I Have a Reason to Hate Streamers

The moment I opened the box and saw the camera was the problem.

My face briefly reflected in the small, black lens.

My heart dropped, and I closed the box.

I sat there quietly, with the tightly closed box on my lap for a long time.

I would never open the box again.

To me, Han Da-eun looked like a stain.

A stain that once set, cannot be removed.

I can’t let that kind of thing stain Gawol.

Compared to Gawol, Han Da-eun is just too pitiful.

I can’t go back to the life I dedicated to Kendo, I have learned nothing, my personality sucks, I think gloomy thoughts every day, and jealousy crawls around my heart.

In the game, Sulbbang gave me a grand stream to enjoy, but in reality, I’m a fool who can’t even turn on a camera!

What can I do? I was just too scared.

It seemed like everything I had done out of ugly jealousy was mocking me and holding me back.

– What face do you have to step foot here?

– Did you think something would change after dreaming for a moment?

– The one who stole someone else’s light?

– Why didn’t you die that day?

“Ah.”

No. If the accident gets that far, I can’t pick up the pieces.

Just then, the fake Gawol poked my shoulder.

My shoulder where the dagger had embedded felt like it was burning.

If it were me, I wouldn’t stop here.

As if it was only natural, the blade spun around inside my body.

Flesh and muscles tore, and blood poured out.

Hot blood ran down between my white armpits, breasts, and thighs.

I gasped for breath as pain overwhelmed me.

“It hurts.”

It hurts so much that it’s hard to endure.

Was it always this painful? I think I managed pretty well in the Arena.

The pain was so excruciating that I wanted to hate the whole world— I even hated that person in front of me.

Flames of hatred burned in my belly.

It felt like my insides were burning away.

Or was it? Maybe I’ve always hated you.

I shoved a knife into my own body, and I won’t just let you go.

You have to hurt too. I flicked my wrist to push the blade out.

It slightly sliced my skin and exposed my flesh. But it didn’t leave a mark.

Since the dagger ricocheted to an unintended spot, a gap appeared.

I naturally slashed an artery, but… it didn’t bleed because my opponent, despite looking like me, was ultimately an inanimate object.

I could at least manage to damage the wrist a bit.

[You are affected by the enemy’s “Enhanced Hemorrhagic Poison.”]

[For 30 seconds, you lose a percentage of your maximum health… ]

The breath I inhaled reeked of blood.

It’s probably the smell of my blood.

I’m not fond of the scent of blood, but I don’t dislike the warmth that it carries.

It’s like a warmth, so it’s not all that bad.

Thanks to the burning pain, my head felt clearer.

It’s ridiculous. It’s more effective to suffer than to desperately pull myself together.

Maybe that’s why people with broken hearts self-harm.

Did they also just want their bodies to hurt rather than their hearts?

I… I’m still okay for now.

So far, I’ve never harmed my body in reality.

I still have enough energy left to connect to the device if I have to.

I can’t say that my mind is healthy, but I haven’t completely destroyed the sanity I honed during my athlete days.

Let’s focus on the fight and brush off the trivial matters.

If I erase the distractions, maybe this emotion will diminish a little.

‘It’s awkward to do something with daggers against each other in this situation. What can I actually do?’

Of course, I’ll use my legs.

I pressed down with my hands to block the knee that was trying to rise.

I tilted my head to dodge the knife, grabbing my thigh while attempting a ground move.

This was a gamble.

If that guy’s strength dwarfed mine, it might end badly.

If I played by the book, it would be disadvantageous for me since I’m the weaker one, so I took a risk.

But… there’s no way that wouldn’t work.

This game doesn’t create unbeatable bosses.

“Phew…”

A good start.

This won’t be easy to free.

Martial arts are an Akashic record built over thousands of years by human weapons around the world.

Modern martial arts—especially ground techniques—are the crème de la crème, picking the best bits.

In time, I’ll analyze this too, but it’s something that can’t be figured out only by intuition or instinct.

This time, you made a mistake.

I’m the best at one-on-one combat in this world.

You shouldn’t have followed through with your body!

… I guess I’ll need to visit a hospital soon.

My bipolar disorder is getting worse.

[You have successfully activated the “Vital Point Attack: Cutting Tendons” effect.]

[The enemy is affected by the “Strength Weakening” effect.]

With a cut behind the knee, a pleasant system message echoed.

Does damaging the joints count as cutting the tendons?

I pinned their arms down and poked under their armpits a couple more times.

That felt good, but it wasn’t going smoothly.

The speed at which they learned to counter was much faster than I anticipated.

As they untangled their legs, I felt them begin to push me away with sheer strength.

Trying to press their forearm and breast down, I couldn’t guard my left waist.

This exchange isn’t favorable.

If the enemy was just a human, I would’ve kept pushing. But they’re undoubtedly a dungeon boss.

A slight advantage doesn’t guarantee victory.

We must avoid a mutual slaughter.

I grabbed their arms tight, and our thighs pressed together.

“Ugh…!”

Once again, mere strength isn’t enough. I’m about to get eaten.

Had it not been for the positional advantage, I might have already been crushed under.

This guy has already learned how to use their elbows too.

As their jagged bone pressed into my body, pain shot through me.

I need to give an answer before my ribs shatter.

Normally, I could choke them to cut off their breath, but would that even mean anything?

Even though they have the same face as me, they’re ultimately a machine.

Choking the machine’s neck? That’s just plain stupid.

Even old Hollywood movies don’t do that.

‘But I can change methods.’

I pushed my legs in deeper.

The strength of my thighs pushing in and the pressure from my calves pulling back opposed each other.

I aimed for the joint’s weakness, bending the leg sideways.

This technique had even been marked as a foul in grappling arts like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

It was banned in sports due to the danger of injury.

Conversely, it means that it excels in breaking limbs.

As I twisted my whole body with force, I finally heard a crack—snap!

As the fake regained their posture, I released my grip and took a slight step back.

One leg wasn’t enough.

That obsessed person wouldn’t give up until they die.

Those constantly moving eyes are probably still searching for my answer.

“Stop being so pathetic. Just die already, and it’ll be easier for both of us.”

Since my opponent is a boss, they might recover quickly.

I immediately approached and targeted the right eye.

Of course, they wouldn’t fall so easily. The missed dagger sliced through the air.

The enemy’s gaze momentarily dropped to the ground. I should be cautious of the shadows.

I sidestepped as I dodged, only to feel something sharp spike up.

In that instant, the fake Gawol lunged at me to attack.

I had planned to dodge to the side.

Could it be that they can read me just as well?

I mis-timed my dodge against the shadow blade and lost my chance.

[Binding: Damage taken from the Protector increases in proportion to the overlap.]

Moreover, the amplified damage was too great.

Even though I successfully parried, my wrist twisted, sending the dagger flying far away.

A blade embedded in my side, and in return, I grabbed one of the fake’s arms.

I’m still not dead yet.

With poison coursing through both our veins, I don’t plan to end things here.

Using my elbow as a pivot, I twisted the fake’s arm.

Their body is much sturdier than a human’s, but with all my strength and weight, I could break it.

However, I applied too much force, causing blood to spurt from the fresh wound.

“Ugh…!”

Is it because there’s no one around?

I couldn’t hold back a scream.

But a sense of exhilaration began to swell in my mind.

I had won. Despite the severe bleeding, the other side had one arm and one leg broken.

There would be no further engagements.

I could adjust my distance freely now, but the fake could no longer do that.

As I gradually increased their wounds, I stabbed two daggers into their ankle.

The sound of a dagger piercing the Achilles tendon, a screech that seemed to come from rusted metal.

「Critical damage detected to the joint.」

「Awaiting recovery…」

The gray body crumbled.

I didn’t let that chance slip away.

Pinning their arms with my knees, I sat atop the fake’s belly.

I should stab with the dagger… but I couldn’t see it.

My left hand had been rendered unusable due to a cut.

Somewhere on my body, I must’ve left a dagger, but I couldn’t recall where.

Seeing that face that looked just like mine, damn it, I couldn’t think clearly.

“If there’s no weapon, then it’s fists.”

I punched the blank face deadpan.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like their face was protected by a hard shell.

While still sturdier than my body, if both our faces and fists were to collide, naturally I’d come out on top.

Thud. Squish. Bam.

My hand got mashed.

At the same time, the fake’s face crumpled.

The fake didn’t bleed, but I was bleeding in return.

Blood from my fists. Blood from my body and mouth.

Bright red stains covered both our bodies.

So we both looked like we were bleeding.

I didn’t stop and kept punching.

Again. And again.

With each hit, I felt a bit of relief.

Some lump was melting away, and I no longer felt pain.

Then, at some point, I noticed a dagger on the inner side of my thigh.

So it was here.

It seems my brain wasn’t working well.

Once I sort things out, I need to take a breath.

I threw a throwing dagger into the temple.

The fake Gawol’s body drooped.

「Communication 331,352. Requesting permission to end the protector’s mission.」

「Protector ‘Father’ mission impossibility rate at 89.44%.」

「Shutting down operations.」

「Thank you.」

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