I Have a Reason to Hate Streamers Chapter 8

Translation:

Heat surged through my entire body.

Due to the intense workout, blood coursed through my circulatory system like crazy, and a tallic taste lingered in my mouth.

Fortunately, no matter how drenched I was in sweat, at least I didn’t reek of foul odor. I wiped my face with the water that had risen up to my waist, as if washing it, and then grabbed the support rail, attempting to walk forward.

I wasn’t even sure if you could call this walking.

It was an awkward movent, one I’d be embarrassed for anyone else to see. When people walk, their ankles are supposed to move properly, but for , even moving a single toe was a struggle. If I tried to walk outside in this condition, my feet would drag along the ground.

Honestly, it would probably look pretty ridiculous. There was this old ga I rember where the scene of dying to a snail was quite morable. I’d probably end up walking like one of those zombies from that ga.

“Huff, urgh! Huff...”

“Patient, if it’s too difficult, you can rest a bit. Pushing yourself too hard isn’t good either.”

“No, just a little more. I’m fine, really.”

“Alright, but make sure to rest properly when you do, okay?”

“I got it.”

Thankfully, the therapist didn’t try to forcefully stop . I was grateful for that. After all, this was an opportunity that only ca around once a week for . I already lived like a piece of trash most of the ti, so I couldn’t afford to be a baby about this.

It was monts like this when I regretted not exercising more. My stamina had beco pitiful. Compared to my ti as an athlete, this wasn’t even warm-up level.

Maybe I should’ve listened to my coach’s advice back then.

Not that it would have mattered. With legs I should’ve gotten rid of a long ti ago, proper exercise was nearly impossible. I couldn’t even walk without crutches—what could I possibly do?

It’s not like I could risk injuring myself while trying sothing dumb in that cramped room of mine. At least in the ga, I could move freely.

The less ti I spent outside the VR setup, the better—for both my body and mind.

“Ah! Ouch!”

“Patient! Are you alright? Should I move you now?”

“No! I just slipped for a second. I’m fine.”

“If you say so... I’ll support you from behind, okay?”

“Thanks.”

This was the rehabilitation center of Sigma dical Group—the place where most of my earnings went. Of all the things I’d tried, this place was the only one that had shown so progress.

Their advanced equipnt could even fine-tune the water currents to care for my body. Right now, a subtle electric current was probably gathering data while I floated, half-imrsed in the water. Here, at least, I could attempt so semblance of rehabilitation.

Compared to what the doctor initially told , it was a remarkable improvent. At least there was sothing I could do.

— “Miss Han Da-eun? We need to discuss the results of your detailed examination.”

— “Your condition is difficult to diagnose dically. However, based on the symptoms, it appears you have left-side hemiplegia…”

— “There seem to be issues with your tissue and circulatory system as well. Poor blood circulation may cause discoloration or necrosis.”

— “Unfortunately, we cannot draw reliable conclusions regarding the pain or the decline in function.”

The conversation had been complicated, and I didn’t rember all of it. To be honest, I hadn’t fully understood it at the ti. My mind wasn’t in a state to absorb dical terminology.

What stuck with more than the doctor’s words was his look of despair and helplessness.

To sum it up, my left foot was practically a dical disaster zone. The doctor said it looked like I was constantly poisoned. It wasn’t surprising they’d recomnded amputation.

Still, today, I received one hopeful piece of news.

— “The detailed examination results from last week are in.”

— “How does it look? Any improvent?”

— “Very slight, but there is improvent. If you look at this data, you’ll see your nervous system is…”

The doctor said it wasn’t a significant figure yet, but the fact that there was any improvent at all was what mattered to . That alone was enough for to cling to this fragile life.

Even if it felt like pouring water into a bottomless pit, I’d keep going. If I could regain the use of my legs… If I could stand on my own again and start over, I wouldn’t ask for anything more.

So I would endure this training, no matter how grueling it felt… At least, that’s what I told myself. In reality, I couldn’t go on for hours.

Each rehabilitation session was limited to three hours. As soon as the session ended, I collapsed in exhaustion and went straight to the break room. My body felt like it had turned into a piece of ocean trash, drifting on the waves.

I couldn’t even move a finger, so I closed my eyes, enjoying the lethargic sensation.

What woke from this state was the cold sensation on my cheek.

“We et again, don’t we?”

“Huh? Oh… Uh?”

I had thought I’d only closed my eyes for a mont, but it seed I had fallen asleep.

When I opened my eyes, my blurry vision was greeted by the figure of a woman. Unlike , dressed in patient attire, she wore sothing close to a formal suit, with a kind smile and twinkling eyes. Her long, light brown hair cascaded down her back. She was beautiful.

She handed a bottle of cold water, already opened.

“Th-thank you?”

“You’ve been working hard, haven’t you? You did a great job this week.”

“Well… I have to do it, after all.”

“It’s not an easy thing to do. Not just physically, but ntally as well. I know that firsthand.”

Ah, this was bad. I couldn’t stop my lips from curling into a smile.

The water she handed was nothing special—just the kind of bottled water you’d get at any convenience store. And yet, it tasted incredibly sweet as it went down my throat.

Of course, that was because this woman was soone I admired deeply.

“Thank you. Your words really help.”

“I’m glad to be of help. I’m sure you’ll get good results. By the way, did you co here alone today? Would you like so help getting ho?”

“No, it’s okay. Soone’s picking up in a bit.”

Her na was Lee Ga-yun, better known by her nickna, Luce. She was a professional esports player for Sigma, and in the dostic leagues, she was an unmatched paladin.

Of course, I was one of her many fans.

But it wasn’t just her skill that made her fan. Korea’s reputation in Infinity Black wasn’t that high, so being the best in the country didn’t an much on the international stage.

However, Luce’s story resonated deeply with .

If I had been cursed in my legs, then Luce had been cursed in her arm. It took her two years to move her wrist after barely being able to wiggle a finger. And another two years before she could raise her shield in the ga.

She started out as a strear who was mocked and ridiculed. With hands that could barely hold a shield, she stubbornly kept challenging ranked gas. At first, she was known as the “strear who only grinds gas but can’t play worth a damn.”

But she never gave up. Slowly, her skills surpassed those of regular players, and by the ti she mastered her shield, she had broken into the second-tier league.

Now, there was no need to explain further. Luce had beco the shining light of the Korean league.

A true victory of human perseverance.

It was only natural that she beca my role model.

“Well, I should get going now. I have so things to take care of.”

“Sure! Thanks for the water. I really appreciate it.”

The reason she often ca to this rehabilitation center was because she volunteered regularly. It seed she had been helping other patients nearby and just happened to run into .

Could I ever… shine as brightly as Luce one day?

I’d love to play a ga with her at least once. I’ve had several requests to assassinate her in-ga, but I never accepted any of them. I didn’t want to ruin her stream, even if I took down others.

But still, I wouldn’t mind facing her in a match—just once.

I wanted to test my skills against her. The idea of a one-on-one duel with soone I admired made my heart race.

But revealing my identity as Gawol wasn’t an option. My infamous reputation as a player killer was too well-known.

As my thoughts wandered that far, an idea suddenly popped into my head.

“Oh, by the way... are you joining the Infinity Arena event?”

“Hm? You play Infinity Black too, Da-eun? Yes, I’ll be participating.”

“Really…? Well, I’ll definitely be cheering for you. I’ll make sure to watch your stream!”

“Thanks! I’ll do my best!”

I could participate in this tournant too.

With Luce’s skill, she’d no doubt make it to the top. And as with any tournant, the higher you go, the more likely you are to face soone at the top.

If luck was on my side… I might just get the chance to go up against her.

My heart pounded. For the first ti in a long while, I could feel my blood boiling with excitent.

Watching her leave, I clenched my chest, feeling the rapid beating of my heart.

Maybe I should hurry Coach Jung along?

I needed to get ho quickly and finish the preliminaries.