261. Knights of Charlemagne vs Rin - Sky-Filling Strike (滿天之擊) (10)
261. Knights of Charlemagne vs Rin - Sky-Filling Strike (滿天之擊) (10)
***
While Serin's private scrim against Charlemagne was underway, a post went up on several Another World community sites.
......
Since its release, Another World had firmly held the top spot in market share.
Now, with unprecedented records being set day after day and overseas tournaments launching in country after country, Another World's rise showed no signs of stopping.
There had been countless games that claimed the top spot before.
But never had a game at the top held more than 60% of the market share.
Another World's current share had passed 60% and was approaching the 70% range.
For a single game to hold nearly 70% of the entire industry's share for years on end, considering the thousands upon thousands of games out there, was in itself tantamount to a monopoly.
With Another World running virtually unchallenged for years even in the massive gaming industry, the Another World community sites had likewise grown enormous, boasting a vast user base.
Among the representative Another World communities, there were major sites like "Another Level" as well as various other large sites for information and community discussion, and across those sites, one type of post appeared on a regular basis.
It was a post about "Jeanne d'Arc," the woman who enjoyed unrivaled popularity within Another World.
*
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[Jeanne d'Arc's Approved User List, August 2031 Version Update!!]
Author: SheIsGod
(Previous list of players mentioned by Jeanne d'Arc.txt)
(Highlight play compilation for each player.gif)
(Newly added users!!)
- G1: Minseong.
- BS: Baekya.
- Knights of Charlemagne: Astolfo.
- Outlaw: Phantom.
- Streamer: Plea.
......
Hey, everyone, it's been a while~
It's time to update the Monthly Jeanne d'Arc list!
I'm adding every user who's been mentioned even once in various media or Jeanne d'Arc's personal interviews, and this month there's great news: a new user has made it onto the list!
I think anyone who plays Another World knows who it is.
Jeanne d'Arc's mention was really specific, so I was surprised while collecting the data.
After that, numerous highlight images related to Rin.
Comments analyzing Jeanne d'Arc's words about Rin in detail, and so on......
————
*
The posts uploaded simultaneously to each site drew enough attention within just a few minutes to claim the top trending spot on every one of them.
The "Monthly Jeanne d'Arc" updated once a month by a user with the nickname "SheIsGod" was quite popular.
Debating which players ranked above others or who was stronger was always a hot topic among gamers in every community, and among them, Jeanne d'Arc, who had held the top of the pro league for years, was a player with more influence than anyone else.
Scroll.
"For Rin to be mentioned even here... She's really making a name for herself."
A man who had been scrolling down and focusing intently on the post let out a soft chuckle.
His hair, neatly styled with pomade, and his carefully put-together outfit showed off his fashion sense, and his handsome features were the kind anyone would call good-looking.
At twenty-six, he was a big-name streamer with a firmly established position.
—Streamer and Another World nickname: Isrilda.
Real name: Park Woobin.
With his warm, attractive looks and skill that kept him among the top rankers in Another World, he had built a solid standing.
Moreover, for a gaming streamer, he was unusual in that he also did what was known as a "male streamer" broadcast with an exceptionally high female viewer ratio.
Right now, the more he looked at the silver-haired woman who took up such a large portion of the post, the more he wanted her.
She was the talk of every community day after day, and even this post he checked every month mentioned her as if it were only natural.
"Maybe it's because she's destined for greatness, but the more I look, the more that presence of hers stands out."
Woobin murmured in a calm tone. To him, the streamer Serin seemed like the perfect person to build a connection with.
Her usual behavior, her way of speaking, her outward personality, her on-stream attitude, and on top of all that, her outstanding Another World skill.
No matter how he looked at it, there was nothing to find fault with.
Although he didn't know her real appearance, her Another World character was exquisitely beautiful, and the distinctive soft voice known to be her own had fueled rumors that her looks were far from ordinary.
'And her connections are all with people of a certain class.'
Somehow, she had built connections with streamers from major agencies like Plea and even prestigious pro teams like G1.
As the finishing touch, her actual collaboration stream with Jeanne d'Arc of Another World was famous among streamers.
Because she had casually pulled off a collab with someone everyone thought was impossible.
"Seriously, is there no way to get in touch with her?"
His editor had said they were steadily sending collab-related emails, but so far there had been no news.
If only he could make contact somehow, they could create good synergy together. He was full of confidence that he could plan solid content.
But since the other party wouldn't even respond, Woobin found it deeply disappointing.
'Is this just greed on my part?'
Thinking of Rin, whose fame was growing by the day, he couldn't help feeling that he was now falling a bit behind.
"Hmm."
Letting out a long breath as he mulled it over, Woobin wondered if there was any way.
His stream doing well was one thing, but honestly, more than that, the person herself seemed decent, and he wanted to build a connection.
Truthfully, his stream was already doing well enough. Both his NewTube and tweetie live broadcasts were drawing steady upward curves.
But people always crave something better the more they have, and Woobin couldn't let go of his lingering desire.
"I don't know, seriously. Maybe I should just drop a big donation later."
He considered a streamer donating to another streamer's broadcast to make their presence known a rather poor tactic, but since the other party was giving no response at all, he wondered if he should go that far.
While mulling over all these thoughts, Woobin finally spoke.
"I'll donate next week."
Rather than giving up before trying, he'd just go for it.
***
Clang! Clang! Clangclangclang!
The fierce sounds filled the space without pause.
Serin and Hamin continued trading blows that felt like walking on the edge of a blade.
The spear knight Astolfo, smiling brightly as he thrust his spear like a madman,
and the dancer Serin, calmly responding to him.
Clang!
Once again their weapons clashed and rebounded sharply, and both players smoothly recovered their weapons and continued to deploy their skills.
"..."
Despite her outwardly composed appearance, Serin was inwardly surprised.
She had thought the spear knight she'd seen in videos was plenty skilled.
As a player called an ace, she'd known he was exceptional compared to other players.
But facing him directly like this, the feeling was different.
'He's this good?'
They had already exchanged skills more than ten times, and the fact that she hadn't landed any meaningful hit was a shock to Serin.
Every time she thought she was about to land a clean hit, the opponent narrowly dodged the attack or met it with his spear.
Perhaps because she had beaten the other players relatively easily, the gap between the previous players and the opponent she now faced felt even greater.
WHOOOOM!
Suddenly, a deep resonance rang out from the spear shaft, and it surged toward her slowly.
"..."
Unlike before, when he had thrust his spear as fast as a bolt of lightning, now his offense and defense were slow enough to read clearly.
The spear knight who had pursued "Swiftness" was now suddenly unfolding offense and defense that seemed to carry "Heaviness."
Serin couldn't help but admire the shift in stance, but she didn't recklessly meet the attack head-on.
Swoosh!
Serin threw her body aside and smoothly let the attack flow past, and the spear tip seemed to strike empty air almost anticlimactically.
At the moment she evaded.
The smile Hamin had worn throughout the match deepened further.
'She's so exceptional that she can't help but be suspicious.'
The attack he had just extended was a kind of feint.
It was simply a thrust imbued with energy, extended slowly.
Because he had deliberately thrown out a hollow attack, he expected his opponent to react cautiously, and it had worked perfectly.
As a result, now that his spear tip was near her, Hamin deployed his skill without hesitation.
—Sky-Filling Strike (滿天之擊).
The spear tip near Serin trembled ceaselessly as if vibrating with light, and Hamin's hand gripping the spear soon began attacking the entire space at an unbelievable speed.
FWIP-FWIP-FWIP-FWIP-FWIP!
"...!"
As countless streaks of light followed one after another, as if to fill the entire area, Serin urgently swung her Crescent-Moon Weight and deployed a skill.
—Ghost Dance.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!!
Following the mad swings of her hand, the blood-tinged Crescent-Moon Weight created a destructive spectacle as if laying waste to the entire space.
But her choice was just slightly too late.
Thunk!
Hamin's spear, which she had failed to block, struck her arm directly, landing a successful hit.
"..."
Just as the countless streaks of light were clashing violently with the blood-red Crescent-Moon Weight striking across the entire space, Hamin suddenly widened the distance.
Thick smoke rose from the collision of destructive forces, obscuring her figure, but Hamin felt with certainty that his move had succeeded.
He had clearly felt the sensation of something connecting at his fingertips.
'I can win.'
Watching the earlier matches, Hamin had been impressed and surprised by countless things.
The speed of her judgment, her mechanics, her reactions, even her unexpected and unconventional winning moves.
Even while wielding a sword that wasn't her main weapon, she was close to perfection.
But precisely because of that, Hamin was enjoying this moment of clashing with her immensely.
Fffft.
As the smoke gradually cleared and Serin's figure emerged, Hamin could clearly see that her entire left arm was stained with blood.
And then his gaze caught another peculiar detail.
Serin's utterly indifferent expression.
The moment he looked at her face, the smile on Hamin's lips slowly faded.
Her appearance itself didn't look much different from before, but Hamin felt that something was off.
'Why?'
He couldn't tear his gaze away from her blue eyes.
Cold eyes carrying an indifference far too different from before.
Then, with a composed air, she let her right hand hang down, and the Crescent-Moon Weight connected to her right hand naturally settled in the empty air just below.
Drip. Drip.
Along the cord connected to the Crescent-Moon Weight, blood slowly, very slowly, stained the ground red.