Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 5

To cross into the enemy territory, you must traverse the massive bridge connecting both sides’ castles.

This so-called log bridge is a map area where one might fall to their doom while carelessly engaging in combat.

Not only can you fall off here, but it’s also worth noting that you can observe from the central line.

That’s the reason archers equipped with long-range weapons stand in the central line, facing off against each other.

From this position, you can target enemies passing through both flanking bridges.

If you get sniped, your health will drop, and if they use arrows with shock effects, you’re bound to tumble into the abyss.

The status of being a Claymore, having gotten rolled while trying to ambush, would be shown on the scoreboard, so they’re surely on their toes.

“Alright, let’s go.”

As I dashed across the bridge, a red dot blinked on the side of the screen.

That’s a signal indicating I’ve been locked on for a sniper shot. Instinctively, I swung my sword.

An arrow caught on the end of my broken blade bounced into the air, causing my character to stagger slightly in the opposite direction, which was a bit unexpected.

“Is that an arrow with a knockback effect?”

Further sniper shots followed, but I brushed them all off and safely entered the enemy base.

As I tried to preemptively claim a path to the objective amidst the complicated fortress structure,

“I see him.”

I spotted an opponent rushing urgently in a direct path from their main base.

It wasn’t the Claymore I had demolished earlier. Instead, it was a much heavier super large weapon, a Battle Hammer.

Did they swap lines or something?

I thought wasting time would be uninteresting, so I charged straight at the Battle Hammer.

Unlike a broken greatsword that swings lamely, a proper super large weapon boasts devastating power with every strike.

If the opponent waits for the right moment, fine, but if we slug it out head-on, I’m sure to lose.

Maybe that’s why.

As I pretended to dash, the opponent swung their hammer in a panic, but I managed to parry in response to their movement.

As I disarmed them, they got staggered and in a groggy state, I plunged my broken greatsword into their chest.

Boom―!

With a burst of blood like a firework, I felt the sensation ripple through my entire body.

“If I keep this up, I might get addicted.”

They say being on the receiving end of a parry feels like seasickness, and judging by how the opponent looks now, that seems spot on.

When fighting with a super large weapon, it’s common to assume that no one would charge straight at you since they’d be at a severe disadvantage.

Even if parrying is possible, it’s a high-difficulty technique that’s not easy to pull off, making it a case of getting used to it.


Although it’s only a one-time thing, by exploiting such openings, 9 out of 10 will fall for it easily.

Then the hammer hurriedly retreated with an urgent dodge.

“Oh!”

I thought the reach would be longer, but strangely, they seem strong-witted.


At that moment, someone came running toward me from afar, heading into this battlefield.

A lightly armored swordsman wielding a katana. I wished they were an ally, but considering the direction they were coming from, they were clearly an enemy.

Just as I was about to finish off the hammer, the rapidly advancing katana unleashed a flurry of attacks.

I got slightly sliced on the first hit, causing my health gauge to dip.

“Tch!”

It felt like I lost the fish I had caught due to an unwanted variable.


Now they’d certainly be aware of my blatant intentions towards dash parrying. However, all hope isn’t lost.

First, the katana strikes in.

With a slick motion, they executed a katana-exclusive skill, “Draw Slash.”


I dodged the katana’s three-hit combo with a roll and adjusted my distance with steps.

As the two opponents momentarily crossed paths, I swung my broken greatsword with a dash heavy attack as soon as the katana lunged towards me.

No matter how low-grade the broken greatsword is, it’s definitely not a weapon that you can just take a hit from.

With its distinctive super armor, I nullified the katana’s thrust and cleanly beheaded them.

With a successful vital hit, the katana fell into a groggy state.


Then, I smoothly dodged the downward swing of the hammer with another slide.

I charged back into the opponent’s space.


In an instant, due to the staggering large attack, the armored fighter became an easy target.

Seizing the moment without missing my timing, my heavy thrust landed on the opponent,


Light Hero🗡️Battle Hammer 80K

As the hammer’s health gauge hit zero, it collapsed.


Now that it was 1v1, there was no need to prolong things against the katana.


Light Hero🗡️Hellishly Saber

It was a clean victory.

* * *

After seizing control over the objective by setting up in the enemy base and slowly pushing forward, the game outcome was decided in 20 minutes.

The last bonfire of the enemy team extinguished weakly, as the victory message quietly appeared.


[Too Many Players Out Than Goals: Thank you, Light Hero! ^^]


[Concept Goes to America: I’ve never seen someone do this with a broken greatsword in this area. Are you a bouquet?]


[Grandma’s Side Dish: That was epic.]


[Apibelnau: Seriously!]

19 kills / 2 deaths / 11 assists

An overwhelmingly high score that made me proud to say I carried this game.


And the reactions were vastly different from the start of the game.

As the game concluded, both teams’ scores were tallied and displayed,


While my character, chosen as the game MVP, lit up the world in front of the bonfire.

Declining requests from team members to duo up, I returned to the lobby and stretched, relaxing my body.

“It’s quite amazing that such sensations exist in virtual reality.”

And then… feeling even more fulfilled than when I won three regular games, my mouth corners involuntarily curled up.

“Hehe….”

A nonsensical laugh escaped, as if I had lost my mind.


Was it the thrill of carrying the team of disappointed and angry members with a garbage weapon?


Dunking allies into despair only to save them felt thrilling in a way, like some sort of tragedy play.

Is this… my body slightly trembling?


Was gaming such an enjoyable pastime after all?


I might not be able to stop just playing games.

Immediately, I queued for the next match.

* * *

There’s no moment more unpleasant than being openly stabbed while in virtual reality.

Hero Forming: 6 kills 13 deaths 4 assists

A truly tragic score.


She had never experienced such a crushing defeat at this tier before.


Normally, she would’ve focused on managing her expression, but this time, she gritted her teeth and struggled to suppress her frustration.

Of course, the chat was going wild.


[Forming already has 13 deaths LOL]


[No excuse if reported, right? Should be banned, huh?]


[Ugh.]


[Now being humiliated by a broken club, the only thing worse is probably a voting stamp outside.]


[Even broken, a club is still a club!]


[Ugh.]


[Me]


[This kind of development on a broadcast… a bit rare for me.]


[Bow]


[Lock]


[But what’s up with that guy? Checking the stats, they were overwhelming, are they a challenger’s sub-account?]


[I’ve never seen anyone do this with a broken club.]

Should I like this or not?


Based on the slightly increased viewer count, I would typically be ecstatic.


But this development only made it seem like I was a mere sacrificial lamb.


Unable to unleash my genuine curses from the heart, I simply pushed down the anger.

[Defeat]

In the end, without accomplishing anything, after being thoroughly wiped, I exited Soul Warfare in frustration and returned to the MS Room.

I had wanted to end today’s broadcast with a victory.


“Alright, that’s it for today. Have a good night, everyone.”


Trying to hide my disappointment, I ended the broadcast, feeling the sensation returning to reality.


I took off the low-grade virtual reality headset.

Crunch! Crack!

Perhaps from a long time in virtual reality, as she stretched to loosen up, her joints and bones whimpered rhythmically.

This must be what it feels like to be a Pharaoh buried in a pyramid sarcophagus.


“I wished I had bought a good model for this reason….”

Virtual reality devices vary widely in price depending on the model.


The better the device, the more improved real-time scanning and virtual reality responsiveness, as well as reducing user fatigue.


But it’s all wishful thinking.


With personal finances often making it hard to procure such high-cost products, they remain out of reach.


The model she purchased was low-grade, but the process still cost an eye-watering 8 million won.

“Whew.”

As my body recovered somewhat, I checked the status of today’s broadcast, and a small sigh escaped her lips.

The real-time viewer count was 184.


Nickname: Hero Forming, the typical low-tier streamer Park Da-young let out a soft sigh.

“Aah… this is tough.”

Having finished stretching, I leaned back in my chair, rhythmically swaying side to side to soothe my frustrated feelings, but the heavy heart didn’t easily lighten.

Starting as a streaming hobby in her first year of high school, she grew into a sizable streamer, reaching 6,000 real-time viewers in just six months.


With her charming looks and excellent gaming skills, she quickly secured a dedicated audience and fan base.


Now, a dream-filled girl from South Korea, aspiring to be a professional streamer after graduating high school.

But a significant turning point came in her life.


It was the very moment of….

‘Hero Summoning.’

A singular event in second year of high school, a once-in-a-lifetime incident.


The cliché she had only ever seen in comics or novels invaded her life, turning everything upside down.


Initially, she desperately wanted to go back, but ultimately realized that defeating the Demon King was the only way to return, and it’s been two years since she took on the role of a hero.

Having slain the Demon King and saved the world, Da-young safely returned to South Korea.


But her tribulations were far from over.


The two-year vacuum caused by hero activities weighed heavily.


Reality was not so gentle as to readily accept Da-young’s return.

As time passed, whether it was high school life or her streaming life, everything had crumbled.


Initially, she would have regained her fan base with her innate gaming prowess and confident looks.


But perhaps the aesthetics of reality are rooted in how things seldom go smoothly.


Her restless gaze fell upon her YouTube channel’s stats.

497 subscribers.


Viewers’ reactions weren’t bad at all, yet it remained an oddly unnoticed stream.


With a flicker of hope, she tried posting promotional messages and attempted to collaborate with other streamers, but all of them fell flat.


Having waited in anticipation for nearly half a year since her return, escaping the pit of low-tier streaming proved arduous.


To relieve her frustration, she gazed up at the brooch hanging around her neck.


The cold touch felt palpable at her fingertips.


“――.”


A brilliant light filled the room, and she was clad in a sleek outfit, harmoniously decorated in bright and lovely white with red lines.


Her black hair transformed to flowing red, eyes glistening with the allure of rubies.


The slightly short skirt emphasized sexiness rather than vulgarity in its design.


Boots that extended from her thighs to her toes accentuated the curve of her legs.


A powerful energy surged throughout her body, making Da-young smile.


Yes, this is what I’m talking about. It should feel like this.


If I stream in this state, maybe I can escape from being low-tier.


Though she entertained that happy thought, reality felt far off as she was overwhelmed by the world’s law that does not permit the power of heroes.


With a great sense of oppressive pressure, she barely managed to dispel her transformation.


A wave of lethargy enveloped her, and her weak, drooping arms looked as pale as a corpse.


“At least….”


If I could use the power of a hero whenever I wanted, I could’ve been a top-tier streamer….


Gripping her head with meaningless daydreams and the sense of disconnect from reality, something popped up behind Da-young.


It was an adorably winged angel, a lively green frog plushie.


But its eyes burned with a darkness that could not be imagined….


“Cough. Things are going crazy, huh, gay?”


Indeed, the disordered speech coming out was met with an intense stare from those eyes.


“Shut up, bug.”


To think they brought such a mascot in like that.


Is there truly no happy ending for the hero?