The Weight of Effort
Baek Yeon-woo sprints down the canyon, swinging his axe downward.
Everything in his sight is smashed to pieces. Every opponent who stands in his way is crushed without mercy.
He doesn’t think about what’s behind him. He never did, but today he thinks about it even less.
Because Professor Lee—no, Lee Shin—had given him permission.
“Supernova Musashi. His stats fluctuate wildly depending on the weight of his weapon. If he uses anything even slightly heavier and larger than his opponent, he becomes a super carry machine. If his weapon is smaller and lighter, he turns into a gutless coward.”
A gambler of a hunter whose entire career is decided by luck.
The only reason a flawed hunter like him could become a ranker and represent Japan as a swordsman was one man.
Tatsugoro.
It was all because of that man’s insane luck.
“That abnormal career of his all stems from the Luck Representative. A hunter whose victories are decided by luck just so happened to have the Luck Representative at his side.”
The reason he was the only one in a league that favored speed and sharpness to wield a heavy greatsword was because of the Representative. The reason his fatal flaw had never been exposed until now was also entirely thanks to Tatsugoro, the Luck Representative.
When he heard that much, Baek Yeon-woo had frowned.
Honestly, it pissed him off. While some people had spent every single day in hell, praying and cursing at the gods until they finally gave up… this bastard had simply ridden the coattails of luck and climbed all the way here. It made his stomach twist with disgust.
But what Professor Lee said next completely changed Baek Yeon-woo’s thinking.
“You probably think he’s just lucky, but I disagree. He has no idea why he became strong, or why he stands where he does.”
Because he couldn’t explain it, his thinking stopped.
Because his thinking stopped, he stopped taking action.
Because of that, his effort was severed and his growth halted.
“You already know what I always emphasize. Self-objectification. Luck obscures that. That’s why I’m wary of it. Luck you can’t handle is nothing but a curse.”
And then came the final request.
Victory is secondary. Use it as a stepping stone for growth.
The moment the lighthouse named Lee Shin shone its light—
Baek Yeon-woo ran.
BOOM——!
He leaps and brings the axe crashing down.
He swings. He bisects a minion.
He swings. He smashes the greatsword raised to block him.
In a single strike, he discards technique. In a single strike, he buries all flashiness.
He swings with the very essence of the axe, feeling the hidden potential of its weight.
Faster.
The opponent vanishes from Baek Yeon-woo’s vision.
Stronger.
Everything around him disappears from his sight.
Mu-A-Ji-Gyeong.
Realm of No-Self.
Inside his inner world, Baek Yeon-woo endlessly swung his axe.
Advancing. Advancing again.
Swinging. Swinging again.
When he had destroyed everything that stood in his way, Baek Yeon-woo’s world turned into pure light.
It was effort.
CRACK——!!
“Guhhh!!”
·
·
「Heavenly Eye」, 「Genius」, 「Effort」(New!!), 「Weapon Mastery(S)」(New!!), 「Trajectory Analysis(S)」, 「Distance Understanding(S)」, 「Evasion(S)」
「One Who Overcame Suppression」 has changed to 「Effort」.
「Sword Mastery(S)」 has changed to 「Weapon Mastery(S)」.
·
·
Everyone watching the match was stunned into silence.
VS
Out of the eight Guild War Asia matches, this was the hottest matchup by far. The most anticipated game in the entire world.
To put the conclusion first—it was far more spectacular than anyone expected.
Just… in a completely different direction.
“Kill! Kill!! Kill!! Baek Yeon-woo gets his third solo kill on Shinsengumi’s Supernova!”
“Cut cut cut! Axe straight through the waist!!”
“The tower’s collapsing! The balance is broken! This game is overrrrr!!”
“Sayonara, Supernova~ You’re not going far!”
Two minutes and three seconds.
He ghosted past the careless Supernova’s greatsword and sliced his waist open. First kill.
Two minutes and thirty-four seconds.
Supernova charged out of the river in a rage. Instead of dodging, Baek Yeon-woo ran straight at him and crushed him. Second kill.
And now, at five minutes and fifty-five seconds.
The Supernova who had been hugging the tower trying to survive was smashed along with the tower itself. Third kill.
Not only was the top lane completely destroyed, the entire game was over.
: Insane…….
: What a lunatic.
: This can’t be real.
: Hey, didn’t you say Baek Yeon-woo was screwed? You lied to us?
: B-but Supernova’s the guy who tore apart the Nine-Tailed Fox…
: He didn’t just tear apart the Nine-Tailed Fox, he wrecked the entire Japanese league…….
Pre-match predictions had been 70:30.
Most people had called it an uphill battle for Korea.
His opponent was the man who had torn apart the Nine-Tailed Fox. Just like his nickname suggested, Supernova was an intense hunter. He was a ranker representing Japan, one of Asia’s powerhouses.
No matter how much Baek Yeon-woo had dominated the league, he was still a rookie who had only just finished his first season.
The general consensus was that he would lose to Supernova, who had a similarly aggressive style.
“Experts, officials, and many people waiting for this match predicted that top lane would be the turning point. Everyone was curious whether Mir’s Baek Yeon-woo could maintain his explosive aggression against Supernova, whose style is completely different from Korea’s top laner.”
“And then he brought out an axe he had never once used before. An axe that should be used against giant bosses, not in player versus player fights, and he stepped into the canyon with it!”
But.
To all the doubt being poured on him, this young genius gave a single answer.
Shut up.
He lightly devoured the completely broken Supernova, then threw his axe and snapped the spine of the Ghost who had dared to stealth in front of him.
And that still wasn’t enough.
All the way to the second tower highway.
He was truly marching forward like an unstoppable force.
The chat window had already turned into a furnace as the match progressed with exhilarating momentum.
: Oh Fuck yeah! He looks delicate but he’s a real man.
: I know that guy! ‘YeonuYeonu’ told me the Gentleman Dragon taught him!
: I was definitely expecting Maestro’s flashy strategy. But when I looked inside, there was a crazy badass Viking warrior?
: The Germanic tribes approve of this man :)
: But isn’t he kinda cute?
: Right?! So lovely :)♡
Foreigners simply enjoying the appearance of a wonderful new star.
But Korea was a little different.
: Wow…… did you see that just now?
: That felt so refreshing.
: Whoa, he got even stronger.
: Is it because he’s young? He improves every single day.
: I felt it when he destroyed our top laner in the league, but this guy is the real deal. Whoa;;
: Yeah;; The first set isn’t even over yet but it feels like we’ve already won the match.
: His movement is on another level. Whoa.
: Whoaaaaaaaaa;;;;;
It felt good watching the vicious little brat who always destroyed our top laner now crushing Japan, but seeing our own top laner after watching him made people sigh. And the thought of having to face a monster like that next year made their heads throb.
On the other hand, the Yongbung fans were already beyond words.
: AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!
: T_T
: T_T Oh no! T_T
: The fox rules the world T_T
: Noona’s already been dominated, Yeonu T_T
: Uncle too TT_TTT
What more explanation was needed?
That’s our top laner! That’s my hunter!
The Yongbung fans could only shed tears and clap until their hands were raw.
“Baek Yeon-woo’s performance is incredible, but Mir Guild’s coordinated movements supporting him are also beautiful.”
“Good point. That’s exactly what I was about to say. Instead of their usual aggressive roaming, Mir Guild has chosen a very standard, textbook style this set.”
“Now that you mention it, Hwarang hasn’t left bottom lane once this set.”
“The Mountain King is also strictly splitting the map and blocking the enemy jungler’s path to top lane. What does this mean!”
“What does it mean?”
“It means Mir Guild was confident from the very beginning that Baek Yeon-woo could beat Supernova.”
“!!”
They had put aside the sure-win strategy that had blown up the league and instead brought out the standard style they themselves had discarded. And then they completely demolished the top laner everyone thought would never lose.
This unexpected twist was a flavor very familiar to Koreans, even if other countries didn’t understand it.
Including the casters, everyone shouted the name that had come to mind.
“Lee Shin! Representative Lee Shin has done it again!”
“Ahhh, Lee Shin!!”
: Lee Shin you son of a bitch
: ㅇㅅㅇㅅㅇㅅㅇ
: Ah, it’s you again, Lee Shin.
: LeeGod please T_T
: The Mountain King is a god and Lee Shin is invincible!!
And so Mir Guild operated around Baek Yeon-woo, who had racked up fourteen kills, and easily destroyed the nexus.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but it looked like Lee Shin was faintly giving a thumbs-up from the other side of the monitor.
·
·
* * *
Meanwhile, Japan was completely losing their minds.
: ?????
: ???????
: Where am I? Who am I? Huh? What is this score?
: It’s 2:0, apparently?
First set.
They had never doubted the victory of Supernova, Japan’s pride and the protagonist of the next generation.
They believed without a doubt that his thick greatsword would snap the waist of that unnecessarily handsome bastard called Baek and pave a highway through Mir Guild’s top lane.
But… huh?
The highway was paved on our side?
: Kiiiiieeeeee——!!
: This has to be a joke!!
: I can’t believe it!!
: — Σ(ﾟДﾟ||)!!
Supernova had been utterly destroyed without getting a single kill.
It wasn’t even close.
Even a three-year-old would have said, “Mommy, that guy’s really strong.”
This put the Japanese casters in a very difficult position.
The same people who had called it a guaranteed victory before the match started had to change their tune in less than three minutes.
“Ah… it’s over. It’s collapsed. Today’s Supernova was unable to show the absolute dominance he displayed in the Japanese league.”
“I-it’s okay!! A samurai’s trials are the source of growth!! Don’t fall, Shinsengumi! Rise up, Supernova!”
Perhaps thanks to their desperate efforts, public opinion about the first set loss seemed to calm down slightly.
: Alright, the first set can happen.
: Everyone makes mistakes at the start (´▽｀)
: Get your head straight. There’s no next time!
But who could have known that they would lose the second set too?
The flow of the match was shockingly similar. The moment Baek Yeon-woo brought out the same axe from the first set and smashed it into Supernova’s head again—
“N-nooooooo!!”
“Aaaaaaaaagh!!”
The Japanese casters screamed without realizing they were still on air.
: Nooooooo!!
: ???
: Where did everyone go……?
: Guys???
The Japanese viewers began a mass exodus.
And so in the second set, Supernova suffered ten deaths against Baek Yeon-woo and lost again.
Only one set remained before Japan’s complete sinking.
·
·
* * *
Tatsugoro was running toward the waiting room.
Although he possessed a devastating eye for talent, he was the man acknowledged by Lee Shin as the embodiment of luck.
His luck had worked desperately for its sinking master and displayed a truly astonishing(?) ability to identify the core of the match after only two sets.
‘We have to take out Mumu, no matter what! Mumu can never beat that kid Baek Yeon-woo.’
…It was sad that he only realized this after giving up two sets, but at least the fact that it was no longer mere suspicion but ‘certainty’ earned him some points.
Unfortunately, the situation in the waiting room did not smile upon him.
“Th-this is a jungle diff!!”
“What? Say that again, you brat. Whose fault is it that the game is ruined? Jungle diff?”
“It’s not my fault! It’s your fault for not helping me!”
Jungle diff.
The deranged Musashi had uttered the ‘forbidden words’ he should never have said, and the Ghost—who had already been thoroughly crushed by the Mountain King—grabbed Musashi by the collar.
Normally, the Sword Saint would have stepped in to mediate such a conflict, but…
“He’s not wrong. It’s true that the Ghost is in terrible form right now.”
“Sword Saint!!”
“Right?!”
Did the Sword Saint not know that Supernova had shat himself on stage? Of course he knew. If they lost this match, it would be entirely Supernova’s fault.
The problem was that Supernova was the Sword Saint’s disciple and successor.
And another important point was that he had fucked up so catastrophically.
If his own disciple messed up this badly, it would eventually come back around and cause problems for him too. That was what he thought.
In this situation, the bottom duo remained silent as always…
And the blame for the loss was gradually shifting toward the Ghost.
“Krrrk… you cowardly bastards……”
In this atmosphere, could Tatsugoro stand at the door and suggest taking Musashi out?
Suggesting they remove Musashi would be the same as ignoring the Sword Saint. The moment the Sword Saint’s authority was shaken, it wouldn’t just be the match—the entire guild would collapse.
Tatsugoro thought with his usual solemn, serious expression.
‘…It’s over.’
Was it finally time to bring out ‘that’?
Touching the inner pocket of his coat, Tatsugoro’s face somehow looked refreshed as he headed toward the guild.
·
·
* * *
(3) : (0)
[SHOCKING 3:0. Shinsengumi Guild Defeated!!]
[Japan’s Pride Sunk by Korea’s Dragon!]
[Tatsugoro the Great Man Returns to the Wild “I am responsible for everything. I will take full responsibility for this defeat and step down.”]