Chapter 21 - No Backing Down (2)
No Backing Down (2)
Translator : Elizabeth
A few seasons ago, a poll was held in Legend Frontier to determine the most annoying class. Surprisingly, the top spot wasn't claimed by the ‘Speed Swordswoman’—the synonym for trolling—but by the ‘Stealth Thief’ using a cloaking build.
Thieves, who stealthily snatched gold from dealers to suppress their growth, were voted the most irritating by the vast majority. It was a natural result; no one in this world likes having their things taken. The hatred and loathing directed toward someone who intercepts what belongs to you is a primal human instinct.
Whether it is money, a lover, honor, or fame, feeling displeased when something is snatched away is a law of nature and an immutable truth.
"F***ing hell!"
Consequently, the streamer Harim could not help but be furious at Gale, who had started her own personal broadcast on the same platform. Gale—nickname SION—was a hateful individual who, ever since their encounter in the Mythic promotion match a few days ago, had snatched away his honor, his pride, and even the public's attention.
"That f**ing shameless btch!"
Looking at the stream title ‘Speed Swordswoman Lecture’ on his monitor, Harim’s face was beet red. He could not stop the anger toward Gale from boiling over inside him.
How many misfortunes had unfolded since his one-sided defeat at her hands? First and foremost, Harim had failed his promotion. Having been subjected to a literal ‘Jungle Gap’ by Gale, he couldn't pull his mental state together and eventually drifted further away from the promotion zone. He had suffered so many consecutive losses that he didn't even dare to think about recovering his rank.
Not only that, but because his voice chat was banned, he had to endure sighs and criticism from his own teammates. Occasionally, players would even toss mocking remarks his way, pushing Harim’s stress to its limit.
But the most infuriating part was that a significant number of his viewers had left his stream, mocking him for daring to belittle a ranker and a Speed Swordswoman. The remaining chat was filled with nothing but humiliating messages telling him to kneel before Gale and learn the Speed Swordswoman build himself, or that his skill was nothing but a hollow bubble.
[HR got cut in 9 minutes by Gale LMAO][Ah, simply the 9-Minute Man][Idiot looks at a ranker and says he's not wary of her lol][Wow, 9 minutes in Mythic rank? He must be seriously bad][Live: "That streamer" gets taken down by a Speed Sword while holding a Paralysis Blade lol]
"Ah..."
Furthermore, had he not earned the worst possible title: ‘The cause of a match ending in a staggering 9 minutes’ in a Grand Master/Mythic ranked game? Now that Harim had become the ‘9-Minute Man,’ he would be mocked until the day Legend Frontier shut down. It made his head spin.
"F***, f***, f***..."
It was a promotion match that should have been full of blessings and a community full of praise for him, yet he had collapsed so miserably. The public loves a good ‘justice-served’ story, especially the users of Legend Frontier who wander in search of romance every day. To them, Harim—who looked down on a ranker only to have his soul stripped away—was the perfect prey to tear apart.
Of course, if Harim had been a bit more humble, he wouldn't have been mocked this much... but in his heart, anger preceded reflection. In the face of constant shame, he needed something to blame, something to vent his rage upon. Knowing he was at fault only made him want to release this anger elsewhere even more.
Choosing evasion and a brazen attitude over reflection and introspection when in the wrong—this was a bad habit Harim had possessed since childhood. But it seemed too much time had passed to fix a habit that had already settled into his bones.
《 ...I’m going to give a Speed Swordswoman lecture. 》
"That f**ing shameless troll btch, seriously..."
And his arrow of rage was, of course, directed at Gale, the one who had given him the nickname '9-Minute Man.'
"Who do you think you're mocking, really..."
Harim hated Gale for starting a personal broadcast. He felt as though she had used him as a sacrifice to boost the hype and attention for her stream, and his resentment toward her only grew. Her calm, low-key voice felt like a mockery, and spiteful emotions welled up within him.
<TeamfightLion has donated 10,000 won!>【Gale! Gale! Gale!】
"That guy...?"
To top it all off, seeing one of the viewers who had cursed him and left his stream now praising Gale on her own broadcast made something in Harim snap.
Snap.
From then on, he let his emotions take the wheel.
"...Don't... spread... trash... builds... you b*tch..."
Since the account watching Gale’s stream was his alt, ‘RIMUHA,’ he wouldn't be caught. Harim began to vent his anger and accumulated stress by firing off malicious donations.
‘You should experience some of this too.’
He felt it was unfair for him to be the only one receiving mocking donations. Harim wanted to return the exact same stress to Gale.
"...You'd... even... lose... to me..."
It was an impulsive act. But Harim couldn't stop. The more donations he sent, the more he felt a sense of catharsis.
‘A ban? She’ll probably just ban me.’
Having sent several donations in a short time, Harim’s lips twitched. He knew well that such toxic donations were instant grounds for a ban, so he expected Gale to ban him immediately without a word.
‘...Let's send a few more quickly.’
He sat up straight, intending to send as many as possible before she permabanned his account...
《 Um... Rimu-ha-nim...? Is that how you read it? 》 《 You say you’d crush me if you used an OP class? 》 《 Yes, fine. 》 《 Join me for a 1v1. 》
"Huh...?"
The response he got wasn't a ban, but a completely unexpected challenge to a 1v1 duel.
"A 1v1...?"
Harim’s face went blank. Was she serious? Challenging him to a 1v1 when he claimed to be using an OP class? Suddenly? What kind of nerve did she have to make such a proposal?
No matter if she was a ranker or a Speed Swordswoman specialist, did she really think she could beat a Tanking Spearman—a class rated as an all-time broken class—in a 1v1? Furthermore, Harim wasn't some Bronze player; he was a Grand Master just below Mythic.
《 I’ve sent the room number via private chat. If you don't enter, I’ll consider it as you running away because you're scared of the Speed Swordswoman. 》
“…….”
Gale seemed serious, as she actually sent the Legend Frontier room number to his X-witch private messages.
‘Really? A 1v1? Against a Tanking Spearman?’
Harim was bewildered, as the donation he sent expecting a ban had taken a completely different turn. In contrast to Harim’s confusion, Gale’s voice, sounding somewhat excited for some reason, continued to flow from the monitor.
《 Oh, by any chance, what is your tier? If it's below Master, it’ll be a bit awkward... that would just be noob-stomping. 》
"Hah."
Harim snorted at Gale’s words. Fine, he acknowledged her skill and the potential of the Speed Swordswoman. Losing in 9 minutes had taught him that her skill was the real deal. But a standard game and a 1v1 were on completely different levels.
A Speed Swordswoman was literal trash in the early game. She had no damage, and given the nature of a 1v1, she wouldn't even be able to jungle properly. How on earth did she plan to beat a Tanking Spearman? Furthermore, a Tier 1 OP class like the Tanking Spearman exerted top-tier power even in the hands of a complete newbie. What kind of confidence was this, acting like it would be "noob-stomping"?
Ah, maybe she thought scaring him like that would make him decline the duel? Was she just acting tough? Yeah, she was probably praying inwardly that he wouldn't respond. As a ranker, she surely knew the power of a Tanking Spearman better than anyone.
Since the title of her stream was a Speed Swordswoman lecture, she couldn't bring herself to say the build would lose... the 1v1 challenge was likely a bluff squeezed out to avoid appearing weak.
"Hmm..."
Harim contemplated. No one knew that the ID 'RIMUHA' was Harim. If he ignored it now, it would end as a simple incident...
‘But what if I win?’
What if he won the 1v1? As it happened, Harim had a low-Master alt account that no one knew about. If he won against Gale using that alt—if he crushed her miserably—Gale would be thoroughly humiliated in front of thousands of viewers on a live broadcast, unable to even deny the result.
‘Rank 7 player humiliated by a Master after bragging that a Speed Swordswoman could beat a Tanking Spearman.’
Wouldn't that be the perfect material for people to tear apart? Perhaps Gale would be mocked even more than Harim and lose her reputation entirely. It would be a far more satisfying venting of his frustration than simply sending malicious donations.
And,
‘Structurally, a Tanking Spearman cannot lose.’
No matter how he drew up the scenario, even considering Gale’s insane speed, he could not imagine a Speed Swordswoman winning against a Tanking Spearman in a 1v1. Had the creator, Rank 10 ‘Guan Yu’ Bi-so-ryong, not said so himself? That nothing could beat a Tanking Spearman in a 1v1 except a Swordsman using a Quick-Attack Samurai build.
Just as a mouse cannot beat a cat no matter how nimble it is, a Speed Swordswoman can never beat a Tanking Spearman, even if she is Gale. This was an immutable truth.
"Hmph."
Having regained his full confidence, Harim prepared to send another donation—one intended for all five thousand people watching Gale’s stream to hear.
<RIMUHA has donated 1,000 won!>【LMAO, just don't cry after you get beat up.】
The die was cast.
02.
「 What kind of confidence does a Master-scrub have lol 」 「 Gale-ah, will it be okay? The match-up is so bad though 」 「 But seriously, how do you beat a Tanking Spearman with a Speed Swordswoman? 」 「 Why do these crazy guys keep looking down on rankers? 」 「 For real, I can’t imagine a winning scenario 」 「 Even for a ranker, there are limits due to the class... 」
<GaleNoonaFootstool has donated 1,000 won!>【Noona, we’re fine, so don't get baited by the troll and just continue the lecture......】
"Huh?"
I tilted my head at the constant flood of chats and donations. Then, I spoke to them in a voice that sounded truly confused.
"I am continuing the lecture."
Had I not said I would show them the reason to play Speed Swordswoman as the first lecture? Seeing is believing; rather than explaining with my mouth, I thought the viewers would feel it more if I crushed an OP class in a 1v1, so I was preparing for that...
"Were you not listening to me properly?"
If this isn't a lecture, what on earth is it? I let out a deep sigh at the Speed Swordswoman aspirants who didn't seem to have listened to my explanation.
"Sigh, focus, people. Focus."
I wasn't doing a 1v1 just for my own fun. This was all for the Speed Swordswoman.
「 No, that’s not what we meant, you btch... 」 「 Teacher, the match-up is fing disadvantaged... 」 「 If he’s a Master, he should at least know how to play a little. 」 「 Uh-uh, our teacher is a ranker. Do not doubt. 」 「 Is there even enough damage in a Speed Swordswoman to break a Tanking Spearman? 」 「 F*, how can a Master-scrub beat a ranker? LMAO. Just grab the popcorn. 」 「 Let’s just keep it smooth and not ruin the broadcast on the first day, please. 」 「 For real, don't overextend. 」 「 If he’d seen Gale’s Speed Swordswoman even once, he wouldn't think of challenging her lol. He’s just at a Master-scrub level. 」 「 You’d obviously win on skill, but the opponent is a Tanking Spearman of all things...... 」
<User123 has donated 1,000 won!>【It’s because even Galaxy Express lost to a Tanking Spearman in a 1v1 last time... just ignore the troll go go】
"Eh... are you saying this because you think I'll lose?"
In the midst of the constantly updating chat, a donation mentioned that even Rank 4 ‘Galaxy Express’ had lost to a Tanking Spearman in a 1v1. Checking that, I couldn't help but frown.
Did it mean that since even the Rank 4 super-sniper lost to a Tanking Spearman in a 1v1, it was obvious for me, Rank 7? That was quite a blow to my pride.
"...You have that little faith in your teacher? I’m disappointed."
I shook my head with a sigh. To have this little faith in the Speed Swordswoman and its creator while watching a Speed Swordswoman lecture stream... it was deplorable.
"Whew, for the next lecture, let's work on building faith in the Speed Swordswoman first."
Yes, it seemed a stronger faith was needed. The faith that the Speed Swordswoman is stronger than any other class. The faith that she will win against anyone. Should I make them shout it three times?
Speed Swordswoman is the strongest!
"...For now, today's lecture is a visual one. Everyone, watch the 1v1 and submit a 300-word essay on your impressions."
Because it was a 1v1, I was sitting alone in the round-table meeting room, unlike usual. I toyed with the silver rapier at my waist and spoke to the viewers.
Once they witnessed a Speed Swordswoman beating a Tanking Spearman, at least those watching the stream would feel something. The desire to play the Speed Swordswoman would well up within them. Even if not, they would at least clearly see the merits of the build.
[Moving to the battlefield.]
Finally, the holographic screen appeared to announce the end of the preparation time. I was instantly teleported to the entrance of the battlefield.
"Well then,"
I vigorously drew my rapier.
"The lecture begins."
The topic of the lecture: 'Why you should play the Speed Swordswoman.' And the method was none other than a 1v1 duel with the current strongest OP class, the Tanking Spearman. Simultaneously, it was revenge for daring to insult me and the Speed Swordswoman.
"...Everyone, please focus."
For the glory of the Great Speed Sword, I stepped firmly into the Jungle.