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* * *

The official channel of SCK (Soul Warfare Champions Korea) by Trom Games Korea.

The chat, with more participants than a streamer’s broadcast, was on the brink of overwhelming chaos.

If one were to find a reason to watch the regular channel, it would probably be due to the inferiority complex that made them averse to the streamer’s commentary.

Trying hard to ignore the inferiority growing inside, Dayoung stuffed a snack into her mouth and chewed.

[Sh*t, Warden’s Katana is out!]

[Keep an eye on this, the new katana is traditional fantasy!]

[If TK loses here, they’re screwed, right? How the hell did they beat STK this season?]

[The current comp isn’t exactly great for katana plays.]

[Legendary vibes, Kitta!!]

[For real.]

The signature picks of professional gamers always set the chat ablaze.

Star player Warden was no exception.

[Ah, Warden’s katana pick, and he’s using the “Split Blade.” TK clearly underestimated the nerfed katana and Warden combo.]

[That’s why TK absolutely has to win this game. Losing after unbanning the nerfed katana could wreck the players’ mentality.]

The commentary desk was just as heated.

His signature weapon is the katana. When he picks the unique “Split Blade,” he’s known to hard carry effortlessly.

TK, facing off against STK, wasn’t weak either. After finishing as runners-up last season, they rallied a dream team shouting to take down STK.

But if Warden has brought the katana pick…

‘The first match might be a bit predictable…’

Even she could see that Warden’s gameplay had a distinctly exceptional quality.

A game understanding that outclassed others.

One might say he had the flair for a super play.

If carrying and throwing are just a hair’s breadth apart, his ability to close that gap speaks volumes.

That led her to ponder.

If I could wield the Hero’s Power as I pleased, would I stand there too?

As the bans and picks concluded, the camera shifted to the audience while the commentary desk heated up analyzing each team’s strengths.

It’s a usual practice to scan the audience briefly before the game starts. As the camera panned, numerous people came into view.

There were those cosplaying characters from the Soul Warfare story mode, fans cheering for their teams, and even famous professional players from other teams.

Was it because it was the opening match?

As she thought, “This match is rich in content, whether it’s the players, the audience, or the game itself,” suddenly…

“…Huh?”

At the moment the camera stopped at a certain point, all voices from the commentary desk and the arena fell silent like a machine cut off.

Typically, when entertaining or unique audience members appear on camera, the commentary desk reacts.

However, the woman caught on camera was watching the match with an utterly serene expression.

Some people tend to jump in surprise when the camera catches them, but her demeanor was astonishingly calm and composed…

If someone were next to her, they might be tempted to feel a bit spiteful.

But her mesmerizing charm left little room for viewers to even think of such thoughts.

With porcelain-like smooth white skin, and blonde hair that seemed dipped in pure gold, her eyes visible behind colored glasses were enough to captivate everyone.

After lingering on her for what felt like too long, she finally removed her colored glasses.

Bright sapphires shone in the dark auditorium.

With a slight hand gesture that seemed to indicate, “Get lost, please,” her flowing blonde hair moved like water.

Having lived the hero life for a year, surviving every imaginable trial and tribulation, even she found this overwhelming, let alone anyone else.

“Huh? Huh?”

The chat erupted into a frenzied barrage, reminiscent of a bullet hell game.

[Noona! Noona! Noona! Noona! Noona! Noona! Noona! Noona! Noona! Noona! Noona! Noona!]

[What the hell? What’s the cameraman doing? Quickly turn the camera to Noona!]

[Who’s Noona? SCK goddess! Who’s Noona? SCK goddess! Who’s Noona? SCK goddess! Who’s Noona? SCK goddess!]

[There’s none of that, you noobs!!!]

[That’s the Noona you wanted!!! No more!!!]

[Extreme]

[Absolutely!!!!]

[Lock]

[Noona’s huge chest is too big.]

[Even if you want it!!]

[Extreme]

[I’m saying you won’t see it!!]

[Sex]

[Wahh, I’m a baby noob, let Noona feed me!]

“Whoa…”

The screen was buffering due to the excessive chat rush.

Eventually, the stream crashed under the pressure, and a stunned sigh escaped Dayoung’s lips as she watched.

The highly anticipated SCK Spring Season opening match that all industry officials had orchestrated had been comedically marred by a downed regular channel due to the overwhelmed chat.

* * *

Warfare Mark Virtual Reality PC room.

One of the facilities for E-sports fans visiting to watch matches at Warfare Mark.

‘Isn’t the fan meeting zone usually bustling with events like signings or interviews after a match?’

Choi Hyunsoo, who was working part-time here, chuckled inwardly at the unusual scene rarely seen at this place.

Normally vibrant, it felt oddly quiet today, both for the staff and the customers.

It was likely due to the woman engrossed in a game over there.

‘She’s even prettier than when I saw her on the stream.’

The one who caused the broadcast to crash for ten minutes during the Soul Warfare league opening match.

Maybe that’s why the fans, who should have been buzzing in the fan meeting zone, were oddly subdued today, resembling a group of tranquilized zombies.

Despite it being a match between STK and TK, a surefire duel guaranteed to be entertaining, the awkward silence and atmosphere were focused entirely on that woman.

Of course, even if the mood was different, work wasn’t lessening. If anything, it felt even busier than usual peak hours…

Hyunsoo occasionally glanced up at the lone monitor-dedicated lady, whose eyes were glued to the screen.

Honestly, it would be a lie to say it wasn’t his type.

He wondered if such stunning beauty could even be achieved through extreme photo-editing of a model.

Ding~!

A bell rang at the counter.

It was the usual alert for when someone ordered food or drinks.

While tidying up the dishes, he noticed Minsoo’s face light up.

It didn’t take long to realize that the new order was from the lady he had previously served.

A simple can of cola. An order that couldn’t be more plain.

Navigating through the crowd to her table, he seized the opportunity to observe her closely.

‘Did she dip her hair in gold or something?’

It didn’t look like a color done with dye.

Even Hyunsoo, who had seen many foreigners, had never seen blonde hair like that.

For a moment, he even wondered if he should ask her to let him pluck a strand.

Of course, that thought was absurd, but he couldn’t help it while looking at that flowing golden hair.

“Here’s your ordered cola.”

He managed to sound as friendly as possible.

Was it a reaction to the arrival of the cola or his voice?

The slight upturn of her lips felt like she was accustomed to playing with the hearts of men.

“…Yes.”

A delicate and lovely voice matching her appearance.

However, there was no flow to evolve from there.

‘That’s only natural.’

After all, they were in a customer-server relationship. But perhaps feeling reluctant to leave, Hyunsoo found himself questioning what that glowing woman was up to.

‘Huh?’

Fortunately, he swallowed his surprise into silence, but his heart rate was still racing.

‘Master?’

The woman’s account logged into the Soul Warfare website.

The mark next to her ID decorated with golden wings and a helmet was definitely the Master Rank.

Soul Warfare is a PVP action RPG where players engage in combat.

Due to the genre characteristics, it’s particularly popular among men.

As is often the case with these kinds of games, they tend to be more challenging for women.

Especially compared to the previous mainstream game, Legendary Duel, where the difference was even more pronounced.

In reality, when women played Soul Warfare, they often prioritized customizing their characters to showcase their beauty.

That’s when she said.

“Oh, you’re still here. Great! I want to switch to that virtual reality seat.”

Having been submerged in something on her monitor, she turned her head to make the request, startling Hyunsoo.

“Ah, yes! You can go to seat 12 and log in there.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Entering the dedicated 1-person room set up as seat 12.

‘Is she a streamer or something?’

For a girl with that appearance to be in Soul Warfare…

The reason he thought she might be a streamer was simply the connections made by his well-trained brain.

With looks like hers, anyone would surely be throwing donations and licking the monitor.

Beautiful people like that are welcomed anywhere as content themselves.

She seemed like a prime candidate for a corporate streamer or something even bigger.

“Hyunsoo! Order at table 43!”

“Ah, yes!”

At the shout from the boss at the counter, Minsoo hurriedly left his spot, reluctantly torn away from the moment.

Nevertheless, perhaps due to lingering emotions, he glanced back.

While the character was wearing a helmet, he couldn’t see for sure, but he couldn’t help but wonder if she’d customized her character skin based on her own face.

What kind of character would be born if she scanned herself and customized a skin?

It was indeed a devious and smelly thought, but it had also planted a subtle smile on Hyunsoo’s face.

A classic symptom of early infatuation.

* * *

The game was tightly contested but ultimately wrapped up with STK’s 2:1 victory.

“Nice job.”

Reflecting on the fact that if I ever faced these players in a challenger tier, it would be tough leading like this, they showcased impressive skills.

In the top-tier Challenger, the prowess of the pros?

There’s another match coming up, but thinking this was a solid round to enjoy, I decided to leave the arena.

Maybe it was because everyone was in the arena, but the lobby felt deserted compared to right before the opening, so I headed straight for the Warfare Mark PC room, as was only natural.

Out of mere curiosity about how much a PC room has changed after ten long years.

And if I were to share my impressions, indeed, just like ten years ago, the world and the PC rooms have changed a lot.

Nowadays, it almost feels like family restaurants are doubling as PC rooms—what a strikingly rich menu composition!

Even during my time, the level was restaurant-like, but now it seems questionable if they hired a chef.

Not only the usual PCs but also VR devices are equipped and range from single rooms to eight-person suites—what more could I ask for!

After ten years, I confidently believed the PC room had touched my heart with a gentle sense of nostalgia.

Eventually, all I ordered was a single can of cola.

And thus, I began a game on the virtual reality device that was gradually nearing its end.

Whoosh―!

Activating super armor to nullify the whip’s impact, I performed a bold strike to take down an enemy who staggered back.

Without needing to chase, I threw a throwing weapon for a clean headshot.

Why does this even feel somewhat like FPS?

“Surely, controlling this long sword is more comfortable.”

If I had been wielding a Broken Greatsword, the penalty would have prevented me from using a throwing weapon.

Anyway, after dealing with the last enemy player of the opposing team and extinguishing the giant bonfire, the last objective, I wrapped up the second round with a victory.

As the win proudly appeared on the screen, I eased up slightly.

Time was edging closer to 9 PM. Perhaps it was time to get up.

As I exited the one-person room after disconnecting from virtual reality, I was briefly taken aback by the crowd waiting for me.

“Wow! You played really well!”

“Did you only use a long sword until now? That can’t have been your main weapon, right?”

“Did you customize a skin based on your face scan?”

“Once you win a little more at Master Rank, you might reach Grandmaster, huh?”

“Noona, why don’t you use dual swords?”

“Do you have any thoughts about becoming a pro?”

Ah, hold on a minute.

‘Oh, they must have been livestreaming my gameplay.’

Since I was playing virtual reality in a public place, user activity was broadcasted live to prevent any unforeseen incidents.

I realized this only now. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have hopped into VR.

For now, organizing the torrent of questions, I forced a soft smile and said.

“I’m not thinking of going pro. I just play around with long swords and two-handers.”

“Can you share your ID with us? Why did you keep it hidden?”

“Why were you wearing a helmet?”

Look at these kids.

It turns out the decision to hide my ID and wear a helmet was the right call.

If I hadn’t, this situation would have been exponentially more embarrassing.

“Ah, I’m a bit shy about revealing that…”

“I’m a Diamond, and I’m challenging for Master Rank. Can I ask if you have a specific build or setup?”

“There’s nothing special about my build. It’s just a pure dexterity focus.”

And…

And so…

Hence…

As they continued to chatter non-stop, it felt like a flock of chicks begging for food.

Of course, they weren’t cute little birds distinctly like chicks but rather rambunctious kids—or gamers absorbed in Soul Warfare.

As time went on, the overwhelming attention that kept pouring in made me feel like I should start to leave.

“Ugh~.”

With a subtle sigh of relief as I calculated my final bill, I quickly exited Warfare Mark.

If I were to return to a PC room, it should be somewhere private where my gameplay isn’t broadcasted.

If there’s none, then I’d prefer to game at home.

Being a hero, it felt wrong to ignore the people’s interest like this.

Wouldn’t it be easier to just recite a prayer surrounded by demons rather than facing this?

Isn’t this also the trials and fate of a hero?

‘Perhaps…?’

* * *

 

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