Chapter 35
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Grenade Ahead!
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<Grenade ahead!>
Two at short! One sniper at long! Rush the attic!
I'll head to the attic! Someone come with me!
I'll go.
Kangyul and his clanmates were deep into a 5:5 clan war practice match.
Jang Seongtae was at cram school and couldn't log in, so the remaining five were working on their teamwork.
Jaeyoung had gone back home and started attending school again after skipping it.
And after school ended, he always came straight to Midas Corporation to practice Sudden Attack together.
Uncle! Look upstairs. I'll cover the stairs.
Got it. Just trust me.
Tatata-tang—
Tatang—
But the two got headshot by enemies right away and died.
It was because Im Honggyu hadn't spotted the enemy above properly.
With the attic breached, even Kangyul—who had secured angle—fought hard but ultimately died, ending the match.
'Whew. This feels like playing 4:5.'
Im Honggyu struggled just to get a single kill.
The best he could do was chip away a bit at the enemies' health with grenades.
What the heck! Why didn't you check upstairs properly! We lost a game we had won!
Im Honggyu knew it was his fault and stayed silent like his mouth was full of honey.
Strangely, even when he aimed the same way, his bullets always veered off.
He'd been practicing secretly alone at home, but it was still like this.
The team's reactions, once "You'll get better with practice," were shifting to "This might not work out."
'Sigh. Maybe people are right—am I just trash?'
As quitting time approached, Im Honggyu left first, taking Jaeyoung with him.
He always drove Jaeyoung home after practice.
Jaeyoung glanced at Im Honggyu in the driver's seat and said,
"Uncle, don't be too upset. There are wins and losses, right?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
An awkward silence hung in the car for a moment.
"Jaeyoung, how do you do so well? Got some special trick?"
"Hmm, no special method. You just get used to it and it clicks. After shooting a bunch, the shots start landing."
"Sigh. But no matter how much I practice, nothing."
"Maybe the gun just doesn't suit you?"
Im Honggyu frowned and asked,
"The gun? Didn't Mina insist on the AK-47 no matter what?"
Jaeyoung snickered.
"No such thing. Look at Seongtae—he wipes everyone with the K2. You've gotta find your gun. The AK-47 has heavy recoil, tough for beginners."
Hearing Jaeyoung's words cleared Im Honggyu's mind.
Thinking about it, there was no need to stubbornly stick to the AK-47 he couldn't even aim well.
'Gotta try other guns today.'
Im Honggyu's car had arrived at Jaeyoung's house before he knew it.
"See ya, tomorrow."
"Yeah. Rest well, Uncle."
Jaeyoung opened the door to get out but glanced back at Im Honggyu and said,
"Oh, Uncle, I don't know about anything else, but your grenades are A-grade. They kill when you throw 'em—that's huge. Don't get too down!"
Clunk—
Jaeyoung shut the door and dashed into the house.
"...That kid. Calls me 'Uncle' right to the end. Calls Mina 'noona,' though."
Still, the compliment about his grenades didn't feel bad at all.
Back home, Im Honggyu took a cold shower and plopped down at his computer.
In the old days, he'd review and organize company work again, but things were different now.
First, he fired up Sudden Attack and logged in.
'Today's goal: 100 kills.'
He was about to jump into the 3 Supply Depot map when Jaeyoung's words popped into his head.
'Find my own gun, huh?'
Im Honggyu headed to the shop first.
He bought one-day trials for every gun type.
He tested them one by one, searching for something at least somewhat comfortable.
"Sigh. They all feel kinda similar?"
They were easier to land than the AK-47, but that was it.
He'd add some flavor damage and die right after.
'Next up: SG-870?'
It was the shotgun slotted into his empty spot.
Im Honggyu didn't have high hopes for the shotgun.
He figured a high rate-of-fire gun to land one more shot would be better.
'Might as well try it since I bought it.'
He swapped to the shotgun and hit start.
The SG-870 only held 6 rounds, but its firepower was immense.
At close range, even a precise body shot—no head required—could secure a one-shot kill.
'Here they come!'
Im Honggyu hugged the wall, then blasted the emerging enemy with the shotgun.
Bang!
'Huh? Dead?'
He fired at the enemies pouring out one after another.
Bang!
Bang!
Nice shot! This guy's a shotgun master!
Ooh, nice! One more to go!
Maybe because the kills came too easily.
Im Honggyu was even more dazed.
But his hands instinctively pulled a grenade and chucked it toward the noise.
[Grenade ahead!]
Kwaang!
He cleanly took out the last enemy with a grenade and claimed the round.
'Haha... What is this? Is the shotgun the gun for me?'
Im Honggyu's aim wasn't bad.
On the contrary, he nailed first shots well but didn't know how to control the spray after.
This first-shot strength met the shotgun and unleashed its potential.
Bang!
'Huh?'
With the shotgun in hand, Im Honggyu was like a fish in water.
He stuffed bullets into every visible enemy's torso, racking up kills left and right.
For long-range foes, he dodged and handled them with grenades.
'...This is insane?'
His K/D ratio, which had hovered around 10%, skyrocketed to 30% in no time.
Winning matches, Im Honggyu got hooked on Sudden Attack, losing track of time as he played.
'Hehe. All dead.'
The Im Honggyu who'd only been ignored until now had finally awakened to his dark side.
Kangyul arrived at Midas Corporation and immediately hopped on a phone meeting with the Netmarble staff.
It was because the response to "Midas Back Sudden Attack Strongest Battle!" was way hotter than expected.
Over 5,000 clans had registered with Netmarble alone, with participant numbers exceeding 50,000.
Just running the prelims would take a full 3 nights and 4 days.
—So here's the thing: we're thinking of live-streaming the tournament footage. Inviting popular Sudden Attack BJs too. What do you think?
The Netmarble staffer's idea wasn't bad.
Personal streams would be fun on their own, but they'd draw eyes to the Sudden Attack tournament too.
"Sounds good. Got any BJs in mind or lined up?"
—Yes. We've secured six: BJ Cheolbbak, Bokem, Kim Ibba, and others.
BJ Cheolbbak and Bokem were perfect picks.
Their pure fanbases alone were massive.
But Kim Ibba and the other girl BJs didn't sit well with Kangyul.
"Isn't Kim Ibba basically a girl cam? She probably doesn't even know Sudden Attack well."
—But her fanbase and popularity are huge...
"If you're going by popularity, might as well snag a celebrity. Ideally, someone who knows Sudden Attack well. Hey, mind if I recommend a streamer I know?"
—Go ahead.
Kangyul recommended Kim Mina right away.
Her "Meerkat's Horror Games" series was blowing up lately, her popularity rivaling girl cam BJs.
—Oh, Kim Mina? Is she good at Sudden?
"Yeah. She's even joining this tournament. With the Midas clan."
Kim Mina was suddenly appointed MC for the Sudden Attack prelims without even realizing it.
—President, we'll call again then!
"Sure. Good work."
Kangyul wrapped up with the Netmarble staffer.
The moment he hung up, Kim Mina knocked on the president's office door.
"President, call from MBC GAME. They want to talk broadcast rights for the Sudden Attack tournament."
"Ah, MBC GAME? Patch it through now."
MBC GAME was one of the two big game broadcasters alongside OGN until 2012.
It had great ratings until a bad station president tanked it overnight into closure—a tragic tale.
'I don't remember them doing Sudden Attack broadcasts. What's this about?'
Kangyul gathered his thoughts and picked up.
"Yes, got the call."
—Hello, President. I'm PD Kim Taek. We were wondering... could we buy the broadcast rights for this Sudden Attack tournament?
"We're planning an internet stream without separate rights."
—Aren't you recording the finals in a studio? We're not doing live—we'll record on-site for rebroadcasts, so finals footage would suffice.
Rebroadcasts wouldn't clash with the live internet stream.
The BJs, pro casters, and the broadcaster's flair each had their own appeal.
'...Tempting.'
He'd built the studio anyway—might as well go all out.
"Hmm. We'll discuss internally and get back to you."
—Yes. Looking forward to your answer!
Kangyul hung up and immediately called the Netmarble staffer.
The staffer welcomed the idea of a game specialist broadcaster covering it.
So they settled on BJs for prelim streams and a mix of BJs and casters for finals.
This decision went straight to MBC GAME's PD Kim Taek.
The rights fee was a measly 10 million won, but Kangyul—knowing their internal woes—accepted gladly.
'Phew. Alright, time for practice today too?'
"Alright, everyone log in!"
"Yes! Been waiting!"
Im Honggyu responded to Kangyul's call with shining eyes.
His voice brimmed with uncharacteristic confidence.
"Oh? Did some practicing?"
"Of course."
"Hmm. If your K/D beats mine today, I'll grant you one wish."
"...No take-backs."
Kim Mina's playful remark ignited a fierce glint of resolve in Im Honggyu's eyes.
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