KoK thought that, in some ways, it was similar to a turn-based game. No matter how skilled a player was, due to the combination of the limitations of human joints and stamina constraints, continuous active movements were impossible. Once one used a turn to make a desired move, they had to pass the turn to the opponent and take the time to respond to their move.
There were some despicable folks who managed to use two turns purely on physical prowess, but… complaining at this point would be meaningless.
After all, when people who used two turns each faced off, it was no different than using one turn each.
Anyway.
If one used a turn to set a trap and the opponent not only responded to it but also completely nullified it—one had to endure the loss.
-It was only natural. Such was the nature of turn-based games.
It was natural, yet… the frustration couldn’t be helped.
Before my eyes, the rogue, barely standing with his left arm blown off, staggered. In a few tens of seconds, or probably… even just ten seconds more, he would bleed out and be out of the game.
It wouldn’t be considered. I was already slowly collapsing. Pro gamers, indeed, not just anyone could be one.
The opponent had planted an attack swinging from above, then launched an attack in the opposite direction. That too, after piercing through the floor. It was a blind spot within my vision… could he have anticipated it?
No, probably not. No matter how much the Holy Knights had been a trend once, they were now merely considered a build with high attack power post-nerf.
It didn’t seem like he could have known beforehand that the attack would pierce the floor. The collision mode hadn’t been out for long either… and I hadn’t even thought of this attack method before experimenting myself.
So, purely based on reaction speed and intuition…
I didn’t know what frustrated me more. Whether it was being anticipated, or being outmatched in intuition. However, such contemplation wouldn’t change the outcome — and now wasn’t the time for it.
The match had returned to square one. A best-of-three series, with one win and one loss each. The next set would determine who advanced to the finals.
Honestly, it didn’t matter that much.
I just wanted to climb a bit higher. I needed to seek revenge. I couldn’t show myself doing cosplay… It was an affair far beyond what I could handle.
And—
I wanted to win. Putting aside other reasons, simply because it was fun. Every moment competing with the opponent now was purely enjoyable.
I didn’t know if it was proper to approach the tournament with such a mindset… but it should be fine.
The desire to win was genuine.
* * * *
“Fierce! At the end of an intensely fierce bout, Orthodox stands tall in the second set!”
“Ah, really, really, this match was a feast for the eyes. The psychological warfare going back and forth, every move—truly, it was an extreme play of wits. We need to replay this.”
“Yes, indeed! Especially, ah, here, here! When GetDevoured pierced the ground and swung her greatsword, Orthodox couldn’t see it. Can you see now? It’s outside his field of vision. But then, she pulls back here. Does this player have some kind of real-life survival instinct skill?”
“I want to give a round of applause to GetDevoured. Honestly, the moment Orthodox dodged that strike, the match tilted more than 70% in favor of the rogue. There was nothing much the knight who had spent his stamina and health could do—how did he manage to drag it out this far? It must have been chilling for Orthodox, thinking, ‘Even then, does she keep following? Even then?’ Those thoughts must have come to his mind!”
It had been a battle too intense to follow with the eyes. Watching it, it was hard to believe what one was seeing was from the same game.
‘Yena, really… she’s really good.’
Lee Yena’s expertise was known to some extent. After all, she had once been the top solo rank player. It was only natural that there was a skill gap between her and someone barely holding on at the margins of Master rank like Jinhee.
But was that all? From experience, Kim Jinhee knew it well. Not because she wanted to, but few people had played as many games with Yena as she had.
Even so, why was she still so astonished?
Kim Jinhee suddenly realized that recently she hadn’t been linking Yena and GetDevoured well.
She started broadcasting for the Rogue Revival Movement, raised the rogue’s status to a must-pick in pro matches, and wielded her sword without hesitation even against professional gamers, ultimately claiming victory—this was GetDevoured.
And then there was Yena, who seemed slightly detached from reality—looking quite sad at times and sometimes flashing an inexplicable smile—Yena.
It was hard to believe they were the same person with such a disparity.
Had it always been this way? No, it hadn’t. During their first call and first meeting, she was definitely GetDevoured in every sense. The appearance aside, her speech and actions were.
But recently, Yena seemed to be faintly losing that essence of GetDevoured.
Jinhee felt both relieved and slightly regretful about it.
So, as the replay of the second set played on the large screen, Jinhee stared blankly at Yena in front.
“She could make a nice pro debut like that. If only her controversy section on the wiki wasn’t so lengthy.”
Shihoon’s words, who was sitting beside her, reached her ears. It was hard to ignore what he said, considering he often interacted with professionals.
“… Really? Yena, does she play well enough to go pro?”
“Seeing her now, yes. She’s better than most pros. Hiding her true skills and placing bets…really, there are limits to how much one can deceive.”
“I see…”
“Given that she juggles broadcasting or runs for six hours every day, it’s either one of these. I knew her original skills were better, but this…”
Despite shaking his head, Shihoon wore a small smile. He didn’t seem like someone who had been scammed in gambling.
“Still, it’s quite enjoyable to cheer for her.”
His words, though accompanied by a dry chuckle, seemed genuinely heartfelt.
* * * *
Considering the nature of the game being conducted in VR, the break time between sets was quite long. If they had given only 1 minute breaks like in boxing, it would essentially have transformed esports into a sport.
I wondered if the actual leagues would be like this. I thought I would like to watch the next season. Especially… I was a bit curious about GP’s matches.
I put aside the random thoughts that popped into my head. Even though there was quite a bit of time, I couldn’t afford to waste it. Though I had a pre-prepared build, the decision on which build to use at what timing had to be made in the actual match.
My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.
The urge to pick up the greatsword knight again kept lingering. Perhaps it was because I had lost the second set. I had a strong desire to make up for it.
But, then again…
From Orthodox’s perspective, he would want a chance to restore his honor with a rogue mirror match as well.
It was the final set. One of us had to be eliminated. There was no guarantee there’d be another chance to meet on such a stage, so it really felt like the last.
I had no intention of losing. However, I somehow understood the mindset of picking rogue for two games in a row.
In the end, at the last moment, my hand gravitated towards the rogue.
Soon, the cheers from the audience beyond the game booth penetrated my headset. I couldn’t gauge how loud they were since I had no prior experience, but it seemed they were quite… quite enthusiastic.
Had Orthodox also chosen the rogue? Or, since it was the finale, perhaps he chose the warrior. Given that a retired player had picked his main character, that level of excitement made sense.
However, if it were me—
If it were me.
.
.
.
Snow was falling on a snowy mountain. The opponent’s movements, slowly walking from afar, were quite light. Leather armor, probably with agility traits. He must have also selected non-lethal strike traits.
A build heavily focused on attack speed and critical hits.
A build specifically for rogue mirror matches.
The same as mine.
The sound of footsteps crunching on the snow echoed distinctly.
We halted simultaneously at a distance where the aura of the opponent’s sword was visible. It was close enough to approach in two breaths. One breath, and I could throw.
As my rhythmic heartbeat aligned with the tension, I watched his movements.
Orthodox drew his sword with his right hand and pointed it diagonally towards the ground, as if indicating the exact middle point between us. His movements felt almost ceremonious, with a profound seriousness.
… How does he know?
During a time when the unanimous praise for rogue players being labeled as cowardly swept through the community, a half-joking movement began on the rogue subreddit of R*ddit.
It called for rogues to show respect to their opponents, just like the honorable knights who paid homage before crossing swords.
In the dim underground, where those who sacrificed for the victory of their comrades resided, there emerged a gesture of pledging an honorable duel by pointing to the ground.
Of course, this intention did not last long. Typically, the usage involved paying respect with the right hand and throwing a dagger with the left if a knight high on their own honor or a warrior mimicked the gesture.
That was the nature of friends who chose to be rogues. What they wanted to grasp in their hands was victory. Honor, glory — those were mere secondary.
However—
That was something long after and long before. It couldn’t be forgotten but hadn’t yet happened.
Nevertheless, it was something they couldn’t help but respond to. Slowly drawing out the left-handed sword and pointing it towards the snow-covered ground.
Here, they could indeed show genuine respect. After all, with Orthodox, who had come with relentless determination as a rogue, there was no need for pretenses.
Of course, in the truest sense, respecting the opponent meant giving one’s best in the match.
As such, within less than a second—
-Whoosh!
Both narrowly avoided the daggers thrown at each other—
-Bang!
Then, they clashed.
* * * *
『Author: ㅇㅇ』
『Title: Give me back my goddamn emotions』
『Wow, I thought that was so romantic and touching, but goddamn.
They both distracted each other, just waiting for the perfect moment to throw their daggers』
– You’re disgusting, Orthodox, truly……
– I can understand GetDevoured, but why is Orthodox doing this?
– ㄴ Maybe he’s just pure evil spreading some corruptive influence around
– ㄴㄴ That’s a bit too harsh
– What the hell are they doing after that epic second set, seriously LOLOLOL LOL