Chapter 39: Islamic Warrior Streamer

The chat noise was pushed aside for a moment as I logged into Soul Warfare.

It was a bit of a malicious act to tease the viewers, but this kind of attention had a certain charm to it.

I couldn’t do it often, though.

When the loading finished and my sight was restored after the blackout, the view of the grand castle, adorned with a red sunset, caught my eye.

In Soul Warfare, even the same place can have different points of appreciation.

Sometimes, the sky shows a clear blue, it rains, or the sunset occurs—ordinary weather changes depending on the time of day.

The player runs through the grand castle, and its majestic architecture, thanks to these changes, shows off its colorful beauty.

It might seem like just a simple game, but the dreamy and mythic grandeur of the background is one of the key elements that increases the game’s popularity.

Seeing such picturesque views automatically makes me whistle in admiration.

‘That world wasn’t lacking in architecture either, but… The world I visited as a warrior was different from Earth, and if I were to compare atmospheres, it’s closer to Soul Warfare’s setting.’

The existence of the castles built on massive mountains in that world was one of the few things I admired when I was first thrown into that world.

Perhaps this thought came to me because, instead of the usual gloomy dark clouds, the view was now bathed in a warm sunset.

I might be feeling a little sentimental now.

“Today, the lobby screen has a nice atmosphere. Normally, the dark clouds were gloomy, but now, the sunset is setting.”

[The sunset… is setting.]

[Just McC… Ugh!]

[Shh! Don’t say that name here.]

[It’s a rare scene, the room owner is lucky.]

[BearCharcoalMaterialPooh donated 10,000 KRW! Sis, don’t move, just stay still. I want to take a picture.]

The sunset light wrapped around the red curtains, and a different donation appeared.

“Want to take a picture?” That probably means… a screenshot?

When I first saw the donation message, I hesitated for a moment on whether to refuse, but I quickly shook off the thought, realizing it was pointless.

‘I’ve been captured and preserved countless times while playing the game, so what’s the point of taking another shot in the lobby screen?’

Instead, I thought, this is possible because of the virtual reality.

‘The reality is so impressive that there’s no need to struggle and take photo shoots outside, right?’

[BearCharcoalMaterialPooh donated 5,000 KRW! Mom, can you do another pose?]

Without hesitation, the answer slipped out.

“OK.”

“Confirm.”

I gave a short reply, took my broken greatsword, switched the camera angle, and struck a light pose.

In such a scenic setting, a flashy pose would only ruin it.

I wanted to keep it natural and simple.

I planted the broken blade into the ground, resting one hand on the hilt like a staff, and stood there.

It captured a decent atmosphere.

[This guy, Mo Hanu.]

[Hey, don’t you play ranked games anymore?]

[Did you suddenly catch celebrity syndrome? What’s going on?]

[I like it. It’s rare to see a sunset in Soul Warfare’s lobby.]

[Sis strikes a pose and it looks like a painting.]

[Before the door opened, I almost froze to death, but the sunset warmed me up.]

[Anyway, it’ll disappear in 10 minutes, so just enjoy the view… It’s not easy to see the sunset in the lobby.]

[I’ve played Soul Warfare for over a year, and I’ve only seen the sunset in the lobby about three times.]

[I’m clipping this. This is nice to watch.]

“Does it disappear in 10 minutes?”

[Didn’t you know?]

[The default is dark and gloomy, but sometimes you see a starry sky, sunset, or sunrise, but it doesn’t last more than 10 minutes.]

[Are you part of the community or not?]

[Is that broken sword used to train the other players?]

“No, the lobby view doesn’t change, right? So, this sunset will disappear in 10 minutes, too?”

[Yes, sis, it’s been around 7 minutes, so there’s not much left.]

[Tron Games, those jerks, fix the lobby sunset to stay for my sister!]

[The sunset… is really setting.]

[3 minutes left. Haha.]

[Ah! Soul Warfare’s essence is the deep, dark gloom. What’s all this sunset nonsense, like some gay romance?]

[The Soul Warfare my sister plays… it’s traditional romance, you jerks.]

‘It seems like 10 minutes isn’t enough to enjoy this scene.’

‘I wish it could last a little longer.’

I checked the information and glanced through other messages, and now there’s only about 1 minute left.

While watching the sunset slowly fade, I tried to soothe my regret.

[BearCharcoalMaterialPooh donated 5,000 KRW!]

“Thank you, Noona. The picture turned out great.”

[Did that little brat really not use it commercially?]

[If our Pooh really wanted to be a bear product, he would do it. Haha.]

[Hahaha, our Noona is gonna get exploited and have her gallbladder harvested.]

“Already over? That’s a shame, but… oh well.”

‘Just as I was about to wrap things up and log into ranked matches, an odd thought struck me like a lightning bolt, racing down my spine.’

Ah, me, having such thoughts in this atmosphere…

I quickly shook off the feeling and gave the camera a gentle smile.

“How about we have a little service time, considering this is the last?”

[What service?]

[We only have 3 minutes left. Let’s heat up some curry.]

[I want jajangmyeon.]

[We don’t have much time left.]

“I like the sunset the most too. I wish I could watch it with you, Noona.”

[Stop spamming, you idiot.]

I adjusted the panel to change the camera angle.

Naturally, it made it look as if I was staring at the sunset, my figure slowly gazing at it from behind.

From the viewer’s perspective, they saw my shadowed back.

***

At that moment, a cool evening breeze blew, making the golden cape hanging on my back ripple.

And then…

“Fuuu.”

I took off the helmet that had been covering my head, and the cool breeze added to the refreshing feeling.

[Wait, did you just take off your helmet?]

[Oh shit, turn your body around, brat.]

[Noona!!!!!!!!]

[Season 21 request for a close-up!]

[LastWish has donated 5,000! Please, Noona, look this way!!]

[TickleMyTummy has donated 10,000! Don’t run away! Turn your body!]

The sunlight was about to disappear.

Right before sunset, the golden cape matched with my pure blonde hair, which began to shine on its own, illuminated by the fading light, giving the illusion that the sky was brightening.

I turned my head slightly just before the sunset completely disappeared, capturing one last view.

For the viewers, they probably only caught the brief glimpse of my eyes as I turned.

That’s enough of a tease for them.

“Service over.”

I pressed my helmet back on, and at that moment, the sunset completely disappeared, and the gloomy, dark sky typical of Soul Warfare returned.

The sky was filled with dark clouds, and the desolate wind swept across the barren land.

Then, the chat exploded like an active volcano, spewing all its pent-up magma.

[Hey, stop being cute and do a real close-up.]

[That pose was nice, but… thumbs down.]

[Noona had blonde hair?]

[Is it her character design? She could have dyed it or something.]

[If this was a pre-game, I’d say it was my favorite, but still… Nah.]

[Goddamn, the way you were teasing… I hate that feeling of almost seeing something.]

[Noona… please give us more service… please.]

[Service? Get real.]

[Soul Warfare is all about the dark, gloomy stuff. Stop with the sunset romance nonsense.]

[Our Noona’s Soul Warfare is… true romance, damn you all.]

Seeing all these reactions, I knew exactly what gesture to make.

Just like before, I formed a V with my fingers and stuck out my tongue slightly between my lips.

The magma that erupted from the chat now seemed like it was going to evaporate the entire ocean.

[LastWish has donated 8,000! Show us, show us, show us, show us!]

[ZikTheGarterBelt has donated 7,000! Close-up, ‘please’! Close-up, ‘please’!]

[MyMidirWhoEatsNuna has donated 8,000! Take off your helmet, Noona!!!]

[SweeterThanHoney has donated 8,000!]

“Enough, enough, everyone calm down.”

The words of “Friede” were meaningless in this moment.

My feeble attempt to calm things down wasn’t stopping the flames.

In fact, it was just adding fuel to the fire.

It was clear to anyone that I wasn’t trying to calm things down at all.

My slight smirk showed that very well.

“I need to start ranked soon, so can we stop the excessive donations?”

[MyMidirWhoEatsNuna has donated 5,000! No, I’m not stopping. I’ll keep donating.]

[ZikTheGarterBelt has donated 5,000! Looks like Noona’s getting some sweet donation money. Heh.]

Saying I couldn’t start ranked games because of donations was ridiculous.

I could simply disable the donation feature.

But still, they kept doing it… yeah, it was definitely just a provocation.

“If you keep doing this, I have my ways too.”

I knew exactly how to deal with this.

Showing something once is nothing compared to teasing them with just a hint.

The more they worry, the more mistakes they make.

I had prepared ‘that item’ before the broadcast, and now it was the perfect time to bring it out.

[Keep donating, I’ll keep talking.]

[Everyone, gather round!]

[You think we’ll just be satisfied with seeing a little teaser?]

[Please, Noona, I really want to see it!]

Right at that moment…

“Okay, if you insist…”

In an instant, Friede’s outfit changed.

“I’ll show you.”

The beautiful armor and golden cape that once represented hope in the dark world of Soul Warfare were no more.

[What… is this?]

[I’ve seen this on the news!]

What appeared was a full-length garment that covered up to the ankles, with mesh covering the eyes.

There was no trace of human skin; the elegant warrior’s armor only showed at the ankle.

“Until the chat calms down, I’ll act as an Islamic warrior streamer. All of you, feast your eyes on my glorious hijab.”

The broken greatsword had mysteriously disappeared, and now I held a curved sword shaped like a crescent moon.

[What the hell, hahaha, this is dizzying.]

[What is this?]

[Please, go back to being the warrior of light.]

[Forming has donated 5,000! Noona, that’s a burqa, not a hijab.]

The late critique felt so hollow.