Chapter 145

CHAPTER 145

"Huh? What do you mean by that, Penggwon?"

It was Bangju responding to Penggwon's commentary that Seojun had thrown away his chances of winning by discarding his gun.

"That's right! Please explain—no, defend yourself!"

Arin joined in.

• Not commentary, a defense lol.
• The truth finally comes out.
• Are you really a caster? LOL.
• What's gotten into Bangju already? lol.

It was hard to believe they were casters and commentators.

But this was normal for them, so nobody minded.

As long as it wasn't malicious ridicule, slander, or personal attacks, casters and commentators were free to openly cheer for whichever side they wanted.

It had been a tradition for years.

Apparently, audiences had complained that commentators were becoming too formal and too concerned about public opinion in chat, making broadcasts boring.

Besides, this wasn't some major tournament.

No matter how large it had grown, it was still, at its core, a streamer tournament.

And niche communities had their own charm.

"No, seriously, Bangju and Arin, aren't you two being way too biased? And if you're going to cheer for someone, at least wait until the actual tournament starts! Why are you doing this from the warm-up match onward?!"

Penggwon looked like he had a lot to say.

Of course, openly favoring one side too much could irritate the opposing team's fans, so moderation was still important.

• He has a point.
• End this biased casting immediately!
• Those two started favoring Seojun the moment he won with the frying pan lol.
• Taeyang seems pretty neutral, though.

"I'm doing this because it's a warm-up game. Hehe."

Arin's rebuttal.

A fair point.

Then it was Bangju's turn.

"Because that's what a streamer is!"

• Mm! Makes sense.
• That is the Way of Rios!
• Total chaos.
• Chaos, destruction, and madness!
• I think Penggwon is the one who's wrong here lol.

The viewers delivered their verdict.

And, just like Arin's argument, they found it perfectly reasonable.

Having run out of counterarguments, Penggwon moved to the main point.

"Anyway, I think Seojun is going to have a hard time now that he's thrown away his gun."

As the discussion became more serious, Arin stepped back.

She had been impressed by Seojun's performance, but not enough to blindly believe in him the way Bangju did.

"Alright. Why?"

Bangju asked with a broad grin.

"Because obviously! I mean, common sense! His equipment isn't properly geared up, and now he doesn't even have a weapon. Thinking he'll win is the strange part!"

Unlike before, Penggwon sounded genuinely earnest.

Partly because his earlier prediction had already been proven wrong.

And partly because he desperately wanted reality to start behaving normally around Seojun.

'Why does he keep pulling off impossible nonsense?!'

His faith in his own professional judgment was starting to erode.

At the same time, his conscience wouldn't let him simply say, "It's Seojun, so he'll probably do it."

Because honestly—

It really looked impossible.

"Haha. That's simply because your faith is lacking. We're talking about a Sword God who's been given a sword."

"You mean a frying pan."

"Details aside. Want to make a bet?"

Penggwon flinched.

Looking over, he saw Bangju smiling confidently.

He genuinely wondered where that confidence came from.

Penggwon wasn't certain.

But Bangju's eyes were saying:

If you're scared, just say so.

So he made a decision.

"F-Fine. What are we betting?"

"Hahaha! Admirable courage. Then let's make it a winner prediction. The loser will conduct the Best Player interview afterward dressed as a magical gi—"

"Nope. Absolutely not."

"Alright then. How about conducting it using cat-speak?"

Arin, who had been silently listening, jumped in.

"Oh! That's a great idea! Nice!"

• The announcer is way too excited that someone else has to do her interview work.jpg
• Isn't Arin enjoying this a little too much? lol.
• Cat-speak lolololol.
• Aaah! They're planning terrorism!
• Wait, has Bangju been watching that stream?
• Don't mention the streamer's name on the official account.
• But he definitely watches it. He's bringing up magical girls and everything lol.

They were correct.

Bangju was one of Seojun's regular viewers.

What they didn't know was that the viewer who had originally suggested cat-speak as a punishment during Seojun's stream...

...had been Bangju himself.

Because—

'Man, suddenly I miss Nabi.'

He was a cat person who owned a cat at home.

And was it creepy to watch grown men speaking in cat-speak?

• Damn it lol. Who exactly is this punishment for?
• Neither Penggwon nor Bangju are ugly, but I'd still be angry watching it.
• LOL.
• I'd be irrationally furious.

Which was exactly why it was a punishment.

If punishments involved doing something cool or entertaining, what would even be the point?

"So you'll do it?"

Bangju looked at Penggwon triumphantly.

The challenge in his eyes intensified.

"Fine! Yes! Let's do it!"

"Then I'll take Seojun's squad."

"And you, Penggwon?"

"I'll go with Wave."

Given the flow of the conversation, Bangju made the obvious choice.

Penggwon picked the safest one.

If you wanted to call it anything—

It was the most rational prediction possible.

"Now then, neither of you actually explained your reasoning. Care to share?"

"Wave's squad is guaranteed to secure the supply drops. They'll have unrestricted access to the skies. The loot from supply drops is on the same level as the Secret Room. Also, judging from the current storm location, everyone will eventually be forced toward the Airfield. If the drops arrive early, they can claim them and wait for whoever emerges from underground. As for the teams below..."

Penggwon glanced around before stopping himself.

"That's enough."

"A very reasonable argument. Then let's hear from Bangju."

"Certainly."

"And your reason is?"

"Because he is the Heavenly Demon."

• Mm! Makes sense.
• That's the Heavenly Demon for you!
• Japan is going to sue us for overusing the Fun Cool Sexy meme lol.
• Fact: Heavenly Demon was the nickname streamer Jin Seojun used during For the Sake of Chivalry...

"An equally reasonable explanation."

Penggwon stared at Arin in disbelief.

What part of that was reasonable?

"Well then, let's see how it turns out. Adding a wager to the mix certainly makes things exciting."

• It's definitely not the excitement you're enjoying lol.

***

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

The corridor alternated between light and darkness.

The underground bunker.

The facility was old and poorly maintained.

Some lights still worked, but far more flickered intermittently.

And many were completely broken.

"We're almost there."

Along the way, large open chambers occasionally appeared.

Hearing his teammate's words, Taewoo raised his rifle.

They had arrived at the central area.

The place where the Secret Room was located.

After that, not only Taewoo but the entire squad fell silent and held their breath.

The team leader at the front was trying to detect any movement.

Keryl.

An A-rank support player.

Support was a role many people looked down on.

Since its purpose was to assist damage dealers and it didn't even need to farm minions, arguments about whether support players were truly skilled never seemed to end.

But when someone reached Challenger rank, even the people who mocked the role itself were forced to shut up and admit they were wrong.

That was what Challenger meant.

A place so difficult to reach that role and excuses became irrelevant.

'Reliable.'

Support player Keryl.

Sixteen years old.

A high school boy.

Young.

Not only talented, but also an aspiring professional player.

'And full of energy too.'

In any case, he was the A-rank player they had recruited in place of Seojun.

One of the reasons they had brought a marksman instead of Baram Sword for their B-rank slot.

They had committed heavily to strengthening the bottom side.

And now—

"Nobody's here. Let's learn the terrain while we can."

The team immediately moved according to his orders.

The underground cavern containing the Secret Room—the central area connected to the three major hot spots—generated a random layout every match.

The key to enter the Secret Room was hidden somewhere within it.

"Taewoo-hyung, you can hold this position and watch that corridor. If enemies come toward the marksman, rotate and support him."

Within moments, Keryl understood the structure and began issuing commands.

"We can kill everyone and find the key afterward. Don't forget to pop all three stimulant buffs. Keep your radios out on your belts too."

After finding cover behind a crate, Taewoo focused on the corridor ahead.

In Ground Zero, positioning was everything.

Show a gap for even a moment—

And bullets would come flying.

And once you fired, enemies would pinpoint your location and move toward you.

If you didn't know where they were coming from when that happened—

You were already dead.

Taewoo's squad was equipped mostly with Level 1 and Level 2 gear, so they wouldn't instantly die from a single mistake.

Even so, losing track of positioning was effectively a death sentence.

In that regard, Keryl had chosen perfect positions.

Excellent spatial awareness.

Game sense.

Instant decision-making.

There was a reason he was a support player.

At the very least, they wouldn't be attacked without knowing where the enemy was coming from.

'He said he was coming.'

Taewoo stared straight ahead.

Thanks to the viewers—legal stream sniping in this tournament—he knew exactly how many enemies remained.

And he also knew what Seojun had done.

'He deflected bullets with a frying pan? How does that even make sense?'

That lunatic.

That monster was supposedly coming for him.

Thankfully, Seojun had thrown away his gun before entering the underground area.

Maybe he'd looted another one on the way.

But neither the chat nor the information available suggested that.

And even if the chat wasn't reliable, Taewoo knew one thing.

If Seojun said he'd do something—

He actually did it.

'Is this our first real fight in a game?'

They might even end up facing each other in Rios someday.

Positionally, Taewoo filling in at mid lane made the most sense.

'Let's see how good you really are.'

A frying pan?

No matter who it was, that should be impossible.

'Is he coming?'

Faint sounds echoed through the corridor.

Bang!

Clang!

'That's not gunfire...'

Unsure, Taewoo stared toward the end of the corridor where the sounds were coming from.

The middle section was pitch-black.

The far end was illuminated.

And around that corner, people were undoubtedly fighting.

One of them had to be him.

Bang!

Along with the gunshot, an enemy staggered backward from around the corner.

It wasn't him.

But strangely, the enemy didn't even pay attention to Taewoo.

Clang!

Instead, he continued firing toward the path he had come from.

Bang!

Another gunshot.

Then, faintly—

Clang.

The sound of metal striking metal.

'He's here?'

Damn it.

The confrontation had finally arrived.

That guy had finally appeared.

First, he smashed the enemy's head.

Then he turned.

Their eyes met.

Terrifying.

The frying pan in his right hand genuinely looked like a weapon.

• Damn...
• Seeing him from a distance is actually scary.
• Did he seriously kill someone with a frying pan?
• If you're curious, watch both streams.
• Ah, that streamer really likes him lol.

'So you've come.'

He had prepared himself mentally for this moment.

The enemy who had appeared first collapsed into a knocked-down state.

Then that guy started walking toward him.

His body disappeared into the darkness of the corridor.

Step.

Step.

Step.

But there was still some light.

And the sound made it possible to track him.

'He's not even running? Confident, aren't you?'

The corridor was dark.

Taewoo's position was brightly lit.

But that was fine.

He had already secured the position.

And the moment he opened fire, his teammates would hear it, reposition, and come to support him.

All he had to do was stop the enemy from reaching him until then.

'Ever since the day I realized you'd tricked me into giving up my bread, my dream has been beating you.'

Taewoo rose from behind cover and fired into the darkness.

Bang!

Naturally, he assumed that even someone like Seojun—who could block bullets with a frying pan—would use the cover scattered throughout the corridor.

But—

CLANG!

Sparks flew.

For a brief moment, the dark corridor lit up like a camera flash.

Just for an instant, he saw the figure of that guy slowly approaching from the middle of the hallway.

Then darkness swallowed him again.

[Get ready to support Taewoo-hyung.]

Bang!

Without panicking, Taewoo fired again.

CLANG!

FLASH!

The figure appeared once more.

Still approaching.

The only differences were the position of the frying pan and the fact that he was now closer.

Bang!

Taewoo fired again the moment he could.

And again.

And again.

'Huh? He's not stopping? He's deflecting all of them?'

Yet—

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

In the darkness, every muzzle flash revealed the same thing.

His position was getting closer.

And closer.

Without retreating even once.

It looked like someone was taking photographs of a ghost gradually approaching from the end of a hallway.

• Taewoo is slowly losing his mind lol.
• Is this a horror photo collection? LOL.
• How has he not messed up even once?
• WHERE ARE THE TEAMMATES?!

Then, when Taewoo fired his eighth shot—

The figure emerged from the darkness.

"Nice to see you."

A grinning face suddenly appeared before him.

And the frying pan swung.

Then—

"Dodged? That was pretty close."

Seojun looked down at him.

Or rather—

He hadn't dodged.

'My legs gave out because I got scared.'

This crazy bastard.

He's terrifying.