Chapter 13: Interest Makes Even Heroes Dance

Soul Warfare, a virtual reality action RPG game, allows motions identical to real-life movements.

Perhaps that’s why there are so many slapstick videos of Soul Warfare on YouTube.

At first, I wondered what all the fuss was about, but who would have thought I’d also end up tangled in its web?

Whoosh!

A piercing sound cuts through the air as a projectile approaches.

Twisting my head, I dodge the thrusting spear and leap upward like a coiled spring.

[Hero of Light, Friede: Kiyoooot!]

With an echoing and bizarre yell, I shout.

In an inverted position with my head down and my body and legs pointing upward, my spinning motion resembles a coiled spring rapidly unwinding.

Thwack!

Guided by the rotation of my body and arms, the blade of my broken greatsword slices cleanly through my opponent’s neck.

As the kill mark appears, the chat window erupts with comments, drowning my ears in electronic voices.

[TheString: “Mission accomplished! ‘Shout kiyoooot, jump, and get an aerial kill’ completed! ₩100,000 has been transferred!”]

[That’s totally Super Mario, that thing lol]

[Jumping and scoring kills mid-air is the ultimate move!]

[Stop suggesting weird missions, you maniacs!]

[What new mission should we assign next?]

[How about forcing two consecutive falls with Windmill?]

[This is it lol]

Seeing the cheeky banter in the lively chat, I smile in satisfaction.

‘Now, what insane mission awaits me next?’

***

[Hero Forming: “How did you do that just now? Is something like that even possible in the game?”]

[Hero of Light, Friede: “If you keep jumping, you’ll get the hang of it soon.”]

[Hero Forming: “If that worked, everyone would’ve mastered it by now. Just look at the lobby; there are already so many people jumping in place.”]

Her pouty response is endearing. ‘Having a little sister like this would be so much fun.’

[Hero of Light, Friede: “So, any other missions? That one was actually pretty entertaining.”]

[Hero Forming: “You’re crazy. If anyone saw this, they’d think you’re addicted to missions.”]

[Hero of Light, Friede: “Forming, one must prepare for their future, you know.”]

[Lololol]

[Did Forming just get roasted?]

[Heroes are supposed to take on quests, after all!]

[Quests are like, ‘Hey, go clean up that mess over there.’]

[Friede-sis, shall we suggest your next mission?]

[Take care of Forming too!]

[Hero Bibimbap: “Mission! As a Hero duo, target one enemy player and force two consecutive falls with Windmill! Reward: ₩700,000!”]

***

The chaotic nicknames in the chat seem to be a trademark of this channel—or perhaps it’s just typical of female-streamer gaming channels.

Regardless, the mission now falls on Forming.

In this game, physical techniques can be adapted for unconventional maneuvers.

At lower tiers, people generally imagine this as equipping knuckle-type weapons and punching.

However, if you make a specific part of the enemy bleed or exhaust their stamina, you can collapse their stance or shove them based on your movements.

That said, this style isn’t commonly favored.

The game revolves around wielding melee weapons, and the combat skills associated with each weapon usually don’t leave room for grapples or physical techniques.

Still, as players climb the ranks, unconventional strategies—like aiming for falls—become a rare but possible tactic.

‘Or if there’s a significant skill gap between the players.’

Even knowing this, they want us to force falls with Windmill? What a shameless mission.

‘Well, it’s not impossible….’

‘Would tripping the enemy by spinning my legs count as a valid move?’

Licking my lips, I tilt my head to the side.

Forming’s expression of bewilderment at the mission catches my eye.

‘Why does she look so flustered?’

Gently nudging Forming’s shoulder, I encourage her.

[Hero of Light, Friede: “Look at this! A mission tailored just for you, Forming!”]

[Hero Forming: “What? I’ve never played with Windmill before, and now you want me to do this?”]

[Hero of Light, Friede: “For a Hero, pulling off two consecutive Windmill falls is a basic skill set, don’t you think?”]

[Hero Forming: “What kind of basic skill set is that? If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have started!”]

[Hero of Light, Friede: “It’s a big reward to pass up on. Come on, let’s give it a try in style!”]

[Shockingly! Hero Forming gives up on being a Hero….]

[If you can’t overcome trials, what are you as a Hero? Just a failure.]

[Heroes are people too, you know. Show some mercy.]

[Tormenting Heroes is the universal rule.]

[Viewers = Deities]

[There’s no shortage of Deities who got their heads smashed for tormenting Heroes.]

[Go Forming! You got this!]

[Friede-sis, you’re so adorable, hahaha.]

***

Things are heating up, and the game is far from over.

As I was hunting useful objects along an alternate route, I spotted two enemies rushing toward us.

Two players—just the right number to match us.

One of them, in heavy armor, was wielding a giant scythe and a smaller scythe in dual wield.

The other, a bald guy, had knuckles equipped on both hands and clenched his fists tightly.

As for us, I carried my usual broken greatsword, part of the oversized sword category, while Forming used a weapon from the small sword category called the “Crow Wing Rapier.”

Observing the approaching pair, I quickly decided on a target.

The victim for the consecutive falls would be….

‘The giant scythe wielder.’

I’m confident Forming’s rapid attack capabilities with her rapier would be sufficient to complete the mission against the scythe user.

[Hero of Light, Friede: “Surely you’re not planning to lose like this, are you, Forming?”]

[Hero Forming: “Ugh! Still, this is a bit much….”]

[“Hero of Light, Friede: Move forward, Hero Forming! Overcome the trials as a hero.”]

I lightly pushed Forming’s shoulder, urging her to act as she hesitated over the mission.

At this point, what good would it do to back out? The mission was assigned, and the mood demanded action.

Eventually, Forming, with a look of determination, let out a battle cry and dashed forward.

But Forming… does she even know how to perform the Windmill?

***

The opponent, wielding dual scythes, dodged and dashed forward.

As they drew the enemy in, they swung the smaller scythe attached to their left hand toward Forming’s chest.

Behind them, the blade of the large scythe gleamed menacingly, while the smaller scythe blocked the frontal path, aiming for their opponent’s blood.

It was an inescapable encirclement, with no room to slip through from any direction.

This maneuver was only possible because of the unique dual-wielding nature of the scythe.

Due to such characteristics, users often described the “Large Scythe of Bride” as a trap among the scythe weapon category.

But do they know? Powerful beasts tend to destroy even what appears to be the most flawless trap.

***

Blood boiled within me.

I sharpened my focus until it felt as if the veins in my brain would burst.

Even then, I couldn’t fully read the trajectory of the attack.

The smaller scythe, meant to pierce the chest, harmlessly cut through empty air.

Meanwhile, a dull impact traveled through the enemy’s legs.

And then…

Thud!

A blade stabbed twice in quick succession before being withdrawn.

“Hey!”

The enemy’s movements seemed to vanish from sight.

Thinking they had merely paused momentarily, I chased after them, but by the time I caught up, my health had already dwindled, and both legs were injured.

Warnings about the stacking bleed effect echoed relentlessly.

As I looked down, I saw the knight lying on the ground as if they had slid into position.

With a broken blade already stained with blood, they had severed both of my legs.

Reaching the breaking point of injury and stamina depletion, I was consumed by a sense of helplessness.

I could do nothing but stand there—a scarecrow stripped of all strength.

Through the exposed visor of my helmet, I saw the knight stick out their red tongue, taunting me with a mocking gesture.

“That damn…!”

I wanted to hurl every curse I could think of, but it seemed my opponent had no reason to indulge in such distractions.

The knight, still lying on the ground, spun their body and sent my incapacitated figure flying toward the abyss.

“Damn it, what even was that?”

***

After finishing Soul Warfare and returning to the MS room, the man cursed.

His face was red with anger, his lips bitten as if he were trying to hold back an explosion of emotions.

The man’s name was Park Suho, a streamer specializing in Soul Warfare.

Despite fluctuations during holidays, his average viewership was around 10,000—a gatekeeper figure among top-tier streamers.

The concept of today’s broadcast was to bring his alternate account to the same Grandmaster tier as his main account.

However, he had encountered a strange duo claiming to be “heroes” and suffered a crushing defeat.

Frustrated, he had exited Soul Warfare and checked the chat.

As expected, the reaction was less than pleasant.

***

[Falling like that, you should’ve shouted ‘MUYAHO!’]

[Presenting the late player’s spectacular movie: Getting smashed and falling twice with Windmill.]

[LOL, you seriously died like that?]

[Were those two a duo? Their IDs are perfectly hero-themed—utterly unsubtle.]

[So a Grandmaster-tier player on an alternate account got humiliated? Feels bad, doesn’t it?]

[That Hero of Light guy’s skin looks awesome.]

[OMG, feed the noob some elegance.]

***

“Ah, shit!”

Bang!

Angrily, Suho slammed his desk and swiftly kicked out a few trolls wreaking havoc in his chatroom.

It was pure venting—after all, there was no real physical sensation in virtual reality.

Still, in all his experience playing Soul Warfare, he had never witnessed or experienced such humiliation—two consecutive falls via Windmill.

***

[The host is pissed! Abort mission!]

[Getting slapped and taking it out on us, huh?]

[Shhh, don’t provoke him anymore!]

[That banhammer swings sharp today.]

***

The viewers, sensing an opportunity, mercilessly teased him.

Suho wasn’t furious simply because he had been mocked or that he had vented in the MS room.

It was because the skill level of that hero duo was undeniable, regardless of their hero-themed IDs, skins, or gameplay concepts.

Especially “Hero of Light, Friede”—clearly a weeb.

Their skill was enough to leave even a Grandmaster like Suho speechless.

Not only had Suho suffered two consecutive Windmill falls, but he had also been thoroughly toyed with afterward.

He hadn’t landed a single kill.

‘Is this some kind of gaming fantasy novel stream?’

Even as a self-proclaimed Grandmaster—a so-called challenger gatekeeper—he couldn’t deny the sheer disparity.

This wasn’t the first time, but being humiliated twice, and then finally with a “broken greatsword,” was a bitter pill to swallow.

As he reflected on the game, doubts crept in.

Had those two fought fairly, relying solely on skill? Or was there something more?

***

[Checking their records, that “Hero of Light, Friede” guy seems suspicious.]

[Right? He’s been playing with just a broken greatsword and has a win rate above 90%.]

[If they were a pro, maybe, but can a regular player even pull that off?]

[I didn’t want to say it earlier, but their reaction speed was kinda off.]

[Is this another one of those Chinese hackers? Remember the sensitivity hacks?]

“Let me review the game footage. I can’t wrap my head around this just yet. After reviewing the replay, we’ll figure it out.”

As the unsettling vibe in the chatroom lingered, Park Suho swallowed dryly, a thought creeping into his mind:

‘This might actually lead to something interesting.’

Hero of Light, Friede. A player boasting a 90% win rate in Master rank with a broken greatsword.

Whether they were a transcendent gamer or a conniving cheater, the results would reveal the truth.