[Why is her body so flexible? Did she do yoga in real life?]
[Look at Seokgulam getting flustered, his eyes all wide and shiny lolol]
[That reaction though, absolutely insane]
[This reminds me of that old Legend Duel clip where Baker dodged a spear flying straight at him in front of a bush lolol]
[To think you know that… What happens to Spring and Autumn?]
[Go!]
Yuri, who had been watching Friede’s stream, rubbed her face to ease the fatigue gathering around her eyes.
The continuous barrage of chat messages was almost impossible to follow, no matter how hard she focused.
Still, she didn’t turn off the stream or try to change the subject.
Friede had taken down three opponents at once, fought brilliantly, and turned the tide by counterattacking during an ambush.
“How about that? Don’t you think I deserve all this attention?”
Even though it wasn’t self-praise, the confident posture of Friede—no, Sehee—made Yuri tilt her head slightly as she gave her honest impression.
“Yes. You definitely do.”
Even without the enhancement of virtual reality, Friede’s gameplay had something that captivated people.
Not only were her looks and character customization stunning, but her weaponry was flashy and cool too.
Anyone would want to follow her victorious streak.
Yuri couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy toward Friede, or rather, Sehee.
They were both Heroes, but Sehee shone so brightly even in this world.
‘I worked hard too, though.’
She was confident she wasn’t someone to lag behind others.
But the gap between her and Sehee felt as vast as the sky and the earth, leaving her feeling a bit deflated.
‘How many grueling trials had Sehee overcome to become this far ahead?’
‘No, no.’
Shaking her head vigorously, Yuri pushed away the emotions creeping in.
Sehee was the one who had gone out of her way to save Yuri, putting in such efforts.
As a minor summoned to this world, Yuri might have been naive about modern society, but she had enough sense to realize just how extraordinary Sehee’s consideration had been.
While absentmindedly watching Friede’s stream for a long time, a thought suddenly crossed Yuri’s mind.
‘Someone who shines so brightly like that.’
‘Could I, even if not as much as her, find my own way to shine?’
After all…
‘I’m a Hero too.’
That thought passed through her mind like a fleeting breeze.
“Should I try streaming too?”
“Huh?”
A slightly dazed question escaped Ajin’s lips, as if she hadn’t heard correctly.
But Yuri quietly focused on Sehee—on Friede’s stream—and continued watching intently.
“Wow, four wins in a row. So easy.”
Seokgulam—who had introduced himself earlier as Yoonsoo—was becoming less and less impressive in Yuri’s eyes.
Earlier, he’d been asking all sorts of serious questions about what to do in the event match, whether they should take it lightly or not.
But once he started winning, he was completely engrossed in savoring the taste of victory.
Yuri couldn’t help but crack a wry smile.
‘How should she put it? His energy was… colorful and lively.’
He probably accounted for over 70% of the talking during this stream.
Ajin was going to have a tough time later trying to find Yuri’s segments when editing the stream.
Just then, Eunha, who had been dusting her hands off, frowned and pushed Yoonsoo away.
“Hey, don’t bother my sister and get lost.”
‘Where was she telling him to go?’
At least give him a direction; otherwise, that guy would probably keep babbling endlessly in every direction.
Come to think of it, Yuri had encountered this kind of person before.
You know, someone with strangely high energy, occasionally hilarious, but fundamentally an attention magnet.
‘Ah, I remember now.’
***
Pepe.
Of course, Pepe’s attention-seeking was much worse, but still, Yoonsoo felt like a miniature version of him.
If you added a few spoonfuls of sugar to Pepe’s brain and stirred it around, you’d probably get someone like Yoonsoo.
“It was fun teaming up with you, sis. This is what a team should be like.”
“Your team was more amazing.”
“Well, yeah, our team is the best, but still, you weren’t half bad either.”
[Wow lol, look at the praise for Lotus]
[Too sweet, I’m getting cavities here]
[Our Lotus is only this sweet for Friede… we must treasure her]
[Love it]
The chat buzzed with excitement over Lotus’s compliments.
Honestly, Yuri didn’t think her skills fell short of anyone’s.
But seeing Eunha’s skill and even Yoonsoo’s, it was clear just how strong STK was.
Compared to her usual teammates from ranked matches, this felt like the difference between heaven and earth.
It was probably the first time she’d played a game this comfortably.
If Eunha was this good, how amazing must Warden—the best of STK—be?
Yuri didn’t think she’d lose even if they faced off, but amusingly, the idea of being on the same team made her curious about how well they could sync.
That was when Eunha sidled up to her.
“Teaming up with you is really great, sis. Right?”
“Yeah, it was fun.”
“Yeah, yeah. So, how about it?”
Eunha leaned in closer, her small gestures pressing against Yuri.
Her slightly flushed face was adorable enough to make Yuri think, ‘Having a little sister like this would be so nice.’
[They say hell breaks loose between sisters when the age gap is small.]
[But surprisingly, it feels like Eunha and I get along well.]
“Hey, sis, what about going pro?”
“Going pro?”
[OMG lolololololololololololol]
[This is huge!!!]
[The calm before the storm]
[Friede, Warden, and Lotus together? This is legendary—I’m shaking]
[If those three team up, it’s Soul’s triple crown, undefeated wins, and all leagues swept]
[Anything they do is just dominance lol]
[But can anyone afford Friede, Warden, and Lotus as a trio?]
[No idea.]
The excitement wasn’t limited to just the chat.
“So, do I just hop on the ride? Friede, join STK right now! With your skills, you’d be a starter without a test.”
[Yoonsoo, are you serious right now…]
[If Friede joins STK now, you’ll be benched lololol]
[But wait, the Stove League is already over. If Friede joins mid-season, someone’s getting benched lololol]
[If it’s Yoonsoo, that’d be hilarious.]
“Why me? Don’t I deserve to be here? I’ve been through thick and thin with Chanhyuk, okay?”
Wait, what? Why are you reacting in my chat?
“Seokgulam, are you watching my stream?”
“Ah, yeah, I just connected to it for a bit. You know, since Friede is streaming, haha!”
[Yoonsoo? More like broth lol.]
[So sweet, a new broth character is born.]
[Now all that’s left is Warden.]
[Warden is too much of a stoic, game-obsessed psycho to be swayed even by Friede.]
[Friede’s antis are the worst though—]
[Stop the shipping wars, for real.]
“Wow, the firepower here is insane.”
Yoonsoo flinched at the relentless barrage of chat comments and quickly backed away, as if trying to dodge a bomb.
It wasn’t like he was slithering away or anything, but his retreat was definitely noticeable.
‘Well, that quieted things down.’
But what should I make of Eunha’s proposal?
Initially, I was certain I had no interest in going pro. I’d always thought that way.
But when a close little sister looks at you with sparkling eyes and begs, it’s a problem you can’t dismiss so easily.
“Right? Right? You’d do great, sis. Let’s conquer the world together! You can do streaming later, can’t you?”
“Well, I mean…”
“Our team has lots of money. We can pay you a salary you’d be happy with, the food’s amazing, and the accommodations are super comfortable. Let’s become pro gamers together!”
Whoa, calm down, Eunha.
If you cling to me like this, people are going to talk.
[Wait, is this really what Lotus is like?]
[Lotus being clingy… this is rare and precious.]
[Possessive and obsessive Lotus… the classic play… Argh, my head hurts!]
See? People are already gossiping.
If there were no other Heroes…
If I were the only Hero in this world now and forever…
I might have been tempted by Eunha’s offer.
Sure, I wouldn’t have liked the hectic schedules or the tightly packed routines at first.
But with a bond like the one I share with Eunha, I might’ve thought, ‘This could be okay.’
However…
“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to go pro.”
I want to save other Heroes.
Even if the form of that salvation changes,
I hope those connections won’t be severed and that we can stay together for a long time.
Which is why I can’t accept Eunha’s offer.
Being a pro gamer would mean I wouldn’t have time to care for the other Heroes.
Instead of focusing on the Heroes, I’d have to devote myself entirely to my team and teammates.
“Really?”
Eunha tilted her head, humming softly. After a moment, she gave a bright smile, looking a bit disappointed but understanding.
“That’s too bad, but if you don’t want to, I can’t force you.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
“Don’t apologize. What you want matters the most. I’m disappointed, but I don’t want to see you doing something you hate.”
Placing a finger to her lips, Eunha smiled sweetly.
The gesture conveyed both her understanding of me and her own pride in being supportive.
It made me unconsciously rub my cheeks.
“Let’s play together sometime. I’ll always cheer for you.”
“Yeah, Eunha. I’ll cheer for you too.”
[Just look… feast your eyes…]
[Looks like there’s no mod right now. This is the moment.]
[What if Friede gets an Islamic theme again because of this lol?]
[TV?]
[Lol, you’re insane.]
[That’s future me’s problem. Good luck, future me~]
Ah, I didn’t invite Pepe for this surprise stream.
And now it’s turning into this.
Usually, I’d keep a close eye on the chat and painstakingly ban each comment, one by one.
But now? I find it tiresome and pointless.
I don’t feel the need to suppress that kind of chat anymore.
So there’s only one answer.
I hovered my finger over the end-stream button on the panel, declaring my final message like a bombshell.
“Looks like it’s time to end the stream…”
Before I could finish, my words cut off mid-sentence, swallowed by the void as I pressed the button too soon.