Declaration of War
After Midraider's attacker and supporter fell, the rest was a foregone conclusion.
With only a defender and healer left, Midraider had no choice but to lose any engagement.
Thanks to that, Kaiserst leisurely secured the main objective and strolled out.
Earlier, Midraider had deliberately ambushed Lee Siwoo right when the main objective activated.
But with Siwoo nearly wiping them, the backlash swung straight back to Kaiserst.
This was why high-risk, high-return plays were so terrifying.
Fail, and it became irreversible.
Anyway, that's how it went.
No one stood in Kaiserst's way as they protected the main objective. All of Midraider's players were stuck in respawn timers.
Midraider chased desperately, but…
Lee Siwoo blocked their path.
When it came to stalling, a sniper was absolute. The enemy had no choice but to slice angles and creep forward.
Plus, Midraider's attacker was an assassination type.
Unlike a rifle attacker who could poke from afar, they couldn't harass effectively—dragging things out even more.
Of course, assassination attackers were known as sniper counters.
But only if you knew how to use them properly.
Midraider had prepped it as a last resort, so their proficiency was lacking.
Assassination attackers were tricky to handle in the first place—demanding insane mechanics and instincts.
Because of that, escaping Siwoo's stall was impossible for Midraider.
Kaiserst claimed victory.
OCK Week 6: 6 consecutive wins achieved.
Tssshhh—
Logging out, Siwoo slowly rose from the capsule.
Thump, thump, thump.
His heart pounded like mad.
Fingertips trembling, breaths ragged. Chest aching cold, body tingling all over. Dopamine flooded his brain, explosions popping off nonstop.
The hyper-awakened state from maxed focus and senses. He hadn't noticed during the match, but now his body shook uncontrollably.
"…Haha."
A faint laugh slipped from Siwoo's lips.
He'd just pulled off transcendent play even multi-million won pros struggled with—nearly wiping three solo.
He felt it every match.
When a calculated play landed perfectly, bringing massive gains, thrill dominated his body.
Like he'd shotgunned some drug.
'Nailed it again today.'
Siwoo stared at his clenched fist. Still shaking.
Truth be told, wiping three wasn't the plan. A sniper soloing multiples was near impossible. It just happened.
"Hey, Siwoo!"
That's when Kim Ho-jong, logged out with a beaming grin, rushed over.
"You totally lost it, man? How'd a sniper take three solo?!"
"Kinda just happened."
"What? 'Just happened'? You shredded 'em clean!"
Ho-jong laughed loud, slapping Siwoo's back. Lee Soo-hyuk and Kim Yong-taek chimed in beside him.
"Kid's talent is the real deal."
"Mechanics insane. Split-second calls too."
To them—pros via the standard grind—Siwoo was a monster.
Taking years minimum to master even basic proficiency pre-pro. VR meant time adapting avatar control.
Plus Force Enhancement. Controlling sudden physical shifts took ages.
But Siwoo?
Started VR games last winter—Overlant included. Not even full-time; just whenever free.
How not call that monstrous? Absurdly violent talent.
"…Luck. Midraider's ace attacker's out sick with a cold, practice kid filled in. Low assassin proficiency too."
Siwoo grinned sheepishly, brushing it off. Praise from teammates felt good, but near-worship? Embarrassing.
"Luck my ass, you crushed it."
"Acting shy now?"
"Siwoo's pure-hearted. Blush city with too much hype."
They teased, but anyway.
The casters' voices boomed from outside the capsule booth.
Fans' stormy cheers pierced the glass. Siwoo smirked, standing.
Interview time.
"Today's match POM! We've got player Lee Siwoo!"
Waaaaaaah—!
The interviewer grinned and greeted. Massive fan cheers rang in his ears.
Siwoo took the mic, bowing.
"Lee Siwoo here."
Waaaaaaah—!
Cheers swelled louder.
As they died down, the interviewer spoke.
"Haha, huge welcome! Player Lee Siwoo, tons of epic moments today! Overwhelming multiples solo!"
Siwoo nodded along, listening.
"Sets 1 and 2, both 1vX, but you didn't falter! What made you pick those fights?"
"Eh, nothing special. Saw their positions and info—figured it was doable. They gave angles too. That's it."
"What do you mean they 'gave angles'?"
The interviewer asked.
"Kinda like quoting a job. I just see it. This position combo? Skill incoming then, fight breaks here. Hard to explain."
Special senses. Brain auto-calculating without thought. Folks wouldn't get it.
"Possible? Fights are chaos! How stay so calm?"
"Nothing to panic over. Just do it. Thinking back, been like this since kid days."
Siwoo chuckled lightly.
Recalling, he'd always been called overly calm. Parents marveled at his unflappability.
Even horror flicks—brain spun cool.
"Got it! But can't skip this: Kaiserst hits 6 straight wins, dominating league 1st!"
Interviewer continued.
"Next up? OCK top 3 A1—title contenders! Thoughts?"
A1.
Storied esports powerhouse like Kaiserst. Home to OCK's four great attackers, Ryu Jin-seok.
Tough foe ahead. Masters and Worlds vets with strong showings.
But.
"We'll win, obviously. Player Ryu Jin-seok better prep hard. League first attacker's pretty damn good."
Siwoo was confident.
And that moment.
The crowd erupted in stormy cheers.
Central stadium screen's chat scrolled fast.
"League first, POM leader player Lee Siwoo lives up to it!"
Interviewer beamed.
"Yep, that's the interview! Player Lee Siwoo!"
"Total provocation, right?"
A1 HQ dorms.
A1's supporter, watching from the sofa, snickered.
"Nah, that's not even trash talk."
A1's defender chuckled.
But the target, Ryu Jin-seok, stayed stone-faced. No emotion flicker—he just stared at the broadcast quietly.
Minutes passed. Finally, Ryu smirked.
"Gonna be fun."
Truth was, he'd been gauging chat reactions till then—checking public sentiment.
Seemed Siwoo had tons of fans. Made sense. Dominating league 1st, pulling crowds.
Any sport, new superstars drew hype. Especially young ones—people went wild.
'Young genius' was idol bait. Siwoo fit perfectly: high schooler fresh OCK debut, winning all.
But beat him next week? Ryu Jin-seok's value skyrockets.
Snapping a rising sprout? For popularity, why not.
"Checking chat again?"
"Pervert's at it."
Teammates watching clicked tongues.
Person Ryu was fine. Pro gamer Ryu? Weirdo.
Attention fiend by nature—thrived on eyes. Bigger crowd, stronger he got.
"What 'at it'? He started it."
Ryu shrugged.
"True, Siwoo threw first."
"Fun times. Kaiserst hot lately."
"Never scrimmed 'em?"
"Nah, they're overseas only now."
"Hiding power? Impressive."
"Beat Sengoku Gaming too."
Teammates slipped into chatter.
At center.
Ryu eyed screen Siwoo with a cold smile.