The Hero's Streaming Life with the Saintess-Chapter 29: That Was Really Max?!

“What the hell is this...?”

A fruit with a tangy, stinging spiciness.

The fruit I brought back without thinking was lighting up the media.

“I definitely... gave this to a bunch of people...”

Yeah, quite a few.

Aside from Longwei and Reina, there were my parents, the Association President, and the Nova Group.

I told them repeatedly not to eat it, so they probably used it for research.

“Lyla, do you know what Frostblood Syndrome is?”

Lyla calmly explained what she knew.

It’s a rare disease that appears in people with high mana sensitivity.

“The problem is, it can’t be cured. They have to live their entire lives inside a machine that contains a special fluid that melts frozen blood vessels.”

“...Live their whole life inside a tiny chamber like that?”

“Yes. And the thing is, it only barely extends their lifespan. In the end, the blood vessels freeze again, they suffer excruciating pain, and die.”

The more I listened to Lyla’s explanation, the more chills I got.

So basically, you’re stuck in a drum-sized machine for life, constantly in pain?

“And that fruit is a potential new treatment for something like that?”

“Yes. The Flamefruit you brought back, Hero.”

“Well, if it’s going to be used for something good, that’s great for me.”

When someone uses a gift meaningfully, it feels good as the one who gave it.

And if that gift ends up helping sick people? That’s pretty damn meaningful.

“Lyla, could you heal them too?”

“I’m not sure. As you know, since I came here, my connection to the Goddess has weakened.”

“By the way, the Association President...”

─ Beep-beep-beep...!

“...This guy’s just as bad.”

I put the phone on speaker so Lyla could hear too.

In the background, I could hear machines running and people chattering.

“Whew, Mr. Hun! Do you have a moment to talk?”

“Sure~ go ahead, no pressure.”

“Would it be possible to secure an additional supply of Flamefruit?”

“...”

God, what a pain.

Like I told Reina during the last auction, it’s far and I really don’t want to go back.

I stayed silent, not saying a word—and then someone snatched the phone from the Association President.

“Son.”

“...!”

“How about we talk in person? I’ll send a car your way.”

“Mo—”

Right as I was about to say something, the call cut off.

And right after that, the car showed up.

They must’ve sent it while we were on the phone...

****

“So this is...”

“Yes. It’s a critical key in treating Frostblood Syndrome.”

“But why does it only affect certain people?”

I looked over the documents.

Most of the cases involved wealthy, upper-class individuals.

There were a few normal people, but the majority had some level of affluence.

“Why just the rich?”

Their theory is that it stems from the high mana sensitivity of top-tier Hunters.

The children of high-earning, high-rank Hunters inherit that mana sensitivity.

So those with that kind of genetic makeup are the ones afflicted.

“And people who aren’t from those backgrounds?”

“It’s just talent. Overwhelming talent that makes bloodlines meaningless. But that extreme mana sensitivity is exactly what brings about the disease...”

“So you’re saying their absurd talent ended up being their poison...?”

They explained how Frostblood develops.

When mana overheats the body, cells respond by trying to lower the temperature.

But due to mana’s weird effects, that process goes overboard and ends up freezing the body too much.

“That’s strange though. There are cases where the kid’s fine but the parent gets it...”

“We don’t understand everything about Frostblood Syndrome yet. For now, it’s all just speculation.”

“So that’s why you need the Flamefruit?”

“Yes. We confirmed it significantly reduces the cooling effect. Enough to live a normal life.”

“But it still doesn’t cure it.”

“Unfortunately...”

They’d probably need to consume Flamefruit regularly using some method.

But it would only suppress the symptoms of Frostblood, not eliminate the root cause.

“In that case, would it be alright for us to use footage from your stream?”

“Sure, feel free. But what are you using it for?”

“We’re thinking of editing it into a strategy guide and giving it to parties going to retrieve Flamefruit.”

“That’s gonna be rough...”

“We’re aware. But thanks to your clear, we’ve judged that with reinforced fireproof suits and masks, it’s doable.”

“Alright, go for it.”

“Of course, only if they’re high-rank Hunters.”

And with that, Lyla and I went back home.

As usual, I turned the stream on.

****

[ zlOPHero : BANG ON ]

As expected, the chat was flooded with talk about Flamefruit.

[Damn, the fact that Frostblood Syndrome can be treated is legendary]

[Fr this dude's whole life is just a series of legendary plays lol]

[Yeah, you’re °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° even being talked about in civic groups now]

...That, I didn’t know.

Apparently, there’s growing public opinion that I should be the one to keep going to Baekdu to harvest Flamefruit.

[Bro’s not a volunteer, forcing him is gross af]

[LMAO it’s always the loudest ones who do jack shit but hold up signs and run their mouths]

[Exactly lmfao they think going to Baekdu is like taking a casual stroll]

“I’m not some saint who gives up his free time just to keep making trips out there, am I? I even gave you the full footage to use for a damn strategy guide.”

...Was that wording too harsh?

The chat cooled off a bit, sensing my tone.

[SaintessFootTowel has charged 10,000 watts!]

- Honestly, if you go and get more it’s a blessing, but anyone calling you trash for not going is just a dumbass. Just ignore ’em lol

[What did the Saintess say?]

One line in the chat stood out.

I glanced at Lyla — she looked like she was deep in thought too.

“You don’t need to go that far and sacrifice yourself.”

...Can a Saintess really say something like that?

I expected her to insist we had to help.

“When we were first taught, they always told us to take care of ourselves first before helping others. That way, we can objectively see what kind of help people really need.”

[Fr. Charity only flows from a full pantry lol]

[Try living paycheck to paycheck lmao. Ain’t no helping shit when *I’m* the one dying here tf]

[SaintessFootTowel has charged 10,000 watts!]

- According to the Association, it might be doable if you go fully geared up with fireproof suits and stuff.

Still, scanning SNS while watching chat, I saw that most of the public opinion was positive — aside from one or two specific groups.

[Bro, they wouldn’t even *know* about Flamefruit if it weren’t for him]

[Exactly. He saves lives and now they want his whole inventory too, lmfao]

Since I was the one who first discovered Flamefruit and released the strategy footage, I basically had some rights over it now.

And I guess I’ve got a bit of money luck — even without trying, the cash just keeps flowing in.

Not bad.

[Also lol the year-end party’s the day after tomorrow]

[I’m so hyped]

[See you on the first floor, Hero-ham]

“What, just to see my face?”

[SaintessFootTowel has charged 10,000 watts!]

- Hell no lol. We’re going to see the Saintess, not you.

“..."

“To be honest, I’m kind of looking forward to it too. The streamers we played games with recently were really kind~”

[LOL]

[You’ve never seen them play League, huh]

[When they play that game, they turn into full-blown tyrants]

“Oh, right.”

[?]

[What?]

[???]

I clicked my mouse and opened three separate private chat windows.

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

ThrowThatResignation, OverflowingDivinePowerPouch, and SaintessFootTowel.

“You said you quit your job, you said you’d dance, and you said you’d do some juggling — so when’s it happening?”

None of them answered.

“Five. Four. Three...”

They all scrambled to start typing.

“Gotta pick a date, right? Wanna just do it at the year-end party?”

To them, it probably sounded like a thunderclap outta nowhere — but for me, it was just more streaming gold.

While they were losing their minds, the rest of the chat was hyped.

[LMAO you’re about to pop off among all those other streamers]

[Bro’s about to go viral. Just debut already]

[Getting airtime on an S-rank Hunter’s stream? Y’all made it lol]

“Now that I think about it, is it cool to stream during the party?”

I was curious.

I’d heard that even some streamers who never reveal their faces were gonna be there...

Sure enough, chat — those watching multiple streams — chimed in right away.

[Doesn’t seem to be a problem?]

[Yeah, they just do it lowkey and chill]

[They’ve even got zones sectioned off for people who wanna stream with cameras]

So apparently, anyone can stream a bit casually.

I was already planning to attend — if I could stream too, that’s a win-win.

[But real talk, it’s gonna draw aggro like crazy]

[With drones flying around and stuff, no way people don’t notice]

[Other streamers are gonna hunt you down just outta curiosity]

[Same lol. I’d be curious too if I saw someone broadcasting with gear that expensive]

“Then maybe I should fire up a stream on my phone for once?”

It’d been a while since I did a raw-style stream. Could be fun.

Chat was split.

Half wanted me to go for it, the other half preferred the current multi-angle setup.

“Well, I could just switch between the two... hold up.”

The phone rang — it was the Association President.

I muted my mic and picked up.

“Mr. Hun, sorry to bother you — Hunter Max Morgan is here to see you.”

“...Why?”

“He said he told you he’d be coming, didn’t he...?”

“Oh, no way—”

That 3 million watt donation was actually Max Morgan?

That giant, macho guy donated to my stream while watching me?