A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 186

“Then I’ll see you inside!”

“Yeeah…”

Following Felt’s guidance, I stepped into the corporate Reverse Capsule.

Unlike the personal Reverse Capsule, which only scans the body information to verify the user, the corporate version annoyingly required me to input my information manually for authentication.

Once I slowly completed the authentication, a list of games I had purchased popped up before me.

I chose New Dimension, the one at the top of the list.

When asked if I wanted to connect, I pressed accept without hesitating.

〔System: ‘GM Den’ has invited you to ‘New Dimension Arena’.〕

〔Yes / No〕

As I connected to New Dimension, a system message appeared.

Of course, I accepted it right away.

Suddenly, my surroundings darkened, and the place where I was standing transformed into a dim corridor.

[Hello, Rene. This is Den. In one minute, we’ll connect you to the onsite audio. Once you’re introduced, just walk straight until you see Felt, and then the interview will commence.]

“Yeeah….”

Do I just walk towards the light ahead?

I felt a flutter of excitement.

[I will connect you now. If the sound is too loud, please let me know. 3! 2! 1!]

With Den’s words, a sudden burst of static echoed in my ears.

[Good evening, everyone! I’m caster Lee Yong-ha! A big thank you to all of you joining us for New Dimension’s very first offline event! Break The World! And a shoutout to everyone watching online!]

The voice of the caster I had heard continuously while waiting in the backstage started to flow.

[As the event is nearing its climax, we’re about to begin today’s main event and special event! We will be hosting a PVP featuring special guests! And assisting us in commentary will be pro gamer Ga-eun and streamer Tuni!]

[Hello, I’m pro gamer Ga-eun.]

[Hi, I’m Tuni, active as a streamer on Lyming!]

…Wait a minute.

Is Ga-eun really commentating on my PVP today?

So that means, while I’m battling Edde, who’s ranked #1 in the global rankings, Ga-eun will be watching and commentating on it?

…Is it okay for me to run away right now?

Probably not….

By the way, Tuni mentioned earlier that she had something she needed to do, and this was it.

[So, what were your thoughts when you heard the names of today’s special guest players?]

[Well… I thought more about being excited. I mean, even someone like me, who just started New Dimension, knows these famous names, right? So the fact that they’re going for PVP was a shocking thought for me.]

[I feel the same way. For those enjoying PVP in New Dimension, I think this match is one they’d want to see at least once, right?]

…No.

Why would anyone want to watch a match between an ordinary streamer and the world’s #1 ranked player?

Am I the only one who doesn’t get it…?

[The first special guest today! A PVP queen who perfectly proves her statement that ‘pro gamers find it boring’ with skill! Her imagined builds always become reality! Please welcome streamer Edde!]

[Her skills are beyond doubt; she’s someone you shouldn’t question. It’s likely that most PVP pro gamers have been influenced by her.]

[So, Ga-eun, have you been influenced as well?]

[Well, that’s true. I’ve received quite a bit of help from her.]

As Edde’s introduction echoed in the arena, cheers rang out around me, and Ga-eun’s compliments continued to flow, showing that being #1 in global rankings was no decoration.

I heard she’s someone who carries out amazing PVP builds—but really, I don’t belong here…

[Now, let’s introduce the second special guest! She’s stirred up buzz in New Dimension ever since her debut! From Albion Hunt to the victory in the Crusade! Please welcome streamer Rene!]

But, in the end, the caster called my name.

I slowly and surely stepped forward.

[Yes. She’s the first name that comes to mind when people talk about recent events in New Dimension. And the reason she garners such attention, I believe, is undoubtedly due to her overwhelming skill.]

[Her PVP rank is A, but I definitely don’t think she’s someone you can dismiss!]

Even if you say that, she’s going against the global rank #1, Tuni.

I want to cry….

I felt my shoulders droop as I walked towards the light, only to find… a massive Coliseum before me.

It seemed at least twice as large as the standard PVP field.

As I thought that, I approached Felt, who was waving at me.

“Hello, Rene!”

“Ah, hi…”

“You’re participating as a special guest in Break The World today! What made you decide to join?”

“Well… honestly, I was planning to refuse…. But since I like New Dimension and someone suggested I’d be a good fit to participate, I decided to join…”

Well, it felt like I was half-forced into it…

Now that I think about it, the lottery system was a clever idea.

If I had known I’d be facing off against the #1 global ranked player in PVP, I would have absolutely denied it…

“Your opponent is Edde, who is ranked #1 in PVP, right?”

But.

“How do you predict the outcome? And what’s your mindset?”

Yet, I had no intention of entering this battle with the mindset of losing.

“I’m going to win…. Umm, I will win….”

“…Ah, yes! Good aspirations. That was great! Now onto Edde! Today’s opponent is Rene, who holds an A rank in PVP, but definitely is not an A-ranker in skill. If you have anything to say to her, please go ahead!”

…Here it comes.

Felt definitely interpreted “If you want to say something to your opponent” as a cue to start trash talk.

“Well, I watched some clips of Rene’s gameplay, and I definitely don’t think she’s an A rank.”

Edde stood beside Felt, with unusual hair and crimson eyes.

Thinking back, she was dressed up, presumably for cosplay, as her hair and eyes were likely dyed and colored lenses, all for the event today.

“But does that even matter? After all, your rank is A.”

What’s important now is the trash talk, not that.

And I still had a slight aversion to this whole trash talk thing.

I just couldn’t understand why we had to say things that might hurt each other’s feelings.

As a gamer, it’s natural to be annoyed if someone insults your skills.

“So, I’ll just think of it as crushing a rookie and win this, Rene.”

So, I didn’t think of her comments as insults, but rather as light-hearted jokes based on facts? Something like that.

“Alright, now it’s time for Rene! Of course, everyone knows you’re an outstanding player in PVP, but this time you’re in the underdog position. The name of #1 in global rankings is definitely not a light one.”

Thanks to Edde’s comments, it felt like the stage was perfectly set now.

Edde probably thought similarly to me when she called me a rookie.

“If there’s anything you want to say to your formidable opponent, Edde, please share!”

“…Aunty?”

“…Huh?”

“Pfft?!”

★

Nickname: Edde.

Real name: Seo Yoo-ah.

With a petite frame that suited her small stature, and a youthful appearance as her trademark, she was 26 years old and still needed to show her ID even when buying alcohol at places like convenience stores.

She was surrounded by friends who joked around about calling her Aunty.

“…Aunty?”

“…Huh?”

“Pfft?!”

And Rene boldly referred to her as “Aunty.”

People generally knew Rene was 21 years old.

Though that extra 5 years sounded minimal in society, when you directly compare ages, the five-year difference could feel substantial to the person involved.

Especially for Yoo-ah, who was very confident in her appearance.

“H-Haha… Is that how you’re coming at me…?”

“Aunty…”

“I’m sorry, but I still get ID checked when buying alcohol, so you saying that doesn’t faze me at all.”

“Aunty…”

“Excuse me, but we’re currently conducting an interview; how about saying something else?”

“Aunty…”

“…I swear I’ll definitely win today.”

With that trash talk completed, the PVP between the two began.

★

Best of 5, first to 3 wins. Weapon swap limits don’t apply during gameplay. Skills can be swapped after each round.

Those were the rules for this PVP match.

Edde’s class was Spear Master. Her weapon, of course, was a spear.

The range was longer, and the speed was faster than the Warhammer.

To put it simply, it could be seen as a superior variant of a Warhammer.

The only advantage the Warhammer seemed to have was its destructive power, right?

So ideally, surviving until the right moment to make a comeback would be good, but the issue was Edde’s skills.

Generally, playing defensively works well only when you have a certainty of staging a comeback; without that assurance, it just turns into one-sided bullying.

…I guess it’s better not to use the Warhammer?

Then I might as well use a spear too, or maybe even a great sword could work well…

“Rene.”

“Yeeah…?”

“I heard you like acceleration skills.”

“…Right.”

To be honest, it’s slightly different from just liking it.

It’s more about trying to get closer to the speed I was once moving at in that other world, at least a little bit.

But why is she asking that…?

“I like acceleration skills too.”

As if answering my question, a blue aura surged around Edde.