Chapter 178

CHAPTER 178

A pro player.

To gamers, they are an insurmountable wall.

You can't reach that level just by playing a lot or having decent talent.

Someone once said:

You can recognize pro-level talent at a glance, even from a person's very first game.

Of course, talent alone isn't enough—you need tremendous effort too.

But in the end, if you don't possess the kind of talent that can be recognized immediately, no amount of hard work will get you there.

Within virtual reality gaming,

no matter how much you explain it,

it isn't enough to convey how extraordinary these people are to gamers.

In one phrase:

They are gamers' idols.

And yet—

one of them

lost.

[=]

[Is this actually possible?]

[LOL]

[Hahahahaha this is just absurd.]

[Has the world gone insane? Am I hallucinating???]

[Once again, LOL—what the hell is Jin Seojun?]

Not even to the streamer himself.

To an AI.

[Seriously, once again—what the hell is Jin Seojun?]

[No, really, what is he?]

• How many times do I have to tell you? He's the Heavenly Demon.
• In Korea, the Heavenly Demon is basically invincible LOL.
• Streamer fans: We knew this would happen.
• No, seriously, his swordsmanship is insane. Isn't he clearly above the pros?
• Taker only died because he made a mistake at the end. He panicked. Under normal circumstances that would never happen.
• But it happened, didn't it?
• Who cares why it happened?

[Whether it was a mistake or not, isn't it true that he got completely outclassed in swordsmanship?]

• LOL.
• Sword Champions should be banned.
• Damn. Mid-laners in Rios have to face pros now LOL.
• Not in the actual league though.
• Does a sword stop being a sword in the league? You saw that skill and you're still saying that?
• Jin Seojun casually walking through it in thirty seconds makes no sense. Someone else tries it and dies from a mistake.

[And real-time AI updates make sense?]

[By the way, were those Shin Hayeon's and Baek Doyul's sword styles actually accurate?]

[At least that weakness got updated perfectly.]

• LOL he literally died because of that at the end.
• I didn't know something like that was possible.
• Taker definitely can't do that.
• Is Taker just trash then?
• That's a top-five pro player you're talking about.
• Top five out of ten Korean league teams is basically half the league.
• Still Tier 1 though.

Seojun's skill was simply too overwhelming.

[What are you all doing? Why aren't you betting your points on Wealth Gap? LOL]

• This one's guaranteed. Are you really going to wager your precious memories on a team with no pros, or on a team with a player who can crush pros?
• Or are you going to bet them on a team made entirely of clowns?
• Hey, don't call them clowns LOL.
• I like our clowns. I'm a fan. Still can't bet points on them though. (Original poster)
• Post proof.
• LOL right after seeing that I bet my entire fortune on Wealth Gap. (Image) (Original poster)
• Hahaha. Even those precious memories came from the streamer.
• Proof accepted.
• Stop calling it your precious memories every time you gamble LOL.
• It's not gambling. It's betting.
• What's the difference? Do you actually not know?
• Wait a bit longer before betting LOL.
• Hahahaha the team's proper practice hasn't even started yet.
• Even after seeing this you're not betting? How cautious are you? (Original poster)
• There's a reason the current point-ranking #1 is #1. Assassin? That guy's an actual genius.
• Just bet somewhere else so I can win more points.

[By the way, their viewers are all saying they expected this, and it's pissing me off.]

[Who the hell expected this? LOL]

[The streamer is a god!]

[Why aren't you part of the streamer cult? Why aren't you part of the streamer cult? Why aren't you part of the streamer cult?]

[Holy... wait. What's that viewer count? 150,000? He's #1 right now?]

***

• Jin Seojun! Jin Seojun! Jin Seojun! Jin Seojun!
• Has the streamer actually lost his mind? LOL
• The true master of clones LOL.
• But I knew it all along. It was only a matter of time. Even pros can't beat the streamer.
• LOL I knew he'd eventually farm pros too!

The viewers were celebrating.

Meanwhile, Seojun's brain briefly shut down.

More accurately—

he was quite flustered.

Because—

'No, how do you lose there?'

He genuinely hadn't expected it.

Of course, the loss itself wasn't impossible.

The countermeasure Seojun had implanted beforehand was specifically designed to counter Taker's favorite move.

So an outcome like that could happen.

But still.

“Wow. He actually forgot.”

Ah.

Seojun abruptly came back to his senses and hurriedly corrected himself.

“No, I mean I forgot to turn off the gas stove. Hey now, stop saying that was a finishing blow. Stop spreading fake news!”

Though after provoking the guy relentlessly, one more jab probably wouldn't matter.

Still, Seojun no longer wanted to mess with Taker.

Because—

the guy was pitiful.

• Look at him rubbing it in until the very end LOL.
• Wow. After teaching him a lesson like that, you're still doing this? Streamer, you're vicious LOL.
• A pro player? LOL. Didn't he lose to a clone?
• I feel like you should never make an enemy out of the streamer LOL.
• This guy even managed to sink the coach who invited him. WWW

However, thanks to all the karma he had accumulated beforehand, Seojun's sincerity was completely misunderstood.

If they didn't believe him, whatever.

“How did you do that just now?”

Ha Yoonho asked.

“I didn't do it.”

The clone did.

“Wow... seriously. Our ace is amazing.”

At some point Lumi threw away the carrot she had been holding.

The alpaca did the same.

Looking at his teammates, Seojun shook his head.

'Still, they'll follow me much more willingly because of this.'

The likelihood of anyone leaving had decreased.

“So is the bet over now?”

“I just wanted to see his skill level. How did things turn into this...?”

“I'm honestly speechless.”

• That was an amazing show.
• No way, the streamer is currently #1 in viewers!
• LOL I came to watch Baek Doyul, but I think I'll stay here.
• Same LOL.

Ah.

He had somehow become the number one streamer by viewer count.

The viewer count would eventually drop again.

But even then, if Seojun's viewers and Ha Yoonho's viewers were combined, their team would still have the highest total viewership.

At least for today.

“Oh, right.”

There was one last thing he wanted to say.

“So, Baek Doyul?”

Seojun knew.

“Aren't you coming in?”

He knew that Baek Doyul had subtly taken a shot at him earlier under the guise of modesty.

And—

he knew that Baek Doyul wanted to fight him, yet was holding himself back.

***

[So, Baek Doyul? Aren't you coming in?]

'Damn. What a fiery guy. Though I guess he's earned the right to be.'

Taker, whose universe had briefly shut down,

finally regained his senses after hearing Seojun's words.

He had lost.

To an AI.

It was embarrassing.

No matter how thick-skinned he was, he almost dreaded seeing what people would say.

His teammates were definitely going to mock him.

He was worried about what his coach and manager would think too.

• Taker, your cafeteria privileges are revoked until training ends.
• LOL cafeteria privileges revoked.
• You brought shame upon all pro players today.

The loss itself had come from a mistake.

But regardless,

the fact that he had been completely overwhelmed by a streamer in the training grounds remained unchanged.

Yet—

although he had worried at first,

he gradually realized something.

And reached a point where he no longer cared what anyone thought.

Maybe being beaten had enlightened him.

'I've found the path I need to walk.'

Because he had found an answer.

Until now,

he had stagnated.

His skill, which had once rapidly broken through walls, had stopped moving entirely.

It felt as if a gigantic wall stood before him.

So he learned other things.

But the results were the same.

Only tiny improvements.

Growth so insignificant he could barely feel it.

As a result, he kept dabbling in different things.

Trying a little bit of everything.

'Wandering. That's probably the right word for it.'

Nobody gave him a clear answer.

It wasn't even a slump.

He had simply reached a high level where growth naturally slowed.

People told him that huge leaps forward no longer existed.

That it was normal.

That he should just keep working hard like he always had.

It wasn't bad advice.

The problem was that he constantly felt something was fundamentally misaligned.

And the bigger issue—

as with most problems in life—

was not knowing exactly what was wrong.

But—

'That person had been telling me from the very beginning.'

[Practice it ten thousand times a day. Then you can become like me.]

'He saw my problem at a glance!'

At some point, Taker had started using the utmost honorifics even in his own thoughts.

'The reason he changed the swordsmanship too... right. He wanted to show me that when your fundamentals are different, even using someone else's techniques becomes more powerful.'

In his mind,

Seojun was no longer an arrogant brat.

He was a master.

Someone who appeared rough and thoughtless on the surface,

but whose actions carried deeper meaning than anyone else's.

Perhaps even a teacher.

'Right. I'll do it.'

The thing Seojun had said.

Ten thousand swings a day.

He'd do it.

If possible, he'd like to do it in that gym.

'First, I should apologize for being disrespectful to him.'

Of course, Seojun had internally thought it would take two hundred years.

But there was no way Taker could know that.

***

Meanwhile—

[So, Baek Doyul? Aren't you coming in?]

Baek Doyul could feel the competitive fire boiling through his entire body.

'He's provoking me.'

His fist clenched.

His teeth ground together.

And yet the corners of his mouth rose.

This was fun.

Exciting.

He wanted to fight.

In this training ground.

And in the league.

And in Fight for Unity.

'Is this the second time?'

How long had it been since he had seen something he wasn't sure he could replicate?

Before today,

there had only been one person.

Shin Hayeon.

But today—

'He steals another person's swordsmanship and perfectly integrates it into his own?'

A second name had been added.

Clearing it in thirty seconds?

He thought he could probably do that too.

But using someone else's swordsmanship was different.

It meant moving contrary to instincts ingrained into the body.

That required tremendous practice just to become familiar with.

And to merge it with one's existing movements required immense understanding.

Especially when the swordsmanship belonged to Shin Hayeon or Baek Doyul.

Where did that level of understanding even come from?

'He must have spent a very long time preparing for this...'

Logically speaking, that was the correct conclusion.

Yet for some reason,

Baek Doyul felt as though Seojun had simply watched it today and immediately done it.

• Baek Doyul? Scared?
• I'm really curious how this is going to unfold.
• "Highly recommended curiosity" LOL. You mean greatly anticipated.
• Seriously, stay off community forums, you idiot.
• Upvote if you're curious LOL.

Not today.

Today wasn't possible.

He couldn't settle things against an AI.

In fact, he might even lose.

Baek Doyul acknowledged that cleanly.

His opponent probably knew that too.

That was why he was deliberately needling him.

There was no doubt.

Still,

they had eventually managed to defeat Shin Hayeon as a team.

This time too,

he would find a way.

“Haha. I'm sure we'll have a chance to fight someday.”

And that day wasn't far away.

But first—

“Shall we go train?”

He needed to win the proxy war before anything else.

With those words,

Baek Doyul closed Seojun's stream.