Gwanjongcheonma’s Game Broadcast - Chapter 188

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

Episode 188
“Kyaa!”
The match unfolded in a way nobody had anticipated.
Bang! Crash!
Ma Hyeon-bin pressed forward with an almost possessed intensity.
It was a level of play he’d never displayed once during the Capsule Cup.
“This bastard…!”
Sahin blocked the Panda’s low kick and launched into a mid-level psychological assault.
One strike that would deal serious damage if his reaction was even slightly slow.
Crack!
But the Panda rose up with lightning-fast reflexes and deflected it.
This too was a sight that could never have been seen from Ma Hyeon-bin before.
Just yesterday’s match, he’d been half-committed, squatting awkwardly and taking heavy damage.
“Haa!”
A sharp, resolute battle cry erupted from inside the Capsule.
Ma Hyeon-bin was focused as never before.
Anxiety dulls concentration,
but fury does not.
It sharpens the mind to a single point.
‘I will destroy my enemy without question.’
Joint’s first match remained etched vividly in Hyeon-bin’s mind.
[I intend to play this one for real.]
That’s what Joint had said before stepping into the arena.
Truthfully, it didn’t matter how Joint played—he would always find a way to win.
So he chose instead to win meaningfully.
Sacrificing even Briar, his very avatar,
he fed Ma Hyeon-bin as much data as possible.
[Watch out for that attack from Sahin.]
[That sliding strike is hard to block.]
[His hands are dulling slightly. He’s getting tired.]
Even without hearing a voice, Hyeon-bin understood it all.
Joint willingly bore the world’s mockery and did the dirty work.
For one purpose alone: the victory of the next teammate.
But the spectators, knowing nothing of his sacrifice, cursed and jeered at Joint’s play.
“Why’d he even show up if he’s gonna play like that!”
“Ha! Getting beaten down all day and that’s it!”
“This is a waste of my time. You think I spent hundreds of dollars on a ticket to watch this garbage?”
“Is that guy maybe… into that sort of thing?”
No.
That wasn’t it at all.
A great torch ignited inside Ma Hyeon-bin’s chest.
Sahin was one thing, but the atmosphere at the venue—it churned his stomach.
While Joint took the K.O.,
Ma Hyeon-bin’s heart transformed completely.
“Kyaa!”
Crash! Crash!
[He’s in! Double Upper! Sahin’s body launches skyward once more! One! Two! Three! Four! A brilliant aerial combo sequence from the Panda! Who said that character was slow! And with the final connection executed flawlessly! Knockout! Ma Hyeon-bin takes Round One!]
-Holy shit
-So damn good lol
-Our Hyeon-bin’s different now lol
-Can a person actually change like that?
-Suddenly going full overdrive??
-Hyeon-bin’s always been that level honest, just nerves get in the way
-First time since his solo broadcast he’s playing this clean
-He’s shutting down Azar like that? lol
-Azar that bastard lol got lazy eating from Joint and lost his head
A twist that even Korean viewers watching from home couldn’t have foreseen.
No one doubted Ma Hyeon-bin’s talent,
but no viewer had predicted his performance would skyrocket this dramatically.
‘What the hell is that guy?’
Azar rose from his seat with an incredulous expression.
Was this what they called peeling away a layer?
His expression and movements were flawless.
Far from tense, he was giving the match one hundred percent of his focus.
‘So this is what the guy’s true self looks like.’
But still.
Something didn’t add up.
No matter how perfect Ma Hyeon-bin’s condition was,
it made no sense that he’d be pushed back so completely one-sided.
Where?
Where did things start to fall apart?

The furious Panda unleashed skill after skill without hesitation.
Azar gritted his teeth and fought back,
but the battle situation was little different from the first round.
‘Damn it. Why is this happening?’
Ma Hyeon-bin’s attacks were sharper than anticipated,
and his own movements felt duller than they had in round one.
Joint, who’d been watching the match, finally clenched his fist tight.
“He doesn’t seem to realize it.”
“Yes.”
Sahin was laboring under a misconception.
That his own movements had slowed.
But in reality, compared to the first match, there was no significant difference.
Only his opponent had become faster.
Joint’s Panda and Ma Hyeon-bin’s Panda.
Same appearance, same skin.
That’s why the discord wasn’t as jarring.
Crack! Bang!
Ma Hyeon-bin was deflecting most of Sahin’s attacks.
Thanks to Joint becoming a living sandbag, taking hits from every angle,
Ma Hyeon-bin had grown familiar with Sahin’s attack patterns.
On top of that,
‘Damn it. It’s like I’ve turned into a wet sponge.’
The time it had taken to beat down Joint’s Panda.
Though it was only a single match,
the mental and physical fatigue had accumulated considerably.
In Hae-rang’s blue eyes, Azar’s condition was crystal clear.
‘Fatigue is always relative. Even using the same strength and time, a task you thought would be grueling feels different from one you expected to finish quickly—the sensation is entirely different.’
At this rate, he’d be able to beat down Joint.
But Azar’s estimate had been completely crumpled.
Regardless of reaction speed, mental fatigue had accumulated significantly.
All those shackles now weighed on Azar’s two arms and two legs.
What remained was,
“Boom!
[Double Arm Sweep detonates! Azar’s Sahin can barely muster a response! Could this be Ma Hyeon-bin’s first match victory in the international competition! The Rolling Wheel activates now! The Panda, transformed into a massive sphere, collides with Sahin’s body like a truck! Knockout! Ma Hyeon-bin achieves his first match victory!]

Whoosh!
The moment the match ended, Ma Hyeon-bin burst out of the Capsule.
Then he bounded across the stage with exuberant jumps.
“Ha ha! What are you doing!”
“Still such a kid, aren’t you?”
“If you’re a minor, then kid fits!”
“Was he always this innocent?”
The spectators all wore fond smiles as they watched him bound over to his teammates.
“Finally did it! I couldn’t have done this without you all!”
“Good work, Hyeon-bin!”
“You did brilliantly!”
Ma Hyeon-bin’s large eyes sparkled with light.
Singularity—known as a gathering of geniuses.
Ma Hyeon-bin was called a genius even within that group.
This was the moment his potential finally bloomed.
“You punk! All these beatings I’ve taken have finally paid off!”
“Yes!”
The four of them embraced, sharing their joy.
And yet,
from far off, there was a gamer watching with cold eyes—
none other than Iban.
“We need to adjust our plan.”
“How?”
“I’ll go third. Vex, you take the last match.”
“Understood.”
Vex nodded without complaint.
Iban’s influence on the French National Team was absolute.
His skill level was exceptional, but more than that, his eye for the game was remarkably sharp.
It was Iban who, when Hae-rang deployed the Absolute Domain against Rabio in the quarterfinals,
left the arena first, declaring there was nothing more to see.
‘Young kids are a headache. Once they build momentum, they just keep charging endlessly.’
Part of him wanted to go out as the second player.
But his teammate had already boarded the Capsule.
Iban had originally planned to go as captain,
but if they lost three straight to Ma Hyeon-bin, he figured today’s chances were finished.
‘So I’ll cut it off.’
It was only logical,
but if the French player going second managed to win, all these concerns would become meaningless.
Still, the ill omen brushing past Iban
had a way of proving true with high accuracy most of the time.
<K.O.!>
<Panda wins!>
<Ma Hyeon-bin records a match victory!>
<South Korea 2 : 1 France>
Just like now.
* * *
[Ma Hyeon-bin adds another victory! Like Ye Da-hong yesterday—players who got off to a good start are extending their winning streaks!]
-Okaaay!
-Damn! France too? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Beating last year’s semifinal team ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
-Our Hyeon-bin’s changed ㄷㄷ
-He was this good?
-Hyeon-bin’s been hiding his power ㄷㄷㄷㄷ
Ma Hyeon-bin, fresh off consecutive victories.
Unlike the way he’d bounced around celebrating his first win,
Ma Hyeon-bin remained inside the Capsule.
‘I can’t get too excited.’
Not just Ye Da-hong, but even the formidable Hae-rang struggled when playing consecutive matches.
After two matches, he was beginning to understand.
‘It’s like gravity just increased.’
An invisible force pressing down on his entire body.
With each match, that weight grew heavier.
How had Hae-rang managed to pull off an all-kill in this kind of state?
Though he was the one recording the winning streak, he found himself filled with awe for Hae-rang.
‘So I have to win at least one more.’
After overcoming the tension on the stage,
Ma Hyeon-bin was finally able to unleash his full ability without reservation.
For Da-hong and Hae-rang waiting behind him, he had to give everything till the end.
Even if he couldn’t win, he’d have to cling to victory like a joint, fighting for every last inch.
Because that was the only chance to raise the team’s win rate even slightly.
“Next opponent is…… Oh!”
Ma Hyeon-bin, watching from inside the Capsule, let out an exclamation.
At last, the moment had arrived.
The ace of the French National Team, a French gamer who had reached the semifinals of the Capsule Cup the previous year.
Iban, bearing the form of a warrior, stepped onto the Stage.
[And here comes Iban! This is somewhat unexpected. Given that he’s France’s ace, I thought he’d take the final match. For those watching for the first time, Iban’s original nationality was Korean. He competed as part of Korea’s Singularity before naturalizing as French—a truly unusual case, I must say.]
-Wait, he was originally Korean?
-Traitor ㅉㅉ He abandoned his Korean citizenship?
-What a waste;; He’s that good but just stayed in Korea
-It’s the other way around ㅋㅋㅋ If he’s that skilled, why stick with Korean teammates?
-Every time I see him it feels weird;; His eyes are large and deep, looks like he has a story. Small face too
└Isn’t it just because he’s handsome? ㅋㅋ
-I heard he got completely beaten by all of Singularity and left ㄷㄷㄷ
-Real man energy ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Sudden real man vibes ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Suddenly feeling favorable about him?
-He looks older but still plays well;;
[Iban, now boarding the Capsule. Could it be the connection of his past? Iban’s main character is the Korean fighter ‘Haran’—a female martial artist whose style is based on Taekwondo!]
-Seeing Haran suddenly makes me nervous;;
-He was insanely good, saw videos from last year ㄷㄷ
-Haran! I have feelings too!
-That’s why I rooted for Iban last year ㅋㅋ Korean origin playing a Korean character
-I actually found it off-putting for that reason ㅡㅡ The intent feels suspicious
Public opinion on Iban was largely divided.
Those who felt kinship, and those who derided him as a traitor.
Iban paid no mind to what Korean Fans thought of him.
He had no desire to clear up misunderstandings,
and insults didn’t bother him.
Iban simply repeated what he’d always done.
Overwhelming his enemies with his character, Haran.
Whish!
Whirl!
The Spinning Combination—Haran’s trademark attack.
Her body spun ceaselessly, limbs whipping through the air.
Once that momentum built, there was no stopping it.
“Ggh……!”
A walking tornado.
That was the impression Haran gave right now,
and Ma Hyeon-bin retreated helplessly.
‘This strength……. Is this really……!’
The skill of a world semifinalist.
Though Ma Hyeon-bin was fighting his third match,
this wasn’t a matter of stamina.
Pure difference in ability.
Before Haran’s relentless barrage of kicks,
Ma Hyeon-bin couldn’t even muster the will to counterattack.
Boom! Bang!
<K.O.!>
<‘Haran’ WIN!>
<Iban records a match victory!>
<South Korea 2 : 2 France>
As if all the momentum that had built up before was a lie.
Ma Hyeon-bin had conceded two matches in victories nearly perfect.
What he’d accomplished so far was certainly solid enough,
but the sudden shift in atmosphere was unavoidable.
“Looks like he decided to put out the immediate fire first. Didn’t worry about his stamina.”
Da-hong rose from her seat, eyes widening with determination.
“That Spinning Combination never fails to amaze. But now that I’ve seen it once, I won’t be completely helpless against it.”
Da-hong boarded the Capsule with eager determination.
But her words would prove false.
Haran hadn’t used any spinning combinations this round, unlike the previous match,
“Your style…… changed just like that……?”
Da-hong had been overwhelmed entirely.
[South Korea 2 : 3 France]
“Wow…….”
“She’s insanely good…….”
“All four rounds against two opponents were crushing victories……!”
Hyeon-bin and Ye Da-hong.
Iban had dominated both of them with two completely different fighting styles.
There was no hint of joy in victory on her face.
She simply gazed across the stage with an emotionless stare.
Thump-thump.
The South Korean National Team’s ace stepped onto the stage.
Cheon Hae-rang.

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