Chapter 183
Even while Seo-jun was doing his best to entertain the viewers until the very end and lecturing them—really, with no other choice(?)—not to fall for it next time,
the viewers, who are notoriously impatient no matter what other content is in progress, were shouting "I can't let this slide" and spreading the news to other rooms again.
They were truly splendid messengers.
And the reactions of those who heard the news through these messengers—especially the pros—were all different.
"What? The max orbs is two?"
"What? The sync rate is 10?"
"What? A game newbie? Less than six months?"
Two pro players who didn't really know Seo-jun and had been watching the training ground from afar reacted like this.
And the defeated Taker?
'Well, even with two, he'll still make it in the rankings, I suppose.'
Without even checking any detailed information, he predicted Seo-jun's victory.
Quietly, to himself.
-Taker got PTSD or something?
-Just don't bring it up lolololololol
-You guys gonna take responsibility if Taker disappears from the next broadcast onward?
-For real lol
-Still, he's a precious person who graced this humble place. Everyone be careful!
-Even though he swaggered about having to prove it first and then got wrecked not by a person but by an AI, how embarrassed and humiliated must he have been after losing? Let's not keep reminding him of that moment.
Gathering misunderstanding and sympathy.
Finally, Baek Do-yul.
Pretending not to care, he was inwardly mulling over information about Seo-jun.
'So if the sync rate drops that low, it really does manifest as a weakness in the game like this. This could be useful.'
On top of that, the skill level of his teammates was said to be below expectations.
That was pretty good news.
'He used Eric last time, right?'
Eric's difficulty doesn't stem from mental visualization.
According to the developer's intent, the hero Eric's proficiency is clearly distinguished by prediction.
For reference, Kael is about response, not prediction.
'I can't do that either, though.'
Looking back now, there was one more thing he probably couldn't do.
But he didn't feel any particular competitive spirit about that.
Well, if it's as absurd as a superpower where you identify a song just by looking at the grooves on a record, it's so beyond reason that you don't even feel competitive spirit, let alone any other emotion.
Anyway.
'The characteristic of a hero like Eric, who makes one element difficult, is that other actions are set to be comparatively easier in difficulty as a trade-off.'
Though he wasn't sure to what extent, since he didn't know the first thing about game development.
Drawing the trajectories of twenty chains in your head might be easier than mentally visualizing a single orb.
Of course, the ability to set trajectories so that all twenty chains don't tangle at once, or so the enemy can't escape, is another matter, but just the act of visualization itself isn't that difficult.
Because he's not a hero who has to accurately visualize every single link of the chains fired from the magic circle.
'You just need to visualize the trajectory as lines.'
Orbs aren't like that. You have to perfectly visualize the complex and truly, literally, pointless internal structure.
Lastly.
'Record.'
Baek Do-yul, the person he now saw as a rival, was inherently a streamer.
He loves attention, and even though he'd easily sell an honorable position like 'Heavenly Demon' for 5 million won,
if the viewers like it, he'll take on any challenge.
Therefore.
'He'll definitely try to step up. And no matter the hero, he'll find a way and qualify.'
For now, this fight is a proxy war he's fighting through this Heavy Mental team.
But Seo-jun fights himself.
He's bound to be at a disadvantage. He could lose here.
If that happens?
Just bring in the good rule of a best-of-three.
And for the third battlefield.
'I should try the Record myself next year.'
Korean pros who need to manage their condition usually don't participate if they can help it, but they don't completely abstain, so.
He'd even heard that foreign players just join in if possible.
For reference, the thought that he might lose two straight before even reaching a third battlefield never crossed his mind.
At most, his losses would be limited to about this proxy war.
Though even that is uncertain, depending on whether he can exploit the weaknesses.
'Interesting.'
The moment Baek Do-yul clenched his fist, burning with competitive spirit again.
"...Coach?"
Someone's voice slipped in through his eardrum.
"Coach?"
The sound gradually became clearer.
"Coachhhh?"
Baek Do-yul snapped back to attention.
He had been deeply lost in his own thoughts for too long.
Even though his teammates, seeing he wasn't reacting, had deliberately held back their curiosity and ignored the chats acting as messengers.
-Lololol scared again?
-Cowardly bastard
-Ah lol if you're so mad, summon him right now and try it yourself
-No, earlier he was just being considerate to continue the content, you bastards!
-Hey, calm down. Who doesn't know that? We're just teasing the champion lolololololol when else would we get the chance?
Baek Do-yul was currently at the training ground.
And for reference, Baek Do-yul was quite a sharp-minded person.
"Ah. I think I just figured out how to counter them. Thanks for the info."
He deliberately didn't say who he was going to counter.
-Kyaa!
-Waves, learn well. You can beat a guy who beat a pro by figuring out how to counter him.
-For real lol
-That's the champion for you
* * *
-Guys lol bankruptcy lol is what it sounds like lol
-Yeah, did you see the US bonds collapsing? lolol Did you see it? Huh?
-The safety of this mission makes US bonds look bad lolololol
-And you only get one shot lololololololol
One shot.
Even Seo-jun was a bit bothered by that.
"Do I really have to shout 'Challenge'? Why is that?"
Anyway, a lot of chats were coming in telling him to shout 'Challenge' and do it.
When Seo-jun said that, even more chat messages agreeing popped up.
What was this?
"Bro. I think they're worried you'll claim you didn't do it if you don't shout 'Challenge'?"
His teammates seemed to understand.
But even after hearing the explanation, Seo-jun couldn't get it.
"Why would I claim I didn't do the challenge?"
-Ugh, this pure soul!
-Please, spend less time studying to get into a prestigious university and going out to play with that handsome face, and watch some iTube at home!
-This bastard plays games at home though?
-But he didn't until a few months ago, right? He lived so damn diligently, right? So annoying.
-For real lol
"I'll just start right away."
Seo-jun stood before the starting line.
[Will you begin the trial?]
-Quick, shout 'Challenge'
-Challenge!
-We've given enough warning in our view. Even Mirandan will acknowledge it. Now if the streamer tries to claim otherwise, just don't accept it.
-But guys, if you have a conscience, shouldn't you give him a few practice tries?
-No, if you give that bastard a few tries, he might actually pull it off.
-Nah, no way.
If he had a few more tries, it'd definitely be a lot easier.
If he was to succeed in one shot.
'It'll be close, won't it?'
His guess could be wrong.
Even if it was right, it still seemed like it would be a tight squeeze.
But it was fine.
It wasn't a battlefield where he'd die if he was wrong, so he could do it with a light heart. But with sincerity.
"Challenge. Like this?"
After half-heartedly shouting 'Challenge', Seo-jun took his first step.
-Uk lol he actually did it lololol
-Feels like he's just doing it once because the kids are throwing a tantrum? lololololol
Bzzzzzzz.
The buzzing sound of a swarm of bees came, just like he'd heard before—no, far clearer than before.
Targets leaped out from the bushes on both sides, and the orbs generated in front of Seo-jun moved.
Slice!
There were two.
The moment he saw the targets, he found the fastest path to take down four targets with two orbs.
If he could summon four orbs, he could just focus entirely on hitting them without a second thought, but since he couldn't, in that fleeting moment of seeing the targets, he had to plan his movement lines.
'Fortunately, there's no issue controlling the orbs.'
They moved well along the planned paths. They pierced through the first target and aimed for the next.
The trajectory they traced curved like a parabola. The shortest and fastest path to handle them.
0.06 seconds. No, 0.05 seconds? It felt slightly delayed.
Thinking that, Seo-jun immediately summoned orbs, handled the remaining four targets, and moved his next step.
'This is important too.'
Even if he couldn't finish all the targets, his body had to keep moving. If he tried to move only after finishing all the targets, he'd be late.
Unless he could perfectly handle them within one second.
Bzzzzzzz.
As the buzzing drew nearer and the targets appeared,
step.
Seo-jun's second footstep touched the ground.
Woong.
But two orbs materialized in the air in front of him, just a hair late.
Slice!
The orbs traced parabolic arcs, clearing the eight targets in the air in sequence.
-Huh? Seems a little delayed???
-Even this early, there's already a slight delay, isn't there? What now?
-0.1 sec? 0.05 sec? I don't know, but it's already over lololol
-I told you it's a safe asset!!!
-Viewers get another win~!
-It's not "another win," it's their first-ever win lolololololol
There was no upset on the third step either.
The delayed time accumulated. It piled up, increasingly clear.
From the start, Seo-jun could confidently say he was handling the targets in the shortest time he was capable of.
It's just that his best was at the limit with two orbs, so no turnaround could be expected.
'At least, if things keep going like this.'
But Seo-jun, who had anticipated this situation, only continued to handle the targets in the shortest time possible, without any agitation.
Eventually.
'The sound has changed a lot.'
The sound.
Something Seo-jun had paid attention to from the moment he first watched the video.
The targets appear the moment he takes the fifth step. Only this never changed.
But the accumulated delay time had now piled up to the point where the viewers could fully perceive it.
At the moment the six targets appeared in front, the orbs weren't fully summoned yet.
Even if it was still a subtle difference, the very fact that it was noticeable was a big deal.
-Now they're even appearing behind him
-Jackpot lolololololol I mean, it had already piled up even before they started showing up behind.
-But it's not that slow yet?
-The problem is that it's only the fifth step. And that there's no way this gap will narrow. And the biggest issue is the goal is ranking 10th? lololololololol
That's right.
At least the rankers hadn't accumulated any delay up to this moment.
Whether it was 0.1 seconds or 0.01 seconds.
They had come this far generating and summoning the four orbs with mechanical play.
But Seo-jun had already accumulated delay, and he was falling behind the rankers' records by that much.
There's no way to overturn this.
Thinking that, the viewers predicted his defeat.
But.
'There is a way.'
Probably?
With two targets left in front and two behind, Seo-jun sent one orb to handle the two targets in front and turned his head to look behind.
And then.
Seeing the positions of the targets, he smiled with satisfaction.
"I'm asking, can't you all hear it?"
Regaining his composure.
Though he wasn't really composed, since he'd have to take some risks starting from the very next target wave.
"What else am I good at?"
The sixth footstep. The fifth wave's targets were only destroyed by the time the sixth wave appeared and took their positions.
And so, the two orbs were generated slightly later than before.
"Isn't it Korean? Let's start closing the gap with the rankers from now on."
Of course, Seo-jun still had no way to handle them within one second. Even if all the targets appeared only in front.
But in the upcoming waves where the rankers would gradually accumulate delays in handling targets,
he was confident he would accumulate less than them.
He just had to narrow the gap that way.
Slice!
The four in front were destroyed.
And at the moment when two remained both front and back,
Seo-jun's viewers saw it.
Seo-jun leisurely took his next step without looking back.
And the orbs generated around him were fired forward and back.
-Why Korean lololololol
-Of course he's good at it, he must've gone to Korea University.
-But why isn't he looking back?
-? No way
Slice!
And Ha Yoon-ho's viewers saw it.
The orb Seo-jun had launched without even looking back
traced a parabola and pierced through the two targets.