Chapter 19 - Schrödinger’s Cat (2)
Schrödinger’s Cat (2)
Translator : Elizabeth
The world of Legend Frontier was a place that could be called another reality. The players who navigated its treacherous battlefields were always wandering in search of "romance"—the ideal aesthetic of a specialized build. Their primary goal was to experience the emotions and the thrilling dopamine rushes that could not be found in reality.
The fact that the "rankers"—the pinnacle of Legend Frontier who had reached the top through all sorts of hardships and trials—were treated like superstars was perhaps rooted in this collective psychology. The status and fame that rankers held in Legend Frontier were beyond imagination. People were moved by their narratives and efforts, marveled at their gameplay, and strove to learn from their skills and tips.
【Rank 5 Mythic Serious Play Stream】『B-Tube 4K2D: Supporter Specialist Broadcast』
As if responding to such reactions, rankers had started opening their own personal broadcasts or B-Tube channels to communicate actively with the public. Of course, there were likely financial motivations—leveraging the popularity of Legend Frontier and their status as rankers—but regardless, it was a natural progression for these rankers to gain massive fandoms.
Every player in Legend Frontier became a fan of a ranker that suited their personal taste, cheering for them and adopting their playstyles.
For instance, those who enjoyed overpowering everyone with overwhelming physicality and reaction speed cheered for Rank 1: 'Death God' Alice. Players who found romance not in melee combat but in the divine sniping skill of picking off enemies from afar watched the personal streams of Rank 4: 'Galaxy Express' Metia. Those who wished to lead the pace of the game based on macro-logic and fantastic shot-calling subscribed to the B-Tube of Rank 9: 'Destruction' Sakiride and studied his videos.
Ten unique rankers, each standing alone at the top, with not a single overlapping class or build. Everyone became their fans, debated, and sometimes fought, all while enjoying Legend Frontier on a deeper level.
……And if you were looking for the ultimate "romance," or a distinctive trait unlike anyone else's, player Park Su-han wanted to recommend cheering for Rank 7: 'Gale' SION.
Rank 7 in individual rankings, SION.
The creator of the so-called ‘Speed Swordswoman build’—a build so bizarre and difficult that even professionals gave up on researching it—and the Queen of Speed who reached the absolute peak using only that build. A player nicknamed ‘Gale’ because the way she swept through the battlefield with agility that transcended limits was like a fierce wind.
Simultaneously, she was a mysterious figure famous for having zero external activities unlike other rankers. She didn't stream, didn't have a B-Tube, and never released a single guide for the difficult Speed Swordswoman build.
If you were to ask if she was at least active in communication, the answer was no. She never accepted friend requests from anyone, and even if someone sent her a private message, she never read it. There was never a surprise appearance as a guest on another ranker’s stream, nor a single instance of her queuing for a "Normal" game in a duo.
Despite being a celebrity at Rank 7, there were only two ways to see her: by pure chance when she was matched in the same game as another ranker, or by watching highlight videos someone else had uploaded to B-Tube. Because she was so difficult to encounter, Gale’s other nickname was none other than the ‘Natural Monument.’
[Today’s Gale One-Man Show (Clip)][Speed Swordswoman is OP, Speed Swordswoman is OP...][Gale! Gale! Gale!]
However, even a person like her had fans. A tiny minority of fans, whose origin was unknown, always followed her around, praising Gale wherever they went.
Though there were no broadcasts or communication, the reason they cheered for Gale was simple: there was romance. The creator of a charming build where everything was all-in on a single stat: Speed. The moving narrative of proving her skill by reaching a ranker position with it. The silver hair, emerald eyes, and the beautiful, peerless customization, along with the sharp rapier held in those small hands.
[Squad Kill!*][Enemy Annihilated!][Slayer of the Battlefield!][SION is on a rampage!]
The Empress of Wind who lived and died by speed. Sometimes she would overturn a 1v4 situation to lead a comeback, or finish a game in just 9 minutes against a skilled streamer, providing insane dopamine. How could one not cheer for her?
Furthermore, the fact that her public exposure was lower than other rankers actually stimulated the "hipster" instincts of those who cheered for her. Gale’s fandom was famous for being small in scale but intensely loyal. Though they were constantly mocked by other rankers' fandoms with derogatory terms like ‘Abandoned Dogs,’ their resolve to support Gale remained firm.
‘Gale...’
Park Su-han, who was also one of Gale's fans, wished to do more than just cheer; he wanted to be like her. Sweeping through the battlefield like a wind across the plains, piercing weaknesses to kill enemies in an instant. The Speed Swordswoman build created by Gale was so similar to the combat style Su-han pursued that he harbored a wish to become an outstanding Speed Swordmaster like her.
suhan: 0/9/1
— Uh...
However, the control difficulty and application of the Speed Swordswoman build were too high, and with no proper guide available, all that returned to him were the screams of horror from his teammates and reports for trolling. Furthermore, because people with similar thoughts were lowering the average win rate of the Speed Swordswoman every day... in a way, he was committing a disservice to Gale, the creator.
The reason he cheered for her even harder as the days went by was likely because that sense of guilt remained in a corner of his heart.
【Popular Post】[Gale’s real face that you guys wanted lol (Photo)]
“Hmm……”
In that sense, the new popular post on the community forum was enough to capture Su-han’s full attention.
“Real face?”
A post claiming to have taken a photo of Gale’s real-life appearance while she participated in an event match at a mall. Su-han was just as curious about Gale's real face as everyone else, so he cautiously clicked the post.
(Photo)
“Three men and one girl……”
The photo attached to the post showed three men with their faces blurred by mosaics and one girl in a black hoodie. And the person who took the photo was saying:
— There’s a 75% chance that Gale is a military-finished XY chromosome dude weighing over 80kg lol.
……Saying there was a 75% chance that Gale was a man.
‘Um……’
That one sentence gave Su-han a lot to think about. Since Legend Frontier had an overwhelmingly male player base, it wasn't that he had never thought Gale might be a man.
But seeing the photo in reality and facing the fact that there was a three-fourths probability that Gale was a man made Su-han’s heart waver. Simply speculating "Could it be?" on his own was one thing, but seeing a photo and having a probability derived was on a completely different level.
‘She’s... one of those men...?’
The thought that the beautiful silver-haired Speed Swordswoman he supported might actually be a large, middle-aged man weighing nearly 90kg in reality made his head spin. Of course, customizing a female character wasn't a sin. It was perfectly possible. Su-han himself had chosen female characters in other games.
However, if one of those men had actually been pretending to be a girl under the guise of Gale... it felt like the admiration he held would crack slightly. Because every time he saw Gale from now on, he would think of a massive man with a thick beard. Because the thought that Gale, who dodged enemy attacks like a dancer in the virtual world, was actually a Net-kama* in reality would keep resurfacing.
"...No."
Therefore, Su-han put his hopes in the remaining 25%, not the 75%. He brainwashed himself into believing that Gale wasn't one of those three men, but the girl in the corner—the one whose face was almost unidentifiable due to the hood and the mosaic.
[This post has been deleted!]
...Before long, the popular post was deleted for some reason.
[LMAO, rest in peace, Abandoned Dogs lol][Speed Sword Beauty (Is a man) LOL][It’s over if it’s 75% lol. Just worry about which of the three he is.]
The community exploded into a heated debate. While the vast majority were mocking the fans, claiming Gale’s identity was definitely a middle-aged man—
[No, 25% is high.][Gale-noona is a girl for sure. What Net-kama? lol]
Su-han became one of the few remaining members of the '25% Squad,' defending Gale to the end, insisting she was absolutely not a middle-aged man.
“Dammit....”
Now that the real-life genders of the other nine rankers had been revealed through personal broadcasts and the like, if Gale really turned out to be a man, she—he—would essentially bear the dishonor of being the only Net-kama among the rankers. Then Su-han would have been a fan of a Net-kama. He knew 25% was a low probability... but it was better than facing that horrific reality.
“Hah, please……”
Since Gale herself wouldn't solve this controversy, the community’s heat and speculation only intensified. Su-han and the ‘25% Suicide Squad’ had long been pushed to the edge of the cliff by the offensive of the 75% Faction.
“What’s this...?”
In the midst of that, a new popular post related to Gale appeared. Since being a popular post meant it had been verified as worth reading by many recommendations, Su-han examined this post calmly as well.
The title was……
【Popular Post】[Hey, I think Gale just went live??]
“Huh...?”
At that title, which was hard to believe at first glance, Su-han rubbed his eyes and looked again.
【Popular Post】[Hey, I think Gale just went live??]
“…….”
The title remained the same.
“She went live...?”
Gale of all people going live—what on earth did that mean? Did she turn it on because of the gender controversy? No, was it bait? If he clicked it, would he be hit by a digital nuke and go blind?
“…….”
However, despite knowing the significant risk... Su-han had no choice but to move his finger. Following his instinct, he moved the mouse cursor and, with a click, threw open the door to that popular post. The content was simpler than expected.
【Popular Post】[Hey, I think Gale just went live??][Author: BBBBBB]
(Link)
[ Seeing "Ranker" and "Speed Swordswoman" in the title, it looks real? Check it out once go go go ]
“Eh...?”
A post claiming that someone suspected to be Gale had suddenly started a broadcast and provided a link for people to see for themselves.
‘X-witch...’
The link address itself was indeed X-witch, Korea's representative streaming site, but he was still afraid to click. What if it was a disguised link leading to a strange site? What if the people who upvoted it did so out of a "won't go down alone" spite?
“... .”
But Gale had started a broadcast, and at such an incredible timing—how could he not go in?
"Whew."
Finally, Su-han clicked the link with a deep breath. Who knows? Perhaps Gale had realized the gender controversy had spread and turned on the broadcast to offer some kind of answer. He wanted to know the answer as soon as possible. Rather than this endless mental gymnastics, he wanted to hear Gale's actual voice, even if it was a man's voice.
If Gale really was a man... from then on, he would just resign himself to it and enjoy the monumental first broadcast as a fan.
“…….”
The monitor screen shifted from the Legend Frontier gallery to the streaming site X-witch. What unfolded next was a personal broadcast screen being transmitted.
“The lobby...?”
The background of the broadcast was a place presumed to be the Legend Frontier lobby. The perspective was a first-person view, exactly what the player saw. Thus, Su-han could not directly confirm the appearance of the broadcast host. He moved his gaze to the title below the stream.
【Mythic Ranker Speed Swordswoman Lecture】
“A Speed Swordswoman lecture...?”
For now, the title was something only the real Gale would write. Su-han had watched Legend Frontier streamers for a long time, but while he had seen "Penalty Speed Swordswoman," he had never seen anyone write "Speed Swordswoman Lecture" as a title.
Then what was the nickname of the streamer who wrote the title?
“……Sion.”
SION 7.
The unnecessarily added number '7' bothered him, but the streamer name also truly matched Gale's in-game nickname. Seeing that, Su-han’s mouth automatically fell open.
“It’s real...?”
He felt his heart start to pound as if it were about to explode. The real Gale went live? That Gale? Really? Did it mean that even Gale couldn't just overlook this level of controversy, speculation, and mockery? Was she going to announce a lawsuit? And after that, truly a Speed Swordswoman lecture?
「 What is this, is it really Gale?? 」 「 Dammit, say something 」 「 LMAOOOO welcome net-kama welcome net-kama welcome net-kama welcome net-kama (Spamming) 」 「 Noona, please give us a voice, they keep saying you're a man 」 「 No, but is it the real Gale? That Gale went live? 」 「 A Speed Swordswoman lecture lol, took your time 」 「 Is it really Gale? Is it really Gale? Is it really Gale? (Spamming) 」
...Meanwhile, the broadcast chat was being updated at a mad pace. Those who crossed over from the community link, those who were wandering the depths of X-witch and were drawn by the magical words 'Speed Swordswoman' and 'Sion,' and those who entered simply because it was a Mythic ranker's stream. The countless people who had entered for various reasons were all expressing doubt about whether 'SION 7' was the real Gale.
Countless question marks continued to rise and plaster the chat window.
《 ……. 》
The impact of the nickname 'SION 7' and the title 'Speed Swordswoman Lecture' was so powerful that even though the host hadn't officially started the broadcast yet, the viewer count continued to rise.
🔴 2,153 viewers
...Before anyone knew it, over 2,000 viewers had entered this unidentified 'Speed Swordswoman Lecture Stream.' It was a viewer count hard to believe for a brand-new channel that hadn't even truly begun its broadcast.
「 ? Not starting? 」 「 Is it lagging? 」 「 F***, it's just bait 」 「 Voice please, I beg 」 「 Noona, are you really a man? 」 「 Are you finally f***ing teaching Speed Swordswoman lol 」 「 Why is this your first time streaming after being a ranker for so long T_T 」
<User123 has donated 1,000 won!>【Gale, anything is fine, just do something first】
But at the broadcast screen that showed only the Legend Frontier lobby with no voice or movement, the viewers only expressed frustration.
"Hah."
...Seeing that, Su-han let out a dry laugh.
‘It was just bait...’
There was only one reason the host was doing nothing. Because he wasn't the real Gale.
"Vile b*stard..."
It was clearly the trolling of an attention-seeker trying to bait people using Gale's name amidst the gender controversy.
<SpeedSwordNewbie has donated 1,000 won!>【Is this really Rank 7 Gale?】
<AssassinAssassin has donated 1,000 won!>【At least say something】
“…….”
He had already earned several thousand won through donations. Perhaps it could be called a highly successful trolling effort.
《 ……. 》
...Since the host remained silent despite receiving donations, Su-han’s suspicion gradually turned into certainty.
"Sigh."
I knew it. That Gale, of all rankers, wouldn't just turn on a stream. Su-han himself was just the idiot for hoping for even a moment. What was he doing, caught by this vile attention-seeker?
"What am I doing...."
Finally, he let out a sigh and moved the mouse toward the back button. His patience wasn't long enough to play along with an attention-seeker's games anymore. He didn't feel good, as if his emotions were being manipulated.
《 Ah. 》
“Huh...?”
...And just before he could close the broadcast, a new sound finally emerged from the screen, stimulating Su-han’s hearing.
《 Ah, aah, ah, can you hear me now? 》
“……!!”
At the sudden sound of a very high-toned, delicate voice, Su-han’s entire body froze, and his ears perked up. Whether the setup was finally complete, the broadcast screen that had been still like a pause also finally began to move freely.
《 Ah, I'm sorry, the mic setting was wrong…… 》
A voice tinged with embarrassment came through the speakers. It was a relaxed, mellow voice, yet simultaneously possessed an inexplicable allure—a beautiful, fine voice.
《 There are so many confusing things when starting a broadcast. 》
Furthermore, the owner of that voice was... obviously, the owner of this channel, 'SION 7.'
《 Sorry to keep you waiting. 》
“…….”
On a channel with the title 'Speed Swordswoman Lecture Stream'—a title only Gale would use—the voice of a beautiful woman was heard. Furthermore, it wasn't the voice from the in-game voice chat, but a voice coming through the VR headgear’s microphone, so it wasn't a voice changer.
The voice of SION 7 apologizing for keeping people waiting on a Speed Swordswoman lecture stream……
……Looking only at this fact, it felt as if Gale really was a woman.
「 ???????????? 」 「 GIRL??????????? 」 「 ? It was a girl???? 」 「 What's with the voice?????? 」 「 What, it wasn't a Net-kama?? 」 「 No, f***, she's a girl?? The 25% was right?? 」 「 Female voice??????? What is this????? 」 「 Who are you!! Who are you!! Who are you!! (Spamming) 」
It was a voice sufficient to bewilder everyone in the stream. Everyone merely posted question marks, unable to easily find words.
<User123 has donated 1,000 won!>【Is this really Gale? Verify with rank or profile card go go】
Someone who regained their senses quickly left a message along with a donation, asking for verification. Yes, that was most important. Verification and evidence that the owner of that voice, the owner of this stream, was really Gale were needed.
《 Rank proof? …Hold on a second. Ah, thank you for the donation. 》
Whether the setting really had been wrong, the relaxed voice gave a clear answer to this donation.
《 ……. 》
A small, white hand moved rapidly on the Legend Frontier lobby screen. Subsequently, several holographic screens appeared.
【Profile】
Nickname: SION
Tier: Mythic
Individual Rank: 7
[View More]
《 ……Will this suffice? 》
Along with a voice tinged with a hint of pride, a golden profile card was displayed. It was the Golden Profile Card granted only to those who achieved the highest tier in Legend Frontier: Mythic.
"Ah……"
Seeing the information written there, Su-han’s hands began to tremble as if he had a palsy.
"It-It-It's real……"
With that, Su-han could be certain of two things. First, the one who turned on the broadcast was truly the creator of the Speed Swordswoman build, Rank 7 'Gale' Sion. Second, Gale was a woman. One with an enchanting voice, at that.
"Crazy……"
……The 25%, the underdog bet, had succeeded.
「 Wow, f***…… 」 「 No, f***, it's really Gale?? She's a girl?? 」 「 The voice is insane 」 「 Gale! Gale! Gale! Gale! 」 「 From today, I withdraw my support for Gale. From today, I am no longer a fan; Sion and I have become one body. An attack on Sion is an attack on me. (Copypasta) 」 「 75% Faction idiots, how does it feel LMAO 」 「 Gale-ah, I believed in you Gale-ah I believed in you Gale-ah I believed in you (Spamming) 」 「 Then was it the black hood girl after all?? 」 「 She was really a girl?????? 」 「 This is the headgear mic, so it's not even fake damn... 」 「 Wow, female ranker let's goooo 」
<ParkTaePungIsHeALegend has donated 10,000 won!>【If anyone calls my Noona a Net-kama one more time, I, the Jamsil Station Runaway Locomotive Park Tae-pung, will not forgive you】
<SpeedSwordNewbie has donated 50,000 won!>【Only 2 years…… it was only that much……】
" Sob ……"
At the last donation, Su-han’s emotions welled up. How long had he waited for this moment when the Gale he cheered for would turn on a broadcast and communicate with fans? Now he too could stand equal with the fans of other rankers. He would no longer have to hear the term 'Abandoned Dog.'
Above all, Gale’s identity wasn't an old man, but a real woman—and one with a voice that could enchant anyone! Was there a more moving moment than this?
《 That… the chat is too fast, it’s hard to read… 》
……Meanwhile, the person herself was merely flustered by the speed of the chat window’s updates. The pale white hand of the Speed Swordswoman Gale seemed to be scratching her head.
「 Oh, God of the Speed Sword… why only now…… 」 「 Sion-noona I love you Sion-noona I love you Sion-noona I love you (Spamming) 」 「 Did you come because you're out of money?? LMAO. Or did you come because you were scratched by being called a man? LMAO 」 「 Why is she really a girl LMAO 」 「 Are you a voice actress? Why is your voice so good???? 」 「 Now all the rankers are streaming damn... 」 「 Simply Great Speed Sword 」 「 Ah, I behold the Queen of the Jungle… 」 「 Noona, why only now T_T (Spamming) 」
《 Er… 》
Despite Gale’s troubled appearance, the chats and donations showed no signs of stopping. No, perhaps it was only natural. The facts that the mysterious Gale had gone live, and that she was a real woman instead of a Net-kama—and a woman with an enchanting voice—were not topics simple enough for them to calm down quickly.
《 Hmm… 》
Whether she hadn't expected the reaction to be this intense, the sound of Gale’s deep sigh was heard.
《 It’s too hard to read the chat, and there seems to be a lot of useless talk. I think some measures are needed before we start… 》
《 Hmm…… 》
Ultimately, she seemed to be in deep thought. But as if she had made a resolution, a short while later, a voice much firmer—no, a very firm voice—rang out.
《 That…… 》
《 Those of you who aren't going to play Speed Swordswoman, please just all leave. 》
Stop making a fuss.
Right now.