The Hero's Streaming Life with the Saintess-Chapter 8: It’s Not Tuition, It’s Cash

The chat window began flying by at lightning speed.

It was filled with just one phrase: “ㄱㅊ” over and over.

“What does that mean? And... what is it you’re all saying you saw?”

[Gasp!]

[(emote looking side to side nervously)]

[Ahem!]

[The Saintess rolling her eyes back in ecstasy...]

↳ This message has been temporarily blocked.

[Get outta here, bro LOL]

[OverflowingDivinePowerPouch charged 10,000 Watts!]

Don’t corrupt the Saintess, you idiots...

“What do you mean, corrupt? Anyway, doesn’t the Hero look really reliable?”

[They look happy together...]

[LOL no matter how it happened, they’re happy. Cheers to that.]

[Is this wholesome romance? (genuinely asking)]

[Dude, look at that body—he could probably take on a tiger barehanded lol]

[Honestly, C-ranks can beat tigers.]

Lyla, still unfamiliar with the internet world, just kept cheerfully explaining the photo.

She scrolled to the next one—me, with a couple of kids sitting on my shoulders.

[Wait, is the Saintess married?]

[Married Saintess... that has a nice ring to it.]

[What the hell is this guy talking about?]

[So this “Hero” next to her—is that her husband or what?]

[Come on, everyone knows the Saintess ends up with the Hero in a happy ending.]

The chat lit up with debate over whether Lyla was married or even a mom.

Fortunately, no one seemed upset enough to leave the stream over it.

[If that guy really is the Hero... then this is a happy ending, for sure.]

[Hero’s supposed to be the Saintess’s boyfriend, but with that physique he’s gotta be some hypnotist porter lol]

“Oh! That was when the Hero and I volunteered at an orphanage! Aren’t the kids adorable?”

Lyla’s words shifted the mood.

Chat quieted down as she talked about playing with the kids and cooking for them.

[Hero... we owe you an apology.]

[Look at the joy on those kids’ faces... this made me smile too, damn it.]

[A C-rank Hunter, a volunteer, and that kind of divine power pouch? What kind of cheat character is this?]

[You could’ve stopped before that last bit.]

[Nah, that last bit’s the most important part lol]

Thankfully, sharing those wholesome stories and photos warmed up the chat.

I’d been keeping my eyes peeled for any nasty comments, fully ready to nuke them—but so far, it was all good.

Lyla kept showing her photos and chatting casually with the viewers.

****

And as the unofficial manager (not really), ego searching was part of the job.

Totally not addicted to online communities. Nope.

[Posted by: ThrowThatResignation]

[Title: WTF this is the Hero?? I’m shook lol]

[Body: (pic of a big guy throwing a V-sign) Apparently this dude’s the Hero?]

↳ Shut the hell up, no way lol

↳ The Saintess herself said he’s the Hero.

↳ There’s that kind of Hero in Hitomi too, y’know.

↳ Get out, man LMAO

↳ I heard they even do volunteer work together?

↳ Yeah they do. (link)

↳ Golden earrings, gold ring, doing charity work? Doesn’t compute LOL

↳ Why is this guy always doing viral marketing though?

I clicked the link and it opened a stream clip—Lyla talking about their volunteer experience.

The comments were all positive.

“Whoever this guy is, he keeps promoting Lyla like clockwork.”

If I ever get the chance, I should at least send him a fried chicken voucher or something.

— Knock knock!

The door opened and Lyla peeked in.

“Hero, your mother says dinner’s ready!”

When I stepped out, everyone was already seated at the table—except me.

“Son, how’s the streaming going?”

“Haha! Two days in and you’ve already made 300,000 won? Sure, the platform takes a cut, but still.”

From my parents’ perspective—running a top-tier guild—300,000 won might seem like pocket change.

But for a brand-new streamer, that much in just two days was huge.

“But... wasn’t Lyla the one doing all the streaming?”

“Cough! Cough!”

My parents’ surprise attack hit me square in the throat.

Lyla quickly handed me some water.

Seriously... there’s no one like my Lyla.

“Mom... wait... did you watch our stream?”

“Of course. I was curious what kind of content my son was putting out.

But imagine my surprise when it turns out it’s not my son, but my daughter doing all the streaming?”

She shot me a suspicious glare, then immediately turned a soft, affectionate gaze to Lyla.

Lyla responded with ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) a sweet smile.

“Oh no, the Hero helps a lot! And honestly, I just really enjoy chatting with everyone!”

Mom’s eyes went cold.

“Sigh... Lyla, don’t let Hun push you around too much, okay? He’ll get spoiled.”

“Don’t worry! Starting tomorrow, the Hero said he’s joining the stream too!”

Dear viewers, I never said that—but apparently, now I am.

****

[Posted by: anon]

[Title: Saintess... please open the door...]

[Body: It’s cold out here...]

↳ I need the touch of healing...

↳ What about other kinds of touch?

↳ ...?

↳ Please... just hold your breath...

Yep. As usual, people were desperately waiting for Lyla’s stream.

Too bad, folks. Tonight... I’m joining too.

“Whew...”

“Hero, are you nervous?”

“It’s just... I dunno, it feels weird.”

“Hehe. I haven’t seen you this nervous in ages.”

“I-I’ll be over there. Just cue me in when you’re ready.”

“Okay! Relax till then!”

[OPAFHero: The Saintess’s Surprise Guest!]

The moment the stream started and Lyla’s face appeared, the viewers poured in.

Yesterday, she had barely scraped past 100 viewers.

Now, she was closing in on 200.

[OverflowingDivinePowerPouch charged 10,000 Watts!]

Saintess, I nearly froze to death...

“Oh my, was it that cold? Everyone, please dress warmly when you go out.”

Yeah... Lyla really needed to study more internet slang.

He obviously wasn’t talking about the weather.

[Ughh... hearing that from a face like hers is literally melting me...]

[I feel warm already...]

[Did I just lose control of something?]

[Yo, aren’t you that dude from day one?]

Well, if the viewers were having fun, I guess it was all good.

“Today, I’ve got a bit of exciting news for everyone!”

[Oh? Are you finally raiding a Gate?]

[Nah, looks like she’s still at home.]

[Yeah, if she was headed to a Gate, she’d already be outside.]

[Judging by the stream title, I’m guessing it’s a guest appearance?]

Dear viewers... I’m so sorry.

Let me apologize in advance.

Please, just don’t flame me too hard when you see my face.

“The Hero you’ve all been curious about is finally appearing!”

[Ah...]

[?]

[Ugh, a guy? Really...]

Can’t say I was shocked by the vibe shift.

I used to feel the same way—get annoyed when some random guy showed up on a streamer’s channel.

But now that I was that guy... it stung a little.

“Aww... but I really wanted to show you the Hero...”

[OverflowingDivinePowerPouch charged 50,000 Watts!]

Wow! I’m excited!

The moment Lyla pouted with that adorable expression, the mood did a complete 180.

Even our top regular donor jumped in with a massive tip.

“Hero, please come out!”

I awkwardly shuffled toward the chair beside her.

As I peeked at the chat, I braced myself—

But surprisingly... it wasn’t that bad.

“Hey. I’m the Hero.”

[Bro your first line is that?! WTF LOL]

[“I’m the Hero.” 💀💀💀]

[Goddamn, he’s huge in video too.]

[Why does this giant dude act so shy? It’s hilarious.]

“Sorry... I’m new to streaming. Hope you’ll go easy on me.”

[No worries, lmao]

[This massive man acting like a shy nerd is killing me.]

[Yo when I first saw his pic, I got high school trauma flashbacks.]

[Facts.]

Thanks to Lyla’s supportive presence and the audience’s unexpectedly chill reaction, I started finding my rhythm.

[SaintessFootTowel charged 10,000 Watts!]

Okay, but if your nickname’s “Hero” and your job is Hero, why are you only showing up now?*

“Obviously, it’s because the lovely Saintess here has been gathering viewers with her divine power.”

[This was false advertising, huh]

[You f**king liar lol]

“Don’t worry. I’m still the owner of the channel. And I’ll always stream together with the Saintess from now on.”

Then came the wave of questions.

Viewers started digging—when did we meet, where, how long had we known each other...

[Which talent agency trained you two?]

[Peeling off that mask ain’t easy... feels too polished.]

But jokes on them—we weren’t playing a part.

This wasn’t a concept.

It was just real life.

All we had to do was tell the truth.

We didn’t even have a mask to peel off.

[ThrowThatResignation charged 10,000 Watts!]

Wait, but if you’re a Hero, don’t you have a Holy Sword or something?

[True.]

[Every Hero’s supposed to have at least one OP item, right?]

I hesitated.

I didn’t have a “Holy Sword” exactly...

But I did have a weapon that was close.

It was the one I always relied on.

My go-to.

“Hmm...”

As I mulled it over, the chat started heating up.

They smelled blood in the water.

[Is this the moment of truth?]

[LOL]

[Hey, you lasted longer than most! Props.]

From the corner of my eye, I saw Lyla watching me carefully.

Then, a fun idea popped into my head.

“I don’t have a Holy Sword, but... I do have something similar.”

[Of course. He’s a Hunter—of course he’s got gear LOL]

“I’ll just say this—once I bring it out, you guys are gonna be blown away.”

[What is this dramatic buildup?]

[Honestly, he looks like he’s about to unzip something lol]

↳ This message has been temporarily blocked.

[Now I have to know what it is.]

[This guy’s just as good at stringing us along as the Saintess...]

I slowly raised my index finger to my lips.

Then held out my other hand, palm open.

[?]

[What’s he doing?]

“I mean, come on—y’all wanna see the Hero’s Holy Sword... and you’re not even gonna tip?”

[Bro’s f**king insane LMAO]

[Day 3 and he’s already monetizing like a madman 😂]

Visit frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓ for the b𝘦st novel reading experience.

[It’s wild, but because he’s being so upfront about it, it’s actually kinda funny.]

“It’s not monetizing.”

[Not monetizing? (sticks hand out)]

[Open palm, confident tone (still not monetizing)]

“Please, let’s call it... a donation unto the faith.”