It’s not that kind of malicious broadcast

Chapter 73 – Everyone Has a Plan

Revan or Shihoon was not a user strong in one-on-one combat. What had elevated him to the middle tier of challengers was his ability to quickly establish and implement builds and routes that fit the meta and combinations.

Of course, that was the story at the Challenger level. At the Master level, he had enough confidence to crush one-on-one duels even with experimental builds.

Challengers ranked in the top 500 nationwide – especially in Korea – were exceptional individuals. It was a well-known, often-discussed tale in the domestic and community circles that even users who ranked around 300th in the American server struggled within the upper Master tiers in Korea.

So, it wasn’t particularly surprising that he had underestimated Lee Yena when they first met during her mid-lower Master tier days.

In hindsight, it was just an unexpected incident where a player, who theoretically couldn’t be in the middle Master tier based on common sense, blindsided him.

If he had prepared assuming she was an equal, or even a higher-ranked Challenger, he wouldn’t have thought defeat would come easily.

‘… I still lost even when I wasn’t careless…’

Back then, she hadn’t even really fought him.

『Revan: What shall we do about the rules?』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Ah, it seems we need a duel.』

『CravingWarmAmericano: How about a clean first-to-1-kill, best of three match?』

『Revan: Alright.』

He had hoped for this. At the very least, this time he was talking about facing it head-on.

Revan finished wearing the VR device and entered the build selection screen. At the top, two builds that had been continuously refined until recently were ready.

“Underground/Heavy Armor/Lust – Rogue”

“Underground/Light Armor/Frenzy – Rogue”

The term ‘Rogue’ at the end indicated that this build was used when the opponent played as a Rogue.

“I never imagined I’d need something like this.”

However, things might be different from now on. Most of the gameplay shown by Ye-Na Lee on her streams was possible because it was her – but at least, the potential of the Rogue was undeniably suggested.

“I think a lot of people will start playing Rogues besides Dodat too. And if it really seems feasible, a Rogue might even appear in a professional match…”

Of course, he hadn’t prepared it in anticipation of such a future. These builds were created solely for bringing down GetDevoured, with the hope of one day burying an axe in her head.

The first set is…

‘Heavy Armor Lust.’

If ‘Light Armor Frenzy’ was a versatile build suited for confronting rogues, ‘Heavy Armor Lust’ was a one-time build tailor-made for duels.

He sacrificed mobility for the highest possible defense within the limit of what a warrior could wear. The high-level trait was Blood Lust, significantly reducing the stagger effect proportionate to the health lost upon being hit.

And to deliver an ultimate counterattack, she wielded a massive two-handed axe. This heavy blow, unleashed after enduring steadily without making a reckless move, had the power to kill a rogue even at full health.

It was a build designed to snipe Lee Yena’s rogue, guiding her into futile moves, gradually stealing her breath, and accumulating damage by striking and retreating amidst the created openings.

In other words, a one-shot that fell under the category of, ‘If you don’t know, you’ve got to get hit.’

The perfect move to play in the first set of a series of matches. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, running simulations in her mind.

A rogue in bizarre armor stepped side to side, throwing countless feints. And the moment she responded poorly even once, the rogue would quickly close in, thrusting a series of combo attacks just before slipping out of her attack range at the last second.

However, if he could just time the finishing move of the combo correctly – disregarding the stagger from the last attack – his two-handed axe would certainly land.

Having closed the distance to attack with a dagger, retreating in one swift move was no easy feat.

In a game well-known for its detailed and realistic portrayal of hand-to-hand combat, overcoming this degree of reach difference was no simple task, especially when that reach difference was blatantly exploited.

– Thud

The sound of the game starting echoed. With a pleasant tension and surging adrenaline, Revan controlled his heightened emotions and glared intensely, imprinting the enemy’s figure in his mind.

This time, for sure.

Absolutely.

He would embed his axe into that knight’s head.

“……Wait.”

……Knight?

『Revan: No』

『Revan: Wait』

『CravingWarmAmericano: What?』

『Revan: Why?』

『Revan: No.』

『Revan: Was it an article?』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Ah, yes. It seems like you have to show that you can play as a knight in the tournament rules, so the opponent might switch to a rogue.』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Oh, by any chance』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Is playing as a knight difficult for you? Should I switch?』

『Revan: Just, let’s go…』

* * * *

Hmm…

『Revan (Warrior) has been defeated!』

『CravingWarmAmericano (Holy Knight) → Revan (Warrior)』

After the first set ended, I found myself deep in thought for a moment.

『CravingWarmAmericano: GG』

It seemed like this person, Revan, felt burdened by the idea of submitting highlight clips.

The game itself was absolutely top-notch. It was intense. Calling it a challenger-level match seemed fitting. Engaging in such a strategic back-and-forth was something I hadn’t experienced in a long time.

However, the problem lay with the video.

If the all-in counter build worked well, the video would look fantastic. But unless we coordinated it on purpose, such a thing would happen once or twice out of ten times at best.

An extreme build like that typically meant getting beaten while trying to time things right, only to end up getting beaten to the end and dying.

Just like now.

I appreciated how much effort he put into considering the visual appeal of the video, but the portrayal was off. If the battle seemed one-sided like this, it was hard not to see it as a fundamental issue.

The playstyle of barely avoiding critical hits while enduring attacks and waiting for a razor-sharp counter timing was indeed exquisite. But could average viewers recognize this high level of maneuvering? I doubted it.

Still, it might not be bad for an article video.

A video showcasing relentless attacks with a longsword would generally look flashy enough. The final counter, though it missed, was chillingly sharp. So, if we edited out the parts where one side was just pounding away, the video could look rather intense.

The design of that counter was truly exquisite, even upon reconsideration. If it had been a dagger, it would have been dangerous.

While I was confident I wouldn’t fall for it again.

Such a powerful ‘hit if you don’t know’ type of trap, on the contrary, often brings out the saying, ‘Why get hit when you know?’

『CravingWarmAmericano: Ready for the next round?』

『Revan: Just a moment』

『Revan: I’ll be back after a quick drink of water.』

Ah. Perfect timing.

『CravingWarmAmericano: Alright, then I’ll also grab some water』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Let me know when you’re ready』

-Click.

I had planned to drink slowly today. But I was too exhilarated; I couldn’t hold back.

Engaging in combat with a skilled opponent, the thrill felt at the moment of thrusting the sword was indescribable.

This was why I came out here.

Indeed, I had chosen my opponent well. I would need to show some kind of gratitude later.

Perhaps I should send him some chicken.

Ah… Maybe the guy would keep watching the broadcast. If he wanted, I could offer him about three get-out-of-jail cards.

I would ask him when this is over.

* * * *

– Crrrack.

The sound of grinding teeth echoed loudly. If his voice had been on, the high-end microphone might have even picked up the noise.

But even if it had, no one would have blamed him.

– Hoo.

Revan, closing his eyes tightly, let out a long sigh and drank some water.

He needed to regain his composure.

“A knight?”

“A knight, really.”

It almost felt like she had realized he would use a sniper build targeting only her rogue.

“Are knights difficult for you?” she had asked.

He knew all too well how terribly hard it would be—but to come with a sniper build and then say, “I missed the snipe, so please change my character”, was something he simply couldn’t say. Such an embarrassing statement was out of the question.

Rather than doing such a thing, it was better to lose gracefully.

“…She can’t possibly know everything… No, that’s impossible.”

*Hoooo.*

Revan took another long breath and pushed away the distracting thoughts and rising emotions.

The match wasn’t over yet.

Although the initial trap had been defused, he still had a build he was truly confident in.

GetDevoured was known for a peculiar style where she equipped her arms and legs with the heaviest armor. Whether she played as a knight or a rogue, this weight distribution remained unchanged.

This concept accelerated her popularity, and while it had its advantages in-game, its drawbacks were glaring and fatal.

In brawls that demanded extreme reaction speed, wearing such armor inevitably caused a weight penalty that slowed her responses by half a beat. In a brawl, even a delay of 0.5 seconds meant serious disadvantage.

This insurmountable weakness, if accumulated, could only lead to catastrophic damage.

She had managed to mask this flaw with timing control, psychological warfare, and astonishing reaction speed—

But could she do the same against a brawl-specialized build, deliberately designed to exploit her weaknesses?

『Revan: Ready』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Ye』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Let’s go』

Revan looked at the warrior that appeared on the waiting screen.

A pair of small axes, so tiny that they could be mistaken for daggers of a rogue, were in his hands.

Though the satisfaction from implanting them into heads might be slightly lacking—

It wasn’t the time to be picky.

“This time, for sure.”

Whether it would be a rogue or a knight, it was a strategy to counter not the character, but the player.

Reviewing his battle plan, Revan thought as much.