It is common for streamers to browse online communities during their casual chat sessions (TL Note: ‘Nogari time’ refers to a period of relaxed, informal conversation with viewers, often after the main content of a stream has concluded.). After all, the communities and spheres of activity often overlap for their dedicated viewers.
[ Title: A Genius Female Ranker Appears in Royal Commando!! ]
“Hey, what’s this now?”
Go Jae-hyun was a Royal Commando pro and streamer who went by the in-game name SIN.
His streaming alias, God Jae-hyun, was a playful nod to his gaming handle.
– Ah, this, LOL.
– They’re currently fact-checking it in real-time, LOL.
Some viewers, having already seen it, feigned knowing what it was about.
Go Jae-hyun, however, had just started his stream and was seeing the video for the first time.
“Quite a few people have seen it already.
Should I take a look too?”
As it was a trending topic within the community, viewers were already engaged in a heated debate over whether it involved hacks or not.
Go Jae-hyun clicked the video’s play button and began watching.
[ Rat-a-tat-a-tat-tat-tat! ]
“Wow, those shots are incredible!”
The video displayed Sori Hwa’s personal screen, showcasing her firing ten shots directly into the center of a target with the aim assist set to zero.
While the target was stationary, Royal Commando accurately simulated weapon recoil, making it no easy feat to land ten shots precisely in the bullseye like that.
“This isn’t a hack.
Her aim is too natural.”
Go Jae-hyun immediately concluded, scoffing inwardly.
He was a top-tier player, someone who played in the professional queue (TL Note: ‘Pro-queue’ refers to matchmaking reserved for professional players or those at the highest ranks.) every day.
Although Royal Commando was known for its strict anti-cheat measures, he had encountered hackers before.
However, he had never seen a hack that allowed such a natural flow of aim.
The idea that someone would call this a hack just because she shot well, despite her aim being clearly natural to anyone, was utterly absurd.
– It says aim assist is zero, Jae-hyun.
– And they’re even saying she’s a woman playing the game for the first time, LOL.
There’s a limit to faking things!
– The pro says it’s not a hack, I really want to bash the heads of these Bronze-Silver-Gold idiots, LOL.
– Yeah, sure, hacker~
While the initial reaction in the chat had been predominantly convinced of hacking, Go Jae-hyun’s definitive statement began to sow confusion.
Those who still believed it was a hack mingled with those who did not.
Go Jae-hyun was about to refute the ‘hack-parrots’ (TL Note: ‘Haek-mu-sae’ is a derogatory term combining ‘hack’ and ‘parrot,’ used for people who mindlessly accuse others of hacking.), but the mention of aim assist being zero made him flinch.
“Aim assist at zero? That’s a bit strange, isn’t it?”
Those who had been shouting “hacker” exploded with chat messages, as if Go Jae-hyun’s words were a declaration of their victory.
– Current Pro Official Statement: Shooting like that with aim assist at zero is impossible.
– They even say it’s her first time using a virtual reality capsule.
The chat window erupted.
A quick glance at the Royal Commando gallery (TL Note: ‘Gallery’ refers to a specific board or section within a Korean online community, similar to a subreddit or forum.) showed it was already plastered with posts about the mysterious female ‘hacker’ who had appeared.
“But is this happening right now?”
– Yeah, she’s collaborating on Jo Cheol-gon’s stream.
– Since you’re a pro, let’s go there and give an official statement.
The chat swiftly answered Go Jae-hyun’s question.
To be honest, Go Jae-hyun was also curious.
Based solely on her aim, it unequivocally wasn’t a hack, yet he had never witnessed anyone shoot like that with aim assist at zero.
Even pros would often create private matches to practice with aim assist set to zero, understanding that minimizing reliance on system correction allowed for more natural and rapid movements.
Yet, he could confidently assert that no current pro could achieve such shooting prowess with aim assist at zero.
“I’m incredibly curious too.
Let’s go watch.”
Even Go Jae-hyun, a professional, ultimately couldn’t suppress his curiosity.
It was at this very moment that Jo Cheol-gon’s stream viewer count surpassed 15,000.
****
– Originally, hacks aren’t detected in tutorials or training grounds.
The system only catches them during actual gameplay.
– They’re cracking down on hacks so strictly these days; we’ll probably see a real-time ban, LOL.
– 10000% hacker.
From a certain point onward, the chat window became saturated with public opinion convinced of hacking.
With aim assist confirmed at 0%, viewers concluded that such skill could only be achieved through cheats.
With aim assist at 0%, it was essentially like firing an actual assault rifle.
Yet, how many people in the modern world (TL Note: ‘Jung-won’ literally means ‘central plains’ and often refers to the martial world in wuxia novels, but here it metaphorically means the contemporary, real world.) had ever actually held and fired an assault rifle?
This remarkable skill was a collaboration of Sori Hwa’s background from a country like South Korea, which has rare mandatory conscription even in modern times, and her five years of martial arts training.
Naturally, since the viewers were unaware of this backstory, accusations of hacking were inevitable.
“We’ll know once we start the game.”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“Now that I think about it, you skipped the tutorial, so you don’t know Trooper’s skills or ultimate, do you?”
“I know them from watching streams, but I haven’t actually used them myself.”
“I’ll keep that in mind for now.”
“But everyone’s calling me a hacker, so how am I supposed to prove I’m not?”
“I’ve played this game for a long time, so I can tell by your movement and shooting.
Hacks become obvious during actual gameplay.
Hitting a stationary target is a different difficulty level than using a hack in a live match.”
Jo Cheol-gon, for his part, adopted the humblest stance possible, a mood entirely 180 degrees different from when he had been vehemently cursing earlier.
This sudden, almost palm-flipping change in demeanor was due to Jo Cheol-gon’s intuition.
He had a hunch that Sori Hwa was genuinely annoyed, and a cautious ‘what if’ feeling had crept in.
If he were to definitively brand her a faker only for it to be revealed she wasn’t, it could add another troublesome entry to his already concerning Namuwiki (TL Note: Namuwiki is a Korean online encyclopedia, similar to Wikipedia, where controversial incidents or discussions about public figures are often documented.) controversy section.
“Ah, why are there so many viewers all of a sudden?
Did someone ‘cuckoo’ again?” (TL Note: ‘Cuckooing’ refers to the act of spreading news or clips of a stream to other communities or platforms, like a cuckoo laying its eggs in another bird’s nest, to attract more viewers.)
Before queuing up for the game, Jo Cheol-gon was startled by the sudden surge in viewer numbers.
While he naturally wished for his broadcast to thrive, this kind of controversial attention was troublesome.
– This has already spread all over the communities, LOL.
– If you look at the viewer list, even other streamers came to watch, LOL.
There were always ‘cuckoos’ who clipped and distributed content from streams, and it seemed they had once again amplified the situation.
Checking the chat and then the viewer list, he indeed saw several other streamers watching.
“Hey, hey.
Let’s just keep this quiet among ourselves.
Why are you telling everyone else?
Why unnecessarily escalate things?
Wadeulwadeul might not even be a hacker.”
– Jo Cheol-gon’s ‘Little Hero’ Mode ON, LOL.
– Look at him getting scared the moment 200 is on the line.
– King Jo is such a total coward, LOL.
– Why are you bowing to a hacker, LOL?
Everything will be revealed in three minutes, LOL.
The prevailing sentiment in the chat remained one of absolute certainty that Sori Hwa was using hacks.
Everyone was in a festive mood, anticipating her impending ‘true education’ (TL Note: ‘Cham-gyo-yuk,’ literally ‘true education,’ is a sarcastic term referring to a harsh lesson or comeuppance.).
– She’ll probably end up in the Hall of Shame, right?
– Looks like we’re getting a permanent ban after a long time.
Just as the public shaming (TL Note: ‘Jo-ri-dol-lim’ refers to publicly ganging up on someone, often in a derogatory or mocking manner.) of Sori Hwa reached its peak, a normal game match was found.
Being such a popular game, matchmaking took less than 30 seconds.
“I need to be able to observe from the back, so I’ll play a healer.”
Without a word, Sori Hwa picked Trooper, the only character she had ever controlled.
Jo Cheol-gon, meanwhile, chose Siren, a healer who typically stayed in the backline, providing buffs and heals through music.
“Oh, right.
MMR applies even in normal games.
Doesn’t that mean this queue is for players who are actually pretty good?”
As if a thought had suddenly struck him, Jo Cheol-gon checked the profiles of both his allies and opponents.
Their profiles displayed their ranked game tiers, and as he expected, they were all around Gold rank.
Considering Jo Cheol-gon was Diamond tier and Sori Hwa was playing her very first game, it was a perfectly balanced match.
– Who cares about tier for a hacker?
– Really looking forward to the excuses.
Sori Hwa, needing to prove herself, minimized the stream’s chat window and regulated her breathing with a mental cultivation technique (TL Note: ‘Sim-beop’ refers to a method of mental discipline or internal martial arts training.).
While an ordinary person might have felt their heart burst in such a situation, Sori Hwa, having mastered profound martial arts, could control her mental state with a single breath.
[ 3, 2, 1. Start. ]
With the system’s announcement, the game began.
Sori Hwa immediately dashed to the forefront.
Having watched many Royal Commando streams, she had a general understanding of how to play; Trooper was a character that needed to steadily deal damage from a mid-range position and effectively utilize their utility skill, a bomb.
“Ah, this tank bastard.
It’s a gank.” (TL Note: ‘Gank’ here refers to a player deliberately targeting or sabotaging another player, often a streamer, in-game.)
Sori Hwa turned to look behind her, only to see the tank, who should have been at the very front, continuously spamming emotes in front of Jo Cheol-gon.
“Even in this situation, they’re ganking?
This is truly relentless.
Those motherfuckers.”
Royal Commando typically featured a team composition of one tank, two damage dealers, and two healers.
The tank was crucial for holding the front line, allowing the two damage dealers to inflict damage.
If the tank was a ‘ganker’ (TL Note: ‘Ganker’ or ‘griefer’ refers to a player who deliberately sabotages their own team or targets specific players, often streamers.), there was a high probability they wouldn’t properly establish the front line.
Fortunately, Jo Cheol-gon had muted in-game chat and voice, keeping only group voice activated, so the gankers’ voices couldn’t be heard.
– These losers are ruining the atmosphere again.
– Gankers are truly legendary.
“Should we remake the game?”
“No, it’s fine.
Even without a tank, they’ll see how I play, right?”
Jo Cheol-gon asked, carefully watching Sori Hwa, but she refused.
Her point was valid.
After all, Sori Hwa’s screen was currently being shared with the viewers.
If she were using hacks, her aim would be fixed or show unnatural movements, so the tank’s abnormal behavior had little bearing on the hack detection.
“Okay.”
Soon, enemies began to appear.
The tank was still obstructing Jo Cheol-gon’s view by standing in front of him, leaving the damage dealer on the front line.
Rat-a-tat-a-tat-tat-tat!
As soon as the enemies were visible, Sori Hwa’s Trooper rifle spat fire.
Her reaction speed was instantaneous, firing almost the moment she saw a glimpse of an enemy’s head.
[ Wadeulwadeul K TornPants ]
“Huh?”
Jo Cheol-gon was taken aback.
The kill feed appeared too quickly.
It was a log stating that Wadeulwadeul had killed a user named TornPants.
The kill log was so incredibly fast that neither Jo Cheol-gon nor the viewers could properly grasp the situation.
But this was only the beginning.
With intense focus, Sori Hwa pulled out a magazine from her waist and reloaded.
