Chapter 125

Seven years ago was a time when most virtual reality-related businesses hadn’t properly started yet.

Virtual reality back then was like a developing country lacking infrastructure.

But if you ask how it experienced explosive growth over the past seven years.

It was because Surface, a massive capital with ample investment funds, seemed to make up their mind and poured out virtual reality infrastructure all at once starting the following year.

A pro league that drove virtual reality’s explosive popularity was created.

Travel, the streaming company, was acquired by Surface and began providing official capsule streaming services.

All trading activities related to avatars and lobbies were activated, and massive advertisements about virtual reality were broadcast throughout the cities.

That’s why the video from seven years ago that Seo-jun found by following the link in the email had poor quality.

“Wow, this brings back memories.”

Seven years ago, Travel hadn’t entered the scene yet, but some company was crudely providing a beta version streaming service, so videos remained.

The problem was the quality was quite poor.

They said the technology to convert brainwave signals shot from capsules to the brain into digital signals was lacking.

If you turned on that company’s streaming inside virtual reality, you could see clearly since there was no need to convert signals, but most viewers then and now don’t watch streaming from inside capsules.

After all, wasn’t the streaming market something that grew because there was a bit of a barrier to entry for getting into capsules in the first place?

Moreover, at that time, the number of people who even knew about virtual reality was extremely small compared to now, so most of these old videos that remained were either of poor quality or deleted after failing to gain many views.

Seo-jun entered the link with a smile of delight.

It wasn’t a streaming broadcaster’s video. Just a channel that had uploaded some gameplay videos in the past and then been abandoned.

The people in the video were mostly using default avatars, and this fact brought Seo-jun a bit of nostalgia.

While nowadays only a minority use default avatars, back then playing games with your own face was an unfamiliar concept.

This was from the very early days—not just the early period, but the extreme early days—when only users from 1-2 years earlier found it natural to create their own avatars.

The default avatars mostly had their faces covered with masks or veils to reduce the sense of alienation.

Honestly, if several people with the same face met and fought each other, even Seo-jun might find it a bit scary.

In that setting, Seo-jun found his seven-year-ago self.

The video owner’s opposing mid was Seo-jun.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Seven years ago, Seo-jun was rapidly hitting weak points even though the mechanism didn’t require him to immediately strike vital spots.

“No need to watch more. Let me just check the others.”

There were several links in the email, and Seo-jun quickly opened the next video.

It was similarly a video uploaded for fun by an ordinary person, not a streamer, and when he skipped forward a bit, his past self appeared.

“This is me too.”

Seo-jun opened the next video.

It was the same.

Since the video owners weren’t Seo-jun himself, he only appeared a few times, but how on earth did they find these?

It’s a bit creepy.

“They’re all me, aren’t they?”

The ability to find videos from years ago with fewer than 100 views is impressive.

The reason is also curious.

Why exactly?

Just then, a reply to the email Seo-jun had sent came in.

To the Travel message system.

[It would truly be an honor if we could collaborate!]

* * *

The next day.

Seo-jun finished the league game and returned to Hall of Heroes.

It’s a space like The League’s lobby and also a shop.

“That’s done. It was fun.”

Seo-jun was currently streaming.

And it had been two hours since he turned on the stream.

Naturally, he hadn’t revealed the pattern yet.

-The streamer is really evil lmao

-Look how quiet the Kael one-tricks are

-Gotta be careful lol

-You’re not ending the stream here, right? Streamer?

He had said he’d reveal it today, but he never said he’d reveal it right after turning on the stream.

The Kael one-tricks who had followed in advance yesterday to prepare were trying to cause a ruckus in chat.

After Seo-jun made an example by banning a few troublemakers, they started controlling their anger better.

-Forcing us to watch streaming for 2 hours, so vicious

-If you don’t like it, just leave and watch the archive lol

-But he’s really damn good

-Suspicions of cheating have disappeared

“Good that suspicions of cheating have disappeared. I’ve never cheated once on stream, but existing viewers don’t really believe that. Now I’ll tell you!”

Seo-jun headed toward the Practice Room.

The Practice Room allowed you to summon training dummies or bots, and you could also invite friends for one-on-ones.

Most importantly, you didn’t need to buy any heroes.

-Wow!

-Thank you!

-But even if he tells us, you guys won’t be able to do it, right?

-For real lol

-Still gotta know

The users who called themselves Kael one-tricks naturally knew this well.

No matter how detailed Seo-jun’s explanation, only a very small number with truly high skill would benefit from it.

However, they still couldn’t miss this stream as proud Kael one-tricks.

Also, many people were still half-doubting.

Since Seo-jun had a record of finding similar things before, they let it slide for now, but originally accusations of hacks or bugs should have come out long ago.

They were waiting with the attitude of “let’s see just how reasonable this explanation is.”

They’d probably pounce if it was even slightly unconvincing.

‘I can’t make it convincing though.’

Isn’t it the realm of instinct?

That’s why he needed to show them, not convince them.

“Ah everyone, today we have a special guest. It’s Windstorm Sword-nim!”

Seo-jun arrived in front of the Practice Room and immediately sent an invitation.

-Oh??

-Isn’t that the Kael expert streamer who first achieved the 2-person ult?

-First to succeed at 2-person ult vs succeeded in one try lol

-Looks like he’s going to teach the Kael expert

Windstorm Sword.

The user Seo-jun had talked with yesterday whose highest tier was Challenger.

His special feature was that he said he turns on streaming as a side job whenever he briefly plays games, boasting about 1,000-2,000 regular viewers.

The reason his nickname was Windstorm Sword was because he used to play the Swordsman Who’s Always With the Wind before switching to Kael.

Seo-jun introduced these points to the viewers and then greeted him.

“Hello, Windstorm Sword-nim.”

“Seo-jun-nim. Hello. Thank you for the invitation.”

“Thank you for appearing on my stream today. Shall we start right away?”

“Sounds good.”

“Oh, by the way, Windstorm Sword-nim hasn’t heard the explanation either, so he’s in the same state as all of you.”

“That’s right.”

When Seo-jun stepped into the Practice Room, a window appeared asking him to select a hero.

Seo-jun chose Kael, entered, and summoned a training dummy in front of him.

“Now I’ll give you the full explanation. Please listen carefully too, Windstorm Sword-nim.”

He drew Kael’s sword from his waist and approached the training dummy.

Lines of light appeared.

“Game patterns like this, unless they’re random, contain the developer’s intent. In other words, there’s a generation formula. You understand that to some degree, right, Windstorm Sword-nim?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Windstorm Sword, who had come over beside him, nodded.

He was probably one of the users who had figured out the most about patterns.

Except for Seo-jun, that is.

“I was able to find Assassin’s Dawn’s Weak Point by understanding this kind of intent.”

After mentioning facts that most had already verified by watching Seo-jun’s iTube videos.

“Then I’ll now tell you Kael’s developer’s intent. That is, the middle.”

Seo-jun began his explanation.

-Middle?

-What’s that supposed to mean

“The next weak point will be generated in a position that’s neither too difficult nor too easy to chain from the previous weak point you struck. If the next weak point appeared in the easiest position to chain, where would it be generated?”

Seo-jun made a motion of slashing the training dummy diagonally.

“Hmm, would it be generated in exactly the same place?”

-The easiest would be to go back up the same way you came down? Grazing doesn’t work since you need to cut 80% of lines

Weak points have dots and lines.

And these two don’t trigger just from slashing or grazing.

Lines must be cut 80% or more to trigger, and dots only trigger from thrusting attacks—quite strict judgment criteria.

Then the easiest would be for a weak point to generate that goes back up the same path you came down.

“Rather than a completely identical line being drawn, it would be easier to tilt the angle a bit more depending on circumstances, but that’s similar. You can think of it that way.”

Weak points are generated considering countless variables that even Seo-jun doesn’t know—the positions of yourself and your opponent, the angles of your arm and sword after breaking the weak point, your footing, etc.

So he can’t know exactly right now.

If the developer implemented this for him, Seo-jun would quickly get the hang of it though.

“For thrusts, lines would be generated based on where you thrust. So where do you think would be the most difficult position to chain?”

“Hmm.”

Windstorm Sword made a thoughtful sound and moved his sword in the air several times.

He doesn’t seem to know.

“I’ll give you just a rough sense of it—it would be all positions where your arm naturally bends when you try to chain that weak point without rest. Do you understand a bit now?”

Since you can only understand by realizing it yourself, Seo-jun waited.

“Ah… Hmm…”

Windstorm Sword seemed to catch on quickly though.

After thinking deeply for a moment, he spoke.

“I think I understand what you mean, really roughly. But then, how exactly do you find that middle…”

-For real lol

-So damn vague

-Isn’t this cheating?

-Honestly, hmm…

“Cheating?”

Seo-jun smoothly but quickly drew his sword across the training dummy.

Since it was a stationary enemy, it was even faster.

1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds.

[Judgment Sword]

After six bursting sounds passed, vibrations rang out.

Kael’s ultimate struck down from the ceiling.

-No, it’s not cheating but LOL

-Ah, got it lol

-I’ll just believe it’s hacks lmao

-But I’m seriously a bit suspicious though?

-I don’t care about that stuff. Give me a refund

-For what?

-My time lmao

-Crazy bastard lol

They were laughing, but reactions of disbelief were visible throughout.

‘Can’t be helped.’

As he said again, you have to realize it yourself.

Weak points belong to a category that can’t be explained or memorized.

There are too many variables, so only intuition built up from countless experiences of responding in the moment can solve this type of problem.

That’s why Seo-jun gave examples of what could be grasped even a little, along with the intent.

Because if you have sufficient experience and skill built up, just being aware of this intent can lead to great improvement.

Seo-jun knew how skilled the so-called experts were, so he could guarantee it.

‘The problem is that most people lack both skill and experience.’

Over time, experts would naturally prove Seo-jun’s words.

But how many days that would take was unknown.

-Really have no clue at all

-This is bullshit. Same with Weak Point in Assassin’s Dawn, and now this is just bullshit

-Kael one-tricks, if you can’t trust the streamer then just leave

-That’s why they’re called Kael ‘one-tricks,’ because they’re noobs that only plays Kael

-Then what, do you guys believe this stuff?

-He showed us, so lol the streamer always proves things

-What, you can’t say you know parrying principles just because you can parry, right? Lmao

-Anyway, hurry up and give me a refund

-Black consumer

That’s why Seo-jun, who had prepared someone, smiled and said.

“Hey now, a refund? If even one person understood my lecture, then it’s not cheating, right?”

-That’s true. As long as someone understood it lol

-What lecture

-Professor, your pace is too fast—nobody understood!

-Hurry up and bring someone lol

-Absolutely no way lol

“Yes. They’re right here. Someone who’s clearly looking at me with eyes that say they understood the explanation in one go.”

Seo-jun looked at Windstorm Sword.

“…?”

Windstorm Sword’s eyes widened.

What? Me? When?

His expression seemed to say exactly that.

-LOL his eyes got huge

-Definitely doesn’t seem like it?

-Zero confidence in that expression lol

-Exactly like this. We’re screwed

Naturally, Windstorm Sword needed much more time to reflect.

But Seo-jun had a way to shorten that.

“If Windstorm Sword-nim grasps the pattern, you’ll acknowledge it. You understand, right?”

Seo-jun was ready to cheat now.