Chapter 236
Seo-jun waved at the fish that had taken the bait.
The Rabbit Mask, who met his eyes, also waved back.
"Wow, crazy bastards. They're out of their minds."
Dang So clicked his tongue in disbelief.
Seo-jun smiled and made a request to his companions.
"Please wait a moment. I'll go and come back. Or you can start first. It doesn't matter anyway, right?"
After all, once they got up on that training ground, each of them would be on their own.
Skill enhancement tickets were something everyone needed, after all.
"You're going to go meet them again? Hey, Heavenly Demon..."
"Leave him be, Dang So-nim."
Dang So, a former—no, current troll and aggro-puller, tried to stop Seo-jun.
Seo-jun interpreted this as a case of kin aversion kicking in.
"Taewoo, what's the reason?"
"Because there's no one better at beating up trolls than him."
-The streamer is the best at beating up trolls!
-Because he's the biggest troll lol
-f'real lol
-That mask trio really feels off.
-Saw them earlier, no manners at all
"Taewoo, don't slander me. Everyone, I'm just going to meet a fan."
"Alright, go and come back. I should start first and get the enhancement ticket quickly and deal with it."
"Hmm, should I try too? Mr. Tasting Corner, please explain PVP to me."
Leaving Taewoo and Dang So, who had started listening to the explanation, Seo-jun walked back towards the entrance.
The rabbit, perhaps watching the broadcast, came straight towards him.
They were likely users with no manners.
Circumstantially, they were Solarin users, not Lunaon, and they were hiding their faces with masks, to boot.
'Tasting Corner had mentioned seeing posts about how rude users create characters on other servers.'
Tasting Corner had subtly hinted to Seo-jun on the way, without it going out on the broadcast.
He said they're probably members of the top Solarin guild, Monster.
Seo-jun didn't have any particular ill feelings toward such figures. He had never been wronged by them.
The fact that he hadn't been banned also meant they hadn't crossed a certain line, so it was ambiguous to talk about justice.
However, Seo-jun just considered that a nice prey had appeared.
After all, they must have looked down on him and tried to mess with him.
"Haha, what a coincidence we meet again..."
"No, it's not. Mr. Rabbit Mask."
"Huh? Yes?"
Seo-jun spoke bluntly.
"You came to prove your skills, right?"
"Mm..."
-Kya! He's charging right in
-Interpretation: Let's fight without beating around the bush, you bastards!
-Slightly mistranslated: You guys are noobs
-Isn't that not a mistranslation?
-Actually, if you're going to make a joke, you should have said 'slightly liberal translation' lol lol you outright called it a mistranslation lol lol
The mustache mask and opera mask behind the rabbit mask snickered and added interjections like 'Ooh'.
'Cute.'
He should have met enough groups who use such interjections.
"Right?"
"Mm... yes, that's what happened. It's faster to join the party by proving my skills directly."
"Alright, then come in. I'll be up soon."
"Hehehe. Understood. But have you tried PVP in this game?"
"No. But don't worry. If the three of you can catch me even once, I'll acknowledge you."
"Pfft."
The opera mask openly scoffed, and the rabbit mask smiled with his eyes and loosened up.
"Understood."
"Alright, then come on up."
Having said all he needed, Seo-jun turned around and headed back to his original spot.
-lololol that ghost is openly scoffing lolol
-But there are other Sword Gods, isn't it dangerous?
-But I bet 80% of viewers here have never tried Racle PVP? Of course the streamer hasn't tried it
-But the streamer always succeeds on the first try, right?
['Idunno.' has donated 50,000 won!]
[Other Sword Gods, please step aside on your own so our streamer can thoroughly thrash those guys]
-Ok
-Too bad, but I'll let it slide this time! Next time, let's bully the streamer!
-Fact) It was always the viewers who got bullied
-In PVP, the streamer can never be beaten
"Thank you for the donation. You didn't have to do that."
Seo-jun saw a chat that said 'So if 27 Sword Gods jump on you telling you to go to hell, can you really handle it?' and changed his mind.
"Mm. Well, I'll beat them and then try again, so let's play together then."
Perhaps because they were an unlikable mask trio, the viewers were being considerate.
"So what are you going to do?"
There were chats mixed in asking if it was possible to hold out for 10 minutes without having tried PVP.
"Well, it'll work out somehow, won't it?"
Seo-jun, who had returned to his original spot, looked around and then shifted his gaze to the training ground.
Taewoo and Dang So were nowhere to be seen around; they had gone up and were already playing with other Sword Gods.
The original users who had been here were also playing with the Sword Gods.
"What is this, I'm scared."
"Ah geez, I need to spec up here right now. Don't come!"
Seo-jun chuckled and asked Tasting Corner just one very important question.
"Can you parry in PVP too?"
And after hearing the answer, Seo-jun thought the same as the viewers.
-lololol they're fucked
-Those guys lolol
-Just watch
* * *
The mustache mask and opera mask watched Seo-jun from afar asking Tasting Corner if parrying worked in PVP through the broadcast and laughed.
"Wow, he's looking for that even in PVP?"
"To think it'll even work on players. Anyway, his confidence is really something. No wonder he suggested we come. It'll be fun to mess with him."
The person the mustache was referring to was the rabbit mask.
All three of them were users belonging to the top Solarin guild Monster, and the ringleader of this gathering was the rabbit mask.
It was also the rabbit mask who had posted on the community board to recruit people.
Of course, since no one responded to the post on Raben, they just gathered with the usual crew.
The rabbit mask spoke in a voice full of scorn.
"Guys. That streamer is now being educated about PVP. Ah, this is fucking hilarious. What was he thinking, picking a fight himself?"
He genuinely didn't understand and asked his friends.
"Maybe he's really trying to let us into the party."
"Nah, no way."
"Or maybe he sees us as manner users? Like that Mart-Tasting-Corner or whatever kid, trying to drag us around?"
"Then why did he tell me to take off the mask?"
"Really just wants to see our faces and party up?"
"Ah. So that streamer is a bit retarded?"
The rabbit mask and opera mask were nonchalantly dissing Seo-jun while waiting for him to go up onto the training ground.
And at that moment, the mustache mask spoke with a surprised look.
"They say he's Korea University?"
"For real?"
"Yeah. No, man. If you're going to snipe, you should gather proper intel."
"The fact that he's from Korea University is a bit infuriating. How did you find out? Did it come up in chat now?"
"No. I was also just skimming the broadcast. It came up in guild chat."
The rabbit immediately opened the guild chat app.
-Those idiots really went lololol
-Go thrash them, you bastards. They're complete beginners
-Whoa, that's true. Even though PVP has some balancing, it's still fucked lolol
-If they get stuck for about an hour, that streamer friend will read the room and just GG lolol
"Right, he's a beginner, isn't he?"
The rabbit muttered, and the other two clapped as if only now realizing it.
"Wow. He was so confident I forgot."
"Me too. No, seriously, he seems retarded, how did he get into Korea University?"
The rabbit vehemently agreed.
"Anyway, did the guild master say anything?"
"He just said not to get caught that it's us? Because there are too many people watching. Along with newbies. Ah, and hahaha!"
"Why, what is it?"
"He's asking if you're going to join that party? After ditching him?"
They were elite members even within the guild Monster.
To the point of joining the guild master's first clear party for raids.
Also, their PVP skills were among the best in the guild.
The rabbit chuckled and said.
"I'll never go. We're the ones who'll get the first clear. Why go to a newbie streamer?"
"Right."
"But it's become boring."
"Why?"
"I was thinking about how to harass him, but things came together so lamely?"
"Rabbit. This is Lunaon, so even if we try to do something proper, it won't work. Let's win decisively here and then pretend to keep joining the first clear party but bail on update day. Wow shit, I just thought of this while talking, this idea is crazy good? Oh?"
"Really. That's good?"
They snickered and laughed.
But in reality, the rabbit's mood, despite laughing like that, was not very good.
'How cheeky.'
While talking with Seo-jun, he got the feeling that Seo-jun was looking down on him.
But even though he didn't like it and wanted to counterattack, he couldn't recklessly charge in because the situation hadn't been decided on how to mess with him.
Was he aware of that and scratching at him lightly?
[Come up. You're watching the broadcast, right?]
The opponent finally finished listening to the brief explanations and went up onto the training ground.
The 10-minute timer started, but they leisurely spoke to the nearby NPC master.
The exact name is Master ???, an NPC whose identity has not yet been revealed, currently surrounding the training ground in front with multiple clones.
When they spoke to him, the floor they were standing on instantly changed along with a voice telling them to prove their qualifications.
They had spawned at a random spot on the training ground.
The rabbit mask immediately looked around and cheered inwardly.
'Aren't I lucky? The prey is right next to me.'
He was close to the opponent.
On the other hand, the guild members had spawned a bit farther away.
He moved right away.
Two of the three were assassin classes. One was a warrior.
The reason is simple: they're good in PVP.
Assassins have many movement skills, fast attack speed, and versatile skills, and with good control, they're the class with the highest ceiling.
Instead, their health and defense, i.e. survivability, are low.
Warriors are a bit tankier but have slower attack speed.
'I'll have to be careful with the mustache.'
Anyway, dying to the opponent even once would be a disgrace.
Since the opponent's class is a beginner.
'But he's skilled, I'll give him that.'
To the point where a warrior with slow attack speed could be parried.
Above all, in PVP, the judgment criteria for parrying are lenient to prevent it from being completely impossible due to varying attack speeds.
So the mustache, being a warrior, will have to be more careful.
'It won't be easy since users aren't monsters with fixed attack patterns, but.'
In the first place, in PVP, people don't even care about parrying, maybe counters at most.
It's not enough even to focus on dodging and landing hits.
One mistake and you can go down in a flash.
The moment their distance closed, the opponent's longsword moved.
'A slash? Pfft.'
The rabbit mask was deploying a smokescreen skill and hiding his body within the black fog.
However, the rabbit mask, the moment his body disappeared between the black curtains, continuously used movement skills.
His body momentarily turned into a spirit, rushing a certain distance rapidly to take the opponent's back, and the stealth effect was immediately dispelled due to the movement skill, but.
His weapon, a dagger, was laden with a skill, sharply aiming at the opponent's back.
His build was thief.
He could deal large additional damage on a backstab.
'Now!'
And one second later.
He could see his dagger stabbing at empty air, and Seo-jun's sword precisely scraping the handle of his dagger from the inside out.
Soon, a sense of exhaustion covered his whole body.
* * *
"Hurry up and come back up. What are you doing, spacing out?"
And about one minute later.
At the entrance of the map where you respawn upon death.
The rabbit mask could see the handsome streamer, having even dealt with his comrades, come near the entrance and look down at him.
"There shouldn't be much time left, you know?"
Only one minute had passed, and the prey was urging them on.
As if the positions of the two had been reversed.