Chapter 19: The Hero Doesn’t Fall

“Look, Da-young, it’s the protagonist! The main character has arrived!”

Pepe shouted excitedly while shoving all the snacks he could find into his mouth as he watched the monitor displaying Friede.

Da-young, glancing sideways at Pepe with a pout, sighed inwardly.

‘Why does he always talk like that?’

Pepe, who had been comforting and encouraging her during tough times, had reverted to his usual self, leaving her feeling disheartened.

‘I thought he’d finally turned over a new leaf, but it didn’t even last three days.’

“Wow! This is so reassuring.”

“Ugh, calm down. It’s just getting started, so shut up. That tone of yours is so distracting.”

“Aren’t you streaming this? Now’s the perfect chance to draw in those troublemakers.”

At Pepe’s suggestion, Da-young shook her head.

‘Well, maybe if Friede wins, but I have no intention of jumping into the arena right now.’

Her reluctance stemmed from a cautious consideration.

She worried that Friede might struggle unnecessarily due to additional provocations.

‘But seriously, a custom cinematic character design? How much money did she throw at this?’

Da-young had always known Friede enjoyed eccentricities, but she never expected her to go this far just to attract attention.

***

The two players faced off in the center of the arena.

The GM, a figure referred to as the Hierophant, descended from the throne to explain the agreed-upon rules.

It was a 1v1 match with a best-of-five format, allowing players to freely select their weapons, unlike ranked games.

However, only melee weapons were permitted.

Ranged weapons and consumable items were strictly prohibited.

Each game was limited to ten minutes, and if both players survived, the victor would be determined by who had the higher remaining health gauge.

A player would lose if their health was fully depleted or if they fell off the cliff edges surrounding the arena.

This was the standard rule for Soul Warfare’s arena-based 1v1 matches.

‘Should I scoop up some clean water and offer a prayer? No, that’s overkill…’

Da-young shook her head.

She trusted Friede and had no reason to pray.

Friede’s skill was not something artificial like hacks could achieve.

‘There are almost no players who can beat Friede in a 1v1. Maybe STK’s Warden could match her, at best.’

Confidently, Da-young believed Friede would emerge victorious in this showdown.

***

Friede’s spectacular entrance was impressive enough to draw admiration from her opponent, Suho.

The whistle that escaped Suho’s lips was proof.

“Did you see that, viewers? Friede, the girl who’s either hacking or burning money, has made her grand entrance. At this point, she might as well be the Hero of Capital.”

[Wow, this girl layered skins, cinematics, and customizations. No words, just perfection.]

[Wasn’t this the one with that ridiculously flashy MS Room in the last duel request?]

[From hack allegations to trust-fund kid? Lol, this is gold.]

[Suho, please win and expose that hacker Friede!]

[LOL, I’m curious about her face. If she’s ridiculously gorgeous, can’t we use her as fanart material?]

[You’ll get arrested if you keep that up.]

[There are countless cases of people getting sued for misusing VR assets, lol. Stop giving free money to hackers, guys.]

The intense reactions were on a different level compared to usual, filling Suho with determination.

With the GM having explained the rules, only victory remained.

“Friede, are you nervous? You know you can’t win without your hacks, don’t you?”

“Then why did you accept the duel request? If you had just gone AFK, people would’ve moved on. Thanks to you, though, my viewership’s skyrocketing.”

[Please proceed to your designated positions.]

“What? No reaction?”

As the GM’s declaration echoed, Suho turned his head and smirked slightly, though he felt a bit deflated.

He grumbled while moving to his starting position.

Worried that the chat’s energy might disrupt his focus, Suho deactivated the chat feed.

Before the match began, he couldn’t resist taking another jab at his opponent.

“If you admit you’re wrong and apologize now, I might spare you from getting completely exposed. I’m a nice guy like that.”

“I have nothing to apologize for because I’ve never used hacks.”

Still spouting nonsense, huh?

Friede’s calm reply only made Suho chuckle in disbelief.

***

“Are you ready?”

At the GM Hierophant’s question, both players nodded.

Suho’s weapon of choice was the Betrayer’s Greatsword—a top-tier long blade in Soul Warfare and his signature pick.

Since this was a series of matches, starting with his best option seemed like the optimal strategy.

On the other hand, Friede went with her usual Broken Greatsword.

‘Seriously? A hacker trying to pull off a gimmick with that thing? She’s gonna regret it soon enough.’

The Broken Greatsword, which offered virtually no advantages, relied solely on parrying for effectiveness.

‘I’ll just use fast, nimble plays to keep pressuring her until she crumbles.’

***

“The game begins.”

Suho launched a relentless assault right from the start.

Having climbed to Grandmaster tier, this wasn’t his first one-on-one duel.

He had dealt with countless troublemakers in the past by settling disputes in the arena.

From his extensive experience, Suho’s instincts told him that aggressive, all-out attacks were the key to 1v1 dominance.

Clang!

‘Oh?’

To Suho’s surprise, Friede managed to react swiftly.

He had expected the opponent to panic and crumble without hacks.

‘So, she’s not completely incompetent?’

The sound of steel clashing filled the air as their blades collided, sparks flying.

Suho pressed his advantage, forcing Friede to pull back her sword defensively.

Confident that the tide was in his favor, Suho capitalized on the Broken Greatsword’s limited reach and damage potential.

His weapon, the Betrayer’s Greatsword, excelled at chaining rapid, aggressive strikes, making it perfect for cementing his dominance.

Every calculated move from Suho tightened the noose around Friede’s chances.

[Still a hacker, lol. Can’t even play properly without cheats.]

[Wow, she’s cowering now that the GM’s here.]

[Go unload cargo somewhere else.]

[LOL, did those Friede fanboys really think she’d crush Suho? Hacks got her her inflated rank, and now she’s exposed.]

[Hey Friede, just log off already.]

[No sudden changes in tactics in the next set, got it? LOL.]

[False hope is so sweet, isn’t it?]

The audience bombarded Friede with jeers as her seemingly defensive stance unfolded.

Suho feigned a downward strike but twisted his wrist mid-motion to catch Friede off guard.

In response, Friede tried to counter by stepping inward, aiming to knock Suho back. However…

The fluid, deceptive movements of the Betrayer’s Greatsword created an optical illusion that disoriented her.

[Ah, come on! Move faster, like in ranked games, sis!]

[Is she really using hacks? Her movements are so sluggish.]

[At this point, the academic consensus must be that she has diarrhoea and can’t fight properly.]

[Please, my points!]

[Melting like butter is fine, but the choices and consequences are all yours to bear.]

[Off to the Han River we go.]

[Do you even know how rare female gamers are? Outside of pro gamers, there are barely any Grandmaster-level female players.]

Amidst the reactions, one observer found himself puzzled.

“What is this?”

The GM Hierophant tilted his head in confusion.

Compared to her previous matches, Friede’s performance seemed oddly out of sync.

“I thought she’d win in one second flat.”

Her golden visor obscured most of her face, but the lips beneath—a vivid, cherry-like red—pressed tightly together, betrayed her tension.

‘Well, I can’t blame her. She’s completely on the defensive right now.’

And with so many eyes on her, it must feel even worse.

“…Huh?”

The Hierophant gasped in surprise.

A peculiar scene unfolded before his eyes.

Beneath that visor, Friede’s lips curled into a grin—one brimming with unrestrained joy.

It was as if she were mocking her opponent, the audience filling the arena, and every viewer following this match.

‘Come to think of it…’

‘Quite some time has passed, hasn’t it?’

Her health is still at 100%.

By now, even if neither player had fallen, there should have been significant damage on either side.

And yet…

“She hasn’t taken a single hit?”

The realization sent a chill down the Hierophant’s spine.

Despite the virtual reality setting, the intense realism of the goosebumps made him shudder.

Upon closer observation, it became clear—Friede had flawlessly deflected every single attack.

[Wait, what? Her health is still 100%?]

[?? Didn’t she take quite a few hits earlier?]

[Nope. Watching in slow mode, she parried them all.]

[Whoa… No wonder this match is dragging on.]

[Lol, is this for real?]

[Seriously, every time Suho tries to land a hit, she deflects it like a ghost.]

[Five minutes of relentless attacking, and a 100% defense rate? Unreal.]

[Is this because Suho’s attacks are sloppy, or is Friede’s defense just perfect?]

[Both.]

[LOL.]

The audience began to take notice.

They weren’t fools.

Time had passed, yet neither player had taken significant damage.

Those who initially mocked her for being on the defensive were now mesmerized by her flawless defense, revealed in slow motion.

In a game where weapons moved at lightning speed, blocking an attack before it registered on the hitbox required extraordinary reflexes.

To maintain such perfect defensive form for over five minutes was nothing short of superhuman.

Naturally, the audience’s attitude began to shift.

“Dammit! Just give up, you hacking bastard!”

Suho’s frustration boiled over into a shout, his fury at being unable to land a single hit exploding outward.

Believing this attack would finally break through her defenses, Suho swung his greatsword downward with all his might.

‘This one won’t be easy to block. It’ll finally connect, won’t it?’

Everyone watching focused intensely, their eyes glued to the screen, determined not to miss a single move.

No one worried for Friede.

The only question was whether she would block it, dodge it, or finally take the hit.

“Please!”

Da-young, the sole exception, shouted desperately at the monitor, praying for Friede’s success.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed like a thunderclap.

Koom!

The parry effect burst forth like a bolt of lightning, sending vibrations through the arena.

And then… silence.

A heavy stillness fell.

For a brief moment, it felt as if time itself had stopped.

In that suspended moment, only one action was permitted in this space:

Thud!

The Broken Greatsword pierced Suho’s chest, leaving him stunned and defenseless.

As Suho’s previously confident form crumpled to the ground like an illusion fading away…

Boom!

Friede’s voice broke the silence.

“I told you, I’m not hacking.”

The heroine’s declaration of innocence reverberated through the arena.

The chat exploded in unified, chaotic celebration, like a storm of Protoss units connected by psionic power.

[YOU DID IT!!!!]

[YES, SIS!!!!]

Friede achieved a perfect victory in the first set, ending it with flawless defense and a decisive parry.

Not even 1% of her health was lost.