Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Top Fan Nick VS Fan Nick
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[Ias Gallery] Title: White Dragon Pavilion <[What the hell is this guy?]> Author: Anon Seems like he's tight with all the Ias streamers, they raid together a lot and hit endgame sometimes too. Is this guy a streamer too?? — Anon Just a stream parasite. — Anon A ton of newbies flooding in, not knowing who Dragon Pavilion is lololol — Anon (OP) Who's that? — Anon That guy's just an endgame parasite who hangs out in Ias streamers' rooms. — Anon (OP) So he's just a total stream trash then? — Anon But he knows exactly where to draw the line, stops just before it gets annoying, so he's likable. — Anon Minus the occasional endgame trolling? Yeah, not bad. — Anon He's an endgame parasite tho. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Anon donated 1,000 won! [Everyone wants to see Zero Two, right?] The reason I'd comfortably taken down over twenty challengers so far was thanks to several advantages on my side.
One was that Lee Min-ji's body had superhuman reaction speeds beyond human limits.
Another was that most challengers didn't know the tambourine's exact range or its stun effect.
And the most important one...
-Lmao of all people, White Dragon Pavilion lolololol
-Host looks genuinely rattled??
-Lololololol
-Why is that guy showing up here
All my opponents up to now had been total scrubs.
No matter how niche PVP was in Ias—a game with a massive player base—it still had a decent number of PVP players compared to other RPGs.
Yet out of all those players, the number who both watched my stream and were PVP competent could be counted on one hand.
As a result, everyone who'd challenged me so far was several tiers below guys like that 'Jaw Cling Duo' who'd wrecked me in the past.
And of all people, the next opponent was...
[White Dragon Pavilion]
Of all people, him.
"What the hell..."
If it were anyone else—no, even that Jaw Cling Duo bastard would've been better.
Unlike back then, when I couldn't even resist getting stomped, I felt like I could put up a real fight now.
But White Dragon Pavilion... no way.
'I mean, how am I supposed to beat the tournament champion?!'
Sure, the guy spent all day parked in the endgame gallery spamming boomer posts like some jobless old fart, but White Dragon Pavilion was the official Ias PVP tournament winner.
No matter how insane Lee Min-ji's reaction speed was... I couldn't beat a champ.
"...I'll invite him in."
-Mood drop sudden af lolololol
-Zero Two time~ Zero Two time~ Zero Two time~ Zero Two time~
-Dragon bro pls get revenge for us
-Time for a proper schooling??
The chat was still itching to see me humiliated, already buzzing in anticipation of my beatdown.
And the highlight of that ending? Me turning beet red with shame in front of hundreds, shaking my ass to Zero Two.
"Hoo..."
A dark future that hadn't even arrived yet already had me seeing black.
But regardless...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Anon donated 1,000 won! [Salty cam kill prep, total fave lol] -Total fave lol
-Not chickening out, right? Not chickening out, right? Not chickening out, right?
-If this scrub pulls that "cam doesn't have to show me" bullshit, I'm not letting it slide
-Drooling donos lolol
Seeing all that hype focused on one thing made me impulsively want to smash their expectations head-on.
The troll blood—the very cells—in my veins screamed not to show them Zero Two.
Well... it's not like my odds of winning are 0%, right?
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ White Dragon Pavilion has entered the room. "Come at me."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 3... 2... 1... Game start. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Anon donated 1,000 won! [Hogam VS Ho1gam showdown, heart pounding...] The showdown between the endgame gallery's Top Fan Nick and Fan Nick.
A pride-on-the-line battle between them had just begun.
⚔ PVP MATCHUP ⚔ Saintess Nice: Saintess/Tambourine [0] Guitar / Lancer: White Dragon Pavilion [0] ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I didn't ditch the tambourine for something lame like a One-Handed Sword just because my opponent was rank one.
Even if I lost, I was the type to stick to my honed path with conviction!
—Or at least, that's what I wanted to say all proudly.
In reality, I just wanted an excuse to say "I lost because of the tambourine!" if I went down.
...Losing with a Holy Book or One-Handed Sword would've been way too embarrassing.
Ah, of course, that excuse...
"Guitar?"
⚔ PVP MATCHUP ⚔ Saintess Nice: Saintess/Tambourine [0] Guitar / Lancer: White Dragon Pavilion [0] White Dragon Pavilion had grabbed an instrument too, killing my excuse.
-Guitar wtf lololololol
-He brought an instrument too
-Is this PVP or a concert ffs
[Saintess Nice: Guitar what?]
[White Dragon Pavilion: You're using a tambourine too.]
...Fair enough.
Deep down, I wanted people to think "Hey, not bad for a fight" even in defeat, but now...
[Lmao just getting smashed by the guitar, can't even breathe]
[All previous opponents were just total fodder, huh?]
[Real pro shows up and she's getting absolutely owned...]
Ughhh—
'No way, absolutely not!'
My streak of wins and skilled-player image that I'd built up—I couldn't lose it so pointlessly here.
Sure... even a PVP demon like White Dragon Pavilion probably had zero experience maining an instrument.
In that sense, I had the edge in experience.
'Thought he'd give me a handicap huh—'
I'll make him regret that choice...!
And... as always.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Time up! ⚔ PVP MATCHUP ⚔ Saintess Nice: Saintess/Tambourine [0] Guitar / Lancer: White Dragon Pavilion [1] "Ah."
I was always the one getting crushed.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Anon donated 1,000 won! [Host mentality ok..?] -Uh...
-Didn't expect her to get this wrecked
-Um... you okay?
-We didn't wanna see you get smashed like this either
Got absolutely destroyed.
Couldn't even fight back, just 1 minute 30 seconds straight.
Even without instrument experience, was this what a champ looked like?
White Dragon Pavilion perfectly exploited the reach difference between guitar and tambourine, pressuring me from a distance my attacks couldn't touch.
Stay back and get zoned out; try to close with a dash and he dashes away too.
Total defeat.
"Ha, haha..."
Just one round in, and his razor-sharp spacing and control made me hit a wall.
"...Should I... prep the cam..."
-Lolololololololololol
-First time seeing her this deflated
-Suddenly looks super chill now
-Nunna ㅠㅠㅠ don't cry ㅠㅠㅠ
-Still do Zero Two tho ㅇㅇ
This... I can't win.
No answers came no matter how I thought about it.
If I'd grabbed a Holy Book or One-Handed Sword maybe, but against the same instrument? No way to beat this demon.
'Well... dancing in front of people isn't new anyway..'
There was a difference between barracks seniors and stream viewers, but how big could it really be?
Right as I was about to give up on everything,
A voice echoed in my head.
[Duhan!]
No, not that.
[Jaw Cling Duo: Saintess-nim]
There had to be something I'd learned from the one guy I could call my PVP teacher, 'that bastard.'
[Jaw Cling Duo: You're doing amazinggg lol]
Something...
[Jaw Cling Duo: EZ]
Something I'd learned,
[Jaw Cling Duo: EZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ]
No, he was totally useless.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 3... 2... 1... Couldn't even sort my thoughts, and round two was already starting.
Lose this and it'd be 0:2, done.
I had to... had to win this.
-Thwack!
[Urk!]
"Agh..!"
'How the hell do I close this distance..!'
But White Dragon Pavilion's play was flawless.
"Screw it."
At this rate, I'd lose the round on HP again.
Dash and attack almost simultaneously—land one hit before he escapes.
And if he just runs... I can force a draw at least.
"Ah."
...That was the plan.
Should've dashed first, but hit attack instead.
Ended up charging in like "Here, hit me please."
The moment I envisioned getting battered by that chunky guitar—
-Ting♪
-Thwack!
[Guh!]
-Huh?
"Huh?"
-
-What
-How'd she hit
Why was I not the one hit... but White Dragon Pavilion?
F-First off—
-Ting♪ Ting♪ Ting♫ Ting♪
-Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
[Guh!]
Since it landed, chain the combo.
-Jingle♪ Jingle♪
-Dancing in the middle of this lololololol
-Is the dance part of the combo??
-Why dance lol
"Ah, habit..."
I had no idea why my tambourine reached White Dragon Pavilion.
But I had one guess.
Maybe like the Hammer Warrior's [SWING!], tambourine extends hitbox if you dash right after attacking.
Thanks to stumbling on that glitchy tech by luck, things weren't so bad.
Me: 1 hit taken. Him: 5 hits.
A bit cheesy, but if I just kite... I can take this round—
-Whoosh!
Ah, too cocky.
Of course he wouldn't just watch.
White Dragon Pavilion popped up with a recovery move, copying my glitchy tech exactly and charging.
'No dash left now..!'
"Take this..!"
In desperation, I swung the tambourine at the charging White Dragon Pavilion.
It wouldn't connect anyway thanks to guitar stun, but better than eating it passively—
-Ting♪
-Thwack!
[Guh!]
"...Huh?"
-What was that now??
-Host hacking...? Nah
-Why'd Dragon get hit again
No clue why, but my tambourine slapped his cheek before the guitar reached my head.
White Dragon Pavilion tumbled like he'd eaten a counterpunch mid-charge.
-Ting♪ Ting♪ Ting♫ Ting♪
-Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
[Guh!]
Chaining the combo off another lucky hit, I pondered.
'What happened this time?'
"Aha."
And I figured it out quick.
-Jingle♪ Jingle♪
-Dancing again lolololol
-When else you gonna tea-bag Dragon Pavilion lol
-Tea-bagging's just in her blood lol
Two heaven-sent lucky breaks, and I'd found the way to beat White Dragon Pavilion.
If guitar had longer reach, then tambourine—
'Tambourine has faster attack speed than guitar!'
So, get in close and every guitar swing eats a counter.
Saintess Nice finally realized that obvious fact way too late.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 00:03... 00:02... 00:01... ⚔ PVP MATCHUP ⚔ Saintess Nice: Saintess/Tambourine [1] Guitar / Lancer: White Dragon Pavilion [1] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Anon donated 1,000 won! [Wtf are these idiots fighting with instruments lol] -Lololololololololol
-Tied it at 1:1 with this??
-Guitar VS Tambourine... epic battle
-So janky but tasty lol
-Why is this so watchable...?