Chapter 16
God of Fighters 1v1 World Ranking #10, Dark K-Choco.
Real name: Lee Do-jin.
He is a professional Hunter who has made a name for himself in the world rankings, not just in the game, but in reality as well.
However, he lost to Chicken-jwa yesterday.
“…….”
Do-jin was dazed.
Having slept longer than usual due to the shock of his defeat, he woke up to find the world turned upside down.
His phone notifications, in particular, were blowing up.
Wondering what was going on, he checked the Hunter site and found that parts of yesterday’s match were being broadcast on digital billboards all over the world.
They even said the main tournament would be aired on public and cable television.
The ripple effect of the beta tournament was massive; the internet was already calling the GOF tournament the “Hunter Olympics.”
With things turning out this way, the Hunter site was practically in a festive mood.
The Hunter Olympics, of all things.
‘……So, the start of the Hunter Olympics was showing my defeat to the entire world.’
The sheer disgrace made his head spin.
After confirming a few videos of yesterday’s match playing on countless overseas billboards, Do-jin turned on his phone.
He had been flooded with messages, not just from people he wasn't even close to, but from various guilds as well.
Ignoring the pile of new messages, Do-jin scrolled down for a long time before tapping on a name that had been silent for ages.
[Me: Hyung, did you see my 1v1 match against Chicken Fire Slap?]
[Me: What do you think their true identity is?]
[Me: Someone at that level isn't just an ordinary skilled player in reality, either.]
The person on the other end was Baek Hee-an.
It was a relationship where Do-jin mostly sent messages unilaterally and waited for a reply.
Just then, a notification popped up at the top of the screen.
[Hee-an Hyung: That would be a given.]
[Hee-an Hyung: Though I don't know yet if Chicken-jwa is a Hunter.]
Do-jin’s eyes widened.
He was surprised that this hyung had actually replied right away.
Hee-an was a kind and responsible leader in the field, but he had a habit of coldly drawing lines in his private life.
Even so, Do-jin had always respected and followed Hee-an without change.
[Me: You think so too, right?]
A message came back simultaneously.
[Hee-an Hyung: It looked like they logged into the game and matched while watching the broadcast yesterday.]
[Me: Yes.]
[Me: I wanted to fight them because I heard Chicken-nim’s ranking went up to 12th.]
Do-jin’s in-game ranking was 10th.
It was only natural that he would feel a competitive spirit toward a domestic ranker who had suddenly surged right up to his heels.
He was also curious because he was well-acquainted with the other rankers.
He wondered what kind of person they were.
He had been lucky to succeed in matching immediately since it was right at the timing when a match had ended.
Of course, if he thought about how his defeat was being broadcast all over the world, he wasn't sure if he was actually lucky.
[Me: I’ll definitely win next time we face off.]
[Me: But I am curious who they are.]
[Hee-an Hyung: Wouldn't it be better to focus on improving your skills until the tournament?]
[Me: Understood.]
Do-jin was quite excited because it had been a long time since he’d had a real-time conversation with Hee-an.
[Me: What are you up to these days, Hyung?]
[Me: I heard you were taking a long break after returning from your overseas mission.]
A beat later.
[Hee-an Hyung: I should rest.]
[Me: You’re going to participate in the tournament, right?]
Two beats later.
[Hee-an Hyung: I should.]
[Me: Are you training well, Hyung?]
Three beats later.
But this time, no reply came even after three beats had passed.
The real-time conversation was over.
“……Ah.”
Do-jin let out a groan of disappointment.
He was a difficult hyung to get close to, but even this much meant they were on relatively friendly terms.
Since there was a guy who was *truly* on bad terms with Hee-an, he could feel a sense of relative intimacy even with this.
As Do-jin scanned his chat history with Hee-an, he suddenly realized something.
‘He only talked about Chicken-jwa before leaving.’
He had told Do-jin to stop paying attention, but now that he looked at it, Hee-an seemed to be the one extremely interested in Chicken-jwa.
The ripple effect of yesterday’s beta tournament must be significant.
At least enough to catch Hee-an’s interest.
‘It’s understandable.’
There were three main reasons why the Hunter world was interested in Chicken Fire Slap.
The fact that there was almost no information available.
The refreshing, cathartic combat style.
And finally, the fact that their ranking was rising at an excessively fast pace.
The speed at which Chicken Fire Slap, who had appeared out of nowhere in the GOF world rankings, climbed was unparalleled.
Recently, it hadn't even taken a month for Chicken-jwa to go from 13th to 12th place.
With everyone watching to see at what rank that incredible acceleration would stop, they broke past 12th place, and then defeated the 10th-ranked player—though it was practically a draw.
Of course, game skill didn't absolutely equate to real-world ability.
However, looking at countless cases, the skill level in the high-end virtual reality game GOF usually translated directly to reality.
The prime example was the world #1 in both the game and reality: Hee-an.
Do-jin’s brow furrowed deeply as he exited the chat window with Hee-an and scanned the list of all his messages.
—You idiot lol, getting beaten by the 12th ranker?
Park Ggol-Ggap, that bastard.
But the sharp, brutal truth made the shock of his defeat come rushing back.
“Ha.”
He had lost to Chicken Fire Slap.
‘I got too excited because the matching succeeded on the first try and let my guard down. Next time, I absolutely…….’
He wouldn't lose.
* * *
I looked up the personal details of Dark K-Choco that were scattered across the internet.
Hunter Lee Do-jin of the Cheongryeong Guild.
His tanned brown skin and jet-black hair, which looked dyed, were striking.
They said he didn't photograph well because of his monolid eyes, but a heavy, imposing charisma could be felt from his expressionless face.
Judging by how his clothes fit in the summer, he was well-muscled and had long legs.
He was 192cm tall.
‘Damn, he’s hot.’
I was scrolling through his online photos because Dark K-Choco’s real-life appearance was quite to my taste, when I lifted my head at the sound of the convenience store door opening.
It was about time for the students to start pouring in, and when I looked, it was someone I knew.
Kim Jeong-yeon.
The part-timer who came to take over the shift on weekday evenings.
“Noona, where did you roll around?”
The kid asked with a surprised face as soon as he saw me.
Right, yesterday’s incident.
‘But usually, when someone shows up with injuries, don't people ask who hit them? Why is he saying the excuse I was going to make?’
Well, I suppose I don't look like the type to go around getting beaten up.
I replied casually.
“It’s nothing, I just tripped on the stairs. It’s not shift change time yet, though. Why are you here so early?”
Looking closely, he was holding something in his hand.
“You bought me chicken yesterday. I bought pizza today.”
What a sweet kid.
“Noona, by the way, did you happen to see that yesterday? In GOF…….”
“What? Don't tell me, the beta test tournament?”
“Exactly!”
His eyes were sparkling.
Does this kid not have any friends to talk about games with?
“Did you come here to talk about that? No gaming friends?”
“I had some, but since I took a leave of absence, everyone’s too busy to meet up. One by one they started preparing for jobs, and since I moved, it’s become hard to see my neighborhood friends often.”
No wonder he’d been so overly friendly since his first day on the job.
He was just bored.
The kid and I started eating pizza while watching the phone placed in front of us.
“Isn't Chicken-jwa’s fighting style amazing? She’s one of the few female characters among the top-tier domestic GOF rankers. She might actually be a woman.”
“Umm.”
She is a woman, but she’s probably not the kind of female person you’re expecting.
Jeong-yeon added an explanation.
“Hunters usually create characters of their own gender. It’s good for guild training to have similar physical stats, and if you get famous, you get called a ‘weeb’ if your gender doesn't match.”
That’s what I’d heard.
Even I had matched my gender and height to feel the reality of being able to use my legs properly.
“There’s definitely going to be a team game category in this tournament, and my wish is to meet Chicken-jwa on the same team. Though I don't think we’ll ever meet since the rank gap is too big.”
You’ve already boarded the same boat—no, the same convenience store—as Chicken-jwa.
Anyway, he was certainly interested.
“Do you play GOF?”
“Of course, it’s super fun. Do you want to try it, Noona? I’ll carry you. Wow, Chicken-jwa’s reflexes are insane. It’s still amazing even when I watch it again. How does she dodge that?”
“…….”
That’s me.
Keeping my mouth shut, I was watching the duel between Dark K-Choco and Chicken Fire Slap when.
The door chimed.
*Ding-dong—*
I looked up to greet them, and once again, it was people I knew.
My expression stiffened.
Jeong-yeon greeted them for me.
“Welcome.”
Three familiar male students walked into the convenience store hesitantly, glancing between me and Jeong-yeon.
Jeong-yeon looked at me and the guys with wide eyes.
He whispered to me.
“Noona, did you fight with them?”
It certainly looked that way.
The injuries on their faces had increased, as if they’d been beaten up some more somewhere else.
I asked coldly.
“I thought you said you weren't coming back.”
“Th-that is.”
“We are truly sorry!”
The three of them bowed their heads politely toward me.
I felt my heart soften a little, thinking they had come to apologize, but I hesitated at their next words.
“There’s a favor we’d like to ask, if it’s not too much trouble…….”
What kind of favor?
Have they lost all sense of shame?
“Don't you see I’m working?”
“W-when do you finish? We’ll wait outside!”
Shut up and get lost!
I wanted to say that, but honestly, I was curious about what kind of reason they had for dragging me into this.
‘Am I going to get dragged into something else like this?’
But since I was already involved, I didn't know if I could avoid it even if I tried.
Rather than getting caught up in something dangerous while knowing absolutely nothing like yesterday, it would be better to pretend to listen, grasp the situation, and then properly steer clear.
“I finish in an hour.”
When I answered, the faces of the guys, who had been fidgeting, brightened.
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