Chapter 105

Shin Ha-yeon had defended the throne of the Training Hall’s Level 10 AI for five years.

However, this didn’t mean that no one had ever beaten Shin Ha-yeon’s AI.

The AI mimics a person by compiling accumulated data.

But it’s impossible for just two hours’ worth of data from someone’s reactions and movements to fully convey their skill level.

Of course, as the owner of the Level 10 position kept changing and data accumulated, it was true that the current Level 10 AI’s level had approached that of the top-tier players.

That’s why even ordinary players who had beaten the Level 9 AI found the Level 10 AI so challenging they could barely attempt it.

But what if the highest-level pro players seriously committed to fighting it continuously?

They could win.

And every time this happened, Shin Ha-yeon had reclaimed her position.

“Not once in the past five years without exception.”

Baek Do-yul recalled what he’d heard about her habits from Shin Ha-yeon’s former colleagues.

Shin Ha-yeon apparently enjoyed fighting and practicing against the AI whenever a new person appeared.

During the data registration process, she would enter whenever she remembered and absorb the reactions that the AI had automatically selected as necessary.

In a way, it could be called the ultimate training vending machine.

Fighting the actual person would be best, but there weren’t many people of similar skill level willing to fight as much as she wanted.

Especially if it was pure swordsmanship combat.

“Swordsmanship, huh.”

He had some expertise in swordsmanship too.

It wasn’t that his family ran a swordsmanship dojo or that his parents were martial arts masters.

His parents ran an ordinary small business.

However.

“My first game was For the Murim.”

Baek Wigang.

An NPC who evaluated the skill of techniques when demonstrated.

The first NPC Baek Do-yul met when he first entered the virtual reality world was Baek Wigang.

And he found it interesting to demonstrate techniques and receive evaluations, spending several weeks experimenting with various techniques in front of him, instinctively developing insight into swordsmanship on an intuitive level.

Then at some point, a server-first achievement appeared and he earned the title Grand Master (though he didn’t actually equip the title), and as he began playing the game seriously, he realized he had overwhelming talent.

After that, he was discovered by his current team’s coach and fell into the professional world, eventually claiming victory.

[Shin Ha-yeon: Not interested.]

Recently, he heard that the Grand Master title he thought only he possessed had appeared, so he logged into For the Murim for the first time in a while, only to discover his title had been taken.

Why?

Wasn’t it supposed to be a title that could only exist once on the server?

If so, was that streamer’s technique demonstrated after seeing it just once really that exceptional?

Even though he hadn’t entered For the Murim in years, it was hard to accept.

He challenged Baek Wigang again to reclaim it, but the Grand Master title didn’t appear again.

Even watching the video of receiving Grand Master, he couldn’t understand it.

What exactly was different?

[Baek Do-yul: You’ve also fought that streamer in Training Hall, right?]

That’s when his interest turned to the Training Hall, which he normally wouldn’t even glance at, and he summoned the Level 10 AI to face it.

And the moment their swords clashed, he realized.

The depth of swordsmanship contained in each move was different.

How to parry, how to extend the arm, how to occupy advantageous positions in advance.

Parrying in situations where you absolutely shouldn’t parry, thrusting in situations where you’d get counterattacked for thrusting.

He learned moves that might have taken him quite a while to realize on his own.

[Shin Ha-yeon: So what do you want me to do about it.]

[Baek Do-yul: Why are you angry?]

[Shin Ha-yeon: Because you’re interrupting my free time]

[Baek Do-yul: lol]

Sending only ‘lol’, he smiled.

Is this the composure of a winner?

It wasn’t without reason that Shin Ha-yeon was irritated.

In this tournament, they had been lucky and the other side had been unlucky.

The meta and teamwork had meshed a little better.

Countless small coincidences had accumulated for them to win.

If they fought again, they might lose.

But isn’t that a concept that applies to every match?

So they were legitimate winners.

The weight and composure that victory carries.

[Shin Ha-yeon: Ah, this is annoying. Blocking you.]

[Baek Do-yul: Wait]

[Baek Do-yul: .]

[Baek Do-yul: Stop!!]

[Baek Do-yul: Wait a moment.]

[Baek Do-yul: You’re really blocking me?]

[Baek Do-yul: No way, you’re watching, right? If I were blocked, I couldn’t chat either.]

[Baek Do-yul: Hello?]

The composure vanished in an instant.

If he had crossed the line and made her angry, he might not be able to ask anything at all.

[Shin Ha-yeon: Hurry up and get to the point]

What he was curious about.

The time it usually took for Shin Ha-yeon to reclaim her position was typically one or two days.

At most, it never exceeded a week.

But taking this long?

Actually, he had already resolved this question.

He also felt there was that much to learn (extract), and he had been entering the Training Hall during every autonomous training session.

What he was really curious about was.

[Baek Do-yul: Don’t you know anything about that person? Since you’ve been playing since the very beginning of virtual reality, I thought you might know something.]

Shin Ha-yeon was a famous user who had been playing since the early days of virtual reality, not just the early days of gaming tournaments.

Truly a living fossil!

Even though she was young in age, even though he was older despite starting games later.

Anyway, Shin Ha-yeon was both a fossil and a veteran.

[Shin Ha-yeon: Why?]

[Baek Do-yul: Just looking at it, that’s definitely not the skill of someone playing a game for the first time, right?]

[Baek Do-yul: Is there a chance that Surface gives sub-accounts to regular people? If not, they must be a returning user, and if so, someone like you might know his identity.]

What was his identity?

He could confidently say it absolutely wasn’t first-time gaming skill.

Well, he seemed to have set his streaming concept as remembering his past life.

Fine, good.

Even granting him a hundred concessions, if he really remembered his past life, then such skill level might be possible.

But remembering past lives was something he couldn’t accept even with a thousand concessions.

First, he definitely wasn’t a pro.

Even with full-body plastic surgery, he thought it would be impossible for someone that handsome to emerge, no matter how advanced modern medicine had become.

That’s kind of enviable though.

Anyway, so he deduced he was a regular person, specifically someone who had played games in the past.

His past avatar would have looked different from reality.

“Actually, it doesn’t really matter.”

The real reason he was curious was different.

[Shin Ha-yeon: Not telling you lol]

[Baek Do-yul: …]

[Shin Ha-yeon: I don’t know his identity either]

[Baek Do-yul: Doesn’t seem like it at all.]

[Baek Do-yul: Anyway, I need information. Our side is thinking of testing that person and scouting them if their gaming skills are decent enough.]

[Shin Ha-yeon: Pfft]

[Baek Do-yul: ??]

As expected. She definitely knew something.

But why is she laughing?

[Shin Ha-yeon: Anyway, I really don’t know so bye]

[Baek Do-yul: Alright lol]

Tsk.

Should I enter the Training Hall once more?

The time was 7 PM.

Autonomous training time.

The tournament was over so there was a bit more leeway, but even so, a pro gamer’s schedule was packed with practice.

Practice, practice, and more practice.

Still, it was enjoyable.

Maybe because it was a game, but competing and winning was fun.

Competitive spirit.

That was exactly why he had asked about Seo-jun.

“I am feeling a bit petty.”

Baek Do-yul’s pride was hurt by the fact that he was inferior to Seo-jun in swordsmanship alone.

His most confident character in The League also wielded a sword, and his specialty was also swordsmanship.

Probably thanks to the influence of his first game, that naturally became his main weapon and unique strength.

However, an opponent had appeared who surpassed his skills in just swordsmanship.

How could he not be curious?

“In terms of gaming skills, I’d be superior though.”

Virtual reality game combat isn’t conducted with cold weapons alone.

There are many more diverse fighting methods, and after becoming a pro, he had trained in all comprehensive combat aspects instead of training in swordsmanship.

The reason he was probably inferior to that streamer was precisely this.

He had many other things to pay attention to.

Most pros would probably be the same.

Shin Ha-yeon being in the Training Hall was a rather special case.

‘Someone was saying they’d go to a gym to learn fighting. Hmm.’

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door of his room.

“Come in.”

Creak.

The door opened and the team coach entered.

“Do-yul. How’s the Training Hall practice going?”

“Good.”

“Great. And about that favor you asked for, I got a reply.”

“Ah, finally?”

The proposal to email Seo-jun asking him to take a team test.

That had been Baek Do-yul’s request.

The coach looked somewhat disapproving but still agreed, thinking there was no harm in testing, and the director had also instructed him to do so.

“Yeah. That streamer says he has no intention of taking the test.”

“Hmm. Got it.”

“Alright.”

Having said what he came to say, the coach left again, and alone in the room, Baek Do-yul turned on that streamer’s broadcast.

Their team was currently champions.

They had good treatment and had already renewed all contracts.

That was why the coach was particularly unenthusiastic.

He felt the same way.

He hadn’t really wanted to recruit that streamer for the team.

His true intention was.

“I just wanted to face him once.”

Would he lose if they fought in the Training Hall?

He didn’t know.

Ironically, while fighting Seo-jun’s AI, he had rapidly absorbed a great deal and grown tremendously.

That’s why he wanted to face him once.

“I wonder if he’s ever played The League? It would be nice to know that.”

That’s why he had probed Shin Ha-yeon.

But he got nothing and failed at getting him to come for testing too.

Baek Do-yul had no intention of going further than this.

It was too bothersome.

“If he stays in this world, we’ll meet eventually.”

This was the biggest factor.

As a streamer, he’d have a hard time completely avoiding The League.

With that level of skill, he’d quickly climb to Challenger, the highest tier.

Then they’d naturally meet.

“Ah. Or maybe I should contact MovieSoft once?”

An interesting scenario was forming in his mind.

Hehe.

“Let’s see who the real Heavenly Demon is.”

He was reminded of the role-playing he used to do in For the Murim.

He impulsively donated to Seo-jun’s stream.

[‘Real Heavenly Demon’ donated 2,000,000 won!]

[Let’s face off once to decide who gets the Heavenly Demon position!]

The amount was small, but this much should at least get his attention, right?

[Oh… The true Heavenly Demon has finally appeared. Then I’ll return to my hometown, the Orthodox faction.]

-You’re not going to do battlefield again anyway T_T

-Orthodox faction, do you believe that?

-Today’s stream title literally says “final battlefield review broadcast” lol

-This bastard isn’t even logged into the game, he’s sitting in his chair farming donations. What Orthodox faction LOL

-Ah lol. If you spent 2 million won, he would politely package up the Heavenly Demon position and hand it over LMAO

Maybe this isn’t the way?