NOVEL WEB Chapter 31: Streamer Mentality
The team reached the town gates as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and violet.
One by one, they exchanged brief goodbyes before heading their separate ways.
Nathaniel slung his bow over his shoulder and walked off without much fuss, and Elara stretched her arms with a satisfied grin before disappearing down the street.
Adam turned to leave as well, but he paused when he noticed Rei lingering a few steps behind him.
The younger fighter seemed hesitant, his hand clenching and unclenching at his side.
Adam arched a brow.
"Something wrong?"
Rei shifted his weight, still hesitating.
He opened his mouth, closed it, then exhaled deeply.
"Adam... are we holding you back?"
Adam's brow furrowed.
"What?"
"I mean..."
Rei scratched his head, struggling to find the words.
"You could've probably reached a much higher level by now if you weren't wasting time guiding us. I… I just can't shake the feeling that you're slowing yourself down because of us."
For someone as confident as Rei usually was, there was an unusual tension in his voice.
His shoulders were stiff, his gaze low.
"It's the first time I've felt like I'm... dragging someone down."
Rei admitted quietly.
"I've always been able to keep up before."
"You're overthinking it..."
Adam said simply.
"If I thought you were a waste of time, I wouldn't be here."
Rei smiled faintly at that, but his eyes still held doubt.
"Even so..."
He paused, taking a deep breath.
"If there ever comes a time where you want to outgrow us, you definitely should."
Adam didn't answer right away.
He stared at Rei for a moment, then sighed softly.
"It's not like I'm doing this because I'm forced to..."
Adam said at last.
"Just like you, I don't know much about this tower... but I do know one thing."
He turned slightly, gazing down the darkening street.
"I have a good heart."
Adam continued, his voice a bit quiter.
"But I can't save everyone. After all, I'm only one person."
Rei frowned, unsure where Adam was going with this.
"That's why..."
Adam said, turning back to him.
"If there's a chance to grow people who could potentially save others in places where I can't... then I'm bound to take that chance."
It's not that he was a goodie-two-shoes who wanted to save everyone.
But there would be no point in going back in time with the goal to save people, only to travel the tower alone while pushing everyone else away.
That was like begging for a lonely journey to self isolation...
Not to mention, it was better to be a Stream Hunter with viewers who liked watching streamer's with good morals and attitude rather than being a Stream Hunter whose viewers wanted them to kill everyone in their path...
[Experienced Old Knight has donated 20 coins]
[Experienced Old Knight approves of the streamer's mentality.]
[Prankster of Kingdoms is chuckling at the savior complex mentality]
[NLE_immortal has donated 15 coins]
[NLE_immortal hushes you not to corrupt the livestreamer!]
Rei didn't reply right away.
He stood still, his fingers flexing tightly against his palm.
Finally, he gave a faint nod before walking away.
For some reason, Rei couldn't help but think about his older brother Isaac.
'If only he thought the same...'
...
The forest greeted Adam with familiar silence, broken only by the rustling of leaves and distant howls.
Shadows stretched between the trees, and the faint gleam of distant torchlight marked the borders of safer paths.
Adam ignored them.
He wasn't here for safe routes... he needed the places where monsters roamed freely.
By the time he reached the rocky outcroppings, the scent of iron lingered faintly in the air.
Lesser orcs roamed the area, their guttural grunts echoing through the trees.
Adam could make out their silhouettes... twisted forms with crude weapons and thick muscles as they lumbered near the clearing.
Five of them.
Adam exhaled.
"Good enough..."
He stepped forward, his movements steady and deliberate.
A twig snapped beneath his boot.
One of the orcs turned, its yellow eyes narrowing as it let out a guttural bark.
The rest followed, gripping their jagged axes and worn blades.
"Come on…"
Adam muttered, his fingers curling tightly around his dagger.
The orcs charged.
The first one lunged, raising its axe high...
But Adam shot forward, dashing past the strike with precise footwork.
His dagger slashed low, carving a deep gash across the orc's leg.
The creature staggered, and before it could recover...
Adam's other hand struck forward as crimson energy surged from his palm!
[Body Blood Magic].
Blood shifted and coiled like tendrils, lashing out and wrapping around the injured orc's limbs.
Adam clenched his fist, and the tendrils constricted violently, crushing the creature's joints with sickening cracks.
The orc howled and dropped, its weapon clattering to the ground.
Another charged in from the side.
Adam spun, dragging the captured orc's body with him.
The second orc's blade struck its ally instead, carving into its shoulder.
Before the second orc could react, Adam's dagger flashed again, plunging into its exposed side.
The creature sputtered and collapsed.
[+45 Exp, +0.02 Basic Soul Core.]
[+0.5 Gold]
The remaining three hesitated, snarling as they circled him.
Adam's muscles tensed as his blood magic continued to flow.
The dull ache in his limbs was manageable, but his stamina was draining fast.
'End this quickly.'
He darted forward, feinting a strike toward one orc before pivoting sharply toward another.
His blade flashed upward, cutting across its throat.
The orc staggered back, gurgling as blood poured from the wound.
Another leapt in, its axe swinging down hard...
But Adam twisted his arm, and a tendril of blood snapped forward, seizing the orc's wrist.
With a yank, Adam wrenched the creature off balance and drove his blade into its ribs.
[+45 Exp, +0.02 Basic Soul Core.]
[+0.5 Gold]
The last orc, larger than the others, roared in rage and swung wide.
Adam barely ducked under the strike, the wind from the swing brushing past his face.
He stepped in close, too close for the orc's weapon to swing again.
His dagger struck precisely...
Once, twice, then a third time, each cut deeper than the last.
The orc's movements slowed, its strength fading as blood soaked the earth.
With one final thrust, Adam drove his blade into the creature's chest.
It stumbled, then dropped with a heavy thud.
[+45 Exp, +0.02 Basic Soul Core.]
[+0.5 Gold]
[Level 10 → Level 11]
[Vitality has slightly improved.]
Adam let out a breath, wiping his blade clean against his sleeve.
His muscles ached, and the throb of exhaustion gnawed at his limbs... but the steady increase in strength kept him going.
'It's working... but it's still too slow.'
'Leveling in the early floors is always so arduous...'
He sighed.
He moved deeper into the forest.
Lesser orcs patrolled the paths in small groups and Adam hunted them relentlessly.
Each encounter was swift and brutal...
Quick strikes, precise cuts, and bursts of blood magic that turned their own injuries against them.
Hours passed.
The moon climbed high above the trees, and the distant cries of beasts stirred in the night.
Adam pressed on, his steps growing heavier with each kill.
By the time he stopped, his clothes were stained with blood.
Some his own, but most from the bodies littering the path behind him.
His chest rose and fell steadily as he sat on a fallen log, catching his breath.
[Level 11 → Level 12]
[Magic Potency has been slightly improved]
[Soul Core: 2.91]
Just as Adam was about to continue his grinding, he heard the sound of leaves crunching as if being stepped on behind him.
Alerted, his fingers instinctively curled around his dagger as he turned, muscles tense and senses heightened.
As he looked behind him, he turned to see a woman clad in a white coat that seemed too clean for the bloodstained wilderness.
Her silver eyes caught the moonlight, gleaming like polished steel.
It was Evelyn.