Inside the dorms of Cheongdo Magic Star, the Royal Commando pro gaming team, two men sat riveted, their gazes fixed on a single screen.
Click.
The Trooper’s movements halted abruptly. They were watching a replay video, accessed through a game code provided by Jo Meo-hyeop. This particular footage captured a collaborative stream between Jo Meo-hyeop and Wadeulwadeul, viewed entirely from Wadeulwadeul’s perspective.
Go Jae-hyun, known by his streamer handle God Jae-hyun and gaming tag SIN, turned to his teammate, the damage dealer Ga Mun-hwa. ‘What’s your take on this, Mun-hwa?’ he inquired.
Ga Mun-hwa’s expression was one of clear perplexity.
‘…I honestly don’t know, hyung.’
‘You *can’t* not know, you punk,’ Go Jae-hyun retorted.
Despite his words, Go Jae-hyun’s tone lacked any real harshness. Truth be told, even he, a seasoned professional, found the situation utterly baffling.
Ga Mun-hwa, being a hitscan dealer who directly controlled Trooper, had initially thought his perspective might differ. Yet, his assessment proved remarkably similar to Go Jae-hyun’s.
‘What can I even say?’ Ga Mun-hwa mused, grappling for words. ‘The raw skill seems impossible without cheats, yet the fluidity of movement suggests it absolutely *can’t* be a cheat.’
‘So, you’re essentially saying you’re clueless, aren’t you?’
‘Yes, that’s precisely it.’
‘Ugh, damn it.’
Go Jae-hyun raked a hand through his hair, frustration evident. This was an enigmatic master, obliterating opponents with zero aim assist. While ordinary players might dismiss it as mere gossip, these two were different. They were professional gamers, their very careers built upon Royal Commando.
In their world, no one should possess a deeper understanding of this game than they did. Such was the formidable weight of bearing the title ‘pro.’
Yet, to their utter bewilderment, Wadeulwadeul’s movements defied the comprehension of both seasoned professionals. It wasn’t the tell-tale motion of a cheat, but the sheer level of performance made them question how such feats could be achieved without one.
‘First off, judging by their overall play, it certainly looks like they’re new to the game,’ Ga Mun-hwa began. ‘They don’t seem to know where the health kits are, nor do they understand supply pings.’
‘That only makes it a bigger problem, doesn’t it?’
‘Exactly. If they actually grasped the game’s mechanics, it would be utterly broken. Even now, they’re dominating this segment. I suspect they’d steamroll through ranks all the way to Diamond. But from Master onward, team synergy becomes crucial, which would likely pose a challenge.’
Ga Mun-hwa, the main damage dealer for the Cheongdo Magic Star team, known by his player name Gaho, found himself equally bewildered by the replay video his teammate, the healer Go Jae-hyun, had presented.
‘But one thing, I’m absolutely sure of,’ Ga Mun-hwa stated definitively.
‘What’s that?’
‘If their aim assist isn’t set to zero, these movements are simply impossible.’
At Ga Mun-hwa’s assertion, Go Jae-hyun’s eyebrows arched in slight surprise.
‘What are you talking about?’
‘This is something only Trooper players would know, but when you use Trooper, even a slight degree of aim assist triggers a forced physics engine during reloading. The damage dealer in this footage, however, is completely circumventing that engine. It genuinely means their aim assist is at zero.’
‘Such a thing even existed?’ Go Jae-hyun murmured, astonished.
‘I only discovered it myself during training, when I set my aim assist to zero,’ Ga Mun-hwa explained. ‘I constantly strive to minimize my aim assist, so it was something I noticed.’
‘But then, why can’t *you* do it?’ Go Jae-hyun pressed.
‘If I possessed that level of raw skill,’ Ga Mun-hwa chuckled weakly, ‘I wouldn’t just be the top earner on our team; I’d be the highest-paid player in the entire league, wouldn’t I?’
‘So you’re suggesting the person in that video should be the league’s highest-paid player? Even though they supposedly just started the game that very day?’
Go Jae-hyun’s pointed question momentarily silenced Ga Mun-hwa. Yet, as if stung by a blow to his pride, a rather flimsy excuse soon tumbled from his lips.
‘Even so, their game sense, positioning, ultimate timing—those are genuinely beginner-level,’ he argued. ‘If we were to scrimmage against them, I would, of course, absolutely shred them…’
‘Enough, you idiot!’ Go Jae-hyun exclaimed, cutting him off.
Go Jae-hyun delivered a swift, open-palmed smack to the back of Ga Mun-hwa’s head.
‘Is that truly something a professional should be saying? That’s just stating the obvious, damn it!’
‘…You have a point there,’ Ga Mun-hwa conceded.
Despite the smack, Ga Mun-hwa acknowledged the truth in Go Jae-hyun’s words. While it was impossible to fully believe someone had just started the game, a professional displaying such overt competitiveness against them was, he realized, a rather unsightly spectacle.
‘However, I do think this much is true,’ Ga Mun-hwa continued. ‘Since their opponents are roughly Gold rank, this level of performance might be expected. Top-tier players often appear to be hacking when they descend to lower ranks, given the dimensional difference in both their strategic thinking and raw mechanics. So, until we face them directly, we can’t truly know.’
‘That’s a fair point,’ Go Jae-hyun agreed, stroking his chin. ‘I really want to get into a game with them, just once.’
‘Are you planning to ‘snipe’ them (TL Note: In gaming, ‘sniping’ refers to intentionally queuing at the same time as a specific streamer or player to try and get into their game)?’ Ga Mun-hwa asked.
‘If our MMRs aligned, I would have done exactly that,’ Go Jae-hyun replied.
Go Jae-hyun leaned back in his chair, craning his neck upwards. Just then, Ga Mun-hwa, who had been engrossed in his phone, spoke up.
‘Oh, hey, Wadeulwadeul-nim is streaming right now,’ Ga Mun-hwa announced.
‘Is that so?’
Having rewatched today’s game footage for nearly two hours, they hadn’t realized how quickly time had passed; it was already eight o’clock.
‘They’re playing Royal Commando,’ Ga Mun-hwa added.
‘With that kind of raw skill, they absolutely *should* be streaming,’ Go Jae-hyun declared. ‘Connect your phone to the TV. Let’s watch together.’
Ga Mun-hwa used Bluetooth to link his phone’s stream to the dorm’s television. On screen, Wadeulwadeul was constantly cycling through different characters.
Though Wadeulwadeul occasionally made reckless plays, clearly unfamiliar with overall game strategies, their fundamental mechanical skill was simply insurmountable. Even when committing to utterly absurd engagements, they consistently managed to eliminate at least one opponent before falling.
‘Their raw skill is absolutely insane,’ Go Jae-hyun muttered, impressed.
‘Do you think a professional team will try to contact them?’
‘Why would they bother contacting someone who’s still unranked?’ Go Jae-hyun scoffed. ‘Perhaps if they climb to Challenger rank, but certainly not yet.’
‘What if they *do* reach it?’
‘…Ugh, I don’t know,’ Go Jae-hyun sighed. ‘Something will work itself out.’
Suddenly, Go Jae-hyun found himself imagining the prospect of facing a damage dealer with such unparalleled mechanical skill. At that level, it felt as though merely making eye contact would instantly deplete more than half his health bar; the mere thought sent a shiver down his spine.
Just then, Wadeulwadeul’s voice drifted from the TV: ‘…Ah, but this is getting too boring. I really want to play against some more skilled opponents.’
Go Jae-hyun, who had been listening to her voice idly, suddenly sprang to his feet, a brilliant idea having struck him.
‘Hey, do you have any Ogo-gok silver coins (TL Note: A fictional in-game currency used for donations on this platform) charged?’
‘Huh?’ Ga Mun-hwa blinked.
‘Donate right now,’ Go Jae-hyun urged. ‘Tell them to open up viewer participation. I want to try joining a game.’
‘…Excuse me?’
Ga Mun-hwa quickly grasped Go Jae-hyun’s intention. If an opportunity to face her directly didn’t exist, they would simply have to create one.
‘Ah, okay, I get it.’
Ga Mun-hwa promptly logged into a viewer account and sent a sponsorship message. Having watched clips from Wadeulwadeul’s very first broadcast, he was adept at mimicking the typical viewer IDs and speech patterns.
[Sinseong-gu Wadeul Clan (TL Note: A fan club name) has sponsored 1000 silver coins!]
[Noona (TL Note: A respectful term used by a male to address an older female), at your current MMR, even if you play casual games all day, no one can keep up with your skill. So, gather the masters among your viewers and let’s do an internal match! Go, go!]
‘Okay, okay. Try to stir up some support in the chat. I’m heading into the capsule (TL Note: A virtual reality gaming device).’ Go Jae-hyun instructed.
‘Understood,’ Ga Mun-hwa affirmed.
Thus began the ‘Wadeulwadeul Viewer Participation Operation,’ an impromptu plan hatched within the Cheongdo Magic Star dorms.
****
[– Is it real?]
[– LOL, God Jae-hyun really is in the stream. Seems legit.]
[– He didn’t even stream today, but he was watching *this* stream. LOLOLOLOLOL]
[– Is he crazy? LOLOLOL]
Though a brief donation, its impact was immense. With God Jae-hyun’s name visibly listed among the viewers, his identity was unequivocally confirmed. As expected, the chat window instantly erupted in a flurry of messages.
‘…Oh, is it actually real?’
Amidst the chaos, Sori Hwa reacted a beat too late. Overwhelmed by the sheer number of participants, she had been engrossed in another memo window, causing her to initially overlook the development.
Sori Hwa herself remembered him. Wasn’t he the professional who had, in his own way, defended her during the collaborative stream with Jo Meo-hyeop?
[God Jae-hyun has sponsored 1000 silver coins!]
[It’s real]
This provided undeniable confirmation that he was indeed watching the live stream. While viewers could choose arbitrary names for their donations, streamers possessed the ability to see the donor’s actual ID.
‘It *is* real,’ Sori Hwa murmured, her voice filled with surprise as she confirmed the genuine God Jae-hyun ID among the donors.
With the streamer’s official confirmation, the chat window’s intensity surged even further.
[– Even pros are watching Wadeulwadeul’s stream LOLOLOL]
[– My little streamer, nooooo TT]
[– Fact: Wadeulwadeul was never a ‘little streamer’]
[– But can a current pro actually join a viewer participation match LOLOL]
Naturally, viewer participation matches are typically for ordinary players. A professional joining would inevitably lead to a massacre. Of course, Royal Commando is a team game, making it impossible for a single player to carry a game beyond a certain skill level.
However, a current pro participating in a viewer match was a rare sight, and the viewers enthusiastically welcomed God Jae-hyun’s involvement. After all, it wasn’t a tournament with stakes, but merely a friendly game.
‘…Alright, I’ll add you to the list,’ Sori Hwa conceded.
Following God Jae-hyun’s donation, the enthusiasm for participation intensified even further. As the fervor showed no signs of cooling, Sori Hwa announced that she would only accept applications for another three minutes.
‘Alright, that’s it.’
After three minutes passed, Sori Hwa closed the participation applications. Donations continued to pour in afterward, filled with requests to join, but Sori Hwa firmly cut them off.
‘One, two, three, four…’
Having closed the recruitment, Sori Hwa counted the hopeful participants. There were a total of 48 individuals wishing to join.
‘But how should I select them?’
This was an issue she hadn’t considered until the very moment of acceptance. She wondered if she should base it on the varying donation amounts, but that felt too materialistic and she disliked the idea.
[God Jae-hyun has sponsored 1000 silver coins!]
[Why don’t you sort by tier? Since you wanted to play with skilled players.]
Immediately, another donation from God Jae-hyun appeared.
[– He really wants to play LOLOLOL]
[– But that makes sense, right? If you want to play with skilled players, you should sort by tier.]
[– Why does he look so desperate??]
‘Hmm, is that so?’
Sori Hwa was intrigued. The criterion was clear, and it seemed to align with her original intention.
‘Then I suppose that’s what we’ll do.’
The selection process was simplified to sorting by tier. Sori Hwa then cut the list down to exactly nine players based on their ranks. Surprisingly, the lowest tier among them was Master 3.
Wadeulwadeul’s stream had become a hot topic due to the Royal Commando ‘hack’ controversy, so it seemed many highly skilled Royal Commando players were among her viewers.
[– God Jae-hyun and the mysterious collab begins LOLOL]
[– Are you all from the heavens? LOLOL]
[– At this point, it’s practically a mini-tournament]
‘I originally planned this to feel more like a neighborhood soccer game…’ Sori Hwa muttered, clicking her tongue. It seemed things had grown larger than she had anticipated. Still, the thought of facing skilled opponents made her heart race.
‘So, first, we’ll use a ladder game to decide teams, and then each team can set up a Discord call, right?’
[– Yep yep]
[– Good progress]
Sori Hwa was just opening an internet browser to search for a ladder game.
[God Jae-hyun has sponsored 1000 silver coins!]
[Instead of a ladder game, how about we proceed with Wadeul-nim’s team and my team? Picking one by one.]
‘…?’
It was a donation clearly brimming with the desire to be on the opposing team. Even Sori Hwa, despite her occasional obtuseness, couldn’t miss the true intent, and the viewers’ reactions grew intense.
[– Didn’t he actually get ‘scratched’ by her saying Royal Commando was boring?]
[– God Jae-hyun is hilarious LOLOL]
[– A current pro sniping someone who started the game three days ago~]
[– That would actually be fun LOLOLOLOL]
Sori Hwa, who had been quietly observing the chat, let out a soft laugh. Was it because she had cultivated her martial arts? The clashing competitive spirit, which she once found uncomfortable, now felt utterly exhilarating.
‘Then God Jae-hyun-nim, you play damage. I’ll also stick to damage.’
Sori Hwa declared, throwing down a fiery challenge. The chat window, fueled by her audacious provocation, erupted so rapidly that it was hard to believe there were only 800 viewers.
[– LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[– The sheer coolness of challenging a pro to a direct duel LOLOL]
[– Super entertaining, grab your popcorn LOLOLOLOLOL]
[– So cool, seriously LOLOLOLOLOL]
Almost immediately, God Jae-hyun’s next donation flew in.
[God Jae-hyun has sponsored 1000 silver coins!]
[I was going to play damage anyway.]
Sori Hwa saw the donation and let out a small, satisfied chuckle. The chat window reached its fiery crescendo.
