of popcorn into the air and caught it in her mouth, her gaze remained glued to the screen.

The absurd attack style of that ‘thing’ and Friede’s ultra-speed response to it.

“Looks like all the trash is battling it out.”

They’ve pushed the game to its limits.

Ji-hwa’s sharp commentary made Da-young frown, though she couldn’t find a rebuttal.

* * *

“Ugh!”

A scream disguised as a battle cry erupted.

Top-tier stats enhanced by hack programs.

Limitless stamina and resilience against any crowd control.

Add to that an indefinite range of attack.

An unbeatable combination. Even the smug Challenger elite users couldn’t last five seconds.

With pride deep-rooted in their minds, I was confident this time even the pretentious Friede would crumble.

But as they say, dreams are fleeting.

After activating that garbage pick skill, the numerous buffs from the hack programs couldn’t keep up with Friede’s movements anymore.

It was truly a flash.

Having already allowed several effective hits, the irregular endurance forged by hacks was also failing to hold up.

—Clang!

As our blades collided, we both bounced away in opposite directions, gritting my teeth.

The deflected stance seemed to defy inertia, scraping the ground as it rocketed upwards. The sound of friction igniting fierce sparks filled the air,

I activated every function of the program aimed solely at the image of Friede in front of me.

No longer considering any safety, my blood-red eyes zeroed in on defeating the enemy before me.

In that split moment when my blade attempted to slice through the target, Friede’s body effortlessly spun like a dancer.

Even with a fierce blow fueled by all my strength, it felt like her movements were free of any obstruction, as a breeze passed through.

With a golden cloak flowing, her shimmering silver armor stood out in a spotlight today.

And as she completed the spin, seeing Friede’s right arm, my heart dropped.

The Holy Sword that should have been clutched in her hand was absent, almost like it affirmed she was the sword itself—a sharp-edged form extending like a sword with a straightened arm.

The sword crafted from her hand shimmered with golden illusions as it appeared…

—Shwa!

The sound of her blade incisively slicing through flesh echoed chillingly… the moment it grazed his neck, the Su-ho desperately holding on crumbled without resistance.

Transcending the stat adjustments of Soul Warfare, pure Hero’s Power materialized into the realm.

“In truth, the Holy Sword is this side.”

The Holy Sword severed the Demon King’s curse…

With a horrifying scream reminiscent of metal being scraped, the gruesome crimson gushed from his body.