Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 17

Fight? Count me in~

Everyone gather~

Everyone gather~

Where’s that disgusting black dwarf smell coming from?

Looks like someone got forced into a bribe, lol.

I thought you were ghosting, but you made a flashy comeback.

A duel over the hacking controversy and channel deletion? Can’t let that slide.

It’s time!

SUHO, can you hear me!

According to our laws, face me, or die like a coward!

Isn’t this the part where we stop this?

What level is this? It’s a total kill or be killed situation, for real it’s like Laksir.

For real, lol’;

If you want to suck on Friede’s lips, upvote it!

You didn’t put on lip gloss, did you?

Those are truly pure sister’s lips, right?

What do those lips taste like?

Cherry? Plum? Or… the taste of a male organ?

The biggest issue with democracy is that my vote and that idiot’s are the same.

Dude, mom believes in you…

For real, lol;

But seeing those lips makes you want to suck ’em suck ’em.

From today, I revoke my hostility towards Friede.

From now on, we’re out of the hostile relationship.

Any attack on Friede is an attack on me.

Even if Friede sues, I’ll acknowledge it.

We’re the hybrid child of a buffalo and a black cow, we’re soup babies, lol.

What sin did Friede commit to be in a relationship with you, you idiot?

You’re trash.

But seriously, is it not hacking?

Maybe they said that because they’re so confident? They even mentioned GM, dang.

Until now, looking at Friede’s gameplay, all I’ve heard is hacking noises, Soup.

What are you talking about? Isn’t that pushing it too far? Does GM really think hacking is possible in a 1v1 duel?

Doesn’t the hack program fool even GM?

Seriously, Soup, SOUL WARFARE is famous for bashing hackers like crazy.

Fooling GM, lol.

Community reactions were slightly positive.

It was an incident targeting the rising star, Friede, for hacking. Plus, it included streaming of Hero Forming slowly preparing to take off while escaping the trash.

Up to that point, it was just a simple episode of hacking controversy, but when Friede’s duel request video went up, the reactions became even hotter.

Friede’s duel request was an issue that flipped the implicit acceptance of hacking on its head, and those watching were predominantly excited.

“She’s over in Siberia peeling tangerines, that crazy girl….”

A sharp curse slipped out.

New YouTuber SUHO, who targeted both Friede and Hero Forming over the hacking controversy—Park Soo-ho—sneezed as he watched Friede’s duel arena.

Since hackers are known for being weak when they can’t hack, I thought initially that I could just respond when pushed directly.

If hackers remove their hacks, their skills are about the same. So why am I feeling so weak now….

It’s not anger towards Friede for calling me “chicken,” but rather I felt a twinge of concern.

‘What if things go wrong?’

People naturally think of the pitfalls before considering the fruits of success when things get serious.

Suddenly, I felt scared. Was what I did right?

‘No, it can’t be! What did I do wrong?’

The opponent must be a genuine hacker. Even my acquaintances in the same tier say so. The viewers watching his stream are also shouting.

Light Hero Friede is indeed hacking.

I’m just… the scapegoat.

“Why should I be scared? The one using hacks should be the one scared.”

The shame and inferiority from being beaten by the Hero duo was still manifest in my eyes.

The forced rage ignited the anxiety that had settled in my heart.

Naturally, the fearful emotion leaving Suho’s eyes now sparkled with greed.

“GM watching, digging my own grave here.”

Maybe it’s a good thing.

After the massive Soul Warfare hacking incident known as the hacking crisis, if there’s a suspect using hacks of at least Grand Master tier, one can confirm hacking using a GM watch application.

One of those functions is a 1v1 duel like now, observed by GM.

If they stepped in publicly, it would mean they have no way to back off, a do-or-die situation.

Are they trying to appeal to a sense of justice? Anyway, without hacking in the duel, I can win for sure.

This is a chance for me to increase my recognition while also executing justice.

Of course, I could lose, but I thought that would only happen if Friede decided to self-destruct by hacking in the duel.

If they couldn’t hack, there’s no way they’d keep dodging.

Though a derogatory term, I was a Grand Master tier known as a Challenger Gatekeeper with confidence in my own skills.

If it goes that way, the likelihood of me being at a disadvantage in public opinion is low.

Yeah, let’s stay calm. This is a route that’s favorable for me no matter how you look at it.

Of course, I should accept the duel.

* * *

The community was about to explode with fuel and gas being poured into the fire.

If I wasn’t involved, I would have been stirring up trouble by now.

In Gwanak-gu XXX park.

This was a place I had visited several times before being summoned to this world.

Geez, over ten years and this place has changed a lot. There are more refined buildings, a big lake, and the fountain show is so much more extravagant.

With all sorts of leisure facilities and walking paths being well-maintained, even on a weekday evening, many were enjoying their time in the park.

How many were there, you ask? Enough for an introverted nerd to fry pancakes on the ground with dough derived from their soul.

I sat on a bench, curious if any traces of the past were left and, absentmindedly, took in the scenery. It was a kind of time-killing, after all.

Looking at my smartphone, it was still 6:50 PM.

I was getting anxious for a response and fiddling with my innocent smartphone.

Then it happened.

Ding ding★!

A notification sound rang from my smartphone.

Thinking it might be the news I was hoping for, I opened the screen with excitement, but what came up was enough to taint my heart with disappointment.

【A new video was uploaded on SUHO’s channel.】

“Damn….”

I set notifications thinking they might do something shady, but it had to pop up at this timing.

Let’s see what else is cooking.

When I entered the YouTube channel, nothing but a rough-shod pop-up caught my eye.

I felt the urge to turn back but with the channel deletion duel match coming up tomorrow, I decided to hold off and watch.

Hello, this is streamer SUHO.

I have received Friede’s duel request well.

I will also make a pledge.

For pure gameplay in Soul Warfare, I will definitely win.

If Friede wins the duel without using hacks… I’ll delete my channel.

And to add to that…

If Friede loses, I want to see the face behind that fancy helmet.

We should give our viewers a good memory while watching this fight, shouldn’t we?

I just want to see how audacious our Friede is to even send in a duel request.

Let’s send me strength so that justice may prevail!

SUHO’s second video accepting the duel.

Like the hack targeting video, its views were rapidly updating to an impressive number.

I thought, oddly, that I’ve really become a celebrity.

The excitement for a stream that hasn’t even begun yet was stirring my heart for no reason.

Speaking of revealing faces…

What a bold guy he is.

We didn’t notice the greatness of teacher Sooho!

Even to see how Friede looks beneath her helmet, I’ll upvote for teacher Sooho’s victory!

That brat, turning that into a bait, lol. If Friede reveals her face, and that makes the broth heads scream, he completes his big picture and tries to gain a sweet image at the same time, you think he’s not slick?

Dammit, in this atmosphere, refusing the duel would be hilarious.

I’ve tried some wrecking before, but it seems like Friede intentionally made the big scene.

For real, what happens if Friede wins the duel and gets GM certified? Isn’t that the end for Sooho?

Why are you even asking such an obvious question?

It’d be great if Sooho ends up in debt over this!

On the contrary, if Friede showed up like that and turned out to be a hacker, oh my~.

‘They’re so excited, those guys…’

You want to see my face?

Their unreasonable demands made me snicker. That was never going to happen anyway, but even if I lost, there’d be no way I’d reveal my face.

I accept the duel, if I lose I’ll reveal my face, beyond that there’s nothing more to discuss, so I turned off the channel.

Fortunately, they took my bait just as I desired, so my goal was accomplished.

There were a few reactions that didn’t sit well with me, but with this level of attention, I could let that slide.

Or rather, when I think about how this reaction could change by tomorrow, there’s nothing more thrilling than that.

“Hmm, hehehe….”

I realize how nasty my own thoughts are…

If it were someone else, I’d be sickened by how low and gloomy this was.

I’m embarrassed to feel like this, it’s so weirdly exhilarating…

This feeling that can’t be condensed into a single word was simply too enjoyable.

“Ugh… damn.”

Calm down. Don’t lose your humanity.

I steeled my resolve and looked up at the sky.

The sun was setting, and already, the moon and stars were decorating the sky.

‘Is Hero Forming okay?’

Maybe I should have contacted Hero Forming before heading out.

I probably wasted time shooting that duel request video, getting pumped up for no reason.

At some level, I’d say I was so caught up in the moment that I forgot the passage of time. It’s been ages since I felt this way, ever since I went bashing into demon heads.

And I realized painfully that I possess no talent for manipulating program settings.

It truly pains me to say this, but what can I do?

Before being summoned to this world, I couldn’t even figure out how to install Windows, I was the king of computer newbies.

Anyway, the combination of my solo hype and my clumsiness in program manipulation inadvertently severed my contact with Hero Forming.

Like a frog being hit by a rock thrown without thought, that was exactly her situation… I knew I had been unthoughtful, and a small wave of anxiety washed over me.

Since we are still connected online, I wanted to take my time to meet with Hero Forming. I mean, if an online friend suddenly asks to meet in real life, you’d naturally feel cautious.

While trying hard to build up the tension, SUHO, the annoying troublemaker, uploaded his targeted video, and things almost went awry.

If this incident were to shock Hero Forming into distancing herself from me, it would be a colossal mess.

On a smaller scale, I’d lose a route to verify the source of the curse confirmed by her, and on a larger scale, I wouldn’t fulfill my vows as a hero.

Hence, I felt relieved when I quickly got a response to the message I sent.

It was a big sigh mixed with tension and relaxation, just like biting into half fried chicken. My feelings at that moment were… quite unfamiliar.

Now, tomorrow is finally the time for the decisive battle.

It’s unavoidable, and originally, it’s something I brought upon myself, so let’s clear my mind and wait.

And once this is over, I…

‘Must meet Hero Forming.’

To prevent such absurdity from happening again, I’ll make sure to clarify that curse held over Hero Forming today.

As a hero… haven’t I vowed to “save” Hero Forming?

Of course, revealing her identity is part of it.

“Let’s go!”

Have I been here too long? Stretching my tired body, I pleasantly ignited my motivation and stood up.

For tomorrow, filled with thrilling attention, cheers~!

* * *