Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 53

Chapter 15: The Hero’s Dilemma

“Ah-jin, you might be the Hero.”

“Eh?!”

It’s not like it’s my first time hearing about Heroes. That was quite the reaction.

Was my statement really that shocking?

Seeing Dae-young drop the piece of cake she was eating, it appeared she was in a panic.

“Ugh! Dae-young, what a clumsy mess.”

Bbaebba grumbled while bringing over a napkin to wipe Dae-young’s mouth.

This was one of those rare moments where Bbaebba looked somewhat mature. Actually, it might be the first time I’ve seen it?

To get back on topic, the person I was assuming could be the Hero was Ah-jin, who I had recently hired as an editor.

“I realized while we were holding hands earlier. That editor, Ah-jin, is in the same league as us.”

“Just from holding hands, you could tell?”

“Well, you figured it out by looking at the Sweet Channel playlist.”

“Hehe, Bi-chi Se-hee makes a good point.”

I had almost overlooked it because I was so timid, but once we held hands, a strange sensation tickled my nerves.

At first, I thought it was something else, but upon deeper reflection, it was clear.

It felt just like when I first discovered Po-ming’s broadcast, the same vibe.

“So, should I just ask directly?”

“Well… what should I do?”

If the Hero was in real trouble, I would have to save them.

To save the Hero!

This was one of the few resolutions I made when I returned to this world.

That’s why I contacted Dae-young to lift Hako’s curse, right?

“Neither of you thought Ah-jin was normal, did you?”

“Well….”

“Totally a social outcast. Stuttering and fumbling over words was just… heh!”

With Dae-young mumbling and Bbaebba throwing in some snark, our expressions differed, but what we meant aligned perfectly.

I could find the point to tackle from there.

“The power I used calms the heart. Initially for protecting allies’ minds, but that’s not the point. The key is that Ah-jin showed a significant obsession with the power I demonstrated.”

“Bi-chi Se-hee, are you suggesting that….”

“Exactly.”

I nodded at Bbaebba’s speculation.

If I directly asked ‘Are you the Hero?’ face to face, getting a proper response would be tough.

Not only would the atmosphere grow tense, but I’d clearly be considered a lunatic.

So, I had to guide the situation so they’d have to confess.

And that method was….

“Ah-jin….”

I took a sip of water to clear my throat and calmly said, “I’ll be your tutor.”

Oh, was that a tad too strong a statement?

Seeing Dae-young freeze like she’d seen Medusa, I pondered if it was problematic.

I felt I needed to rectify it.

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not what you think.”

Looks like they were imagining something serious, but it was nothing like that.

“It seems you rely on me quite a bit, so let’s take our time and ease up. Once we become close enough to rely on each other, I can ask slowly.”

“Ugh, now it’s awkward.”

“Phew, what a relief.”

At my clarification, Bbaebba grumbled in disappointment, while Dae-young let out a sigh of relief.

It was clear they had imagined something strange. They’re really like filthy minds.

In the meantime, Dae-young tilted her head, contemplating something, then cautiously spoke up.

“What if you’re not the Hero? What if you are?”

“What do you mean…? If it doesn’t relate, that’s that, but if it’s the Hero, I need to find a problem and solve it.”

“Yeah, I get it.”

Dae-young wore a slightly disappointed smile at my words, but it didn’t seem like the right time to ask more.

She’d tell me when she felt comfortable.

‘Well then, let’s wrap this up here.’

By the way… what time is it? It seemed quite late.

Having been stuck on this for too long, I subconsciously checked the time on my smartphone.

6:30 PM. I was already 30 minutes late for the broadcast I announced today.

Oh no!

* * *

[Hey, let me in, you dumb host!]


[Time Magazine says you’re the slowpoke woman of the year.]


[It’s just a one-day delay! Why the drama?]


[Is it already this late? Got some nerve!]


[Hey, master! 30,000 viewers are all here, so take good care of us.]


[The kids are already corpses.]


[The necromancer on the white horse just raised them up.]


[We’re going hunting for Friede tonight.]


[At the very least, please post a notice, sensei.]


[Sis, I was waiting to see your first live broadcast after watching yours!]


[Wow, where did this crazy girl roll in from?]


[You came here from the algorithm, didn’t you?]


[Starting off as toxic weeds… gah!]

Chattering, buzzing,


Due to being one hour late, even while waiting for the broadcast, I felt an odd sensation.

As I was waiting, it felt like something was off, and strangely, my neck felt prickly… an unsettling sensation.

Checking secretly with my second ID on my channel showed that people were eagerly waiting, eyes sharp for the broadcast to start.

At this point, it felt like I was being surveilled. With such skill, I could probably host sniper broadcasts effectively.

The calm before the storm, huh?

When I opened the door, a horde of zombies would come crashing in, but this was a strange standoff where they didn’t recognize each other due to a mere door.

But eventually, I couldn’t keep it blocked forever; it was destined for an automatic opening once the time was up.

In preparing to establish a stronghold to hold off the horde as a survivor, I rushed to get ready.

And….

—The broadcast has started.

As soon as I switched the broadcast to “on,” the viewers surged in like a tidal wave, causing the stream to stutter.

Follow limits, one interaction per two minutes, slow mode on chat—everything I could muster was unleashed in full force.

Especially after severely extending the slow mode, the horde began to struggle in a chat box that felt like time had stopped, gradually losing strength.

‘This should be okay now.’

Once I could engage with them…

“Friede, Day 6 of the broadcast starts now.”

I kicked off the stream with the opening line.

[So late, what the hell!]


[Why were you late today, sis?]


[Ha!]


[You look so beautiful again today.]


[Yes!]


[Since you’re an hour late, can we have a two-hour extended broadcast? Sensei?]


[Ha!]


[Sis, it’s okay if you’re late; just keep broadcasting, please!]


[Explain yourself!]

“I’m sorry, there were some personal matters that took a while.”

[Sis, why not apply for a panel board for your account?]


[Seriously, you seem to be focused only on YouTube. Shouldn’t you be paying attention here first since your main broadcast is on Sweet?]


[Wouldn’t it be great to set up a board and post announcements ahead of time?]

“Ah, a panel board? Is there such a thing?”

[What does this sister even know?]


[No clue.]


[Besides the massacre of commoners in Soul Warfare, she’s clueless, isn’t she?]


[So, who are you calling the teacher now?]

Upon searching based on viewers’ explanations, it seemed like it functioned similarly to a channel board on YouTube.

Well, it’s true that the more communication channels, the better.

Since I didn’t fully understand the streaming system even before my summoning to another world and when I returned to this modernity…

If I hadn’t wanted to be a streamer, I would have just used it for watching.

But now, I am a streamer. I had to be ready to communicate with viewers.

In that aspect, not having applied for the Sweet panel board was certainly a misstep.

For a moment… I decided to take a moment for self-reflection.

“I should apply after today’s broadcast. Thank you for the info.”

[Eh heh heh!]


[This crazy person is happy over a compliment.]


[Getting a compliment gives a delightful thrill… that’s quite rare! Haha!]

「Blackring has donated 10,000 won!


—Sis, there’s going to be the STK brawl tournament soon; will you participate?」

Donations coming in right from the start.

Normally, I’d wrap it up with a light thank-you line, but given the content, I couldn’t easily brush it off.

STK brawl tournament?

“Ah, a tournament? I’m not a pro, though. Isn’t STK a professional team?”

A tournament? My head tilted in confusion without realizing.

Isn’t STK the team with some franchise star like Warden?

“With the league finished, isn’t the break time for the players? I’ve never heard of a professional team putting on a personal league before?”

[You don’t know?]


[What the heck do you even know? Haha!]


[Friede, it’s a streak of losses, huh?]


[It’s super rare for a sis who keeps losing!]


[This sis seems lost in the stone age.]


[You sound like you’re from a 2020s grandpa or something.]


[Hey dumbass, do you think I’m a 40-something aunty? Speak plainly!]


[Haha! Still love you even if you’re older.]

「Zikgaterbelt has donated 10,000 won!


—STK always hosts an event league right after the regular schedule ends. That’s what I mean.」

An event league from a pro team. Quite unfamiliar.

Feeling like a social misfit who couldn’t follow the conversation, I could only focus my eyes on what was happening in the chat.

[They’re holding the event league to scout promising amateurs before the next season.]


[If you play well, you might get into the youth ranks and start from the second team, ㅇㅇ.]


[Even the current soldier god in STK was the winner of last year’s event league.]


[If you win there, you might get a personal match with superstars like Warden or Lotus.]

[This sis seems clueless.]

Such an intriguing topic arose.

Come to think of it, I think I heard that the SCK league hosted under Soul Warfare had just concluded the spring season. Was this event coinciding with the end of the season?

If it’s the SCK league under Soul Warfare… A series of ranked games, hacking controversies, streams—I had been very out of touch since participating in the opening.

And now, the league was over already; it felt like a breath of fresh air.

“Speaking of which, is there somewhere I can see the announcement of this event?”

It seemed like there was no way I could just brush this off; it felt like a bait that was waving at me.

I had to find out more about it.

[If you go into Soul Warfare’s Outven, it should show up right on the banner. ㅇㅇ.]

Guided by their kind explanation, once I checked the event league announcement, a strange excitement surged, and I began drumming my fingers on the armrest of the chair, but it wouldn’t settle down.

I hadn’t planned on becoming a pro, so I thought there wouldn’t be any relation to the league.

“1v1… sounds great.”

[We all imagined you’d say that @.@]


[If it’s that sis, even Warden or Lotus would have a hard time beating her.]

Just like the viewers said, the fact that this league wasn’t a team game was an added bonus.

This brawl tournament is apparently set up strictly as one-on-one matches.

To scout for talent, they were probably looking for young, high-tier competitors rather than only relying on brain skills.

Thanks to that, I got a solid reason to participate, feeling much lighter.

If it had been a team game, I’d likely have hesitated due to the law of average luck.

One-on-one is purely a test of skill. That’s something I’m most confident in and can proceed with ease.

Besides, the most interesting element caught my eye.

‘Lotus, huh…?’

STK Soul Warfare pro team, a female gamer and top-tier challenger.

Known as the prima donna of Soul Warfare, said to be on par with Warden.

It’s quite a grand nickname — and for reference, I heard that name was given in North America. Warden is the “super pilot.”

So, the reason I brought up Lotus… is that the winner of this event league will face Lotus in a one-on-one match!

As long as they’re tier Master or higher, anyone can participate, whether streamer or ordinary user.

“This could be fun. The schedule works for me.”

It’s like a bee not passing by the flowers, isn’t it?

‘An irresistible invitation.’

[Are you going to participate too?]


[Oh! Friede VS Lotus?]


[Don’t get ahead of yourself now; the event hasn’t even started yet! Haha!]

Without needing to answer the viewers’ questions, I clicked the link and submitted my application.

As the chat exploded with fervor at the sight of me doing that, I felt no need to feel hesitant at all.

Alright, let’s go.