Chapter 125
Seven years ago was a time when most virtual reality-related businesses had yet to properly get off the ground.
The virtual reality of that era was practically a developing country, starved of infrastructure.
But if you ask how it managed to grow explosively over the past seven years—
It was because the massive capital known as Surface, flush with investment funds, seemed to make up its mind the following year and poured out virtual reality infrastructure all at once.
A pro league emerged, driving the explosive popularity of virtual reality.
The streaming company Travel, after being acquired by Surface, began offering official capsule streaming services.
All manner of transactions involving avatars and lobbies became active, and large-scale advertisements for virtual reality played throughout the city.
That was why the video from seven years ago, which Seojun checked through the link in the email, was of poor quality.
“Wow, this brings back memories.”
Seven years ago, Travel hadn’t entered the scene yet, but some company was providing a crude beta version of a streaming service, so the footage remained.
The problem was that the quality was quite bad.
Apparently, the technology to convert the brainwave signals the capsule sent to the brain into digital signals was lacking.
If you turned on that company’s streaming inside virtual reality, you could watch it clearly since no signal conversion was needed, but most viewers, then and now, don’t watch streams inside the capsule.
In the first place, didn’t the streaming market grow precisely because getting into the capsule had a slight barrier to entry?
Moreover, back then, it was safe to say that the number of people who even knew of virtual reality itself was extremely small compared to now, so these remaining old videos were mostly either poor quality or deleted after failing to garner many views.
A welcoming smile on his face, Seojun clicked the link.
It wasn’t a video from a streamer. It was just a neglected channel where someone had recorded a few games in the past and uploaded them.
Most of the people in the video were using basic avatars, and this fact gave Seojun a little pang of nostalgia.
Now, only a few use basic avatars, but back then, playing a game with your own face was an unfamiliar concept.
It was a time when not even the early adopters who started a year or two earlier, but only the absolute earliest users, took it for granted to create their own avatars.
The basic avatars mostly had their faces covered by masks or veils, which lessened the sense of unfamiliarity.
Honestly, if he had to face and fight multiple people with the same face, Seojun might have been a bit creeped out too.
Amidst that, Seojun discovered his past self from seven years ago.
The opposing mid-laner of the video’s owner was Seojun.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Seven years ago, even though the mechanics didn’t require popping vital points immediately, Seojun was stubbornly popping them at high speed.
“No need to watch more. Let’s just check the rest.”
There were several links in the email, and Seojun quickly played the next video.
It was similarly a video uploaded by an ordinary person for fun, and as he skipped ahead a bit, his past self appeared.
“This one’s me too.”
Seojun played the next video.
It was the same.
Since the owner of the video wasn’t Seojun, he only appeared a few times—how on earth had they found these?
It sent a slight chill down his spine.
“They’re all me, aren’t they?”
The ability to dig up videos from years ago with fewer than 100 views was impressive.
He was also curious about the reason.
Just why?
Just then, a reply came to the mail Seojun had sent.
Through a Travel message.
[It would be an absolute honor if we could collab!]
* * *
The next day.
Seojun finished a League game and returned to the Hall of Heroes.
A space like The League’s lobby, as well as a shop.
“It’s over. That was fun.”
Seojun was currently streaming.
What’s more, it had already been two hours since he turned the stream on.
Naturally, he hadn’t revealed the pattern yet.
-The streamer is seriously malicious lololol
-Look at the Kael-fags being quiet
-You gotta be careful lol
-You’re not ending the stream here, right? Streamer?
He had said he’d tell them today, but hadn’t he also said he wouldn’t tell them right after starting the stream?
The Kael-fags, who had followed in advance the day before to prepare, had tried to raise a ruckus in the chat.
But after Seojun made an example of a few malicious ones by banning them, they’ve been controlling their anger quite well.
-Forcing us to watch for two hours… grrr
-If you’re salty, just leave and watch the VOD later lol
-But he’s really fucking good
-The suspicions of cheating have vanished
“I’m glad the suspicions of cheating have vanished. I’ve never cheated once on stream, but the existing viewers don’t quite believe it. Then, I’ll tell you now!”
Seojun headed toward the Practice Room.
The Practice Room allowed you to summon training dummies or bots, and you could also invite a friend for a 1v1.
Above all, you didn’t need to buy any hero.
-Wow!
-Thank you!
-But even if he tells you, you guys won’t be able to do it?
-For real lol
-Still, I need to know
The Kael users who call themselves Kael-fags naturally knew very well.
At least, they knew that no matter how detailed Seojun’s explanation was, only a very small number with truly high skill would reap the benefits.
However, even so, as proud Kael-fags, they couldn’t miss a stream like this.
Also, there were still many who were half in doubt.
Since Seojun had a track record of finding something similar before, they let it slide for now, but normally, talk of hacks or bugs should have come up by now.
They were waiting with a mindset of, “Let’s see just how reasonable his explanation is.”
Probably, if they weren’t convinced even a little, they’d pounce immediately.
‘I can’t exactly make them be convinced.’
Wasn’t it a realm of instinct?
Therefore, rather than convincing, he had to show them.
“Ah, everyone, we have a guest today. The one and only Wind Sword-nim!”
After arriving in front of the Practice Room, Seojun immediately sent an invitation.
-Oh??
-Isn’t that the Kael master streamer who first did the 2-man ult?
-The first to succeed at the 2-man ult vs the one who succeeded in one game lol
-Looks like he’s going to teach the Kael master ㄷㄷㄷ
Wind Sword.
He was the user Seojun had spoken with the day before, whose highest tier was Challenger.
A special note was that he said whenever he played a bit of games as a side gig, he’d turn on his stream, and he had roughly one or two thousand regular viewers.
The reason his nickname was Wind Sword was that he used to play a swordsman who fought with the wind long ago before switching to Kael.
Seojun introduced these points to the viewers and then greeted him.
“Hello, Wind Sword-nim.”
“Seojun-nim. Hello. Thank you for inviting me.”
“I’m the one who should thank you for appearing on my stream today. Shall we start right away?”
“Sounds good.”
“Ah, for reference, Wind Sword-nim also hasn’t heard the explanation yet, so he’s in the same state as all of you.”
“That’s correct.”
As Seojun stepped into the Practice Room, a window to select a hero appeared before his eyes.
Seojun selected Kael, entered, and then summoned a training dummy in front of him.
“Alright, then I’ll begin explaining in earnest. Wind Sword-nim, please listen carefully as well.”
After drawing Kael’s sword from his waist, he approached the training dummy.
A line of light appeared.
“A game’s pattern like this, unless it’s random, will contain the creator’s intent. In other words, the generation formula. Wind Sword-nim, you have some grasp of it, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Wind Sword, who had come to the side, nodded.
He was probably one of the users who had figured out the pattern the most.
Excluding Seojun, that is.
“Before, I was able to find the Assassins’ Dawn Knot by understanding this kind of intent as well.”
After first stating a fact that most would have already confirmed by watching Seojun’s EyeTube videos.
“Then, from now on, I’ll tell you the intent of this Kael creator. It’s the middle ground.”
Seojun began his explanation.
-Middle ground?
-What’s that mean?
“The next vital point will be generated at a location that is neither too difficult nor too easy to link after cutting the previous vital point. If the location of the next vital point were the easiest to link, where would it be generated?”
Seojun made a gesture of slashing the training dummy diagonally.
“Um, is it generated in exactly the same way?”
-The easiest would be to bring it back up the same way you brought it down? Since the circle for thrusting shouldn’t be skimmed.
Vital points have dots and lines.
And these two don’t simply pop from just cutting or skimming.
Lines require cutting more than 80% to pop, and dots only pop from thrusting attacks—it was made with fairly strict judgment.
Then, the easiest would be for a vital point to be generated such that you could bring it back up the same way you brought it down.
“Rather than a completely identical line being drawn, depending on the situation, tilting the angle a bit more might be easier, but it’s similar. You can think of it like that.”
The vital point is generated considering numerous variables that even Seojun doesn’t know: the positions of oneself and the opponent, the angle of the arm and sword after breaking the vital point, the footing, etc.
So right now, he can’t know exactly.
If the creator were to implement that, Seojun would quickly get the hang of it, though.
“For thrusting, a line will be generated based on the thrust point. Then, where do you think the most difficult position to link would be?”
“Hmm.”
Wind Sword let out a groan and swung his sword a few times in the air.
It seemed he didn’t quite know.
“To give a rough idea so you can get a feel for it as well, it would be all positions where your arm naturally bends when you try to link that vital point without pause. Now do you understand a bit?”
Since it wasn’t something you could know unless you realized it yourself, Seojun waited.
“Ah… Hmm…”
Still, Wind Sword seemed to have gotten a sense of it quickly.
He thought hard for a moment and then spoke.
“I think I understand, very roughly, what you mean. But so, how on earth do you find that middle ground…?”
-For real lol
-It’s so vague and roundabout
-Isn’t this a scam?
-Really hmm…
“A scam?”
Seojun went in front of the training dummy and smoothly but quickly slashed with his sword.
Since it was a stationary enemy, it was even faster.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
[Judgment Sword]
After six bursting sounds, a vibration rang out.
Kael’s ultimate came crashing down from the ceiling.
-Well it’s not a scam but lololol
-Ah, I get it lol
-I’ll just believe it’s a hack lol
-But I’m sincerely a little suspicious, though?
-I don’t care about that. Refund me.
-What?
-My time lolol
-Crazy bastard lol
They were laughing, but here and there, reactions of non-comprehension could be seen.
‘I guess it can’t be helped.’
Once again, you have to realize it yourself.
Vital points belong to a category that cannot be explained nor memorized.
Because there are too many variables, it’s the kind of problem that can only be solved by intuition built up from numerous experiences of handling things on the fly.
Therefore, Seojun told them the intent along with an example that could be grasped at least a little.
Because if you have accumulated enough experience and skill, just recognizing this intent can lead to great improvement.
Knowing the level to which those called masters had reached, Seojun could guarantee it.
‘The problem is, the majority lacks both skill and experience.’
As time passes, the masters will naturally prove Seojun’s words.
However, it’s uncertain how many days that will take.
-I really don’t get it at all.
-It’s bullshit. Just like with the knot, it just sounds like bullshit now.
-Hey Kael-fags, if you can’t trust the streamer, just leave.
-No wonder they’re called Kael-‘fags’.
-Then what, are you guys believing that kind of thing?
-Because he showed us lol The streamer always proves it.
-What, can you say you know the parry principle? lol
-Whatever, just refund me quickly.
-Black consumer ㄷㄷㄷ
So Seojun, who had prepared a person, smiled and spoke.
“Oh dear, a refund? If even one person understood after hearing my lecture, it’s not a scam, right?”
-That’s right. As long as there’s someone who understood lol.
-Lecture, my ass.
-Professor, the pace is so fast that no one understood!
-Hurry and bring one person here lol.
-There’s definitely no one lol.
“Yes. There’s one right here. Someone who is looking with eyes that clearly say they understood at once after hearing the explanation.”
Seojun looked at Wind Sword.
“……?”
Wind Sword’s eyes widened.
What? Me? When?
His expression seemed as if he was saying exactly that.
-Lololol his eyes got so big.
-It definitely doesn’t seem so?
-An expression with zero confidence lol.
-That’s it. I’m screwed.
Naturally, Wind Sword needed a lot more time to reflect.
However, Seojun had a way to shorten that time.
“If Wind Sword-nim gets a feel for the pattern, acknowledge it. You understand, right?”
Seojun was now ready to pull a fast one.