Chapter 8: Your identity is… Part 2

The sense of fulfillment and satisfaction blossoming in my heart was surely proof of a day well spent.

As I closed the front door and stepped into the brightly lit living room, where the lights turned on automatically like responding to a sensor, I let out a satisfied breath.

The floral fragrance tickling my nose gently relaxed my nerves after a late-night return.

‘Buying all those air fresheners was totally worth it.’

‘Aah, that was really amazing.’

I was so moved that I even considered going to live matches more often in the future.

Compared to the experience ten years ago, it was like night and day.

Watching an E-sports match live stirred a great wave of emotion in my heart.

It was, of course, understandable.

Feeling thoroughly exhilarated from all the excitement, I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, my elevated spirits apparent in the grin on my face.

‘I guess I need to calm down a bit.’

Undressing, I stepped into the shower room.

As I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, my reflection briefly passed through my gaze.

Long, flowing golden hair cascading down like melted gold.

Skin so fair and delicate it gave the illusion of being transparent like crystal.

Clear sapphire eyes, with double eyelids framing them like a galaxy, giving off the impression of jewels set in precision.

Exquisite and harmonious facial features.

In Korea, it would be rare to see such prominent traits associated with love: a full chest and well-rounded hips.

Though I was slightly taller than the average woman, my smooth and balanced physique was like a flawlessly sculpted ideal statue.

Out of sheer curiosity, I took a step closer to the mirror, observing my reflection.

Considering life in another world had left no room for such leisure, it made sense, but even after returning to Earth, I hadn’t taken the time to truly recognize or examine myself.

Until now, my self-awareness was limited to just the face reflected in the mirror.

“…Have I ever looked at my entire body like this?”

The mirror in front of me reflected more than just my face—it fully revealed my unclothed form without any embellishment.

If it were any other man, he would probably burn with desire and attempt various tricks.

Or perhaps he wouldn’t dare approach rashly.

“This is amusing.”

Strangely enough, even though I was aware that it was my body, I didn’t feel any lust or other emotions rising within me.

Come to think of it, I’d always been drawn to attractive women whenever I went out, but I don’t recall ever being interested in men.

‘Aah, instead of transforming into a body like this, it would have been much better if I could have a wife who looked like this.’

The stray thoughts lingered.

I put away my idle musings in front of the mirror and began to shower.

As warm water cascaded down, soaking my body, the events of the day bubbled up like the steam filling the room, replaying in my mind.

The countless gazes that followed me at the Warfare Mark.

If someone were to ask if I enjoyed that attention…

‘Yes, I liked it.’

But it’s a different story if it goes beyond glances to something burdensome, like back when I was at a PC café.

While no one blatantly made moves, if our themes or interests even slightly overlapped, the intensity could be overwhelming.

Perhaps it’s best to avoid places like PC cafés, where individual interactions occur, and stick to events like live matches.

Stepping out of the shower, I dressed in a simple t-shirt and pants before slipping into the capsule.

‘At this rate, isn’t my computer just a decoration?’

Since the main space room also supported internet and computer functionality, I rarely found myself sitting in the gaming chair.

But what could I do? This setup was more convenient.

[Welcome to the World of Moses.]

The familiar welcome message from the digital assistant greeted me as I entered the MS room.

Still, when it came to game channels, my body had been conditioned by Switch channels for so long that I instinctively launched the Switch channel without much thought.

[Category: Soul Warfare]

[Current viewers: 1,375,492]

[Live channels: 189]

This was the search result for Soul Warfare in the lobby.

My eyes scanned through the list of currently streaming channels displayed alongside it.

Usually, I wouldn’t hesitate to start with the top-ranking popular streamers.

This time, though, I decided to calmly explore each channel, reviewing the number of followers, titles, and current viewers one by one.

It was like deep-sea exploration in a way.

***

WonGrandmaEatsam / 589 viewers

4DroneCheeseRush / 413 viewers

SiwooStop / 401 viewers

‘Ah, WonGrandma. I think I’ve seen that person before. Were they streaming?’

I considered checking it out, but the nickname debuff was strong enough to deter me, so I continued my deep-sea exploration a bit further.

Scrolling down a couple more times…

“What?”

My eyes caught on a particular channel, and as if on instinct, my scrolling finger froze mid-motion.

HeroForming / 305 viewers

Channel Title: Soul Warfare Ranked Game Challenge

A typical small-scale stream with a dizzying nickname.

My attention was captured by the streamer’s preview, which started playing automatically.

A standard Soul Warfare gaming stream.

The streamer’s appearance, enhanced by camera lighting, had a charm that made me want to join the broadcast and take a closer look.

But…

“Why?”

The moment I tried to tap the screen to enter the broadcast, an inexplicable sense of rejection sprang up as if by instinct.

Just a moment ago, I was curious enough to think about joining, but now it felt too artificial.

This wasn’t some whim of mine.

There was definitely a subtle, external pressure telling me not to watch this broadcast.

Even as I forced my finger to press down on the screen, my hand hesitated.

‘Ah, I know this feeling.’

I didn’t expect to experience this in this world—or any other, for that matter.

It was truly unimaginable, an overwhelming presence.

This person…

“Is cursed.”

And quite severely at that.

What grudge could they have incurred to end up like this?

• Don’t click it. Just ignore it.
• It’s someone unrelated to you.
• There are more interesting streams out there.
• Don’t waste your time.
• Look away. Just move on.

The malice behind the curse continuously whispered, driving me to stay away from this HeroForming streamer.

“Screw it.”

With a smirk, I strengthened my resolve and firmly tapped on HeroForming’s stream.

***

With a faint crackle of magical sparks in the air, the loading screen disappeared, and I entered HeroForming’s broadcast.

“Ah, welcome! ‘Hero of Light Friede,’ nice to meet you. A new viewer? Welcome!”

Her overly friendly greeting, accompanied by a smile that seemed desperate if one looked closely, welcomed me.

HeroForming.

A woman with a curious aura.

“Ah, welcome! ‘Hero of Light Friede,’ nice to meet you. A new viewer? Welcome!”

Perhaps because of the title “Warrior,” there was an odd sense of kinship that slightly lifted her mood from the very first greeting.

Clearing her throat to calm herself, Da-young steadied her emotions.

New viewers were always welcome.

The sad advantage of being a small streamer was that it was incredibly easy to remember each viewer.

Especially since she had never seen a nickname with “Warrior” in it aside from her own.

The addition of just one viewer seemed insignificant, yet it made her feel an inexplicable surge of energy.

‘Why was that?’

***

“Everyone, how was today’s Soul Warfare opening match? Didn’t it feel like the game got a significant upgrade with the patch?”

[Adding variety to the action beyond the usual RPG mechanics made it more dynamic and visually appealing.]

[Warden was the MVP for keeping katana users in check today.]

[STK came in strong right from the start.]

[You could feel the power gap, couldn’t you?]

“That duel between STK’s Warden and TK’s Schneider was especially amazing. It could easily make it into the top 5 moments. I loved how Warden’s katana pick clashed perfectly with Schneider’s scimitar counter-pick.”

[It’ll definitely make the top 3.]

[Why isn’t Schneider’s back-to-back quadra-kill mentioned?]

[What’s the point of a quadra-kill if you lose the game? Focus on winning!]

Feeling her throat dry, she took a sip of steaming coffee beside her.

It was a bit hot, but letting it swirl in her mouth before swallowing moistened her throat pleasantly.

Scanning the chat briefly, Da-young’s lips curved into a soft smile.

The positive response to the stream, which had been smooth sailing since its start, made her feel nostalgic, as though she’d returned to her early days of streaming.

Revisiting highlights of the players’ actions and analyzing replays was simple content.

It was a challenging attempt for someone without a solid understanding of the game.

But nearing the master rank herself, she had developed a good eye for gameplay and decided to proceed with the review.

As the replay of STK and TK’s match wrapped up, Da-young summarized her thoughts in three key points.

“This season seems to be nerfing small weapons while significantly buffing larger ones. Anything below a zweihander, battle axe, or battle hammer will probably be considered weak. And remember, dual-wielding is a crime, so please refrain.”

[Dual-wielding is BS.]

[Stop bringing katanas and scimitars in dual setups.]

[They’re meant to be broken apart, not dual-wielded.]

[If you really want to dual-wield, try using something broken instead, like your ego.]

Watching the chat, Da-young smoothly transitioned to a new topic.

“Shall we start some ranked games now?”

[“ElectoralCommissionLady” donated 10,000 KRW! Why are you ending the review already? What about the opening match goddess? I want to hear about her too!]

“Oh my! Thank you for the 10,000 KRW donation, ElectoralCommissionLady.”

Just as she was preparing to dive into ranked games, the unexpected donation brought a deeper smile to her face.

As greedy as it might seem, every streamer succumbed to donations.

However, the mention of the opening match goddess piqued her curiosity.

This individual had overshadowed even the players’ super plays during the opening match.

‘A temporary server crash caused by her appearance in the broadcast?’

The topic was too significant to ignore.

“Of course, I was going to mention her. Aren’t you a bit too impatient?”

Raising her arms in a calming gesture, Da-young stirred the chat further, igniting even more chaos.

***

Accessing the Soul Warfare gallery, she found it brimming with discussions about the opening match, despite the late hour.

Navigating cautiously, she clicked on today’s top post and was greeted with several animated clips.

Even on the first viewing, it was jaw-dropping, and revisiting it now didn’t diminish its impact.

‘Even I’d feel intimidated facing this.’

Her beauty transcended gender, captivating anyone who laid eyes on her.

[That’s an insane level of beauty.]

[Who is this?]

[Unbelievable.]

[Upper chat comment, you’re gross.]

[No way.]

[Is this real? No filters or lighting adjustments?]

[Anyone who attended the opening match live?]

[“RiftOfAngrySister” donated 5,000 KRW! Breaking news! The opening match goddess played Soul Warfare at Warfare Mark PC Café. Ranked as Master.”]

“Oh, RiftOfAngrySister—thanks for the 5,000 KRW donation. She’s a Master? Wow.”

[She’s amazing! She’s a Master?]

[Who knew Masters could be this beautiful?]

[“HeroOfLightFriede” donated 1,000,000 KRW!
She played two games with a longsword in Master rank and carried both!”]

“Wow! Thank you, HeroOfLightFriede, for the 1,000,000 KRW donation! I love you, Warrior!”

Shocked by the highest donation she’d received in 100 days, Da-young was overwhelmed.

The chat exploded with excitement, turning the broadcast into an uproar.

The viewer count reached a record-breaking 1,219, the highest since Da-young had returned to streaming after her time away.

[“WannaBeAMagicalGirl” donated 10,000 KRW! Our host seems full of energy today. That’s what I like to see.”]

“Thank you, WannaBeAMagicalGirl. Your donation is much appreciated!”

Da-young smiled brightly, responding to the flow of donations with a series of gestures she had been practicing for such a moment.

Though the viewership wasn’t massive yet, it felt like the beginning of something big.