Chapter 145
“What? Penguin, what do you mean by that?”
It was a question from Ark, puzzled by Penguin’s commentary that Sojun had thrown away his gun and drifted away from victory.
“Yes! Please, clarify. No, explain it!”
Arin joined in the questioning.
– It’s not an explanation, it’s a justification, hahaha
– Did the caster speak honestly?
– Is this really a caster?
– Why is Ark acting like this already, hahaha
The scene was unbelievable for those supposed to be in commentary roles. But it had always been this way, so it didn’t matter.
As long as there was no malicious abuse, insult, or belittling, the caster or commentators were free to cheer for one side. This had been a tradition for several years.
They accepted the public opinion that if they conducted the commentary too objectively and paid too much attention to the chat sentiment, it would be boring and uninteresting.
Moreover, wasn’t it just a streamer tournament in the shadows, no matter how much it had grown?
There’s a certain charm exclusive to the minor leagues!
“Now, Ark and Arin. Isn’t this too biased? If you’re going to cheer, at least wait for the main game to support a team! Why are you like this from the warm-up game?”
Penguin seemed to have a lot to say.
Of course, cheering too openly could upset fans of the opposing team, so it was crucial to adjust things sensibly.
– Hahaha
– Understandable for Penguin to be upset
– Stop the biased judgment immediately!
– Those two were salty because Sojun won with a frying pan, hahaha
– Looks like Sun is speechless
“That’s why we do it in the warm-up game, hehe.”
Arin’s counterargument was reasonable.
Next, it was Ark’s turn.
“Because that’s what being a streamer is about!”
– Nod wisely
– That’s the spirit of LoS!
– Chaos and destruction!
– Makes sense. Seems like Penguin made a mistake, hahaha
The viewers made their judgment.
And they, too, found it reasonable.
Penguin had nothing more to say, so he moved on to the main topic.
“Anyway, I think it’ll be difficult for Sojun, who abandoned his gun.”
As the discussion deepened, Arin stepped back.
Although she was impressed by Sojun’s play, she wasn’t as blindly confident as Ark.
“Good. Why do you say that?”
Ark asked with a big smile.
“Isn’t it obvious? I mean, with equipment not properly looted and no weapon, it’s strange to think he could win!”
Penguin spoke with a slightly sincere tone.
Ever since his previous predictions regarding Sojun were wrong, he hoped for situations to unfold normally.
‘Why does he keep succeeding with these bizarre tactics?’
Even his expert perspective was starting to foster disbelief. However, blindly stating that Sojun could do it was against his conscience.
It genuinely seemed impossible.
“Hoho, that’s because of the lack of faith. He was handed a sword by the Sword God, after all.”
“It’s a frying pan.”
“I’m not sure about that. Would you like to bet?”
Penguin was momentarily startled.
Next to him, Ark was smiling confidently.
He was curious about the source of that confidence.
Penguin wasn’t sure.
But Ark’s eyes seemed to say, ‘If you’re scared, back off.’
So, he made a decision.
“Sure, okay. What are we betting on?”
“Hahaha! You’re very bold. Then let’s predict the winner. Whoever loses interviews the best player of the game as a magical girl…”
“Absolutely not.”
“Alright. How about proceeding with ‘Meowing’?”
Arin, who had been listening quietly, interjected.
“Oh! That sounds good! Awesome!”
– Announcer thrilled because someone else is doing her interview.jpg
– Isn’t Arin too pleased? Hahaha
– A meowing punishment, haha
– Ah! They’re plotting sabotage!
– Didn’t Ark watch Streamer-nim’s stream?
– The Streamer-nim should stop mentioning official accounts
– Anyway, judging from the magical girl reference, they must have watched it
Exactly.
Ark was an avid viewer of Sojun’s stream!
However, they didn’t know.
At that time, when deciding on the punishment during Sojun’s stream, the viewer who suggested the ‘Meowing’ was Ark.
Because…
‘Ah, suddenly I feel like seeing a butterfly.’
He was a cat lover having a cat at home.
So, weren’t you disgusted by seeing a man ‘meowing’?
– Hahaha, is this punishment meant for someone?
– Penguin and Ark aren’t terrible to look at, but it might still be annoying?
– Right, hahaha
– Could make one quite angry, hahaha
That’s why it was a punishment.
Rather than doing something shameful or disgusting, it wouldn’t be meaningful if they did something impressive or watchable.
“Are you going to do it?”
Ark looked at Penguin triumphantly.
Once again, those eyes beamed.
“Okay! Yes, alright!”
“Then I’ll go with Sojun’s squad. What about you, Penguin?”
Considering the discussion flow so far, Ark made the obvious choice, while Penguin went for the most ordinary choice.
From a logical perspective, the most reasonable bet was in the current situation.
“So, you both haven’t given a reason. Could you share why?”
“Wave’s squad is confirmed to get supplies. They’ll be flying freely. The supply equipment is equal to that of the secret room. Also, looking at the storm’s position, it eventually comes out on the airfield side. If supplies drop early, they can take them and wait for others coming up from underground. And the teams underground will…”
Penguin paused, looking slightly hesitant.
“That’s all I’ll say for now.”
“It seemed quite reasonable. Now, let’s hear from Ark, shall we?”
“Yes.”
“What’s the reason!”
“Because he’s the Heavenly Demon!”
– Nod wisely
– That’s so Heavenly Demon!
– Haha, what insane people, hahaha
– Japan might sue us for using too many cool jokes, hahaha
– Info) The Heavenly Demon was the streamer Jin Sojun’s nickname during ‘For Justice’…
“This side is also quite reasonable.”
Penguin looked at the Arin in disbelief.
Where on earth was that reasonable?
“Let’s wait and see what happens. With a bet like this, it becomes much more thrilling.”
– It’s not thrilling because it’s interesting, hahaha
* * *
Step, step, step.
The corridor illuminated and darkened alternately.
In the underground bunker, the facilities were outdated and poorly maintained. While some lights were properly on, most of them flickered or had shattered bulbs.
“We’re almost there.”
And as they moved, they occasionally encountered large spaces.
Taewoo raised his gun as they approached the center with the Secret Room.
Following that, not only Taewoo but the entire squad held their breath quietly.
The leader of the team at the front aimed to detect any other movements.
Keril.
An A-rank supporter.
The support position was often underestimated.
Since it involves assisting the marksman and not taking down minions, there’s constant debate over its skill level.
However, at the challenger level, such opinions are immediately silenced, proving them wrong.
That’s the meaning of being a challenger. Regardless of the position, it’s simply a challenging status to reach.
“Steady.”
Support Keril, aged sixteen, was a young male high school student.
He was not only young and talented but also an aspiring pro.
“Still energetic?”
Anyway, keril was an A-rank player snagged instead of Sojun, and one of the reasons Taewoo brought in a marksman instead of Wind Sword from the B-grade.
He concentrated resources on the bottom line.
And now.
“There’s no one here. Let’s quickly assess the terrain.”
Following his orders, team members swiftly scoured the surroundings.
The underground common area with the Secret Room was randomly generated every match.
Also, the keys to enter the Secret Room were hidden.
“Taewoo hyung, stay here and watch over there. Provide backup if enemies approach the marksman.”
In a short time, keril identified the structure and started directing.
“It’s not too late to search and find the key after taking down enemies. Don’t forget the adrenaline 3-set boost and keep the radio clipped on your waist.”
After finding a spot hidden behind a box, Taewoo focused on the corridor ahead.
In Ground Zero, positioning was paramount.
A single mistake showing a gap resulted in bullets flying.
And once the gunshot was fired, enemies would pinpoint the location and approach. If the direction of the enemies wasn’t known, you’d be as good as dead at that moment.
Taewoo’s team was equipped with level 2 and 1 gear, so an unfortunate immediate demise wasn’t expected, but losing the position equated to death.
In this sense, keril chose perfect spots.
Exceptional spatial perception, game sense, and instantaneous judgment.
For these reasons, being a support player was nothing to underestimate.
At least they wouldn’t be attacked without knowing from where.
‘He’s coming.’
Taewoo gazed intensely forward.
Thanks to the viewers acting as legitimate radar in this game, he knew how many enemies there were.
And he was aware of what Sojun had demonstrated.
‘Deflected bullets with a frying pan? Is that even possible?’
Darn bastard.
They claimed that the monster was after him at that moment.
A small mercy was that Sojun had thrown away his gun and descended underground.
Perhaps he could have looted midway, but such a report didn’t appear in the chat even if one didn’t rely on it the accuracy, he knew.
Sojun stuck to his word when he said he’d do something.
‘Is this our first proper clash in the game?’
Maybe they could even face off in LoS. Given the position, Taewoo substituting as mid laner seemed most appropriate.
‘Let’s see how good you really are.’
Just a frying pan? Even for him, that should be tough.
‘Is he coming?’
A faint sound of gunfire could be heard.
Bang! Clang!
‘Was that gunfire?’
Uncertain, Taewoo gazed toward the end of the corridor where the sound resonated.
The corridor’s middle was dim, but lights were on at the end.
And undoubtedly, if they turned that corner, people would be fighting. Among them would certainly be him.
Bang!
Following the gunshot, a retreating enemy appeared from around the corner. The bastard wasn’t him.
However, the enemy didn’t even pay attention to Taewoo.
Clang!
Instead, the enemy kept looking the way he came from, continuously firing his gun.
Bang!
The sound of gunfire was followed faintly by…
Clang!
A sound of iron meeting iron echoed.
‘Is he here?’
Shoot. The showdown is here.
He had finally appeared. Hit the head of the earlier enemy.
Then turned his head.
Eyes met.
Chilling. The frying pan in his right hand seemed like the real weapon of a lunatic.
– Shivers
– Looks terrifying from a distance
– Did he really kill with the frying pan?
– Just watch the simultaneous stream if curious, haha
– Ah. That Streamer-nim will love this hahaha
‘He’s here.’
Deep down, Taewoo had prepared for this inevitability.
The earlier enemy immediately went into a knocked-out state.
‘That bastard’ started coming straight toward them. Vanishing into the cloak of the dark corridor.
Step, step, step.
Though it was dark, it wasn’t entirely without light, allowing slight detection.
‘He isn’t running? How leisurely.’
The corridor was dark, and Taewoo’s location was bright. But that was fine.
Not only had he found a spot in advance, but as soon as he fired, hearing the sound would prompt the team to reposition and provide cover.
The goal was to prevent the enemy from reaching them until the team regrouped.
‘The day I realized I gave away that flour because of you, you became my dream.’
Taewoo stood up from behind the cover and faced the dark, firing his gun.
Bang!
He assumed, even though Sojun might deflect with the frying pan, he would use the covers scattered through the corridor.
However.
Clang!
Sparks flew. For a moment, it was as if cameras flashed through the dark corridor.
A brief silhouette of the approaching bastard was visible but soon vanished.
『Let’s prepare to provide backup on Taewoo’s side.』
Bang!
Taewoo, without panic, fired another shot as soon as he could.
Clang!
Flash!
Again, the bastard’s form was briefly visible.
Similarly, he kept approaching. The only changes were the frying pan’s position momentarily and the shortened distance.
Bang!
Taewoo shot the next bullet with panic setting in. Continuously.
‘Huh? Not stopping? Deflecting them all?’
Nonetheless.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As each shot illuminated the dark corridor, it zeroed in precisely on the bastard’s nearing position.
Without a single retreat.
As if capturing the likeness of a ghost creeping closer from the corridor’s end.
– A like for those thinking Taewoo is in deep trouble hahaha
– Crazy hahaha
– A ghost photo? Hahaha
– How can there not be a single mistake?
– When is the team arriving! Hahaha
After firing the eighth shot, the bastard emerged from the shadows.
“Hey there.”
A friend approaching with a sly grin.
A frying pan swayed.
And then.
“Damage? It hurts quite a bit, huh?”
Sojun looked down at him.
Precisely.
It wasn’t that he dodged.
‘Startled, his legs just gave out.’
What a madman.
Terrifyingly frightening.