Chapter 258
The History Book is content where users are placed at the early moments of historical turning points, and the official world-building is determined by how they act within it.
Through the History Book, they decide the future storylines.
They also determine which faction’s heroes will be updated next.
And even what concept of skins will be released.
If The League’s biggest event is the World Championship, where the strongest teams from each regional league clash,
then the History Book is probably the second biggest.
The reason is simple and clear.
Because any user from around the world can appear in it.
Of course, it’s not really that just any user can get in.
Unless you grant every ordinary NPC in that situation the eligibility for players to inhabit them, you couldn’t handle the number of users.
But what could you do as an ordinary NPC?
The users wouldn’t want that either.
So then, which beings do the players enter?
Naturally, it’s the NPCs whose mere existence can have an enormous impact at the turning points of history.
The heroes.
And the content that decides who gets to play these heroes is the Trial.
Right now, The League’s game company’s trial team—more precisely, the team in charge of the History Book—was all facing difficulties.
The Korean team was no exception.
“But why are we being told not to change it? If we leave Kael’s trial as it is, that person will absolutely dominate.”
It was all because of a single person.
That person was the streamer Jin Seojun.
User ID: Sword God.
“Honestly, we don’t care whether that person overwhelmingly gets chosen in the trial or not.”
“Right. It’s the users that are the problem. The users.”
“Especially the other countries.”
To summarize the situation:
They had posted a single image teasing the content of the next History Book.
Through it, users were supposed to infer which factions were in conflict, stir up speculation, and build interest.
The problem was this.
If you looked at the silhouette, you could naturally guess it was the Light’s Order, and within the Light’s Order, there is Kael.
Yes.
Kael.
#1 – Sword God (Korea) - 50s
#2 – PineapplePizzaDie (Italy) - 266s
This was the record when one streamer took first place.
And below was the current ranking situation, where second place had been working hard ever since to close the gap with first.
#1 – Sword God (Korea) - 50s
#2 – PineapplePizzaDie (Italy) - 262s
‘They shortened it by a whole 4 seconds!’
The gap was narrowed from 216 seconds to 212 seconds.
Amazing!
Wow!
Really.
That was the shared thought of the trial team.
Of course, they didn’t bring up the fact that first place had just done one run, clicked once, and finished it.
Nor did they mention that after that, he hadn’t even touched the trial, and instead won in Rios and didn’t even play league.
The world is inherently unfair.
The problem arises here.
People want the world to be fair. That’s only natural.
So, game companies must at least satisfy that expectation within the game world.
However, the standard of fairness is different.
“Korean users generally have an accepting atmosphere. In fact, they seem pleased that they might be able to see that person play Kael in the History Book.”
“Because they know it’s his skill. So do I. By now, if you’re a The League gamer in Korea, it’s hard not to know that person.”
Koreans thought it was fair to leave Kael’s trial untouched.
Because it was Seojun’s skill.
Because they had continuously witnessed him doing so many absurd things.
Across other heroes.
Across other games, always the same.
But it was different for other countries.
“Looking at it, not just the Western sphere, but China and Japan seem to be complaining too.”
From other countries’ perspective, a user suddenly appeared who cleared it in 50 seconds.
A gap five times larger than second place.
And all the explanations from Koreans about being able to see some pattern or whatever were just nonsense to them.
The reactions went like this:
-Koreans have a tendency to treat other countries like idiots.
└Agreed.
└No matter how much of a gaming powerhouse you are, some things just aren’t possible, and they’re being unreasonable.
└If it were other top-tier world-class pros like Shin Hayeon or Baek Doyul, maybe. But a mere streamer?
-Those Korean bastards might as well say they can see the future.
-Enough. Some kind of measure is needed for Kael. With that kind of gap, there’s no competition at all.
-He might have just been lucky that his own spiritual something matched Kael’s pattern and he could see it, but this isn't fair.
└Well, it could be something like that instead of hacking. Anyway, I hope the Korean developer doesn’t just give an answer saying it’s not hacking and actually takes proper measures.
└The main HQ needs to step in. It’s because it’s the regional branches that they’re just covering for each other.
-So, you foreign bastards, if we change the pattern generation formula, it all gets reset for everyone. Are you okay with that?
└Stupid Korean. Listen carefully. We only need to change it for this History Book trial. That’s all. In fact, that’s more fair.
└Koitz www nicely hitting them with facts www
└They don’t believe no matter how much we explain. You island-country bastards. So frustrating.
└Are you taking a shot at Britain right now?
└Britain, who has blessed us with countless independence days, please step aside.
└It’s like this, Korean, because even after watching the video and the explanation, it’s utterly impossible to accept.
That is how it was.
Foreigners wanted some active measure taken against Kael before the trial even began.
“This must be the dignity of the Hwan Empire, I suppose.”
One of the team members managing the trial and History Book cracked a joke.
“Hwan Empire, my ass… Anyway, what should we do?”
This was a controversy that had just sprung up.
“Should we really just change the pattern formula for a short while, limited to this trial only?”
So, just before discussing with the development teams of each branch, the Korean team was having a discussion among themselves first.
To sort out their stance.
“Well, it’s not like we didn’t expect this kind of talk the moment Kael was included in this History Book...”
“We thought they’d just let it go like the Koreans did. We even released clear evidence videos and publicly stated in our inquiry responses that the user is not a hacker using unauthorized programs.”
Their goal was to get past this incident without any trouble.
And to do that, the best decision was needed.
“So why on earth did the balance team leader tell us not to change it! When is he coming!”
“I don’t really know either.”
“But you’re close, right? Didn’t you hear anything before? Like when they nerfed Kael?”
“Hmm... That changing the pattern is futile... That he might get confused and think he’s the one who leaked the generation formula... That the senior’s old boss suffered from it too... I think I heard something like that.”
Ordeal?
The junior thought that’s what he had muttered.
“What does that even mean? Anyway, I have to go now, but nothing’s decided, so I guess I’ll just tell them to figure it out themselves.”
“Yes.”
“Take care.”
The team leader in charge of the trial and History Book headed to the meeting room.
And it was then.
“Team leader, they’re asking you to check your email! From the dev team leader!”
* * *
The League’s game company set up branches in numerous countries and operated them.
But among them, there weren’t many branches with actual development teams.
Only a few countries with large server influence had dev teams.
To be honest, they could just all gather at the main HQ and work, but isn’t it the age of untact?
The advantage of having dev teams spread out was that they could analyze each country’s trends and meta much more deeply and thoroughly, leading to a diversity of opinions.
What’s trendy on one server might be treated as garbage on another.
So the downside?
It’s simple. Diversity means opinions are divided.
[Team Leader Goto. But isn’t it wrong to make a snipe patch targeting just one user?]
[I also oppose it, as we’ve never changed the content of a trial just because the first-place player had too much of an advantage.]
[But we have changed the content of trials before.]
While the Korean side remained quiet, Team Leader Goto from Japan refuted, and the US refuted him back.
[That was just changing it to an ability more suitable for the content within the History Book. It wasn’t a snipe change because one person was too good.]
The US and France chose to maintain the status quo. Because it was an unprecedented situation.
Japan and China actively opposed.
The reason? Well.
Don’t they have a bad relationship?
Even the Korean team leader knew this wasn’t about being nasty or anything.
They were all professionals. If it wasn’t reasonable, they wouldn’t even try to check each other.
The game company’s profit was always the top priority.
With a slightly ridiculous spoonful of personal feelings on top?
[Hmm, I heard the previous Kael patch was also a snipe patch. What do you think about that? I believe that was also the opinion of the Korean balance team leader. But that team leader is quiet right now. I’d like to ask for his opinion.]
Regardless, they believed the Korean side’s opinion would be the most accurate.
Knowing there would be no distortion like claiming this was somehow disadvantageous for the Korean streamer. There was no reason to in the first place.
And this Korean team leader was currently deep in agony.
The email sent by the balance patch team leader contained a simple video file and a single sentence.
The titles of the video files were:
[Kael Vital Point Pattern Generation Formula After 1st Revision.mp4]
[Kael Vital Point Pattern Generation Formula After 2nd Revision.mp4]
[Kael Vital Point Pattern Generation Formula After 3rd Revision.mp4]
[Kael Vital Point Pattern Generation Formula After 4th Revision.mp4]
He could roughly grasp the situation.
The problem was.
‘What is this, filming a sitcom?’
The sentence sent along with the email was even more of a sight to behold.
==
Under no circumstances should you provoke his temper.
==
‘Ah…’
He just wanted to remove Kael altogether, but he couldn’t do that.
This team leader felt even more confused by the content sent so playfully.
‘No, and you poked him recently too, so why am I not allowed to?’
Unaware that the other party was absolutely not joking around.
“Team Leader Lee?”
“Ah, yes… Well, I suppose… If public opinion in the other countries is that strong, I think our intervention is necessary.”
Whatever.
No, really.
I have no idea.
That was his state of mind.
* * *
Seojun rested again on Monday. Under the pretense of looking for a game to play.
Tuesday morning.
“Hey, Seojun.”
Taewoo, coming out of his room, called to Seojun, who was meditating on the veranda.
“Huh?”
“You’re famous right now. Keuh, you bastard.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re famous overseas right now.”
“Overseas?”
“Yeah. The overseas communities are buzzing because of you. You crazy rabble-rouser.”
“Rabble-rouser? Me?”
Seojun asked back seriously.
“Yeah, you.”
Taewoo answered seriously.
“What’s it about?”
“See for yourself. Directly.”
Seojun took the phone from Taewoo.
On the open overseas community page, he could see posts about him.
“Kekeke. Just because Kael happens to show up in the History Book, it’s come to this.”
After confirming the contents, Seojun fell into thought.
“Hmm…”
And at that moment, a sudden ominous feeling struck Taewoo.
He had just brought it because it was funny, but if this guy saw such posts?
Taewoo felt goosebumps crawling up his spine.
What is he trying to do now?
“Hey, Seojun. Don’t do it.”
“…….”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but for now, don’t do it.”
“…….”
“Hey.”
“Aah.”
“Stop.”
“Now the world is trying to unfairly suppress me. If that’s the case…”
“I said stop!”
It seemed Seojun’s stream title for today had been decided.