NOVEL WEB Chapter 49: Soul Cores
After two more hours of relentless battle, the undead faction and the stream hunters fighting alongside them finally reached a decision...
It was time to retreat!
Their forces had been pushed to their limits.
At this point, due to Adam's interference and [Surreal Creation] ability, they could not seem to find a way to break-through the defenses.
Which in turn made the orc-faction overwhelm them with sheer strength.
Their manas were running dry, their formations had begun to break, and the battlefield was turning against them!
Holding out any longer would be a pointless struggle.
With no path to victory, the call was made...
The undead forces began their withdrawal, pulling back from the frontlines.
The orcs, sensing their retreat, let out thunderous roars of victory!
Then, the system notifications appeared.
[Orc Settlement 21: 0% Conquered]
[Objective has been completed]
[Siege Battle has been won!]
[Faction points have been distributed!]
[Siege Battle Ranking]
[The Chosen Conduit] – 633 points
[Glass Arrowhead] – 121 points
[Rage Fighter] – 105 points
...
[As the highest contributor of this siege battle, rewards have been given out!]
[+900 EXP, +500 Gold]
[Level 32 → Level 33]
[Magic Control Efficiency has been improved slightly.]
Adam scanned the results.
His stream codename, The Chosen Conduit, sat comfortably at the top.
Still, this was only a small skirmish in the grand scheme of things.
The real battlefield rankings, the faction-wide leaderboards, were far more important.
[1st Place] – The Atrocious One (4,232 points)
[2nd Place] – King of Shadows (3,232 points)
[3rd Place] – Distant Eye (2,321 points)
...
[Your Place] – 28th Place (701 points))
'From 57th to 28th place in a day... Not bad. But then again, perhaps this is the difference between having good personalized abilities and bad ones.'
Well, good was an understatement.
His personalized abilities were overpowered...
[Disciple of Ice has donated 30 coins]
[Disciple of Ice] : So it really was true... is that your ability? To copy the skills of others? No wonder you chose to be on the side of the orcs...
[Hazardous Combatant says to try out his skills next!]
[Arken_Knight has donated 30 coins]
[Forest Scarecrow smiles at the livestreamer's potential]
[Forest Scarecrow] : Have you received a sponsor yet?
[Prankster of Kingdoms laughs at the Forest Scarecrow saying that the livestreamer would never choose you to be his sponsor]
[Forest Scarecrow simply smiles at the Prankster's attempt to enrage him]
Adam glanced at the ongoing banter.
He sent a quick thanks for the donations before a notification caught his attention.
[Pockyslee has donated 15 coins]
[Pockyslee]: Streamer, mind checking your pending gifts? ^^
'Gifts?'
With a slight pause, Adam immediately opened his system panel to check.
▶ [User] Adam Codranel
➤ [Rank] Ember (Requires 50 Soul Core points and max level for the next Rank)
➤ [Level] 33 ─ (Capped at level 100)
➤ [Soul Core] 31.32
➤ [Honor] 75
◆ [Abilities]
├── [Temporary Copy] (?-tier)
├── [Permanent Copy] (?-tier)
├── [Body Blood Magic] (D-tier)
└── [Surreal Creation] (A-Tier)
◆ [Stream Information]
├── [Stream Codename] The Chosen Conduit
├── [Sponsors] None
├── [Average Viewers] 52/sec
├── [Subscribers] 52
├── [Gold] 12,332 Gold
└── [Pending Gifts] 8
Ah, right. Gifts existed.
Unlike coin donations, which were returned to the viewer with interest at the end of a floor, gifts were permanent.
Viewers didn't get anything back from giving them out...
This made them far rarer... viewers rarely handed out gifts unless they were truly invested in a stream hunter's success.
In his past life, Adam had received barely any gifts.
At most, he had gotten coin donations, and even those weren't substantial.
His abilities back then weren't really impressive compared to top stream hunters, and he had never been the type to entertain viewers with flashy antics or exaggerated reactions.
He had tried before, but it just really didn't fit him...
The moment he forced a smile or tried to act more expressive, he felt unbearably awkward...
Still, his viewers had eventually come to appreciate his cold and commanding presence.
That, at least, was something he could maintain naturally.
With that thought, he reached out and tapped the pending gifts section.
[Pockyslee has donated an F-tier Gift]
[You have received] : Mana Orb – Slightly increases mana capacity.
A minor but useful gift.
He was about to thank Pockyslee when—
[Christ_Okamoto has donated an F-tier Gift]
[You have received] : +1 Soul Core
Adam was taken aback.
However, he didn't have time to react as many more were sent out.
[D3adH3ad_249 has donated an F-tier Gift]
[You have received] : +1 Soul Core
[Piggy has donated an F-tier Gift]
[You have received] : +1 Soul Core
[Nalyd has donated an F-tier Gift]
[You have received] : +1 Soul Core
[SiorcTalun has donated an F-tier Gift]
[You have received] : +1 Soul Core
[Batman_Gamerz has donated an F-tier Gift]
[You have received] : +2 Soul Core
The livestream chat immediately exploded.
[5th Style Sword Master is surprised by the generosity...]
[Frog Eater] : What's with these strange viewers? Why would you give away your own soul cores!
[Disciple of Ice] : What? What do those names mean? What do you mean strange viewers?
[Prankster of Kingdoms says it's a long story...]
These weird username users were definitely odd..
Adam had encountered plenty of odd viewers before...
Trolls, gamblers, backseat strategists... but this was different.
Donating Soul Cores?
That was unheard of.
While it wasn't technically impossible to donate one's own Soul Core, it was something no sane person would do.
A Soul Core was the essence of a hunter's strength, a resource that determined growth and survivability.
Losing even a fraction of it meant setting yourself back permanently!
And yet…
Not just one, but multiple viewers had done exactly that.
In his past life, not a single viewer had ever gone this far for him.
Donations were one thing.
Viewers often sent gold or gifted small buffs to their favorite stream hunters.
But Soul Cores?
That was an entirely different level...!
Adam's gaze lingered on the usernames flashing in the chat.
[Pockyslee is happy that the streamer likes the gift]
[Nalyd simply glances at the streamer's reaction]
[Batman_Gamerz says helping the poor is the job of the hero of the night.]
He exhaled slowly, fingers tapping against his knee.
'Selfless… or just clueless?'
The act itself was reckless, but it wasn't just about generosity...
These viewers weren't normal...
And Adam had a feeling he knew why.
'They have to be related to that question-marked viewer... The one who sent me back.'
That single thought lingered in his mind, heavier than it should have been.
It was too much of a coincidence... viewers with bizarre usernames suddenly showering him with Soul Cores, as if they knew he needed them.
But what was their goal? What did they gain from this?
'I wonder why he decided to choose me to be sent back of all people...'
Adam's expression remained neutral, but inside, he was running through possibilities.
He barely had time to delve deeper into his own thoughts when a sudden voice broke through his contemplation.
"Ah! Hey!"
A loud, gruff voice called out.
Adam shifted his gaze toward the source.
A man in plated armor, carrying a massive shield, strode toward him with heavy steps.
The metal of his armor bore dents and scratches, proof that he had been in the thick of battle.
His movements were steady, unbothered by the weight of his gear.
Beside him, a woman with short brown hair followed closely, her expression far softer than her companion's.
"You're the one that threw out that bloody spear and saved us, right?"
The man asked, his tone carrying a rough friendliness.
"I just wanted to thank you."
Without hesitation, he extended a gloved hand.
Adam looked at it for a brief second before taking it.
He didn't mind the friendliness.
"The name's Kristoff."
The man introduced himself before gesturing toward the woman beside him.
"And this here is Loraine."
The woman nodded in greeting, a warm smile on her lips.
"If you ever need healing, just ask."
Adam's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than necessary.
Something felt... familiar.
His grip tightened slightly before he let go.
'Why do I feel like I know this woman?'
The sensation gnawed at him.
It wasn't immediate recognition, but a distant, nagging familiarity...
He didn't show his thoughts on his face.
"Adam."
He introduced himself simply.
Kristoff grinned.
"Nice to meet you!"
He paused, rubbing the back of his head before continuing.
"Well, I won't take up too much of your time. I just wanted to ask... would you be interested in teaming up with us?"
Adam was about to decline...
But before he could speak, Kristoff added something else.
"We're teamed up with the third ranker in the Orc Faction... Distant Eye."
That name made Adam pause.
Kristoff grinned, clearly aware of the impact.
"I'm sure it'll be beneficial for you as well."