Gwanjongcheonma’s Game Broadcast - Chapter 185

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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 185
Distance Control—Hae-rang’s signature move.
Even his direct opponent could be deceived by it,
so it was only natural that the viewers watching the broadcast were bewildered.
-Oh no! He got hit!
-Huh? But there’s no damage?
-Damn, my skin’s crawling!
-This time he’s down!
-Wait, there’s no hit detection at all?
-Are you seriously gonna keep running fake commentary?
-Room Host, ban all these trolls!
-No;;I swear it really looked like that;;;
-What is this—is it a bug?
-Wow;; his fist stopped right in front of him and he doesn’t even blink;;;
-Is he calculating all of this in real time?
-How thick is that heart oof
-Is that heart made of vibranium?
-Look at Ravio’s eyes popping out lol
-He’s doing distance control down to the nanometer apparently oof
-He’s just not guarding and only evading on purpose, right? Right?
-Yeah to piss him off
-Looks like he’s about one second away from dying lol
Evasion is more efficient than defense.
And evasion, too, has its levels of mastery.
Fleeing in blind panic, keeping a wide distance—that’s the basic tier.
Maintaining a reasonable gap between yourself and your opponent’s attacks—that’s intermediate.
Evading so narrowly that even your opponent is deceived—that’s advanced.
There were those who could claim authority over this ‘deception’,
and they were none other than Hae-rang’s teammates.
“There it is. That dirty movement again.”
Two thin creases formed across Da-hong’s brow,
“If you get caught by that, you really can’t sleep at night.”
Hyeon-bin grimaced,
“Like fighting a ghost. A phantom. A hologram. Something like that.”
Joint muttered in a hollow voice.
Crack!
Blue lightning bloomed in Hae-rang’s pupils.
This was what happened when he used the Third Achievement of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Hae-rang had created his own domain.
By inducing deception through extreme distance control,
his opponent gradually lost all sense of space and range.
And eventually, they reached a stage where they doubted their own skill.
A situation where one could no longer trust oneself.
From the receiving end, it was a brutally insidious method of combat.
Hae-rang’s range domain, honed to its absolute limit.
If one were to name it, it could be called the Attention-Seeking Heavenly Demon’s Domain Expansion.
“It’s over.”
A man in the spectator seats rose to his feet.
Short sports-style hair and bronzed skin.
He looked more like a soldier on the front lines than a gamer.
His face was remarkably small,
and yet his features—eyes, nose, mouth—were strikingly sharp and vivid.
A French flag was embroidered on his gaming suit.
“What’s wrong? The match is still going on. Ivan.”
The French National Team’s coach tried to hold Ivan back.
They might face this team in the semifinals.
This was a situation where every scrap of information had to be wrung out and gathered.
In fact, the second round between Hae-rang and Ravio was only just beginning.
Yet Ivan no longer looked at the screen.
“He’s already broken.”
Ravio had completely lost his sense of distance.
From this point on, only showtime remained.
Since Ivan was not one to waste words,
the rest of the team could only interpret what he’d left unsaid.
One of the French players muttered as he watched Ivan’s back.
“That guy’s got everything, but he barely says a word.”
“Leave him alone. How long has it been? Maybe his French is still rough.”
“No way. Have you seen the emails Ivan writes? He’s the most native-sounding among us. That guy just doesn’t like talking much.”
The French National Team stood on the eve of the quarterfinals.
They were, by universal acknowledgment, a team of outsiders.
Ever since Capsule Games became the dominant force, certain nations had struggled more than others.
In Asia, the prime example was Korea.
And in Europe, France had not managed to avoid hardship.
The two nations chose remarkably different paths to overcome their difficulties.
Korea chose to grant greater benefits to Singularity,
while France deliberately pursued a naturalization policy.
France was already a country where diverse cultures and races lived together,
so there was little resistance to this policy.
France actively welcomed talented players from all nations, regardless of nationality.
For gamers with complicated stories, there was no better opportunity than this.
“Has Ivan been saying even less lately, you think?”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed. Maybe it’s because of those guys.”
Azar, a gamer who had naturalized from Pakistan, tilted his chin downward.
Ivan’s words had come true.
Just as he’d said, Ravio had completely lost his spatial awareness,
and had become a fool who could do neither attack nor defense.
The direction Azar had tilted his chin toward was not the Capsule.
It was the place where the other players had gathered.
The South Korean National Team’s waiting room.
“I suppose. It’s understandable that his mind would be complicated.”
Ivan.
In English: IVAN.
Some gamers changed their names when naturalizing to France,
while others kept their original names as they were.
And Ivan belonged to the latter group.
His former name: Ivan, as written in the original characters.
His previous nationality had been none other than South Korea.
* * *
[This is extraordinary! Ravio, famous for his aggressive play, is barely mounting any offense! While Cheon Hae-rang stands firm, Ravio keeps retreating hesitantly. What’s going on?]
[The moment I speak, a brutal Bung-ta strike lands! By my assessment, he was in a dangerous range, yet Ravio completely lost his composure. He seems unable to find his footing!]
[Now the Lightning Strike! A brilliant triple combo explodes! Player Ravio! You’re a living sandbag right now!]
[The Italian National Team, who have reached the semifinals in nearly every tournament! Their captain’s performance is hardly befitting of that title!]
[Ah! The finishing Bung-ta erupts! K.O! The South Korean National Team defeats Italy!]
[All the players are rushing forward to embrace Cheon Hae-rang! What a moving moment!]
[Meanwhile, player Ravio doesn’t even seem able to exit the Capsule. That was truly a bewildering performance.]
[With this, Korea advances to the semifinals for the first time in Capsule Cup history! The Attention-Seeking Heavenly Demon, Cheon Hae-rang, is now undefeated across six matches in this tournament! Truly remarkable! Yes? Truly impressive!]
-ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
-Korea’s winning! Korea’s winning!
-Cheon Hae-rang! Cheon Hae-rang! Cheon Hae-rang! Cheon Hae-rang! Cheon Hae-rang!
-Is this real? Is this real? Is this real?
-Korea reaching the semis in the Capsule Cup is happening!
└And it’s become reality
-6-0 undefeated ;; what kind of gameplay is this;;;
-Solo carry ㅋㅋ totally dominated
-An ace after an all-kill ㅋㅋ now that’s a true captain!
-Wow, Italy getting eliminated in the quarters;; first time seeing this
-Alberto’s so frustrated! frustrated! frustrated! frustrated!
-So who’s the powerhouse of the Capsule Cup now?
-How did Korea’s Iron Fist team become a dominant force ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└Stop with the nonsense ㅡㅡ
└No trash talk allowed
└Please ban Isaaki!
“Uwaaaaaaaah!”
A roar similar to yesterday’s.
No—an even louder cheer than yesterday poured toward Hae-rang.
“Thousand Holts! Thousand Holts! Thousand Holts!”
Did the thrill diminish when the same thing repeated?
Not in the slightest.
It was always electric.
Always fresh.
The praise sent by tens of thousands still created a surge of dopamine that threatened to burst inside Hae-rang’s body.
Hae-rang dropped to his knees again, pressing his palms together.
It was a posture meant to control his trembling frame,
but to the fans it looked like a magnificent ceremony.
“He came out!”
“The prayer ceremony!”
“Cult Leader! We love you!”
“Heavenly Demon Cult! Heavenly Demon Cult! Heavenly Demon Cult! Heavenly Demon Cult!”
“I want to join the Heavenly Demon Cult too!”
The hottest topic of this Capsule Cup was undoubtedly the Korean National Team.
Cheerleaders bearing “Heavenly Demon Cult” banners were already circulating throughout the arena.
[Ye Da-hong, who won two matches today, and Cheon Hae-rang will now participate in a stage interview.]
“Oh. I’m doing one too?”
“Of course. You were one of the heroes of today’s victory.”
“Hmm. I’m grateful for the kind words, even if they’re just being polite.”
Da-hong chuckled and took the stage with Hae-rang.
This was surely the same place where they’d just competed,
yet she felt even more nervous than during the match itself.
‘I’ve finally made it to this moment……!’
Yesterday’s match had been a victory too,
but that was entirely due to Hae-rang’s ace performance.
She hadn’t directly contributed a win herself.
But today was different.
She’d borne half the responsibility for today’s victory,
so calling her one of the heroes of victory wasn’t an overstatement.
“Blade Queen!”
“Da-hong was incredible today!”
“You’re always beautiful!”
“Congratulations on the international competition victory!”
Ye Da-hong, looking a bit bashful, scratched the back of her head while gazing at the ground.
But as if on cue,
she showed the image her fans craved, her signature wry smile filling her face.
It was the highest form of fan service she could offer.
‘I don’t think I’ll ever forget today.’
Floods of spotlights and camera flashes.
And fans celebrating her first international competition victory.
Da-hong’s heart swelled like a balloon.
* * *
The Iron Fist National Team members had returned to their dormitory.
Instead of sitting down, Da-hong raised her hand.
“I…… have something to say.”
As the Soe-gwon Coach and team members looked her way,
Da-hong’s words caught in her throat, and she fumbled for words.
Hae-rang stepped forward and spoke for her.
“She won’t be able to make evening practice, right?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Her slender legs trembled precariously.
Da-hong couldn’t sit on the sofa because once she did, she feared she’d never be able to stand again.
“Three consecutive matches is no small feat. I think it’s right for her to rest.”
“Thank you. What’s your take, Coach?”
The Iron Fist Coach shrugged both shoulders with a wry smile.
“Me? I’m just a coach in name. Really I’m just doing manager work. Let’s go with what the team thinks.”
“What about you two?”
Hyeon-bin and Joint nodded in agreement.
At that, Da-hong’s voice lost some of its stiffness.
“Then…… I’ll go rest for a bit…… Since I have a match coming up…….”
Da-hong dragged her legs like a corpse, pushing the door open with effort before shuffling out.
Watching her go, Hyeon-bin clicked his tongue.
“Wow. She really must be exhausted.”
He turned his head to look at Hae-rang.
“Hae-rang, aren’t you tired? You played yesterday and two matches today.”
“Of course I’m tired. If the finals had been today, I’d be in bed right now.”
A rare admission.
Fatigue colored even Hae-rang’s voice.
Tournament-grade Capsules delivered superior performance and output at the cost of draining the players’ sensory reserves even more ruthlessly.
While competitive performance improved, the players’ exhaustion reached several times the normal level.
“I wanted to get some information. Just confirm that and then I’ll train.”
“What kind of information?”
“The French team we’re facing tomorrow. They said there’s someone named Ivan on it.”
“Ah…….”
The moment Ivan’s name came up, Hyeon-bin’s pupils flickered slightly.
Hae-rang didn’t rush, letting the silence stretch out deliberately.
“He was Korean before, wasn’t he? I heard he’s the strongest on the French team, but I’ve never seen him on the server.”
“Yes. He doesn’t play many ranked matches—mostly just internal training, from what I’ve heard.”
“If you know anything about him, could you tell me? Doesn’t matter what.”
Game-related information, he knew some of it already.
That Ivan had naturalized from Korea to France and become a Capsule Cup national representative player.
That his main character was one called Hwa-ran from Korea.
But beyond that, information was hard to come by.
It was almost as if someone had deliberately erased records.
When he’d glimpsed Ivan’s face passing through the waiting room,
Hae-rang sensed there was more to the story.
It was his own kind of big data.
Among the many people he’d encountered in his previous life, he’d seen that same expression on faces like Ivan’s before.
Most of them carried some special burden.
“Ivan…… was a Singularity member. He left before I joined, so I never trained alongside him.”
“What made him leave?”
“It was the regulations. Singularity members lose their status when they commit acts that damage dignity.”
At the word regulations, Joint tilted his head quizzically.
The internal regulations of Singularity were loose enough that members could get away with reckless, scandalous behavior without consequence.
Some of them shamefully squandered their dignity as casually as breathing, yet nothing happened.
What on earth could Ivan have done?
At the next words, both Hae-rang and Joint’s faces went rigid.
“Ivan has a record for assault.”

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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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