Chapter 171 : Do You Desire Power
Chapter 171: Do You Desire Power?
“Huuah···!”
With only thirty seconds remaining until the official start, ‘GoldIsGroaningInPain’, shortened to ‘Golgol’ Kim Jichan, let out a rough breath.
The joy based on the fact that he’d been selected filled his head for only a moment before tension gradually crept in to take its place, and this was his action to release it.
As battle approached and he grew calmer, he belatedly realized that he was standing before tens of thousands of people, with his every move completely exposed.
Though the viewers weren’t visible to the eye, their existence was nonetheless certain. His only comfort was Baek Woohyun standing behind him.
‘Right. Hackphysical is behind me. And I’m not fighting alone either.’
Glance.
‘Golgol’ Kim Jichan briefly examined the three panelists who would fight alongside him on the same team.
Jeong Nayeon, Cha Seongcheol, and Chloe stood beside him, lightly loosening up their bodies while preparing for battle. Unlike him, they had rather composed expressions.
Well, they were people who had smoothly conducted broadcasts with tens of thousands of viewers until now, so of course they would.
Though they were completely different from his shrunken self, the panelists’ very existence gave him tremendous comfort. Especially Cha Seongcheol and Chloe.
Because Cha Seongcheol was Platinum and Chloe was Gold—they were also tiers not too different from his own.
They could be described as people he could say “we all screwed up together” even if something went wrong and they failed spectacularly, so naturally he felt at ease.
‘If push comes to shove, Ms. Jeong will do something. She has the highest tier on this team anyway.’
Naturally, Baek Woohyun would do something first before that.
He was practically the one who had created the current structure.
[First round, start!]
“Let’s gooo!”
“Uwooo─!”
While he was caught up in such miscellaneous thoughts, the thirty seconds passed quickly, and with the system message announcing the start, the viewer team charged in.
Befitting a team composed solely of upper tiers at minimum Platinum or above, the viewer team rushed in at an incredibly fast speed.
Rather than team coordination, it was a feeling of pushing through with individual physical prowess. It was truly an act of violence leveraging an overwhelming difference in weight class.
However, situationally, the viewer team had no better option than pushing through with the weight class difference arising from tier.
Having entered actual combat without time to form a team and practice separately, this was far more effective than mediocre coordination.
The fact that the panelist team’s situation wasn’t much different also played a part. If both sides lacked team synergy, the match would inevitably be decided by individual skill.
“Who am I? A man of one in several hundred! [Bone Whirlwind]!”
-Is this guy insane lololol
-“Who am I?” ← He’s actually saying this out loud lol
-Yeah, go be your man of one in several hundred···
-The fact is that besides him, all the other kids also beat one in several hundred odds
The one showing particularly noticeable activity was the self-proclaimed ‘man of one in several hundred.’
This wasn’t particularly surprising. He was currently the highest tier on the viewer team—Master tier. There was a reason he stood at the forefront of the viewer team.
Though he might be called bottom Master and undervalued in communities, in reality he was a skilled player corresponding to only a tiny fraction of all users, so his performance was truly natural.
“[Lightning Shield]! Focus on defense for now! Feel free to use everything except ultimates!”
“Okay! [Chains of Extreme Cold]!”
“Confirmed! [Steel Curtain]! [Steel Claw]!”
Kwagagak!
“Urk···!”
“What?!”
-They’re getting wrecked though?
-Can’t help it since there’s a tier difference ㅇㅇ;
-Plus it’s 4v5 with Hackphysical missing
-Golgol needs to do something!
The panelist team also fought hard with Jeong Nayeon, the highest tier, giving instructions, but they were constantly pushed back as if the tier difference wasn’t for nothing.
Of course, this was practically a predetermined result like the viewers’ chat said. Not only was there a tier difference, but the panelist team was down one person.
In a 4v5 situation, for the side with four to seize victory would be absolutely impossible without considerable skill.
They’d need to be at least 0.5 Baek Woohyuns, and if they had that level of skill, they’d be wearing at least Grand Master tier by now.
“[Strange Rocks]!”
Kwadeudeuek!
“Uwaak?!”
‘Why, why is he just standing there?!’
-Uh oh, this kid’s dying
-What’s Hackphysical doing? Why’s he just watching?
-Dunno?
-They have three lives anyway, don’t worry lol
While the viewer team and panelist team clashed fiercely, ‘Golgol’ Kim Jichan, pushed to the brink of death in an instant, desperately searched for Baek Woohyun.
Chloe, who was the same Gold tier, was managing somehow with the other panelists covering her gaps, but he had been neglected, perhaps because of Baek Woohyun.
Since Baek Woohyun was the only one who could protect him in the current situation, naturally Kim Jichan could only cling to him.
“······.”
However, the very Baek Woohyun who should be protecting Kim Jichan was standing at a somewhat distant spot from the battlefield, looking at him with indifferent eyes.
He looked exactly like someone facing something completely unrelated to himself. This was even more so because the viewer team wasn’t particularly targeting him either.
It was a strange collaboration between Baek Woohyun, who wanted to focus only on coaching without participating in battle, and the viewer team refraining from poking the hornet’s nest.
Probably even after the rest of the panelist team was wiped out, Baek Woohyun and the viewer team wouldn’t clash. Before that, Baek Woohyun would forfeit to end the game.
“Push just a bit more and we’ll break through! [Bone Spear]!”
“We can win! We can win!”
-Is it really gonna end like this
-Seems like they decided to just give away the first life?
-But Golgol’s struggling so desperately lololol
-Struggling to survive lololololol
‘Inlife-achievementgrandma’ donated ‘1000 won’!
[If you think the viewer participation team is raising massive defeat flags, upvote lol Starting with me lololol]
-Upvote lolololol
-Starting with shouting “we can win” already···
-When they push happily like that, they usually lose
-Somehow reminds me of when it was 50-50 in round 1 then they got wrecked in round 2
The panelist team, pushed back by the viewer team’s offensive from the start, was unable to withstand the accumulated damage and was finally pushed to the verge of collapse.
From which direction they aimed and how they used ability skills, the skill difference was clear, and with the absolute numbers also lacking, there was nothing they could do.
Even when they somehow responded perfectly and unleashed skills, they were getting shaved away by skills fired through gaps by the remaining person.
‘I’m, I’m dying!’
“······.”
Seureureuk.
Baek Woohyun stepped forward at the very moment ‘Golgol’ Kim Jichan was about to become the panelist team’s first casualty.
The transparent threads shooting from his fingertips quickly bound Kim Jichan while the viewer team who saw them flinched.
At the situation where he, who they thought would just watch until the end, had stepped forward, not only the panelist team but even the viewer team quickly retreated one step.
“······.”
“······.”
-“Stop”
-The fight stopping as soon as he steps forward is so badass lol
-For real, it’s like Hackphysical’s entrance
-Ah; they should’ve just ignored him and kept pushing; they just gave away an opportunity by stopping
After the battle completely entered a lull, the gazes of all nine people present turned toward Baek Woohyun.
In their eyes, the contrasting emotions of worry and anticipation were clearly revealed. The viewer team worried about what he would do, while the panelist team anticipated it.
The tens of thousands of viewers were also looking at him with hearts pounding, wondering what crazy thing he would show next!
“······.”
A situation where everyone was focused only on Baek Woohyun.
Even so, he who had kept only ‘Golgol’ Kim Jichan in his eyes finally opened his mouth.
“─Do you desire power?”
“···?!”
-Lol wtf lololol
-This is absurd lololol
-Is this what he means by setting the mood lololol
-I was watching seriously and burst out laughing irl lololol
At Baek Woohyun’s question entering at the perfect timing, the viewers burst into laughter, and everyone except Jeong Nayeon wore absurd expressions.
They all had faces doubting what they’d just heard. Even ‘Golgol’ Kim Jichan, who received the question, seemed to doubt his own ears.
The reason Jeong Nayeon was excluded was simple—she was the one who had suggested it might be fun for Baek Woohyun to try this kind of approach.
She hadn’t seriously suggested he do it seriously, just casually told him about some humorous content she’d seen, but anyway.
“···!”
But the bewilderment was brief.
‘Golgol’ Kim Jichan came to his senses and immediately grasped the atmosphere, realizing what he needed to say now.
It was an answer to the question.
“I desire… power!”
-Wow shit, he’s playing along? Lololol
-“I desire power” lololololol
-Hackpyeong lololololol
-So this is what it takes to get picked for viewer participation lol;
“······.”
The viewers who burst into laughter again were already outside Baek Woohyun’s interest. He’d never given them interest to begin with, but anyway.
Baek Woohyun finally began manipulating him through the threads wrapped and bound around ‘Golgol’ Kim Jichan’s entire body—the very symbol of the ‘Puppeteer’ build.
Since he’d obtained his permission(?) again, there was no reason to hesitate.
“Ueoeok?!”
Huuk!
‘Golgol’ Kim Jichan involuntarily screamed at the suddenly changing field of vision, but no one paid attention to the confusion he was feeling now.
It was because his body, under Baek Woohyun’s control, charged toward the viewer team at a speed clearly exceeding its limits.
With the resumed battle busy enough to watch, how could they pay attention to emotions felt by a mere tool?
“[Rock Fragment].”
“Eh?!”
Even ‘Golgol’ Kim Jichan himself had no time to dwell on his own bewilderment for long.
His hand moved on its own, hurling the long-range harassing skill [Rock Fragment] at the enemy while simultaneously using one foot to step on and crush the knee of another enemy standing right next to him.
The sensation faintly felt on his sole, of something being smashed, brought his mind to full alertness. Though he still couldn’t do anything about it.
“[Earth Strike].”
Kwaang!
-Wow fuck, what is this
-The level suddenly changed
-Could he always move like that?
-The situation changed in the blink of an eye lol
It didn’t even stop there—before the viewer team could prepare anything, Baek Woohyun slammed the ground and even triggered the main attack skill [Earth Strike].
The heavy shock transmitted from it made the other viewer team members retreat with a “Huh?” before they knew it.
‘What is this.’
‘Golgol’ Kim Jichan, who had suddenly come to stand boldly in the middle of enemy territory, looked at the situation with trembling eyes. More precisely, that was all he could do.
Currently, only his eyes were permitted to him. Everything else was under Baek Woohyun’s complete control, moving according to his will.
Even the stance of standing with legs spread appropriately, one fist thrust forward and the other fist held before his chest, wasn’t what Kim Jichan wanted.
“Don’t panic! We can win! Just trust me!”
“Uh, okay.”
-If it’s the man of one in several hundred
-But Golgol’s expression looks so blank lololol
-Exactly the kind of face someone would make when they don’t know why they’re here doing this lololol
-??? : Ahhh what is this, how is this happening