Gwanjongcheonma’s Game Broadcast - Chapter 186

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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 186
A small restaurant near the military base, humble and narrow.
A man in training clothes handed Iban a glass.
“Have a drink.”
……
Iban hesitated for a moment before accepting the glass.
“Come on. Why are you so reluctant? I’m on leave today, and you—you’re a discharged soldier as of today.”
“It doesn’t feel real yet.”
At Iban’s reply, the man laughed bitterly.
“Yeah, I can’t believe it either. I thought for sure you’d apply for a noncommissioned officer rank and plant yourself here permanently. Who else from UBT would they have as an officer besides you?”
Instead of answering, Iban threw back the soju.
“I understand it’s unavoidable. Even if I were in the military, I’d know everything fell apart. During your service, your father had a serious accident, and they ruled it a dishonorable discharge—making excuses that don’t hold water, the whole thing.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The rest of your family—there’s no one else depending on you?”
“No, sir.”
“Ugh. I see. You’re the one who should be sighing, yet here I am doing it.”
“Thank you for taking care of me all this time.”
“Don’t say that. I didn’t look after you—you did it all yourself. Do you have any idea how hard it is to score first in every training exercise in a special forces unit?”
The man poured soju into the empty glass and then turned to Iban with a question.
“So. Have you thought about what you’ll do in civilian life? Looking at your background and strengths, it seems like whatever you do, it’ll have to involve physical work.”
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
“You son of a gun. Even on your discharge day, you’re going to keep your words short? If you have a plan, tell me about it.”
Iban smiled awkwardly.
As the saying goes: you reap what you sow.
Iban’s stubborn, straightforward nature came entirely from his father.
His father had been a patriotic and loyal officer,
but he had no interest in politics or connections.
The state compensated his father for the accident, yet blamed him as the source of an operation’s failure.
For someone like Iban, a special forces veteran, there was simply too much that didn’t make sense.
Yet despite it all, Iban loved the nation he was born into.
A job where he could earn money and raise his country’s standing.
That was what he wanted to find.
This was Iban’s conclusion.
“I’m thinking of becoming a Singularity.”
* * *
Iban’s father had been a loyal soldier.
Naturally, a distinct patriotic spirit had taken root in his own chest as well.
Iban enlisted on active duty and applied to UBT.
As the most elite special forces unit in existence, entry required passing brutal tests,
but for Iban, it was hardly difficult.
Since childhood, he had possessed exceptional physical ability and iron determination.
A competitive spirit that wouldn’t let him sleep unless he came in first.
For someone like Iban, there was one other profession that suited him just as well as UBT.
[I’m thinking of becoming a Singularity.]
Normally, if someone said such a thing, they would face ridicule or dismissal.
It wasn’t a position anyone could obtain simply by wanting it.
But Iban’s superior neither mocked him nor dismissed him.
Given the talent Iban possessed, he believed there was nothing he couldn’t do.
And Iban did indeed become a member of Singularity.
It was exactly six months after his father had passed away.
* * *
“Where are you going?”
At the Singularity dormitory.
Iban, who rarely spoke more than a few words a day, asked his companions.
“Oh. Did the sun rise in the west today? Our Iban is actually talking.”
“I asked where you’re going.”
“A date. You know how it is—I’ve been seeing an idol lately.”
“I thought I said you needed more training.”
“Ugh. Are you the coach? The manager?”
With an exasperated sigh, his companion shook his head.
“Anyone seeing me like this would think I never train and just wander around. Ban-ah, I finished my entire schedule today. What exactly is the problem?”
“In a month, the Capsule Cup arrives. At this level of skill, you won’t win even a single match in the team battle.”
“Why bring that up now? When have we ever won? If you work hard and still fail, that’s just how it goes, Ban-ah.”
Iban’s small ears twitched once.
The things that had frustrated him since joining Singularity,
were happening again today, identical as always.
“You have no awareness of being national representatives. Do you really not understand what it means to compete internationally?”
“And you—do you really not understand how serious it is to flirt with an idol?”
“No wonder you lot haven’t won a single match. Korea is the only country whose national representatives finish with just regular training and call it a day.”
“What?”
“Iban. Watch your tongue.”
The other Singularities who had been watching with interest began to growl menacingly.
Their perfect record of international losses was a forbidden subject among them.
Iban had been with Singularity for less than two years,
while most of his companions had five or more years of experience.
“You’ve been running your mouth today—is this all the nonsense you came here to spout? Needling the team captain like that?”
“Iban. You haven’t adjusted to Singularity yet, it seems. We have our own rules here.”
“Christ. I told you not to treat me like I’m fresh out of the military. Why is everything so suffocating?”
Whatever anyone said to him, Iban paid it no mind.
He simply hated to lose.
Whether it stemmed from patriotism
or personal competitive spirit,
he refused to become a gamer from a nation that only lost on the international stage.
That wasn’t why he’d joined Singularity.
“Don’t go out today. I have analysis on the gamers I’ll face overseas—”
“Hell! Damn it! Ban-ah! I’m already late for my date! Let’s talk tomorrow, tomorrow. Got it?”
His teammate turned away without acknowledging Iban’s words.
Then,
Grab.
Iban seized his teammate by the back of the neck.
In that instant,
his teammate’s eyes gleamed like a beast’s.
“Don’t put your hands on me.”
“One hour. Just one more hour and then go.”
“Forgotten already? I’m not your junior. Still think this is the military? Keep up that shit and you’ll end up like your father—washed out and thrown out of the service for not knowing up from down.”
Black flames flickered in Iban’s pupils.
The military.
Competitive spirit.
His father.
Patriotism.
Honor.
The man had desecrated every value Iban carried in his heart.
“Let go, you bastard!”
Crack!
His teammate drove a fist into Iban’s temple.
“Huh…….”
Iban lowered his head and exhaled slowly.
And in that moment, he understood.
The values he pursued did not exist in this place.
Snap!
Iban’s fist, honed by his UBT background, was virtually a weapon.
In a single blow, his teammate’s teeth scattered like seeds.
“Aaaah!”
“This bastard!”
“Kill him!”
In the Singularity Dormitory, a place many dreamed of joining,
an unexpected brawl erupted.
Iban stood alone against more than ten members of Singularity.
Yet he walked out of the dormitory after putting them all down.
There had been internal conflicts within Singularity before, but this was the first time so many had been sent to the hospital.
Iban faced not only internal discipline but also a police investigation,
and was expelled from Singularity.
And the world, remarkably, gave him little attention.
Perhaps out of fear that if all circumstances came to light, there would be backlash.
Singularity poured all its efforts into covering up the incident,
and as long as Iban kept his mouth shut, there was no chance of it becoming an issue again.
And Iban, true to form, said nothing at all.
* * *
After hearing the full explanation, Hae-rang opened his mouth heavily.
“A difficult tale, indeed.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“The fact that not a single article ran about such a thing tells me Singularity’s power must be formidable.”
“Apparently there are high-ranking people who are close with Singularity. But because the results have been so poor lately, they’ve been complaining that their influence is weakening.”
“And the person who said that—is it Kim Si-hwan?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Hae-rang rose from his seat, a bitter smile playing at his lips.
“I need to look into this more carefully. Into this gamer, Iban.”
“Shouldn’t you rest? You’re not in normal condition yourself right now.”
“Iban is going to be the turning point of this semifinal. It’s worth investing the time.”
“Please don’t overexert yourself.”
Hae-rang ran his hand over Ma Hyeon-bin’s head once,
gave a silent nod to Gwanjong, and headed toward the adjoining room.
The so-called “Analysis Room”—a space where recordings of gamers were kept.
“Ugh. I wish I could actually help somehow. This is driving me crazy.”
Ma Hyeon-bin scratched the back of his head, his face twisted in frustration.
He wished he could have won at least one match, done something useful.
The fatigue he saw in Hae-rang and Da-hong felt like his own fault.
“Should I be the only one?”
“Ah…….”
And Gwanjong, burdened with more guilt than anyone, stepped beside Ma Hyeon-bin.
“Hae-rang said Iban would be the turning point, but honestly, the other guys are in rough waters too. Right?”
“Yes. France has always recruited gamers without question as long as they had the skill. That’s why each of them has such different styles.”
“Tell me honestly. What are my chances of winning tomorrow?”
At Gwanjong’s sudden question, Ma Hyeon-bin’s eyes widened.
“What? Why all of a sudden…….”
“Just be honest with me. You’re good at brutal truth-telling with that innocent face of yours.”
“Well, if I’m being honest, it’s pretty much zero.”
“Right. Thanks for being so brutally clear.”
But despite his words, Gwanjong’s expression showed the impact of a direct hit to the solar plexus.
“I’m sorry, brother. But it’s just as hard for me. I don’t understand how you and your sister keep your composure on such a big stage. If things stay like this, you’ll lose again tomorrow.”
“That’s just it, though.”
Gwanjong removed his sunglasses and stared at the ceiling.
Like someone who had come to some momentous decision.
“What if you and I joined forces?”
* * *
[Hello, viewers! It’s already the fourth day since the WVC has begun! I’m Seo Seung-heon, your commentator for today’s Iron Fist Nine team battle broadcast.]
-Let’s goooooo!
-It’s here! Iron Fist Nine semifinal!
-I’ve been waiting for this all day!
-Gwanjong Cheonma! Gwanjong Cheonma! Gwanjong Cheonma! Gwanjong Cheonma!
‘Unbelievable.’
Choi Gang-sik, who had opened the broadcast channel, doubted his own eyes.
Hae-rang wasn’t even broadcasting directly,
yet the viewer count for the stream had surged dramatically.
‘Fifty thousand?’
These numbers were comparable to a broadcast during prime time.
A tournament where you could tune in the moment you turned on the TV.
The fact that people were going out of their way to log onto the Trend platform and search for it
meant the viewers’ loyalty was sky-high.
‘It’s been more than enough until now, but…….’
Choi Gang-sik’s shabby fist clenched with all his might.
Having come this far, he wanted nothing more than one more victory.
To show the stage of an international competition final—a dream that Korean fans had painted only in their imagination.
[The vanguards of each team are about to be announced! As this is such a crucial match, the momentum of the opening fighter is more important than ever! And as I speak, France’s Azard is walking toward the Capsule. In response, Korea’s National Team vanguard is… Joint!]
-Yeah. Unfolding as expected.
-Getting hit first isn’t weakness tho ngl
-Azard’s insanely good though;;>
-He’s good and all, but when he gets momentum rolling, it’s seriously hard to stop ㅇㅇ
-ffs when are we gonna stop watching him fight with sandbags on?
-I’ve never seen a player I expected so little from lmao ^^
-Why are you all crushing our Joint’s spirit!
-Why not just forfeit? All you’re doing is warming up the opponent;;>
-Why did heaven give us the Attention-Seeking Heavenly Demon and then give us Joint too!
‘I can hear them. I hear them.’
Joint, stepping out as vanguard.
Like someone with years of bones in game broadcasting,
the audience’s reaction came to him unbidden.
A lone crow standing among proud cranes.
That was the image Joint held of himself.
He already knew what kind of thing was about to happen.
So there was nothing fresh about the humiliation he was about to face.
But,
‘A crow has its own way of flying.’
Joint clenched his teeth and selected his character.
“What?”
Everyone in the arena widened their eyes.
They’d naturally assumed he’d pick his main character, Briar.
But today, the character he selected was
“Squawk!”
Pubauu.

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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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