Two days had passed since the end of Yongsa Porming’s stream.
If I were to share my thoughts after watching it, her broadcast was entertaining, thanks to what people often call “natural talent.”
Her voice was pleasant, her pronunciation clear, and her ability to keep up with the commentary was top-notch.
She even had a cute appearance.
Most people who watched her stream probably couldn’t understand why she had fallen to the status of a minor streamer.
Watching Yongsa Dayoung-jiang log in to Soul Warfare after analyzing the opening match, I fell deep into thought.
“Yongsa Porming, huh…”
That curse was undoubtedly a force from another world, something impossible to encounter on Earth.
She didn’t seem to be from the world I had once visited.
Of course, there wasn’t just one other world out there.
If someone connected to another world is present on Earth, it usually falls into one of two categories.
They’re either a foreigner who crossed over from another world or a human from Earth who was summoned there and later returned.
From what I had observed, this streamer, Yongsa Porming, was definitely not a foreigner but an Earthling.
“What should I do? Should I try to make contact?”
Even though no one could answer me, I asked myself out loud.
If she was radiating such a strong sense of being cursed, there must be a story behind it.
Moreover, it seemed she wasn’t even aware that she was cursed.
Even so, I hesitated to choose the option of meeting her.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to just leave things as they were.
‘Wouldn’t it be enough to simply support her financially?’
After all, I’d already graduated from being a hero.
It was time to rest.
“Is that really the right thing to do?”
In the reflection of the mirror in the MS room, my own image stared back at me, asking that same question.
‘Was this really the right thing to do?’
Perhaps it was because I feared this monotonous peace would be disrupted.
Humans are said to be creatures of adaptation, but I knew adaptation didn’t always happen in a positive direction.
This feeling too—perhaps it had adapted in such a way.
Returning to modern Earth, I had surprisingly melted into this world’s tedious peace in such a short time.
“Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped my lips.
A self-deprecating thought crossed my mind: ‘Had the hero become a pathetic coward?’
‘Would meeting and talking with Yongsa Porming lead to a good connection or create trouble, leaving only bad blood?’
I had no idea what might happen if I decided to meet this streamer called Yongsa Porming.
It was for such a trivial reason that I ignored someone in distress.
‘Ah, was I just afraid?’
Worrying that I might invite unnecessary problems was just an excuse.
Slap!
I smacked my cheeks hard with both hands.
The sting burned, making my face flush, but at the same time, it cleared my head.
‘I’m a hero.’
It would’ve been fine if I hadn’t noticed anything, but now that I had, I couldn’t just leave it alone.
Ding!
The sound of an alarm on my smartphone pulled me out of my thoughts.
A pop-up notification informed me that Yongsa Porming’s stream was starting.
Closing my eyes, I awakened my long-lost senses.
A golden wave enveloped my body, and overwhelming power surged within me—the kind of power capable of protecting the world.
When I opened my eyes, the heroic armor that had remained dormant for days reappeared, wrapping itself around me.
It seemed I’d need to become a hero once more.
***
[Hey, you crazy Light Hero! Stop monopolizing the donation window!]
[What is this;]
[Are you showing off your money, you crazy person?]
[This is insane, insane.]
[Wah, I’m a poor viewer who can’t even afford baby formula.]
[Boing-boing! Who spends 200,000 won on a small stream like this?!]
Amid the sarcastic remarks and swearing filling the chat window, a donation of 100,000 won popped up on the screen.
[LightHeroFrid’ donated 100,000 won! The stream is really fun, streamer. Will you play Soul Warfare today as well?]
“Ah, LightHero-nim? Anyway, thank you so much for the donation. It’s making me emotional. Yes, I’m enjoying Soul Warfare and will even try some ranked games soon.”
Yongsa Porming—Dayoung—was utterly overwhelmed by the flood of donations from LightHero.
The total amount she’d received so far exceeded 2 million won.
Such a significant donation in such a short time was an amount even she hadn’t seen before being summoned to another world.
On streams run by women, donations often came with unpleasant demands.
The richer these donors were, the more likely they’d post shady requests in exchange for their support.
Minor streamers often couldn’t afford to reject viewers, which led to emotional scars from the interactions.
But this person was different.
From start to finish, all of their messages shone like constellations in the sky—pure encouragement and consideration.
No demands, just generosity.
It was impossible not to see the sincerity behind their actions.
Of course, part of it was also because the donation amount was too large to refuse.
“Well, I think I’ve received more than enough encouragement for today. I’m going to disable the donation feature for a while.”
Too much dominance from one person would eventually lead to problems.
Disabling the donation feature, Dayoung logged into Soul Warfare and declared:
“I’m going to ride the wave of excitement and jump into ranked games. I’ll definitely reach Master rank today!”
[“Definitely today” = Not happening today.]
[LOL]
[Porming gets closer to Master rank, only to lose every other game.]
“That’s not true! Just wait and see—I’ll definitely make it to Master rank today.”
Just as she was about to queue for a match, a light flickered in the corner of her inbox.
‘Who could it be?’
It was the exclusive inbox accessible only to donors who made one-time contributions.
The message was simple:
[“‘LightHeroFrid’ has invited you to a party.]
[Message: Hop on the bus.]
[Will you accept? Y/N”]
Dayoung was momentarily stunned by the sudden duo request.
No, it would be more accurate to say she was shocked by the familiar username.
‘LightHeroFrid.’
A new viewer who’d joined the stream.
The generous donor who had just made a large contribution.
And someone who carried the same “hero” title as herself.
‘I don’t usually do viewer duos…’
Normally, she would’ve politely declined, but the substantial donation made it hard to refuse.
Quickly pulling herself together, Dayoung checked their ID on the stats site.
‘Master rank? And a 92% win rate…’
The stats were overwhelming, leaving her both nervous and excited. ‘Could this really be okay?’
As someone in Diamond 1, ‘would she be able to keep up with a Master-ranked partner?’
***
[What’s this? Porming in a duo?]
[Is it that guy from earlier?]
[Oh, the partner’s a Master. They could actually work well together.]
[Viewer duo funded by donations? Guess I’m unloading tomorrow.]
[How long has it been since Porming last did a viewer duo?]
[LightHero with a 92% win rate? Insane.]
[Is this a smurf account? Those stats don’t even make sense otherwise.]
[Is Porming actually going to Master rank today?]
The chat exploded with reactions to the sudden party invitation, but the audience seemed optimistic about the unexpected turn of events.
“Right, I’m not in a position to be picky right now.”
Since my return to streaming, I’ve never accepted a duo or friend request from another streamer.
Playing duos with viewers can add a positive element to the broadcast, depending on how it’s managed.
Unpredictable variables like this are always welcome.
When I pressed the accept button, a new figure appeared in the Soul Warfare lobby.
***
[Yongsa Porming: Huh?]
A silver-white armor lined with golden accents.
A golden cape flowed transparently behind, moving like waves carried by a gentle breeze.
A sleekly designed helmet adorned with a visor that masked the face along its curve.
This was an elegance that radiated a purity capable of saving even the dark, dystopian fantasy world of Soul Warfare.
‘Was such customization even possible?’
Customization, or “cuma,” refers to the ability for players to design their character’s appearance, equipment, and mounts in their own unique style.
In Soul Warfare, players could enhance the default designs of their costumes and gear, excluding weapons, using customization features.
Among these, customizations created by skilled players, often called “pros,” boasted exceptional quality that was hard to describe in words.
The developers even hosted competitions, purchasing the rights to the top-ranked designs to sell them in the store.
However, the equipment I saw before me didn’t seem like something that could be created in reality.
‘Even if I revealed myself as a hero…’
‘Could I radiate such nobility?’
I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy as the appearance of “LightHeroFrid” surpassed every customization I had seen before, exuding breathtaking beauty.
[Whoa, damn, that’s insane quality.]
[LightHero living up to the name.]
[That’s not even sold in the shop.]
[A masterpiece, truly a masterpiece!]
[Hey, LightHero, are you listening? Sell that customization in the shop, please.]
I wasn’t the only one impressed by the sight.
Looking at the chat reactions, I snapped out of my daze and welcomed them with a smile.
[Yongsa Porming: Hello! Should I call you Hero?]
[LightHeroFrid: Yes, nice to meet you.]
A slightly echoing female voice drifted from her helmet, as though intentionally enhanced.
It was then I noticed her slender physique.
I had been so captivated by her dazzling armor that I missed something so simple.
[Wait, she’s a girl?!]
[That voice is pure bliss. OMG, goddess voice!]
[Porming, your voice is great too, but damn, this is next level.]
[Goddess, please bless us with your words!]
[Ahhhhh, my ears are blessed!]
[Yongsa Porming: Everyone’s going wild over your voice, LightHero. Your voice is so beautiful.]
Seeing the chat brimming with energy, I gave a playful wink as I spoke.
[Yongsa Porming: If you turned off the echo setting, the chat might crash entirely!]
[LightHeroFrid: You flatter me.]
Her brief, melodic response tickled my ears.
With a voice so lovely, I couldn’t help but wonder what her face looked like beneath that helmet.
Her voice held a power that fired up the imaginations of every viewer, leaving even the most hardened among them curious.
[Yongsa Porming: Well, everyone’s waiting, so shall we get going?]
[LightHeroFrid: Yes.]
As a duo, our party matched quickly.
***
The other teammates in the pick-and-ban phase had decent win rates, and there weren’t any obvious trolls in the mix, which was a relief.
With such a setup, this match needed to go smoothly, and I let out a sigh of relief.
Among the weapons banned were the Princess Twins’ Greatsword, the Lion Knight’s Greatsword, the Giant Hunter’s Battle Axe, and the Mountain Dweller’s Warhammer—twelve weapons in total, including others.
Many overpowered, or near-overpowered, weapons were banned, which was typical for a ranked game.
By the time we reached my pick as the sixth player, all picks were locked in.
And then…
[LightHeroFrid: Porming.]
[Yongsa Porming: Yes, Hero?]
‘Why was she calling me all of a sudden?’
I glanced over and saw LightHero still closely observing the pick screen.
‘Had she already chosen her weapon?’
Her avatar stood motionless, fixated on one weapon in particular…
[LightHeroFrid: For this match…]
She finally spoke.
[LightHeroFrid: I’ll go with the Broken Greatsword.]
Thud!
The distinctive sound of weapon selection echoed.
The moment LightHero’s final seventh pick—the Broken Greatsword—appeared, the chat exploded.
***
[Shadow123: What, what’s she doing?!]
[Hey, troll! Why are you pulling this crap here?!]
[GenderReversal: That insane player, look at her stats. She’s been running that weapon the entire time.]
[Another lunatic LOL.]
[ZeroTwoMadness: No one’s dodging this game? Crazy, let’s just run with it LOL.]
***
Her troll pick obliterated the team’s mood, as expected.
[Wow, Broken Greatsword. What a joke.]
[You’re using THAT weapon? Might as well fight barehanded! LOL.]
[Where’s my dignity? Return it!]
[LightHero trolling with that pick… Porming, you okay?]
[This Hero is too much. I’m losing it.]
[Not my problem anymore~]
[Yep, this is a 4v5 for sure.]
Her pick sent the chat into complete chaos.
[Yongsa Porming: Hero?]
I called out to her urgently, but LightHero simply stared ahead, oblivious.
Left speechless by her actions, I could only think:
‘This… is a hero?’