NOVEL NEXT Chapter 79
Whenever it seemed like reinforcement was necessary, she would really be there like a ghost.
Ignoring the retreat ping from Sol (Unspecified Gender) was a mistake, as an overwhelming number of enemies, more than their allies, came rushing in like a lie.
Perhaps that could happen after team members joined together and took control of the field in the mid-game.
But even in the early game, where most of the map was shrouded in dark fog, her predictive ability — almost like foresight — never faltered.
It truly was an apt metaphor to feel like she was someone who had already experienced the round once before.
Isn’t this something that often appears in novels?
Thanks to traveling back in time, the protagonist has foreknowledge of all future events and prepares in advance — those types of abilities.
[What kind of regressionist is this lol, you sure read a lot of web novels]
[It’s like they really have some divine power]
[Why can’t anyone just say it feels like map hacks?]
Bulcan’s lips twitched as he glanced at the chat.
He really wanted to say “It feels like a map hack,” and without the prior information, he would’ve undoubtedly slipped and said that.
She sees too unrealistically well, after all.
Playing as though she could see beyond what’s hidden on the screen, like she sees through the enemy’s vision.
No one would naturally think of it as anything else but a map hack.
A monster breaking an 80% win rate at Challenger rank, clearly something different from others, rival acknowledged by Victory (Male) — without the prior information, he would’ve definitely said it.
“This is a map hack, right?” He would’ve said that, for sure.
“Physical reflexes, hitting and dodging accurately, that’s just a bonus. A bonus. The real star is this map reading, operation, judgment, joining. It’s like she’s seen the future.
Even while playing the wolf captain, a damage-dealer tank position, this is how she plays. Imagine how nightmarish it would be if she goes after the main character Illusionist (who plays as if they can foresee the future) as an assassin position, roaming around and eliminating targets.
It makes sense why Illusionists suddenly became mandatory bans in the high-level matches these days.
They used to be an ambiguous character, neither banned nor picked much.”
Thinking it wasn’t due to map hacking left no room for anything but praise for her gameplay.
Bulcan unloaded an endless stream of compliments.
After hearing his praise, Scraper pointed out a hard-to-accept aspect:
“Calling even combat reflexes just a bonus is a bit much, isn’t it? Her combat ability is simply insane. Haven’t you heard of the recent ‘Kicking Doughnut Badge’ incident? Even our team’s Cheriart fell victim to it.”
“What’s with bringing that embarrassing thing up?”
“There’s no need to be shy. Everyone who challenged that day lost.”
[Ban Victory (Male)]
[Sound attack is a foul lol]
[Shh! Mentioning that incident will get you banned]
[This is Once’s stream though?]
[Yeeeeaaaah! Hyaah! Haah!] – Deleted message
Once didn’t respond to the chat but silently dealt with those crossing the line.
Responding verbally would only attract more attention.
“Such abilities can’t just be called bonuses.”
“Super soldier, and super commander too?”
“That thing exists, you know? The Three Kingdoms analogy. Lu Bu’s combat prowess and Zhuge Liang’s strategies.”
Scraper kept using unique metaphors derived from novels.
For someone who had just turned adult, whose job was a pro gamer, and even consistently went to the gym, it was quite a sophisticated hobby.
Do his days feel twice as long compared to others?
“Looks like you really read a lot of books.”
“I’m pretty intellectual, aren’t I?”
“But wasn’t Lu Bu known for his strategic prowess as well?”
“In Three Kingdoms games, they had to balance it out, so they lowered his intelligence.”
“Reality isn’t balanced, it seems.”
Once’s evaluation was complemented by Bulcan.
“Sol (Unspecified Gender), how do you expect us to react if you max out your stats alone like this? You’re breaking the balance!”
“There’s another term for this in novels. Munchkin.”
“How much do you love novels, really?”
“Since I’m not the main character today, I’ll let this slide and focus on the gameplay. How does a person play like this? It’s insane.”
“Victory (Male) didn’t praise Sol (Unspecified Gender) for nothing.”
“Do you think Sol (Unspecified Gender) is also nervous right now? Second place wouldn’t feel good, would it?”
[Anonymous donated 1,000 won.]
“When will you actually analyze instead of just praising? Didn’t you say something about decomposition analysis?”
“We’re analyzing right now. Just saying it’s excellent — equipping Lu Bu’s combat prowess and Zhuge Liang’s strategies.”
“Is analyzing the same as praising?”
“Analyzing skill inevitably leads to praise.”
[Anonymous donated 1,000 won.]
“Did you call Bulcan just to say ‘good’ and call it a day? I could do that, too.”
Bulcan was known for his strengths in comprehending meta-games, finding meta-breaking characters, and issuing in-game orders during his Solo Ranker days.
On the other hand, his physical gameplay performance in combat was less notable, leading him to often fall behind in fights.
Opposite of Sol (Unspecified Gender), who would hit everything and dodge everything, Bulcan would often play games by just about scraping past, somehow managing to pull out victories despite all his mistakes.
This eventually led him to a career as a coach rather than a player.
And yet, bringing such a person in merely leads to exclamations of “Wow, this is amazing,” and endless admiration.
Who doesn’t know Sol (Unspecified Gender) is good at what she does? Tell us why she’s good, we want detailed analysis.
Just saying “she’s good at everything” won’t cut it.
Complaints were gradually rising in the chat room.
Once realized it was time to reveal the weapon he’d prepared.
“Anticipating this, I’ve secured Sol (Unspecified Gender)’s personal gameplay footage. Yesterday’s hot-off-the-press plays. Looks like the Illusionist was banned again, so she played as a Sealer this time.”
“But Sealer is a team-oriented pick, isn’t it?”
“And it’s also considered a tactical role, right?”
Sealer is categorized as a utility-type character.
With abilities such as Area Silence, Stun, and additional damage debuffs, this character can greatly inconvenience the enemy.
However, because this character can also deal significant damage, it’s often seen as overpowered.
Thus, it’s a purely support-oriented character with negligible dealing capabilities.
Additionally, since all Sealer’s skills are non-targeted, area-effect skills, accurate positioning is extremely critical, making this a master-tier character.
“Feels like sacrificing themselves a bit with these protagonist-levels in play?”
“It’s the kind of role that’s beneficial in a team but undesirable to play yourself.”
“You say that, but doesn’t that make you sound hypocritical? You keep assigning it to me.”
“Sealers are OP in five-man tournaments.”
It’s widely acknowledged that Solo Rank and tournaments are different games.
Tournaments involve five people communicating to seek perfection, whereas Solo Rank progresses based on individual judgment.
Besides, since players don’t always play with the same team, it’s hard to know what kinds of plays others would do in various situations.
After a brief explanation about the character, Once began playing Sol’s personal stream.
“Is this really 1x speed? Seems like you hit the wrong button.”
“Yes, it’s 1x speed.”
“Did she fiddle with the display settings? It looks like she’s running some kind of test?”
“No, she didn’t.”
Once denied all the suspicions from Bulcan and Scraper.
Even he was surprised the first time he saw it.
After receiving numerous complaints about nausea-inducing gameplay, Sol had solved the issue by switching to spectator broadcasts.
Thus, now it’s quite difficult to get a peek into her personal stream.
“Looks like this is the actual reason for her excellence, which a normal person would find hard to follow, right?”
“Genius, or a god?”
[Comment suggesting Scraper is now worshipping]
[Shock worship lol]
[Sol (Unspecified Gender) is a god]
[But her screen looks like cosmic horror]
[God’s_eyes_seeing_humans.jpg]
[It’s probably funny seeing humans from CCTV-like angles lol]
“Viewers might throw up watching this.”
Scraper was even concerned about the viewers’ digestive health.
[Comment noting how this resembles cosmic horror]
[Your brain breaks trying to understand Sol’s (Unspecified Gender) perspective]
[Outer God Sol (Unspecified Gender) lol]
Definitely, it’s a wall.
Once had felt this barrier with Victory (Male) before, and now felt it again with Sol (Unspecified Gender) and upon reviewing this individual stream, felt yet another wall.
Geniuses are truly different.
People who display game-play beyond humanity are undoubtedly something different.
“But just saying ‘she’s genius’ or ‘she’s on another level,’ and sweeping this aside will mean we can never catch up, right?”
“Do you even entertain the idea of catching up?”
“Although it seems impossible, I still want to try, go as far as I can. I want to get as close as possible.”
Scraper’s eyes widened in awe at Once’s determination.
It was something rare even amongst pros — burning enthusiasm.
“Your mindset is completely pro-level. Can I see you in this year’s league?”
“Not necessarily pro, but… actually, saying this, I may receive some criticism.”
Once swallowed hard and continued speaking.
“When I felt this wall with Victory (Male), I blamed his talent. Thinking, ‘How could a person overcome this?’ But then, feeling a similar wall from Sol (Unspecified Gender)… I realized: if there are two such beings, why can’t there be three?”
“Once you realize what you thought was unique isn’t, it seems more worthy of pursuit?”
“Even if it’s impossible to catch up in a lifetime, or even to reach their fingertips, I still want to try. I plan to go as far as I can.”
But why isn’t he a pro?
Scraper held back his words, wary of steering the conversation too much into pro-centrism.
Couldn’t he just focus on Solo Rank?
Aren’t games like that?
Isn’t criticizing or dismissing that attitude somewhat unbecoming of a true gamer?
Indeed, even Scraper himself, before debuting, had once put his life into his ranking score.
Now, it’s all about important championship matches, though.
“So, let’s analyze this as we watch the screen. What information is she observing and how she uses it to make judgments. It’s too dizzying, let’s slow it down to 0.25x speed.”
One fourth.
Watching Sol (Unspecified Gender)’s perspective at a regular pace required ordinary people to first adapt by slowing down the flow of time approximately fourfold.
“Still dizzy.”
Hmm, maybe even slower would be better.
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