Chapter 11: Chapter 11

In this event, the first preliminary round served as a basic filter.

It was a way to ensure participants maintained a certain level before the real event started. In fact, the participant database was only made public after the first preliminaries were over. Both the hosting company and the players regarded the second preliminaries as the real competition.

The reason for such preparation was that the second round would be determined by a point system. Each week, lower-ranked players would be eliminated until only 10,000 remained. To survive, players had to accumulate points like racehorses.

Advancing to the finals would take a considerable amount of time, but there wasn’t much of a gap between the event's conclusion and the start of the pro league. That’s why many pro gamers had decided to skip this event. It was said that just over half of them had signed up… but, well, that didn’t really matter to me. As long as Luce was participating, I didn’t care about the others.

The event’s popularity was still going strong. All of my recommended videos were now filled with it.

“Big Rewards After 2 Weeks? A Breakdown of Arena Prizes by Coupicial”

“Research Complete! We Finally Found the Answer for Preseason Greatsword Warrior.”

“Infinity Veteran Shares Arena Tier List”

“Even Tanks Go Down in One Shot! Hurry Before the Nerf – Shotgun Hunter Build”

These videos were designed to bait views with strategy tips.

I had thought about trying my hand at it, but it wasn’t my path. After multiple attempts, I came to the conclusion that I wasn’t cut out for teaching others. A teacher who keeps asking, ‘Why can’t you get this?’ probably isn’t the best educator.

It was a bit frustrating, though. All of Infinity Black’s skills are designed to be dodgeable or blockable. Most of them can be responded to just by watching and reacting, so if someone can’t do that, what are they supposed to do? I couldn’t fix someone else’s vision when I couldn’t even fix my own legs.

Anyway, all the streams were buzzing about the second preliminaries. It was the preseason, so there weren’t any ranked games to play. This excitement would likely carry on until the pro league started.

Some streams even invited pro gamers for in-depth analysis, and the content was pretty good. Everyone was gearing up for the real competition. And I wasn’t wasting this precious time either.

“Hey, what do you think about resolving misunderstandings through peaceful conversation?” “I’ll think about it later.”

Why do these corpses keep talking? I need to silence them before they scare anyone.

You have forcibly eliminated adventurer KimchiNinja.

Warning: You have incurred a field PK penalty…

You know how, when playing a game, everyone ends up with one of those things? Some call it a Death Note or a kill list.

It’s a list of people you vow to kill if you meet them in the field or make sure they lose points in ranked matches. It’s where you write down the names of those you can never forgive, sharpening your knife of revenge as you wait for the right moment. Naturally, I had one too.

It was a hidden note tucked away in the interface. I usually cleared out the names as soon as they appeared, so it didn’t pile up. But recently, some names hadn’t been easy to erase. After all, you didn’t have to match your online nickname to your internet handle.

[Poster: CreamFilled] [Title: The Thighs are the Real Hotspot in That Gawol Clip]

[Poster: ㅇㅇ(328.26)] [Title: Gawol’s Movements are Looking a Little Too Feminine Lately]

[Poster: LabThesisThief] [Title: I Can Finally Take a Break This Sunday]

I couldn’t track down all the people who wrote those posts… so I just visited them as I remembered.

You have forcibly eliminated adventurer LabThesisThief.

You have forcibly eliminated adventurer NewCityMissionHunter.

You have forcibly eliminated adventurer CornSoup.

You have forcibly eliminated adventurer CreamFilled…

It wasn’t a pointless task. After all, there’s no better practice than real combat.

People only fight desperately when they have something to lose. A fight for points isn’t nearly as intense as one where your life is on the line. Since Infinity Arena is PVP, it couldn’t hurt to carve that feeling into my hands.

This wasn’t me blowing off steam because of that video. Really. In fact, after some time passed, I didn’t even feel that bad anymore.

Due to the limitations of brainwave synchronization, Gawol and my body share the same physique, but that doesn’t mean that body is mine. In a twisted way, this was a kind of attention… though I couldn’t help but feel a bit mischievous. Thankfully, the screen had some blur applied.

“Well, I should finish what I started.” “Wait, why me again?”

You have forcibly eliminated adventurer RiceWineCake.

Infinity Arena 2nd Preliminary Round

Remaining time: 08:21:01

Eight hours left. I had to make sure the time I spent was productive enough that I wouldn’t embarrass myself in front of others. I’ll play for two more hours and then get some sleep.

[Q Prime Traveler has donated 30,000 KRW] [“Luce, have you seen this video? It’s been popping up a lot lately.”] [Attached video]

“A video? Oh, you mean Gawol’s video. I’ve seen it. She’s smaller than I expected, kind of cute. Have you met her in-game, Traveler?”

Died twice during Traveler’s stream

Said, “She can’t reach me, I’m a Lancer,” then died five minutes later

Wins and never shows up again, total scumbag move

Luce chuckled. It wasn’t just because the chat was funny.

Traveler was a prideful player even within the league. Although people said he had mellowed out after his rookie days, that wasn’t true at all. He had simply learned how to hide his anger in front of an audience.

When his team, Q Prime, lost and the match didn’t go the way he wanted, Traveler would go wild. Anyone in the industry knew that. His shouting in the waiting room was notorious.

Right now, the chat probably wasn’t to his liking either. It was hard not to feel a bit amused, imagining him gritting his teeth and pausing his typing.

But Luce didn’t take it too far. She didn’t want to belittle the effort he put into restraining himself.

“Don’t be too hard on him. You all know Traveler’s skills. He’s already racked up plenty of points in the Arena, hasn’t he?”

“Luce, you’ll be up there soon too.” “I’m working on it. Since I’m in, I’m aiming for the finals.”

[Infinity Arena 2nd Preliminary Round - First Phase matchmaking has been completed.]

[Will you accept the match? Y/N]@@novelbin@@

[You will be transported to the battlefield in 20 seconds…]

“Now that I think of it, it seems like everyone’s run into Gawol at least once, but I’ve never faced her.”

Luce glanced at the opponent’s info. A sniper. She hadn’t expected to see one in a one-on-one Arena matchup.

There were a few names that came to mind, but Luce grabbed her sturdy shield first.

“Never met Gawol?”

“Even Sigma’s rookie ran into her recently, right?”

“Oh, our newest member… yeah, I heard they did. They were actually pretty happy about it, said they got their initiation. Isn’t that unique? They’re a good kid. Talented, competitive. Make sure to cheer them on too.”

While talking casually, Luce’s fingers never stopped moving. She was changing her setup, predicting the opponent’s build.

Luce had climbed to where she was now through sheer effort. That effort included studying her opponents and researching every build in existence. Even though she seemed to be streaming leisurely, she didn’t miss a single detail.

If Traveler, the captain of Q Prime, was famous for his combat skills, Luce was renowned for mastering the game itself.

Front guard, super armor, invincibility, damage reflection, healing reversal, gigantification. Luce was known for her expert use of every system that only existed because Infinity Black was a game. After a moment of thought, she finished her setup with a slight twist.

“By the way, I’d love to see a video of the two of you fighting. Traveler’s skills go without saying, but I’ve heard Gawol’s also an incredible fighter. I bet it was a flashy match.”

[Q Prime Traveler has donated 30,000 KRW] [“I’m a little embarrassed because I lost, but the video came out pretty well. By the way, Luce, what do you think of Gawol? Looks like she’s in this Arena too.”] [Attached video]

Pause.

Luce’s lips twitched for a moment.

She checked the time until the match started. Unfortunately, she still had time left. If the game had started immediately, she could have used it as an excuse to think a bit longer before answering. Was she dragging it out too much?

After a brief hesitation, Luce spoke again.

“Well, I don’t dislike her. I don’t want to speak ill of someone I haven’t met. But… I can’t exactly approve of her habit of harassing other players and streamers.”

She hoped her words wouldn’t be too badly misinterpreted. The internet was an unforgiving place. Maybe she should have chosen her words more carefully?

A slight regret settled in Luce’s mind, but only for a moment. A particular chat message caught her eye.

“April26: Can you beat Gawol if you face her?” “Can I beat her? When have I ever only fought opponents I knew I could beat? I’ll do my best. Just like always!”

“April26: Wishing you good luck.”