The first round of this event served as a minimal sieve.
It was a device set up to maintain a basic standard before the main event began.
In fact, the participants’ database was only disclosed after the conclusion of the first round.
Both the hosting company and the users consider the second round as the real competition.
The reason such preparation was necessary is because the second round will be decided by a point system.
Each week, the bottom-ranked users will be eliminated, until there are ultimately 10,000 left.
In order to survive, one must collect points like a racehorse.
Advancing to the main tournament meant quite a lot of time commitment, but the gap between the event’s end and the opening of the Pro League wasn’t long.
Because of this, quite a number of professional gamers have announced their non-participation.
It seems the participation rate is a little over half… well, how others fare doesn’t particularly matter to me.
Since Luche is participating, the others don’t concern me either.
The popularity of the event itself is cruising smoothly.
All my recommendation videos have become this way.
[2 Weeks of Perseverance Equals Big Rewards? A Summary of the Official Arena Rewards]
[Study Completed! Preseason Great Sword Warrior—We Finally Have the Answer.]
[The Tier List Taught by an Infinity Veteran in the Arena]
[Tanks Get Taken Out Too! Hurry Before the Nerf! The Shotgun Hunter Build]
These are videos that draw in views using guides as bait.
I once thought about trying it myself, but it wasn’t my path.
After multiple attempts, all I’ve learned is the realization that I lack the talent to teach others.
An educator who keeps confronting questions like ‘Why can’t I do this?’ is probably not a very good one.
I do have a somewhat bitter feeling.
All of Infinity Black’s skills are designed to be either avoidable or defensible.
Most of them can be countered just by looking at them and reacting, so what do you expect me to do when that fails?
Since I can’t even fix my own legs, I clearly have no way of fixing someone else’s vision.
Still, everyone in various streams is talking about the second round.
With the preseason having no ranked games immediately available, this is only natural.
The heat will carry on until the Pro League officially starts.
Among these streams, there were even research-oriented broadcasts that invited professional gamers, and the content was quite good.
Everyone seems to be preparing diligently before the main tournament starts.
And I too haven’t wasted this precious time.
“Hey, why not resolve misunderstandings through conversation? Peacefully, I mean.”
“I’ll think about that later.”
Corpses just keep talking.
I need to silence them quietly so as not to startle others.
[Adventurer Kimchi Ninja has been forcibly eliminated.]
[Warning: Field PK Penalty…]
Hey, when you play games, doesn’t everyone have at least one of those people?
It’s that thing called the Death Note or the Record of Murder, right?
Kill them if you meet in the field, find ways to drop their scores if you meet in ranked games.
A record of names you can’t forgive, and a calm sharpening of the blade of revenge.
Naturally, I have such a list too.
That memo, cleverly hidden in the interface’s corner, is it.
I usually delete names as soon as they appear, so they don’t stack, but the names added recently seem unwilling to disappear.
After all, there’s no need to match internet community handles with game nicknames.
[Author: CreamInside]
[Title: The Gag Point of That Gal, Gawol, Is Her Thighs]
[Author: Unknown (328.26)]
[Title: Gawol is Making Suspicious Moves Lately]
[Author: ThesisThief]
[Title: This Sunday, I Can Rest]
Since I couldn’t possibly find all the authors of those numerous posts…
I’m just randomly visiting as I remember.
[Adventurer ThesisThief has been forcibly eliminated.]
[Adventurer NewTownMiceHunter has been…]
[Adventurer CornSoup has been…]
[Adventurer CreamInside has been…]
This wasn’t a useless act.
After all, nothing beats practicing live combat.
People change drastically when they have a lot to lose.
In a fight where you lose just a bit of your ranking points, you won’t perform as well as you would in one where your life is on the line.
Infinity Arena is ultimately a PVP game. Marking your hands with scars will do no harm.
It’s absolutely not due to ‘some video’ that I’m venting out my anger. Really.
In fact, after some time had passed, I didn’t feel that bad anymore.
Though my brainwave motion may have a limit, Gawol’s body type may match mine, but that doesn’t mean her body is mine.
This, too, is a form of attention… Though slightly malicious thoughts occasionally arise.
Fortunately, the screen was processed a bit to be hazy.
“Still, I should finish what I started.”
“What, what is it? Why me again?”
[Adventurer Soobin has been…]
[Infinity Arena Second Preliminary Round]
[Remaining Time: 08:21:01]
I have 8 hours left.
I need to use this time faithfully so I can face others without shame.
Let’s run for about two more hours, then sleep and wake up.
*
「Q Prime Traveler sponsored 30,000 won」
「Have you seen this video, Luche? It’s been appearing quite often lately.」
「(Attached Video)」
“Video? Oh, it’s Gawol’s video. I’ve seen it. For someone so small, she’s surprisingly cute, isn’t she? Have you met her, Traveler?”
– Died twice during Traveler’s broadcast.
– “I can’t level up since I’m a Lance Knight.” Said this but died 5 minutes later.
– Winning and then not coming back is definitely toxic.
Luche smirked.
It wasn’t because the chat was funny.
Traveler was a player in the league who has a strong sense of pride.
Though people say that, as he’s past the rookie phase, his pride has subsided… it’s far from the truth.
He has just learned to hide his anger in front of the public.
Whenever Q Prime loses and he dislikes how the game went, Traveler will lose his cool.
Anyone in the industry knows this fact.
His shouting in the waiting room reaches levels far beyond the ordinary.
He must not be very happy with the content of the chat now.
When I imagine him trying his best to endure, I can’t help but feel a bit cheerful.
Still, I doubt he’s biting his teeth and stopping his chats temporarily in anger.
Yet, it didn’t lead to mockery.
Because I didn’t want to belittle the effort he invested in that brief moment of patience.
“Please don’t be too hard on each other. You know Traveler’s skills, right? He’s already gathered a lot of arena points, hasn’t he?”
– Luche will soon be rising as well.
“I’ll try my best. If I’m participating, I will definitely make it to the main tournament.”
[Infinity Arena Second Preliminary Round – First Phase Matching has been completed.]
[Do you accept the match? Y/N]
[…Moving to the battlefield in 20 seconds…]
“Thinking about it, I’ve heard that everyone meets Gawol at least once, but I personally haven’t.”
Luche’s eyes confirmed her opponent’s information.
A sniper. Though rare in one-on-one matchups in the Arena, I figured they might show up sometimes.
A few names came to mind, but Luche decided to first grab a solid shield.
– Has Traveler really never met Gawol?
– Even a Sigma newbie recently met Gawol, right?
“Oh, my junior… I’ve heard she met Gawol. She really seemed to enjoy the welcome ceremony. She’s unique, a great kid. She has good skills and lots of competitiveness. Please give her lots of love.”
While speaking lightly, Luche’s fingers didn’t stop.
Changing traits and predicting the opponent’s build to switch equipment.
The only reason Luche could climb to this point is because of relentless effort.
That effort naturally included attempts to understand opponents and research all existing builds.
Even though she seemed to be casually running the stream, she didn’t miss a single detail.
If Traveler was famous for excelling in combat, Luche was famous for excelling in the “game.”
Front guard, super armor, invincibility, damage reflection, healing reversal, enlargement.
A player renowned for best utilizing the systems existing because Infinity Black is a game.
Luche thought for a moment before slightly varying her setting and finishing.
“Still, I’d like to see a video of both of you fighting. There’s no doubt about Traveler, but I’ve heard that Gawol also fights well. It probably would have been an incredibly flashy fight.”
「Q Prime Traveler sponsored 30,000 won」
「Even though the fight was lost, the video was well-captured. What does Luche think of Gawol? I heard she’s participating in this arena.」
「(Attached Video)」
Luche hesitated for a moment.
Her lips twitched slightly.
Her eyes confirmed the remaining time before the battle started.
Unfortunately, there was still some time left. If the match had started immediately, she could’ve used that as an excuse to choose her words more carefully.
Would it seem strange to drag the answer for too long?
After pondering for a bit, Luche spoke again.
“Well, I don’t particularly dislike her. I don’t like speaking ill of someone I haven’t personally met. But… troubling other players and streamers isn’t something that can be viewed positively.”
Hopefully, my words won’t be too exaggerated.
Since the internet is a place where one can’t let their guard down, it might have been better to choose my words more carefully.
A faint regret settled in Luche’s heart.
But only for a moment. A certain chat caught her attention.
– April26’s chat: If I meet Gawol, will I win?
“Will I win, you ask? When have I only beaten opponents I can surely win against? I’ll try my best, as always.”
– April26’s chat: Wishing you luck.
