[PERFECT KO!]
[WINNER – Kagero]
Kanghyuk stared blankly at the words that had flashed across the center of his screen.
[GrappleLover has sponsored 10,000 won.]
[Here’s my condolence money. May the deceased rest in peace.]
“You bastard!”
[ㅇㅇ has sponsored 1,000 won.]
[You’re not MadHorse, are you? Why are you jumping around like a noob and losing with two consecutive perfects?]
“Ugh, seriously. You try fighting them, you crazy son of a b*tch!”
Kanghyuk roared, exasperated by the deluge of donations and chat messages.
[Fake MadHorse ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[But he really lost so overwhelmingly, there’s nothing to say.]
[So what’s the arena result?]
[Oh right, the arena ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[MadHorse-bro, please select the result quickly. We’re getting dizzy here.]
Only then did Kanghyuk recall that he had opened an arena event.
“Haa, right. I have to choose the result.”
He hesitated for a moment, then, instead of selecting ‘MadHorse victory,’ he pressed the opposing button, which held a 29% vote share.
[Final Result: Unnamed Victory]
“Unnamed’s victory it is.”
[My 300,000 points! My memories!!]
[Is the Han River warm…? (TL Note: A Korean meme implying someone lost so much they might consider jumping into the Han River.)]
[Aaaahhhhhhh!]
[Woohoo~~ Point duplication!]
[Burp ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
“Unnamed, why are you so good?”
Back in the custom room lobby, Kanghyuk addressed Jihyeon.
[Unnamed: Haha, it’s no wonder you got eliminated in the preliminaries.]
“Huh?”
Kanghyuk let out a dumbfounded sound, unable to utter another word.
[Uh oh, don’t touch him.]
[He just hit a trigger point.]
[This is escalating from WWE to UFC, isn’t it?]
[But it’s a fact that he got eliminated, why is he fuming? I genuinely don’t know.]
The moment the last chat message appeared.
“Ban.”
[ㅇㅇ has been temporarily banned for 15 minutes.]
At Kanghyuk’s low utterance, the chat moderator swiftly banned the user.
[Gasp!]
[Everyone, hands off your keyboards!!]
[Save me.]
[Hyuk-bro’s eyes have gone wild now.]
“It’s true that I got eliminated because I wasn’t in good condition, right?”
Kanghyuk forced a smile, looking at Jihyeon, who stood in the form of Kagero.
[Unnamed: Just kidding. Are you angry?]
“No?”
Kanghyuk replied almost reflexively.
Admitting anger in front of tens of thousands of viewers was tantamount to admitting defeat.
“Not at all. Well, it’s true, after all. Haha.”
His awkward laughter echoed through the broadcast.
[Unnamed: That’s a relief. Then, perhaps…]
[Unnamed: Could you accept my friend request?]
“Yes, yes! Of course! Just a moment.”
Kanghyuk fumbled to open his friends list.
[You are now friends with Unnamed.]
“There. It’s done, Unnamed.”
[Unnamed: Thank you.]
[Unnamed: Well then, I’ll be going now.]
“What? Already?”
[Unnamed: Yes. I’m starting to get sleepy.]
With those final words, Kagero’s avatar dissolved into light and vanished.
Kanghyuk was left alone in the room.
****
[Virtual reality connection terminated.]
Alongside the system message, Jihyeon shot up from her seat in the VR capsule.
As soon as she opened the capsule door, she scurried out.
‘Scary!’
She clutched her pounding heart, gasping for breath.
Yet, when she mentioned his preliminary elimination, Jihyeon had clearly seen his face.
‘He was truly furious.’
Her original plan had been to tease him a little more.
But the moment she saw his menacing expression, she had no choice but to reconsider.
A primal sense of alarm warned her that if she pushed him any further, something truly unpleasant might occur.
“Whew, let’s make a break for it first.”
Jihyeon grabbed her bag and tried to leave the VR arena as quietly as possible.
“Jihyeon!”
Han Juyeon, holding her smartphone, shot up from her seat and strode purposefully toward her.
“Jihyeon! That Unnamed who appeared on MadHorse’s broadcast, that was you, wasn’t it?”
“It was.”
At that brief affirmation, Juyeon’s suppressed excitement finally erupted.
“You’re insane, you’re absolutely insane!”
Juyeon grabbed Jihyeon by both shoulders and shook her, shouting.
“You beat MadHorse! The number one ranked player in Korea! And with two consecutive perfect rounds!”
“It’s nothing special.”
“This is nothing special?!”
Juyeon fluttered with excitement, unable to conceal her elation.
“Jihyeon, think about it again. Are you really not considering going pro?”
At her question, Jihyeon remained silent for a moment.
‘It’s not that I completely rule it out.’
Her entry into MadHorse Kanghyuk’s broadcast and her friend request were both calculated moves, intended to build a bridge to the professional scene someday.
She yearned to earn money with her talent and escape her dreary semi-basement apartment.
‘I’m not ready yet.’
She needed to become even more perfect.
Jihyeon looked at Juyeon and spoke softly.
“Once I reach Transcendental tier, I’ll think about it then.”
In response, Juyeon grabbed Jihyeon by both shoulders and shook her, as if exasperated.
“Hey! What are you talking about?! You’ll have scout offers pouring in from gaming teams soon!”
“Scout offers?”
Jihyeon asked, as if hearing it for the first time.
“Of course!”
Juyeon spoke passionately.
“Right now, everyone’s preoccupied with the upcoming World Championship, but once word gets out, professional offers will come flooding in!”
Her eyes blazed with conviction.
“I guarantee it, no later than a week from now… no, you might even get calls tomorrow!”
‘Pro!’
The word strongly resonated within Jihyeon’s heart.
It was the ultimate destination of her aptitude.
But for now, it was too much.
Standing before countless cameras and a sea of spectators, enduring the torrent of gazes and expectations—it was still suffocating to merely imagine, quite apart from yesterday’s resolve.
‘I need to advance step by step, gradually.’
The failures of her previous life had taught her a harsh lesson.
If one rushes forward impatiently, driven by the desire for recognition, things inevitably go awry and break.
Jihyeon resolved to walk her own path, at her own pace.
“No.”
She gently refuted Juyeon’s words.
“Even if offers come, I don’t plan to accept them yet.”
“What? Why!”
“Instead, I’m thinking of starting a broadcast.”
Jihyeon looked directly at Juyeon, declaring her ambition.
“I need to show more people that my skills are real, and make my presence known.”
****
Immediately after Kanghyuk’s broadcast ended, the trending posts on the D-Battle Royale gallery were exclusively about Unnamed.
[Title: (Real-time) Today’s MadHorse Broadcast Summary.txt]
[Author: ㅇㅇ]
[Content]
1. MadHorse, during a viewer feedback segment, Unnamed suddenly appears.
2. Subsequently, MadHorse is utterly decimated with two consecutive perfects.
3. Conclusion: Unnamed is a god.
[Comments]
– ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Perfect summary.
– I missed the broadcast today, did this really happen?
ㄴ Yes, it’s real.
– But seeing as they didn’t use a mic during the interview, their personality must be very quiet.
ㄴㄴ Not quiet, just the vibe of a super pro. Pros don’t talk much, usually.
– The great MadHorse who rage-quit after that! I worship him!!
ㄴ Let’s not make unfair criticisms. He said he’d end the broadcast after the last viewer anyway.
[Title: Unnamed <<< This guy is 100% an AI created by Gong Jiseop]
[Author: Jiseop-broILoveYou]
[Content]
[Attached Image: Screenshot of Gong Jiseop's interview during last year's roadmap]
"Kagero's balancing is truly regrettable. It feels like a poorly designed character. I definitely plan to make adjustments someday."
[Attached Image: Gong Jiseop's personal account match history]
(Numerous Kagero play records and traces of devastating losing streaks)
[Attached Image: Gong Jiseop smiling broadly after picking Kagero in an event match]
This guy just loves Kagero like crazy.
He couldn't bear his beloved character being treated as trash-tier, so he must have created a high-performance AI and unleashed it.
Unnamed is Gong Jiseop's sad tears.
[Comments]
– Gong Jiseop, this crazy bastard…
– Why does he love that trash-tier character so much, seriously?
ㄴ Because it's… cool…!
– Jiseop-bro looks kinda cute when he smiles ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– That's convincing, actually.
[Title: Gaming teams must be frantic right now with the World Championship season ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Author: Zen-bro]
[Content]
With a monster rookie appearing, scouts must be scrambling. ㅋㅋㅋ
They'll probably rush in with stacks of cash to claim Unnamed as soon as the World Championship ends. ㅋㅋㅋ
[Comments]
– Zenith will definitely try to grab him because of MadHorse ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– T1 has a lot of money, so they can offer whatever he asks.
– But it doesn't seem like he particularly wants to come out, does it? A reclusive master is truly badass, seriously.
ㄴ Money talks.
[Title: So, MadHorse <<< is below GrappleLover?]
[Author: ㅇㅇ]
[Content]
God-tier GrappleLover <<<< snatched one round against Unnamed.
f*cking MadHorse <<<< utterly decimated with two consecutive perfects against Unnamed.
GrappleLover, just how strong are you?
Forgive me for underestimating you all this time. From today, I worship you..
[Attached Image: An in-game screenshot of Asura standing majestically with four arms spread wide]
[Comments]
– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Holy shit.
– GrappleLover logged out and immediately came to post on the gallery ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– I worship you, GOAT.
– MadHorse-bro is weeping ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– It's a fact, so I can't argue with it ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
[Title: Newbies Must Read) If you're going to start D-Battle Royale, start today.]
[Author: ㅇㅇ]
[Content]
A ton of Kagero fanatics have appeared in the placement match section.
But of course, they aren't Unnamed, are they? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Those who can't even parry just fool around and get beaten up.
I just played my placement matches and met Kagero 8 times, and I'm currently on an 8-game winning streak.
There's truly no better honey pot than this ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
[Comments]
– ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Seriously?
– Let's go, point duplication~
[Title: So, Unnamed <<< Seriously surpasses last year's World Champion Kaiser?]
[Author: ㅇㅇ]
[Content]
I saw some clip where he parried all of MadHorse's attacks and was playing a different game entirely.
So, with his current form, can this guy beat World Champion Kaiser?
Let's have a serious discussion.
[Comments]
– Kaiser is a god. How dare you…
– Honestly, in terms of pure physical skill, Unnamed seems superior.
ㄴㄴ You can't ignore strategy and experience. Do you think Kaiser is a pushover?
– We'd only know if they fought.
– The Unnamed boom is coming….
