Chapter 172 : The Wedge
Chapter 172: The Wedge
Even when the self-proclaimed ‘One-in-Several-Hundred Man’ boldly declared himself and tried to face him, ‘Golgol’ Kim Jichan couldn’t snap out of his dazed expression.
The situation had progressed far too quickly for a mere Gold tier player to keep up with. From the reversal to the confrontation, barely a minute had passed.
Of course, it was true that he had held vague expectations that everything would change once Baek Woohyun stepped in. The name ‘Hackphysical’ carried that much weight.
But he truly hadn’t anticipated such a lightning-fast complete reversal of the situation. He’d only thought it would be enough to lead the battle somewhat advantageously.
Since it wasn’t even Baek Woohyun directly fighting, but controlling him, a Gold tier player, for proxy combat, that had been the sensible assessment.
It was just that the fact that common sense was merely shackles binding thought when it came to the monster named Baek Woohyun had caused Kim Jichan to misjudge.
“[Bone Spear]!”
“….[Rock Fragment].”
Whoong, kwadeuk!
The [Bone Spear] thrown by the ‘One-in-Several-Hundred Man’ and the [Rock Fragment] thrown by Kim Jichan (Baek Woohyun) collided in midair and shattered.
At a glance, it seemed like an equal result, but no one actually thought so. Because Kim Jichan (Baek Woohyun) had used his skill slightly later.
Blocking an offensive skill with another offensive skill, and doing so half a beat slower, meant—in short—that he had his opponent completely in the palm of his hand.
“Krrk?! [Bone Shield]!”
“Uh-eot!”
Pyeok!
Even in the exchange that occurred right after the probing skills collided and disappeared, Kim Jichan’s (Baek Woohyun’s) superiority was clearly revealed.
Unlike the ‘One-in-Several-Hundred Man,’ who had to deploy even the defensive skill [Bone Shield] to defend, Kim Jichan (Baek Woohyun) simply kicked him away.
It meant he’d taken a one-sided advantage, trading his main skill [Earth Strike] for the defensive skill [Bone Shield] rather than ending it evenly.
In this, the subtle physical enhancement ability inherent in the ‘Rock Giant’ build played a prominent role. More precisely, it was Baek Woohyun perfectly utilizing it, but anyway.
As Kim Jichan (Baek Woohyun) surged forward, closing the distance in one go, the ‘One-in-Several-Hundred Man’ was psychologically overwhelmed, and thanks to that, the one-sided advantage was taken.
He’d forced a loss on his opponent with a slight advantage!
‘I could do this much…?’
Seeing his opponent’s stiffened face, Kim Jichan wore a bewildered expression. It felt equally foolish, but there was a slightly different quality from before.
If before he’d just widened his eyes, unable to follow the situation at all, now it was a face shocked at the potential inherent within himself.
Probably anyone would have shown a similar reaction in the current situation.
“Sorry! You can’t just rely on me! Everyone attack together!”
“Sheesh~ I wasn’t relying on you!”
—His attitude change is fast lolololol
—Ah lol after one clash he’s like ‘this won’t work’ lol
—When did he boldly step forward saying to trust only him lmao
—And in the middle of it all, what’s with ‘I wasn’t relying on you’ lololol
‘ㅇㅇ’ donated ‘1000 won’!
[Both Golgol and the viewer participation team, the qualifications here are pretty strict ㄷㄷ;]
Realizing from just one collision that he alone wouldn’t be enough, the ‘One-in-Several-Hundred Man’ requested help, and the viewer team rushed out.
Perhaps the answer that they weren’t relying on him wasn’t just a joke—the viewer team had been slowly moving to surround Kim Jichan, so their reaction was quite swift.
The ‘One-in-Several-Hundred Man’ probably also realized his teammates had subtly encircled Kim Jichan before requesting help.
“Where do you think you’re going! We’re here too!”
“Let’s go!”
—Time for counterattack!
—Their expressions are completely different from when they were being pushed back earlier
—Since Hackphysical has stepped up, it’s a guaranteed win lol
—Honestly it is reassuring ㅇㅇ;
Naturally, Jeong Nayeon and the panel team weren’t sitting idle either. Thanks to Kim Jichan (Baek Woohyun) buying time, they’d also regained their composure and quickly moved to defend.
Their momentum was incomparably more confident than when they were first pushed back. It seemed to be because Baek Woohyun had stepped in properly.
Having deeply experienced Baek Woohyun’s power more than anyone while conducting the ‘Hack Tour’ content, they had conviction that they wouldn’t lose as long as he’d stepped up.
“……”
However, Baek Woohyun was still concentrating only on controlling ‘Golgol’ Kim Jichan from the very back, and wore an expression suggesting the current situation wasn’t quite to his liking.
Since overwhelming the opponent was an utterly natural result anyway, he’d probably wanted something else, but there was an air suggesting that hadn’t been properly achieved.
From the start, he’d wanted practice for coaching, so it couldn’t be helped.
‘First, let’s drive the ‘wedge’ in more firmly.’
Still, Baek Woohyun didn’t immediately change his approach. He thought the ‘wedge’ driven into Kim Jichan was still insufficient.
Once he’d driven the ‘wedge’ beyond surface perception into even the realm of the unconscious, naturally the next teachings would become reachable.
He reminded himself that the one currently receiving teachings wasn’t the Beau-tiful Twins. Also that the appropriate pace was important for someone without talent.
Kwagagak!
Kuwoong!
“Push forward! Like before!”
“It’ll be different from before!”
—It’s different from before, it is!
—Yeah, they should’ve won before Hackphysical stepped up
—If they’d kept pushing, it looked like they could win, shame
—Let’s at least take one life! Viewer team fighting!
The battle between the panel team and viewer team intensified as time passed. Thanks to both teams properly focusing and clashing so fiercely.
Among the ten people fighting so intensely, the one who naturally stood out was Kim Jichan (Baek Woohyun).
Kim Jichan (Baek Woohyun), withstanding the concentrated fire the viewer team attempted while occasionally even counterattacking, made people spontaneously exclaim ‘As expected of Hackphysical!’
With just that one person’s performance, the viewer team felt far more underdog than the panel team—what more needed to be said?
Clearly, in average tier the panel team was far inferior to the viewer team, and even in actual skill it wouldn’t be much different.
Yet it meant that once the weight called Baek Woohyun was placed on the scales, the advantage in power completely reversed.
“……!”
‘To dodge [Bone Whirlwind] like this.’
In such a situation, ‘Golgol’ Kim Jichan was entranced as he felt his own movements.
It wasn’t simply because the only action permitted to him was moving his eyes. Rather, it was more because his own (Baek Woohyun’s) fighting was that captivating.
He had moved beyond being surprised that he could fight to this extent, and was completely fascinated while confirming every single movement.
Though he couldn’t move according to his own will, since it was still his body anyway, that wasn’t very difficult.
He just had to calmly observe how his hands and feet moved, what supernatural ability skills were used in which situations.
He didn’t know that this was the ‘wedge’ Baek Woohyun wanted driven into his unconscious.
Deolkeok.
“…Huh?”
Then suddenly Kim Jichan’s (Baek Woohyun’s) movement stopped abruptly. He froze right after landing a hit on the ‘One-in-Several-Hundred Man.’
Actually, to express it properly, it was only Baek Woohyun’s control that stopped. ‘Golgol’ Kim Jichan’s body was moving as he wanted.
He’d only appeared to stop because he’d been observing movements while leaving all actions to the thread controlling him.
“……?”
—What, why’d he suddenly stop
—Since Hackphysical stopped, the whole battle stopped
—Viewer team should rush in at times like this, what are they doing
—Not easy;;
An interesting fact was that once Kim Jichan (Baek Woohyun) stopped, the battle itself entered a lull.
Neither the panel team nor the viewer team continued fighting, only looking at the motionless Kim Jichan with puzzled eyes.
It was a scene that revealed without exception that Kim Jichan (Baek Woohyun) had been the center of the current battle.
“Golgol-nim.”
And so, as everyone’s puzzlement intensified.
Baek Woohyun, lightly dusting off his hands, opened his mouth.
“Yes? Yes!”
“From now on, fight directly yourself.”
“Me…?”
—?? : This? Me? Why?
—Doing well then passing it off lololol
—After seeing him get wrecked earlier, why again;
—Don’t tell me this is Hack-sparta style education
At the unexpected request, Kim Jichan’s eyes widened. His expression said ‘Why suddenly when things were going well?’ and he had no choice but to show that reaction.
Just until Baek Woohyun controlled him, he’d fought directly and been beaten like a dog by his opponent, driven to the brink of death.
If not for Baek Woohyun’s intervention at the end, he would’ve already lost one of his three lives. So there was no reason to tell him to fight now.
Even the others in the arena and viewers seemed to have the same impression, as expressions and chats saying they couldn’t understand at all were rampant.
“It’s fine. You can do it now. And I won’t completely let go—I’ll help you.”
But Baek Woohyun, as always, didn’t care about the surrounding reactions.
He could clearly see the ‘wedge’ driven deeply into Kim Jichan. Though it would fall out before long, for now it was more than sufficient.
The reason he’d directly controlled Kim Jichan was only for this, and since the condition was satisfied, there was no reason to continue the control.
“Try it.”
“Yes…”
Before Baek Woohyun’s declaration, which exuded an air of not accepting any further objections, Kim Jichan could only nod.
Even if he clung to him begging to please control him, if Baek Woohyun drew the line saying he wouldn’t, there’d be no answer.
There was also the underlying thought that if he fought directly and got beaten, Baek Woohyun would have no choice but to step up eventually.
‘How did I move when Hackphysical controlled me earlier? Hmm, was it this kind of feeling?’
“If it’s not Hackphysical…! I can win!”
“Go, ‘One-in-Several-Hundred Man’!”
When Kim Jichan awkwardly took his stance to fight directly, the ‘One-in-Several-Hundred Man,’ who’d barely gotten up, charged at him again.
Though he’d been beaten by Baek Woohyun several times throughout this battle, that was only because his opponent was bad—he was a Master tier powerhouse.
It meant he was far too strong an opponent for Kim Jichan, who was merely Gold tier, and his cry that he could win was also a roar backed by such grounds.
“…Ah.”
But why was it?
Kim Jichan wasn’t afraid at all of the ‘One-in-Several-Hundred Man’ charging at him.
Because the sensation of himself (Baek Woohyun) easily beating him down earlier still remained vividly.
“[Bone Spear]!”
‘Here, like this—’
Seureuk.
“[Rock Fragment]!”
With the sound of thread smoothly sliding, [Rock Fragment] shot out from Kim Jichan’s hand, which moved ‘according to will.’
The [Rock Fragment] that flew half a beat slowly collided precisely with [Bone Spear] and shattered. It was the same scene as when Baek Woohyun controlled him before.
Though startled by it, the opponent didn’t stop. Because he’d realized with Master tier sense that if he retreated here, only defeat remained.
“[Bone Whirlwind]!”
“……”
‘This one.’
Even while seeing the swirling torrent of sharp bone fragments rushing toward him, Kim Jichan wasn’t flustered.
Normally he would’ve frantically used the defensive skill [Strange Rocks] first, but the sense that he didn’t need to was engraved in his body.
Baek Woohyun’s method had melted somewhat into his body, which Baek Woohyun had once moved, and the judgment arising from that demanded different handling from him.
His original self and the self Baek Woohyun had left behind. He willingly decided to follow the latter of the two choices.
Seureuk.
“[Primal Force]!”
Kwaaa—!
With the sound of thread smoothly sliding, Kim Jichan used his ultimate [Primal Force] to charge through [Bone Whirlwind] head-on.
Immediately after, he drove his fist into the jaw of the defenseless ‘One-in-Several-Hundred Man,’ then struck his abdomen with his other hand.
Except for being somewhat clumsy, it was just like when Baek Woohyun controlled him.
‘It works.’
Seeing the ‘wedge’ he’d driven in work properly with a bit of assistance, Baek Woohyun smiled faintly.
He thought this would be sufficient to use in the SSR Cup.
Also conviction that he could at least initiate the ‘Mass Production Plan for Degraded Hackphysicals.’