Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Connection
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It was a logical point.
If this were a video for her personal channel, a delay wouldn't matter much since she'd be the only one bearing the loss. But this was under contract with a broadcasting station.
If it seemed the schedule was going to be disrupted, the right thing to do was to give them a heads-up.
That way, the station could find a way to fill the gap in advance.
“…Ugh.”
…Of course, separate from it being the right thing to do, it was still an embarrassing situation. They were players who made a living from gaming, after all.
No matter how careless they had been, getting blindsided by some unknown player and thrown in jail was hardly something to brag about.
The one silver lining was that they had a long-standing contract with OnGameNet Media, so their relationship was built on solid trust.
As long as she explained it well, it wouldn't escalate into a major problem.
“I'm going to log out for a bit.”
“Okay.”
Arin logged out for a moment and called Producer Park.
-Yes, hello.
“Yes, Producer. It's me.”
-Ah, yes. What can I do for you?
“Well, it's about….”
Arin began her explanation.
She explained that a problem had come up, and since it wasn't something that could be resolved quickly, she felt she had to contact him in advance.
-What kind of problem?
“Ahem! Well, it seems we've been… scammed.”
-...How so?
*Not 'what,' but 'how so.'*
As the producer asked as if he didn't quite understand, Arin felt her cheeks flush but continued with a detailed explanation.
“…And that's what happened.”
-…….
After she finished, Producer Park was silent for a moment.
Wondering if he was angry, Arin asked cautiously.
“…Um, Producer?”
-Yes? Ah! My apologies. I was lost in thought for a moment….
“Lost in thought?”
Shaking himself from his reverie, Producer Park opened his laptop and changed the subject.
-It's nothing important. More to the point… uh, yes. I understand the situation. You're saying it'll be difficult to get the video to us right away?
“Yes, I'm so sorry.”
-It's all right. It's not like you did it on purpose. We'll figure something out on our end. It's just one episode's worth of content, right?
“That's right.”
-That much we can handle.
Hearing Producer Park reassure her that they could manage to fill a single episode slot, Arin let out a sigh of relief.
“Whew. Thank you.”
-Haha. Not at all.
Producer Park replied with a laugh.
Thanks to him, once the important business was concluded, they exchanged pleasantries and well-wishes in a friendly atmosphere.
Just when it seemed the call would end on that cheerful note.
“Well then, I'll be in touch again.”
-Yes. Ah, but, may I ask one more thing?
“Of course. What is it?”
Producer Park asked.
His voice held a hint of seriousness beneath the laughter.
-What exactly did you say the other player's name was again?
* * *
[The opponent has died.]
[Victory!]
The same victory message he always saw.
“What is this! Isn't this a bug!?”
“Nope.”
“What do you mean, no—!”
And just like always, a player who couldn't accept reality and was fuming with indignation.
This was Lee Shin's final placement match.
His placement record was, of course, 5 wins and 0 losses, with a total combat time of a mere 14 seconds.
An unbelievable record!
Lee Shin's skill was naturally the primary factor, but a good deal of luck had also played a part.
‘Most of them were people who had just passed level 100. There were no tankers, either….’
The minimum level to enter the Arena was 100.
And most players, not long after reaching level 100, would visit the Arena at least once.
Even if they didn't like the Arena, they'd come out of curiosity.
All the players Lee Shin had faced belonged to this category.
Novice players who were either just level 100 or were going through their placement matches for the first time.
For Lee Shin, who was a seasoned veteran of PVP, they were easier opponents than twisting a child's wrist.
Thanks to that, he'd set an all-time record.
An average of 2.8 seconds per match!
If he edited and uploaded this as a video, Lee Shin was certain people would go wild.
It would be surprising even if a well-known ranker had done it, but for a relatively unknown player to set such a record…
Moreover, since that same player had just defeated the skilled player Kim Hyun-seong, the potential for buzz was even higher.
‘It would be a waste to just make one.’
This kind of time-attack content was only possible now, before he was placed in a tier that matched his skill level.
As such, he planned to keep grinding it out for a while, as long as his time and stamina allowed.
[Sending video.]
[Arena_PlacementMatches.mp4]
After sending all the videos to Arthur, Lee Shin left the Colosseum.
His placement was processed immediately.
[Placement matches have ended.]
[Analyzing past placement matches to determine your placement.]
[Analyzing…]
[……]
[Analysis complete.]
[5 Wins, 0 Losses]
[You have completed all placement matches with perfect games!]
[This is a great achievement. You have acquired the title, <The One Blessed by Balta>.]
[Your tier is Platinum.]
[You have reached the promotion limit in your first placement test!]
[This is a great achievement. You have acquired the title, <Towards the Top>.]
“Oh?”
Lee Shin's eyes widened.
A much higher placement than expected!
‘I thought Gold would be the maximum.’
Platinum was the fourth tier, after Bronze, Silver, and Gold.
While it was only a one-tier difference, considering the massive number of players, the population separated by that single tier was significant, making it no small gap.
‘My opponents weren't even that strong, though?’
Lee Shin's opponents were not outstanding, neither objectively nor subjectively.
Among the players that newcomers to the Arena like Lee Shin could encounter, they were on the weaker side.
Normally, even with a perfect win streak against such players, the promotion range wouldn't be very high.
‘Then is it because of the perfect games?’
That was the only possibility he could think of.
The AI must have valued the achievement of five consecutive perfect games more highly than the advantage of Lee Shin facing weak opponents.
‘Well, it is supposed to be difficult.’
No matter the level difference, winning without taking a single hit from an opponent was extremely hard.
Even a graze, even if it only dealt 1 damage, would still count as being hit.
Since a perfect game was something you could barely pull off only when there was a skill gap large enough to completely dominate the opponent, the AI's judgment wasn't particularly strange.
“Check titles.”
As far as Lee Shin knew, Balta was the God of War, who had also existed in Avala Online 1.
It seemed his incredible performance in the placement matches had caught the god's interest.
Titles bearing a god's name weren't uncommon, so the important thing was its effect….
The effect was pretty good, too.
To be precise, it was only good for Lee Shin.
The One Blessed by Balta
•Increases the probability of encountering a higher-ranked player in the Arena by 500%.
•You will lose this title the moment your win rate drops below 90%.
A title that made him match with relatively higher-tier players more often.
It meant facing tougher opponents in exchange for more points, so for Lee Shin, who was aiming for a rapid climb up the Arena ladder, it was a title with no downsides.
‘Not bad.’
Nodding in satisfaction, Lee Shin checked the next title.
Towards the Top
•Increases points gained upon victory.
•Increases points lost upon defeat.
•The title's effect becomes stronger the longer a win or loss streak is maintained.
A simple effect.
This one wasn't much different from the first title.
The method was different, but it still helped him gain points faster.
Of course, the rate at which he lost points was also faster than others, but that didn't matter.
‘I just have to not lose.’
He wasn't even considering the possibility of losing in these lower tiers in the first place.
Strictly speaking, Lee Shin's level wasn't high enough to overwhelm every single lower-tier player, but it made no difference to him.
‘Alright then….’
Having finished checking his titles, Lee Shin immediately queued for the next match.
[Starting matchmaking.]
* * *
[Victory!]
Despite being promoted to the Platinum tier, Lee Shin claimed victory without difficulty.
It was only natural.
Even though his tier had risen considerably, in the eyes of a top-tier player like Lee Shin, everything below Diamond was the same.
The only real difference was that the average level of his opponents had increased, slightly lengthening the combat time.
[You have acquired 27P.]
[You have acquired an additional 13P from the <Towards the Top> title effect.]
[You can participate in promotion matches upon acquiring 1000P.]
Lee Shin immediately queued for the next match.
[Victory!]
[You have acquired 34P.]
[Due to the title effect…]
A victory claimed as easily as the last.
The same was true for the next match, and the one after that.
Lee Shin's tactic was simple.
As soon as the battle started, he would use a charge skill to close in on the opponent and attack.
A plan that sounded incredibly sloppy at first glance.
And it was, in fact, sloppy.
…However, when Lee Shin's physical skill was added to the equation, it became a different story.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Lee Shin lightly swayed his upper body.
In response, every magic spell his opponent cast scattered into thin air as if by magic.
He had dodged every single one of his opponent's desperate attacks with movement alone.
“No, how in the—!”
And in that moment, the match was decided.
While his opponent stood there with a dumbfounded expression, as if he'd been struck from behind, Lee Shin closed the distance and finished him off lightly.
*Stab!*
[The opponent has died.]
[Victory!]
Because this one plan was so overwhelmingly effective, Lee Shin was able to continue his winning streak without having to think too hard.
[Victory!]
[Victory!]
[You have achieved a 10-win streak…]
The wins steadily piled up!
With points pouring in from his title effects, it seemed he would reach his promotion matches without any trouble.
But it was when Lee Shin secured his 17th victory.
[Balta bestows a warrior's trial!]
[A temporary change will occur in the matchmaking system.]
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
“What, why did I get matched with a Platinum…?”
A sudden match against a Diamond-tier player!
His opponent looked bewildered.
“…Is it a bug?”
“Who knows.”
This would normally be impossible, but the restriction had been temporarily lifted due to Balta's intervention.
Balta was one of the most powerful gods in Avala Online, strong enough to count on one hand, so this level of interference was well within his power.
[Victory!]
Of course, Lee Shin won this one, too.
His opponent's level was quite high, giving him considerable durability, but that was all.
With his overwhelming physical skill, Lee Shin crushed his opponent without allowing a single attack to land.
The result….
[Balta is impressed!]
[The Blessing of Balta is enhanced.]
His title was enhanced.
[You have achieved a 20-win streak.]
[A devastating winning streak!]
[This is a great achievement! You have acquired the title, <One Accustomed to Victory>…]
After acquiring another title.
At 34 consecutive wins, Lee Shin stopped.
Of course, it wasn't because he had lost to someone.
‘Time for a break.’
[You have logged out.]
After getting out of the capsule, Lee Shin turned on his laptop. He wanted to check if any mail had come for Arthur during his break.
“Hm?”
There were no emails from his client.
Instead, another one had arrived.
[Hello, Arthur. This is Producer Park Pyeong-sik from OnGameNet.]
“……?”
An email from someone he'd never seen before.
When Lee Shin clicked on the email, he found a short message attached along with a business card.
[I'd like to discuss a potential broadcasting contract with you. Would it be possible to meet and talk in person? I would appreciate it if you could reply to this email.]