Chapter 7: The Unintentional Trailblazer

That level of skill was nothing short of incredible, no matter how many times one thought about it.

He deliberately rushed into the enemy’s embrace, using the force to maneuver and counterattack.

No one could understand how he did it, and even if it were possible, no sane person would attempt it.

Yet, Seyul had executed this technique dozens of times.

A single attack wasn’t enough to deal significant damage to the Orc Chieftain.

So, he had no choice but to repeatedly target the same area, concentrating his strikes.

Even then, a single wound wasn’t enough he had to create multiple.

[He plays like crap, but damn, his skills are insane. Here, take this!]

<Animal Kingdom has donated 20,000 won.>

Seeing him succeed in such a ridiculous stunt with their own eyes,

even the angriest viewers had to acknowledge his abilities and sent donations.

“No, that’s not it.”

The Orc Chieftain felt the same way.

Blood dripped from the countless wounds covering his body.

Before long, he would die from excessive blood loss.

Knowing this, he acknowledged Seyul’s skill.

“I still have more to say, but in the world of monsters, strength is everything. ”

“Since you defeated me, I will recognize your claim.”

“You’re acting like you have no choice but to agree.”

Seyul looked at the kneeling Orc Chieftain with mild irritation.

Even on his knees, the monster was still towering over him.

Looking up at the once-mighty barbarian warrior, old memories resurfaced.

‘Well, no one changes their beliefs just because they lost a fight.’

The powerful beings he had encountered in this world were the same.

Unless they were cowards, they didn’t abandon their convictions just because they were defeated.

Most of them remained steadfast until their dying breath.

Seyul had accepted this as natural.

If someone abandoned their beliefs just because they lost to a stronger force, then weren’t they simply yielding to power?

He had argued that convictions held meaning beyond brute strength.

Forcing his opponent to change their mind after overpowering them would be contradictory to his own words.

So, he didn’t try to break the Orc Chieftain’s spirit completely.

It didn’t matter anyway.

His point wasn’t to persuade others it was something he told himself.

“Do you want me to end it quickly?”

Instead, Seyul asked the Orc Chieftain.

If left alone, he would die.

But there was no need to make it a painful death.

“If you wish, I can end your life in an instant.”

“I’d be grateful for that. Dying to your spear is a far more honorable death for a warrior than bleeding out here.”

The Orc Chieftain wasn’t being sarcastic he genuinely meant it.

However…

“Before you kill me, I want you to take this.”

Just as Seyul gripped his spear, the Orc Chieftain called out and handed him something.

“Mana Cultivation Technique?”

Seyul looked at the item and read the title written on it.

“This is… don’t tell me”

“That’s right. It’s the human text I stole to learn magic.”

The Orc Chieftain spoke calmly.

“Regardless of how I obtained it, this helped me become stronger, so I’ve always carried it with me. ”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like you to have it.”

“Why?”

“Because it’d be a waste otherwise. ”

“I’m going to die here anyway, so what’s the point of holding onto it? ”

“It’d be better off in the hands of a promising warrior.”

There was no ulterior motive.

The book would turn to waste, and Seyul was already incredibly skilled despite lacking magic.

For both reasons, the Orc Chieftain thought it would be better to pass it on.

[Will he take it?]

The viewers sneered at the Orc Chieftain’s gesture.

[That’s a trash-tier cultivation technique.]

[Especially for him.]

[Do you think he’s the type to accept something like that?]

[This guy refused a literal god’s blessing. Why would he take that?]

[Poor Orc Chieftain… he’s about to get rejected hard.]

Everyone was convinced Seyul would refuse.

He had turned down divine gifts without hesitation.

Let alone this weak, early-game magic technique no one ever bothered to learn it.

But then…

“If you’re offering, I’ll gladly accept.”

Seyul took the book, shattering everyone’s expectations.

[Wait, what?]

[A shocking twist!]

[Has he lost his mind?]

[Why is he acting so out of character?!]

[We begged him to take things before, and he always refused!]

The chat exploded in disbelief.

Seyul didn’t realize it, but he unknowingly answered the unspoken question.

“There’s no reason to refuse a dying man’s sincere goodwill.”

Unlike the gods who tried to control him with power, the Orc Chieftain’s offer was pure.

It was compassion for the dying.

And simple kindness.

Since there were no hidden motives, he accepted it.

[OHDI!!!]

[What the f*ck?!]

[What the hell?]

[So as long as it’s sincere, it’s fine?]

[If the gods had offered their power while dying, would he have accepted it too?]

[The gods really miscalculated.]

[They should’ve pretended to die before giving it to him!]

[They should’ve explained it properly!]

The chat exploded in chaos, but Seyul had no way of knowing.

The moment he took the book, it turned into light and merged into him.

<You have learned Mana Cultivation Technique. You have acquired mana!>

Since the book was essentially a skill book, accepting it automatically granted him mana.

[Are we supposed to be happy about this?]

[It’s just mana.]

For the first time, Seyul had gained something.

But instead of excitement, the viewers felt disappointed.

[Mana is something you automatically get when receiving divine power.]

[It’s just like MP.]

He was only now learning a basic ability that he should’ve acquired long ago, so they couldn’t celebrate.

“Farewell.”

With the last request fulfilled, Seyul didn’t hesitate to strike.

The Orc Chieftain’s already dying body was easily pierced.

His spear drove straight through the heart, ending it in an instant.

‘It’s been a while… since I felt this way.’

After finishing everything, Seyul looked up at the sky.

Fighting against an enemy trying to kill him,

Defeating them,

And in the end, exchanging a small moment of understanding

It was something he had experienced countless times in the other world.

Back then, though, he hadn’t been mature enough to accept such moments properly.

But today, for the first time, he handled it smoothly.

It made his time in this virtual reality feel worthwhile.

‘I’m getting more and more excited.’

He wondered what awaited him next and how close it would feel to the world he once knew.

Hopeful, Seyul was about to continue his journey when

“Oppa, stop playing and come eat!”

A sudden voice from outside made him freeze.

“We’re ordering from the Chinese place today. What do you want? Hurry up and tell me!”

It was his sister, Semi, calling him for dinner in the real world.

‘Should I stop for today?’

Seyul hesitated.

He wanted to keep going, but if it was time for dinner, he had no choice.

Besides, no matter how nostalgic this felt, playing too long wasn’t a good idea.

“I’ll have seafood fried rice.”

Answering with his choice, he logged out of the game.

And then

[Hey!!!]

[OF, OF?!]

[Did he just end it there?!!!]

The stream was cut off just like that.

But even after the broadcast ended, the chat remained active.

The entire chatroom was filled with screams and complaints.

[Did he really end the stream without warning?]

[And what was that last part?]

[??]

[Fried rice?]

[Why did he suddenly mention seafood fried rice?!]

[Did he just confess that his true identity is food?]

[For real, what the hell?!]

[Was that his way of announcing the end of the stream?]

Because he happened to mention seafood fried rice right before logging out, many viewers were completely lost.

[His gameplay was chaotic, and now his streaming habits are too!]

[What kind of trash ending is this?!]

[Is he doing this on purpose to mess with us?]

[He’s provoking us, I swear.]

[Seyul, I’m remembering your username!!!]

Some felt outright betrayed, as if they had been toyed with.

They were determined to watch Seyul’s next stream, even if only to see him fail.

Curious viewers and those who wanted to witness his downfall hit the subscribe button.

Without Seyul even realizing it, his subscriber count had surpassed 100 in an instant.

Warrior of the Gods.

The first-ever virtual reality game.

Not only was it the first, but its gameplay was also solid.

It had earned its place among legendary games, gathering a loyal fanbase.

These days, many other virtual reality games had been released, making it less of a hot topic.

However, today, an unexpected incident shook this once-quiet game.

[Breaking News! New Hidden Route Discovered in Warrior of the Gods!]

A sudden flood of posts appeared on various gaming forums.

They claimed that an undiscovered route had been found in Warrior of the Gods.

[This is seriously the most exciting thing I’ve seen in years.]

[There was a Divine Sword Route all this time?!]

[If you refuse, they actually give you a divine sword?]

If it had been just one post, it would have been dismissed as nonsense.

But when multiple witnesses came forward, the conversation changed.

Fans, skeptical but intrigued, analyzed the details carefully.

“Today, we’ll be playing the Divine Sword Route, discovered for the first time in four years!”

A popular streamer took the bait.

“Hello, everyone. This is Human Paladin.”

A man started his stream, launching Warrior of the Gods.

His username was Human Paladin a well-known streamer specializing in virtual reality games.

With his good looks, polite demeanor, and impressive gaming skills, he had built a strong reputation.

His average concurrent viewers exceeded 10,000, making him a major streamer.

Upon hearing about this newly discovered route, he jumped in without hesitation.

“To get straight to the point, I tested the so-called Divine Sword Route exactly as described and it’s real!”

He spoke confidently to his audience.

He had already prepared an edited clip of himself replicating Seyul’s actions and played it for his viewers.

[It’s legit.]

[So if you reject the gods and fight back a little, they just hand over the sword?]

[The gods were so flustered; they totally misunderstood the situation. LOL]

[Holy shit!]

[This was real all along?!]

[Amazing.]

His viewers were stunned by the footage.

[So, what’s the sword’s performance like?]

[Show us already!]

[Right now!]

[Dammit, I was watching live when it first appeared, but I didn’t get to see it properly!]

[That crazy girl turned it down like an idiot let’s see what she missed!]

Unable to ignore their demands, Human Paladin revealed the weapon’s stats.

“Even though it’s just a 1-star grade, its attack power and durability are several times higher than other weapons of the same tier.”

He continued, “And as you can see, it also has five special abilities.”

[Because it’s from the five gods, it has five abilities?]

[So, it’s basically blessed by all five gods at once.]

Every Warrior of the Gods player who saw the stats was left speechless.

Not only was it incredibly powerful, but it was also a growth-type weapon.

Meaning it would only become stronger over time!

[The rankings for the strongest weapons just changed.]

[This thing was actually that good?!]

[And that idiot just threw it away.]

Some of the viewers had watched Seyul’s stream when he first discovered the sword.

They were dumbfounded that he had rejected such an amazing item.

At the same time, a hint of concern surfaced among them.

[Uh, bro?]

[Human Paladin, are you sure it’s okay to stream this?]

[Wasn’t this found by some guy named Seyul?]

[I mean, yeah, he rejected it, but still…]

Normally, there were no rules against following someone else’s route.

However, this was a game-changing discovery something that could instantly make a small streamer blow up overnight.

Yet, Human Paladin had taken it and used it as his own content.

If mishandled, this could cause a major controversy, with people accusing him of being unethical.

“Ah, my apologies. Seyul? If you’re watching, please reach out to me later. If this becomes an issue, I’ll formally apologize.”

Realizing that he had acted impulsively, Human Paladin quickly addressed the situation.

He hadn’t intended to steal credit; he had simply been too excited as a fan of Warrior of the Gods.

“I plan to keep playing, but I didn’t find this myself. If you check this channel here, you’ll see who actually discovered it Seyul.”

Making sure to clarify that Seyul was the true pioneer, he subtly promoted Seyul’s channel.

He figured that if Seyul was a streamer, he would appreciate the exposure.

With his 10,000 viewers hearing about Seyul’s stream, he assumed it would be a win-win.

The next day.

The moment Seyul launched the game

[He’s live!]

[Finally, it’s happening!]

Over ten times the number of viewers from the previous day flooded into his stream.

His subscriber count had exploded overnight.