Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: That's Why...
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Five minutes before the broadcast started.
I was opening a bag of potato chips.
The tournament doesn't kick off the moment the stream goes live.
They exchanged some light banter here and there.
Only after a short opening ceremony like thing did the preliminaries finally begin.
It was only natural.
For a massive event on this scale, how could they just rush into "Alright, let's quickly knock out the prelims go go"?
Thanks to that, my time got even tighter.
Crunch.
"Gotta wrap this up faster than I thought."
I munched on the potato chips while calculating the time.
Out of two hours, subtracting the time to get to the Academy and other prep...
I probably had about 20 minutes of leeway for the prelims.
Even that was calculated generously.
Considering reality never goes exactly as planned, it was better to end it even earlier.
Crunch.
I popped one more potato chip in my mouth and shook the crumbs off my hands.
Can't get grease on the console.
I turned on the console while listening to the curt farewell.
The familiar greeting appeared as always.
Soon after.
I connected to the map via the message.
A clock floated above the map. Probably when it hit zero, the prelims would start.
I checked the steadily ticking down timer and looked around.
For fairness, it's randomly matched, so first time seeing this map.
'An open field, huh.'
A vast, empty landscape came into view.
There were a few spots for cover here and there, but not many—perfect setup for a free-for-all brawl.
Not a 1v1 PvP, but a survival where only two remain, this map could be called hellish for players.
"Nice."
For me, it was the opposite—great news.
Less time wasted searching, right?
Perfect environment for a brawl to break out.
Thanks to that, the prelims could end much sooner.
I quickly scanned the surroundings and spotted the other players.
'That one's a mage, that side a swordsman. Oh, trying to team up?'
Being a game, jobs were somewhat obvious from appearances, unlike reality.
This prelim had no rule against teaming up.
So a few were already forming parties.
While eyeing them, a familiar face caught my eye.
What's that guy doing here?
Player name: Diamond Guardian.
He was one of Yura's die-hard viewers.
Thanks to that, he signed up for the event right away.
And with some luck, he made it into the tournament.
His mood had been great until just moments ago, but now it plummeted.
'Why is that guy here...'
There was one awkward opponent.
Third Life.
The player under hacker suspicion.
Diamond Guardian had trash-talked Third Life plenty before.
'If he was really hacking, it'd show in PvP anyway, so it was worth the shot. Who'd have thought he wasn't.'
If a hacker, it'd be obvious, so even in defeat, he could've posted "Yo this guy's hacking" and gained cred as a hacker-catcher on the forums.
Even if not, custom PvP is pure skill regardless of levels, and he was confident he'd crush same-level opponents.
Especially since it was jobless vs. knight—he hadn't even considered losing.
In 1v1, a knight counts as one level higher than base, making the gap between knight and jobless like heaven and earth.
A knight facing a mage in melee was less advantageous than one facing a jobless.
Knight had a huge edge in PvP.
That's why Diamond Guardian strutted so confidently.
But he lost.
Miserably.
The memory made Diamond Guardian shudder, but he shook it off.
'Just need to be in the top two. We're allied, no problem.'
He steeled himself.
He was in an alliance.
A relatively large one with five out of twenty players.
When about seven survivors left, they'd have to slyly go their separate ways.
But he had a side deal with one of the five, so no big worries.
'No matter how strong, gang up and it's done.'
Third Life couldn't match an alliance.
He'd pass the prelims.
He sent a quick reply, and time had flown by.
Despite the empty field with hardly any cover, the prelims didn't erupt into chaos right away.
All players took positions and began eyeing each other warily. Open sightlines exposed positions. Without cover, it turned into a game of chicken.
No ambushes, evasion, or flight possible—psychological warfare or disruption tactics out. All that remained was raw physicals or gear advantages. But gear was restricted for fairness too.
The strong ones here were just high-level players.
Diamond Guardian drew his sword.
Thinking ahead to 1v1s after this PvP, better to eliminate strong high-levels while allied.
But attacking first might draw aggro, so he was timing it.
Swish.
A player in the corner moved.
Very familiar to Diamond Guardian.
[Third Life (Jobless) has defeated Skinrosen (Mage).]
'That...'
That crazy guy's still jobless here too?!
Shock was brief.
Diamond Guardian snapped to attention.
Using the message as a signal.
[Magrarer (Swordsman) has defeated Yeochaam (Mage).]
The tense standoff broke, and the brawl erupted.
One starts, others follow in chain.
On the chaotic battlefield.
Third Life spun his body. Sword dangling loosely, he stomped his foot.
Each spin shifted his pivot, changing direction mid-run. A player who'd relaxed thinking he was heading elsewhere lost his head in an instant.
[Third Life (Jobless) has defeated Tomahawk (Warrior).]
So natural the warrior couldn't even defend, his body rolled across the ground. Would respawn soon, but gruesome even for a game.
His presence was so overwhelming, he drew all eyes.
And as if that's what he wanted, Third Life charged even fiercer, rampaging like a tiger crashing into an angry wolf pack.
…
It was time for alliances to crumble, but they didn't. Couldn't, really.
Diamond Guardian held his sword horizontal, chaining skills with game assists.
Allies poured magic from the side, a warrior tanked up front.
But the warrior didn't last long.
The front line crumbled fast, pushed back.
[Third Life (Jobless) has defeated Gold Guardian (Knight).]
His secret extra ally, same knight class, was dead.
Alliance down to two.
Just take out Third Life, and they'd be the two.
Betraying his last ally was easier, but Diamond Guardian attacked Third Life.
Fail to stop him now, no win. Plus, an opening.
Gritting teeth, he swung. Long blade arcing toward Third Life's waist.
Gap from losing balance after Gold Guardian.
'It'll hit...!'
Angle unavoidable at level 25 stats. Victory smile as he slashed down.
Swish.
?
The blade passed straight through Third Life's body.
Then a cold something grazed his throat.
That's why they suspect hacking.
Slash.
[Third Life (Jobless) has defeated Diamond Guardian (Knight).]
Ugh!
Whew!
I stretched after cleanly taking out the last one.
Diamond Guardian.
Originally planned to eliminate first.
But his improved skills since last time were commendable, so I let him last till the end.
Guess he took my advice after all.
Worth posting that community tip.
I glanced at the wall clock.
More time left than expected.
"Time to head to the Academy."
Ended earlier than planned.
Life never goes as expected.
I got ready to go to the Academy.
Leaving the blazing broadcast chat behind.