“Lulu Ppiyak has donated 40,000 won! Streamer, you made a promise to reveal Friede’s face!”
“Oh my, Lulu Ppiyak-nim, thank you for the generous 40,000 won donation, mwah mwah! Come to think of it, you’re my next opponent, right? Phew, damn.”
The man scratched his shiny forehead with a slightly troubled expression.
The streamer, Gunder.
He was one of the top-tier rankers, ranked within the top 120 of the Challenger league.
Based on his skills, he could easily join any professional team, but his free spirit rejected the rigid, colorless world of professional gaming.
He was, quite literally, the lone wolf roaming the streamer scene.
“So, I heard Friede set a record for the shortest preliminary match time? Oh, shit, mommy, I’ve already lost to my honey.”
[Honey, my ass lolol]
[Is Friede your wife now?]
[This dude saw a female player and started losing it again, sigh.]
[Someone take him to a mental hospital.]
Gunder’s broadcasts were known for their technical gameplay and moderate concept-driven antics.
With his hair slicked back with excessive hair products, he looked greasy enough to resemble a human whipped cream doll.
He seemed to take pride in his appearance, despite viewers occasionally gagging at his over-the-top reactions.
Even so, those reactions evolved into memes of their own.
Few truly took his antics seriously or maliciously.
He wasn’t involved in personality controversies, and his skill was undeniable.
Viewers saw him as their goofy, narcissistic neighborhood big brother.
“Sending off Forming today, and now it’s Friede. This is truly the two flowers in both hands, everyone!”
[Still rooting for you this time, you idiot.]
[Beat Friede and knock the lid off her jar.]
[Wanna see her cry after revealing her face.]
[If you win, you’ll be a hero. If you lose, you’re a traitor.]
[lololol]
Gunder smirked.
Having such a storyline develop was a good sign—it was more than welcome.
There were no rules in tournaments that required participants to just play their matches and leave.
Adding such drama and narrative only attracted more public attention, a reward in an industry fueled by interest.
‘Friede’s face reveal, huh…’
It’d be a lie to say he wasn’t curious.
After all, the gaming community was a small world.
Her achievements were already well-known to the point of exhaustion, so there was no need to recount them.
“Well then, know your enemy and know yourself, and you’ll never lose a battle. Let’s analyze every corner of our dear Friede-chan’s gameplay.”
Finding analysis materials on Friede wasn’t difficult.
Soul Warfare Gallery, Outban, and other online communities were filled with clips, gifs, and various top-rated posts of her gameplay.
[Check out this video analyzing Friede’s preliminaries. It’s the best reference.]
[It contains all her duels from the prelims.]
Following the viewer’s lead, Gunder clicked the top-rated post.
***
The first video was her match against Haldir.
The footage was divided into Haldir’s perspective, Friede’s perspective, and the observer’s perspective, which was impressive.
Watching the video, Gunder unconsciously lost his usual sly smile.
“She’s good.”
At some point, his expression hardened.
[Is she really that good? I keep hearing about her from everyone around me, but is she as good as the streamer?]
[Expecting a close match.]
[You think Friede’s gonna lose to someone like Gunder? Haha, fat chance.]
[Oh no, the Friede fanboys are here again.]
[You evil people! Get lost! Scram!]
Ignoring the chaotic chatroom, Gunder focused on analyzing Friede’s every movement.
Haldir, a one-trick user specializing in piercing thrusts, showed a slight gap in his movements.
Friede capitalized on it instantly, with the instincts of a wild animal.
However, there wasn’t much to analyze in this match.
Even the analysis post noted that it lacked substance.
The real focus was on the second match.
Her opponent was also in the Challenger tier, someone Gunder recognized by their ID—Hathes99, also known as Hades.
‘He was quite skilled back in the day.’
Ranked around 300, Hades was another notable player who fell to Friede.
The match replay revealed an intriguing choice by Friede.
She opted for a sword-and-shield setup, specifically the Solar Sword from the straight sword category and the Solar Shield from the medium shield category.
A plain vanilla combination, unlike the distinctive and flashy setups like spears with thorny designs.
In contrast, Hades used the Eagle Wing sword from the saber category.
The weapon selection alone suggested a highly technical battle.
Friede led the charge with her shield raised.
Hades skillfully sidestepped her shield bashes and countered with quick thrusts.
While Hades utilized wide space and agile movements to attack from all directions, Friede maintained minimalistic, precise defenses.
Just as it seemed like she might get overwhelmed, she turned the tables with an unexpected move.
Bang!
Frustrated, Hades went for an aggressive combo of a power thrust and closing the gap.
Friede threw her shield with all her might at her opponent mid-combo.
Throwing equipment like that didn’t usually have much significance—at best, it could obscure the opponent’s view for a moment and create an opening.
But maybe that’s exactly what she was aiming for.
The disrupted rhythm gave Friede the opportunity to dive in explosively.
What ensued was a whirlwind of attacks.
[This is dizzying as hell.]
[Wow, they’re exchanging moves at insane speeds.]
[Why does it feel like Friede’s HP isn’t dropping?]
Hades’ health was significantly lower than Friede’s.
Despite close combat, Friede counterattacked efficiently while minimizing the damage she received.
It was clear she wasn’t just another player relying on lucky parries with a broken greatsword.
The analysis post noted her attack style: exploiting irregular rhythms, avoiding overly heavy weapons, and favoring swift precision strikes.
Several analysis posts had been written to counter such disruptive and unpredictable playstyles.
Suggestions ranged from engaging in close-range combat with dual-wielding weapons to using a katana to win psychological battles.
Despite the detailed strategies, Gunder had long since pushed them to the back of his mind.
He was utterly engrossed in Friede’s gameplay videos, leaving his chatroom unattended.
The tournament proceeded without hesitation.
While the high interest served to fuel its rapid flow, there were also industry secrets shared only among certain insiders.
“Placing the match between Friede and Gunder as the final set of today’s games was a smart move.”
“The audience’s reactions are all about Friede’s match in this round of sixteen.”
“Is it because of the face-reveal tease?”
This wasn’t some online novel about gender-bending streamers on a certain web-novel platform.
Friede, a comet-like phenomenon and ultra-popular female streamer, was creating an unprecedented storm.
Her face reveal had become an unexpected teaser.
The desire to see her face clashed fiercely with the desire not to expose it to others.
Such complex emotions roiled in the hearts of many.
The head of STK’s marketing team stroked the smartphone in his pocket, gazing up at the sky.
“Friede -oneechan…”
The bright sky, as if mocking his inner conflict, was cloudless and radiant.
***
“Finally, it’s the last set of the day’s main tournament! Many of you must have been eagerly awaiting this moment. Up next is the match between Friede and Gunder!”
The eighth set of the day had arrived, and it was Friede and Gunder’s turn.
The tournament’s round of sixteen was split across two days, and this moment marked the climax of the first day.
While previous matches had been thrilling, they were mere appetizers compared to what was to come.
“And here he comes! Gunder!”
“Yes, Gunder. His rank of Challenger 120 tells you all you need to know. Alongside Friede, he’s considered a top contender to win this tournament. Some are calling this an early final. I can’t wait to see what kind of dance they’ll perform on this stage.”
“Especially since it’s a best-of-five match. Observing their strategic weapon choices in this multi-set format will make it even more entertaining.”
[We’re counting on you, Gunder!]
[Break Friede’s helmet!]
[Gunder’s gonna smash that smug face of hers!]
[Let’s see her cry after overpromising!]
[You’re our hero, Gunder!]
Gunder waved to the crowd, adding a touch of showmanship.
A streamer shrouded in mystery.
The audience cheered for Gunder with high hopes that he’d reveal Friede’s face.
At this moment, Gunder’s entrance felt like the arrival of a hero.
***
As the match timer ticked down, all eyes naturally turned skyward toward the center of the arena.
[It’s here!]
[The final boss has arrived!]
[Here it comes, you monster!]
Amid the jeers, a golden meteor streaked down from the heavens.
As it collided with the ground, a blinding light erupted.
The audience braced themselves to boo once again, awaiting the emergence of the warrior clad in a golden cape and silver armor.
[Lol, seriously, no flaws in her cutscene or character design.]
[Someone posted about this online—apparently, replicating this costs a fortune.]
[Of course, 3D modeling that detailed takes insane effort. You can’t make this with standard tools.]
“Whew”
It was indeed a dazzling entrance.
Though Gunder had seen GIFs of it before, witnessing it live in the arena was a first.
He found Friede’s flair for dramatics oddly satisfying.
‘You’re quite the attention seeker yourself.’
He smacked his lips lightly, excited about how flashy their battle would be.
***
The blind pick phase began.
Gunder boldly chose dual daggers: the Sword Breaker for his right hand and the Armor Breaker for his left.
Known as the “Double Breaker” setup, it paired with lightweight leather armor.
‘Let’s have some fun.’
A setup meant to match her speed and counter her with rapid, relentless strikes, making parrying almost impossible.
Friede had so far shown a preference for technical play with spears, sword-and-shield combos, and curved swords.
This choice was Gunder’s desperate attempt to counter her style.
‘Not something I’d ever pick in ranked games.’
But this wasn’t ranked—it was a one-on-one duel.
‘So, what will you bring to the table?’
As Gunder waited confidently, the blind pick phase ended, and the players’ weapon choices were revealed.
[??????]
[What the hell is that?]
[What is she doing?!]
[Oh my god, this attention-seeker is at it again.]
Her choice of weapon was…
[A rapid-fire crossbow? Dual-wielded?]
[What’s she trying to do with that garbage-accuracy weapon?]
[Lol, dual-wielding means insane firepower, but can she pull it off against Gunder?]
[If every shot lands, sure, but to hit consistently, you’d have to play at close range. Why even bother with this?]
She had chosen rapid-fire crossbows, dual-wielded no less.
While the commentators and audience were stunned, none were more perplexed than Gunder, who had prepared for close-quarters combat.
With the blind pick locking in his setup, his strategy was now utterly mismatched.
‘This is bad.’
As Gunder’s unease grew, the match countdown reached zero, and the battle began.
Friede charged straight toward him, shouting:
“This is Forming’s revenge!”
A barrage of bolts rained down.
From the very start, her strategy was pure chaos.