Chapter 68 : Warm-up
Chapter 68: Warm-up
“Ahaha-“
Jeong Nayeon evaded Cha Seongcheol’s sharp interrogation with an awkward laugh.
No matter what, how could she directly say she chose it because it was relatively better when the other candidates were too terrible?
She couldn’t have adopted names like ‘Nuclear Launch Detect,’ which was hard to understand and too long, or ‘Dog Well Hack,’ which was only used as wordplay.
Moreover, ‘Hack Tour’ was more intuitive and relatable than ‘Manhattan Project’ or ‘Nuclear Weapons Development Laboratory.’
“Wait, Hackphysical must be finished preparing and waiting! This isn’t the time! Let’s hurry and go see!”
“Mmm, alright for now. What’s important right now is Hackphysical’s PVP. We’ll have another chance to discuss the content name next time.”
-We’re sparing you just this once
-Look at that grudge holding
-Honest opinion) Hack Tour name is trash
-Maybe do a name contest later?
When Jeong Nayeon blatantly changed the subject, Cha Seongcheol went along with it as if he couldn’t win, though he still left a hint of holding a grudge.
Soon he manipulated the system again, and the match history site disappeared, replaced by ‘Reverse Planet’s’ battle preparation room.
As Jeong Nayeon said he would be waiting after finishing preparations, Baek Woohyun was in the battle preparation room in a state where he only needed to queue for matching.
-“……”
Baek Woohyun sitting on a chair in the battle preparation room.
His appearance waiting with his greatsword leaning diagonally against the chair somehow looked like a king reigning on a throne.
The pure white mask covering his face probably made him feel even more imposing. Or perhaps it was the dangerous aura unique to him.
Either way, it was certain that something that could be called ‘charisma’ existed in him.
-Hackphysical’s atmosphere is lowkey OP, isn’t it?
-For real; his swagger is insane
-Is it because his proportions are good
-Anyway he’s a one-trick atmosphere wizard lol
“A one-trick atmosphere wizard… Well. In my view, his appearance is full of ‘plausibility’- What do you think, Nayeon-nim?”
“…No comment from me.”
-So it really is full of plausibility
-Handsome, good proportions, and insane physical ability?
-Going to make a big decision…
-Suddenly for no reason, the saying ‘there are no friends between men and women’ comes to mind~
-“……Hmm.”
“No, it’s not like that, we’re friends so I’m just saying this in case people start making weird assumptions-” As Jeong Nayeon was elaborating her excuses, Baek Woohyun, who had been motionless like a corpse, began to move.
Having received Jeong Nayeon’s message that he could start—she’d already sent it before making excuses—he manipulated the system to start PVP matching.
[Will you start PVP ‘Duel’ mode game matching?]
[Yes/No]
“The mode Hackphysical chose is ‘Duel.’ It’s the result many of you expected. Actually, I thought he’d start with ‘Duel’ too.”
“The matching is super fast and it’s 1v1 so there’s nothing else to worry about, making it good for warming up.”
-Pro players also do Duel for their first match a lot
-I wonder how much will be added to that 30-win streak
-I want to see Battler’s record broken
-Even if the streak breaks, it probably won’t break until Challenger rank
Cha Seongcheol, Jeong Nayeon, and the viewers chattered that it made sense when Baek Woohyun chose ‘Duel.’
As Jeong Nayeon said, the matching was almost instant, close to a one-second cut—though it took a bit longer in higher tiers—and since it was 1v1 PVP where you didn’t need to worry about anything else, it was suitable for warming up.
It wasn’t for nothing that even pro players who broadcast do ‘Duel’ for their first one or two matches. ‘Duel’ was good enough for even pro players to use for warm-up exercises.
[PVP ‘Duel’ mode game matching successful]
“…Huh?”
“Why-“
-???
-What
-Huh?
However, no one seemed to have anticipated Baek Woohyun’s action that followed.
That was because instead of picking up Soul Eater that had been leaning against the chair, he drew a dagger from Shadow Storage after matching was found.
For those who had seen him handle the greatsword like a ghost in the last broadcast, it was a choice that could only elicit a ‘?’
“Hackphysical drew a dagger instead of Soul Eater. It’s a very unexpected choice.”
“Why did he specifically choose a dagger?”
-Just felt like using a dagger
-Is the greatsword bad against people?
-If you watch him fight you can’t say that lol
-Whether he stomps with a dagger or stomps with a greatsword
Why did he hold a dagger instead of Soul Eater?
Those in the studio became united in heart and mind, discussing this action of Baek Woohyun’s as their topic, and various opinions poured out.
From the truly one-dimensional claim of ‘just because’ to the groundless claim that ‘daggers are more useful than greatswords against people.’
Eventually, the opinion that emerged as mainstream was ‘no need to use a cow-butchering knife to kill a chicken.’
Certainly, a greatsword as massive as Soul Eater was hard to see as an anti-personnel weapon, so many people agreed with that claim.
While it wasn’t completely unusable against people, to be precise, it was indeed more effective as a weapon against dimensional invaders within the Reverse World.
“Of course, if it’s Hackphysical, he would have shown performance close to domination even with Soul Eater, but wouldn’t that be simpler with a dagger?”
“I think so too.”
-For real lol
-Ah lol like holding a dagger will let you win lol
-Whatever he holds, getting stomped is the same anyway;
-He’ll use the greatsword later, right?
If Baek Woohyun had heard their speculation, he would have shaken his head saying that wasn’t it.
Because the reason he chose a dagger instead of Soul Eater was that it was more useful for dealing with Awakeners.
It wasn’t that he didn’t choose Soul Eater because a dagger would work—he chose it because he coldly assessed that the dagger was better.
The basis for such confidence was rooted in his experience on ‘that side.’
Back when he was on ‘that side,’ together with fellow test subjects from the research facility, he destroyed other research facilities and ultimately brought an end to ‘Project: Transcendence.’
Countless Awakeners who had sided with the research facilities lost their lives at his hands then, and the weapon used to kill the majority of them was the dagger.
Therefore, he could be said to have mastered killing Awakeners with a dagger.
That fact was proven without fail in the first ‘Duel’ that began.
[Time remaining until first round start – 10 seconds]
-“……”
-“Please take care of me!”
The opponent matched in the first match was an ordinary Platinum tier user who knew nothing.
He didn’t even suspect that his opponent was the monster named Baek Woohyun, and immediately ignited flames in both hands.
He had fully revealed that he used fire attribute abilities and that attacks would start from his hands.
[3 seconds]
[2 seconds]
[1 second]
[First round, start!]
-“[Flame-“
The enemy player even tried to face him head-on from the front at the start of battle. Meaning he carelessly tried to attack first.
Of course, Baek Woohyun wasn’t one to let such ‘impudent’ behavior slide, so he immediately charged forward, closing the distance.
The speed was tremendous, demonstrating superhuman physical ability. To the enemy player, it must have felt like he reached right in front of them in the blink of an eye.
-“Huh?! [Flame Barrier]!”
The startled enemy player belatedly used a defensive skill instead of an offensive one.
Rather than stubbornly using an offensive skill and missing while allowing distance to close, they spread a defensive skill widely.
Soon a massive wall of flames rose between the two!
A hint of relief flashed across the enemy player’s face, but.
-“……”
Baek Woohyun wasn’t flustered because he had already anticipated the enemy player’s response to his charge.
Anyway, these skills that drew a line to prevent approach were weak in power in proportion to their wide range.
With the supernatural ability resistance grown through traits including Perfect Being, he could easily withstand and pass through it.
Thus, he simply plunged through the wall of flames with only his face covered.
As expected, the massive wall of flames couldn’t burn him, and though his combat uniform caught fire, he succeeded in standing before the enemy player.
-“-?!”
The enemy player, panicking at the fact that an opponent who clearly seemed specialized in close combat had reached right in front of them, stretched out their hand as if to do something.
It was a motion not really trying to do something, but rather an instinctive attempt to restrain. The misfortune was that Baek Woohyun didn’t miss even that.
The dagger danced lightly, and with a swoosh, blood spurted up.
Because he precisely cut through the muscle fiber, the arm the enemy player had barely raised drooped down. Probably it wouldn’t move again in this ‘Duel.’
-“Uah-!”
Whether because they were Platinum tier—or perhaps because it wasn’t reality so the pain was less—the enemy player didn’t give up even when pushed to the edge.
They hurriedly tried to retreat to do something. Anyway, against a close combat specialized build, creating distance was the top priority.
But if it were as easy as words, there’d be no reason to use close combat specialized builds, would there? Especially when the opponent was Baek Woohyun, who had been called a ‘Superhuman’!
Kwak!
-“-!”
-“……”
Approaching faster than they could retreat, Baek Woohyun trampled on the enemy player’s foot to prevent movement, then swung his dagger at a speed invisible to the eye.
It was so fast that no slashing sound was even made, so the enemy player only realized their neck had been cut after blood flowed.
Of course, by the time they realized, it was already too late. The reason Baek Woohyun cut the neck was because the fatal vital point, the carotid artery, was there.
-“Eeek!”
The enemy player who tried desperately to struggle ridiculously collapsed right there. It was an action completely opposite to their expression still full of fighting spirit.
Their face showed confusion at their body not moving as they wished after just being cut once, but this was actually a very natural result.
The carotid artery in the neck is a major blood vessel responsible for 80% of blood flow to the brain and was a representative vital point that becomes dangerous when damaged.
Since it was completely severed, the wound was fatal. They just couldn’t feel it because it was in virtual reality, but their life was already hanging by a thread.
-“……”
Baek Woohyun didn’t bother explaining to the enemy player how fatal the injury he inflicted was. He had no reason to.
Instead, what he chose was to put at ease the enemy player who couldn’t even control their body properly.
Thud, the dagger held in reverse grip pierced through the collapsed enemy player’s forehead, and the now-familiar system message announced the result.
[First round end]
[Winner: Baek Woohyun]
[Loser: (Anonymous)]
[Current record — Baek Woohyun 1:0 (Anonymous)]
[Proceeding to next round immediately]
The number of times Baek Woohyun attacked the enemy player this round was only three. Even the last one was hardly an attack, more of an execution.
It meant practically only two attacks were enough to neutralize the enemy player, so it could truly be called an overwhelming yet efficient victory.
Moreover, it clearly showed why he chose a dagger instead of insisting on the greatsword.
Even if Awakeners had abilities to spew flames, blow wind, and shake the earth, they were ultimately just ordinary humans.
Humans who would die if a blade just a few centimeters long cut a vital point in their neck.
On ‘that side,’ he learned that fact, and that was also why Awakeners openly called him ‘Grim Reaper’ instead of his nickname ‘Superhuman.’