MTLNOVEL Chapter 2 - Anonymous Expert (2)
Dopamine enveloped my entire mind and the stress suddenly dissipated. My heavy shoulders became lighter.
I feel like I’m going crazy. This is addiction. This is an inescapable drug. This is the light of my life. It’s thrilling every time I do it.
This is why I act toxic, you know.
But…
“This guy’s pretty good.”
The record of 327 wins and 0 losses was certainly not an exaggeration.
Honestly, at first I thought it was abusing the system. But after exchanging a few moves, I could gauge the opponent’s capabilities.
An incredible expert.
I don’t know where this guy came from, but one thing’s for sure – he wasn’t an ordinary amateur.
However, what’s more important is,
“So what, he’s still not as good as me.”
The fact that I thoroughly toyed with him.
I left the game first without giving the opponent a defeat. Thanks to that, the opponent might maintain their winning streak, but the humiliation would be unforgettable.
Right now, he’s probably analyzing his mistakes while watching the replay.
He’ll remember me like that for the rest of his life.
Feeling the humiliation engraved like a scar.
Feeling a strange sense of pleasure, I immediately created a room for the next game.
The room title was the same.
<1:1 Wilderness Only for those who want to feel the wall>
Then,
This guy came again.
I1li1lI1lil1i: Hi? 🙂
WantToLose: Fck
WantToLose: Hey you
WantToLose: Let’s play one more round
I1li1lI1lil1i: I’ll kick you out
I1li1lI1lil1i: It’s my personal rule
I1li1lI1lil1i: Not to beat an opponent
I1li1lI1lil1i: I’ve already beaten once lol
WantToLose: Hey
WantToLose: Stop bluffing
WantToLose: I was playing off-race lol
WantToLose: My main race is Alien and I’ll crush you in serious mode
WantToLose: Scared?
What should I do?
Should I give him one more chance, or coldly force him out?
Seeing how he entered as soon as the room was created, he seems pretty angry.
After a moment of contemplation, I made my decision.
I1li1lI1lil1i: Nah get lost 0 wins 1 loss lololol
I was confident I could win even if we played again, but I’m the type who doesn’t compete unless I’m certain.
As if it wasn’t bad enough that I was already fuming from toiling in reality, if I lost in the game too, I knew I wouldn’t be able to calm down easily and would have trouble sleeping.
Immediately after, I received a whisper.
This crazy guy, his obsession with me is unsettling.
I was about to block the whispers when it gave me goosebumps.
Seeing the words “50,000 won”, my eyes became like those of a cat spotting prey.
50,000 won? 50,000 won?!
I thought of the 9 baby birds under my care.
Money that could let me feed the kids something delicious one more time, or let them experience cultural activities one more time.
That’s what 50,000 won meant.
After a moment of deliberation,
I finally took the bait he threw.
He’s going this far just because he lost once?
He seems to be the type with a strong competitive spirit despite not being very good.
When a tiger voluntarily enters my mouth and offers money, I’d be a fool to refuse, a fool.
But…
If you catch a sucker and only take one bite, that’s the mark of an amateur. A pro would leave teeth marks in multiple places and eat as much as possible.
For example,
That probably won’t happen though.
Now that money’s involved, I’ll be in serious mode too.
I checked and the money was indeed deposited.
150,000 won.
‘WantToLose’ has deposited 150,000 won.
When I created a new room, ‘WantToLose’ quickly entered.
WantToLose: But
WantToLose: Who are you?
WantToLose: Your KakaoTalk name
WantToLose: Was a girl’s name
I1li1lI1lil1i: ?
WantToLose: Is that a concept?
What nonsense is he suddenly spouting?
I1li1lI1lil1i: What are you on about
WantToLose: Aren’t you a pro?
WantToLose: Let’s
WantToLose: Introduce ourselves properly
I1li1lI1lil1i: Did getting beaten
I1li1lI1lil1i: Make you start talking nonsense
I1li1lI1lil1i: lol
I1li1lI1lil1i: Any more beatings might be dangerous friend
WantToLose: Ah you’re gonna hide till the end?
I1li1lI1lil1i: Hide what?
WantToLose: OK confirmed
…Could this also be some kind of tactic?
If so, let’s not stop it. I’ll maintain my pace.
150,000 won. A whole 150,000 won is at stake.
For my kids, I absolutely must win.
Now, it’s time to choose my build…
In
Some games can last 2 hours, while others can end in 3 minutes.
Let’s think realistically.
I came after 18 hours and 30 minutes of grueling labor, so I was considerably fatigued both physically and mentally. And I had to wake up in just 5 hours.
Under such unfavorable conditions,
I need to produce the best results.
WantToLose: Where did the player go?
WantToLose: Scared maybe? lol
I1li1lI1lil1i: 50,000 won
I1li1lI1lil1i: is at stake
I1li1lI1lil1i: so I’m going safe
I1li1lI1lil1i: gg
WantToLose: gg
A mirror match between Aliens.
As I listened to the countdown sound, I solidified my choice.
My choice was…
*
“Ah, shit! Damn it!”
I overslept.
It seems playing three consecutive games was too much after all. I thought I finished early, but…
I hurriedly changed clothes and left through the front door. Thankfully, the chilly dawn air chased away my drowsiness as I breathed it in.
I quickly completed one round of my route and returned home.
“…Sis!”
“Si-eun, you’re up?”
Number 4 and our family’s proud third daughter.
Han Si-eun was cooking while rubbing her eyes.
Among our useless chicks at home, she was the only one with a decent personality.
“Yeah. I should help too so you can breathe a little, sis.”
“You’re the only useful one in this family, Si-eun!”
That’s not a lie, it’s really true.
If it weren’t for her, I’d have to be in charge of feeding the baby birds too.
I knocked on Han Sejun’s door.
“Han Sejun, wake up!”
No response.
I opened the door to find Number 2, Han Sejun, sprawled out sleeping.
“I said wake up, you brat!”
I stomped on his flabby butt with my heel.
“Ah, why always me!”
“Ah, why are you always the one who can’t wake up?”
“…But, I’m a high school senior.”
“I’m also in the prime of my twenties, you brat. Fix that bird’s nest on your head and get out here quick.”
Everyone in our house was gathered except for the quadruplets.
Number 2, Han Sejun.
Eating while looking at his smartphone.
Number 3, Han Sejin.
Nibbling at her food, claiming to be on a diet.
Number 4, Han Si-eun.
Wearing an apron, barely eating while checking on the other family members.
Numbers 5 and 6, Han Suho and Han Sumin.
True to being identical twins, they’re having a chopstick fight over the meat dish.
“Put those chopsticks down!”
“Ah, you get lost.”
“Hey!”
Only after I yell do they stop their chopstick fight.
For me, breakfast was truly a battlefield without gunfire.
“Aren’t you eating, sis?”
Number 4, Han Si-eun, asked.
“Nah. Don’t want to waste money.”
…Honestly, I am hungry, but I endured it.
That’s when,
“Whoa, crazy!”
Number 2, Han Sejun, buried his face in his smartphone and was startled.
“What’s wrong with you this early in the morning?”
“No, sis! It’s huge. You know this pro gamer called Hyun Junho? He’s a pretty good player but he lost to an amateur. Four times in a row at that.”
“Ah, I see.”
Han Sejun spoke excitedly, spitting rice grains.
“But this anonymous person, there’s a rumor they might be a pro gamer.”
“Then they’re not an amateur, right?”
“We don’t know yet. But if they’re an amateur, it’s huge because…”
“Enough. Just eat your food.”
As I was about to enter the bathroom to wash up.
“The community’s in an uproar. They’re asking who this barcode is.”
“…What? Barcode?”
I snatched Han Sejun’s smartphone. I buried my face in the screen to check.
Wow, my hunger just disappeared.
The games I played yesterday are uploaded on YouTube.
…What?
What exactly is going on here?
By the way.
‘WantToLose’ was a pro gamer?
“Pfft.”
“Sis, why are you suddenly laughing?”
I patted Han Sejun’s head.
“It’s nothing.”
*
Before heading to work at the local bar.
I went on YouTube.
My game videos were already spreading everywhere, riding the algorithm.
The title was,
[Hyun Junho loses his mind after 3 consecutive all-ins.]
“Ah, I really want to die.”
The Hyun Junho on the screen spoke in a depressed voice.
Just looking at his face, you could see it written all over:
Dumbfounded, murderous intent.
“Haah, three all-ins in a row. Ah really, what kind of bastard does this?”
The chat reactions immediately turned nasty.
-???: All-in is also a skill
-Who said all-in is a skill lol
-It’s not Hyun Junho but Junho Hyun who said that, don’t misunderstand
-HJH vs HJH lolololol
-Streamer’s lost his mind, end the stream
-Barcode: 150k won ez money lol
-How did a fucking amateur 4-0 him lol
-Lol he’s not an amateur lol
-Is he… pro…? Is he… pro…? Is he… pro…? Is he… pro…? Is he… pro…? Is he… pro…?
Eventually, Hyun Junho turned off his cam. Then he spoke in a gloomy voice.
“I’ll end the stream here today, everyone. I’m really sorry. I know all-in is also a skill, but I think I was just being petty. Ah, I’ll go collect myself for a bit.”
With a voice slightly choked up at the end,
The video ended.
…Haha. This is driving me crazy.
First of all, I really didn’t know this guy was a pro gamer.
The name on the money transfer wasn’t Hyun Junho but ‘WantToLose’ after all.
And logically, who would imagine a pro gamer entering a public room?
The 3 consecutive games with Hyun Junho this dawn.
That’s right. I used all-in tactics.
Three times in a row at that.
In the end, each game ended in less than 10 minutes.
All-in, gamble.
A term meaning a gambling build order.
It was an unavoidable choice for me.
As someone who had to wake up at 5:30 AM, I couldn’t afford to consider a long game.
So…
Rather than intending to humiliate Hyun Junho, it was the best choice I made for my own well-being.
I entered an internet community site.
It was the infamous one known as GalWarGal.
As soon as I entered, it was in chaos with topics related to me.
[Title: A guy who gets outplayed by an amateur has no chance of winning lol]
Lost 150,000 won
Lost his pride
Just Hyun Junho <ㅡ This guy’s best is just quarterfinals
A chicken-hearted guy like this will never win
Press like if you agree
Likes: 274 Dislikes: 36
[Title: The process of Hyun Junho’s mental breakdown yesterday.txt]
Game 1: Surely he won’t use all-in? -> Yep, Zealot all-in lol
Game 2: Surely he won’t use it twice? -> Yep, Dark Templar all-in lol
Game 3: Surely not thrice? -> Yep, sneaky defense tower lol
Hyun Junho <ㅡ Press like if you think he’s like the giving tree
Likes: 310 Dislikes: 34
And looking at the latest posts, the gallery’s topic had changed.
From ‘Kill Hyun Junho’ to ‘Barcode’s Identity’.
[Title: So who is this Barcode guy?]
Is it Jung Suhyuk?
If so, I worship the Great Emperor Hyuk.
The Emperㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡor
Who taught Mr. Quarterfinals what outplaying means
Likes: 399 Dislikes: 217
ㅇㅇ(114.61): The scary thing about Barcode is he started with psychological warfare in chat, bluffing about “playing safe” ㄷㄷ
└Watching the replay, it’s true lol
└Wow that’s creepy
└Seems like Hyun Junho fell for that chat and tried to double expand and failed?
ㅇㅇ(125.2): For real lololol
ㅇㅇ(223.39): Teaching Mr. Quarterfinals… Your Majesty…
ㅇㅇ(211.237): (emoticon)
ㅇㅇ(115.21): He’s damn good though
ㅇㅇ(124.111): No it’s not him, the IP is different from Jung Suhyuk’s
└What do you mean it’s not? How could an amateur beat Hyun Junho then?
└I never said he was an amateur? I’m just saying it’s not Jung Suhyuk
└This is correct, the IP is different. And didn’t they say it was a woman’s name on the stream?
└Are you saying a woman 4-0’d Hyun Junho? lol
└Well; they said it was a woman’s name; and it could be a woman
└If it’s a woman I’ll slit my wrists you idiot lol
└Screenshot taken
Seeing the gallery users fighting among themselves again made me nauseous.
Ah, whatever.
Why am I so anxious? It’s not like I did anything wrong.
If anyone’s at fault, it’s Hyun Junho for getting backstabbed by an amateur.
I prepared to head to work at the bar, trying to clear my mind.
That’s when.
Ding!
I got a KakaoTalk message.
Who could it be at this hour?
I turned on my phone to check,
and my brow furrowed.
[Hyun Junho: I can’t stop thinking about you all day]
[Hyun Junho: You’re really not an amateur, right? Come on…]
[Hyun Junho: There’s no way I lost to an amateur…]
[Hyun Junho: Tell me now]
[Hyun Junho: Which team are you on?]
[Hyun Junho: What’s your true identity?]
My true identity is that I’m an unaffiliated amateur, and I’m a woman!
…If I say that, you’ll probably commit suicide.
What should I do about this?