Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 195

**Encountering Zombies in the Underground Event**

Running into a horde of zombies due to the Encounter event wasn’t really an issue.

After all, for someone like Wisdom or me, they were merely simple graphical chunks. If we were to be defeated by mobs that have lost their minds, it would be quite the embarrassment for a Hero.

However, the unexpected thorn in my side in this game wasn’t just the zombies generated by the Encounter or players turned raiders.

“What is this, a shopping mall? It’s totally a maze.”

In response to Wisdom’s grumbling, I nodded silently in agreement.

Despite being in a space that clearly only had the two of us, my frustrating feelings were manifesting, causing my whole body to heat up. That’s right; my irritation was slowly simmering.

Instead of an open lobby, we were stuck in this maze-like corridor, constantly twisting and turning. It was eerily quiet, almost to the point of making my skin crawl, and there weren’t even any windows or rooms leading outside.

I could understand that much, but I never expected there wouldn’t even be a basic directional sign.

Those with weak mental states would surely feel dizzy due to the optical illusion created by the walls of this maze masquerading as corridors, which seemed to stretch like liquid.

We had been wandering for a solid 5 minutes without finding a sharp turn to take. The reason for this? It started just 10 minutes ago.

When we took the elevator up from the underground, I thought it would be fine, but what awaited us on the first floor was a completely different building. Initially flustered, we soon walked toward the corridor that unfolded ahead.

We were bound to reach the annex eventually. Or maybe if we opened a map, we’d find out we were indeed in a shopping mall, but did we somehow end up on the opposite side?

I looked around, but getting an exact sense of location was tough since the map was a purely analog type without player location markings.

It was a truly ridiculous map, and it couldn’t possibly serve as a proper structure. If only our human navigator Ajin was here, we wouldn’t be lost.

When we first entered the shopping mall, we only saw the facade and walked in, only to discover it was a complex mall with many buildings twisted together like a maze.

“Looking at the location, it feels like we went much further back. I’ve sent a message, but no response.”

Every 10 minutes, I was regularly checking in with the others, including Dayoung, but oddly, after the last message 15 minutes ago, I hadn’t heard anything back.

I had mentioned in my last message that the three of us would regroup and head to the annex, but was something happening?

“Anyway, let’s hurry. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

[My mouth is getting itchy, lol]

[Yeah, let’s hurry up, lolol]

[Just got tricked again, it seems!]

[Friede and Mutdakk returning round and round~]

[But that’s a bit tricky. Usually, you’d go directly from the main building to the annex; no one goes through this underground B corridor building route.]

[Lol, that place is a bit tough. If the Encounter triggers, it’ll be one hell of a party.]

[Head spin right now~ right now~ yay]

With the chat reaction also feeling serious, I quickened my pace.

Due to an unexpected sense of solidarity, we had no way of knowing what was going on.

To be honest, if I just closed my eyes and watched Dayoung’s broadcasting, I could easily figure it out, but that would definitely be against the rules of the game broadcast.

If we were filming a survival story in a zombie apocalypse, wouldn’t it be more real to play while enjoying fewer system benefits?

Exchanging team messages was the closest we could get to a safety line we could all agree on.

“By the way, why isn’t anyone else in contact? Could they have gotten into trouble?”

“With three of us, it shouldn’t be easy for them to get caught. Right now, the delay in contact is concerning.”

“Well, that’s true.”

I shook my head resolutely at Wisdom’s words.

Seeing that no kill marks were displayed separately, they couldn’t have at least gotten into trouble.

Before the last contact, they had said their equipment was sufficient.

At that moment—

—Krrrumm!

A terrifying sound and vibration swept through the corridor as if an earthquake had hit.

Then I heard a scream echoing in my ears. Did Wisdom also feel it? She stopped moving and concentrated.

What initially felt like a vibrating buzz transformed into a distinct voice not long after.

And it was a very familiar voice.

“Ugh! My head keeps spinning! Gross!”

“Sisters? I’m currently running with a bag in hand!”

“I don’t know! It’s hard to kill that monster with a machine gun!”

From the partial clues, it seemed like they were being chased by something.

Using the voices and movements as guides, we walked forward and right in front of us was the view of the annex.

—Kieeek!

A 5-meter tall creature that looked like a skinny Japanese person was screaming.

Wait, shouldn’t shaking its head like that make it dizzy?

—

“I can’t catch it! I just can’t catch it!”

No matter how hard I tried to aim and shoot, I couldn’t hit the head of the freakishly fast-spinning monster.

Having never seen such an abnormal boss monster in a game before, ironically, I was hit by a rush of tension and a sense of despair at the same time.

What on earth was that? Did too many people gather and something bizarre happened?

In a panic, I threw a grenade, but the rest of its body, aside from its head, appeared to have an astonishingly strong durability, chasing us without missing a beat.

With the absurd rampage of this absurd boss monster, Ajin, who finally lost her mind, half-crying shouted, “If only my sister were here!”

“You shouldn’t say that! I’m carrying this bag and running!”

The chat was exploding into utter chaos as we watched the icy-looking Yuri, the mentally lost Ajin, and the desperately calculating Dayoung.

[Knowing you’re not here means one less family to rely on!]

[Defeated, this is me showing off my physical prowess of the legendary Friede!]

[You think Friede could hold off that monster? Not a chance! Like, ugh!]

[Yuriling, go to hell, and just deliver the sweet goodbyes for us.]

[Oh lol, it’s not hell but the shelter revival.]

[Those editors are going to get blasted by machine guns and get one-shotted. They really suck.]

[Friede is the worst in our party.]

‘Damn it.’

Ajin cursed inwardly and kept running. I didn’t know how much longer I’d have to run.

No, maybe we’d only be able to escape after completely leaving this area.

I fired the machine gun at the pursuing monster behind me, but the scattered bullets were lost in its muscular body, bouncing around everywhere.

Was it drawn in by the aggro? The creature approached with a bizarre smile, as if it wanted to flatten me like a hamburger.

The fact that it happened to look like a skinny Japanese person made Ajin even angrier as she kept pulling the trigger.

“Just die already! You damn skinny monster!”

—Bang!

Amid the gunfire from the machine gun, a single shot rang like a needle piercing through the air.

In an instant, everyone’s feet froze as the head of the monster, which was spinning at super speed, suddenly came to a halt.

—Kueeek!

As the zombie monster screamed, a woman in a black suit leaped and landed gracefully.

With her brilliant blonde hair flying everywhere and pulling the trigger with a single handgun, she was etched in all our memories.

—Kueeek!

—Boom!

Dodging the mass of sound that sliced through the air, Friede repeatedly shot at the monster’s knees, arms, and eventually shoulders while elegantly leaping.

The creature flailed its hands as if trying to catch Friede, who was like someone swatting at a mosquito, but she gracefully slipped away from all its movements.

If only she could just land a step, the next move would defy gravity through a series of circus stunts.

Even if that monster did the head spin of a bizarre frog, the sight of it being shot every time was a comedy in itself from a distance.

[What the hell is that?]

[Hey Friede! Are you using hacks?]

[A suspiciously unreal physical ability that shakes even Japan, while turning China to mush as they panic.]

[Are you messing with the boss like that? How is it possible with just a handgun?]

[At this point, I’m getting curious. Should we get Friede checked for any hacking? If not, what kind of performance is that?]

[I kind of shat my pants. Nah, I’m drenched in it.]

The close-range, evasive shooting, where she dodged the giant body of the monster while flying like a butterfly and shooting like a bee.

By now, the viewers had become so captivated that they were typing in the chat with trembling hands.

Was she actually human? Such a primitive doubt sprouted in their hearts.

Ignoring the mood of the chat, Friede, who was tightly adhered to the monster’s body and continuously pulling the trigger, shouted.

“Now’s our chance!”

“Got it!”

As they made a sudden dash like a battle charge, the sword firmly gripped in Wisdom’s hand revealed itself before the monster.

—Swish!

The sword light that split the heavens and the earth flashed brilliantly.

With a flawlessly executed strike, cutting through the ankle and Achilles tendon, the monster collapsed helplessly, with Wisdom’s sword allowing the final bullet to pierce its eye.

—Bang!

Even for a zombie, shooting the head, especially a shot penetrating from the eye to the brain, was the absolute death knell.

As if the momentum they had displayed until now were just an illusion, Friede gracefully landed after soaring through the air like a triple axel, smiling at everyone.

“Hero is here~!”

[Crimson Lotus: Hero is here~!]

Coincidentally, Friede’s remark synced perfectly with a message that appeared simultaneously in the chat.