Chapter 323
Two experts of the wild appear on the screen.
One is a survival specialist known worldwide.
His very profession is survival expert, a former special forces member, and his host name is Bear.
He takes his name from one of the most powerful predators in the wild, the bear.
Countless scenes of his exploits begin to play out one after another on the screen.
The world is focused on virtual reality. Its popularity grows every year.
But the place humans live is still reality.
For humans, survival remains a crucial issue.
Jungle.
Desert.
Glacier.
If these were environments unfolding in a game, a virtual world, one would scoff and wander about, but reality is a different matter.
Unpleasant? Hot? Cold?
No.
It’s maddeningly unpleasant, scorching hot, freezing cold.
The common thread is—
An environment where a single mistake can cost you your life.
Anyone can find themselves in such an environment. After all, who knows what the future holds. That is why people truly immerse themselves.
And they respect the experts who show them how to survive within it.
[But right now, it's my lunch.]
A series of situations that earned him the nickname ‘Lunch Lord’ continues to pass by.
It’s a mukbang show.
The best way to describe Bear, the best way to show how tenacious a human lifeline can be, is to show him eating.
Next, another survival expert appears.
[Ryan.]
He’s a host from a different program than Bear. His defining feature is that he’s bald.
But having no hair means Ryan can channel the energy that would go to hair into survival.
As long as you don’t ask him why he’s named after a lion with a mane when he has no hair, he has a very gentle personality. But according to viewers, the moment he goes into the wild he turns into a gentle madman.
First, he takes off his clothes.
And then he rampages, as if it were his own living room.
He rests, as if it were his own living room.
Ryan is also a former special forces member—the man himself is simply strong.
After the two experts are fully introduced, the atmosphere of the background shifts.
-Wow, he’s going up against those two?
-Is it 2v2??
[GAMER]
In a sequence to represent entering the game, square particles envelop the screen, creating a visual of descending below the water’s surface.
The world that unfolds is a battlefield overlooked by dim spectator seats and the audience above.
It’s a map from the most famous game in the world.
Three lanes: top, bottom, and mid.
And five pillars appear.
No, the moment the sword descends, the screen freezes and Seo Jun’s figure is gradually zoomed in on.
His handsome face is accompanied by a string of countless plays.
The screen is filled only with moments that would draw involuntary admiration even from a layman in gaming or combat.
Finally, a name appears.
[Jin Seo Jun]
-Gamer representative! lololol
-He’s really damn good, so good
-The rep should be the stream host
-We need to see the Sword Seo Un story lol
-Fr the rep can probably only be the host
Soon, one game background and one reality background flash by, and the advertisement ends.
The two survival experts on the left, and Seo Jun holding a sword on the right, stand facing each other.
The next participant for the gamer side will appear in another advertisement.
For now, they have to actively capitalize on Seo Jun’s popularity.
When the video ended, Seo Jun spoke.
[That was the very first reveal of that video just now! It’ll go out as an ad from now on, but what do you think? Who do you think will win? It’s 2v2, right, host? Yes, that’s right. It’s 2v2.]
-2v2 against those guys? lolololololol
-I’ll admit it for games, ten times, a hundred times over. No worries whatever the game lolololol But the wild, though?
-Just like the host said, if it’s once in the wild and once in the game, it’ll end up 1v1
-Bear bro and Baldy bro are absolute top-tier survivors
-Call him Lion bro, you jerk
[Is the public opinion that I’ll lose on the reality side? Hmm. Let’s skip the betting and maybe do a poll?]
Seo Jun opened a poll window with an intrigued expression.
The format was: if you thought the result would be 1v1, vote 1; if you thought it would be 2-0 (to the experts), vote 2.
-Honestly, host lololololol He doesn’t even include the option of himself losing 2-0 lololol
-Even the viewers now know he wins unconditionally in games
-There’s the Sword Seo Un story so you never know
-Fr, it’s hard to say for sure
-What do you mean hard to say lololol If the 20-minute dive is real, lololol With this bastard’s physical specs, there’s no way he couldn’t catch a fish, and if so, lololol he’d win? Huh???
-Just hand him a harpoon, ugh lolololol
-But the fact that the host isn’t betting is a bit concerning
-The poll is open! !vote 1
-!vote 2
-!vote 1
The votes tally up quickly.
Two million people are watching. At this point, Seo Jun was something that had transcended a major corporation.
He hadn’t reached an unprecedented, uncharted realm. But by the current standards of Travel, he was certainly a unique and irreplaceable existence.
Many people, influenced by Seo Jun, cast their votes.
They share their thoughts—inside the streaming room and outside.
[Wow, the results are out! ‘I lose’ is at 60%! And ‘Win 2-0’ is at 40%!]
Seo Jun laughed at the result being higher than expected.
People noticed the meaning of that laugh immediately.
-Ugh, he’s scoffing lolololololol
-Whenever this bastard does that, he always ends up winning
-Still, he didn’t bet this time. Means he’s a bit scared too
-Well, the opponent is Bear bro, you know? And Baldy bro is insanely awesome too
-I said call him Lion bro ㅠㅠㅠ Don’t make fun of Baldy
[Once again, I’m stronger in reality.]
* * *
The news spreads fast.
Seo Jun’s content today had been his attempt to be the very first to read The League’s updated homepage.
That was why so many people were watching.
Though even if it wasn’t, a lot of people would have been watching anyway.
[Guys! The host is going overseas with his broadcast!!!]
==
Man vs Gamer!
It’s apparently a special program where it’s roughly 2v2, and they face off once in reality and once in the game!
The host’s opponents are Bear hyung and Baldy hyung!
Note: the host’s teammate is still unrevealed.
==
-Man vs Gamer? lolololololol He even has to survive in the game? This is going to be crazy fun
-I want to see the host utterly toy with the two survival experts in the game
└I also want to see Baldy hyung eating skunk meat in front of the host while he’s starving
-Stop just calling him Baldy, you bastards...
[Poll Result 60 to 40!]
==
60% for likely being 1v1!
40% for the experts winning 2-0!
==
-Ugh, host lololol Why is there no option for him losing 2-0 lolololololol
└The pinnacle of arrogance. But that’s his charm lololol
-Aren’t we going to vote on who we think will win? Let’s do it! Vibe admin, what are you doing?
[Notice) I am the admin]
==
Vote go
(Poll window)
==
-lolololol You bastard, is it okay to just drop one streamer’s poll window into the notice? lololol
└Ahem. He is our master (admin)
└Crazy bastard crazy bastard crazy bastard crazy bastard lolololololol
└I acknowledge him as master
└I support it
-What are you all doing? Just go vote. (admin)
└lolololololololololol The other admin bastard showed up too
└Why is there no option for him losing 2-0 again!
Even in Vibe, the scene was unfolding of the admin himself posting a notice about Seo Jun’s broadcast.
And this very scene was being replicated overseas as well.
The Sword Seo Un story was spreading overseas too.
Having come across such a historical record, it was only natural to become curious about all of Seo Jun’s actions, starting from his past.
Starting with clips of Korean streamers’ comments about Seo Jun’s after-parties, the posts and clips left by pros from the historical record after-parties constantly occupied the top spots of their feeds.
And seeing that a simple poll was held on who would win in Seo Jun’s broadcast, on Korea’s Vibe, numerous overseas communities naturally began doing the same.
Overseas users followed the tradition.
They did not include the option of Seo Jun losing 2-0.
[Bear hyung and Lion hyung have built their own independent realm in survival, just like the Sword God’s realm in the game.]
==
Of course, they might not be the absolute best of the best like the Sword God. There are many great people.
But survival is a complex and difficult domain. It requires training.
It’s a difficult domain for those who haven’t truly experienced it.
Therefore, one vote for 1v1!
==
[Think about what is needed for survival before you claim the Sword God will win!]
==
Is superb swordsmanship needed for survival?
What you need for survival is this!
Observational skills and dynamic visual acuity to scan the surroundings. First, he seems to have this.
Superb stamina? He seems to have that too.
Composure to maintain reason in extreme situations? He seems to have it.
Knowledge? He could probably just memorize it all.
Huh?
Why would the Sword God lose?
==
-This must be what Koreans call ‘Sword-scared.’
└Hahahahaha!
└└ It is quite scary, indeed
-Baldy also holds an incredible record. He is the only human to have traversed 6,500km of the Amazon River on foot in 2 years and 8 months with a companion.
└I think that’s really amazing.
└└No less than the Sword God
└└└Don’t underestimate Baldy
The overseas poll results were mostly a 3:7 ratio in favor of a 1v1 outcome.
Even this was being quite generous.
While the poll results might shift minutely depending on what advantages each side received in their respective battlefields, the overall 7:3 trend wouldn't change.
And then.
There were those who smiled as they mentioned these results, and perhaps even seemed a little displeased by them.
[Bear]
[Hahaha! Thank you all for your interest in the special program. Especially to the Korean streamer who made such a brave decision. I look forward to meeting you soon. Anyway, you shouldn’t let your guard down in survival, but also not in the game.]
[Ryan]
[Soldiers these days play a lot of games. There’s no better training space than virtual reality. And games are fun, of course. Revealing this for the first time. (Photo of achieving Challenger in The League)]
The new posts uploaded to the two hosts’ social media accounts provided entertainment for the viewers.
In reality, soldiers really do train in custom-made, top-tier virtual reality that is meticulously identical to reality in every way.
When you join the military, the very first thing you do is undergo measurements for this very purpose.
So these survival experts from the special forces turned out to be Challengers all along?
If they just receive good advantages, and if the game isn’t something like The League but a survival game set similarly to reality?
People now began to wait for Seo Jun’s response.
[Special Forces vs Sword God!]
==
Just how will that foul-tempered streamer provoke the polite, middle-aged survival expert uncles this time!!!!
==
-Wow, damn, this is exciting. He was a Challenger?
└Yeah, but I’m still not worried about the game~
└There’s strategy in games too, you know. What if they come razor sharp? What if it’s a game without skills?
└There is such a thing as overwhelming power lol
└What if his teammate is suddenly someone like Alpaca or Kim Tae-woo? lololol
└Since it’s an overseas broadcast, they probably won’t be invited if possible. No worries~
└Self-buffing duo lolololol
-The host’s response is expected soon
└100% lolol He has to provoke them lololol
Then, predictably, just as the viewers expected, a notice was posted on Seo Jun’s iTube account.
[Watch the rest of that League homepage interview you were watching earlier, everyone. ㅋ]
And then.
[Huh? What’s this interview?]
==
Host...? So the reason you ended up leaving at the end of the historical record... was because it was dangerous due to your synchronization rate?????
Wait, lolololololol
Wait, seriously, were you just playing the game while wearing a 1-ton sandbag or something?
==
The preliminary skirmish ended in Seo Jun’s victory.
Along with quite shocking news.
[Right. The host’s sync rate lololololol Was crazy low, wasn’t it?]
[He even used the penalty as a personality play lololol Crazy bastard crazy bastard]
[The fact that he won by using that kind of situation... is just... Are you really human, man...?]
[Bear hyung and Lion hyung are going to be super nervous, aren’t they? The Sword Seo Un stories aren’t famous for nothing lololololol]
And as a little more time passed, the meeting day for Man vs Gamer approached.