34. '0'
HazySky spoke up in a troubled voice.
“Um… you said you watch my streams often, right?”
<Yes. I watch at least six VODs every day.>
“Then you probably have a rough idea of how I run things, don’t you?”
<…Well, I just thought you were really good with the Demonblade, so I never paid much attention to that stuff.>
“……I see. Understood. Let’s move on to the next game.”
The next two games continued in the same fashion.
Basl would crush the opponent with overwhelming mechanics, then throw away every advantage gained from ridiculous deaths.
Just when it seemed like basic macro was being followed, an explosive all-in would happen at the worst possible moment.
The moment any sign of a 1v1 fight appeared, Basl would charge straight into the enemy team’s formation.
It felt like watching a berserker obsessed with 1v1 duels who had zero interest in whether the team won or lost.
Unable to hold back any longer, HazySky asked,
“Why do you keep diving in like that?”
The only reply that came back was,
<Because 1v1 fights are fun.>
HazySky could only let out a hollow laugh.
Around that time, the viewers began to enjoy the chaos as well.
Thus ended the four solo queue games that had been prepared.
‘Phew, thank goodness. If I had to watch any more, I would’ve spent an hour reviewing replays and giving fiery feedback.’
“Alright everyone, that’s it for solo queue. I think we’ve seen more than enough of Lulu’s true form. What did you all think? Did you feel Lulu’s strength?”
“Now then, let’s move on to the next prepared content. The next segment is~~drumroll~.”
HazySky spoke in a cold voice and tone, desperately trying to hide embarrassment.
Though the voice sounded low and unenthusiastic, the effort was clearly there.
It was the kind of lethal gap moe that would make anyone smile like a proud father.
Ha Yunseo smirked as she thought this.
At the same time, HazySky spoke with solemn resolve.
“It’s a 1v1 duel with the pro, where we stake our souls on the line.”
“Then, without further delay, let’s jump straight into the game. I’ll turn off my cam and put on the VR headset for a moment. Basl, could you create the custom lobby in the meantime?”
<Yes, understood.>
The personal cam feed went down.
The mic stayed on, so sound continued to come through.
-Rustle. Rustle.
Soon a voice came from a little farther away.
“Come to think of it, Basl. How’s the matchup between Lulu and Demonblade?”
<As I mentioned earlier, there’s no difficult champion for Lulu in Glen.>
“Does that mean Demonblade is also an easy matchup?”
<You could say that.>
“Then I’ll completely change that perception for you today.”
<……Heh. Sounds good.>
Ha Yunseo’s voice carried a hint of excitement.
Hearing that quiet laugh that sounded almost condescending, HazySky resolved not to lose no matter what.
“Alright, I’m ready. I’ll join the lobby now. I’ll open donations starting from this moment. Just a second…”
<Okay.>
Thus the 1v1 match was set.
BarbedSlayer and HazySky stood on opposing sides in the custom lobby.
“First, the rules are best of five. I was originally thinking best of three, but the pro specifically requested five games, so here we are.”
“Hmm, how about we start the first game with Goro as a warm-up? Pulling out the ultimate technique right away feels a bit much.”
[HazySkyLongRain] has donated 10,000 won!
:If our Hazy picks Goro, Lulu is getting one-shot lol:
“Ah, thank you for the 10,000 won donation! One-shotting Lulu, huh? Hmm, that does sound plausible. Heh, thank you.”
HazySky felt fairly confident.
After all, he had beaten Basl with Goro once before.
It had been quite close, but still a win.
Because of that, HazySky was filled with confidence. It wouldn’t be easy, but he believed he could win again this time.
Ha Yunseo spoke to him in a relaxed voice.
<Are you sure about that?>
“Huh? About what?”
“Then this will be your second time.”
-Heh.
Ha Yunseo let out a quiet laugh.
Then she continued.
<The time I lost was against a Silver-tier Goro. The player seemed to have studied Goro quite a bit and used some truly bizarre techniques. That’s how I lost, even with the massive tier gap. It was a moment where I learned a lot.>
“Ah… haha. I see. Losing to a Silver player… that’s hard to imagine from my perspective.”
<Well, thanks to that, I learned how to deal with all the tricks Goro can pull. …And I don’t forget things I’ve learned once.>
Ha Yunseo added in a solemn voice.
HazySky smirked.
It was an obvious provocation.
She was telling him that the techniques he used that day wouldn’t be enough to beat her now.
“Look forward to it. I’ve cut down quite a few Lulu corpses.”
<Is that so? You probably haven’t seen many Lulus though…. Since there are so many of them, like a swarm of locusts, wouldn’t there be more corpses under my feet?>
“Who knows. Locusts and Lulu are both bugs, but there must be a reason one became a natural monument like a longhorn beetle, right?”
<-Heh. I’m closer to a Goliath beetle than a longhorn beetle. Comparing me to something like a locust in terms of size is rude.>
“Heh. Alright, I’ll be careful.”
The game began.
The conclusion came in an instant.
And it was a result no one had expected.
BarbedSlayer (Lancer-Lulu) > HazySky (Swordsman-Goro)
<Good game.>
[ㅇㅇ] has donated 1,000 won!
:…Teacher?:
“……….”
[DisbandLotte] has donated 1,000 won!
:Ugh, suddenly such intense sunlight ☀️☀️☀️:
HazySky opened the information window with a hollow gaze.
It was a perfect defeat.
***
The previous night, Ha Yunseo had stayed up late instead of sleeping.
The reason was—
Reviewing HazySky’s VODs.
She wasn’t watching them absentmindedly like usual.
To borrow a phrase often used on CeltInGallery—
It was what they called 『dissection-level in-depth analysis』.
She broke down HazySky’s plays frame by frame, rewinding and watching them over and over again.
-Click.
Rewind.
-Click.
…Rewind.
-Click.
……Rewind.
-Click.
“……Something like this, I guess.”
After jotting down HazySky’s minor habits on sticky notes, she roughly stuck them on the secondary monitor. Though it didn’t seem like many, the monitor was soon covered with countless sticky notes.
Next scene.
-Click.
-Click.
-Click.
“…Hmm. When swinging the sword one beat late, the left foot angles about 10 degrees more. The right shoulder opens about 15 degrees wider than usual. When choosing to swing left next, the right knee moves inward first.”
-Scribble scribble.
Screeeech— thump.
Running out of space, she stuck them on the nearby wall for now.
And immediately moved to the next scene.
Ha Yunseo kept playing and rewinding, focusing on the hero’s movements on screen.
She couldn’t even remember how many VODs she had dissected, tearing through every single one she could find.
And so, the next morning.
Ha Yunseo, who had fallen asleep crouched in front of the computer, slowly got up.
What greeted her was one side of the wall almost completely covered with an enormous number of sticky notes.