Chapter 9 - Timing (2)
Timing (2)
Translator : Elizabeth
Ever since I lost my parents to a drunk driving accident three years ago, I began to fall apart rapidly.
Losing my only friends and family meant there was no way my mental state could remain intact. Just as my heart crumbled, my physical appearance began to collapse at a similar pace.
The sight of me reflected in the mirror was pathetic. An exhausted face, sunken eyes, deep dark circles, and a body so gaunt it looked withered. On top of that, because I was a paraplegic, I had to travel in a cumbersome wheelchair. Who would ever want to approach someone like that?
The eyes of people passing by were filled with nothing but a mixture of pity and revulsion.
‘Poor thing.’ ‘He’s nothing but bones… Is he terminal?’ ‘Oh my god.’ ‘Ugh, a wheelchair.’ ‘He looks like a corpse….’
A single trip to the subway station meant being bombarded with all sorts of stares. As if I were a criminal appearing at a police station, my shoulders hunched more and more as time went by.
‘Sigh, how pitiful….’ ‘Damn it, the elevator is already cramped, but a wheelchair is just….’ ‘He’s really thin. I’ve never seen a anchovy/weakling like that before.’ ‘…….’
I hadn't committed any crime, yet I couldn't stand tall. I became afraid and averse to meeting anyone. I feared the gaze of the world directed at me. My already weakened spirit wavered even further.
Of course, one might say that I could have made an effort to change myself. There are plenty of people who gained confidence through consistent exercise even in more extreme circumstances.
However, the amount of pain each person can endure is different. Saying that because someone else endured a trial, you must endure it as well, is nothing but foolish sophistry.
I lost my legs to a drunk driver, and subsequently lost my parents. Those traumas and the grief alone had already pushed me to my absolute limit. I felt it was a miracle just to maintain my mental state, let alone exercise, when everything I had—the only people who looked at me warmly—was gone.
I had no will to live. I just played games all day long. To escape from a miserable and wretched reality, I locked myself in a corner of my house and constantly connected to that virtual world.
...Legend Frontier.
At least there, I could run around to my heart's content. I didn't have to endure the hateful gazes of others. When I cut down enemies and shattered fortresses, I could ignore everything else.
The moment of the accident as a child, being sent flying by a drunk driver. The time I sat sobbing in a wheelchair at my parents' funeral. The looks of revulsion and pity from people I saw at the subway station.
...Those numerous wounds and traumas were engraved deeper into my heart than expected, remaining unhealed even after years had passed.
“…….”
Beautiful silver hair. Eyes like jewels and pale white skin. A high bridge of the nose and tightly set lips.
Even now, having obtained a new body that idols would envy, those wounds remained the same. What had changed was only my appearance, not my inner self.
Even in the VR Room I had visited with high spirits, the moment I noticed other customers whispering while looking at me, cold sweat began to pour. Despite knowing better than anyone that my appearance was no longer something to be pointed at, and despite not knowing the reason for the whispering, my legs—standing on the ground—trembled slightly from the tension.
My heart was still fragile.
Undoubtedly, becoming the body of 'Gale,' who had been like an alter ego, and being able to walk was a joyous thing. However, to suddenly overcome other past events and traumas because of that… it still felt like an overwhelming task.
I wonder if it will ever get better.
《Ah, seriously! Damn it!!》
“…….”
Inside my darkened studio apartment, a man's eccentric cursing erupted from the glowing computer. It was a scream filled with considerable anger and flustered frustration.
《Ah, seriously, the Plain (Top) is so bad. Is that even a person?》
「 ? 」 「 You’re blaming the Plain for this? 」 「 You died to a tower yourself, so what are you even… 」 「 LOL he can’t end the stream today 」 「 "Jungle Gap" 」
And numerous chats mocked the man. Currently, a Legend Frontier personal broadcast was playing on my computer. It was the perfect accompaniment to enjoy alongside a delicious snack.
Crispy potato chips, stinging Coke, and a stream of my favorite game. It seemed like an impeccable way to wrap up an extraordinary day.
《Sigh, guess I have to surrender… Plain Gap, GG.》
「 LMAO 」 「 Wtf is a Plain Gap LOL 」 「 Harim, oh Harim… 」 「 Plain Gap (While he personally has 2 kills and 8 deaths…) 」 「 3-game losing streak, let’s goooo 」
<User123 has donated 1,000 won> 【You’re pathetic, Harim…】
<King of Berserkers has donated 1,000 won> 【Plain Gap? You rascal, Harim! Are you not afraid of the voices of the 2.1 billion Plain supporters!!!】
“…….”
Harim. That was the name of the streamer I was watching. Despite it being my first time seeing him, I had entered because the title of the stream piqued my interest, and it wasn't bad.
【Swordmaster Specialist (Prospective) Mythic Promotion Decisive Battle】
A Mythic promotion series from Grand Master. How could I pass up a broadcast like this? They would be engaged in a battle more intense than anyone else to cross the threshold of Legend Frontier's peak.
Having usually watched the relaxed "noob-stomping" streams of other rankers, watching this raw, blood-soaked broadcast felt somewhat fresh.
《Hah, starting now, I’ll win 4 in a row, hit Mythic cleanly, and end the stream.》
Harim’s character, holding a katana, bowed its head in the virtual reality lobby. For him to barely scrape into the bottom of Mythic, he needed exactly four wins in a row—no more, no less. Of course, four consecutive wins in Grand Master was by no means an easy feat.
If he was unlucky, he would be matched against the top-tier rankers of Mythic. Since each of them was an out-of-spec existence, it would be a truly grueling fight.
「 Our Harim doesn’t know what "cleanly" means? 」 「 Upvote if you think it’ll be a 4-game losing streak LOL 」 「 Me 」 「 I told you to just find a dealer and go support instead of Jungling 」 「 Lock 」
<JungleKingAdventure has donated 10,000 won> 【Ah, does this child even know the word "End Stream"…?】
Because the viewers knew that fact, they mocked him to their heart's content for mentioning a "clean end to the stream after 4 wins." Furthermore, since Harim had already suffered three consecutive losses, his words had long since lost credibility.
“He’s not going to be able to end the stream….”
I also muttered with a soft smile. It was a sad story for him, but four consecutive wins seemed difficult. To get four wins in a row in the Grand Master to Mythic promotion zone, an overwhelming one-man carry was essentially required, but Harim's skill didn't look that exceptional.
Since he was a Jungler, his macro (brain) seemed decent to some extent, but he felt about 2% clumsy and lacking. It was a shame he always failed to make the crucial decisions. The fact that his mechanics were lacking was an added bonus.
In the previous match as well, he failed to dodge an obvious attack from the opponent and got sucked into the tower, resulting in a mutual death. He needed to dodge the attacks that could be dodged and flip the board with an occasional flash of brilliance, but Harim seemed to lack that spark.
He definitely had the potential to grow more, but… it was just a pity.
[Match Found!]
《Ah, I’ll show you a 20-kill, 20-assist carry. Just you wait.》
...Eventually, Harim’s fourth match, accompanied by a new mindset, began. As Harim clicked the match acceptance button, he was teleported to the round-table meeting room of the battlefield's fortress.
「 Let’s go for the rebound! 」 「 I have a good feeling about this round 」 「 No way. Upvote if the streamer is gonna hit 0 kills and 20 deaths then yell "Plain Gap" LOL 」 「 For real, it’s about time he wins after 3 losses 」
Viewers left various comments while watching. I also chewed on a salty potato chip and watched the monitor with excitement. If he actually promoted to Mythic and entered the rankings, I would have to collect information on him as well, so I had to watch closely.
《My class build will be… let’s go with Paralysis Swordmaster one more time.》
「 Here comes the Another-ralysis Swordmaster LOL 」 「 Oh, the clear and manifest King of Stuns… 」 「 Sigh, if you’ve parked 3 losses, please try another build 」 「 What skills are you bringing? 」 「 If the opponent has a Shaman again, aren't you doomed? Lmao 」
“Paralysis Swordmaster…….”
Harim, just like the previous match and the one before that, brought the Paralysis Swordmaster build again.
Paralysis Swordmaster was one of the many builds of the Swordmaster class; if the Speed Swordswoman was a build that went all-in on Agility, the Paralysis Swordmaster referred to a build plastered with CC (Crowd Control) skills.
The Paralysis Swordmaster build was optimized for initiating fights. If a Paralysis Swordmaster succeeded in entering a late-game teamfight and landing an area-of-effect stun on all four members of the enemy team, the build’s carry potential was high enough that the match could practically be considered won.
However, if there was a Shaman on the enemy team—who essentially brings stun-removal skills as a requirement—their very existence was deleted, so the pick rate wasn't that high. It could be called a typical high-risk, high-reward class build.
《"Another-ralysis Swordmaster"? He’s my soul partner.》
Meanwhile, Harim spoke while laughing at the chat. Just as I played only the Speed Swordswoman, it seemed he played only the Paralysis Swordmaster. Well, regardless of skill, everyone has a build they are fond of. I respected his choice to continue picking the Paralysis Swordmaster despite the losing streak.
If he keeps digging deep into just one thing, he’ll become a master one day.
<Cannon has donated 1,000 won> 【The enemy team has Guan Yu, damn...】
《Huh? Guan Yu?》
At the voice mixed into the audio donation, Harim—who was heading to the Jungle after the game started—hurriedly began to check the enemy roster.
Guan Yu. It was the nickname of the Rank 10 player, 'Bi-so-ryong.'
Just as I was nicknamed 'Gale' for using the Speed Swordswoman, Bi-so-ryong was a Spearman master who used only the Guandao (Crescent Blade). His name was widely known, and people called him by the nickname 'Guan Yu' from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Since he split everything in two with overwhelming attack power, there was even a saying that the best way to deal with 'Guan Yu' Bi-so-ryong was to simply not run into him at all.
《Bi-so-ryong… Ah, crazy, it’s really him….》
「 LMAO 」 「 Welcome to your 4th loss LOL 」 「 THE GUAN YU 」 「 Review the feeling of being torn apart by a Guandao later pls 」 「 Wow, I guess you meet Guan Yu since it’s a promotion zone 」
Harim fell into despair upon confirming that a top-tier ranker was on the enemy team. However, the atmosphere of the chat room flared up even more, inversely proportional to his mood.
Since an overwhelming defeat was clearly in sight, the viewers looked like they were about to die of happiness at the thought of teasing the host. Besides, Harim had a very entertaining reaction. He was a streamer who truly seemed "fun to tease." Above all, when the streamer you're watching is about to have a head-on collision with a top ranker in the same position, there likely wasn't a fan who wouldn't be excited.
《Hah, Guan Yu? It doesn’t matter. In school, my nickname was Lu Bu. I’ll go tear him apart.》
「 Ooooooh 」 「 Where’s this confidence coming from? ;; 」 「 Archived for the record LOL 」 「 Fact: In the Three Kingdoms, Lu Bu met a miserable dead end 」 「 You mean (Room-corner Lu Bu / Internet Tough Guy), Harim-ah…… 」
《Ah, whatever. I won’t say much. I’ll prove it with the results.》
“Oh…….”
I looked at Harim with curiosity as he faced the game boldly without backing down or getting scared. Despite being matched with a ranker, I watched him, marvelling at how he wasn't nervous at all.
《I’ll just eat this and go gank the Beach right away.》
Just what kind of results would he achieve against a ranker?
Crunch.
I chewed the last piece of potato chip and watched the direction of that match with excitement.
02.
[Defeat! Your fortress has been destroyed!]
《AAAAAAAAAAGH!!!》
But as expected, the wall of a ranker was high. Harim, facing a fourth consecutive loss right before his promotion, let out a monstrous scream.
「 LMAO 」 「 LOL 」 「 Me 」 「 Seriously, that Jungle Gap was insane LOL 」 「 Lock 」 「 Me 」 「 ???: My nickname is Lu Bu LMAOOOO 」 「 Lock 」 「 4-game losing streak on ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 」
The comments section was endless with mockery. However, even Harim had nothing to say for this round, as it was a match lost due to a "Jungle Gap" that anyone could see.
The enemy Jungler Guan Yu’s score was 9 Kills / 1 Death / 5 Assists. Harim’s score was 0 Kills / 7 Deaths / 6 Assists. Watching his expression gradually darken as the game progressed… it was like watching a work of art.
《Ah, why would you match me with a ranker!! This matching is rigged!!》
「 LMAO 」 「 He sucks but blames the matching~ 」 「 "Matching Gap" LOL 」
<User123 has donated 1,000 won> 【???: I will show you with results (while hitting 0/7/6…)】
《AAAGH!! SHUT UUUUP!!》
Harim screamed in shame and humiliation. Despite being in the body of a virtual reality game character, his face had turned beet red before anyone knew it.
Given what he had said, he must have felt like finding a mouse hole to hide in. It was clear he would suffer from continuous video donations from viewers for a while.
<Harim’s Affection has donated 1,000 won> 【Cheer up, host. Let’s go for a 5-game win streak】
<UnpaidSlave has donated 50,000 won> 【You’re not ending the stream, right? Get it together and start the next game fast, go go go】
《Hah, thank you. Now I’ll really go for the win streak and promotion.》
However, there weren't only teasing chats. At the donations offering warm consolation, Harim performed an emotional reaction and quickly prepared for the next game.
《That was just really bad luck… and Spearmen and Swordmasters have a bad match-up originally. Look at the reach difference.》
「 Translation: I can crush everyone except Spearmen LOL 」 「 Pathetic, Harim… 」 「 Fact: Out of the 7 deaths, he only died to Guan Yu twice 」 「 Just do better in the next round 」
Harim muttered as if he were quite disappointed while waiting for the match. Seeing him suffer to a pitiful degree, I also gathered the courage to post a single chat.
— Fighting! (Good luck!)
It was a sincere word. Although it quickly vanished, buried by the tsunami of mocking chats, I wondered if it would have been at least a little comforting if Harim had seen it.
...Because I had been like that once, I supported Harim's challenge no matter what anyone said. I also supported his insistence on only the Paralysis Swordmaster build.
<User123 has donated 1,000 won> 【At this point, try changing your build】
However, as if the viewers thought differently, they urged him to please use another build, saying they were tired of the Paralysis Swordmaster. That donation became a catalyst, and the chat window began to be plastered with content related to class builds.
「 For real 」 「 Please stop the " ㅈ비검사" (Sh*t-ralysis Swordmaster) 」 「 Try something else, please 」 「 Honestly, he doesn't seem to fit the Paralysis Swordmaster. The host isn't good at initiating and opening teamfights. 」 「 Go for the current Tier 1 Tanking Spearman build 」
<User123 has donated 1,000 won> 【Harim, instead of the Paralysis Swordmaster, try something like the Speed Swordswoman】
“Whoa!”
At that, my eyes widened upon seeing the new donation to Harim. To think there was a person with such good insight among Harim’s viewers.
Yes, assuming one could use it well, the Speed Swordswoman's destructive power and utility were theoretically incredible. In the late game, a 1v4 was comfortably possible, and even in the early game, one could flip the match alone.
It boasted a level of carry potential on a different dimension from the Paralysis Swordmaster—it was the "All-in Agility" Speed Swordswoman build. As a bonus, it was fun to watch and fun to play.
《Eh? The Speed Swordswoman?》
Harim shouted as if asking back. I held my breath and focused on his answer. If he expressed an opinion like switching to the Speed Swordswoman or giving it a try, I was even thinking of subscribing to his channel.
Since I, the creator of the Speed Swordswoman, hadn't done any broadcasting or promotion due to various traumas, it would be the glorious moment of the birth of the first Speed Swordswoman specialist streamer.
《No matter how you look at it, why would I use such a trash build….》
“Ah…?”
However, the answer that came out of Harim’s mouth was something that was bound to "scratch" (provoke/offend) me significantly—no, very much.
《If I were to use a Jungle Speed Swordswoman, I’d rather just take a Priest and go Jungle….》
《The Speed Swordswoman is a build that just has its limits even if you practice it.》
《If a Speed Swordswoman appears as the enemy Jungler, it’s a grinning free win! This is an unchanging truth, everyone.》
“Limits…? Free win…?”
My body froze. Well, I wasn't sure if it was because I was flustered or angry, but I could certainly be sure that I was starting to feel quite displeased. A smile of unknown meaning began to form on my lips involuntarily.
I knew that the perception of the Speed Swordswoman wasn't good because of its extreme difficulty, but hearing it directly from a person's mouth—especially in a massive broadcast with thousands watching, as if it were a public execution—felt like a new experience.
「 Speed Swordswoman being sh*t is correct LOL 」 「 Lmao I met a Speed Swordswoman in ranked today and they died to a jungle mob then quit LOL 」 「 Honestly, the build itself is just "장애인" (disabled/broken) that’s for sure… 」 「 I agree. I’d rather use a Paralysis Swordmaster than Speed Swordswoman 」 「 Screenshot captured, I’m telling our Gale-noona everything ^^ 」 「 Why is that person a "Noona"? It’s obvious it’s a " 넷카마" (Net-kama/male playing female character) "육수" (Simp-magnet) 」 「 God, please let me meet a Speed Swordswoman as an opponent too, free win 」
Harim's words became a trigger, and the chat window began to fill with criticism and mockery of the Speed Swordswoman.
“...I’m getting angry.”
I was someone who took pride in being the creator of the Speed Swordswoman build. I am still constantly striving to develop the build even now, so seeing my build being (publicly shamed/roasted) and made into a laughingstock on a live broadcast couldn't help but hurt my pride.
“Clear limits, and a free win, huh….”
If the enemy Jungler is a Speed Swordswoman, it’s a free win….
“…….”
Recalling Harim’s words, I picked up the VR headgear next to the computer without hesitation. Then, while booting up Legend Frontier, I simultaneously decided on the final goal for today.
...Queuing for infinite ranked matches until I meet Harim as an enemy.
If everyone doubts the Speed Swordswoman, I simply have to show them personally.
Until he ends his stream, my games won't stop today either.
[Would you like to start matching?] [Yes / No]
And so, late at night, I also belatedly joined that battlefield.