Han Juyeon stared blankly for a long time at the vivid ‘DEFEAT’ message that had blared across the screen.
‘How… how could 100% HP vanish in a single hit?’
Her health had undeniably been at a perfect 100%, completely unscathed. Yet, how could it all have evaporated from a single attack?
Shaken by the defeat, Han Juyeon desperately scoured her memories.
Kagero, a long-abandoned, ‘dead’ character (TL Note: A term for a character that has been nerfed into obsolescence and is rarely played.).
Though there were once dedicated ‘master’ players (TL Note: A term for highly skilled and committed players) when the game first launched, she knew the character had been consigned to the ‘coffin’ (TL Note: A slang term indicating a character has been nerfed so severely it’s essentially unplayable) after repeated nerfs.
‘No, wait. I’ve seen something about this in the community before.’
It was a post someone had written, claiming it was an Easter egg hidden by the developers.
A piece of obscure trivia, about how gathering 20 or more Eye of Mind (TL Note: 심안, Shim-an) stacks would enhance the ultimate ability—a feat so practically impossible that no one had ever bothered with it.
‘Surely… they didn’t just pull that off? Just now? No, more importantly, was that actually true? Everyone in the comments was busy mocking it.’
Twenty stacks, a number even ordinary players found impossible to accumulate throughout an entire match. Yet, Lee Jihyeon had achieved it effortlessly, utterly demolishing her within the rules permitted by the system.
****
[ROUND 2 FIGHT!]
As Han Juyeon regained her composure, the two characters were already standing intact at opposite ends of the bamboo forest.
“Why aren’t you moving?”
“You… what are you, really?! Why are you so good?!”
“…Hmph.”
It was a dismissive snort.
Lee Jihyeon suppressed the urge for her lips to curl into a smirk, instead speaking in a voice feigning innocence.
“Am I… good?”
It was a blatant act of ‘bitching’ (TL Note: A Korean slang term, ‘bitikjil’, referring to a deceptive act of feigning humility or ignorance to provoke or annoy an opponent, often after an impressive feat.), a deceptive ploy designed to infuriate her opponent.
“Or perhaps, Ms. Juyeon, you’re just not that good? This is truly my first time playing today… and isn’t Diamond 1 quite a high tier?”
Han Juyeon’s face flushed crimson.
But Lee Jihyeon’s ‘fact violence’ (TL Note: A Korean slang term, ‘paekteu poknyeok’, referring to the brutal use of undeniable facts to shut down an argument or mock someone.) didn’t stop there.
“Oh, and speaking of which, Revine’s control difficulty was rated one star, quite low, I noticed. Ms. Juyeon, could it be that you… have ‘poop hands’ (TL Note: A Korean slang term, ‘ttongson’, referring to someone who is unskilled or clumsy at controlling games or other precise tasks.)?”
This overwhelming victory was the first sense of accomplishment Lee Jihyeon had felt since her reincarnation.
Her dormant confidence erupted like a geyser, and a forgotten fragment of her past life’s memories floated to the surface.
The wicked habit she’d possessed in her youth, of subtly provoking opponents in online games until their mental fortitude shattered, now resurfaced effortlessly and without conscious thought.
The final insult, ‘poop hands,’ delivered a decisive blow to Han Juyeon’s remaining rationality.
“Y-ah!!!”
Consumed by rage, Han Juyeon lunged directly at Lee Jihyeon’s Kagero.
Any semblance of rational judgment had long since vanished from her mind.
‘Oops, I unknowingly started ‘annoying’ them (TL Note: A Korean slang term, ‘inseongjil’, referring to intentionally acting in an irritating or provocative manner to get a rise out of someone.)… and I haven’t even mastered all the commands yet!’
In the very instant Revine swung her sword in a wide arc.
Lee Jihyeon’s Kagero didn’t evade the attack, but instead closed in.
*Grab!*
Kagero, having slipped inside Revine’s arm, lightly snatched her wrist with one hand.
“…Ugh!”
In that moment of Han Juyeon’s confusion, not only had her attack missed, but her wrist was now ensnared.
Kagero’s other hand wrapped deeply around Revine’s neck, using the opponent’s own momentum to pull her forward and throw her down.
*Slam!*
With her own body weight and centrifugal force combined, Revine’s body was driven headfirst into the ground.
It was a swift, decisive takedown, reminiscent of a ninja’s assassination technique.
[Revine HP: 100% → 80%]
“Ugh… a cowardly grab!”
Han Juyeon, momentarily stunned by the grappling technique, lunged forward again the moment she regained her stance.
Lee Jihyeon seized the opportunity, recalling the contents of the skill command window she had glanced at earlier.
‘The skill that launches them into the air… was it this one?’
[Flash (閃光)]
Kagero crouched low, then shot up like lightning, slashing her wakizashi (TL Note: A traditional Japanese short sword) from below to above in a blinding flash.
With a sharp strike, Revine’s body was helplessly launched into the air.
It was a success. Yet, Lee Jihyeon frowned.
‘…The damage is too weak?’
It was clearly meant as a powerful starter for an aerial combo, leaving the opponent vulnerable, but Revine’s health bar had barely diminished.
Only then did Lee Jihyeon realize.
That the power of all Kagero’s offensive skills was determined by the number of Eye of Mind stacks.
Currently, her [Eye of Mind Stacks] stood at a mere two.
These were only the stacks gained from the grappling technique she had just used.
“Take this!”
Han Juyeon, having recovered her posture in mid-air, retaliated by bringing her sword down.
Lee Jihyeon lightly parried the incoming sword, then cast a quick glance at Revine’s health bar.
While the [Flash] skill, which consumed stacks, dealt almost negligible damage, the grappling technique she had used earlier had clearly inflicted 20% damage.
‘…Hmm, it seems grappling deals its full damage regardless of stacks.’
If that were the case, the solution was simple.
‘Then, I’ll just grapple them to death.’
There was no need for complicated combo practice.
One reliable, potent technique would suffice.
Han Juyeon grew anxious as her attack was blocked yet again.
She widened the distance once more, attempting to initiate a psychological battle.
She feigned an overhead strike before switching to a low attack, sometimes incorporating fakes to attempt a grapple.
Yet, every single one of those movements appeared agonizingly slow and transparent to Lee Jihyeon’s eyes.
*Grab!*
“…At this timing?!”
As Han Juyeon extended her arm for an attack, Lee Jihyeon’s Kagero once again snatched it.
What followed was a perfectly identical flow of jujutsu, just as before.
*Slam!*
[Revine HP: 80% → 60%]
“You… you rascal!”
Before Revine could even regain her stance, Kagero had already darted in like a shadow, ready for the next grapple.
*Grab! Slam!*
[Revine HP: 60% → 40%]
“No, wait! Hey! Aren’t you going to use any other moves?!”
Han Juyeon’s desperate cry echoed, but Lee Jihyeon offered no reply.
She simply continued, silently and mechanically, repeating the same motion.
If her opponent attempted to attack, she would exploit the opening and grapple.
If her opponent tried to break free from a grapple, she would delay by a beat and grapple again.
If her opponent attempted to create distance, she would preemptively close in and grapple.
The ultimate conclusion of every psychological ploy was always a grapple.
Han Juyeon was on the verge of tearing her hair out.
She knew what was happening, yet she was powerless to stop it.
In the face of this monster, who perfectly read her every move, there was nothing she could do.
*Grab! Slam!*
[Revine HP: 40% → 20%]
*Grab! Slam!*
[Revine HP: 20% → 0%]
****
[KO]
The moment Revine’s HP hit zero from the final grapple, a system message announcing the end of the match flashed across the center of the screen.
[WIN! – Kagero]
Kagero bowed towards the defeated and fallen Revine.
“It was a good match.”
Even the automatic victory dialogue, played by the system, sounded like the most profound mockery to Han Juyeon.
In an instant, their vision was engulfed in light, and both players were summoned back to the lobby.
“You little brat—!”
As if to vent her frustration, Han Juyeon mercilessly tugged and squeezed Lee Jihyeon’s soft-looking cheeks with both hands.
“How dare you only use grapples, *only* grapples! Huh? And what? You called me ‘poop hands’?! ‘Poop hands’?!
While she couldn’t lay a finger on her in the game, the situation in the lobby was entirely different.
“Is being cute an excuse for everything?! Hmph?!”
“Ugh… let go of meee…”
With her cheeks stretched taut, Lee Jihyeon mumbled.
Yet, even amidst this, her gaze remained utterly unyielding.
Instead, she looked at Han Juyeon with a hint of disdain, delivering a precise ‘fact bomb’ (TL Note: A Korean slang term for stating an undeniable truth, often to someone’s detriment.) with her distorted pronunciation.
“But… you *are* unskilled, aren’t you? Noob.”
At that single word, Han Juyeon’s hands, which had been kneading Lee Jihyeon’s cheeks, froze.
“…N-noob?”
Her hands trembled uncontrollably.
For a moment, Han Juyeon was overcome with the urge to truly pop the cheeks of this cute, yet infuriating, avatar.
Ultimately, however, she let out a ‘pffft’ sound, a burst of air, and then a laugh.
Though she felt indignant and wronged, not a single word of it was false.
She, a Diamond 1 tier player, had been utterly toyed with by a newbie who had started playing today, and with only a single grappling technique at that.
This was her undeniable, perfect defeat.
“…Alright, I lost, I lost! I’m the noob!”
Han Juyeon set Lee Jihyeon down on the floor, then ruffled her own hair, conceding defeat.
Just as swiftly, Lee Jihyeon adjusted her clothes with an unruffled expression, as if nothing had happened.
Han Juyeon gazed intently at Lee Jihyeon.
‘This kid, she’s really something else.’
She felt a thrilling sense of satisfaction at the fact that she, merely a part-timer at a local VR arcade, had exclusive access to a player of such talent.
“Hey, Jihyeon.”
Han Juyeon called out to Lee Jihyeon in a serious tone.
“Have you ever thought about becoming a pro gamer?”
At that, Lee Jihyeon paused, lost in thought.
A pro gamer.
It was a profession she had never considered, neither in her past life nor in this one. Yet, this path clearly pointed to her aptitude. A way to earn money.
Lee Jihyeon was about to nod.
But suddenly, an image of herself on a public stage flashed through her mind.
Winning a competition, being interviewed amidst countless camera flashes.
The deluge of gazes and questions was all too predictable.
– Wow, that player is so cute.
– She’s like a total baby! How can those tiny hands make such plays?
– Is this the arrival of a child prodigy pro gamer?
‘…Ah.’
Just the thought made her stomach churn.
Auditioning for an idol group had been merely part of her search for aptitudes.
Singing, dancing, acting. It was merely a process to confirm that none of those were her true calling; she had never genuinely wished to stand on a stage.
But being a pro gamer was different. This was undeniably her talent.
If she truly walked this path, it meant enduring those kinds of gazes for the rest of her life.
A life where she was consumed not for her skill or achievements, but merely for her small, cute appearance.
‘I don’t want that.’
She had lived in this woman, Lee Jihyeon’s, body for several months, but such treatment was utterly unbearable.
It made her feel cringey and disgusted, as if her internal organs were twisting.
She would rather be an anonymous streamer, if anything; being paraded like a commodity, with her appearance at the forefront, was something she refused.
Lee Jihyeon was about to shake her head.
But then, she caught sight of Han Juyeon’s face, staring at her with sparkling eyes.
‘Still…’
Perhaps, just a little, it might feel good to be called cute by a beauty like Han Juyeon.
