---

* * *

Two days had passed since the broadcast of Hero Forming ended.

If I were to share my thoughts on it, her stream had a certain ‘quirkiness’ that made it enjoyable to watch.

Her voice was pleasant, her enunciation clear, and her ability to keep the commentary flowing was top-notch. Plus, she had an adorable appearance.

Most people watching her stream might not understand why she had fallen into the depths.

After finishing the opening match recap, I watched Hero Forming Da-young connect to Soul Warfare, lost in thought.

“Hero Forming…”

That curse was undoubtedly a power from another world that one could never see on Earth.

She didn’t seem to be from that world I had visited.

Of course, there could be more than one world out there.

If someone related to that other world existed on Earth, it would usually mean two things.

An outsider who came from that other world, or an Earthling who was summoned to that other world and then returned.

The streamer, Hero Forming, was definitely not an outsider but an Earthling.

“What should I do? Should I reach out?”

I spoke to myself, even though no one was there to answer.

If she exuded such a powerful curse, there must be a story behind it.

Moreover, it seemed she wasn’t even aware that she was cursed.

Yet, my hand didn’t readily go toward the option to meet her.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to just leave things as they are.

Wouldn’t it be enough just to offer some support?

Now that I had graduated from being a hero, it was about time to take a break.

“Is that really the right thing to do?”

The furniture in the MS Room, my reflection in the mirror stared back at me, questioning the void.

Is this really the right thing to do?

“……”

Perhaps it was that feeling of unease that this monotonous peace might shatter.

Humans are creatures of adaptation, but I knew that adaptation does not always occur in a positive direction.

It seemed this mindset had adapted in that way.

After returning to modern Earth, I had surprisingly melted into the bland peace of this world in such a short time.

“Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped my lips.

Had the hero truly become a pitiful coward?

Whether I meet her and have a good conversation to establish a connection, or if trouble brews and we become entangled in negativity…

When I encountered the streamer known as Hero Forming, I couldn’t predict what might happen.

For that silly reason… I turned away from someone in distress.

“Ah, was it just anxiety on my part?”

Worrying that I might stir up unnecessary trouble was just an excuse.

<Smack!>

I slapped my cheeks with both palms.

The sting made my face flush, but at the same time, my head felt clear.

“I’m a hero.”

If I had no idea at all, that would be fine, but since she had caught my attention, I couldn’t just leave it like this.

Ding!

The alarm from my smartphone snapped me out of my thoughts.

A notification popped up, announcing that Hero Forming’s broadcast was about to start.

I closed my eyes and awakened my lost senses.

The golden waves embracing my body surged within me, an overwhelming power capable of protecting the world erupted.

As soon as I opened my eyes, what surrounded me was the Hero’s Equipment that had reappeared after many days.

It seemed I had to return to being a hero once more.

* * *

[Hey, don’t monopolize the donation window, you damn Light Hero!]

[For real;;]

[Are you bragging because you have money, you damn idiot?]

[This is crazy, this is crazy.]

[Boohoo, I’m just a baby viewer who can’t eat because I have no money.]

[Beep-bop, there’s a broth that pours 200 into a trash stream?!]

Amid the mudslinging and curses in the chat, a new donation of 100,000 won appeared.

“Light Hero Friede donated 100,000 won!

Host, this is a fun broadcast. Are you going to play Soul Warfare today?”

“Oh, Light Hero? Thank you so much for the donation. It makes me want to cry. I’m enjoying Soul Warfare, and I’ll be switching to ranked games soon.”

Hero Forming Da-young couldn’t keep her head straight with the overwhelming donations coming from Light Hero.

Adding up all the money received, it was over 2 million won.

Such a sum was unheard of even before the summoning to the other world.

Donations during women’s streams usually contained some dirty requests.

Especially, those with a lot of money often contributed shady content as donations or missions.

Even though she valued every viewer, there were times she hesitated to send away those who made her heart feel heavy.

But this one was different. Even though the time was short, from the start until now, the interactions were like constellations adorning the sky, filled with pure encouragement and care.

There were no demands; even if the amount was excessive, it was certainly pure goodwill that couldn’t be overlooked.

Of course, it was also significant that they had donated so much that refusing was out of the question.

“Well, I feel I’ve received more than enough encouragement today. I’m going to close the donation window for a while.”

Having one person monopolizing too much would eventually become a problem.

Da-young deactivated the donation function and announced while logging into Soul Warfare.

“I’m going to jump into ranked games right now while it’s hot. Today, I’m definitely going to reach Master Rank.]

[Today definitely = Today I can’t do it.]

[For real LOL.]

[The closer Forming gets to Master Rank, the more she gets defeated like it’s a meal.]

“No, that’s not true. This time, I’m definitely reaching Master Rank, so everyone, just wait and see.”

Just as she was about to start the match, a light flashed from the corner message board, blinking.

‘Who could it be?’

It was a message board for donors, usable only once.

The contents were simple.

[‘Light Hero Friede’ has requested to party up.

Message: Get on the bus.

Will you accept? Y/N]

Caught off guard by the sudden duo request, she was left dumbfounded.

No, it was more accurate to say she was surprised by the familiar nickname.

‘Light Hero Friede.’

The newbie who joined this broadcast.

And the viewer who had just generously donated.

One who wore the title of hero just like herself.

‘Usually, I wouldn’t go for a viewer duo….’

Normally, she would politely decline, but given the large amount of money sent until now, it was expected to have tact.

Quickly snapping back to reality, Da-young searched the ID on the achievement site.

‘Master Rank. And a 92% win rate….’

The overwhelming stats made her feel uneasy. It should be fine, right?

Considering she was a Diamond Tier player, she could surely harmonize with the one asking who was now Master Rank…

[What? Forming is duoing?]

[Was that the guy earlier?]

[Oh, the opposing player’s a Master, there’s a good chance they’ll coordinate.]

[Viewer duo from donations? I’m starting the delivery from tomorrow.]

[How long has it been since we’ve had a viewer duo?]

[Light Hero, damn, a 92% win rate? What the hell!?]

[Is it a smurf account? No, that win rate makes no sense.]

[Forming’s really going to Master, huh?]

The sudden party request was so out of the blue that it felt absurd; it was undoubtedly an unexpected intrusion.

Yet, the viewers in the chat seemed to find it acceptable.

Well, am I in a position to deny anything right now?

Since returning to broadcasting, she had never once accepted duo or friend requests from streamers.

The viewer duo was an additional benefit depending on how the broadcast went.

Such unexpected elements were always welcome.

Hitting the accept button, a new hero appeared in the Soul Warfare lobby.

[Hero Forming: Oh?]

A silver armor adorned with golden lining.

A golden cloak flowing like a gentle breeze that reflected transparently behind her.

A beautifully designed helmet, with a visor covering her face.

This was different, exuding a nobility that seemed capable of saving even this dark, dystopian fantasy characteristic of Soul Warfare.

‘Was there such customization?

Customization, short for “custom-made.”

This refers to players designing their characters, outfits, equipment, appearance, and mounts themselves.

Using the customization features supported by Soul Warfare, one could style their current outfits and equipment, excluding weapons, much more stylishly.

Among those, the customizations made by those called exceptional ones boasted a quality that was hard to express in words.

The production company even bought the rights of the superlative customizations that ranked in the contests and sold them in the shop.

However, the item Da-young saw seemed something that couldn’t have been made in reality.

‘Even if I showed up as a hero…’

Would I possess such elegance?

Feeling a twinge of jealousy, the appearance of ‘Light Hero Friede’ revealed an overwhelming beauty that surpassed all the customizations Da-young had ever seen.

[Wow, that’s some amazing quality.]

[Light Hero is living up to the name.]

[That’s not even for sale in the shop.]

[Wow, that’s amazing!]

[Hey, Light Gay, if you’re watching, answer me. Are you thinking of selling that at the customization shop?]

I wasn’t the only one feeling this way.

After seeing the chat reactions, Da-young found herself smiling gently in welcome.

[Hero Forming: Hello, can I call you hero?]

[Light Hero Friede: Yes, nice to meet you.]

Was she modulating her settings or something? A voice laced with a slight echo flowed from the helmet.

Finally taking a look at her body type, the slender figure caught her attention.

Getting so distracted by the glitz of the armor, she hadn’t even noticed something so simple.

[Is that girl a woman?]

[Her voice is eargasmic! Oh god, I’m going crazy! Eargasm! Oh god, I’m going crazy!]

[The host doesn’t get overshadowed anywhere, but she’s really strong.]

[Say something amusing, Beach Noona!]

[Hey, just talk! We need to hear more of your voice.]

[Hero Forming: Everyone’s excited about your voice, Light Hero. Your voice is so lovely.]

Watching the flood of excitement in the chat, Da-young winked and spoke.

[Hero Forming: If you turned off the echo setting, the chat would probably crash immediately.]

[Light Hero Friede: You’re too kind.]

Her melodic voice tickled the ears.

What kind of expression lay behind that helmet that bore such a beautiful voice? How would she look?

In her imagination, the viewers might’ve been bursting with excitement, hearts racing at the thought of what her face might be like.

[Hero Forming: Well then, since the viewers are waiting, let’s get going, shall we?]

[Light Hero Friede: Yes.]

Once they formed a duo party, the match was found swiftly.

The other allies appeared in the pick-ban window.

Everyone had decent win rates.

Especially not having suspicious records of intentional trolling was a huge bonus.

In such matches, one had to do it right and splendidly, so Da-young sighed with relief internally.

The Twin Princess’s Greatsword.

The Lion Knight’s Greatsword.

The Giant Slayer’s Great Axe.

The Moulder’s Great Hammer.

The Great Blade of Betrayal.

The Portrayed Blade.

And a total of 12 weapons were banned altogether.

This was the ordinary sight of ranked matches where several OP or near-OP weapons were frequently banned.

Picks one, two, three, and four were completed, and finally, Da-young finished her fifth pick.

And then…

[Light Hero Friede: Forming.]

[Hero Forming: Yes, Light Hero.]

Suddenly being called out was puzzling.

Turning her gaze, she saw Light Hero staring intently at the pick menu.

Had she finished selecting her weapon?

Frozen on the screen, she was only gazing at one specific weapon…

[Light Hero Friede: This time….]

She said this.

[Light Hero Friede: I’ll try using the Broken Greatsword.]

Boom!

The unique sound of weapon selection rang out.

The chat flared at the weapon chosen by Light Hero, being the last pick of seven.

[Shadow123: What the hell?]

[Converge Thousand-Crane: Hey, you troll! Why are you screwing around here?]

[Gender Reversal: That crazy b*tch. Look at her record. She’s been running with that weapon all along, for real.]

[Namgoong Family: She’s insane LOL.]

[Cheonma Lighting: No one’s dodging? I’ll just rush in anyway, damn it LOL.]

Her pick shattered the team morale, obviously…

[Hey, what the fuck?! Taking the Broken Greatsword?]

[Look, a broken weapon, really?]

[What the hell, give me back my Broken Greatsword!]

[Light Hero, are you mad?]

[Hero hates me, I’m going to lose my mind.]

[As long as it’s not me, I’m good!]

[Right, we need a new plan.]

The chat crumbled alongside her pick.

[Hero Forming: Light Hero?]

Desperately calling out, Da-young found that Light Hero was just staring blankly ahead.

Speechless, Da-young simply was at a loss for words.

‘Is this…really a hero?’

* * *

 

---