Among them was Hiro, a streamer whose career had rocketed ever since he started playing Dream Land Online. Before this game, streaming had just been a modest side gig for him, barely enough to pay for instant noodles.
Now, though, every stream was a goldmine, pulling in more views and revenue than all his previous games combined.
He’d stopped touching other games, spending days and nights grinding levels, farming materials, and, most importantly, entertaining his viewers with chaotic near-death content in this game.
And, of course, today’s stream was live too.
“Alright, chat, let’s take bets. What reward am I getting today?”
His chat instantly lit up.
[maid_slasher]: invitation to the Starlace Order!
[nekodraws]: love letter from Glacia-sama
[sofasmasher]: u talking like you qualified lol
[koalacursed]: don’t dream too high
Hiro pouted at the screen, flicking his bangs out of his eyes.
“Hey! I did better than you think, okay?!”
He was cheerful, shooting finger guns at the camera, responding to every snark and cheer alike. It didn’t matter if people were flaming him or praising him. To Hiro, every comment was just another sweet paycheck.
[mod_bob]: bro you’re dead last on the local leaderboard
[nocturnyx]: $1000 if you hit top 10 lmao
[viewer683]: how is your swordsman dps lower than the healers
[404heart]: man died like hundred times
[nodreamnolife]: all that time running back and forth for what
“Ugh… you guys have no faith,” Hiro muttered, half-laughing, half-embarrassed.
Their banter was interrupted as a small group of Starlace Order members approached the plaza, their polished boots tapping against cobblestones.
The chat erupted instantly.
[lastgooddecision]: THEY’RE HEREEEEEE
[cutething]: KYAAAA GLACIA-SAMA!!! >///<
[shrimpgun]: WHERE’S MY PRINCESS CRYSSA
[nocturnyx]: glacia pls freeze me
[ladykiller]: YUKI I LOVE UUUUU
During the first beta launch, players had only known Iori, the Frostveil Storm Knight, but after the last wyvern incident, Glacia and Yuki had stolen the spotlight.
The cold, yet cool Glacia was the chat’s clear favorite, especially after Hiro’s stream had caught her freezing an entire wyvern mid-flight with a single hand. They nicknamed her “Frosthand Empress,” spamming her clips across forums.
But the cheerful Yuki wasn’t left out. Footage from other players and official developer clips showing her graceful, deadly spells had earned her a fan club of her own, calling her “Avalanche Blossom.”
“Silence!”
A hush fell as Iori stepped forward, her voice cutting through the restless murmurs like a blade.
The players fell quiet, hearts thumping.
“Once again, thank you for your courage in driving the monsters away, O heroes from another world.”
A ripple of pride passed through the gathered players, their spines straightening as the word “heroes” echoed in their minds.
“As promised, your rewards will be distributed based on your performance. We have prepared a detailed report for that.”
Tension crackled in the air. Then, with a soft chime, a massive screen materialized above the plaza, shimmering in the morning light, along with a system screen.
? World Announcement! ?
? A new leaderboard “First Heroes of Stellar” has been unlocked. One-time rewards will be distributed based on ranking and role. ?
? First Heroes of Stellar ?
Hiro’s jaw dropped as he scanned the leaderboard. His voice cracked in disbelief, face turning red as he pointed wildly at the screen.
“W-WHAT?! THIRD?! I’M RANKED THIRD?!”
The leaderboard was color-coded with grades: Perfect, Excellent, Great, Good, Bad, Very Bad. While nobody had achieved Perfect overall, three players had earned Excellent.
Stolen story; please report.
Hiro was one of them.
Despite his scuffed combat record and just “Good” swordsman skill rating, Hiro’s constant sacrifice for teammates had nearly maxed out his Teamwork score, and even made him earned a "Perfect" Courage. Glacia, who had personally reviewed the reports, saw him as embodying the spirit of a true knight, someone who prioritized his allies over himself.
Not that Hiro, or his chat, knew the reason.
[maid_slasher]: HOLY SHIT
[nekodraws]: WTF WTF WTF
[sofasmasher]: NO WAY
[koalacursed]: EXCUSE ME??
[mod_bob]: HACKS
[viewer683]: THIS GUY???
[404heart]: REPORT THIS CHEATER
[nodreamnolife]: rigged
Hiro’s grin split across his face as he pointed at the chat, eyes sparkling.
“HAHA! WHO WAS IT, someone said they’d give me a thousand if I made top ten?!”
Then a system ping echoed.
[nocturnyx] 「$1000」: I hate you
[lastgooddecision]: LMAOOOOO
[cutething]: LOL
[shrimpgun]: HE ACTUALLY DID IT
Hiro shot finger hearts at the camera, eyes glinting with playful greed.
“Haha! Thank you for your generous donation, nocturnyx! I LOVE YOU!”
[nocturnyx]: no you don’t, thief
Hiro’s laughter echoed through the plaza, blending with the cheers, groans, and excited squeals of a hundred of players checking their rankings under the morning sun.
As Hiro basked in his victory, chatting brightly with his viewers and basking in the spam of memes and emotes, a loud, grating voice cut through the plaza.
“This can’t be! It’s not fair! Why am I last?!”
The crowd turned.
There, standing rigid, face red with indignation, was a player named FireFlame.
On the leaderboard, FireFlame had earned an Excellent in Skill, his combos and DPS were undeniable. But his Courage and Teamwork had been marked Very Bad, dragging his Overall down to the lone Bad on the leaderboard.
Yes. He was the only one who earned Bad Overall.
And the lowest rank among all who participated.
“Do you really have to go this far just to humiliate me?!” he bellowed at the Starlace Order members standing at the front of the plaza, his arms flailing in anger.
“Courage? Teamwork? Don’t make me laugh!”
“What fairness?! That’s subjective!”
His voice cracked higher.
“You damn devs! I know you’re mocking me right now!”
Faces in the crowd tensed, but FireFlame kept going.
“I only asked for that wench’s data, and it’s not like I expected it for free!”
A ripple of confusion moved through the players. Hiro’s camera zoomed in automatically, catching every wild twitch of FireFlame’s face, every bead of sweat running down his temple.
“But you not only rejected my offer, you humiliated me with that video, and now you put me at the bottom of your stupid leaderboard?!”
His voice dropped into a low growl.
“Just an indie dares to treat me like this?!”
“Your game can’t even run without my company’s support, you hear me?! You need me!”
FireFlame’s lip curled, his eyes glassy with rage.
He had completely lost himself, barking whatever came to his mind, the words venomous and entitled.
But he didn’t realize one thing.
Every single word was being streamed live.
Hiro’s chat stopped for a heartbeat before exploding.
[nocturnyx]: wtf did we just hear
[lastgooddecision]: *grabs popcorn
[cutething]: what, he can just… ask for player data???
[shrimpgun]: privacy?? hello??
[maid_slasher]: bro just confessed live lmao
[nekodraws]: did he try to bribe the devs???
[koalacursed]: this is wild
[mod_bob]: what does he even want that data for???
[viewer683]: i have a theory, ppl who crossed him in other games “disappeared”
[404heart]: actual trash
[sofasmasher]: that last line sounded like a threat to the devs
[nodreamnolife]: scary af
Hiro, for once, fell silent. Then his voice was small, a nervous laugh slipping out.
“Uhh… guys, you think I’m… gonna be okay streaming this?”
The chat slowed, a beat of collective realization.
[nocturnyx]: …
[lastgooddecision]: …
[cutething]: um… rip Hiro?
[shrimpgun]: lol, gg Hiro, we’ll miss you bro
“...” Hiro swallowed, his smile stiffening.
A heavy silence settled after FireFlame’s rant, broken only by the distant clink of armor.
Then, Iori’s voice cut through, clear and commanding.
“Shut up!”
FireFlame flinched as if struck. The entire plaza fell dead silent.
Iori let out a slow, tired sigh, her breath misting faintly in the morning air.
“Devs? Data? I don’t know what nonsense you’re talking about. But you said our judgment is subjective?”
Her eyes narrowed.
“I knew someone would say that. So we prepared this.”
She snapped her fingers.
The giant screen above the plaza split into three, each displaying a different battlefield from the event. In each, Iori, Yuki, and Glacia appeared, their voices echoing across the plaza.
Iori’s voice resonated once more.
“We told you. We judge only teamwork, skill, and courage.”
She gestured sharply.
“We acknowledged your Skill as Excellent. That is the truth. But your Teamwork?”
The footage showed the eastern front, players holding the line together, shields and spells aligned in rhythm. Then it showed the western front, players splitting into teams to cover every angle, working seamlessly.
And then, the northern front.
FireFlame stood alone in the center, his sword blazing, while all three healers trailed behind him like shadows, their spells focused solely on him.
“The northern front only had three healers, and you hoarded them all. Is that your definition of teamwork?”
FireFlame’s mouth opened, no words coming out.
“T-That’s…” he stammered, sweat sliding down his temple. “T-Then what about those healers?! Why did they get Good?!”
Iori’s gaze hardened.
“We wanted to give them Very Bad too. But when you weren't around, they finally did their job.”
The footage shifted again, showing the three healers quickly coordinating to heal and buff players across the battlefield while FireFlame was still waiting for respawn.
But since they were too focused on FireFlame when he was there, their teamwork was Bad instead, and their skills were Great. With their Courage judged as Good, their overall became Good, though they were ranked just right above FireFlame.
“Ugh…!” FireFlame’s groan was strangled.
The healers in the crowd exhaled in shaky relief as they saw their efforts recognized.
But FireFlame’s glare shifted, locking onto Frostina in the crowd.
“Then what about that wench?! She has skill, but she never helped me! Why does she get Excellent in Teamwork?!”
The Starlace Order’s expressions darkened instantly, and Iori’s voice became flat as steel.
“...Who is the wench you speak of?”
“Frostina!”
As his words fell, in an instant, the Starlace Order members’ killing intent flared, their hands twitching toward their weapons. They might kill him in seconds just because he insulted Frostina. But before their killing intent could spill outward...
A colder, invisible chill crept over their skins in time. Frostina’s quiet, steady gaze pinned them in place, silently telling them not to do anything foolish.
The Starlace Order members inhaled, steadying themselves, though some still clenched their fists.
Iori exhaled, looking up at the screen as it shifted to Frostina on the battlefield, her ice magic dancing in perfect harmony with the movements of her team.
“Helping you, no, helping other teams was never her responsibility,” Iori said quietly. “She did her part for her team, and she did it better than anyone, even beyond her responsibility.”
“Actually, she deserved not just Excellent, but Perfect. But the reason we didn’t…”
The screen shifted, showing Frostina during the Goblin Lord battle.
She was perched on a throne of frozen goblin corpses, calmly munching on popcorn while the others fought for their lives.
The plaza erupted with stifled laughter and awkward coughs.
Even players who had seen the official video were dumbfounded, glancing between Frostina and the screen.
But the players from the northern front looked at her with gratitude, convinced she had stepped back to let them gain ranking on the leaderboard, sacrificing her own rewards to help them climb.
Frostina’s face flushed as she scratched her cheek, looking away under the weight of their gazes.
But Iori’s explanation was enough to proof Frostina’s Teamwork.
Iori continued.
“And lastly, your Courage…”
She let out a long, disappointed sigh, and the footage shifted once more.
The wyvern’s wings thundered across the battlefield, and the players charging forward bravely.
Except for FireFlame, who was shown his sword limp in his hand, eyes wide as he slumped to the ground.
“You think this can’t be judged as Very Bad?”
FireFlame’s face went pale.
“T-That’s not it… I... I was looking at the leaderboard…”
Iori tilted her head.
“All I see is you sat there, doing nothing, when others were risking their lives.”
There was nothing he could say. No way to prove himself.
“...Damn it!”
His eyes darted to Frostina, rage burning again.
“You…! This is all your fault!”
With a roar, he lunged at her, hand outstretched.
But before he could get close, the Starlace Order members moved in an instant, weapons drawn as they grabbed him, pinning his arms behind him.
“Let me go!”
“Stay put, or we’ll throw you in jail!”
“I don’t care! Let me go!”
As he struggled, Frostina tilted her head, a cold smile curving her lips.
“Don’t blame your incompetence on me, amateur.”
FireFlame’s eyes went bloodshot.
“You…! You…!”
His screams echoed as the Order dragged him away, his tantrum dissolving into desperate, wordless howls as the plaza slowly exhaled, tension giving way to whispers and laughter.
And Hiro, still streaming, let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.
“...Well, guys,” he said softly, “I think we just... witnessed history.”
The chat exploded.
[nocturnyx]: FROZEN QUEEN JUST CHILLING
[lastgooddecision]: Hiro scared, Queen roasting lmao
[shrimpgun]: she built different
[nekodraws]: she deadass called him AMATEUR TO HIS FACE
[owo_master]: meanwhile Hiro woulda ran lmao
[armchairknight]: I would pay to see Hiro try to talk back like that
[watcher123]: this is the best free drama ever
[pogpogpog]: bruh Hiro got scared for his life while Frozen Queen out there farming clowns
In the meantime, Cryssa chatted with Frostina.
(“Acted so smug even though you were surprised to see him charged at you like that.”)
(“Yes, yes.”)
(“He probably thinks he can shut all the players here with his money later. Well, perhaps he didn’t know the entire scene was livestreamed by that guy.”)
After a tense silence, Iori’s voice rang out once more across the plaza, calm and steady, as if the chaos just now had never happened.
“Now, we will proceed with the distribution of your rewards. Each of you will receive rewards tailored to your individual needs, to help you grow stronger.”
A crisp system ping echoed in the air, followed by a ripple of blue light across the players as notification screens popped up before their eyes.
Hiro blinked as his screen unfolded in shimmering gold letters.
? Quest Completed! ?
? Prove Your Worth! ?
? Rank: Event ?
? Rewards: ?
? Stelluna Library Golden Pass ?
? Excalibur Replica ?
? Basic Holy Swordsmanship Manual ?
? The Starlace Order has taken notice of your efforts. Congratulations! ?
Before Hiro could process it, two more notifications popped up in quick succession.
? The 2nd Area of Stelluna Library has been unlocked using the Stelluna Library Golden Pass. ?
? The 3rd Area of Stelluna Library has been unlocked using the Stelluna Library Golden Pass. ?
Hiro’s jaw dropped.
“THREE EPIC REWARDS?!”
[maid_slasher]: gg ez
[nekodraws]: READING STREAM WHEN
[sofasmasher]: bro really gonna read a book on stream
[koalacursed]: wtf after broke fake excalibur v7 now u got a real excalibur
[nocturnyx]: u mean now he got a “real” fake Excalibur lol
[lastgooddecision]: LMFAOOOO
[shrimpgun]: “basic” swordsmanship but Epic rank lmao
Meanwhile, across the plaza, players compared their rewards with excited chatter. Most outside the top ten had received Stelluna Library Silver Passes and some Rare-rank gear or manuals suited to their roles.
As the cheers and chatter filled the plaza, Iori raised her hand, and silence fell again, curiosity flickering in the players’ eyes.
Then she declared calmly.
“If any of you wish to join the Starlace Order, we will be waiting for you in Selini.”
For a heartbeat, the plaza went so quiet that the sound of wind rustling a player’s cape was audible.
And then, a collective shout erupted across the square, so loud that even the Order members flinched.
“EHHH?!!”