Latest Game Maniacs (4)
Latest Game Maniacs (4)
Streamer 'Rococo'.
He was a broadcaster so famous in the fighting game scene that even I had heard of him.
He was equally infamous for the mountain of controversies piled up on the net wiki.
Maybe that notoriety wasn't just for show.
Even as I kept scrolling, there was no end in sight.
Wow. How had a guy like this managed to stay active for so long?
He never missed a chance to get tangled up in some incident.
In a strange way, that was impressive too.
"...Excuse me."
That was when I was skimming the net wiki like that, looking up the bastard standing right in front of me.
"Wouldn't using your vision interface while someone's standing in front of you be a bit rude?"
"......."
That wasn't something I wanted to hear from someone who'd barged into our broadcast without even asking permission.
But since this was a cyberpunk world with no portrait rights,
I let it slide.
I closed my vision interface, folded my arms as if to say 'try me,' and stared straight at Rococo—the bastard.
At my reaction, Rococo cleared his throat a few times and then explained why he'd come.
"I didn't come here for any particular reason. I just happened to check, and it turns out you're my next opponent, right?"
He offered me the handshake I had refused earlier.
"So I got curious and came to see for myself."
That was what Rococo said, but—
judging by his sly grin and the drone camera still hovering around, it was obvious he'd actually come to stir up some kind of 'buzz.'
"It's true I've made a few small mistakes online, but at its core, fighting games are about fair play, right?"
I couldn't tell if that was a speech or pure bullshit.
"Let's compete fair and square, with good sportsmanship and no hard feelings."
"......."
Just a moment ago,
I'd been relieved that Julia wasn't holding a folding katana.
But now, even before Julia could explode,
I felt like I was going to have a stroke from sheer rage first.
Who the hell did this bastard think he was, acting so brazen?
I was on the verge of making an appearance on NCB24 News.
"If you want, I can even apologiz—"
"An apology won't be necessary."
Ha. I answered with a hollow laugh.
On Julia's behalf, I said exactly what I wanted to get off my chest.
"You're going to be humiliated badly enough in the match anyway."
I raised my index finger and pressed it right into the center of Rococo's chest.
"Why don't you just get ready to be consoled by your viewers."
"...I'll look forward to seeing if you're still that cocky during the match."
I expected some kind of fierce comeback.
Maybe he sensed how bad the optics were for him.
Or maybe it was because the drone camera was still rolling, but Rococo just gave an awkward laugh and tried to slip out of the booth.
"Seems like you brought a girlfriend. Let's see what you've got."
Maybe he was mistaking me for Tokkigyeongdyu.
Before leaving the booth, he glanced at Julia and said that.
"......!"
But the strange thing was—
Julia, who had been standing perfectly still without any reaction, got so flustered by those words that she twitched as if every muscle had locked up.
"?"
Sensing something was off, I looked at Julia.
Julia stared at Rococo's retreating back and muttered,
"...Girlfriend... maybe he's a better person than I thought."
What on earth did you mean by that, JulieJulie?
Well, anyway.
It was a relief that no blood was shed.
22. The Latest Game Enthusiast (4)
《This next competitor is 'that person' you all know very well!!》
The 'caster,' who had unwillingly taken on the role of commentator, shouted through the microphone.
Standing at the back of the stage, Julia and I waited for the caster's next words, waiting for our match.
Unfortunately, it wasn't our turn yet.
《A famous streamer! An influencer boasting hundreds of thousands of followers! The tank-tread superhuman of fighting games who silences controversy with skill!》
He was definitely famous.
His introduction was far longer than the others.
《A strong favorite to win! The team 'Rococo and the Editor' enters the stage!》
His fame was unmistakable.
The noisy cheers of the audience echoed throughout the stadium.
As the caster continued, the red-haired man, Rococo, walked onto the stage from the opposite side.
A figure utterly devoid of presence shuffled awkwardly behind him—presumably the one playing the role of 'Editor' in 'Rococo and the Editor.'
The caster, who had noticed the editor's expression just as I had, gave a brief explanation.
《The editor's revealed rank tier is 'Gold,' which is the lowest among all those who made it to the main tournament! In short, this means it's practically Rococo's one-man team!》
Oh, Gold.
A skilled player who could almost be compared to me—a 'Silver.'
《Even so, Rococo making it to the main tournament is still impressive! But!!》
The color of the stage lights shifted.
《Their opponents are no pushovers! Even I was shocked when I saw the main tournament bracket!》
Was it our turn now?
The staff member in charge of proceedings signaled us. I checked that my mask was on properly, then winked at Julia.
"Shall we go?"
"...Yes."
We stepped up onto the stage.
Just like when Rococo had appeared,
the commentator's exaggerated play-by-play followed behind us.
《The skilled player who stirred up countless controversies online! Skill or manipulation! The time has finally come for the truth to be revealed!》
Hmm.
We had a villain vibe, I guess.
《The team featuring the very subject of the controversy, 'Tokkigyeongdyu'! 'Warrior Is The Best'!!》
I found the sight of the caster shouting that warriors were the best pretty amusing.
As expected, the audience's reaction mirrored the net.
The boos were louder than the cheers.
It could have been an intimidating situation, but Julia didn't seem bothered at all.
I was the same way.
After all, the fact that Julia didn't use hacks was a 'truth' that would come to light soon enough.
The preliminaries weren't broadcast,
so let's just say that was why.
Now that we were in the main tournament, things would play out a little differently.
I turned my head to check the opponent's booth.
Rococo was looking at us and smirking.
《Competitors, please all connect to your devices!》
So he was still brimming with confidence.
Julia and I.
Rococo and the Editor.
We all pulled our virtual reality devices over our heads.
The program launched automatically through the tournament-provided machines.
If anyone started talking about 'hacking' controversies in this situation, they were no different from an insane Chrome Psycho.
An endless horizon woven from 0s and 1s unfolded before me.
I moved my hands and feet to check the control feel.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
Of course, there was no chance I'd actually be playing in the match.
It was an instinctive check.
The matches began in the designated order.
I couldn't show off my shameful Silver-rank skills to the whole world. If that happened, I was fully prepared to bury my face in a plate and die.
Therefore,
naturally, the first turn was Julia's.
From outside the stage where the match was starting,
I spectated Julia's match from a spectator's perspective.
You could watch it directly, in a ghost-like form.
When I looked across to the other side of the stage, I spotted Rococo's figure—semi-transparent and waiting, just like me.
He looked exactly the same as before he'd logged into the game.
His face was still plastered with smiles.
Let's just see how long that composure lasted.
Of course,
I wasn't the one who was going to shatter it.
《The first match is the 'Editor' player and—oh! They've appeared right from the start. It's 'Tokkigyeongdyu's' match!》
Along with a cluster of light, characters with different body types materialized in the air.
The editor selected a typical 'tanker' character.
It was characterized by higher health and defense than other characters, and if I recalled correctly, the backstory was a Chrome Psycho whose entire body was made of machine.
Was its name 'J12'?
It wasn't a good pick for the vanguard.
Just from the character he chose, Rococo's shallow thinking was transparent: he was throwing the editor out as a sacrificial pawn first to scout Julia's patterns.
In contrast,
Julia selected a speed-focused character.
It was a character famous for being the only one in the game to wield a 'sword.' While it packed devastating attack power, its health was the lowest in the game.
What was its backstory again... a blood-crazed Chrome Psycho, was it? This game really did have too many characters with deranged lore.
It was also a female character, so it was quite popular.
The character Julia chose, 'Y,' appeared, flaunting a voluptuous figure.
『Get Ready For─』
The match was about to begin with that short notification.
[Ah, ah.]
Huh?
[So you weren't Tokkigyeongdyu after all?]
Chills ran down my spine at the sudden sound of a man's voice.
Since Eve's voice usually popped into my head at any time, I'd thought I'd grown used to unexpected voices—
but that was only okay because it was 'Eve's' voice.
I looked across to the other side of the stage.
Rococo's semi-transparent face was staring straight in my direction.
[Since it's obviously going to be hacks anyway, what kind of confidence did you even come out here with? It's honestly laughable.]
His attitude was completely different from when he was broadcasting with the drone camera earlier.
Was his voice not being picked up by the broadcast in here?
He was conveying his true feelings directly to me.
[If you forfeit now, maybe—.]
[Cut the bullshit and just watch the match.]
I cut him off with a blunt profanity.
His ability to act brazen was only temporary anyway.
There was no need to listen to a word he said.
Stunned by my words, Rococo stared at me with a dumbfounded expression.
I took my eyes off him and turned my gaze up to the stage.
The match started right after.
The editor's effort to keep his guard up and figure out her patterns from the get-go seemed admirable.
But what good would that do?
The opponent was Julia.
I had faced her too, and guarding simply didn't work.
It took just a few seconds—
that was all the time Julia needed to shatter that solid guard and reduce the health gauge to zero.
The combo flowed as naturally as breathing.
In the end, fighting games were still grounded in virtual reality.
If someone possessed exceptional physical talent, they could make the impossible possible—turning theoretical combos into reality.
[......Huh?]
Looks like he was finally coming to his senses.
I gave Rococo my sincere advice.
[You'd better start thinking now about how to lose less embarrassingly.]
Leaving the increasingly dazed Rococo behind,
I naturally shifted my gaze to Julia, who was spinning her sword and performing the winner's ceremony.
The downed corpse flew merrily through the air.
'Corpse mutilation,' was it? How utterly vicious—
...Anyway.
She had been good when she played against me too,
but now it felt like she was in a completely different dimension.
Honestly, if I had run into her online without knowing her, I probably would have shouted 'trash game' and suspected hacks as well.
A moment later, the editor's character, J, reappeared in the air.
Did this game support facial expression changes too?
His face looked somehow stricken with fear.
It looked like he wanted to forfeit right then and there.
But the match started again without delay.
Since each person had to win three times to move on to the next turn, the editor had to suffer through two more rounds here.
Still, well—
it didn't look like it would take more than a few minutes.
[Get your apology video ready.]
Rococo's face darkened at my words.
* * *
Rococo's waist bent like a hinge.
It was after he'd been beaten down just like the editor, without putting up even a semblance of a fight.
[...This is an apology video. To 'Tokkigyeongdyu,' whom I carelessly targeted─.]
I savored his apology through my vision interface while typing in the chat in real time.
- lolololololololololol (the chat I sent)
Ahh, so refreshing.
Befitting a famous streamer,
his about-face was flawless.
He must have sensed it instinctively—
how drastically public reaction would shift once this tournament was over.
Since he must have been so certain of his victory beforehand,
he immediately lowered his stance and fired off an apology video. That's what it was.
"......Heh."
When I glanced at Julia, she seemed to be in a better mood than usual too.
She was still expressionless,
but a faint flush had risen on her face.
Well, she must have been under a lot of mental stress.
That's why she'd come all the way to me to ask for help.
.......
Why
she was glued to my side, though, I had absolutely no idea.
Anyway, it was clear she was in a good mood because her stress had been relieved.
"......Haa."
But my own heart was still heavy with worry.
Honestly, I didn't care about someone 'like' Rococo in the slightest.
It wasn't just Rococo.
It was the same for all the other players.
The reason was obvious.
《This team is truly incredible! The same result yet again! The team 'Machine Strongest and Human Strongest' advances to the finals without taking a single hit!!》
Those guys—
how on earth was I supposed to beat Eve and Catherine?
I was deep in worry.