There is a saying called “kuse.”
In Japanese, it refers to a habit or a quirk, but in our country, it is often used with a somewhat negative connotation.
You can often hear examples like, “You have a bit of a kuse when you sing. You should fix that.”
Bad habits.
Habits can be frightening.
As the saying goes, “A habit formed at three years old will last until eighty.” Once ingrained, habits that have been formed for a long time are difficult to change even in adulthood.
Evil—
The sound effects of a sword being drawn.
A small gasp can be heard.
I clicked my tongue and raised the switch.
“I told you not to hold your sword while moving.”
“No, it’s just a habit… I tend to press it without realizing.”
In addition to their main weapons, such as rifles, handguns, and longswords, agents are also given a secondary weapon.
This is a secondary weapon, often referred to as a kn*fe by users, shorter than an assassin’s dagger.
Rather than a nickname, it carries implications of mockery and disdain.
There’s no reason to use a fruit peeler as a weapon in battle.
What is the purpose of this short and weak secondary weapon?
When holding the secondary weapon, the agent’s movement speed increases.
Much faster than when holding the main weapon.
Therefore, at the start of a game or when a round begins, it’s common to see players moving while holding their secondary weapons.
Furthermore, some players who enjoy extreme thrills or pursue mobility often carry their secondary weapon even in situations where they might face an enemy.
Yes, one of those “few players” was right in front of me now.
“Why are you showing off your sword when there might be an enemy right in front?”
“I’m just feeling a bit frustrated…”
“This is a shooting game. You should be carrying a g*n.”
“But Mollu is a swordsman.”
I couldn’t say anything in reply.
Realizing I had made a slip of the tongue, I corrected my statement.
It isn’t a pure shooting game.
“Carry your main weapon. You should only switch to your secondary when the enemy’s position is clear or when you really need to move quickly.”
“Yes.”
It’s just a bad playstyle; the person isn’t bad.
One could say there’s a willingness to learn.
He shows a diligent effort to change everything I point out.
“Why are you reloading when you still have 21 bullets left?”
“Well… isn’t it uncomfortable if it’s not filled to thirty?”
“I find your play uncomfortable, Tex.”
Whether it’s bullets, magic, or arrows.
When you send a few minor shots for harassing purposes, there’s a moment when the remaining magazine feels ambiguous.
It might be just slightly more than half or you just feel like you have very few bullets left.
Should I reload?
What if I run out of bullets and lose?
Those who share such concerns reload.
Many, in the process of reloading, end up dying.
“If the enemy isn’t rushing in, you don’t need that many bullets. You’ll get killed before you can use them all. Losing a fight because of insufficient ammo is losing a fight even if you have a full magazine.”
“Yes. But how long are we going to do this?”
“Until what I mentioned gets fixed.”
Tex is currently in a training area, not an arbitrarily created duel arena.
The difference between a duel arena and a training area is that a duel arena is against real human agents while a training area is against AI.
Of course, since AI moves as programmed, it is easier to handle.
I didn’t mean to imply that Tex should just sh**t AI; I was training him to treat the map as if he were facing an opponent.
It’s training while simulating without his bad habits.
Initially, I planned to take him to the duel arena for practical training, like with Su Ah or Dae-sik.
But seeing how he hadn’t grasped the basics, that wouldn’t make any sense.
It would only turn into one-sided violence for my stress relief.
I couldn’t help but reflect on how high the levels of my previous students were.
How many laps had we done?
Now, Tex showed no sign of using his secondary weapon, killing AI without worrying about his remaining magazine.
It took a long time.
Noticing that he had changed himself, he spoke up.
“Is this enough, Team Leader?”
“You passed the first round.”
“The first round?”
“Come out for now.”
The simulation is over; now it’s time to check in practice.
“Right, you need to turn left there.”
“Yes, yes. What’s next?”
“After that… you have to figure it out yourself. Why do you keep asking?”
“Oh, I got too comfortable. Since I’m following what you said, I’m winning without thinking.”
“You’re trying to get away with too much.”
A small cough interrupted as the round came to a close.
It was the time for halftime after the first half ended.
Tex’s play was excellent.
You could say he was underrated for his tier.
In ranked games, while shedding the bad habits, he displayed a performance beyond the usual.
I was monitoring the play in real-time, listing out the areas that needed improvement.
However, it seemed that what I was pointing out wasn’t sufficient for Tex, as he occasionally asked questions himself.
As a welcoming educator, I answered each question without hesitation.
Before I knew it, he was asking about every part of the gameplay, and I found myself unconsciously sharing everything.
The best plays for each situation, based on instinct at the moment.
Sharing could only happen a few times; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to improve.
Of course, I would give orders in the game, but I couldn’t go into every detail.
Just laying out the big picture while leaving the rest to individual judgment.
In my opinion, that was the ideal team direction.
That’s why I was conducting this training.
Tex, as the only dealer in the team besides me, needed to hold the ground firmly.
It’s rare for him and me to be in close proximity during the game.
You could visualize it as a separate squad.
“Wow, you’ve improved a lot.”
“Oh, Director. How about you?”
“It seems like Cheol-woo just needs a final check, and I think I just need to brief Papijoa.”
Director Jackie admired Tex’s play.
He was conducting similar training, giving feedback to teammates to enhance their skills, just like I was.
I had Tex and Ryu-a, while the director had Cheol-woo and Papijoa.
Training in pairs.
Despite that, it was clear that my side would be harder, having to deal with the lower-tier Ryu-a and the habit-ridden Tex, while the director wouldn’t have to get involved much.
As a mere player taking on such coaching was absurd.
If other teams saw this, they would probably be astounded.
There was a reason we were training secretly, without even turning on the stream.
The director seemed to know this and spoke to me awkwardly.
“Honestly, I should have coached everyone else, but thanks to Mollu, I could take a breather.”
“What would’ve happened if I wasn’t chosen?”
“Well, everyone was saying our team auction went badly. But it seems we auctioned pretty well.”
You can look forward to the gathering. I’ll treat you generously.
For ten million won, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do.
It was somewhat fun.
“Tex, I’m going to go check on Ryu-a now. Remember what I told you and play a few more rounds. From what I see, you just need to maintain your rhythm.”
“Yes, thank you for your hard work, Team Leader. Please go in!”
“Good job.”
Leaving the director and Tex behind, I moved on to the next student.
“Don’t rush too much. Ryu-a only needs to do her part.”
“Yes…”
It’s clear that there’s a lot of tension, although she’s improved since the beginning.
The mentor and student dart around, caring for allies and occasionally pulling out pistols to sh**t.
Ryu-a is the one with the lowest tier among the team.
I don’t have high expectations.
But the enemy team likely feels the same way.
If Ryu-a can be developed well, she could become a dagger in unexpected situations.
“And stop shaking your head. Oh! Your aim is going down again.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Maintain your head level. Remember. If you think you need to sh**t low, it’s better to just sit.”
As her aim fluctuated up and down, it finally returned to a normal trajectory.
A cheerful sound effect rang out as the enemy fell.
It was a headshot.
“Wow! Di-Did you see that?”
“Yes, that was a tough spot, but you shot it well.”
“Hehe…”
It’s going smoothly.
Although Ryu-a has only recently entered Eo War, she doesn’t lack gaming sense entirely.
Once I taught her the basics, she follows along well.
Now, there’s just one week left until the competition.
If she practices enough in the remaining time, her skills will surely increase.
I would be able to truly fulfill the hidden role I envisioned.
As I conducted Ryu-a’s training, I accessed the Eo War gallery with one hand.
Unlike Tex, I didn’t need to scrutinize her play in detail, so I felt a bit bored.
Once I entered the gallery, several posts caught my eye.
<Prediction Rankings for the Current Tournament by the Pro Gambler who Predicted All of Last Ed Cup’s Matches>
– 1st Place Panoro Team: A reliable tank dealer Oh Dae-sik leads a team with consistently good skills, with no gaps. 4 wins, 0 losses in scrims. Unbeaten.
– 2nd Place Kim Goon Team: Streamers with decent skills, but they seem to lack coordination. There seems to be a bit of teamwork missing? They’re just the inferior version of Panoro Team.
– 3rd Place Hose Team: Just average. A straightforward playing style that loses just as straightforwardly. Their plays get analyzed entirely by the opposing team and are gradually pushed back. It’s somewhat frustrating to watch.
– 4th Place Jackie Team: Mollu is a one-man team. The director has brought in weird players through strange auctions. A tank who can only take hits and a dealer prone to random actions. Even the supporter doesn’t know the agent’s skills. While Hose Team frustrates viewers, this team invokes anger. If Mollu doesn’t carry by herself, there’s no hope. Scrims, of course, ended in total defeat.
ㅇㅇ: Poor Mollu, picked by such a strange director, haha.
ㄴㅇㅇ: Might get a veto right for auctions next time.
ㄴㅇㅇ: It should be necessary for player protection.
<Mollu <<< If it’s just bubble, upvote it.>
An unprecedented talented streamer?
Pro-level?
Sure, it works in solo ranking, but not in tournaments~~
When it comes to playing with stronger streamers, nothing can be done, right?
ㅇㅇ: The teammates aren’t human.
ㅇㅇ: But even taking that into account, compared to the fuss in the gallery, it’s pretty lackluster.
ㅇㅇ: They didn’t do anything in the scrims.
ㅇㅇ: Did they get nervous in the competition?
There were quite a few posts mocking my and my team’s skills.
While a few posts shielded me, they were outnumbered.
So this is public opinion right now.
I chuckled to myself as I scanned through them.
The reactions from just a few scrims streamed were interesting.
One might say it’s pure-hearted.
The deity of competition?
Am I just bubbles?
Public opinion will turn around next week.
I swallowed the rising excitement in my heart and thought.
Laugh as much as you want.
Let’s see how long you can keep laughing.
The day when that laughter turns into cheers is not far off.
