Chapter 86: Internet Broadcasting That Goes Too Far (1)
Chapter 86: Internet Broadcasting That Goes Too Far (1)
After wrapping up the Noe-rang Gate incident, I was summoned here, there, and everywhere for a while.
We live in an era where popular heroes are more famous than most celebrities. Since they are the ones practically saving lives, it’s impossible for the public not to take an interest.
In most fields, even if someone is a top-tier celebrity, people who aren't interested in that specific area might not know who they are. But heroes are the exception to that rule. If a Gate opens in your neighborhood or a villain appears, you’ll be looking for a hero regardless of who you are.
Heroes, villains, and Gates are elements that touch the lives of ordinary people so closely that almost everyone has received help from a hero, directly or indirectly, at least once in their lives.
‘I’m so tired….’
On top of that, the Noe-rang Gate was an A-Rank Gate, the first to appear in Korea in quite some time. Because I timed it perfectly—taking the request and finishing it before other S-Ranks could step in and hog all the glory—the spotlight was focused entirely on me.
Interviews, business meetings, TV appearances, ad shoots…
I spent several days running around like a headless chicken. People around me told me that being busy was a good thing, but since it was my first time being this swamped, I was beyond exhausted.
Naturally, while handling such a packed schedule, I met countless people. Reporters, filming crews, business associates—there were so many it would make my jaw ache just to list them all.
And it didn't even end there. Since I had decided to move out and live independently so I could stay with Rang-i, whom I brought back from the Noe-rang Gate, I was also busy hunting for a house. It felt like forty-eight hours in a day wouldn't be enough.
Buying things for the new house, running through my schedule, coming back home to masturbate while browsing the Female Hero Gallery…
“…A-a-achoo!”
So, perhaps catching a cold was the natural progression of things.
“Achoo! Sniff, sniff… Sniffle.”
It was a nasty cold. To be precise, it wasn't just a regular cold. It was a contagious disease that had been going around a few years back. I had stayed perfectly fine back then without catching it, so I never expected to get hit now that I’d become a hero and my body was supposedly healthier.
“Dammit, sniff… Talk about rotten luck.”
To catch a contagious bug right when I’m at my peak popularity. I was even advised to self-quarantine instead of trying to push through and work.
Of course, some time had passed since the Noe-rang Gate incident, so my popularity was starting to taper off a bit. Even so, taking a break when things were this busy was bound to be a huge loss.
‘Actually, this is better.’
However, I didn't feel too bad about it. In fact, I was quite satisfied. I had been dying to rest anyway, but everyone around me was pestering me to keep going while the iron was hot. Now, I had been handed a perfect excuse to stay home.
‘There were so many things I wanted to do.’
I hadn't been able to play with Rang-i much since bringing him home, and I’d even replaced my entire computer setup with the latest high-end model for the move. I’d invested a lot in interior design, buying furniture I liked, but I hadn't actually spent much time at home.
That’s why this forced vacation felt as sweet as honey.
‘Mm-hmm, that’s right. Rang-i, eat this.’
If there was one silver lining, it was that Rang-i listened to me very well.
If he had been as ferocious as Noe-rang or his mate, or if he had lunged at me every time he saw an opening because I was his parents' killer, it would have been impossible for even me to keep living with him.
But Rang-i wasn't like that. I couldn't be entirely sure why, but he was particularly friendly toward me.
The creatures most hostile to humans are monsters like Noe-rang. They are born with an innate hatred for humanity. In contrast, while Rang-i was born as the offspring of a monster, he only inherited the traits of a wolf; he wasn't a monster himself.
So, while it was easy to explain why Rang-i felt a sense of familiarity with me, it still felt a bit lacking. Not every wild wolf would be this docile, after all.
Amidst that lingering doubt, I finally found the correct answer.
‘Is it because I smell like his dad?’
The first time I met Rang-i was when my womb was filled to the brim with Noe-rang’s semen, to the point where it was dripping out with every step I took. Since we had been rolling around for quite a while, my body must have been covered in Noe-rang’s scent.
Thanks to that scent dampening his hostility, we were now essentially friends. Sometimes, when something dripped and got on my thighs, Rang-i would stick out his tongue to lick it off and then give me a goofy grin.
“Hehe, thanks….”
I won't deny that Rang-i’s behavior was not only cute but also made me a little nervous. Even if I pretended otherwise, it seemed the desires hidden in my heart were still there; every time an animal, especially a dog, approached me, I felt like I was going to get wet down there.
‘I have to hold back.’
I definitely didn't bring him here for that kind of reason. I purely just wanted to try raising a pet.
Having finished my self-justification, I clicked the button to turn on the computer.
Whirrrrrrr—
The newly upgraded computer emitted a grand yet quiet hum, like the engine of a luxury sedan starting up. Hearing that sound made my heart—the heart I had back when I was a man—start to burn again.
‘Yes, this is it…!!’
I can't even remember the last time I logged into a game. I moved the mouse with a wide grin on my face.
It was an online game I used to enjoy back when I was a student. I mostly played it with my school friends. However, I had lost interest for a while and hadn't even logged in.
‘Well… because I don't have any friends….’
After becoming a woman and a hero, all my previous social connections had vanished, so I stopped reaching out to the games I used to enjoy with my friends. It wasn't fun anymore, and it just felt shitty if I ended up getting into an argument with a stranger.
But since I’d bought a brand-new computer, it wouldn't hurt to turn it on for old times' sake. With that thought, I logged into the game and played a few quick rounds by myself.
And a short while later.
“Gaaaaah!!”
I fell into immediate despair. Not even two hours had passed.
“Why are there only assholes in this game?!”
I couldn't contain my anger and barked out a shout. I’d played four games so far, and in three of them, the teammates had spent the whole time fighting each other. I questioned if these odds were even statistically possible.
Was the game showing me exactly why I’d quit in the first place, warning me to stay away? As expected, playing this game alone was bordering on insanity.
‘Right, only an idiot plays games alone. It’s not like I have zero friends anymore, right?’
Until just a few months ago, I didn't have anyone I could really call a friend. My connections from my school days were all severed, and I hadn't exactly made many friends after becoming a woman.
Back then, most of the people I knew were just the middle-aged men from the Hero Association who were supporting me so I could quickly become a hero and join the front lines. At that time, even being around the Association Chairman was suffocatingly awkward.
‘It’s different now.’
Feeling spiteful, I grabbed my phone instead of the mouse. My plan was to quickly move on from the game I’d just lost and find some friends to play the next round with.
Ring… Ring…
The first person I contacted was the Operator.
[A game…? All of a sudden? Ah, sorry. I have some work to take care of right now. Maybe you can teach me next time.]
Rejected because he was busy with work.
The next person I contacted was Dark Swan.
[Huh? You call me after all this time and the first thing you say is… a game?]
“Oh, sorry….”
[I’d love to! A game? With me? Absolutely, I’m in! I’ll go buy a new computer right now!]
She was enthusiastic, but since she apparently didn't play games at all and only had an office PC, she was out.
The Association Chairman definitely wouldn't play this kind of game, so finally, I tried calling the invisible man, Shin Tae-geon, but…
[I am currently in a meeting. I cannot take your call right now, so please call back later.]
As expected of a company president, he was busy, and only an automated message greeted me.
“Sigh….”
Well, it was normal for everyone to be working or studying in the middle of a weekday afternoon. They weren't students anymore; they were people with their own responsibilities. Calling them out of the blue to ask them to play a game would only be a nuisance.
I guess it can't be helped. I smacked my lips and turned off the game. I wanted to play more, but I didn't want to do it alone, and since I had no way to find someone to play with, it was just disappointing.
‘I see streamers saying they’re doing viewer participation, and hundreds of people are dying to get in….’
That thought suddenly crossed my mind. Even if I was in quarantine, I could still do internet broadcasting, couldn't I?
Thinking about it, there was no reason I shouldn't. It’s not like a cold can be transmitted through a LAN cable. If I went on and said I was Magical Girl Floss and was looking for people to play a game with, I’m sure I could find someone.
‘Even if it’s not a game….’
At that moment, my bad habit began to crawl up to the surface.
Connecting whatever thought I had to something lewd was my bad habit. Furthermore, the influence of the lust demon in my head was several times stronger than usual right now.
It couldn't be helped. I had been so busy since the Noe-rang incident that I hadn't been able to enjoy any defeat play for over a month, and my libido was reaching its breaking point.
It wasn't just the defeat play that was the problem. Normally, I’d do it three times a day, and on my days off, I’d masturbate all day long, but lately, I’d only been able to do it once a day. I felt like I had been extremely repressed recently.
‘It’s about time for it to explode, isn't it…?’
The corners of my mouth curled up involuntarily. My crotch felt itchy, and my lower abdomen felt like it was heating up.
What kind of play could I enjoy without leaving the house and without physical contact with another person? I had already come up with the answer just a moment ago.
‘…Should I look into it a bit?’
That day, I spent the entire time looking up R-18 cam streamers, conducting a sort of preliminary investigation.
Of course, I wasn't interested in making money. However, things like wearing a skimpy female hero cosplay and doing a sexy dance, or meeting the top donor in real life—those were ideas that were arousing in and of themselves, even without the profit motive.
I even ended up seeing a ton of sexual harassment running rampant in the chat and donation messages during my research. I got so turned on by the level of filth and the sheer depth of the depravity—which was even worse than the Female Hero Gallery—that I don't even know how many times I masturbated right there in my chair.
‘Should I… try it just once?’
At that stage, the next step was already as good as decided. Before long, I had ordered various pieces of equipment needed for broadcasting. I didn't care about the money at all.
A few days later, I started my first broadcast as an anonymous rookie streamer, not as a magical girl or a hero.
I didn't put on the R-19 tag.
……Not yet, anyway.
