Gwanjongcheonma’s Game Broadcast - Chapter 163

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 163
After the Capsule Cup National Team Selection Tournament ended.
Game news outlets rushed to publish articles one after another.
Among them, there was one article that garnered the most comments:

“Well done! Excellent! You should’ve filmed a UFC match right there in the press conference!”
Steam seemed to pour from both of Manager Choi Gang-sik’s ears.
His incredulous gaze fell on Hae-rang.
Hae-rang offered Choi Gang-sik a warm smile in return.
“I did think I did well, but I’m grateful you’re praising me so loudly.”
“Does this look like praise to you?! Cough, cough!”
Choi Gang-sik’s throat was far too weak to sustain such angry shouting.
He coughed and sank into the chair before his monitor.
“Look at the comments. It’s absolute pandemonium.”
The Singularities and Team Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
The comment section had split into two camps, locked in fierce struggle.
-Look at Cheon Hae-rang showing off. A nobody just making his debut—what does he even know?
-Wow;;he straight up called it stagnant water;;
-Our oppa can say whatever he wants to anyone—
-There’s a limit to arrogance, you know ㅉㅉ
-Attention-Seeker Heavenly Demon? Where’d this nobody come from to talk big?
-Hae-rang. Can you handle millions of us Singularity fans? You just declared war, didn’t you?^^
-So-called ‘fans’ but there’s only a handful of you ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ pathetic
Public opinion stood firmly with the Singularities, condemning Hae-rang and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
But there were opinions supporting Hae-rang’s side as well.
-On their debut they match the Singularities’ total win count, right?
-How does a team not win a single international match in nearly a decade?
-Log (international 0 wins/can be used as firewood) VS Singularities (international 0 wins/can’t even be used as firewood)
└Log overwhelming victory ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-He didn’t even say anything wrong^^? Wasting seats year after year, handing losses to overseas teams—that’s definitely stagnant water ㅋㅋ
-If you don’t like stagnant water, some say radioactive waste is more fitting!
-They say only intelligent people escape the Singularities ㅋㅋㅋ Looks like there are still plenty of fools here
“Is this a team? Is this a team?”
The national team was already fractured from the start.
Choi Gang-sik felt genuine dread about what lay ahead.
He agreed with Hae-rang’s position wholeheartedly,
but he’d thrown a bomb at a stage far too public, for consequences far too grave.
“If things go wrong, public opinion could turn against us. We’re just four people, and the Singularities are a group with a massive fanbase.”
“I see.”
Hae-rang’s expression was surprisingly composed.
He took a measured sip of ssanghwa tea and gestured toward the monitor.
“Let’s count and see how the opinion divides.”
“Hmm?”
At Hae-rang’s words, Choi Gang-sik shifted his gaze.
Comments favorable to our side.
Comments from Singularity fans.
Surprisingly, there wasn’t much difference in the number of comments.
In fact, most of the highly recommended comments were supporting Hae-rang.
“How… how is this possible?”
“It seems there are quite a lot of people who’ve grown weary of Singularity, sir.”
That was indeed the case.
In terms of sheer fanbase numbers, it was like throwing an egg at a stone.
And yet public opinion had split evenly because
most of the neutral fans had sided with Hae-rang.
Not so much that they actively supported him,
but rather that their antipathy toward Singularity’s disappointing behavior over such a long period ran deep.
‘And besides…’
The Lion’s Roar that had activated when Hae-rang made his bombshell declaration.
It had the effect of drawing in gaming fans who’d been harboring similar thoughts more decisively.
For Choi Gang-sik, who knew nothing of the Lion’s Roar’s effects,
this situation must have been nearly incomprehensible.
“Oh, it’s up.”
The reason Choi Gang-sik had been circulating around the Korea Capsule Association website all this time.
The National Team Selection Tournament highlight video had finally been uploaded.
“Damn it! This database error! I want to watch it already!”
Choi Gang-sik tore at his own hair with his fingers.
The site’s traffic was already stretched to its limit,
and Hae-rang’s bombshell declaration had caused repeated ‘Database Error’ messages on the site.
“…Wait.”
With his hair standing on end, Choi Gang-sik turned to Hae-rang. “You didn’t… you weren’t aiming for this too, were you?”
“Did you plan this as well?”
“Who knows.”
Hae-rang slowly closed his eyes and savored his ssanghwa tea.
Today, its fragrance felt particularly refined and deep.
“You bastard. I’m right, aren’t I? You deliberately drew the aggro so people would search for more Iron Fist videos.”
My apologies.
I drew the aggro to show you this.
Like a meme that had once trended online,
Hae-rang had drawn an enormous amount of attention from gaming fans.
The repeated ‘Database Error’ messages were proving to be remarkably effective.
“Rah-ah!”
“Hyah!”
In the video, Full Phoenix pummeled the Singularities as if possessed by spirits.
-Hmph… he’s pretty good, I’ll give him that
-Seven seconds flat? Isn’t that a new record? Shivering
-There’s a gamer who destroyed Singularity in seven seconds?
-Wow;; he’s insanely good;; no wonder he said that at the press conference;;|
-And it’s not just any team, it’s Singularity Number One Shivering shivering
-Park Je-young lol lol lol this is why you need to choose a good name
-Ugh… how many times in a row is he hitting with Bungta right now?
-My stomach is cramping just from watching this;;;|
-Park Je-young sure got the crap beaten out of him T_T
-Looking at the record, it’s a perfect win shivering shivering as the vanguard, perfect all-kill shivering shivering
-This Attention-Seeking Heavenly Demon, every time he does something, he breaks every record on the books shivering shivering shivering
-If you’re a Singularity fan right now who’s thinking about switching sides, upvote lol lol lol lol lol
-Mom! I’m going to become an Attention Seeker fan starting today!
Naturally, most of the Iron Fist highlights belonged to Hae-rang.
Most of the gaming fans watching the video came to the same conclusion.
That he’d earned the right to say such things at the press conference.
Some comments even showed people beginning to wonder if they should stop being Singularity fans.
“If we can absorb Singularity’s massive fanbase, the channel will experience rapid growth.”
“I agree with that assessment.”
If that happened, he’d receive praise from even more people.
An intentional provocation.
The more the Capsule Cup drew attention, the more Hae-rang found himself at its center.
By this point, he’d come to feel oddly grateful to Kim Si-hwan for being the one to start the rivalry.
* * *
“I can’t accept this.”
Crunch.
A plastic coffee cup crumpled with a grating sound.
Long, frizzy hair trembled violently as its owner lost control of his shaking hands.
Jo Sang-jin glared daggers at Kim Si-hwan.
“Am I the only one who didn’t make it through the Iron Fist selection? Why are you singling me out?”
“You said it yourself.”
Kim Si-hwan smiled, his teeth as white as his hair.
“It’s true my teammates performed poorly in Iron Fist. But not a single one of them ever lost to Joint.”
“Ugh……”
Jo Sang-jin groaned as if stabbed.
There was no excuse for that particular fact.
Joint wasn’t even a Singularity—just someone he’d trampled on all this time.
Losing 0-2 to such a person felt like calling it an “upset” was almost an understatement.
“And Joint didn’t even grow dramatically. You saw how one-sided his very next match was.”
Kim Si-hwan continued, scanning the room so everyone could hear.
“So there’s only one conclusion, isn’t there? Your skill level no longer matches Singularity standards.”
“Kim Si-hwan!”
Jo Sang-jin’s voice cracked with desperation.
But moments later, he dropped to both knees, pleading.
“I’ll do whatever game you want. Please, just don’t expel me. You remember how long we fought together, don’t you? Si-hwan, you haven’t forgotten, have you?”
“Of course I remember. If I had my way, I’d cancel the expulsion and everything else.”
“Then… then……!”
“But look at what’s on the ground.”
Kim Si-hwan’s cold gaze turned to the ballot papers scattered at their feet.
Countless sheets with circles marked in the “Approve” box.
They lay strewn across the floor because Jo Sang-jin had kicked over the ballot box moments before.
“My personal wish is obvious—I’d want to save you. But if I ignore the team’s judgment based on my own sentiment, would I be fit to lead?”
“You bastard……!”
Jo Sang-jin, who had been on his knees with a pleading expression, suddenly lurched to his feet.
“Don’t give me that bullshit! You planned to expel me from the start!”
“The discussion appears to be over.”
Kim Si-hwan rose from his seat and gave a nod.
A few physically imposing Singularities moved to surround Jo Sang-jin.
Among the Singularities, some were gamers with exceptional real-world physiques,
while others were non-athletes who relied solely on their Capsule instincts.
Unfortunately for Jo Sang-jin, he fell into the latter category.
“Let’s part without hard feelings, Sang-jin.”
“Hgh……”
Tears welled between Jo Sang-jin’s sharp eyes.
He’d kept hoping it wouldn’t happen, but he was truly being expelled from Singularity.
The thought of losing everything he’d enjoyed up until now,
made it nearly impossible for him to move his feet forward.
He felt like he’d become a pauper in an instant.
Invisible hands from the ground seemed to be dragging him down.
Come here.
This is the Abyss.
Clatter.
Three suitcases, meticulously packed and arranged.
His luggage had been prepared and placed before him without his knowing when.
Such meticulous care devoted to casting out a single person.
That alone felt painfully sad.
Shuffle, shuffle.
Whistle.
His heart hollowed out, and the wind bit cold.
What would he do now?
Jo Sang-jin’s unfocused eyes stared into the void.
Then it happened.
“Huh?”
At first, he thought his eyes were deceiving him.
A woman with striking, delicate features that caught the eye even from a distance.
And a young man of modest build with charming freckles.
Once members of Singularity,
Ye Da-hong and Ma Hyeon-bin, now part of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“You two……?”
His confusion lasted only a moment.
Jo Sang-jin’s mind raced quickly through the possibilities.
Why would these two, who’d left Singularity, come looking for him here?
Their relationship wasn’t close enough to warrant a casual visit.
Unless, perhaps—
They were here to recruit him?
Thump.
Jo Sang-jin’s stilled heart suddenly hammered in his chest.
Team Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
The rising force that had posted overwhelming results in Iron Fist Nine.
Could this be the golden rope thrown down to save him……?
After all, they were Singularity alumni themselves,
and if they were expanding their ranks, there was no reason they wouldn’t scout him—a fellow Singularity alumnus.
“Did you two come to pick me up, by any chance?”
Jo Sang-jin asked, affecting a casual tone.
At that, Ma Hyeon-bin and Ye Da-hong exchanged glances.
Then, in unison, they clutched their stomachs and burst out laughing.
“Pahahaha!”
“What……?”
“Hey, Jo Sang-jin. You sleepwalking? You’re wandering around having weird dreams all by yourself.”
Her chin tilted slightly upward, her gaze looking down at him.
In that posture, Ye Da-hong smiled with a smirk.
“We came to pick up your ID card.”
“My…… ID card?”
“Yeah. The association said they need to make new national team cards, so they told us to bring the old one.”
Whoosh.
Jo Sang-jin’s face flushed as hot as burning logs in a brazier.
He’d indulged in wild delusions about two people who came for nothing but paperwork.
“How do you even function with judgment that terrible? Though I suppose that’s exactly why you got expelled.”
Her gaze turned pointedly toward the three suitcases.
She’d grasped the entire situation without needing to hear a single word.
Click-click.
The sharp heels of her boots shattered his dreams piece by piece.
Normally, he hated every second of her words,
but today, he had something he wanted to say back.
“Do your best from now on. All. By. Your. Self.”
Ye Da-hong swept past him like a cold wind.
Ma Hyeon-bin, following behind her, observed Jo Sang-jin’s expression.
“Uh……”
Having endured things from him in the past, Ma Hyeon-bin wanted to land a jab of his own.
But that’s how people are.
When someone fails moderately, you want to mock them,
but when they’ve completely fallen apart, the urge to ridicule them vanishes.
“Um…… well…… hang in there!”
Unaware that such pathetic consolation only twisted the knife deeper,
Ma Hyeon-bin hurried after Ye Da-hong in quick steps.
Thud.
“Ha…… haha……”
A gamer abandoned by everyone, now alone.
Jo Sang-jin’s knees touched the cold ground.
It was far colder and far more agonizing than when he’d knelt before Kim Si-hwan.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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