I sneak a glance out the window.
Has it only been a few days since this all started?
The throngs of people milling outside show no signs of diminishing.
I had anticipated the repercussions of revealing myself as a Hero, but facing it in reality feels refreshingly different.
Well, I won’t pretend to fully understand their stance. Still, discomfort is an undeniable issue.
I can’t stay cooped up in the house forever.
Daya’s mom is fine living here with us, but Ajin and Yuri’s families live in different areas.
Being families of the same Hero, I’ve already taken measures to prevent any potential mishaps, but if we just sit idle, the world’s curiosity will only continue to build until it crushes us.
I need to establish a stance in some shape or form to properly address our positions.
‘How?’
Now that I have set my goals, I must seek concrete ways to achieve them.
Ah, I suddenly realized how recklessly I came out as a Hero.
It’s not that I’m facing a major crisis or anything like that. The existence of a Hero in this world doesn’t exactly fit into that category.
However, isn’t that the way things typically are?
There’s always that pursuit of a cleaner, more refined, and smoother resolution to any situation.
Until now, I’ve acted as a regular person named Friede, but going forward, I need to continue as Hero Friede.
First impressions matter, after all.
Whether I come off as an oppressor or an integrated member of society depends on my actions right now, and I’m fully aware of that.
‘Looks like there’s only one way.’
The most fitting method that aligns with my standards and image popped into my mind.
Without being swept away by unnecessary crowds, we can only roll at our own pace.
My facial muscles twitch. If one were to look in the mirror, it would be a rather comical sight to see my uncontrolled nerves and facial muscles moving on their own.
So…
I stood up and boldly called everyone.
“Heroes, assemble!”
It was morning, so everyone was lazily lounging around at home.
While scratching their bellies, yawning, and stretching in various ways, I spoke to everyone who gathered.
“Let’s do some broadcasting!”
The content would be a Just Chatting session about Heroes.
* * *
Friede’s stream was experiencing one of the fastest growth rates in history.
It’s not that it was previously unpopular; after all, I had disrupted the domestic streamer ecosystem with my looks and skills.
However, now, Friede was certainly no ordinary streamer and had reached explosive growth status.
Having already surpassed two million subscribers, I had now transcended into a god among streamers with over ten million subscribers since coming out as a Hero.
It was a broadcasting channel that had risen like an unprecedented Supernova.
No one found it strange that such rapid growth occurred in such a short time.
After all, with the opening of a new chapter in human history, some even said it felt inadequate.
Just a short few hours of conflict.
It could easily be said that humanity opened a new historical chapter from that point onward.
The accumulated academic knowledge, science, and ideologies had to undergo a complete transformation due to this event; it could be referred to as a great upheaval.
In fact, the existence of the Hero and Demon King, the nature of this world, and the emergence of these abilities were garnering high interest and attention from various countries and organizations.
Scholars were flocking to Korea, eager to study how the powers exhibited by the Hero and Demon King manifested and what impact it had on the physical laws of Earth.
Countless intelligence agencies were busy analyzing the potential international ramifications of the Hero’s immense power, leading to many countries dispatching diplomatic envoys to Korea.
It was the moment when the major repertoire of nationalistic channels, once a mere internet joke, became a reality.
Even domestically, government officials were trying to contact the Heroes or waiting outside the Hero house. After all, it was only natural for five superhumans to suddenly appear in the country.
In the past few days, a peculiar tension and excitement surged through society, and then came a hot announcement on Friede’s stream.
* * *
[Title: Broadcasting Notice]
[Author: Friede777]
I think many of you are curious about me.
I’d like to share some light Just Chatting and discuss what’s to come.
The broadcast schedule is… right now!
* * *
It really was an incredibly half-hearted broadcast notice.
However, the long-time viewers of Friede were already focused on the additional notification alerting them that the stream had begun.
A cramped corridor, and a commensurately narrow exit. Yet the waiting crowd felt truly infinite.
It was time for an admission competition; they needed to be among the first to get in.
Various people—fans, attention-seekers, trolls, ordinary folks, and government officials—flocked to Friede’s stream all at once.
* * *
“Wow, incredible.”
Yuri, who had never streamed before, couldn’t help but marvel at the rapid-fire updates in the viewer count.
To surpass 700,000 viewers in just ten minutes? Such astonishing speeds were something even Sehee had never witnessed.
No, has any streamer in this world ever experienced anything like this live?
Most likely due to the sheer volume of people entering simultaneously, the simple entry notifications were generating a chat intensity that would surpass a typical major corporate streamer’s chat.
“It’s hard to just leave it as is. Let’s at least post a temporary notice in the chat. Turn off entry notifications.”
Daya’s suggestion was reasonable.
“I’ve watched streams for quite a while, but this is the first time I’ve seen measures like this being taken.”
Everyone agreed with Ajin, who was astonished for a different reason. With so many people, wouldn’t a single comment lead to buffering chaos at any moment?
It was, indeed, a legendary situation where “the streaming server has completely crashed” might just become a reality.
Since neither the webcam nor the mic were on, I could only imagine the kind of disaster that would unfold if we freed the chat in this state.
Even with the entry notifications turned off, the real-time viewer count was still climbing.
“Hm, we should probably include English as well. I saw online that there’s a lot of chatter from abroad.”
As I prepared to write the notice, Ji-hye stepped in and added the English translation.
Seeing her do this gave Sehee a sense of embarrassment, as she had lived by the motto that “Heroes don’t study” even before becoming one.
By the time the horrific tension subsided, about thirty minutes had passed, merely waiting for the chat atmosphere and viewer entries to normalize.
But before long, an end was in sight.
“Viewers at 3.5 million… This is insane, just insane! Sis, if we had ads running, how much would that even be worth?”
“Not even a month’s worth of interest.”
A month? Or was it a week?
I had neglected asset management, so I was a bit fuzzy about it, but when would I find the time to sort through that?
“You seem to lack empathy as a streamer, Sis.”
“It’s fine. There need to be all kinds of streamers.”
How long are you planning to live with that hungry spirit? You’ve worked hard as a Hero; it’s time to blissfully enjoy life.
As it was nearing the right time to lift the chat ban, I fiddled with various settings.
If I simply lifted the ban with no restrictions, I would surely be overwhelmed by the firepower of over three million viewers.
The most effective way to manage such a massive viewing crowd was surprisingly straightforward.
“Only allow donations… but with a minimum grant of one million won?”
“Ugh, this is going to spark some controversy.”
“Well, who cares? Sehee can do whatever she wants.”
“After all, it’s your money, so it’s chump change. With how this stream is going, it feels right.”
“Congratulations on finally becoming a greedy bourgeois, you little communist, Sehee! Let’s wipe out all the dirty red scum… Gack!”
As I smacked the back of Bbaebe’s head for the nonsense he was spouting, Sehee wore a triumphant smile.
No matter how many viewers there are, how many would actually cough up a million won in a single donation?
Ji-hye mentioned that there would be a lot of foreigners, but honestly, foreigners would find it too bothersome to convert their currency to Korean won just to donate.
Well, attention is always welcome, but it should be mutual for it to be fun, right?
If an endless session of buffering and lag ensues, any interest would inevitably fade away.
“Well then, let’s get started. Is everyone ready?”
““Yes!””
“Yup.”
Finally, I switched the camera and donation modes to ON, eagerly awaiting the reactions.
However, contrary to Sehee’s expectations, the messages coming through in donations sprung forth furiously.
「ZekeGutterbelt donated 1,000,000 won!
― Who am I? The exclusive viewer for Friede’s stream! Who am I? The exclusive viewer for Friede’s stream!」
「EatingSisMidir donated 1,000,000 won!
― A Hero is invincible! Friede is a god!」
「KimKkaetulraku donated 1,000,000 won!
― Welcome the deity of a new world! You wretched scamps!」
「PennyCollectingBroke donated 1,000,000 won!
― Friede! I have a huge business idea! I sent you an email, please check it!」
「SweetGuy donated 1,000,000 won!
― The STK Gaming Team is always waiting for Heroes! We promise optimal, top-tier support on all streaming services. Please reach out with the business card we handed you!」
「hope5555 donated 1,000,000 won!
― Sis! You’re Korean, right? You will protect Korea, won’t you?」
「yaSergei donated 1,000,000 won!
― You arrogant foreign bastards! I’ll show you the spicy taste of a small Hero! The storm of Hero Friede is coming!」
― The stream has ended.
*!?
Surprised by the sudden broadcast termination I hit out of instinct, Sehee hurriedly restarted the broadcast.
But then….
‘What were all those donation messages again?’
The start of the Hero debut stream was marked by a donation disaster.
* * *
