Chapter 405
[*Games part 2]
'Is this enough?'
I turned my stiff neck as I finished the second set with a perfect victory.
I could hear the announcer in the stadium declaring Seleste's 2:0 victory.
"Siyoon, you worked hard. Nice play."
"You did everything. No, so that's why the exploration battle was supposed to end this quickly?"
"That depends on the time."
Kang Siyoon and I lightly bumped fists and stood up.
I briefly saw the faces of the two members of POX on the other stage.
It was really unfortunate, but their expressions looked like their souls had escaped from their bodies.
Didn't every last bit of mental strength get ripped off?
'Well, that kind of expression is understandable.'
Those two must have been skilled in their own right. They were probably considered the best players in the group, so they came here.
However, I figured out their skills just 15 seconds after the game started.
I deliberately took dangerous actions from the beginning to gauge the opponent's reaction speed and movement level.
What would I do if I saw an enemy flying in front of me out of nowhere?
If they were a good player here, they would have used their excellent mobility to dodge me by jumping over terrain features.
If they were an even better player, they would have countered my frontal charge and launched an equally strong attack. No matter how strong I was, I would have had no choice but to step back slightly in the face of such a fierce charge.
However, rather than using terrain features, both of them simply jumped into the air, making them easy targets to track.
'The game was already decided there.'
To sum up the results, I played 'Salt Mary' in the first set. In the second set, I picked 'Hummingbird' and didn't get hit even once by the opponent.
I thoroughly calculated the opponent's movement and skill timing to dodge all attacks.
While dodge, I appropriately inserted crowd control skills (sleep, stun, etc.) to toy with POX.
There's a reason why it looks so soul-sucking.
"Haah....."
I took a deep breath and checked the condition of my fingers and wrists.
I was still in good spirits because I won so quickly.
Since I enjoy a battle style with a lot of direction changes, I tend to be a bit aggressive with the controller, so I always have to be careful.
'Furthermore, if the Crown Prince's energy spreads all over my body like it did just now, I might get too excited. I have to keep my composure as much as possible so that my pace doesn't get disrupted.'
As if he was satisfied with my victory, the Crown Prince's ego disappeared like a ghost the moment the game ended.
I still had adrenaline in my body, but I was much calmer than before.
He leaves work right away as soon as he gets the results he wants.
Every office worker in the world would be jealous.
After the match, there was a time for us to shake hands in the center of the stadium.
Kang Si-yoon and I shook hands lightly with the POX members and told them that they had worked hard.
"Thank you for your hard work......."
"You're so good. I couldn't close my mouth the whole time I was playing the game."
"Haha, that's too much praise."
"How on earth do you move like that?"
"Um....... To be honest, I have no choice but to invest time. Everything is mastered through repetition."
They both continued to praise me, saying that they were very impressed by my amazing play.
I felt very good, but I couldn't talk in front of the camera for a long time, so after exchanging a few words of encouragement, we headed to our respective waiting rooms.
"Hey, I went to the bathroom once and it was already over? How did you finish so quickly!"
"People who win faster than the time it takes for ramen to boil....... What the heck is Sushiz...…."
As soon as we entered the waiting room, the members who were waiting greeted us warmly.
Song Hyung-bin hit me on the back, saying that the second set was finished while he was briefly in the bathroom.
"You move like a ghost? How on earth are you able to do that? My fingers can't do it."
"Just quickly move your fingers and repeatedly press the buttons."
"Isn't this just like that? 'How do I get a good headshot? Just put the crosshair on the head and click the mouse.' How is this different?"
"Hmm. Is that so?"
"Yeah! Anyway, I realized again. How well you controlled your strength when you played with us. It was amazing."
"Huh, heh heh heh......."
As I kept hearing compliments, my shoulders seemed to go up for no reason.
At that very moment, a familiar golden light shimmered before my eyes, and a linked quest occurred.
[The possessor-nim was revered and respected by many people. A linked quest occurs.]
[Linked Quest: 'Win
[Reward: System Recovery 4%]
Is it because situations that fit the name of my passive skill, 'Worship, and Revere', occurred simultaneously?
This was the first quest that occurred because I was respected by many people.
I looked at the '4% System Recovery' written as a reward and swallowed my regret.
'Is it because they gave too much recovery in the last quest? I feel like the standards are too high.'
Of course, 4% was a large percentage compared to before, but I think my expectations were raised because of the huge percentage I received by defeating Connex.
It's a set without loss.
It means that I have to become the champion without losing even once.
The game just now can be seen as somewhat lacking sincerity.
Even though I had enough kill angles, I deliberately played a psychological warfare against my opponent to further harass him, but now I have no time for that and have to deal with him quickly whenever I get the chance.
I can't show even the slightest opening.
I cracked my wrist and said to Kang Si-yoon.
"Si-yoon. Be even more determined."
"Yes?"
"The jokes are over now. I won't let my guard down until I lift the championship trophy. Therefore, you too must arm yourself mentally. I do not plan on losing a single game."
"I thought he was calming down after the game, but who rekindled his flame?"
Everything went by like lightning after the linked quest appeared.
With the thought that I couldn't lose even once, I didn't care about controlling my strength anymore.
I just did my best and beat up my opponents.
"Let's pick another character! Oh, I'm really curious about Karis' hero range!"
However, there were strategic reasons and I wanted to keep my conscience, so I saved the two heroes I was best at for the finals.
Instead, I picked heroes that others didn't do well, and I showed off my flashy skills one after another.
"This is an unbelievable circus! He made sure he was within striking range and threw the punch first, but he ended up getting hit instead! Player Yoon Ji-han! At the very last moment, Player Karis took a step back!"
"He avoided it and countered at the same time. I'm surprised that he's so good at tightrope walking. I'm surprised even as I watch him."
"If Commissioner Kwak Jin-hyeok were to face Player Karis right now, what do you think would happen?"
"Ha....…. Well. I want to confidently say that I will definitely win, but I can't because I feel like I will lose. Player Karis hasn't even used the heroes he said he is best at yet. It means he is still hiding his true skills."
"Is his best card a strategy he plans to use in the finals?"
Having blown away his opponents to the point of Andromeda in the quarterfinals and semifinals, he calmly drank water and watched the TV in the waiting room.
Our last match was being broadcasted there along with the commentators' voices.
"Hyung, hyung. Do you really think you can win against Kwak Jinhyeok?"
"If I give it my all, I think I can."
"Wow, confidence."
"Isn't confidence what a man is all about?"
Heo Yubin and Yoo Minha looked at me with strange eyes at the same time.
"Hyung, don't you usually say things like that?"
"You're a bit too pretentious today, hyung."
"But you're always so strangely persuasive that I can't really say anything."
"That's it."
"...What are you two talking about so enjoyably right now?"
First, the opponents we would face in the finals were decided soon.
And surprisingly, the finals opponents were the rookie group Spector that Ken Hashimoto was a part of.
A rookie who had only debuted for a short time would appear on such a big stage and make it to the finals.
Even Ken Hashimoto was proudly listed as a starter, not a bench member.
"Wow, doesn't this seem like a twist of fate? The promise we made to meet on a big stage later was still valid."
"Hmm, I guess you could think that way. But Siyoon."
"Yes, hyung-nim."
"The fact that those two will be trampled under our hands doesn't change."
"Hey, he's Ken, Ken! How can you say that to your precious little brother!"
"I'm only thinking about winning. Siyoon. Get rid of distracting thoughts."
"Why is he doing this again, seriously."
It's literally true.
It's a great pleasure to reunite with Ken Hashimoto after a long time, and I'm also deeply moved that we can fight together in the last match of this event.
However, the world of competition is a cold one.
Two suns cannot rise under the same sky.
Soon, we entered the pick phase of the first set of the finals.
I leisurely manipulated the controller and said to Kang Si-yoon.
"Can I remove my own penalty now, Si-yoon?"
"It's the finals."
Kang Si-yoon glanced at me and laughed heartily.
"There's no need for a search battle here. we've seen them play their games in the waiting room."
"You know me well, after all."
I moved the cursor to the face of a very familiar character, hearing my heart pounding loudly with excitement.
Come to me, 'Hawk'.
Let's go finish this fight.
When I first chose 'Hawk' in this tournament, I thought I heard a huge sound coming from where the commentators were.
I'm not sure exactly since they were quite far away from where we were, but it was definitely someone who was very excited and shouting.
I raised the corners of my mouth as I thought of Commissioner Kwak Jin-hyeok who must have been blushing.
It seemed like Spector was going to fall from us who had a perfect close combat combination.
He chose two heroes with a lot of mobility, like POX who we met in the round of 16.
The approach is good, but what should I do with this?
'Hawk is definitely not a hero who slows down the tempo.'
This battlefield is a castle. There are many terrain features and hiding places, so it's definitely a map where friends with good mobility are used well.
As soon as the heroes landed on the map, the Spector members quickly moved in the opposite direction from us. Passive movement.
I expected this and immediately chased after them.
"Siyoon, I'll close in from above, so you close in from below. Avoid engaging as much as possible. Just lead the enemies to come to me, and that'll be enough."
"Okay. So you just close in from above?"
Kang Si-yoon, who chose 'Cruise', a bruiser-type hero that can deal damage and tank damage, slowly pushed the members of the Specter who were cramped into a narrow space to the upper floor as I intended.
The two members of the Specter, who saw my hero waiting up there, hesitated for a moment and then fell down.
'Are you trying to avoid a confrontation with me and attack Kang Si-yoon first?'
I saw Ken Hashimoto shouting something urgently on the other side.
'Ken...... He's my beloved younger brother, but his current judgment is really regrettable.'
Going towards Kang Si-yoon to avoid me was not the right choice.
On the contrary, it gave me a good angle.
Because I could use 'Flame Overdrive' and fall over the heads of the two enemies without any restraint.
When my skill hit, all the nearby heroes soared upward due to the additional effect.
I took a deep breath, not missing this fleeting moment.
And with my eyes wide open, I struck the combination I had pressed countless times.
Flame Kick, Diver Uppercut.
Drill Punch, Spin Slash, and then Uppercut again.
All of them were 'Hawk's' continuous attacks that made it impossible for the enemy to fall to the ground if they hit.
And the continuous attacks filled the rage gauge to exactly 100%.
With quick and precise hand movements, I input the command for the ultimate skill, 'Sunlight Smasher'.
- Kwagwagwagwang!
With a dazzling flash, a halo of light shot out from the tip of 'Hawk's' fist.
The game screen shook violently as if a giant volcano was erupting.
'Sunlight Smasher', which inflicted an additional 350% damage to enemies in the air, mercilessly attacked the Specter members, and the damage percentages displayed at the bottom of the screen for the two went up like a slot machine that hit the jackpot.
100%. 200%, 300%, 400%.
The characters of the Specter members, who had turned red like tomatoes, recorded the highest damage percentage of 500% that had never been seen before and flew out of the battlefield.
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