Talent was a word that represented a simple and clear truth that ran through everything, while simultaneously bestowing a sense of despair and deprivation upon those who couldn’t reach it.
I was closer to the latter. I took pride in loving games more than anyone else, and I enjoyed playing them.
I dreamed of becoming a pro gamer, but I hit a wall. When I pushed myself to the limit and brought out my best skills and condition, I realized the gap between a pro and an amateur was as vast as the difference between the sky and the earth.
The world held things that couldn’t be achieved through effort alone. My once beautiful and perfect youth ended with one failed challenge, and I quietly disappeared, becoming a minor character in the background.
Well, saying it like that makes it sound too tragic. But I lived well after that. Though I gave up on the path of a pro, thanks to my unique understanding of games, I occasionally provided commentary as a high-ranking user, worked on game development, and more…
In any case, just like in the arts and sports industry where talent is valued, the gaming world also heavily relied on talent.
My past self was trampled by that talent, but…
The current ‘me’ was different.
– Enemy eliminated!
I closed and opened my eyes once. My dilated pupils surveyed the battlefield, instantly revealing the enemy positions.
One on the left, two ahead, and one circling from behind.
The remaining one isn’t visible. They’re probably supporting from behind, possibly healing.
I quickly scan the enemies, inputting their locations through my vision.
Skills are launched in my direction to pin me down as I’m in the line of sight. The oncoming skills seem slow to me. I dodge effortlessly.
The assassin approaches from behind.
I pretend not to notice, waiting for a precise timing to counterattack. My character doesn’t react to the attacks but takes a ready stance.
It’s a parry.
I don’t know why an FPS game would have parrying, but it’s a highly useful feature. The developers wanted to give some advantage to melee agents pitted against long-range attackers.
And in the end, it was not a bad decision.
Eo War took a unique position as an FPS with parrying.
The timing of the counterattack and the accurate aim.
Those were the prerequisites for a parry.
If these conditions are met, you not only nullify the enemy’s attack but disarm them for a brief period.
The brief moment when weapons meet, just before the attack lands.
It’s a hard timing for most users, thus it’s considered a technique exclusive to top-tier players.
– Clang!
Sparks fly from the clashing blades.
With a resounding metallic sound, the assassin stumbles.
The opponent is clearly flustered from getting parried.
They must be wondering, ‘How could you time this while I was behind you?’
Exactly. I don’t know how I did it myself. It was in the realm of reaction, not prediction.
The assassin, now disarmed and weaponless, falls with a fatal strike.
On the screen, a man in Japanese attire is sheathing his katana.
He’s a Swordsman, one of the few melee classes in Eo War. His character has no long-range skills and thus doesn’t enjoy a positional advantage during fights, but he’s known for his mobility and powerful strikes.
He’s also a class often mocked for his lack of physical strength.
I exhaled and surveyed the situation again.
I had effortlessly taken down two of the enemy’s DPS players, using a unique sense that none of the others possessed.
As soon as my brain sends a command, my fingers instantly carry it out. The movement is precise, seamless, and the coordination between my right and left hands is nothing short of remarkable.
Is this the world where pros lived? Did they play with this tempo, this omnipotence, every game?
It was unreasonable. It was exceedingly unreasonable and violent talent.
But at the same time, it was fun.
Every day I imagined playing in this way, executing exactly what I wanted.
Mesmerized, I pressed the start button again and carved through the enemies with actions I usually only dreamed of.
*
“Ugh…”
Stretching, I let out a small groan.
I lost track of time. It felt like I had really gone back to those days when I was immersed in gaming, preparing to become a pro. The soreness spread over my body, and the headache from overworking my brain was a bonus.
But I couldn’t stop here.
How long has it been since I’ve felt this pure fun?
It was a different kind of joy from the competitive matches where I lost my passion and skills, burdened by defeat.
With the mindset of stopping once my body truly reached its limit, I queued for another match.
But,
zhongdangzheng: Is that person using a hack?
butterCARRY: Who?
zhongdangzheng: It’s the person who appeared on Su Ah’s stream. They’re saying that person used a hack.
butterCARRY: For real?
ddukbaegikkeobwinda: Ah, there’s a hacker. Let’s dodge.
Though I had a good understanding of the characters, my physical skills weren’t enough to execute the fancy techniques usually associated with the Assassin, a romantic class with flashy effects, when I picked them.
And then the game dropped me back to the lobby, accompanied by some strange chat messages.
“What?”
Though I wasn’t entirely sure, I thought there had been talk of someone using a hack. Without fully comprehending the context, I queued again.
hanbalibumyeonjung: Not playing with hackers.
lilllillll: Aren’t we getting punished for dodging them?
I was again thrown back to the lobby, making the game progression impossible.
But this time, I could clearly understand the cause.
The ‘hacker’ mentioned in the earlier chat during my character selection seemed to refer to me.
Now, I understood why people were dodging me.
Hacks. Hackers, hack users… These are the very cruel individuals who use or distribute illegal programs, disrupting the order of the game.
I had met hackers before.
They made the screen move at a bizarre speed, and the opponents just keeled over. Naturally, the players, unaware of what hit them, would lose interest in the game.
The creators of Eo War were sensitive about hack issues.
When a hacker-suspected user was reported, they tested for illegal program usage. If detected, all the linked accounts were banned. Records or messages from matches that benefited from a hacker were also penalized heavily upon detection. That’s why people dodged being matched with me.
Would playing with a hack be fun?
It was a question I always had.
Hackers, the ones responsible for driving game-loving users away, are parasites that erode games.
But, am I one of them?
“Huh.”
An icy voice escaped from my lips as I heard it.
A hacker’s play may seem to dominate with apparent mastery, but if you watch closely, awkward points quickly become apparent.
The difference between a real hacker and a skilled player can be easily discerned simply by watching a bit of their first-person gameplay.
This was an insult and a challenge toward me.
I began to investigate why this had occurred. And soon, I found a clue.
– Did you watch Su Ah’s stream today? There was a hacker. Haha.
[For real? Isn’t Su Ah a pro? What kind of hack?]
[She’s Diamond, viewers riding up.]
[It’s not her main, but some alt character content. She met a hacker in Gold.]
[The records show she was still playing until just now. Why isn’t she banned?]
[Is it really a hack? Maybe just an alt?]
[Watch Su Ah’s replay from 1:40:33. The way the screen moves alone proves it’s a hack.]
[She’s going to get banned soon.]
[Haha. Su Ah’s going to be upset.]
[Don’t criticize Su Ah, you bastards.]
[Investigation unit catching the culprits.]
Agent of War Gallery could easily be accessed through a simple Google search.
Also known as AGGEOL.
A large community where stories about Agent of War are shared daily, with thousands to tens of thousands of posts every day.
As a place that deals with various issues,
Naturally, today’s hack incident was also discussed.
By reading through the gallery, I could meticulously grasp the full story of the incident.
‘Su Ah,’ the Streamer, had her gameplay recorded extensively in the replay of her stream.
– No, is this even plausible?
– The aim doesn’t make sense.
– A hacker? Seriously?
‘Su Ah,’ a streamer, met me in a match.
I utterly defeated her with overwhelming skill.
After that, chat claims about me being a hacker emerged, and Su Ah’s broadcast followed suit, concurring with those claims.
It was such a simple case.
It became the reason why I couldn’t get matched.
“Haha.”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Is that it?
Did a few words turn me into someone who uses a hack and label me accordingly?
It’s not like we’re babies.
Could I have been misled and stirred up without clear evidence?
Then, a thought struck me.
If people can easily label others as hackers with a few choice words…
“…”
Perhaps they deserve punishment, the thought crossed my mind.
