The Ed Cup has begun.
This compound term, combining Eo War and World Cup, is a global festival for those who live and breathe Eo War.
Unlike the World Cup, which is held every four years, the Ed Cup takes place annually. Although it has “World Cup” in its name, it is no different from an international competition.
True to the festival atmosphere of Eo War’s devoted fans, everyone was busy igniting their enthusiasm. The players did their best to showcase the efforts of the past year, while fans cheered passionately for them.
This enthusiasm sometimes crossed the line, leading to derogatory comments about specific players or teams, but such behavior was nothing new.
People chose to focus on the list of teams that qualified for the Ed Cup, which had been released just a few hours earlier, rather than on those trivial matters.
[If it seems like we’re going to lose badly already, then thumbs down lololol]
Starting with myself lolol
[Yes, yes: They’re relying too much on voodoo magic]
[What do you expect from a third-tier team?]
[Isn’t this different this time though? Our national team is in the top 10 power rankings after all.]
[But power rankings don’t mean much.]
[Even last year and the year before, we ranked well. This is the first time all four teams have qualified, though.]
[Yeah~ but in the end, it’s still China winning.]
[Are they looking like a continent-wide powerhouse?]
[They really are good.]
[I don’t know about their management, but their combat skills are sharp.]
[Combat is everything in this game, and if their combat is sharp, then it’s over.]
[North America is doing well this year too.]
[I heard Yen Sunny plans to retire after this year, so maybe that’s why he’s sharpening his skills.]
[The teams need to be well-structured.]
[Yeah, even if they are well-structured, they’ll just end up as runners-up anyway.]
[Why are you being so cynical? Are you a Chinese hire?]
[It’s a trait of people from that gallery; they’re always angry.]
[But this time, don’t we actually have a chance?]
[Since it’s being held in Korea, and there are no time difference or food issues, they should manage their condition well and just play as they always do, right?]
[Yeah~ no, rather they’ll be smashed by Richao, who’s powered up by kimchi.]
[Does Richao eat kimchi too? That’s a point in his favor.]
[Yeah, he seems to love it; he says kimchi is delicious on stream.]
[What can that pig not eat? Damn.]
[Richao will demolish Korean teams.]
[This is the year our chances of winning are highest. If we don’t win this year, it feels like we’ll never win again.]
[You can’t underestimate the home team buff.]
[China originally belonged to Goguryeo. Why can’t our country receive the home team buff?]
[What kind of nonsense is that you fool.]
Indeed, this year the Ed Cup, which had always been held in foreign countries, was being hosted in Korea.
This was seen as a significant advantage. There was no need to adjust to the time zone, no struggle with food differences, and no need to deal with exhausting flights.
The only downside might be the opportunity for overseas tourism after the Ed Cup, but no player would be disappointed for that reason. They all knew what was most important.
Since the Ed Cup was held, instead of continuously lifting the trophy like in the early days, now the scenario was that they had been second place several times for a few years, or even that was disappointing.
Korean fans desperately wanted their country to regain its former glory.
While they were busy posting in the gallery, expressing their discontent, the following news came in.
[Breaking News: Michael gets completely wrecked by Mollu in solo queue on the Korean server.]
(A clip shows Michael staring at the screen with a frustrated expression.)
Ah, lol, that guy ate kimchi and lost his mind.
[Wow.]
[What a legend… Truly, the gallery master.]
[Challenger rank 16, Taesan ‘Mollu’ standing confidently among the pros.]
[He’s defending the nation against intruders…]
[Mollu is protecting the Korean Peninsula!]
[It’s a shame he’s not streaming.]
[That reaction must have been delightful.]
[This is reminiscent of the Sinmiyangyo.]
[Yeah, totally Sinmiyangyo lololol.]
[Who is Mollu?]
[If you don’t know Mollu, why are you even in the gallery?]
[You can leave!]
[What? Korea is weak? North America is too scary? China is scary?]
Our General Mollu is cutting through all of them. Hahaha.
[Whether it’s North America or China, once they encounter General Mollu, it’s game over.]
[Mollu at the forefront!]
[In solo queue, he really shows his pro potential.]
[Wow… that barbarian just boldly challenged Mollu… then got wrecked and drowned in insults… though her competitive spirit was at least A-League level…]
[Jimin, Jimin… I don’t miss you…]
[The gallery master is swinging the sword.]
[As Mollu swings his sword, America is astonished, China is astonished, and Japan is astonished.]
[This is a national pride TV show.]
[Mollus! Mollus! Mollus! Mollus!]
[As someone who takes things seriously, I must say Mollu is an amateur, so he can’t give it his all.]
[Who doesn’t know that? ^^]
[I just want to smack his head hard for real.]
[Right? Haha.]
[It’s important to break enemy morale.]
[Breaking News: Michael wtf enters the gallery lol.]
Mollu’s insane swordsman play seems to have driven him mad, and he’s busy typing in the chat.
[Look at that terrifying lineup lol. On the same team, there’s Word and Insomnia, and the opponents are Mollu, Jerome, and Chao.]
[Michael asked which team Mollu was on, and when told it’s a streamer, he was shocked lol. He really isn’t your average streamer.]
[Is this the level of Korean streamers?]
[I’m scared. Korea!!!]
[Ah, even though he’s a streamer.]
[He’s just bringing pride to the nation.]
Suddenly, the announcement of Mollu’s victory brought cheers from the viewers.
*
Playing against top-tier users requires immense focus.
One second, divided into ten-tenths of a second. Just a moment’s difference can turn the tide of the game. This period of time, while slightly exaggerated, is nonetheless true.
In combat, that split second is extremely important, and missing it results in defeat, which leads to losing the game entirely.
Therefore, I played the game while maintaining maximum focus. The stream was still live. I had previously warned viewers that I would not be able to commentate or read the chat.
Yet, people seemed fine with it; no, they were rather pleased. Just watching satisfied them, or so they claimed.
I could understand that. Each game in this period must feel like art to those who truly love this game. But art isn’t always noble and clean. It was, in fact, quite the opposite. Due to the nature of solo rank, personal skill took precedence over coordinated team play.
The result was that battles became chaotic, a veritable bloodbath. It was like gladiators showcasing whose sword was sharper.
And at the end, today I succeeded in surviving until the very last moment.
“Ha…”
As I achieved victory, I leaned back in my chair. Unbeknownst to me, my body had leaned forward, as though I were about to be sucked into the screen, my shoulders hunched and my neck extended like a turtle.
It was a natural posture that comes from being absorbed in the game. If I had to name it, perhaps “gaming posture” would suffice. It resembled a kind of occupational hazard. It wasn’t surprising that many professional gamers had turtle necks and straight necks.
Well, anyway, since I won, it didn’t matter.
With a satisfied expression, I twisted my neck and shoulders. At that moment, I turned on the microphone I had turned off and glanced at the chat window.
It seemed a lot had changed during the brief gameplay.
[WTF]
[lollolololololololollll]
[😄😄😄😄😄]
[Why are there so many foreigners?]
[What are those guys?]
[Michael was on the opposing team, right? lol North America pro.]
[Is there a Korean who can take down pros attending the Ed Cup?]
[Haha, that’s just an everyday occurrence for us.]
[‘Mollu Holdings.’]
It seemed that there was an overseas pro player on the opposing team. Nowadays, every team had at least one or two pro players, so I wasn’t really surprised, but I hadn’t noticed.
Speaking of which, the Ed Cup season was coming up soon. Many people, including players who had come overseas for the matches, must have been practicing hard.
-Mollru 52,000.
“Am I trending?”
Word must have gotten out that there was a broadcaster on the opposing team, as suddenly, the number of viewers skyrocketed. It seemed the aggro had been thoroughly attracted. Half the chat was filled with English and unrecognizable emojis.
<Vix7Michael donated 10,000 bits!>
-You are the Korean Samurai? I am bereft of words by your swordsmanship, Swordsman, your soul contains your essence. That is very beautiful and splendid.
“Yes, Vix7 Michael…? Thank you for your donation of 10,000 bits.”
[Korean Samurai enters the gallery lol.]
[Haha, it’s not a samurai; it’s Yi Sun-sin.]
[Korean samurai lol.]
[Nono she is Kimchi Warrior zzz.]
[Mol Soon Sin.]
[Descendant of Admiral Yi Mollu. Wow.]
[Isn’t the moderator’s last name Lee?]
[Was he really a descendant?]
[General, please swing your sword and clear the path.]
It seems I’ve gained a new nickname.
