Chapter 11
Before the player matching and loading had even finished, a notification popped up.
[<Test Tournament Notification>
Congratulations! This match has been selected as the representative video for the beta test live stream! Win the test and try to earn special rewards!]
‘……What is this?’
Selected as a representative video.
I didn’t care much for in-game rewards—unless it was cash, they were all much of a muchness.
As soon as the loading finished, a warning sound signaling the start of the game rang out.
[Ready]
I looked around and saw that I was in a plaza with Gwanghwamun visible in the distance.
A brilliant city night.
A moderate number of tourists and cars passed by, just like in everyday life.
A religious mass and hymns being held on the other side of the wide road stood out for being unnecessarily realistic.
【This will be fun.】
I looked up at Ggol-Ggap’s words.
Perhaps because its loading was a bit faster than mine, there was a male character standing in front of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin statue, staring at me.
Clean black trousers like a school uniform, a black leather jacket, and a katana.
‘That’s a style I’ve seen somewhere before.’
That atmosphere, reeking of a classic sensibility as if he’d just popped out of a comic book.
I checked the live broadcast’s comment section just in case, and sure enough, the viewers knew who he was.
—Huh?
—WTF
—Wait lol why is Dark K-Choco there?
—This is huge
—Was he watching the broadcast with us in real-time?
—100% he watched it
—Since the post went up on the community
—GOF Rank 10 Dark K-Choco
—But standing in front of the Admiral with a katana is a bit much
—It’s random loading, why of all places lol
—Watch your back, Choco-hyung
—He’ll probably go easy on you since it’s K-Choco
—lol
GOF 1v1 World Rank 10, Dark K-Choco.
He was Rank 3 domestically, but more importantly, he was a powerful Hunter who was among the top in the real world as well.
I quietly held up my middle finger.
‘What are you glaring at?’
Just then, the awkward, mechanical voice unique to the broadcast rang in my ears.
—[(White Snow) has donated 1,000 won. : If you win, I’ll add 500,000 won]
God.
Loyalty to the donor increased by 500,000.
I punched my chest.
“Loyalty.”
【You’re playing around, aren’t you?】
Ggol-Ggap mocked me, but it didn’t register.
I could earn a whopping 500,000 won more.
As I lifted my head, which I had bowed deeply, I caught a glimpse of the live comment section being flooded with [lol].
I quickly purchased the necessary items with my limited Coins.
[Are you ready?]
[It will complete automatically in 10 seconds.]
Just before I could press [Yes] after finishing my preparations, Ggol-Ggap stopped me.
【Wait.】
“Why? Don’t tell me you’re scared?”
My Ggol-Ggap was usually the type to bark with excitement the stronger the opponent was.
Ggol-Ggap frowned deeply.
【Are you asking that as a question? That’s not it, there’s a stake involved.】
“What?”
I immediately checked the live chat, but there was no mention of additional donated money or anything regarding donations.
【Not that money, Coins.】
“!”
The word "Coins" snapped me to attention.
Now that I thought about it, I had seen a message at the very beginning saying I had been selected for the beta test.
Ggol-Ggap was staring into the void with the same focus as if it had the broadcast chat in front of it, just like me.
It seemed there was something there that I couldn't see.
“Coins are at stake? By whom? You said not to expect anything from the beta test?”
【It means it’s not a huge amount.】
“How much is it? How much can I get if I win?”
Thinking that I had to pay back the 100 Coins I’d received from Ggol-Ggap, 100 Coins were precious to me right now.
Ggol-Ggap didn’t answer and tilted its head.
【That guy is really strange. With a player of his own rank, why is he putting up a stake against my partner…….】
“I asked how much is at stake.”
【Ah.】
Ggol-Ggap, having ignored my words, suddenly burst into an incomprehensible laugh.
Hahahaha!
I didn’t know what it had seen to make it go crazy, but the atmosphere was very strange.
【……How dare a mere thing like that.】
“I asked how much is at stake!”
【Kek?!】
Just as I was grabbing Ggol-Ggap and shaking it, the countdown ended.
[Fight!]
I immediately threw Ggol-Ggap.
Dark K-Choco, who had been standing far away, suddenly loomed close as if in a close-up.
Clang!
Dark K-Choco’s sword and the gauntlet wrapped around my arm collided, sending sparks flying.
Black hair and golden eyes.
Seen up close, a golden light flickered in the center of his irises, and when he used a Constellation skill, his eyes turned a sharp, solid gold.
Just then, the katana Dark K-Choco held lit up, and a golden glow spread out.
His eyes shone like a beast’s.
“!”
Damn it.
The crazy bastard is using a Constellation skill right off the bat in our first meeting.
【Very good.】
On the other hand, Ggol-Ggap was excited.
I cast an evasion skill and hurriedly pulled back, but it wasn’t enough.
Whoosh!
Golden flames surged and swept across the area.
Boom-boom-boom!
The stone floor was smashed to pieces all at once.
The people watching us began to scream and run away.
Even though I retreated and blocked the front by crossing my gauntlets, I couldn’t stop my HP from dropping in an instant.
【It’s coming.】
Dark K-Choco, the golden light still lingering in his eyes, rushed toward me.
Clang!
I blocked the sword head-on and grabbed Dark K-Choco’s arm with my hand.
I kicked him square in the jaw.
Whack!
The patterns of those who fight well are surprisingly obvious.
They don’t give many openings.
That in itself is the pattern.
While he staggered, losing his balance, I easily dodged the sword he swung reflexively and dug deep underneath him.
Basic heavy attack skill.
Boom!
As I drove it accurately into his abdomen, Dark K-Choco’s body was pushed back as if blown away.
【The immediate fire is out.】
I chugged my only potion.
‘This is so frustrating.’
Having my HP chunked down right at the start felt like absolute garbage.
For the record, unlike multi-player battles, there is no way to earn money or level up in GOF 1v1 duels.
Therefore, once you use up the items you bought at the start, that’s it.
Since there’s no "gear-check" or "level-check" nonsense, you could say it’s the developers’ grand intention that if you lack skill, you should just die quickly.
That’s why players call 1v1 duels "true sword fights."
The guy rushed in again.
Swish!
Dark K-Choco, who had closed the distance in an instant with a speed skill, swung his sword like a madman again.
The angles were difficult to dodge.
【Still, that last one was weak for a Constellation skill. Be careful of the high-freedom Possession skill. His backer is a guy who knows how to use a sword.】
For the record, my Ggol-Ggap is so arrogant that it rarely praises the stars of others.
Which means that expression implies the opponent’s Constellation is quite skilled.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
After dodging a few times, I retreated deeply.
An X-shaped skill that was impossible to dodge struck the front.
Bang!
“Damn it.”
Even though he uses a sword, there are no openings.
I suppose that’s why he’s a ranker, but from my perspective, having looked down on swords slightly, it was infuriating.
During the fight, the gauge for the Constellation skill had almost filled up.
A Constellation skill recommendation popped up.
【Wait. Use it at the same time when the opponent uses their Constellation skill.】
I could feel the intent.
‘Did he have some grudge against that Constellation?’
Considering Ggol-Ggap’s first impression, it wasn’t exactly surprising.
The fact that it suggested a high-freedom Possession skill to me as a recommended skill meant it wanted to fight between Constellations.
Though, how much could rankers really do in 10 seconds?
Whoosh—
Bang!
The spot where I had been standing exploded.
Sword skills compress power into the swung weapon, so the range of destruction is large.
But I can do it too.
As I slammed my fist into the ground, the plaza floor burst open rapidly in a straight line.
Boom-boom-boom!
In the thick dust rising up, Dark K-Choco’s eyes flashed fiercely as he gripped his sword again after dodging the attack.
Ggol-Ggap, which had been stuck to my side, shouted as if it had been waiting.
【Now!】
Constellation Possession skill, Incarnation.
Also known as Divine Incarnation.
A Constellation inhabits the player’s body to initiate free combat for 10 seconds.
‘Now that I think about it…….’
It felt different thinking that this skill wasn’t just programmed AI.
Scattered throughout the skill trees, which were uniquely configured for each Constellation, were Constellation Possession skills with extremely high freedom.
‘So they were devices that existed for Constellations to borrow a player’s body.’
Someone’s emotions washed over me.
What boiled up from deep within my chest was an inexplicable anger and resentment.
“【How dare a mere thing that can’t even reach my toes target my contractor?】”
The voice was my character’s, but the intonation and atmosphere were different, making it certain that it was another entity.
A bright blue energy exploded.
My gauntlet fist, thrust toward Dark K-Choco’s face, and the silver blade blocking it collided noisily.
Boom!
A sharp blue light and a golden light erupted intensely from both of their bodies.
Dark K-Choco, who had blocked the fist by catching the sword and blade with both hands, stared at me with cold, expressionless eyes.
For a moment, his indifferent eyes flashed with a certain greed.
“【The contract shouldn’t be yet.】”
It was Dark K-Choco’s Constellation.
Ggol-Ggap’s ego, which felt like my will but wasn’t, emitted a fierce killing intent.
“【Shut up.】”
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