It’s not that kind of malicious broadcast

The moment the axe rushed in. What filled the eyes of the Warrior, who was firmly convinced that blood would splatter, were sparks flying as metal clashed with metal.

‘Caught-’

The axe blade, which was supposed to drop down and slice the Knight’s neck, smoothly slid along the edge of the greatsword, as if it was its destined path.

The decisive strike, filled with desperate resolve, turned to nothing in an instant, leaving the Warrior bewildered. In his mind, countless thoughts swirled.

Had the exposed weakness been a bait all along? No, that couldn’t be. It had been a vulnerability revealed—or perhaps, induced—in a series of steps. Surely, it seemed so.

It was impossible to see it as a trap or bait. It had been the movement of a player revealing bad habits due to inexperience.

Even if they were naturally skilled in such acting, it was strange, and even if they had practiced—what reason was there to practice such acting?

But what was the point of such questions?

From a far distance, an unwelcome voice echoed—along with the quick, sweeping motion of the greatsword. The inescapable iron judgment slowly etched itself into the Warrior’s retinas as it approached his chest.

If only he had not clumsily heard the Knight’s voice, he might have at least felt some self-respect.

But it was too late.

Seconds before being expelled from the glorious battlefield, he could only smile bitterly and mutter words no one would hear.

“You’re damn good at this game, really.”

.

.

.

A considerable number of both current and former pro gamers had gathered for the showdown tournament.

The substantial prize money was one factor, and the prestige of participating in an official event was another, but the biggest merit for pros was that until the round of 32, all participants’ IDs remained hidden.

Even if they were eliminated early, they could save face, provided they weren’t found out.

Of course, they had to be a bit shameless. But where else could you say, ‘I didn’t get eliminated, I just didn’t participate’?

For such pro gamers, the most concerning opponents were those who streamed their matches.

Losing to these broadcasters would publicly reveal their defeat and, in the worst case, they might be identified by even the smallest habits.

After all, they earned their living through their gaming skills. Losing to a mere broadcaster in a series of games was a rarity—practically an act of God.

However, the showdown mode, where it was one-on-one, had notable differences from the regular games that pro gamers were accustomed to—

And more than anything, a walking catastrophe was crushing all their opponents as they climbed the ranks.

“Wow, dodged it! Damn, that was close.”

It was not just one or two pro gamers who were watching Lee Yena’s broadcast with their secondary accounts.

They had to know and prepare for her in advance.

“… Hey, isn’t this a bit pathetic? Pros broadcast-sniping a girl…”

“No, no, I’m not going to broadcast-snipe! But, I have to know if I meet her… Also, you didn’t even register for the tournament. You seriously don’t understand the level of risk here until you experience it. Have you watched the gameplay videos?”

“Yeah, I saw the highlight that went viral.”

“No, the highlight is nothing—it’s not the real issue. It’s insane—I’ve never seen such natural noob imitation in my life. She sets traps by showing slightly different weaknesses every time, and with blind IDs, there’s no way to recognize it as GetDevoured.”

“Hey, you’re up next. Stop preaching and focus on your game. Since you’re in the tournament, aim to win.”

In such a scenario, the hopes of pro gamers gathering on Lee Yena’s broadcast were mostly the same.

At the very least, they hoped not to encounter each other in the blind zones.

“Ah, seriously, I need to fall off before I meet them… Hyung, please watch the broadcast for me. This is driving me crazy.”

And hopefully, just hopefully – may that natural disaster subside before it overtakes them.

Unfortunately, it was a wish that would not come true.

* * * *

『Author: ㅇㅇ』

『Title: Breaking news: Forum Master wins all battles up to today』

『The guy seriously feels like an invincible character.

He tests with a Knight, and when he thinks it holds up well, he immediately brings out a Mage to beat it, lOLOLOL.

Even former pros were in the mix, but they were no match』

– If he was really skilled, he wouldn’t be a ‘former’ pro, would he?

– Don’t the pros clash?

– ㄴ Not yet, I guess. If they don’t broadcast due to being blinded, it’s hard to know.

– ㄴㄴ Even if they drop, they would be too ashamed to talk about it.

– ㄴㄴ Some guys who usually broadcast often have been quiet lately; now that’s suspicious.

– Being able to handle all characters is truly a cheat skill, seriously.

– ㄴ Can he even use a Warrior? I’ve never seen that.

– ㄴㄴ ??KoK only has 5 heroes. Isn’t there some kind of misunderstanding…^o^』

『Author: RogueRogue』

『Title: Teacher’s opponent in round 7 seems to be Lambda from Embip』

『Looking at how they were pretty evenly matched against Teacher, there’s a 50% chance they’re a pro.

And in the first set, they kinda tried with a Warrior then got beaten and immediately brought out a Knight? That means Knight is their main character.

Plus, considering the attack and retreat pattern and timing near the end of the second set, it’s pretty obvious.

(Video of GetDevoured’s perspective from round 7)

And

(Highlight video of a league match broadcast)

Compare from 3:14.

It’s like looking at a decalcomania.

I’m going to send a message to Lambda X about it』

– Oh?

– Seriously, these fanboys are excessive

– ㄴ No, it’s just too identical

– ㄴㄴ What’s the big difference anyway?

– ㄴㄴ VR eventually makes you move as you’ve practiced combinations, so habits are recognizable.

– If this turns out to be true, steps will be taken by Embip.

『Author: ㅇㅇ』

『Title: ???: There are too many participants.』

『???: “Shouldn’t Masters be restricted to a certain score or higher from next time onwards?”

(Slicing the neck of a Challenger)

“Yeah, I suppose so.”

If it were me, I would have cried… really…』

– Isn’t that right though? There’s a huge gap between Masters and Challengers.

– ㄴ But he said that while sighing right after beating up the Challenger good…

– ㄴㄴ Oh, I see…

– ㄴㄴ Who?

– ㄴㄴ There’s this Challenger who does small-time streams named Eppilim.

– This blind-tier setup done by Joraday is at fault.

– Could it be that the Challenger, who got beaten up bad enough to be mistaken for a Master, is at fault?

– ㄴ How could anyone beat up a pro like that, you @#@#!

– ㄴㄴ Eppilim, just log in and curse them out straight.

– ㄴㄴ Eppilim, it was quite a sight to see you trying hard to make it to Set 3 with that big shield, good job.

– ㄴㄴ If that small-time broadcaster met a top player by luck, it should be a G-tube moment, right? I understand, even if it’s embarrassing.

『Author: ReformedDojil』

『Title: Ah, I’m so pissed』

(Photo)

I made it to Round 6…

But I couldn’t meet Teacher in the end… damn…

– Eliminated by R6!

– Why no streams?

– Maybe he could’ve made it if he just played as a Warrior.

– ㄴ No, no, I’m better at playing as a Rogue now, LOL.

– ㄴㄴ Seriously, you’re insane.

– Wouldn’t he have been eliminated right away if he met Teacher?

– ㄴ Even if I get eliminated in Round 1, I wanted to fall by Teacher’s hand.

– ㄴㄴ Hard to tell if that’s cool or creepy.

『Author: ㅇㅇ』

『Title: Tire-Wreck’s survival is quite surprising』

『Seriously, luck plays a big role in tournaments.

I hope he doesn’t stay too long and end up facing GetDevoured again.』

– Revan is still in?

– ㄴ Yeah.

– He was quite a contender in the top 200, deserved survival.

– ㄴ But honestly, he doesn’t really belong in that tier.

– Such a transparent loser.

– ㄴ ? Why the cursing?

– No, no. Again, you two seem to be broadcasting and fighting each other, which is why your owner is getting criticized.

* * * *

The “swooshing” sound of rain filled the morning.

Was it due to the structure of the house? Whenever it rained heavily, the sound of rain could be heard distinctly from the bed. With the branches visible through the window as a backdrop, the sound of rain hitting the ground reverberated chaotically.

One had to admit, it was quite a romantic way to wake up.

However, it was not a romance I could enjoy.

A peculiar fatigue enveloped my body right after waking up, showing no sign of leaving. It was always like this on rainy days. Interestingly, it happened even when I hadn’t drunk alcohol the previous day.

It was one of those changes I couldn’t get used to. It was almost amusing to think how I had gotten used to the aching Cooper’s ligaments.

“Heu…”

Still, pain was pain, even if it had become familiar. I let out a faint groan and turned over in bed. Although the rainy weather didn’t help my condition, perhaps exerting myself too much the previous day also played a part.

It had been a particularly strenuous schedule.

They had unwisely extended opportunities even to the masters, resulting in a number of preliminary matches that shot through the roof. To be honest, towards the end, it felt more like a test of endurance.

By the last few rounds, the passionate exclamation that only challengers should participate from the next time for the sake of player protection rose from the depths of my chest…

It wasn’t easy to suppress.

In the end, I didn’t suppress it.

Still, I had no regrets. The excessive number of matches was a fact. I believed that determining the winner by who was healthier didn’t align with the essence of the game.

I already wasn’t fond of VR as it was.

…Maybe I should send a proposal to Dox. I wasn’t keen on abusing power, but I could at least suggest it. Stating that amateur participants should be held to challenger standards…

As I mulled over these thoughts, a memory suddenly surfaced.

That friend had reached the master rank this season, hadn’t he?

It was a bit disappointing, so I remembered it clearly. Considering he had reached challenger rank in the past life through his strategic prowess, it made sense that master was the best he could achieve now, given the lack of experience—

Master…

Hmm.

I was a bit skeptical. Surely… no, that wouldn’t be possible, would it?

Now that I think about it, even if broadcast sniping was an issue, this wasn’t a tournament just for broadcasters. If they were worried about broadcast sniping, they could simply not broadcast live or add a delay. Wasn’t it unnecessary to blindfold the IDs as well… No, it couldn’t be.

Could it?

I suppressed the rising doubts in my heart. If friends don’t believe each other, who would?

Even if it was a friendship not fully built in this life, they were still my friend.

Stretching my stiff body while gazing outside, I pondered.

Would the rain continue? The gray sky showering thick rain droplets showed no sign of clearing.

Ah.

Should I make buchujeon (Korean leek pancakes) again?

It seemed there were quite a few people wanting another food broadcast. Indeed, during times like these, it felt right to return to the basics.

With the rain falling… yes.

‘Buchujeon Renewal (Creative Recipe)’

It had received quite an enthusiastic response the last time. As they say, the old is the best, so a remake should work well.