Genius’s Godlike Game Broadcast

Destiny (3)

The next day, early morning.

Lee Gyeongbok visited the Tier One team dormitory.

"Oh! Gyeongbok!"

Since they had set up an appointment in advance, Baek Kangmin greeted him warmly.

"It's been a while, sir."

Lee Gyeongbok bowed to him and turned to the person next to him.

"Hello. I'm streamer Purple, Lee Gyeongbok."

Elephant, who was much more nervous than Baek Kangmin, was a beat late to respond.

'No way, isn't this cheating?'

He had been curious about what kind of person streamer Purple was, so he had watched all the related videos.

Like the viewers, he had assumed, based on negative reactions to showing his face, that he must have a complex about his looks.

'How can someone who looks like this also be good at games?'

Fortunately, he was a pro(?) so he was used to shaking off shock quickly.

He immediately bowed low at the waist.

"N-nice to meet you for the first time! I'm Elephant, Jeong Sangjun!"

Baek Kangmin gave his back a gentle pat.

"Gyeongbok came early—are you really going to wake all the kids?"

"N-no, that's not..."

Only then did Elephant realize his mistake and shake his head.

Even though he had been invited, to the other players Lee Gyeongbok was still an outsider. For that reason, he'd scheduled the meeting as early as possible so as not to be a bother.

"Haha, it's nothing. I have to stream again tonight, so I set it up early."

"Oh! I saw your stream last night too. How do you play so well...!"

At the mention of streaming, elephant's eyes sparkled. He'd gone to sleep after watching the PerG-Day collaboration last night.

Baek Kangmin gave a wry chuckle as he watched Elephant.

"Oh boy, someone watching would think Gyeongbok is a pro gamer. Anyway, come in, let's go in."

The three of them entered the dormitory. Lee Gyeongbok gave a quiet sigh of admiration.

'As expected, it really is Tier One quality.'

The dorm facility was quite something. It felt similar to the luxury hotel where he'd had a meal with Yang Gyuri.

'I could have been here, if things had gone differently.'

Lee Gyeongbok imagined himself wearing a Tier One uniform, and soon let out a little laugh.

In the end, it was just 'what if'. Now, he was here as streamer Purple.

"Ah, would you like something to drink?"

Elephant asked, and although Lee Gyeongbok was going to refuse, he nodded.

"Do you have coffee by chance? If it's all right, I'll have an Americano."

"Oh, sure. Our coffee machine's pretty good. Sangjun, can you get us three coffees?"

"Yes!"

Elephant immediately ordered the coffees. A robotic arm started brewing right away.

The three of them settled in the reception room and exchanged some small talk before getting to the point.

"Having played against him myself, this guy is really inconsistent. He's got a lot of potential, but..."

Elephant took a sip of coffee, looking a bit intimidated.

"He's back on the main roster, but we haven't finalized the lineup yet. If he could just become more consistent, he'd be a starting member."

"Yes, so... I'd like to ask for Purple-nim's help, even if it's shameless of me."

He bowed deeply as he said this.

"It's hard to explain in words, but playing against you really helped!"

"He says the 'last game' with you was on another level. He even credits his promotion to the main team to you..."

Baek Kangmin said, then bowed along with Elephant.

"As coach, I'm asking you as well."

"No, there's really no need to bow like that."

Lee Gyeongbok quickly waved his hands.

"If it can help, of course I'll help."

"Really!?"

"Thank you so much!"

Their faces lit up at his answer. But then Baek Kangmin gave an awkward smile.

"I know it's a bit strange to ask and then say this... but is there really a method?"

"Oh, yes. There is."

As Lee Gyeongbok replied immediately, the two men's eyes widened. Could he really fix the critical problem that had troubled Elephant so long?

That was amazing to them, but there was something even more surprising.

"To be honest, I realized it when I played Elephant-nim, but I didn't want to overstep..."

That was when he'd realized it.

As he said this, Lee Gyeongbok looked around stealthily.

"By the way, do you have a capsule that outsiders can use?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! We have lots, really."

"Uh, coach. Purple-nim needs to use a custom model..."

Elephant told Baek Kangmin, who was about to stand. Baek Kangmin replied with an 'ah, right' expression.

"Oh, that's right. Because of your calculation ability, you can't just use any capsule..."

"How did you know that?"

Lee Gyeongbok's eyes grew round at their reactions.

"Saw it on Q-tube."

"I couldn't watch all the videos, but I looked up anything related to Purple-nim personally."

"Yeah, since we've invited you, we thought we'd check together, just in case it would be awkward."

"Of course I subscribed, too!"

Lee Gyeongbok let out a smile at their answers.

"Oh, the capsule model doesn't matter. It's not a dangerous fix."

The calculation ability issue wasn't a concern.

'With Elephant, the perceived threat level isn't even close to Aiden's.'

Perhaps Elephant would be disappointed if he found out, but it was the truth.

There was a huge gap between the threat level felt from a virtual entity and that from a character being directly played by a real person.

"Well then, shall we move somewhere else?"

Baek Kangmin hesitated a moment, but seeing it was okay, changed locations.

The three of them arrived at the players' practice studio.

'Oh, so this is how it's set up.'

The practice studio had individual capsules set up for each player, plus extra capsules in the back.

"Gyeongbok, you can use the coach's capsule. It's a high-end model, so don't worry about cleanliness. I'll monitor things from outside on the screen."

"Okay, excuse me then."

"I'll get ready right away!"

Lee Gyeongbok and Elephant immediately logged in to the Mystic League. They created a practice mode room and stood on the mid lane.

In practice mode, they could select champions in real time, so nothing about them changed.

"Okay, let me explain. But first, do you remember what I said when we played each other? I said you'd do better if stimulated."

"Yes, yes! I remember."

Elephant nodded quickly. Of course he couldn't forget.

That was when the change had started, after all.

"Right, so this is... Hmm, it's hard to explain exactly."

Lee Gyeongbok rolled his eyes as he searched for the right words, then explained what he'd sorted out in his head.

"Elephant-nim strikes me as an 'instinctive' player."

"Instinctive?"

"Yes. So rather than thinking first and then moving, don't you usually move first and think after?"

At those words, elephant's mouth dropped open.

"How did you know? You could tell just from one game?"

To Lee Gyeongbok, his reaction looked like that of the guests who came to see his grandmother.

Even before they'd settled down, when his grandmother guessed their business, they'd react like this.

"It's not exactly the same, but I'm in a similar category."

"Ah, I see..."

"Back to the subject. Instinctive players are really good at 'embodiment.' Like learning to ride a bike or drive, the body remembers. That means the mind has leeway to give commands during battle."

That was something he'd realized through both his 'divine energy' and sports training. Lee Gyeongbok had seen that Elephant was similar.

"But Elephant-nim's problem is that your talent is actually too strong."

"Huh?"

〈Gyeongbok, what do you mean by that?〉

Both Elephant and Baek Kangmin, observing from outside, looked puzzled. Why would being especially talented be a problem?

Lee Gyeongbok rolled his eyes again and chose his words.

"If you watched my streams, you know I often say: 'If it's easy, it's boring,' right?"

"... Weren't you just saying that to mess with people?"

Lee Gyeongbok smiled and waved at the reaction.

"No, that's just a frame the viewers made up. I actually mean it. And it applies to Elephant-nim, too."

In their match, Lee Gyeongbok had noticed Elephant's movements had gotten better and better mid-battle.

"Elephant-nim is often stuck in situations where you don't have to use all your ability to win. But for these instincts to be fully awakened, something else is needed."

"What is it!?"

"It's threat."

"Threat..."

"I think it's easiest to understand if you think of these instincts as a survival instinct. Fights with strong opponents, facing death, even vague fear—any of those will do. You need something to give you a sense of alertness, and then your skills rise."

When a threat occurred, Lee Gyeongbok's innate divine energy would detect it and inform him. But Elephant did not possess such divine energy.

"But as I said, elephant-nim is good, and growing as well. So it takes longer for you to sense a threat, and meanwhile others are building up a snowball effect earlier."

〈Oh... that did happen a lot. When it wasn't a 'last game,' people called him a 'slow starter.' Did you watch any of Elephant's matches?〉

Baek Kangmin asked, and Lee Gyeongbok gave a wry chuckle.

"Ah, I don't really keep up with E-sports. I only started playing again when I began streaming."

〈Ah, I get that. Sorry to interrupt.〉

Meanwhile, elephant, with a serious expression, looked up and asked.

"So, what's the solution?"

"Well... honestly, I worried telling you this would be overstepping."

〈It's actually a help if you speak freely. That's why we invited you.〉

"Yes! I'm ready to accept any advice!"

With both Elephant and Baek Kangmin's approval, Lee Gyeongbok made up his mind.

"All right. In my opinion, elephant-nim..."

Elephant swallowed dryly. His clenched fists were white with tension.

"You need to give up being a 'predatory jungler.'"

Elephant blinked at the answer. He unconsciously relaxed his fists, and color returned to his face.

"Instead, you should resume practice as a growth-type jungler."

"What?"

〈Gyeongbok, what do you mean...?〉

The two were unable to hide their shock. Lee Gyeongbok was basically telling Elephant to abandon all the experience he'd built up so far.

However, neither of them got angry or dismissed him.

They knew he wouldn't speak lightly.

"In order to show your full skills, elephant-nim, you need to constantly feel a sense of crisis. The important thing is not that there's a real crisis, but that you are conscious of it."

As they'd hoped, Lee Gyeongbok explained his reasoning.

"A predatory play style is great for winning duels. But in pro games, a win or loss is not decided by one person's duel. For the team's sake, a growth type—especially one with low stamina and high risk of dying—would be best."

〈You mean, not knowing when you'll die will help?〉

Lee Gyeongbok nodded.

Now that he'd started, he spoke without hesitation.

"Elephant-nim's basic skill level doesn't require any comment from me. Survive the early game with your skill, then carry the late game by leveraging your growth."

"A growth-type jungler..."

Elephant's eyes darted rapidly. Champions fitting that role rapidly came to mind.

But that just made things feel more overwhelming.

〈This... isn't something to decide easily. It'll take a long time just to pick a champion and adapt their skills and build. Never mind team composition.〉

Baek Kangmin gave his opinion as a coach.

〈Thanks for thinking about it, but I can't see us adjusting in time for the schedule.〉

"Yes, I think so too."

Surprisingly, Lee Gyeongbok agreed without hesitation. Elephant's eyes widened.

"So I'll help you."

"Purple-nim?"

Instead of replying, Lee Gyeongbok locked in his champion. His appearance changed to the ancient ninja, yami.

"What I mentioned is a long-term plan. To rapidly raise your level in the short term, you just need a strong stimulus."

He raised a shuriken and aimed it at Elephant.

"I'll serve as your stimulator the day before matches."

〈But then, what about your broadcast?〉

Lee Gyeongbok smiled.

"It'll take at most ten minutes. That's nothing."

Elephant's expression completely changed.

Anyone else would have thought this statement was crazy arrogance.

"There's no way it'll only be ten minutes."

But since the opponent was Purple, his fighting spirit flared up.

Elephant immediately chose Lagnel.

* * *

Baek Kangmin couldn't close his mouth.

'My god...'

It was because of the result of the match between Lee Gyeongbok and Elephant.

'I knew the talent was special, but...'

By fighting as Yami instead of Barzan...

The time it took for Elephant to be defeated was less than ten minutes.

'It took barely seven minutes to beat Sangjun...!'

To be precise, it didn't even take a full seven minutes. But what truly surprised him was something else.

'He drew out peak performance in those seven minutes!'

Just as Lee Gyeongbok said, he had provided plenty of stimulation for Elephant.

And being Yami—a champion respected for his versatility—he'd displayed a variety of attacks.

'If we solve the short-term issue like this, switching to a growth-type jungler is best. The baby elephant becomes a mammoth.'

Baek Kangmin's earlier skepticism had been about the tight match schedule. But with Lee Gyeongbok proving firsthand there was no problem, his worries vanished.

'Switching to growth type won't make him forget predatory play, either. That'll broaden his strategic options, and even if targeted in the pick-ban phase, it won't matter. This could be used as a secret weapon.'

A smile formed on Baek Kangmin's lips.

An always full-condition Elephant, a two-track combination of both predatory and growth types.

Those two cards could tip the scales.

'Truly, you're a genius.'

Baek Kangmin once again realized Lee Gyeongbok's talent.

He'd been at the dorm less than an hour, yet not only had he solved Elephant's chronic problem—he'd even offered the entire team a brighter future.

"Whoa... what is this?"

"The coach? No, that's not it."

"Who's that guy?"

As Baek Kangmin got lost in thought, he was brought back by the chatter.

"When did you guys get here?"

Somehow, other players had come in and were watching the large screen in the practice studio.

"Coach, is he a new member?"

"How did someone beat Sangjun as Yami?"

"Right? And he didn't even buy items?"

"Damn, his beast contract is at Perfect Yami level."

Right as they were expressing shock, the capsule opened. Since the skill had been sharpened, there was no reason to continue the match.

Elephant, of course, wanted to spar more, but anyway...

"Huh?"

"What, why are you all out here?"

The two were startled to see all the other players gathered around.

Baek Kangmin hurriedly gestured.

"Everyone, back to work. I have to see the guest off."

He sent off the players and walked out with Elephant and Lee Gyeongbok.

"I know you can't come every time, so just contact me whenever the coach needs you."

"For sure, thank you so much."

"Thanks for accepting my friend request!"

Elephant gave a deep bow. Even though it was just so he could invite him for practice games, he was happy to have this channel to communicate with Lee Gyeongbok.

"Sangjun, head back in. Have a meeting with the team about the jungle position."

"Huh? Oh, yes! Understood! Take care!"

As Elephant left, Baek Kangmin and Lee Gyeongbok were left alone.

"Thank you so much for coming today."

"No, of course I should come."

Baek Kangmin immediately booked a taxi. He stealthily checked the arrival time and asked Lee Gyeongbok,

"Gyeongbok."

"Yes?"

"... Do you still have any thought of becoming a pro gamer, even now?"

It could have been a sudden question, but Lee Gyeongbok wasn't surprised. He'd expected it, since their destiny had crossed paths because of a scouting offer.

"Sir, I..."

"With your talent, Korea could win Worlds, the Mid Cup isn't a dream."

If Lee Gyeongbok joined, tier One's place in the Mid Cup was as good as assured.

Hearing that, Lee Gyeongbok smiled.

"I still remember what you said before, sir: 'Games should be fun. Hardship and enjoyment are two different things.'"

"That was back when so many kids thought being a pro gamer just meant having fun playing games to make money."

No matter how talented you were, if your mindset wasn't right, you couldn't last long.

"When you scouted me, winning *was* fun for me. But now my thinking's changed."

"Now?"

"Yes. After I started streaming, I found other kinds of fun."

If he'd met Baek Kangmin again without becoming a streamer, maybe his answer would have changed.

But now, he was a streamer.

"Interacting with viewers is fun, and I don't feel the pressure to absolutely win. Well, I haven't actually lost yet."

He shrugged playfully as he spoke.

"And times really have changed. Virtual reality is amazing. Back then, the Legend League was the most fun, but now there's just so much more to enjoy."

"I see."

"Yes, I'm sorry, but I have to turn down your offer again."

Baek Kangmin looked disappointed at his answer, but it wasn't bitter like in the old days.

"I always knew a day would come when you'd be recognized."

Lee Gyeongbok's talent was no longer hidden.

"You're so happy, I can't push you any more."

He gently patted Lee Gyeongbok on the shoulder. He smiled in return.

"Still, the door's always open for you. If you change your mind, don't go to any other team—come to Tier One, all right?"

"Ha ha, I'll think about it."

Just then, the taxi arrived.

Lee Gyeongbok bowed to Baek Kangmin.

"Then, I'll see you again."

"Yes, see you."

As long as the ties weren't cut, there would be a 'next time'. It was the same for ties rekindled.

With a happy heart, Lee Gyeongbok headed home.

The joy he'd found.

It was time to return to his viewers.