Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 99

**Ravager**

This isn’t your typical title; it’s a first-person survival horror game released on PC.

Before virtual reality games took over, it was quite popular within the PC horror genre.

The plot revolves around a parricide who later regrets forcibly committing his demented parents to a mental hospital and returns to see them, which feels a bit off for a horror game.

After delaying due to trouble, he arrives at the strangely deserted mental hospital in the evening.

He, a former journalist, enters the hospital with nothing but a camcorder, for some reason, and no weapons.

Friede tilted her head at this somewhat ridiculous setup.

It felt oddly disjointed for a horror game.

“Is this really a horror game?”

“Yep.”

In response to Forming’s cheerful munching on snacks, Friede continued with the game.

As she approached the mental hospital, the front door was locked, so she entered by climbing over the wall through a side path.

The intro cutscene showed the protagonist entering the hospital with a determined expression.

Normally, the proper thing to do would be to turn around and run away.

Well, given that his parents were involved, there was no other choice.

But still, there was that unique sense of despair that comes from stepping into the pit of hell.

Once the game officially started, Friede first familiarized herself with the controls.

Not having studied the game beforehand, her attention to even the tiniest control details was as innocent as any new player.

As for her impression after reading through the controls… Having a means of defense in a survival horror game was quite unusual.

“I can push enemies like this. Does it deal damage?”

“That’s minimal. It briefly stuns them, and you should slip away during that moment. You’ll need to rely on running and hiding.”

“Got it.”

“You seem to know a lot?”

“I skimmed through a strategy guide earlier. Oh, let’s turn off the lights.”

As she switched off the lights, the now darker room set a perfectly gloomy atmosphere that matched the game’s tone.

The protagonist entered the hospital building. This was where the real game began.

[Oh, the newb phase is so precious… This is rare you know?]

[It’s really cringy @@]

[I want to eat the snacks Forming is munching on too]

[My mouth is watering, c’mon]

[Lol, I wonder how many tries it’ll take to clear this stage]

[There are quite a few traps early on, probably around 10 tries]

[Friede got skills, don’t you know? You don’t need that strategy guide.]

The chat was buzzing. Isn’t it usually the case?

It’s the viewers wanting to see a super-skilled streamer fail in another game.

With popcorn ready, they were closely watching every move Friede made, half guiding, half teasing.

Diving into numerous empty rooms, she started collecting items for her strategy.

Among them were some so-called “junk items,” but Friede eagerly stuffed everything into her pockets like a true hoarder.

Her frantic collection gave her away as a clueless newbie.

And it’s no surprise, considering the information gap was too vast.

Knowledge of strategies is what truly matters.

With Friede still learning the basics, expecting her to shine like a seasoned player was unrealistic.

Despite thoroughly searching and farming, all of her paths were blocked.

The doors weren’t just locked; they were jammed with numerous items and furniture, indicating it wasn’t a simple key-fetching scenario.

In such genres, one usually expects side paths or so-called escape routes, so she looked around.

And as predicted, she found one.

“Hmm, here it is.”

She entered the vent shaft.

Famous for its dynamic controls, the game captured the claustrophobia and dizziness of the enclosed space effectively.

“Ugh, I don’t like this.”

Forming complained and the chat reacted in kind.

[Ugh, I think I might throw up]

[Really filthy ㅡ뮤ㅡ]

[Is it this bad? You all seem weak]

[For real… it gets way worse later in the game, how will you handle it? lol]

“Feeling dizzy?”

“Not exactly, it just looks uncomfortable. It feels kinda eerie.”

“I get that.”

Keeping the viewers in mind, they quickly passed through the vent to reach the central lobby.

The bright lights felt eerie in the vast interior devoid of people.

This created quite an unsettling atmosphere.

[Lol, something’s coming]

[What’s that, you nerd?]

[Shut up, you clueless one]

Based on the chat reactions, it seemed like something was about to pop out.

If it’s a horror involving a mental hospital, sure, patients driven mad might appear as monsters?

In the next area, as Friede rummaged around, she absentmindedly opened the door to the next room.

And then….

—Creeeak!

As the door opened, a human head fell into view.

A cacophony of rusty noises erupted just as the head dangled right in front of her, startling the chat.

[Oh my god, I wasn’t ready for that]

[Dammit, I finally put the kid to sleep… ]

[What a horrible sight]

[You chose Ravager. Just endure the evil]

[Wow, now that’s a vibe]

[I wet my pants]

“That really scared me.”

“Oh wow.”

For someone claiming to be startled, Forming, calmly eating cookies, and Friede, focused on the game, looked unfazed.

Perhaps this was all designed to elicit thrill and fear…

“Sis, you’re way too calm.”

“You don’t seem that shocked either?”

“No, I mean you should show some reaction. It’s not just about how you feel; the reaction matters.”

Friede simply tilted her head at Forming’s finger-pointing criticism.

Why should she?

What could be dismissed as nonsense if most viewers caught on, but Friede believed in maintaining a sincere demeanor.

Is that why?

The current display of a hanging head didn’t evoke any genuine horror.

Compared to the calamities witnessed in this world, this was nothing but cute.

“This isn’t even scary. If you knew what I’ve seen, you’d pass out, Forming.”

[Forming’s probably feeling the same way]

[Reading a textbook scared me more lol]

[For real lol]

[But they’re both not reacting much. Most streamers get freaked out there]

[Friede and Forming… the Hero Sisters… ]

[Developers… crying so hard… ]

[What kind of past does Sensei have to be this unfazed? @@?]

What’s there to say? They were heroes.

Admitting her hero status to herself, Friede continued down the dark corridor.

The light from a room glimmered to illuminate the dim hallway, while the sounds of agonizing groans echoed around, making the room feel tense.

Was it because it’s the first part of the story?

For now, it was a pretty straightforward setup without any monsters.

“Ah, is this the patient ward? Is that the next area?”

“Yep, and then….”

Before Forming could finish her thought, the abrupt change occurred.

—Crash!

A monster of grotesque shape emerged with a thunderous noise.

It stood at human height.

But it was a grotesque mass, with the heads of an elderly couple fused together, resembling a chimera.

Recognizing the monster as her parents through the cutscene, Friede stepped back as the game resumed.

Friede focused her attention back on the unfolding game scenario.

Although the lumbering monster looked terrifying, it didn’t seem very threatening.

It wasn’t a daunting foe to confront.

But this game was horror-themed, and its essence centered around survival.

Meaning, she had no proper weapon to retaliate.

Holding just a camcorder and a wooden stick.

From what she heard, the weapon damage scaling was abysmal, so she had to make use of running and hiding.

But there was no way this game didn’t have any countermeasures.

Turning towards the second floor, Friede waited beside a fallen railing as the boss monster drew near.

‘Here it comes.’

As the boss approached, Friede’s reaction came first, before any attack.

Quickly manipulating the keys, as she closed the distance to the boss monster, the protagonist’s wooden stick came crashing down from above.

—Whack!

The absurdity of recording in real-time with a camcorder while striking with a stick.

However, the impact landed perfectly.

—Grrr!

The boss monster staggered back in agony.

She heard early on that all monsters could be briefly stunned with attacks.

Positioning herself to the left of the boss monster, she pushed straight towards it.

—Aargh!

Howling in pain, the boss monster gradually got pushed to the right.

At the end of its endeavor was the broken railing and the view of the first floor below.

The game featured a falling mechanic, so there was no surviving a drop from this height.

Friede thought optimistically about capturing the boss monster and moving to the next stage.

But just then, alarmed by Forming’s anxious shout.

“Wait, hold on!”

“Yeah?”

Alongside the boss monster that fell to its death below, familiar letters appeared on the screen.

Game Over.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

Wasn’t she supposed to catch the boss monster?

As the crimson letters hovered ominously on the screen, Forming exclaimed in disbelief.

“Ah, that’s not how it works.”

“Huh?”

“If you just stall, the event triggers and moves you to the next stage… What were you thinking? Honestly, it’s surprising that you caught it.”

What do you mean?

With an innocent expression, Friede asked.

“Aren’t we supposed to give our monster family peace?”

“Uh, no. This is a survival horror game.”

[Is this… horror?]

[Lol, from the parents’ perspective it’s horror]

[Your ability to deal with this is something else, Sensei]

[Mom and Dad are humans too! You gotta cherish them!]

[Their mental state is already at zero…]

[Stop it… that kind of taboo is no joke!]

[I want to break the sky… so I send off parents like the sky…]

[Physically, it’s tragically good]

“You’re lacking in horror sensitivity, sis.”

At Forming’s comment, Friede turned her head to avoid eye contact.

She simply kept clicking buttons on her headset, flapping her cute bunny ears.

—Flap flap.