19

[Hey, 6 o'clock, hurry up, SOB.]

[Do you want to see me go insane?]

[If you lose it this time, just go to the hospital.]

LOLLOLLOLLOLLOL.

[SOB, SUHO is already waiting in the arena.]

'Shouldn't hacker Friedé also arrive early and wait in advance?'

What are you doing that's making you late? Are you meeting a man or something? Rubbing each other or whatever? I feel like I'm going crazy… Calm down, dude.

LOL your wording is relentless.

[This is the first time I've felt dizzy in virtual reality.]

[SOB, why are there so many people in the arena?]

[Right now, it's probably chaos because all the trolls have been drawn in.]

[Seriously, there are so many characters dressed up like purple aliens. It's insane.]

[A female user joined the ranks and got upset about being accused of hacking… She challenged someone to a duel. You can't miss that.]

LOLLOLLOL."

Since 5 PM, SUHO had created the arena room and waited, looking at the densely packed spectator seats with a sly smile.

While the hype was undeniable, who would have thought this many people would gather at once, even on a holiday?

According to an acquaintance, this duel was even being live-streamed by other streamers.

Combining all those audiences, the viewership might rival—if not surpass—that of SCK matches.

A hacker and a female user—when combined, they created an explosive synergy of negative perception.

This was true in other games as well, but especially in a rank-based game like Soul Warfare, which was almost entirely male-dominated.

Any element outside pure skill was not tolerated.

If a mysterious, highly skilled, and popular female player with an enchanting voice—though not a streamer—turned out to be a hacker, the sense of betrayal would be immense.

Throughout history, how many people cheered when a revered figure stumbled and fell? All the more so when it was an individual's fault…

And now, SUHO saw himself as the fighter who would bring this famous person down, the one who would deliver justice to the world of Soul Warfare.

'Is this how popular gladiators of ancient times must have felt?' SUHO suddenly thought.'

A streamer rising up against injustice, carrying a clear sense of duty.

On the other side stood the hacker, a female user.

He was utterly confident he wouldn't lose.

The cheering of the crowd supporting him seemed to echo directly into his ears.

Already, he could see himself reigning as a top-tier streamer with over 100,000 viewers.

***

In the spectator seats, not everyone was there just to watch the duel.

Some streamers had fully utilized the advantages of virtual reality to log in directly and broadcast a more immersive live commentary.

Although they needed permission from the host streamer, in this industry, as long as there wasn't significant animosity, such permissions were generally granted.

"Hello, everyone! Yes, today is finally the day!"

Jiye, a comprehensive game content streamer, including Soul Warfare, was among them.

Seated in the front row of the spectator area, informally reserved for commentators, she captured the view of the arena in third-person mode.

[Hi, Jiye~.]

[Are you in commentary mode today, sis?]

[Soul Warfare's Friedé hacking controversy has been crazy, huh? LOL.]

[There are so many people here LOLLOLLOL.]

[The loser is going to be humiliated so hard LOL.]

[The Soul Gallery community fully supports Friedé! The Soul Gallery community fully supports Friedé! The Soul Gallery community fully supports Friedé!]

[Stop spamming, you salty kids!]

[Who are you to represent Soul Gallery, you little troll?]

[Is Friedé really coming?]

[Sis, please show up fast, lose, and reveal your face. I'm losing my mind waiting.]

[Every time Friedé is mentioned, weirdos like this show up! Crazy.]

Even those who didn't focus on Soul Warfare were catching the news through word of mouth or streamers.

Still, the number of people gathered for this particular arena match was unusual.

The controversy had clearly served as a wake-up call, disrupting the growing stagnation.

"I'm here at the arena for the much-anticipated duel between the Hero of Light, Friedé, and SUHO. The heat of the crowd feels just as intense as the flames of this online uproar."

[They've staked their accounts, right?]

[This is practically a life-or-death moment for a streamer.]

[Why would the hacker girl risk her account if she doesn't even stream?]

[Apparently, she bet her account on some small-time streamer named Forming's channel.]

[Forming invited Friedé to his stream, and the hacking controversy blew up there. Now people are blaming Forming too.]

[So it's SUHO vs. Friedé, but Forming's also getting dragged in?]

[LMAO yep.]

"The promised time of 6 o'clock is almost here. SUHO has already arrived at the arena. Will Friedé make an appearance, or will this match be a no-show?"

[Thump-thump, thump-thump.]

[If Friedé chickens out, LOL, that'd be hilarious.]

[She'd have to quit the internet altogether.]

[Honestly, how many female users in the top ranks are legit?]

[What about Lotus in the women's league? She's Challenger rank, isn't she?]

[Lotus is an exception, but even she didn't pull off suspicious performances like a hacker. It took her three months to reach Grandmaster and another fifty days to climb to Challenger.]

"It takes incredible courage to enter the arena amidst such heightened tension. Oh, wait a second…"

As escanned the chat while continuing her commentary, a sudden notification in her private messages caught her attention.

"Everyone, we just received some breaking news. The spectator GM for this match has been announced. None other than GM Pope himself will be joining us. Rumor has it Trom Games is closely monitoring this situation."

[The Pope GM is here?]

[What a big shot.]

[Isn't he just a GM? What's so great about him?]

[He's famous for showing up first during hacking incidents and taking down everyone involved.]

[Last time there was a hacking program fiasco, he intervened in real time, wielding a dual combination of the Eternal Ban and Suspension Ban, and wiped out all the hackers.]

[Wait, what happens to the other players in those games?]

[That match is usually invalidated and immediately shut down.

LOL, he's known for being extremely strict.

No wonder even casual players know his name.]

[And he's basically untouchable because the company backs him up. Complaints don't work on him—he's a celestial dragon among GMs.]

[LMAO.]

Sure enough, at the very top of the spectator seats, the GM Pope sat arrogantly on the throne.

[Why's that guy up there?]

[For reference, the Pope loves his roleplay antics.]

[SOB, looking at his attitude, he's definitely got Trom Games' CEO's sex tape stashed somewhere. Anyway.]

His entrance was silent, yet when the arena's main screen illuminated the face of GM Pope Sullivan, the crowd buzzed even louder. His presence carried weight, especially in matters involving hacking controversies.

And then…

"It's 6 PM! Will Friedé finally show up? There's still no sign of her entering."

Unlike Jiye's excited voice, the arena—no, the entire battlefield—fell into a tense silence.

Would she run away, or would she boldly appear as she had in the video where she accepted the duel?

It was then.

"Hey! Look over there!"

A voice from the crowd broke the silence, and every gaze turned in one direction.

Unlike the dark fantasy atmosphere unique to the Soul Warfare arena, the night sky above was exceptionally clear and bright.

In the center of that sky, a singular golden light shone. What had caught the audience's eyes was undoubtedly that brilliance.

When Jiye's also paused her commentary and turned her gaze and camera toward it, something extraordinary happened.

The golden star glittering in the sky fell into the center of the arena, and as it collided with the ground, it burst into radiant light, forcing everyone to shield their eyes.

When the brilliance that lit up the arena vanished, a new notification appeared before everyone.

[Hero of Light Friedé has entered.]

A pure white silver armor and a flowing golden cape.

Its radiance and splendor carried a meaning far beyond the graphics rendered in virtual reality.

It was as if this hero had descended to save the bleak world of Soul Warfare.

"The Hero has descended…"

The first to recover, Jiye quickly regained her composure and resumed her commentary.

An entrance so dazzling it defied imagination.

"Wasn't that one of the Soul Warfare package items? The custom entrance cutscene…"

In Soul Warfare, players could purchase custom cutscenes for their character's entrance into the game.

However, it was an unpopular option due to its high cost, lack of impact on gameplay performance, and the technical difficulties of setting it up.

Only the very wealthy, who could afford to outsource everything, or professional gamers ever used it.

For Friedé to pull off such a high-quality custom entrance was astonishing.

"Sorry, I was a bit late because I was working on my custom cutscene."

As Friedé spoke, her one remark ignited an explosion of messages in her chat.

[Wait, she's the kind of player who uses custom cutscenes?]

[SOB, what even is that quality?]

[The Hero of Light is invincible! Friedé is a god!]

[What are you saying, supporting that damn hacker?]

[SOB, how do you even know she's a hacker?]

[I'd bet everything that she's a hacker. Scared? Then die.]

[You think I can't bet? Let's go, you troll!]

[A fight? Everyone gather!]

[Host, get the betting pool ready now!]

Her stunning entrance was enough to turn the almost solidified assumption that she'd run away into a complete reversal.

Now, the atmosphere around SUHO and Friedé was 50/50.

At this point, nothing else needed to be said—only pure skill would decide the outcome.

***

GM Pope, the overseer of this one-on-one duel between SUHO and Friedé and the observer tasked with detecting any use of hacking programs, watched from his throne.

His thoughts on Friedé's appearance were blunt.

"Geez… what a show-off."

To put it nicely, she had a star-like quality. To put it harshly, she seemed desperate for attention.

But perhaps that's precisely why people were so obsessed with her.

Slouching in his chair, the Pope alternated between observing the two duelists in the arena and checking the holographic panel on his right.

"Yeah… she's not using hacks."

At present, there were no abnormal signs.

It could change once the duel started, but for now, everything appeared legitimate.

Trom Games wasn't foolish.

The company was known for its meticulous monitoring of illegal programs, to the point of being compared to paranoid perfectionists.

Unlike standard PC games, virtual reality directly impacted users' health, which necessitated stricter regulations.

It was unthinkable that they wouldn't investigate Friedé thoroughly during this hacking controversy.

"She's clean."

Preliminary investigations revealed that Friedé was a genuine player, with no evidence of hacking programs detected.

Thus, the Pope found the necessity of his presence here grating.

Even if he was just a spectator, there was no need for him to show up physically in the arena.

'Whether I observe here or through the system, it's the same thing.'

Logging in and making a public appearance like this was unnecessary, but orders from above couldn't be ignored.

Despite the large-scale nature of this event, it was ultimately a conflict between players.

Having the company directly intervene only poured fuel on the fire.

This could have been handled remotely, with the duel monitored and a simple announcement posted on the company's website afterward.

In the end, it seemed like a publicity stunt.

'We're showing how thoroughly we combat hacking!'

For a moment, Friedé and Trom Games seemed eerily similar in the Pope's eyes.

"Both love stirring things up."

A bitter smile spread across his lips.