Ha Se-gi's Age of Tribulation (4)
Word must have spread through the community that Ppase, who claimed he was learning Tuhon, had suddenly turned into a total hell noob. Even viewers from other streams started pouring in.
"Ahooooohhh."
Elpi picks random, Ppase fights that random character and wins to pass. But if he loses, 10 squats until he wins. Most thought it'd be about five sets max.
But they'd long passed five sets. Ppase was now sweating buckets, like rain pouring off his whole body. Steam practically fogged the cam.
"Fuck, you think if I lie down I won't hear donos? No dad jokes. Got it?"
Ppase, leaving a sweaty mark on the floor, shoots up and sits in his chair.
"Gaaahhh."
If he doesn't do it despite warnings, he wouldn't be Ppase. Sure enough, dad joke answers flew in via dono.
"……."
"No way, fuck, 10 losses in a row? Against someone who doesn't even know the moves well?"
Ppase slams the desk with both hands. Sweat drops from his hair like rain.
Ppase couldn't understand. Ten games total so far. All opponents were characters he knew well, only one being a total cheese char.
Yet Ppase's Arnold got countered and launched skyward every single game.
"Yeah, looking now, this bro? Knows every counter move. Fuck."
"Sucks my ass. You try it. Hey, there's Dukes watching my stream. Come in and take hits for me."
The chat's savage truth stabs Ppase's heart.
"No, uh, I'm streaming to entertain you guys, why bring up money!"
"My bad."
No point fighting viewers. Ppase always loses these battles anyway.
The real problem wasn't the viewers.
Yeah, he'd said that. Ppase swallows tears and hits start game. If there's a purgatory he can't escape till he wins, this is it.
He just wants the squats to stop. At this rate, he'll need XL pants.
How to win...
First, the character. He needs to know what Elpi gets and prepare counters. Short loading time to plan strategy—no other way. Pure physicals won't beat Elpi. He's learned that the hard way.
Time to use his brain. Twice as much as usual. His panting breath and throbbing legs scream: You're suffering 'cause you don't think.
True. Till now, Ppase barely allocated brainpower to Tuhon on stream. Rough play lets him joke with viewers, eat hits for laughs. All wins = boring.
That complacency was always with him.
Content's a success...
Viewers flooding in. Dono up from hell training views. Word spreads on community, pulls new viewers.
Elpi and Ppase both riding co-growth wave.
But fuck, what's success mean if I don't beat Elpi...!
If he doesn't win here, 12 hours of squats maybe. This guy's all-in if he says it. Trusted Ppase's "leave it to me" and shut down a business. Business-savvy, knows Ppase grows = he grows. Knows grinding Ppase keeps tension high.
Legs bursting? Beat Elpi somehow. At least one set. Throw a plot twist. Consistent laughs good, but hooks make thumbnails/intros pop.
"……."
Ppase finishes thinking. Eleventh round: Elpi's random—Smith, the one-punch solver. Total cheese char.
"Finally."
One streamer with Smith main said: "Play Smith conscienceless." Joke that Smith = polite fuck you. Title shifting to Arnold lately, but Smith's infamous.
Perfect chance for Ppase.
"Guys, you know why I started Arnold?"
"No, the fuck-you-spammers are what? Anyway. Reason for Arnold's simple."
Tries serious vibe, but Ppase's main picks consistent.
"Smith being Smith is so Smith, gotta fuck it up."
Speak cheese to catch cheese. Greater evil to root out evil—plausible excuse. Really just pissed at losing to Smith. Charges like raging boar, guts rupture on mistake.
Arnold shines: Jump-dodge charge, smack back of head, scoop up. Perfect honest counter.
But Hajeong Soft's lazy balance. Buff strong to check strong, then inflation? Users think nerfs coming, but devs won't buff scraps to main.
"Anyway, I win this. I'm here to train, not squat!!"
Chat peaceful. Game boring.
Then random picks Smith. Hulking muscles, bald head. Classic buff soldier. Simple destruction, but deep toolkit—beginners to pros love it.
Hard counter confirmed. Forced balancing. Ignored Smith's cheese, slapped on Arnold. Userbase wide enough for it. If 90% vets, backlash already.
Heavenly ranks feel cheese bone-deep. Hajeong Soft sailing fat on sales. DLC cheap, wallets open easy.
Ta-in downstairs watching, offers advice. Doesn't wanna see loss.
But no advice needed. Vets love bashing heads to learn. Perverted, but not just him.
Total counter. Figure why first.
Think Smith's traits over opponent. Smith: Strong one-shot, huge guard pushback. Read patterns, end game. Frame advantage post-block into big damage. Fast wide homing* catches sidesteps, same-start moves for mindgames, insane uppercut aerial combo. Low risk on block.
(*Homing: Tracks side-steps, hits despite axis shift.)
TL;DR: Flawless char. Cheese ain't cheese for nothing. Hard to beat head-on without backstab. Few anti-air hops for bouncy Arnold—not even a con.
Thus total counter. Tough vs equal skill.
But? Matchups meaningless vs skill gap.
I'm great at biting despite losses. Tower brawls taught me to chomp everywhere.