Latest Game Maniacs (5)
Latest Game Maniacs (5)
"You want us to enter a tournament together?"
"Affirmative."
What the hell was this about, all of a sudden?
At Eve's unexpected question, Catherine shot back a counter-question.
"Why?"
It was a natural question.
No way.
Was it because of that?
Catherine, who'd suddenly had a thought, rephrased her words and asked Eve again.
"Is it because you feel like there are getting to be too many competitors? So you're trying to interfere?"
If that really were the case, Catherine herself was against it.
...Since I'd forced my way in from the start anyway.
She even muttered the last part in a voice so quiet no one could hear.
At Catherine's question like that.
Eve shook her head and gently denied it.
"No."
She continued her explanation.
"The increase in the number of organic organisms that feel affection toward 'Si-un' is not a major problem. Rather, it can be seen as an efficient situation."
At those words, Catherine furrowed her brow slightly and asked again.
"Then what is it?"
It didn't look like she was frowning because she was in a bad mood, but out of pure curiosity.
Eve began to explain her thoughts as logically as possible.
"The problem is that 'Si-un' and the human 'Julia' are going out alone, just the two of them."
"?"
To Catherine, who hadn't understood, Eve slowly supplemented her explanation.
"Because that is what is commonly referred to as a 'date.'"
"...What does that—."
"At the very least, if they are not going out together with a majority of the individuals among us, this element will establish itself as an inefficient factor in the relationship. For that reason, in order to impede the two of them from 'going out,' I recommend participating in the game tournament to the human 'Catherine.'"
"......"
A moment later.
With her eyes half-narrowed, Catherine asked Eve.
"So, it's just, isn't it that."
She briefly summarized Eve's long speech.
"You're dissatisfied that they're playing outside alone, just the two of them, right?"
"Partially affirmative."
Letting out a short, "Ha," fake laugh, Catherine shook her head.
"So, since you don't like that, you're saying let's enter the tournament together and raise hell."
"This is also partially affirmative."
Can artificial intelligence really not lie?
Catherine thought idly.
But that was that.
Whether her words were persuasive was a different matter.
"Fucking great idea."
Let's do it right now.
Catherine accepted Eve's suggestion.
22. Latest Game Enthusiast (5)
What the hell had I even done to already be in the finals?
Of course, I hadn't actually done anything.
Julia had done it all.
I stared at the bracket with only two teams left and thought.
Up until now, for us—
No, for Julia—there hadn't been a single moment you could call a crisis.
Her online skill was so good it had been suspected of being hacks.
If anything, it was only natural.
But the problem was what came next.
«Ahem, sorry. Having made it all the way to the finals! It's the 'Strongest Machine and Strongest Human' team!»
Listening to the caster, whose throat condition was gradually sounding worse, I thought.
"......"
Let's calmly assess the situation.
Did those guys really enter the tournament to beat us?
The answer I came up with was 'no.'
Above all, I'd even listened to Julia's explanation with them, in the same place.
I couldn't think of a reason they'd go out of their way to steal our victory.
Maybe they were planning to lose on purpose?
I based that inference on the facts.
«Then, the opposing team is!!»
The caster's shout echoed thunderously through the grand hall once again.
«The team at the center of the controversy that sent Net Space ablaze! Now it's about skill! It's 'Warrior Is The Best,' featuring that rumored player!»
I signaled Julia with my eyes.
"Shall we go?"
"...Yes."
Julia and I moved our feet and stepped up onto the stage.
Hot spotlights illuminated the stage.
On the opposite side, Eve and Catherine were already standing on stage.
«The heat is truly intense!»
I listened to the caster's commentary as I walked over to the booth on the other side.
I offered a handshake and greeted them casually.
Then, in a very low voice, I asked Catherine a question.
"...You're going to lose on purpose, right?"
"Who are you?"
.......
That's when I realized.
These bastards....
They seriously intended to beat us.
Were they that desperate for the prize money?
How much was it even worth?
Now that it had come to this.
There was only one option left for me.
"Let's play fair."
We had no choice but to compete with full power.
Having finished the light handshake, I entered our side's booth.
I put on the virtual reality gear I'd grown sick of using on the way to the finals.
A vast, surreal virtual landscape filled my vision.
The stage where the battle would begin unfolded in the center.
The final bosses, Eve and Catherine, rose confidently from their positions opposite us.
Just like all the opponents we'd met so far, they were semi-transparent figures before character selection.
I offered Julia some words of encouragement.
[We just need to win this time, so let's push a little harder.]
I was saying it to myself as well.
[......Yes!]
Seeming to have gained at least a little more motivation, Julia answered in a louder voice than usual.
[...Stop whispering to each other and come at us already.]
Just from hearing her words, she sounded exactly like a villain.
The opponent's vanguard was Catherine.
On our side, Julia prepared for the match.
I quietly watched the match begin.
...Catherine.
I'd spectated a few of her matches so far.
Maybe it was because her innate abilities were different.
She had skills that were absolutely not those of a beginner.
If her skills had been weak from the start, she wouldn't have made it this far.
It was the same principle as me losing repeatedly to Julia, who was playing this game for the first time.
Basically, having good physicality is a major advantage in a virtual reality game where you have to move your own body.
But, at the very least, I.
In this 'game,' in this 'match,' I was sure of Julia's victory.
Even if it was based on reality.
Ultimately, it was a 'game.'
[Argh!]
Hit by a technique you'd only fall for if you didn't know it, Catherine let out a voice filled with rage.
Indeed, Catherine was still Catherine.
I'd thought it would end in a single pattern.
But every match had moments that sent a chill down my spine.
To others, it might look like we won plainly with an easy score of 3:1.
But in reality, it was a match we could have lost 3:0.
In my view.
The reason Catherine lost was simple and clear.
Catherine, playing this game for the first time, couldn't possibly know the 'performance' of each character.
Because of that, Catherine's character pick naturally seemed to have been based on 'appearance.'
For reference, the character Catherine picked had the prettiest appearance in this game.
And simultaneously, it was the trash character with the most users calling for balance adjustments.
Taking even a single round with that thing is impressive.
If Catherine had picked a slightly more decent character, wouldn't the result have been different?
I thought quietly.
In front of the defeated Catherine.
This time, the character Eve had chosen appeared on the stage.
【This is 'A'. I look forward to playing with you.】
The character spoke its entrance line and took a stance.
'A', huh.
Why had she chosen that character?
Even the character Eve picked, when considered from a performance aspect, wasn't that great a choice.
Had she picked it because of the 'artificial human' setting?
...If things were like this, Julia might actually win.
The match started.
The battle continued—.
.......
Wow, insane.
That's a hack. What else could it be?
Eve used only two techniques.
'Cheap Hand' and 'Cheap Foot.'
The most basic techniques in a fighting game.
They were the punch and kick with the weakest damage.
And yet.
Eve's victory was overwhelming.
She slipped techniques in between every single frame.
...She's really going all out.
Catherine I could understand.
But I hadn't expected Eve to go all out either.
«The Machine Strongest player! She's too strong! I'll say it with certainty! Right here, today, the god of fighting games has appeared! She's just insane!!»
In the end, Julia lost the match with a score of 1:3.
It was our first loss in this tournament.
[...We lost.]
[No, you did well.]
Taking even a single round against a super AI performing real-time data mining was what was impressive.
.......
But what now.
«Now, the final match to cap off this grand finale! A powerhouse shrouded in mystery who hasn't had a single turn in this entire tournament!»
I'm not a powerhouse, though.
«An enigmatic figure who gathered everyone's attention just by being on the same team as player Tokkigyeongdyu! It's player 'Real Wizard Im' of the team 'Warrior Is The Best'!»
I didn't know why I was being called a player.
(Highest rank Silver, top 80%)
[...Haa.]
I let out a light sigh and assessed the situation.
Since Julia had already lost anyway.
There was no reason for me to play in the match.
Because I had only entered the tournament to clear up Julia's hacking controversy and fill out the roster.
To be blunt.
I couldn't care less about forfeiting right this instant.
...However.
I had to win, even if just out of spite.
I resolved in secret.
It was time to use the method.
I'd devised specifically to counter Eve.
[Haha, you're just going to give up, right?]
I felt I had to win, even for Catherine, who was taunting me semi-transparently from the other side.
I selected a muscular male character.
His hairstyle was extremely unique, and just as unique as his hairstyle was his fighting spirit.
His name was 'P'.
He's a character famous for having one powerful blow.
『Get Ready For─』
The sound signaling the start of the game rang out.
Just like mine, Eve's character appeared out of thin air and blocked my way.
The match countdown proceeded.
In the meantime, I quietly asked Eve.
[Eve.]
[Confirmed.]
[Did it really have to be this way?]
[I don't know what you mean.]
.......
An artificial intelligence that tells lies so naturally out of habit.
The match started.
Slowly, Eve's character pressured me.
[Today, I recommend you forfei─.]
[Eve, stop!]
[......!]
It was a reflexive reaction to my shout.
The movement of the character Eve was controlling stopped.
And this opening was exactly what I'd aimed for.
【Dwoo-eo!】
My character let out a bizarre battle cry.
An intense fist sliced through the empty air.
My name is Lee Si-woon.
I am a man who will use any means to win.
[...Fucking cheap.]
Catherine muttered in a tone of disbelief.
I paid her no mind.
It was just the grumbling of the defeated anyway.
The so-called.
Tell-them-to-stop-then-hit-them.
A strategy possible only because I was certain that Eve wouldn't refuse my request.
I seized the momentum for victory.
* * *
The victory I'd gained by setting aside my pride was sweet.
Since the spectators watching outside couldn't hear our conversation, they seemed not to know what had happened.
But that was none of my business.
The management side also investigated the virtual reality gear, suspecting a mechanical defect.
But of course, the machine was fine.
Since Eve herself hadn't lodged any protest, victory naturally became ours.
"......"
Catherine and Eve looked at me with peculiar gazes.
They were holding trophies signifying second place.
Since it had been a small sacrifice for the greater good.
I carefully averted my eyes from their stares.
Anyway, that was that.
I launched Net Space, searched for the game forum, and connected.
It was time to see how public opinion on Julia had shifted.
«IRON FIST - XII Forum»
[I told you Gyeongdyu-nim wasn't hacking lolol]
Wow, the gameplay I saw online really did come out offline just the same
Crazy, insane
─ Delete your post history a bit before you lie
└ lol sorry (Author)
[Is Eve at the tournament the real streamer Eve?]
Why aren't you turning on the stream? Why aren't you turning on the stream? Why aren't you turning on the stream? Why aren't you turning on the stream? Why aren't you turning on the stream? Why aren't you turning on the stream? Why aren't you turning on the stream? Why aren't you turning on the stream?
─ This guy's getting blacklisted
─ Do you think it's real? Say something that makes sense. But seriously, why isn't she turning on the stream?
─ Come back, master... it's too cold...
[What was that last match]
Wasn't it rigged? Fuck, what about my Toto bets
And who are Machine Strongest and Human Strongest
They were evenly matched with Gyeongdyu-nim
Has anyone seen them before?
─ No one knows ㄷㄷ
─ Toto gambler OUT
─ Their reaction speed really was crazy, but they seemed a bit like newbies?
└ Trash game where even newbies get second place; (Author)
Fortunately, public opinion had changed a lot.
Although Julia hadn't been able to win through her power alone.
It seemed possible because Eve and Catherine had also displayed overwhelming skill.
[My heart swells with grandeur]
Is this what it's like when the strongest in the world fight?
But what excites me even more is
Since people with that level of skill suddenly appeared in droves, can we look forward to Neon City's team performance at this world tournament?
My mouth's already watering lololol
─ For real, I'm seriously looking forward to it
─ Neo Japan team, just you wait lolololololol
─ For real, the arrival of a superhuman riding the tank of the fighting game world ㄷㄷ Gotta save up credits and go watch in person
They were dreaming dreams that would never come true....
I quietly closed Net Space.
"Huh?"
Arriving home, I discovered that someone was standing in front of our front door.
Who was it?
There hadn't been any message notification.
With a puzzled look, I approached the person.
As if they'd heard my footsteps.
The person—I didn't know if they were an intruder or a guest—turned their head and looked at me.
"Ah."
I let out a short exclamation.
Vivid scenes flashed through my mind.
[So you were here, I've been looking for you.]
[Even if it's greed, it's fine, just look only at me. Forever. Always.]
[......Now kill me.]
And right now.
"...Hello."
It was Maya.