Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 70

Rulupiyang’s 40,000 Won Donation!

“Hey, Rulupiyang, thank you for the 40,000 won support. By the way, weren’t you my next opponent? Ugh, damn~.”

The man brushes his shiny forehead with a slightly troubled expression.

Streamer Gunde.

He was a top-tier ranker included in the top 120 challengers.

In terms of skill, he could easily join any pro team, but his free spirit rejected the dull, colorless world of professionals.

He was truly like a wolf wandering in the thicket of streamers.

“Speaking of which, did Friede set the record for the fastest qualifying time? Oh snap, I lost to my honey.”

[Honey, what the hellㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Is Friede your wife?]

[That guy’s been watching too many girl streamers and lost it, huh?]

[Someone take that dude to a psychiatrist.]

Gunde’s stream is characterized by technical skills and a decent concept play.

With his hair styled slicked back with various hair products, he looked like a human sculpted from whipped cream, boasting quite an eye-catching appearance.

He seemed rather confident about his looks.

Sometimes his exaggerated reactions made viewers want to puke, but this had also evolved into a kind of meme.

There were few serious viewers who held any grudges against him.

There’s no controversy about his character, and he was already a user backed by solid skills.

To the viewers, he was just a local fool with some self-absorption.

“Today, I sent the form to the team, and now it’s Friede. This is a feast for both hands, everyone.”

[Still, I’m rooting for you this time, you jerk.]

[Let’s win and open up Friede’s lid.]

[I want to see you whining and squeezing if you lose.]

[If you win, you’ll be a hero.]

[If you lose, you’re a traitor.]

[For realㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

Gunde smiled.

It’s a good thing that such storylines are taking shape, so he felt quite pleased.

After all, a tournament isn’t just about participants battling each other and calling it a day.

Adding these stories makes everyone pay more attention.

In this industry where people live off interest, it could be seen as a reward.

“The feast of Friede…”

It would be a lie if he said he wasn’t curious.

This industry is a small world, after all, and he had already heard enough about her feats to skip the details.

“Now, if you know yourself and your enemy, you will win a hundred battles. Let’s analyze our Friede-chan’s play in depth.”

Getting analysis material on Friede is easy.

Her plays are scattered throughout the Soul Warfare gallery, Outven, and other various communities.

Clips, GIFs, and various materials proudly occupy the top of the conceptual posts.

[Friede Qualifying Match Analysis, this seems the most appropriate to watch.]

[All duels from the qualifiers are included.]

Following the viewer’s guidance, Gunde clicked on the conceptual post.

The first match featured a duel against Haldir.

The video segmented into perspectives of Haldir, Friede, and the spectators was impressive.

As Gunde watched the video, he forgot his usual mischievous smile.

“…She’s good.”

His expression had somehow stiffened.

[Is she that good? I’ve heard her name from everyone lately, but is she as good as the pro?]

[Only time will tell.]

[Do you think our sister Friede would lose to some nobody like Gunde? Nah!]

[Hey, moron, why are you coming here?]

[Evil guys! Get outta here!]

Ignoring the chaos in the chat, Gunde analyzed Friede’s every movement.

Haldir specializes in piercing thrusts, but Friede quickly grasped his opening.

An instinct like a wild animal. However, this match didn’t have much to analyze.

Annotations in analysis articles confirmed this point.

The key was the second match.

The opponent was also a Challenger-tier, and he recognized the ID.

Hathes99. Known as Hades.

“A fairly recognized player.”

He was around the 300th rank.

Did he lose to Friede as well?

Reviewing the video, it turned out Friede chose to defend for a change.

Friede wielded a straight sword and medium shield.

A vanilla, bland combination with no notable characteristics, unlike Hades’ Self Sword and his Eagle Wing weapon.

From their weapon choices, he expected a technical battle unfolding.

Friede charged first, leading with the shield.

As she lightly evaded a shield bash, the opponent, using quick steps, rapidly unleashed thrusts.

If Hades capitalized on the wide space with fast steps from all directions, Friede maintained minimal, concise defense.

Just as Gunde thought she would be pushed back, the situation flipped with an unexpected play.

—Boom!

Hades, frustrated and planning for a decisive move, was just about to set up a combo when Friede threw her shield with all her strength.

Throwing a piece of equipment like that isn’t usually meaningful.

If it hits the face, it only briefly obscures the vision and shows an opening, right?

But was she counting on that?

With the rhythm unexpectedly interrupted, Friede dove in explosively toward the now vulnerable Hades.

It was a true melee.

[Oh man, this is dizzying.]

[Wow, they’re exchanging blows so fast.]

[But why does it seem like Friede isn’t losing any health?]

Literally, Hades had significantly less health than Friede.

In a quick advance mode, she countered as much as possible without permitting strikes against her.

It seems that she isn’t just some user hoping for a lucky parry with her Broken Greatsword.

The analysis article noted that her style involved striking through detailed evasions while avoiding Super Large Weapons.

There were various analyses made about how to counter such a sneaky play.

With strategies like engaging in close combat using dual weapons or winning psychological warfare with a Katana…

So many discussions emerged, but he had long since set aside any careful analysis.

Gunde became absorbed in Friede’s video, leaving his chat unattended.

* * *

The main match proceeded without a hitch.

Of course, it was to paddle against the high tide of interest, but there were also specific circumstances shared only among industry insiders.

“The match between Friede and Gunde… I made the right choice putting them in the final set today.”

“The audience’s reactions have been all about Friede in this top 16.”

“Is it because of that feast bait?”

It’s not like some TS themed romance web novel site.

The highly popular female streamer, who appeared like a comet, was bringing a storm unheard of till now.

Friede’s feast, an unexpected bait.

A desire to see her face waged a fierce battle against the urge to hide away.

How on earth should he resolve this complicated feeling?

The STK marketing team leader stroked his smartphone pocket and looked up at the sky.

“Friede onee-chan….”

The clear sky, like a mockery of his conflict, was bright and sunny.

*

*

*

“Today finally is the last set of the main event! I’m sure many of you have been waiting for this moment. It’s the battle between Friede and Gunde!”

Finally, the 8th set of the day approached for Friede and Gunde.

It was the grand finale of the first day of this 16-strong tournament held over two days.

While the previous matches had shown remarkable skills, honestly speaking, they were merely appetizers for this moment.

“Oh, here comes Gunde! The player’s here!”

“Yes, Gunde. Rank 120 Challenger speaks for itself. He’s a candidate for the championship alongside Friede. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it’s a preview of the finals. It’ll be exciting to see what dance these two will showcase on this stage as a fellow user.”

“Plus, it’s a best-of-five! It’ll be even more fun to observe what strategies and weapons fit in a multi-match setup.”

[Gunde! I believe in you!]

[Friede, take him down!]

[Hey jerk! Gunde’s gonna smash your helmet!]

[Let’s watch you squeeze out your words of confidence, haha!]

[You’re our hero! Go Gunde!]

With a hand raised to the crowd, Gunde added a bit of showmanship.

The ultimate mysterious streamer.

The audience looked forward to Gunde revealing Friede’s face, sending him cheers and encouragement.

In that moment, Gunde appeared to be the embodiment of a hero.

And when the time came, everyone’s gaze shifted to the sky above.

[Here she comes!]

[Final boss is appearing!]

[Finally, you showed up!]

With jeers from the crowd, a golden shooting star fell from the sky.

Upon impact with the ground, blinding light burst forth, and the audience was ready to jeer as they always did.

Now there was the hero of light dressed in a golden cloak and shining silver armor…

[LOL, the cutscene and character creation look top-notch!]

[I saw someone post that in the forum… they say it costs thousands to implement properly.]

[Of course! You can’t create that using basic tools when you’re implementing with 3D labor!]

“Whew~.”

What a dazzling entrance.

He’d seen those GIFs a few times, but watching it live in the arena was a first.

Gunde admired Friede’s radiance.

“Looks like you crave attention as well.”

Feeling a hint of anticipation, he looked forward to how beautifully and dramatically they would clash.

And so began the blind pick.

Gunde boldly picked dual daggers.

The right-hand weapon was a Swordbreaker. The left was an Armorbreaker.

A so-called double-breaker combination.

Moreover, the armor was light leather armor.

“Alright, let’s play.”

He thought he would match her speed with quick attacks that made parrying difficult.

So far, Friede had shown technical play using spear, sword defense, and curved swords, making this a desperate tactic to match her.

“I would never use such a combination in ranked games.”

In a one-on-one battle, things were different.

Now, what weapon would you bring?

Gunde awaited confidently.

As the blind pick ended, both players’ weapons were revealed.

[?????????]

[What, what is that?]

[Hey, what the hell!]

[That… that idiot’s lost interest again!]

The weapon she chose was….

[Rapid-Fire Crossbow? Dual-wielding it?]

[What is she up to? You’re using that low accuracy weapon?]

[LOL, dual-wielding, that’s gonna be crazy.]

[She can shoot single shots, but can that hit Gunde?]

[Well, if she can just hit everything?]

[To hit with rapid-fire, she’d need to engage in close play, just why would she go with that?]

[Right now, Gunde is a bit of a disadvantage, it seems.]

A dual-wielding Rapid-Fire Crossbow from the crossbow line.

Everyone in the commentary team and audience was flabbergasted, but how confused must Gunde feel at that moment?

Due to the blind pick, Gunde had prepared his dual weapons considering Friede’s typical close combat style.

Now….

“The calculations aren’t quite right.”

Time mercilessly brushed aside the flustered Gunde, signaling the start of the match immediately.

As the match commenced, Friede charged straight ahead.

“Time for revenge against Forming!”

Countless bolts shot out rapidly.

Her play was an all-out assault from the very beginning.