Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 43

Sure! Here’s the translated text in a comedic casual style:

—

Already mentioned in the announcement… just because they’re holding an editor recruitment contest doesn’t mean it starts right away.

During the application period, they gather applicants and then select internally once everyone’s there.

After all this is over, the plan is to pick one winner with the viewers during the broadcast, so there’s no need to stress over editing right this second.

Well, there’s been plenty of talk, but now it’s the second round.

I wrapped up the broadcast and quickly organized the video.

It hadn’t been a long time, but thanks to Dayoung’s honest nature, she wouldn’t just half-heartedly handle things.

I sent it off with the note saying there’s no need to put in too much effort, just make it look presentable.

It takes over five hours to produce a polished video, so if done casually, it might take under two hours, right?

I know nothing about video editing, but that was just a simple calculation from an ordinary person’s point of view.

“What should I do now?”

I asked myself, mindlessly staring at the ceiling.

Doing only Soul Warfare feels a bit boring.

The viewers’ voices urging me to quickly reach the Soul Warfare Challenger tier sound like hallucinations… but what can I do?

The viewers are on their second round now, but I’ve returned to modern times and kept at just this.

No matter how many wins I stacked up and raised my tier in record time, it feels like the time for a plateau is upon me.

This is when I need to recharge my energy with something different. Not just a quick reset in reality… yeah, it’s a sort of refresher process.

A light shock therapy is just the right thing to break the festering boredom.

Maybe I should change the content of my gaming broadcast.

Maybe… it’s time to try other games. I can’t just do Soul Warfare forever.

And I was kind of curious how viewers would react to my other sides apart from Soul Warfare.

So, with Virtual Reality in mind, I powered up my computer.

I logged into the internet to scout what popular games are trending right now.

But…

“Whoa.”

While I was wandering around looking into this and that, I ended up gasping and stopping my hand that was clutching the mouse.

The shallow flow of thoughts that had been creeping up suddenly halted. My hand that was moving the mouse froze as well.

‘What should I start with when I don’t know any games?’

Should I ask Dayoung, who returned before me?

No, let’s stay calm. Choosing a game isn’t like Russian roulette; I just need to pick something fun enough.

So I began my exploration on a popular gaming site.

It was laid out well with title images and genres of games released by year, making it easy to check.

To sum up my feelings after about 20 minutes of browsing, there are way too many games.

Considering it’s been over ten years since I’ve played, that makes sense.

At this point, I have to set some hurdles. I can’t play through thousands upon thousands of games.

‘Still, if I have to set a standard…’

I should avoid games that are complex or not enjoyable to watch from the viewers’ perspective.

There are plenty of games that are great to play solo but not so good for spectators.

Ah, what started as a light exploration morphed into a market research reality. Being a streamer is indeed a tough gig.

But setting filters made choosing games a lot easier.

As I added conditions one by one, unnecessary games vanished in clusters, giving me a strange thrill resembling a swift surgical procedure.

‘Guess I can choose from these.’

As my eyes scrolled down the selection list, they suddenly halted on one game.

Aha, right. This existed.

A legendary game that’s not complex from a viewer’s perspective and has its charm. However, there was one issue with this game.

That is…

‘PC game.’

It’s not a VR game.

Meaning, I can’t use the avatar from the MS Room.

I hesitated for a moment.

I could probably stream just the computer screen.

Just my voice would likely be enough.

Like a new underground water source being tapped, countless excuses flowed into my mind.

This meant a nostalgic cam broadcast would be happening.

Before starting the broadcast, I thought such thoughts were meaningless.

I hadn’t paid them any mind. I just thought it’d work out, vaguely and lightly.

But now, I’m not so sure if it’s okay to show this version of myself in reality.

Meeting with an editor… yeah, that’s a business meeting, right? I wasn’t antisocial enough to shy away from that.

I turned to look around my room. Even though it hasn’t been a year, should I really broadcast this space where I’m living?

If I had a separate workspace, I wouldn’t even think twice about this.

Setting up a new workspace right now would take time.

Maybe… I’ve gotten too comfortable in VR.

In fact, the idea of broadcasting from reality feels unfamiliar.

If I keep pondering like this, I doubt I’ll reach any concrete conclusion. So the answer is clear…

“I need to get some advice.”

—

“Uh-huh, so you contacted me, huh?”

Dayoung’s response had a strange nasal tone mixed in, as if she found the current situation amusing.

90s PC games… I don’t know the exact title since she didn’t mention it, but it sure seemed typical of an older sister.

“I could stream the game without a cam since it’s a PC game… but personally, I disagree. I think a cam is necessary, even for PC games.”

[Why? Wasn’t showing my face a no-go?]

“That was when you were revealing your face, but you have your Hero Gear. You could just wear that in reality. Or does that thing not hide your face in reality?”

[It’s not like that. I just wanted to draw a line between reality and virtual reality… but now?]

Really, now?

A bit absurd, isn’t it, sis?

“You’re going to meet the editor in person anyway. Isn’t that the same thing?”

[Well, that’s for work, but this is different.]

I can kind of guess what she’s getting at.

If virtual reality is the main space for a streamer’s activity, then reality is for everyday life.

Doing a cam broadcast requires capturing Sehee’s appearance in reality.

No matter if it’s using a handcam or hiding in armor.

‘But she seems reluctant about that.’

Is this something that really needs deep psychological thought? I doubt it, but everyone has their own psyche, I suppose.

This sister, who acted like an attention seeker in VR, has quite a cute side to her.

With her flimsy excuses, Dayoung giggled and replied.

“I don’t think we need to categorize it like that. It’s not like we’ve been summoned to another world. Whether in reality or VR, it’s just about how we enjoy games, right?”

[…….]

“Even if we were Heroes in the previous world, here, we’re just streamers doing our thing. As long as we prevent private life invasions, it doesn’t matter if it’s a cam or a VR camera.”

Responding to her oddly carefree concern, Dayoung felt a slight warmth in my voice.

Up until now, I thought I’d never meet a new Hero. No, it would be accurate to say I presumed I was the only Hero.

In my lonely life, where all human connections were severed except for my mom and a skinny guy, she reached out her hand first.

The bizarre empathy formed between Heroes led us closer together through a series of events.

And what I learned was, she was even more lonely than I.

A Hero without a golden return, tossed into this world without family or friends.

So, I can sort of guess the reason she wanted to become a streamer.

She probably wanted to forge connections with people like this.

Perhaps, just like her, Sehee might also be isolated and buried.

Is that why?

Beyond just feeling a friendly bond… I also felt a strong desire to help her, just as she helped me.

Because I had that feeling, I sincerely apologized to her, explained streaming, and helped set up for the first broadcast.

Yet… this feeling wasn’t something that would easily dissipate.

A Hero who saved Dayoung in tough times. That Hero now needed my help.

‘I want to be her strength again this time.’

Dayoung said in a confident voice.

“Don’t overthink it, let’s enjoy it comfortably. Sister.”

[Yeah, thanks.]

“It’s my duty. And you know…”

After a brief pause, the next words from Sehee brought a big smile to Dayoung’s face.

“I’m already looking forward to how the viewers will react seeing you like that on cam!”

[You really…]

Her cheeky comment made me complain a bit, but today, she sounded adorable.

—

Time flew by.

It was evening.

On the Switch channel list, Friede’s broadcast had appeared LIVE, currently streaming.

The followers, notified as soon as the broadcast began, jumped onto the Switch channel like ghosts.

And what appeared before their eyes caused them to raise their brows in surprise.

[Friede Reality Cam Broadcast]

“What the heck, f*ck!”

Some among them probably let out such intense cheers.

A reality cam broadcast, could it be… a face reveal?

Shuffling in my pants, I rushed through the chat to find out what kind of bait this was.

Naturally, the target was Friede’s broadcast, and my movement was quicker than lightning.

And what they saw was…

[Phah!]

[Why are you here?]

[This is real, right?]

[No way, lol]

[Hold on, is this your room?]

[Were you born with a silver spoon? www]

[But where’s the host?]

It was a view of an empty room. Since it was supposedly a reality cam broadcast, it must be Friede’s room.

Yet the crucial protagonist was nowhere to be seen.

Was she busy preparing and just out of view for a bit?

Of course, this assumption was just part of some individual thoughts, and the majority of viewers were lighting up the chat, calling for the host’s return.

[“Sister! Hurry and open the door!”]

[“The inn’s door is open, but the host isn’t coming out!”]

[“Host! What’re you doing not taking orders?”]

[“This isn’t an inn, it’s a funeral home.”]

“Oh, sorry I’m late. I was busy… preparing….”

[“Oh come on, what kind of prep?”]

[“If you were busy with makeup, I’d understand.”]

[“Is this a long-awaited face reveal?!”]

[“Sis, I’ve been waiting for this moment!”]

[Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump]

No one thought it was a hype train anymore; it was just a collective action that was processed in their minds as a matter of course.

After all, she had already given them a surprise with the face reveal in VR.

They couldn’t forget her beauty and had become moths to the flame headed for the fiery pit.

They were waiting in anticipation. If she had taken them aback in VR, she’d show her true face in reality…

From a spectator’s standpoint, they could have laughed at how ridiculous this was, but….

With their thought processes, pushed to the extreme, far from the average person’s perspective.

And then…

“Ah, can you see the broadcast well?”

As the golden visor helmet came into view, the chat exploded while Friede tilted her head in confusion.

Why…?