Chapter 11 : Guess
Chapter 11: Guess
An atmosphere so awkward that even the viewers shuddered, telling them to hurry and do something about it.
The one who stepped forward to break it was Kang Soyul.
It was natural if one thought about it—in a situation where she was conducting a personal broadcast, continuously having dead air wouldn’t be very welcome.
She glanced at Baek Woohyun and opened her mouth.
“Um, excuse me, bus driver?”
“You can call me Baek Woohyun.”
“Ah, yes! Woohyun-nim! If it’s not rude, would it be okay to ask a few questions? Nothing major, just a few trivial ones.”
Baek Woohyun glanced back at Kang Soyul and answered.
“…It’s fine.”
“Thank you! Then, for the first question. Did you choose [Perfect Being] as your supernatural ability’s first Core Element?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Wow-”
-He really chose that?
-Wtf; why is this actually true
-The donation was right
-Said the right thing but got cursed for no reason lololol
“Wow, it really was true… Wait, hold on.”
Kang Soyul blinked her eyes after hearing the answer.
After thinking the donation was correct, a puzzling point suddenly popped up.
[Perfect Being] had the effect of making one unable to use any supernatural abilities in exchange for increasing physical abilities and supernatural ability resistance.
Therefore, right now Baek Woohyun shouldn’t be able to use any supernatural abilities, so then what was that chain scythe movement from earlier?
“So you moved the chain scythe without supernatural abilities when you were fighting earlier?”
“That’s correct.”
“How exactly… did you do it? I saw it moving like someone was holding and swinging it-”
“A bit of technique and knack.”
-A? bit of tech?nique and kna?ck
-Wow the chain scythe movement method I was looking for was right here^^
-But seriously how does it move??
-Translation: won’t tell you since you couldn’t do it even if told
Unlike the viewers’ chat, it wasn’t particularly that Baek Woohyun was unwilling to tell them that led to this answer.
It was just that there was no appropriate answer other than this.
A few hours wouldn’t be enough to explain the technique in detail, and if he tried to explain the knack he had acquired on top of that, it would take days.
If Kang Soyul had wanted such specialized knowledge the story would be different, but it didn’t particularly seem that way.
“I see… Then, second question! Is there a game you mainly played before?”
-One vote for Colosseum
-In my opinion it seems like the Blood series
-Blood series is correct
-Could surprisingly be Hell Bringer
“A game I mainly played-”
Hearing Kang Soyul’s question, Baek Woohyun fell into thought.
She must have asked lightly to continue the conversation without much thought, but for him it wasn’t light at all.
It was a question he could only answer by digging through memories from nearly ten years ago.
What virtual reality game did he, an ordinary college student back then, mainly enjoy?
After trying hard to recall, he shook his head.
“There’s no particular game I mainly played.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yes, I just casually tried various things with friends, that’s all.”
-Just various things??
-Various things = Black Eater, Infinity Time, Blood series, Colosseum
-Seeing no one knows, seems right he didn’t play deeply
-ㄹㅇ with that skill he’d definitely be talked about in communities
-Real hidden master ㄷㄷ
“I thought Woohyun-nim was a physical game veteran, but it’s surprising.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! Your fighting earlier was really incredible! I thought I’d watched a lot of game combat videos, but I’ve never once seen anyone fight like Woohyun-nim!”
Kang Soyul chattered away with sparkling eyes.
For her, a natural-born gamer—albeit with hipster tastes—overwhelming physicality was itself an element of admiration.
Especially since it wasn’t just somewhat good level, but monstrous skill at a level she was seeing for the first time despite having encountered quite many videos.
Setting aside that Baek Woohyun’s mission success depended on it, or that it was great broadcast material.
‘Curious’ donated ‘1000 won’!
[Can’t you ask what various games he enjoyed?]
“The viewers now also seem curious about the secret of Woohyun-nim’s skill! They’re asking me to ask what games you played.”
“Just, well, the games everyone played. Like ‘Psychic Wars.’ Though I didn’t even do ranked. —Mm.”
Baek Woohyun, who had been answering, suddenly narrowed his eyes.
Because he felt a presence beyond the corridor.
A presence that was hard to see as human, with a somewhat weighty feeling.
He immediately sharpened his senses that he had kept rather dull, and grasped information beyond simply that there were enemies.
He knew not only the approximate location but even the exact number. Just as he had done in that other world in the past.
It was too natural a thing for him.
“Etinels, is it.”
“Etinels? Where?!”
“Approximately twenty meters ahead, two units. No need to worry much, so I’ll just go.”
“…Huh?”
-? How many meters?
-How does he know there are enemies 20 meters away?
-The corridor’s curved so it’s not even visible
-Does [Perfect Being] have enemy detection ability too??
However, it being natural was only from Baek Woohyun’s perspective.
For Kang Soyul and the viewers, it couldn’t help but be a confusing story. After all, he said he’d grasped even the number of enemies he couldn’t see at all.
If Baek Woohyun didn’t have the [Perfect Being] element, or had a more developed build, the reaction would have been different.
Among Core Elements, there were abilities to detect enemies’ locations, and in developed builds, it was impossible to know what effects and abilities might pop out.
However, right now it was during the tutorial mission, and there was only one Core Element available.
In Baek Woohyun’s case, that was [Perfect Being].
In other words, long-range detection related abilities were impossible to use from the start.
Of course, among [Perfect Being]‘s abilities, the physical ability increase probably had an effect like senses becoming sharper…
-With [Perfect Being] that’s absolutely impossible lololol
-There’s no way a person can know enemy numbers just because they can see better and hear better
-But he did it though;;
-Then I guess he’s not human hehe
-Mission maps change every time so can’t memorize enemy positions ㅅㄱ
As you could tell from the viewers’ reactions showing in the chat window, it was absolutely impossible with just that much.
How could it be logically possible to grasp enemies’ locations and numbers with just sharpened senses?
Some viewers even sneered that Baek Woohyun was just spouting nonsense. Though they got banned by the chat moderator right away.
That’s how much it made no sense to guess enemies’ locations and numbers without even looking.
Kang Soyul also thought similarly to the viewers.
That no matter what, wasn’t that too much?
Until not long after, when two Etinels blocked her path.
“…It’s really true.”
-Why is this actually true;;
-Isn’t there some other method?
-Been playing RePla since open beta and there’s no such method ㄷㄷ
-How? How? How? How? How?
“Ah, come to think of it.”
With two Etinels in front of him, Baek Woohyun spoke.
In a calm voice without a trace of anxiety, about a story completely unrelated to the current situation.
“I played ‘Colosseum’ quite enjoyably too.”
“Still talking about that, no, more importantly danger ahead!”
Kang Soyul, who had been dumbfounded, shouted in surprise.
Because the two Etinels that had revealed themselves immediately rushed at Baek Woohyun.
It was a rush at tremendous speed, close enough to throw punches before her cry even ended.
On the other hand, Baek Woohyun seemed to have made no preparations against it.
Momentarily, the regret ‘I should have shot as soon as I saw them!’ flashed through Kang Soyul’s mind. If she had grabbed her gun before admiring, this wouldn’t have happened.
Whether he knew her thoughts or not, Baek Woohyun calmly continued speaking.
“I don’t know about other games, but I played ‘Colosseum’ quite diligently.”
Swoosh.
The first Etinel’s straight punch, flowing as if it naturally should.
Baek Woohyun reached out and grabbed the neck of the guy exposed defenseless, and pulled it sideways just like that, in other words, in front of the second Etinel.
The first Etinel, unable to overcome the strength enhanced by [Perfect Being], merely moved powerlessly as he led it.
The second Etinel, which had been about to throw a punch, stopped moving. Because the basic process prevented actions that would injure allies.
It was a limitation of combat AI basically set to prioritize ally protection over enemy elimination.
‘Just like the early version.’
If it had been mid-period or later, it wouldn’t have stopped in this situation but would have pierced through the ally as well.
Even if it was a person instead of an Etinel, it wouldn’t have mattered.
The number one goal of the developed combat AI was enemy annihilation. As if killing was enough no matter what damage occurred.
‘Well, whatever.’
“When I was playing really hard, I even made it into the rankings.”
Baek Woohyun put strength into his arm with clouded eyes.
The overwhelming strength granted by [Perfect Being] was mercilessly displayed. He completely tore off the neck of the Etinel he was holding.
After a chilling crunch sound echoed through the corridor, the Etinel that had been struggling to counterattack went limp.
As seen before, the early version Etinels were still fragile things that couldn’t withstand wounds where the neck and chest parts were completely torn off.
[──]
Thud!
The time it took to get here was merely a few seconds.
The second Etinel, belatedly recognizing its ally’s death, rushed again, but it was meaningless.
Even when there were two, one unit was subdued in an instant, so there was no way it could overcome the monster called Baek Woohyun alone.
A single hand gesture was enough for Baek Woohyun to separate the second Etinel’s neck from its torso.
“Etinels this easily…!”
-What did I just see
-Ah lol he catches Etinels while chatting lol
-This is… no-assist? Then what have I been playing in RePla all this time…
-Could [Perfect Being] actually be a broken element
Kang Soyul’s eyes widened at witnessing the absurd achievement of smashing two Etinels in close combat, and in just a few seconds at that.
The viewers also seemed to have the same impression as her, as the chat window was already in chaos.
Since Reverse Planet was a national game, they also had experience playing it at least once, which made them realize Baek Woohyun’s monstrous abilities even more.
Of course, Kang Soyul and the viewers had seen the sight of as many as four Etinels collapsed in one place while coming here.
However, there was bound to be a clear difference in accepting attitude between merely witnessing the result and witnessing the entire process.
There’s a reason why there are people who only believe what they see and hear themselves, isn’t there?
“Though I couldn’t maintain it long because of studying.”
But Baek Woohyun, who had actually achieved all those feats, was only indifferently continuing his words.
“I, I see.”
-Nothing… happened!
-So saying no need to worry wasn’t bluffing
-Really didn’t need to worry lololol
-Fact) yes
‘LovesColosseum’ donated ‘1000 won’!
[Honestly I’m more interested in the fact he was a Colosseum ranker lol]
“Is being a Colosseum ranker that impressive?”
Kang Soyul asked, tilting her head.
Because she had only walked the path of hipster pick games her whole life, she didn’t know how impressive the business card of ‘Colosseum ranker’ was.
Most viewers were no different, so what Baek Woohyun said while fighting the Etinels almost got buried, but a viewer who seemed to be a ‘Colosseum’ fan brought it up.
‘LovesColosseum’ donated ‘1000 won’!
[Super impressive. Don’t know about now, but back then if you became a Colosseum ranker you got pro offers right away]
“What, really?”
-Make offers first without asking or investigating?
-Since physicality and combat sense are proven, they make offers first ㅇㅇ
-‘Battler’ player actually went pro that way
-So Colosseum was that much; wasn’t just an old folks’ game
“So you had talent from before! And that worked in RePla too!”
Kang Soyul clapped her hands together with a clap! as if she had gained enlightenment. Though it was a story Baek Woohyun himself couldn’t relate to.
The reason he was now rampaging in Reverse Planet’s tutorial mission was only possible because he had crawled through hell for ten years in that other world.
However, since there was no way he could tell that to Kang Soyul and the unspecified masses who would be watching her, he just smiled bitterly.
“Then you’ve never touched games like ‘Infinity Time’ or the ‘Blood’ series, right?”
“Yes, never once.”
“I’d like to watch you play them sometime.”
-ㄹㅇㅋㅋ
-This man, how would he be in Black Eater?
-First I want to see PVP in RePla
-When the build’s complete he’ll really be a monster
The two people continued the tutorial mission while having various conversations after that.
Though the conversations were mostly Kang Soyul bringing up questions and Baek Woohyun answering briefly, and the enemies were also mostly killed by Baek Woohyun’s hands.
***