Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 77

Chapter 15: The Power of the Hero

“Hehehe… heehee.”

In the middle of a room that relied solely on the flickering light of the monitor, Ah-Jin couldn’t hold back her giggles.

Her sister won!

Feeling as if Friede’s victory was her own, she clenched her tiny fist in triumph.

Yeah, how dare those random ranked players lay a hand on her!

Those weeds, whether lotus or just plain grass, would end up like all the ranked players Friede had defeated thus far.

Imagining that brought even more delight, and a smile grew wider on her face.

It was the legend of her unbeaten sister racing towards a perfect victory.

Knowing this would make for great content, Ah-Jin tirelessly moved the mouse and pounded on the keyboard.

Because….

“I’m… the exclusive editor.”

The one and only presence behind the Friede channel, and today, there was a flood of raw footage to process.

Having become Friede’s exclusive editor, Ah-Jin was living days filled with fulfillment.

Not only about the money but always wanting to do this alongside her sister, who had also stolen her heart.

There was no room for complaints in her mind.

Drip, drip.

“Oof.”

An alien sensation trickled down her nose, heating the area around her lips.

With red blood flowing from her nose, she hurriedly stuffed a tissue up her nostrils.

Why did her head hurt so much?

Had she been overdoing it lately? Well, considering her sleep time had decreased, that made sense.

‘I… don’t want to stop… but…’

Though it might come off as desperate obsession, she didn’t see it that way.

Obsession was something only those loser streamers would do.

‘I’m… different.’

Ah-Jin lifted her head and stared at the monitor screen.

Friede777 channel.

The bond and sense of belonging shared among heroes took shape in her channel.

An editor’s role is to refine and polish the videos posted on this channel.

‘I am…’

Here to highlight her sister’s amazing aspects above all else.

Transforming a diamond raw stone into a jewel through extreme craftsmanship.

As the videos were uploaded, the channel became even more lively.

The great endeavor of rescuing heroes, which her sister had mentioned before.

Her heart swelled with excitement at the prospect of contributing to that.

So, there was no way she could stop.

Ah-Jin got up from her seat and snapped her fingers.

At that, a clone of Ah-Jin naturally sat down at the empty computer spot to continue editing.

24-hour infinite power using her clone.

Even if she couldn’t use the Hero’s Power, she could pull off stunts like this.

As long as she had the strength to hit the keyboard and move the mouse, she could manage even if her physical strength felt like that of flimsy tissue paper.

It was just that she could only lament about her broke reality.

‘If only I had… a million computers…’

Ah-Jin’s multiple clones shared the same sense and way of thinking as her main self.

If each one had a computer, they could edit dozens of videos simultaneously.

Then it happened.

—Ding Dong!

“Oof!”

Instinctively shrinking back, Ah-Jin soon recalled her prior appointment and opened the door.

When the door opened, there stood…

“What’s up, why are you bleeding from your nose?”

Da-Young exclaimed in disbelief.

Should she just close the door?

Of all times for her to show up. She felt an urge to hide in a mouse hole.

Though she wanted to brush her off, Ah-Jin forced herself to compose her feelings.

What could she do?

After all, the important item was in the hands of this annoying person standing in front of her.

“Ge… come in.”

“Huh, what?”

Seeing the host of the room with a nosebleed and using tissues to stop it, Da-Young clicked her tongue as she stepped inside.

The thick curtains reminded her of a wall.

Clutter all around, snack wrappers, plastic bottles.

A dark space with no light other than the monitor.

“Geez, this is something else.”

A total recluse, isn’t she?

Shaking her head, Da-Young turned on the light, squinting from the sudden brightness invading the room.

Looking at the state of things, one would think a demon haunted this place.

The clone that popped out of Da-Young’s bag just laughed at the sight.

“If only a year passed like this, Ah-Jin would turn into a total pig, what a pity!”

“Shut up. Well, you’re not wrong, but what’s with the state of your room? Clean up!”

“I… I’ll do it. Just give it to me… quickly.”

“Well, since you live here, it’s your job to handle it. Sigh, whatever.”

It’s not like she lived there too, and she wouldn’t be visiting again anytime soon, so there was no need to nag too much.

“Here, take this.”

Da-Young handed over a small brooch.

It had the cheap details of a roadside vendor, but there was something special about it—the brooch itself emitted a faint light.

In a place devoid of any lighting effects, the physical object seemed to project its own existence, making Ah-Jin’s hand tremble slightly as she received it.

“Ah—!”

The warm breath of spring soaked into her hand.

If this wasn’t a miracle, then what could one call it—the fading of the demon king’s malice that had been tightening her heart?

“Yes, this is the feeling! I was like this originally!”

Her nosebleed had already stopped.

No more stuttering or shyness.

The surge of power capable of changing the world shot through her body.

The true Hero’s Power that defeated the Demon King!

“This is what it means to be a hero! This is the real me!”

“Hehe, is our Ah-Jin totally high now?”

Ignoring the jabs from her laughing clone, Ah-Jin trembled with rapture as she felt the sensations of her peak moments when she shattered the Demon King’s crown.

As for Da-Young, she observed with a nonchalant hmm while watching Ah-Jin’s ecstatic dance of joy liberated from the demon king’s curse.

Is that what the true essence of this nerdy girl is?

‘Well, she is strong…’

Not as much as her sister, but….

Before meeting Ryu Ah-Jin, Da-Young had struggled to properly grasp the power gap among heroes.

After all, her points of comparison were only Friede and Jisehee.

Jisehee had declared herself ‘a hero who surpassed limits’.

Considering the performances she had witnessed, it was hard to think of her as an ordinary hero.

In comparison, seeing Ryu Ah-Jin, Da-Young felt she could clearly grasp the level of “ordinary heroes”.

Hero abilities varied based on the unique traits honed in this world, but the total amount of their power was….

‘Comparable.’

What does that mean?

It hinted that the time attack was coming to an end.

“Ho, hooo….”

“1 minute… about the duration, it’s pretty similar to mine.”

As the light from the brooch faded, the previously empowered Ah-Jin crumpled onto her seat, trembling all over.

A nagging urge surfaced, wanting to recapture that sweet taste of power she had briefly experienced.

Yet, not wanting to go outside or face people stood in her way, causing her to instinctively start biting her nails.

“You… you are….”

“I was the same. It’s the experiment that sister mentioned.”

What was that important item, and the details to check made Da-Young come all the way to Ah-Jin’s home….

Fortunately, the results weren’t bad at all.

“Is there… more?”

“Hehe, our Ah-Jin’s become quite the addict, hasn’t she? Why not tell Jisehee about it and have her train you, Da-Young?”

“Sh-shut up.”

With a timid middle finger raised, Da-Young sat down on the bed beside her, feeling a headache coming on as she watched her chuckling clone.

Well, she had one more important thing to address….

“What are you going to do?”

“What… do you mean?”

“Are you really going to move into that house?”

“Y-yeah. It’s nice, and… cheap.”

Moving… home.

Just thinking about it made Da-Young scratch her head lately.

Why?

Because Sister Sehee had suggested that she should move into her house.

And the hero recruitment thing…. Well, that was said in earnest.

But wasn’t it too sudden to be pushing for it now?

Seeing Da-Young hesitate, her clone slapped her thigh in frustration and exclaimed.

“Seriously, you’re still thinking about that? What’s there to ponder about, Da-Young? If you don’t catch the Jisehee coin now, when will you? Heck, I want to piss in a fine wine glass in a spacious house.”

“Hmm. On the surface, it’s not a bad deal….”

The project her sister had been pushing for lately.

The so-called ‘rescue for heroes’ also encompassed the bit of unchaining other heroes who were suffering under the laws of Earth.

It seemed like a risky endeavor, but looking at Ah-Jin right now, there were certainly those who couldn’t lead normal lives without the Hero’s Power….

‘I can’t completely ignore it.’

Ah-Jin’s condition, regardless of fondness or disdain, certainly appeared problematic.

Whether caused by the demon king’s curse or the goddess’s mandate, being a fellow hero, it was tough to just brush it aside.

No, Da-Young herself had a past filled with pain under the demon king’s shards, hadn’t she?

Had her Hero’s Power remained during that time, she wouldn’t have had to suffer under such a pathetic curse.

‘But I have to consider the cases where they rely solely on strength…’

The one providing that power would be her sister, so if it came to it, she could always retract it.

Thus, she had been trying two methods experimentally.

The first choice was to receive power through a medium.

The brooch handed to Ah-Jin was part of that process.

But as seen, it barely lasted for just 1 minute.

Leaving her with only the second option.

The one called…

‘Creating a hero housing project….’

To always be near Friede and Jisehee for recharging them.

That was the proposal for moving.

“Don’t… you want to be with your sister?”

“Uh, not yet.”

It wasn’t just something she hadn’t settled on.

In a time when housing prices were skyrocketing, she felt tempted by the idea of getting a good house for free….

“I’m leaving. Come on, let’s go, clone.”

“Already heading out?”

Grabbing her whining clone, Da-Young hurried her preparations to leave.

Not wanting to show that nerd her struggling thoughts, she moved with even more haste.

“Ah, if only I had just 5 more minutes… 3, no, 2 minutes at least….”

“Well, I guess. If only sister didn’t lack power, things could last 10 minutes or even a day… huh?”

She stiffened!

“Wha-what? Why… what’s up with that?”

“Uh, n-nothing. I’m heading out.”

“Well, okay then.”

—Creak!

The door closed, and while shoving her clone back into her bag, Da-Young returned home.

In the midst of Friede’s semifinals and the finals about to start, a small doubt flickered in her mind.

‘Was the 1-minute duration of the brooch… truly due to Sister Sehee’s limitations?’

Or perhaps, did she deliberately… hold back her strength….

“No way….”

“Wha-what’s the matter, Da-Young?”

“N-nothing.”

“How dull.”

So absurd was the thought that Da-Young celebrated with a smirk while rejecting that premise.

Though little did she know, that notion would continuously spark in her mind, adding fuel to the fire.

* * *