Chapter 140: Game Tournament
Chapter 140: Game Tournament
When I first started the business, I didn't have any grand plans, but now I had this massive goal of monopolizing the global computer market.
'Life is getting interesting.'
The goal was to monopolize the global computer market.
It was an incredibly ambitious objective, but more concrete and realistic than Elon Musk's plan to colonize Mars.
〈Elon Musk: "I'm putting Dogecoin on the moon."〉
〈Dogecoin surges 32% after Elon Musk's tweet〉
"...Is he insane?"
I'd learned from Elon Musk's bold drive as one of his strengths.
Whether his Mars colony plan would succeed would take decades to see, but if it did, it would undoubtedly be a monumental achievement that changes humanity's future.
'The reason no one can mock Elon Musk is because he's succeeded at things everyone said were impossible.'
He'd pulled Tesla back from the brink of collapse multiple times, ramping up production and sales.
Last year's nearly tenfold stock surge was due to Tesla's explosive growth.
The internet was even buzzing with "Teslamania," as investors placed absolute faith in it.
―Jin Yoo-kyung: Made a killing on Tesla, right? Mirae Motors is keeping up the pace!
―Jin Yoo-kyung: You haven't tried the new Ioniq 5 yet. The reviews are stellar!
―Jin Yoo-kyung: They're struggling to keep up with demand.
Messages from Jin Yoo-kyung came steadily.
It was true that Mirae Motors was making competitive electric vehicles.
Still, perceptions of EVs had shifted a lot since I'd invested in Tesla.
Seeing Oh Myeong-woo's cars around America highlighted their flaws.
'They're not cheaper than gas cars. Repairs after accidents are pricey and risky.'
EVs were selling steadily and would become mainstream, but they still had clear weaknesses.
―Kim Shin: But I have a girlfriend.
I disclosed my girlfriend's existence to Jin Yoo-kyung first.
It felt wrong to hide it, knowing she had feelings for me.
―Jin Yoo-kyung: Isn't that obvious?
―Kim Shin: Huh?
―Jin Yoo-kyung: You're at that age. What woman would let a catch like you slip away?
―Jin Yoo-kyung: Prime bait always draws competitors. But the game doesn't end until you walk down the aisle.
―Jin Yoo-kyung: Oh! And even after the wedding, the battle can go on. If ten tries don't topple the tree, bring out the chainsaw.
―Kim Shin: …….
The second day of the Last Survivor tournament arrived, with 4.56 million dollars waiting for the winner.
After getting off work at Earth Resource, Oh Myeong-woo and I sat side by side at our computers.
"Let's survive today too, buddy."
"Sure."
As Koreans playing a game, it was a matter of national pride. We had to show respectable skills.
"Take them all out!"
"Two down!"
In the ruins of a city, we battled on the shopping center map.
We checked the shifting safe zones as time passed, gathering intel from the map.
This time, we survived after five rounds.
"Nice job, Myeong-woo."
"You too. Man, I'm hooked on my own plays. Time for a cola."
Survival felt easier than usual.
Probably because so many prize-chasing newbies weren't used to being the last one standing.
Playing like Lu Bu among them, we survived day two and pushed into day three.
―Kim Shin hyung is good at games too.
―Surprisingly skilled.
―Makes money, succeeds in business, games well. Must be small down there, right?
―Didn't read his ex-wife's book?
―What'd she say?
―Read it and find out.
It was oddly satisfying seeing the community marvel at my gaming skills.
I even eyed the top prize just in case, but we dropped out before day four.
The newbies were weeded out, leaving only pros, so survival battles raged from the start.
"Still, we made top 1%."
"Yeah. Not bad."
Though eliminated, the tournament thrill was electric.
There were 42.6 million entrants.
That was more people than the entire population of many countries.
'I didn't realize gaming tournaments could be this massive.'
Survivors dwindled daily through matches, down to about 3,500 by day four.
Casual participants were gone, leaving true FPS elites from America, Europe, and Asia.
"Motorcycle jump shot incoming."
"Acrobatic-level skill."
"Down! First shot hits at 830 meters!"
"Every match from morning to night is legendary!"
Earth Channel's game broadcasts featured hyped commentators and streamers.
"Sin-ah, Last Survivor sales have more than doubled."
"Huge hit."
"Yeah. Hosting events like this really captures that battle royale tension."
Even casual viewers like me were hooked—what about the players?
This was the extraordinary power of an e-sports event.
Hosting a PGA Tour golf event in America meant big costs: invite fees for pros, prizes, course rentals.
E-sports had no borders—anyone could join and enjoy.
"Duo plays are popping up a lot."
"Yeah. When enemies use cover, they spread out to find firing angles. It's art."
"Acravan. Confirmed Navy SEAL background."
"Tons of insanely skilled players."
I'd been watching Earth Channel for a while when—
―Kim Sang-gi: A message for my beloved and respected CEO.
―Kim Shin: What's up?
The caller was Kim Sang-gi, who had joined Arcor at the same time as me.
We were employee-boss now, but kept it casual.
―Kim Sang-gi: What if we start a Last Survivor pro team in Korea?
―Kim Sang-gi: With the hype, we could host various tournaments. I'd love to push for a pro league.
The list included StarCraft, Warcraft, League of Legends, Overwatch, and Battlegrounds.
Global hits all had pro leagues, though some folded for various reasons.
―Kim Shin: A full pro league?
―Kim Sang-gi: Yeah. Need multiple teams, right? And companies are already into this.
―Kim Shin: True.
Isung Group had run teams since StarCraft days, along with telcos.
Now, diverse revenue let some teams go independent without sponsors.
―Kim Sang-gi: Strike while the iron's hot.
―Kim Shin: Hm...
―Kim Shin: How's the Earth team doing?
―Kim Sang-gi: Second place. Two games behind first.
Kim Sang-gi ran teams well in Korea.
He loved having fun, had no patience for rigid hierarchy, and spent freely on star players.
A Last Survivor pro league would boost its global hype.
Korea had K-Pop fame, but pro gamers were known abroad too.
―Kim Shin: Alright. Do it.
―Kim Sang-gi: Thanks, CEO!
* * *
Last Survivor's grand final.
350 players battled for survival across five maps.
Top prize to whoever racked up the most survival points over five matches.
"Man, this is tense."
Oh Myeong-woo and I watched from the office.
Staff streamed Earth Channel vids.
As the match kicked off, I asked Oh Myeong-woo.
"How many Koreans made finals?"
"278."
"That's a lot."
"Last Survivor's huge in Korea. And we're a nation serious about games."
"Korea's got that rep."
This was a match with 4.56 million dollars at stake.
Bonus rule: top 10 got $100K, top 100 got $10K.
"Death! Another down."
"Blacknine. Stellar run so far."
"Was a title contender."
"Unexpected ambush. Lost to a Chinese player pointlessly."
Unlike predictions of Koreans sweeping, seven Chinese players notched 20+ kills each.
Koreans, Japanese, Americans dropped instantly on sight.
"Do Chinese play a lot of FPS?"
"Yeah. Korean games exported there years ago—super popular."
"Chinese dominance throws Last Survivor finals into chaos..."
Watching with Oh Myeong-woo, something felt off.
Koreans didn't fold easily in games.
Even hardcore or hell modes? Korean gamers laughed them off.
Old talk was RTS dominance only, but FPS top ranks were Korean too.
"Doesn't this seem fishy? Their long-range aim is unreal."
"Yeah, weird. Hitting that consistently is tough."
Oh Myeong-woo thought the same.
He called the dev and ops teams a few times, then said.
"Ops suspects Chinese players are cheating."
"Cheating in a tourney?"
"Aim lock under 0.1 seconds."
"That's blatant."
The average human reaction time was about 0.25 seconds.
Gamers faster via instinct, but 0.1 was physically impossible.
"Expected hacks eventually in Last Survivor. But not this soon, in a tourney."
"What're ops doing?"
"Not decided. Huge event, ties to Earth Channel hype. Sin-ah, your call?"
I pondered.
Disruption mid-tourney wasn't ideal. But no way cheaters win prizes.
"Boot all suspects, rematch."
"For real? Gonna stir backlash."
"Has to be fair. Letting it ride screws the eliminated legit players."
Soon, Last Survivor paused. Cheaters' Earth Channel accounts banned.
* * *
〈$4.56 Million Winner: Korea's Kim Oh-jin〉
―Korean takes it, as expected.
―Gaming's absolute powerhouse.
―Final 100: 95 Koreans lololol
[Winner Kim Oh-jin: "Studied for civil service in Noryangjin, hit PC bangs daily to de-stress. Those FPS skills paid off big."]
―Games sharpen up during exam prep—national rule.
―Civil servant now?
―Interview: 6 years prepping.
―Over 50 billion won. Better than bureaucracy.
―Taxes eat it up, no?
―Usually, but Earth Resource covers taxes too. Gotta pay full $4.56M ㄷㄷㄷ
―God-tier.
―As expected from Kim Shin hyung.
〈Earth Resource Detects Cheaters Mid-Tourney, Bans Accounts, Rematches〉
―China's got the hacks.
―Hack nation prestige ㄷㄷㄷ
―Using cheats boldly in finals.
―China exceeds wildest imagination.
―Was gonna enjoy Last Survivor clean, now hack paradise?
―Nah. VP posted notice: Cheaters get Earth Channel bans.
―Newbies don't get it. Earth Channel zero tolerance. Illegal programs = out.
