The Fate-Seeing Genius Streamer - Chapter 20

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

19. [Infinite War] Um, Is This… The Right Way to Do It? (4)
Crack.
Standing before him, Joo Seo-jin watched as his opponent rushed forward with an ominous aura—and a faint glimmer kindled in his otherwise lifeless black eyes.
It was something akin to curiosity.
Somewhere along the way, Joo Seo-jin’s pupils reflected the crimson spiritual energy blooming from Crack’s body.
Strangely enough.
‘The spiritual energy… it’s changed…?’
Ever since the moment I succeeded in landing a blow on Crack and mentioned that winning would be possible if we clashed again, his momentum had shifted entirely.
‘The spiritual energy has become rougher, stronger. It’s definitely different from before. …Something has changed. The threads of fate are beginning to blur in my sight.’
Spiritual energy—the essence of destiny reflected in the eyes that perceive fate—does not merely signify fortune or misfortune. A deviation had occurred in the future possibilities sensed through my foresight ability.
‘No. Or is it the opposite? Is fate itself… changing…? The possible outcomes with high realization probability are… steadily multiplying.’
The countless future scenarios I sensed through my foresight ability were proliferating wildly, spiraling beyond my control.
From the moment Crack burst forward unexpectedly, all manner of future possibilities were being caught within my six senses.
Dozens of colorless shadow-like movements unfolded and vanished in repetition. Every possible outcome that lay ahead multiplied, radiating an ominous presence.
Jab—straight rush. Pivoting to the side, then a reverse hook from the blind spot. Or, feinting a takedown to bait a sprawl, followed by an uppercut.
───Then, a seamless transition from boxing to wrestling to drag the opponent to the ground—dozens of branching possibilities manifested as shadows, each one pressing down upon me.
Kwaaaa—shhhhh────….
As the shadows of possibility brushed past me one by one, scattering into nothingness, I grasped what it truly meant to be a pro gamer.
A pro gamer.
A being who began training at a local martial arts academy around seven or eight years old, showed promise by middle school and entered a professional team academy—then spent over a decade honing the essence of modern martial arts, gaming martial arts, under expert instruction.
Among those pro gamers possessing such lethal ability, the one called the sky above the sky, the world champion of [Eternal Saga]’s championship—that was Crack. His skill was different. His talent was different. The weight of years he had accumulated was different.
‘Ah… so pro gamers truly are special. He’s completely different from before. It’s almost terrifying.’
That was why.
‘Indeed, I’ll have difficulty facing him if I only use my foresight ability weakly. Pro gamers are truly formidable.’
Divine Energy. The moment I resolved to wield that innate talent at ‘full power,’ strange crimson light began swirling in my eyes.
‘Well—I’ve already confirmed through our earlier exchange that there are no aftereffects from Divine Energy. …From now on, I can go all out.’
I had never once faced Crack while using Divine Energy at its ‘maximum.’
I had only restricted it to its ‘minimum’ to verify whether aftereffects from Divine Energy existed at all.
In other words, until this very moment, I had surpassed Crack instantaneously using nothing but my innate combat instincts alone.
Kiiiing.
And.
‘I need to go all out.’
My unprecedented innate talent began to manifest without restraint, reaching its maximum threshold.
* * *
Crack was the ace of team VEN, belonging to [Eternal Saga]’s ESK League. A master of the Larkranz Style—a gaming martial arts refined around boxing and wrestling.
Standing 178 centimeters tall, he possessed an overwhelmingly long reach—a wingspan of 187.2 centimeters—which he leveraged as an out-boxer focused on striking, while maintaining advantageous responses in ground situations through wrestling.
The technical proficiency he had honed over more than a decade to secure even the slightest edge in skill as a pro gamer of [Eternal Saga] was not to be underestimated.
‘…It’s different from before. Now, I will not let my guard down again. I won’t repeat the same mistake. I will win, without fail.’
It made no difference whether this was [Eternal Saga] or [Infinite War]. The reason I took that first strike from Joo Seo-jin was solely because I had been careless.
I simply failed to react immediately to the high kick resembling capoeira delivered from mid-range, leaving me with only reactive countermeasures.
If I maintained my focus and approached the match with genuine intent, the outcome would undoubtedly differ from before.
Crack—
‘Damn it! A professional gamer with just that level of skill? That’s what you call ability? This time, I’ll make you feel the real gap between us…!’
Tap-tap-tap-tap—Crash!
Swift footwork. Gliding across the ground almost as if sliding—I planted a side step and unleashed a barrage of strikes infused with Piercing Aura.
Whoosh— Pow-Bang!
‘The Nameless Monk’s martial skill, Temporal Echo—it sets predetermined movements and traces them continuously…! By closing the distance and applying pressure without giving ground, I can interrupt the continuous activation of the martial skill!’
The Nameless Monk’s martial skill, ‘Temporal Echo’. By interrupting its continuous activation, I could block the acceleration of movement.
Snap.
But that was merely a plan—nothing more. Every one of Crack’s successive attacks came to nothing.
Joo Seo-jin didn’t even blink; he simply tilted his head slightly to the side or pulled his upper body back slightly, evading every single attack.
It was the art of dodging all attacks with minimal movement.
‘Damn it…! Of course, gaming martial arts…! That claim about never learning anything before was definitely a lie…!’
A beginner? Impossible. Standing before me was someone with absurd mastery—a semi-professional gamer, a true master.
Yet, separate from that, the opponent’s posture was far too unstable to suggest professional training in gaming martial arts.
Moreover, while the evasive movements themselves were remarkably nimble, he seemed unable to dispel the mounting pressure that accumulated slowly.
Crack interpreted all of this as Joo Seo-jin toying with him—and simultaneously, as an opportunity.
‘Right. So you want to keep up this civilian cosplay that badly? Then I’ll exploit it…!’
Pow-Bang!
Crack gritted his teeth and began deploying a more aggressive combination of striking techniques.
There are limits to how long one can evade using slips and sway backs. By continuously retreating and dodging Crack’s strikes, Joo Seo-jin’s center of gravity was already wavering.
The martial skill ‘Temporal Echo’ could preset movements that deviated slightly from the physical system, but that didn’t mean it could completely ignore human anatomy and the laws of physics.
‘Even if the Nameless Monk continuously activates Temporal Echo to accumulate acceleration in movement, short movement chains alone can’t build significant acceleration…! I’ll push him all the way to the edge of the stage!’
The same approach as before wouldn’t work. Minimizing the initial setup—launching a powerful attack from a blind spot—he only fell for it because he hadn’t responded immediately back then.
Now, assuming the opponent’s level as a Lord of Martial Arts and displaying maximum ability, he wouldn’t be retired by such tactics.
Gaming martial arts, which generally assume bare-handed combat, mix grappling techniques alongside striking to handle ground situations.
Being mindful of potential counters or grappling, I refrained from using excessive force in large movements, methodically pushing the opponent toward the edge of the arena point by point.
Crack’s thoughts, his judgment—none of it was wrong. Soon, a situation aligned with his intentions materialized.
Thud—
Mulung Doyeon. At the training ground’s edge, Joo Seo-jin stopped retreating backward. Now, his options were severely limited.
‘Now… from here on, this is my territory…! Let me show you why a professional gamer is in a different league…!’
Pow-Bang!
A jab that tore through the air shot out with tremendous speed, aimed directly at Joo Seo-jin’s head.
Next, Joo Seo-jin narrowed his eyes and attempted a weave, but it fell within the expected range of movement.
This ghost jab was nothing but a feint. The real killing blow was prepared elsewhere.
In that instant, a crimson light enveloped Crack’s body—and a phenomenon began to manifest.
Tzzz—
━This is the player character ‘Dragon Fighter’s’ martial skill, ‘Flash Attack’. When activated with a fist or leg—it causes you to blink forward slightly as if teleporting, striking as you go.
‘Flash Attack’.
It was the harbinger phenomenon occurring as the ‘Dragon Fighter’s’ first martial skill unfolded. I hadn’t mentioned it to Joo Seo-jin earlier, but Flash Attack isn’t just a powerful punch.
───Flash Attack partially circumvents the physical engine system of Infinite War, allowing ‘straight punches’ or ‘spinning kicks’ to be executed from any stance whatsoever.
‘Flash Attack—while the trajectory of the attack can’t be drastically altered, it enables high-speed movement to any desired location from any stance, driving in a powerful strike…!’
In other words, it meant launching a ghost jab while inertia pitched the center of gravity forward, allowing a ‘straight punch’ to be driven in even at this timing when the next action couldn’t chain—that’s what it meant.
Whoooosh───!
A flash of crimson light in an instant. Crack’s silhouette blurred simultaneously, flickering forward slightly—and the ‘straight punch’ that should have been physically impossible… ‘Flash Attack’ was unleashed.
‘Ha! I’ve got this…! There’s no way the motion was designed anticipating this would come out here…!! It’s over───’
* * *
And.
* * *
The next instant.
Whoosh───.
‘Huh…?’
He vanished. Joo Seo-jin literally ‘disappeared’ from my field of vision. A sense of déjà vu, followed by a wave of dread crawling up my spine—it announced what was about to happen.
Even without entering my sight, I could tell where, how, and what he was doing. The King—having perfectly lowered his upper body to evade Flash Attack, Joo Seo-jin would be pressed directly beneath my body.
A sense of crisis erupts.
The Dragon Fighter’s first martial skill, ‘Flash Attack’, allows ‘straight punches’ or ‘spinning kicks’ to be activated from any stance, any situation whatsoever.
And───
In exchange, the Dragon Fighter’s first martial skill, ‘Flash Attack’, once activated, can never be skill-cancelled, and the attack motion must be executed from beginning to end.
‘Damn it───’
Crack───!
Beneath Crack’s ribcage, into that defenseless, exposed upper body—Joo Seo-jin drove in a perfect reverse shot with zero margin for error, and his body launched upward.
Within Infinite War’s in-game world, when strong damage is dealt to areas corresponding to ‘vital points of the human body’, the system judgment applies a modifier.
‘Consecutive Strike’.
The moment a normal skill close to system judgment that any player character can use activates with a modifier from striking a human vital point.
Immediately after, Joo Seo-jin, having launched a reverse shot with his left hand, then briefly crouched his body like a spring, bounced upward—and struck Crack’s abdomen with his right hand.
Splurt───!!
As Crack spewed body fluid from his mouth, the ‘health bar’ floating above his head dropped sharply below 50%, sending him flying backward.
Crash───.
However, he wasn’t eliminated. The remaining health bar was approximately 30%. The odds were low, but not entirely absent.
Tap.
Immediately, Crack raised his body and lifted both hands upward… gritting his teeth.
Not yet. It wasn’t over yet. That’s what he believed.
‘Not yet…! It’s not over—! I haven’t lost! I haven’t! I’ll win! If I drag this into a grapple instead of a ring-out judgment and endure until Flash Attack’s cooldown resets───’
Everyone has a plausible plan.
Crack───!
‘Huh…?’
Until you take one solid hit.
* * *
A side step. Followed by a reverse hook from the corner. Movement approaching artistry—economical, without wasted energy.
Lachrantz Style.
I had seen it all—the essence of boxing, the foundation of this gaming martial arts striking technique.
Every skill Crack possessed had already been grasped through the shadows of possibility.
There was no reason I couldn’t replicate them.
Innate talent.
Before such talent, there remained only one conclusion for Crack, who had revealed all his techniques.
Unfortunately.
[K.O.]
《 WIN! 》
━2P: Joo Seo-jin(=Anonymous Monk)
* * *
Mulung Doyeon.
Above the training grounds where beautiful peach blossoms scattered in the wind. The match had ended, and only one person remained standing.
I stood quietly, looking down at Crack as he retched violently—and all of it was being streamed live through the broadcast window.
-?
-WTF?
-What is this…
-Damn… is this real…?
-Crack fought and… Joo Seo-jin won…? What???
-???? What is this?? What is this?? What the hell just happened right now????
-?? A pro gamer lost? For real? This is real??? This isn’t rigged, right??;
Hahahahaha what a legendary situation just broke out!!!!
And then.
《 [Infinite War] : 「VEN」 Crack ) I’ll take a break this morning and challenge [Infinite War] ‘Lord of Martial Arts’. 》
━「VEN」 Crack(skdlemfrltlfgek3717)
*Viewers: 19,728
…In other words, nearly twenty thousand viewers had witnessed the entire match—its contents and its outcome—firsthand.

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