LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 94
Tap, tap…
Jimin bit her nails and stared at the results window.
The word “Defeat” seemed to tear her heart apart.
It was just the usual defeat screen, but this time, it was particularly hard to accept.
Maybe it was because she lost against the famous Mollru.
If this continues, she might be discarded.
Jimin was engulfed by a strange feeling that she had to prove her worth.
[What is this?]
[Is Jimin wearing dentures now?]
[Looks like she’s biting her nails again, just like at the tournament.]
[Where’s the coach? The girl’s in bad shape.]
[Just go in and rest… I’m worried.]
[What’s she doing right now?]
[Why is she messing with Mollru?]
Despite people’s protests, Jimin didn’t stop.
Even with the broadcast running, she sent Mollru a friend request and challenged her to a 1v1.
Now, all that was left was Mollru’s response.
Molilru: Let’s go.
She accepted willingly.
Hurry, hurry—
Jimin, her eyes bloodshot, quickly spun her hands to create the room.
She invited Mollru and explained the rules.
Decemner Jimin: Shall we do a mirror match?
Molilru: Sure.
Decemner Jimin: First to win 2 out of 3 rounds wins.
Molilru: Sounds good.
“Damn… what a cocky girl.”
That arrogant tone made it sound like she was in a superior position, implying Jimin should just follow along.
Jimin muttered softly as if to release her pent-up frustration.
[What did she just say?]
[Sounded like she swore?]
[Looking at her lips, it seemed like she said “damn.”]
[Did she really just insult the pro?]
[500 million Mollru fans in shambles.]
[Should we call for a Mollru strike?]
[Oh, haha, is it time now?]
[When did Mollru get to 500 million fans?]
[No one in South Korea dislikes Mollru, that’s true.]
[Jimin seems to dislike her, though?]
[Isn’t Jimin Korean?]
[Just call her Chinese, she looks like one anyway.]
[Oh snap.]
[You’re gonna get sued, be careful.]
[What if a pro swears on stream, regardless of Mollru?]
[Make her turn off the stream, quick!]
[What’s the Decemner team doing!!!]
[Haha, this is a hilarious situation.]
Jimin was in a state where she couldn’t control herself.
It was practically a broadcasting accident.
Even banging her head and publicly apologizing wouldn’t suffice now.
Yet, oblivious to this fact, the 1v1 match began.
*
“1v1…”
Now that she thought about it, it had been quite a while since her last one.
The last time was… when she gave feedback to her team at the tournament, right?
Months later, revisiting the one-on-one experience brought a wave of nostalgia.
Decemner Jimin: Swordsman, let’s go.
Molilru: Sure thing.
Decemner Jimin: Go!
Molilru: Alright.
Having a rather chic conversation, she picked Swordsman.
…Now, calling herself a man would be a stretch, but still, she couldn’t deny the old masculine sensitivity that lingered within her.
Even this unique nickname, Decemner Jimin, held that essence.
One could wonder if the male character from the girl group was what made her victory-driven to the point of directly challenging her.
In the distant past, back when seasons 1 and 2 of games were newly released, such matches happened often.
Why did she lose? How did she die? What’s the opponent’s playstyle?
People, purely focused on their passion for gaming, did whatever it took to improve.
Nowadays, user skill levels were more normalized, with strategy videos everywhere online, leading to the decline of these genuine one-on-one private matches.
“Hmm… there was something romantic about that time.”
From lesser graphics to practice rooms, simply uploading strategy videos is enough to rake in views.
Ah, she should’ve started YouTube back then.
But back then, she was a man with hairy legs, no one would watch her, right?
Lost in thought, the game began.
The agent had picked a Swordsman for a mirror match, frequently used since transitioning into Ji-eun.
The opponent’s tier was Diamond 1. A similar tier to Daesik, who once flitted between Master and Diamond.
Remembering her fights against Daesik, she drew her sword.
Let’s scout the area first.
She exchanged weak strikes with her opponent.
After a few exchanges, she stepped back.
Surprisingly…
They were putting up quite a fight.
At the very least, it seemed this opponent was better than Daesik.
Could it be that both the Assassin from earlier and this swordsman were adept at handling physical champions, or “sword champs”?
Now I’ve got a sense of your level.
Continuing to trade blows, she focused on her opponent’s attack patterns.
The more she felt the opponent was skilled, the more her smile grew.
This was great!
It was fun to meet someone interesting in this duel.
In team games, you never get to experience this kind of thrill.
Typically engaged in team battles, there were no opportunities to fight this intimately.
Honestly, it’s a bit amusing to have close combat in an FPS game, but it had its own unique charm.
She grinned while continuing to observe her opponent’s swift sword strikes.
*
“Why…”
Can’t they fall?
Jimin glared at the swordsman before her, gritting her teeth.
Creeeek—
The noise was loud enough to spill over into the broadcast.
[Jimin is seriously losing it, haha.]
[Looks like Mollru is taking it easy, huh?]
[It seems true, intentionally hitting just to parry.]
[Isn’t it similar?]
[Even if it’s similar, looking at how Jimin’s losing already means Mollru has won.]
[Lol, the one who’s frustrated always loses.]
[Can she even keep streaming? What about her earlier outburst?]
[She’s definitely getting chewed out by the coach later; it’s all over the community.]
[Lol, Jimin’s in trouble.]
Just a mere amateur.
She hadn’t even stepped into the pro scene’s shadow, let alone face “the player” known as the EOW legend.
Why can’t you show those moves?
In the beginning, things seemed even.
When they traded strikes and attacks, it felt like it was manageable.
But as time passed, the pressure intensified until it became overwhelming.
Now, she couldn’t even land a single effective hit.
Like a growing AI, her opponent analyzed and adapted to every move.
Whatever sword strike she attempted got parried.
This person…
As if they were toying with her, not allowing a single hit.
It felt like attempting to pound on a solid fortress wall.
Jimin sensed a wall rising but refused to admit it.
No, she couldn’t accept it.
If she acknowledged that she was worse than Mollru, what would remain for her?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
The die had been cast, and there was no room to retreat.
Creeeak.
The chilling blade swiftly cut through Jimin’s Swordsman.
“Ugh…!”
Perhaps it was her complicated thoughts that caused her to slip up again.
Yes, let’s finish this.
As she planned to open her eyes wide, that’s when…
“Hey! Kim Jimin! What are you doing?!”
“…Huh?”
The voice of her coach resounded from behind her.
Concentrating on the duel with Mollru, Jimin was slow to respond, but when she turned her head, she saw a red-faced coach and teammates lined up beside him.
“What’s with all of you…?”
“Why’s it all over the place what kind of nonsense you’re up to on stream?”
“People are coming to my stream asking to turn yours off, Jimin.”
“Did you really swear on your stream?”
“Was that for real? That’s epic, dude.”
[Lol, that was so fun to watch.]
[Jimin, you did well.]
[Just finish the game!]
[Turn off your stream already.]
[Glad you came over before it got worse.]
[Lol, it almost got cringy.]
Finally aware of the situation, Jimin swiftly moved her mouse and ended the broadcast.
“Hey, turn off the game too. Hurry up. We need to talk.”
“Umm… coach, but I’m in the middle of a 1v1, let me finish this—.”
“Hey, doesn’t my word sound reasonable? Turn it off now.”
The coach, unable to hold back, aggressively flicked his hair back, and Jimin stiffened her face as she shut down her computer.
*
“What?”
Victory!
Jimin felt a wave of emptiness wash over her from the sudden victory screen.
She had been enjoying the spar while carefully modulating her strength, but just like that, her opponent suddenly disconnected.
“Seriously thought they were a real contender all this time.”
The boldness in challenging her to a 1v1 evaporated into thin air, leaving her wondering why they would disconnect.
Sure, if they felt they were about to lose, it might make sense, but come on, she only had a single victory point!
Maybe something urgent came up.
Having been riding such a high, losing the momentum shattered her desire to continue gaming.
“Ugh, how anticlimactic…”
She let out a sigh of disappointment and closed the game.