The Hero's Streaming Life with the Saintess-Chapter 4: Even Heroes Hate Going to the Military

“Wow... Mom really made it, huh?”

“Why? Do I look different or something?”

A high-rise apartment with a full view of the Han River.

And a penthouse on the very top floor.

A massive living room, sleek interior design, and luxurious furniture filled the space at a glance.

“Your room’s over there, and your sister can take that one.”

“Am I... rich now too?”

Grinning ear to ear, I opened the door.

The furniture arrangement was exactly the same as five years ago. Books neatly lined up on the shelves. Posters still hanging on the wall.

I closed my eyes, then opened them again.

Memories came flooding back.

And I could finally feel it — I was really back.

“...Mrs. Geum, you really know how to tug at a guy’s heart...”

“Son, I’ll call you when it’s time for dinner, so come out then, okay?”

****

Time passed, and I did, quite literally, nothing.

I fulfilled the three most basic human needs: eating, pooping, and sleeping.

“This one still isn’t finished?”

The manga about the guy who dreams of becoming Pirate King — he still hasn’t become king.

“Wait, this guy’s basically the main character, and he died?”

That billionaire CEO who carries weapons around died in the movie.

And what I spent the most time doing... was watching online streams.

“This guy’s still streaming like always, huh.”

I was living a life beneath human standards — eating, sleeping, and shitting off my parents’ money.

The only saving grace: I still liked moving my body, so I exercised regularly.

After returning to Earth, Lyla had been diligently studying languages and culture.

Maybe because she was chosen by the Goddess, but she had already mastered Korean and English, and I heard she was learning additional languages too.

‘...’

I tried listing everything I’d done since coming back to Earth.

Actually, there was no need.

There was nothing.

****

Knock knock.

“Son, can we talk for a minute?”

At my mother’s call, I headed to the living room — Dad and Lyla were already sitting there.

“You’ve been living quite a productive life, haven’t you.”

Mom tossed a stack of papers in front of me.

“What’s this...?”

“Why don’t you read it yourself?”

[ Grandpa’s Pig Trotters – ₩32,000 ]

[ Copang Shopping – ₩46,000 ]

[ Naver Payment – ₩320,000 ]

[ Hoseok’s Triple Chicken – ₩21,000 ]

[ Nexon – ₩150,000 ]

...

No need to read any further.

“...”

“That’s your credit card statement for the month.”

There were tons of little payments listed, but the total alone made it seem like I was partying every night.

“Son, just look at Lyla. She’s working hard on self-development, helping out around the house, and even cooking!”

“But Mother, he is the Hero who saved the world, after all.”

Seriously, Lyla... you’re the only one on my side.

“Ugh... to think my precious daughter dotes on this bum...”

I couldn’t just keep being the useless parasite eating free meals at home.

“Mom, just give me a little time. I’ll figure out what I want to do!”

Saying that, I practically fled into my room.

Honestly, I had considered the whole Hunter thing.

“But giving up this kind of comfort right now... feels impossible...”

My grand decision to find a serious job didn’t even last an hour before I was watching streamers again.

Knock knock.

“...?”

“Hero, I’m coming in, okay?”

Lyla came into my room — again.

She didn’t really do anything.

She’d just come in, sit for an hour or two, and watch whatever I was doing.

“Hero, do elves or beastfolk exist here on Earth too? From what I’ve studied, it seems like...”

“You mean VTubers?”

“Ah, so they’re called ‘VTubers’?”

The world had really changed.

With the arrival of monsters, mana, and magic, content like this had developed a lot.

Unless you examined it closely, virtual characters were now almost indistinguishable from reality.

“Heeey... so you like this kind of stuff, Hero?”

If someone else had said that, it would’ve meant, “Wait, you’re into that kind of thing?”

But Lyla was genuinely curious.

“Well, it’s not the only stuff I watch. I follow other streamers too.”

I had her sit next to me and explained everything, step by step.

“What does the star next to this one mean?”

“!?”

That was one of the ones I subscribed to...

“...Hero, is this your type of woman?”

It’s not what you think, Lyla.

She’s just a regular variety game streamer. That’s it. Just games.

“A-Anyway, yeah, these are the kinds of streams people do.”

“Then why don’t you try streaming yourself, Hero?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Can I speak in front of people without getting nervous?

Sure, that’s not hard.

Would it be fun?

Well, I do have a bunch of unique experiences from the other world.

“Hmm...”

“Or would you like to do it together... with me?”

What kind of opening line is that supposed to be?

A stream with two main characters instead of just one guest?

Still, it’d be better than living as a poop-producing machine doing nothing all day.

“Hold on a sec...”

I went out to the living room to talk to Mom.

She listened attentively to her son — who was now spewing verbal diarrhea — with a calm expression.

“Son, you do know you still have to serve in the military, right?”

And that day...

Song Hun’s world came crashing down.

****

To be precise, my world almost came crashing down.

“So you’re saying... if I become a Hunter, I won’t have to serve in the military?”

“That’s right.”

Was there no way to avoid both the military and being a Hunter? Like a full-blown freeloading loser option?

I mean, my mom is the master of a major guild. Couldn’t she pull some strings?

...If I even said that out loud, she’d take everything back in a heartbeat and throw me out naked into the street.

“Wait a sec... could it be...?”

Just as I thought — there was a way.

There were people who were Hunters, but also walked the path of streamers.

Those who dove into the blue ocean of the "Hunter-Streamer" niche.

No — to be more accurate, there were plenty of “Hunter-Streamers.”

Just that their numbers were vastly smaller than regular streamers.

“Time to make a move.”

I changed clothes right away.

Rummaged through my pockets and pulled out the business card I got when I first returned to Earth — the one from the Association Chairman.

Typed the address into my phone.

“Five minutes away?”

Nice and close.

In the blink of an eye, I arrived at the Association building.

“Hunter Management Association, huh... The name’s straightforward, but man, it sounds tacky.”

I glanced around, checking my surroundings.

Just in case anyone saw me and it turned into an awkward situation.

Once I confirmed no one was around, I tensed my legs.

“Hero, where are you going?”

“WAAAHHH!!!”

Lyla was staring right at me from the side.

“You scared me...”

“Hehe, I just wondered where you were off to. If you’re going somewhere, let me come too!”

She was always like this.

Curious where I was headed, always tagging along.

What was strange, though, was that no matter what she did, I could never sense Lyla’s presence — not once.

‘Is it because I just feel comfortable around her?’

Anyway, that’s not the point right now.

I told Lyla about my plan.

Her eyes widened into perfect circles, then she tilted her head and pondered.

“Hmm... I feel ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) like Mother would be mad if she found out?”

“Yeah, probably...”

The source of this c𝓸ntent is freewebnøvel.coɱ.

“Then I’ll pretend I don’t know. But I’m coming with you.”

Well, that’s how it always went.

I wrapped my arm around Lyla’s waist and tightened my stance.

— BOOM!

My body shot straight up into the sky, and I could already see the rooftop of the building.

Normally, I’d have to go through security and work my way up floor by floor to meet the Association Chairman,

but let’s be honest — the best deals are always made direct.

I opened the rooftop door and headed down.

Soon enough, I spotted a door that just screamed “most important guy is in here.”

“Who’s there...?”

“Ah, sorry.”

— THUD! THUD!

They looked exhausted, so I gave them a little nap.

I gently laid them down on the lobby couch.

Then I focused — and felt a single aura inside the room.

“Who...?”

“It’s Song Hun. My mother is the Guild Master of Hanul Guild...”

“Ah—ah? Oh! But what are you doing here...?”

“Do you have a moment to talk?”

“Yes, of course. But outside, weren’t there...”

He was probably wondering how I got past the guards.

“They looked really tired. So, they’re all taking a nap. I came in quietly.”

“...”

He didn’t believe me at all.

So I got straight to the point to distract him.

“It’s true that becoming a Hunter means I don’t have to go to the military, right?”

“That’s correct. Are you—”

“No, I’m not trying to become a Hunter right this moment. I mean, there’s all that mandatory stuff, and it looked like a lot of work.”

The Chairman made no attempt to hide his disappointment.

Understandable.

Having a strong Hunter in the country would be great for national interest.

“Then?”

“I have a proposal.”

He gave me a look like, ‘What kind of lunatic is this?’

A normal person would want to smack me across the head, but clearly he was trying hard to hold back.

“I’m not some lazy freeloader.”

“You kind of—”

“Pardon?”

“...Nothing. If you’ve come all this way, I assume you have a reason.”

“I want to broadcast under the title of Hunter. Not on public TV or anything — I’m talking online streaming.”

Now his expression fully shifted to ‘Yep, definitely a lunatic.’

You could see his fists clenching.

“I’ll let that unprovoked attack on me slide as a misunderstanding, by the way.”

“But that was because—!”

“I get it. You had your reasons. I might’ve been a monster, after all. But just hear me out first, then decide.”

All negotiations would be streamed live.

I’d enter Gates marked as uncleared or flagged dangerous zones.

Anything I obtained during the mission would be mine.

In return, if a Gate Break happened that the government couldn’t handle, I’d step in to assist.

“How does that sound?”

“Admittedly... it is an interesting proposal...”

I’d caught the Chairman’s interest.

Before he could snap back to rational thinking, I needed to keep shifting the focus.

“And if I stream these strategies, imagine how useful it’ll be for newbie or prospective Hunters.”

“The idea has merit, but...”

“It’ll help the growth of Korea’s Hunter population tremendously. Isn’t this a mutually beneficial deal?”

He definitely had the experience of a seasoned leader — he wasn’t agreeing too easily.

Time to make a bold move.

“...To be honest, another country already offered me citizenship.”