In most countries, drinking during the National Exchange Tournament is prohibited under the pretense of “maintaining dignity.”
Moreover, it would be rare for any nation to allow a 10-year-old child to drink alcohol, even globally.
This is why seeing Nam-ae holding a beer came as a significant shock to the public.
[No Name Drinking Controversy During Break][219]
Photos of Nam-ae drinking have surfaced from illegal internet entertainment media ㄷㄷ
(Nam-ae is shown with a can of beer held to their lips on a balcony.jpg)
It looks like they’ve done this more than once, right?
Does it make sense to drink right before the National Exchange Tournament match?
[Comments]
– No defamation, please.
– Wow, No Name sensei is bold, just lol.
– Isn’t one sip okay?
└ Please calm down, OP.
– Even in countries where drinking is legal, athletes get slammed for drinking during the National Exchange Tournament.
– Last year, Germany ruined itself by drinking and skipping training.
└ But why this year…
└ Let’s not ask about this yearㅠㅠ
– If Nam-ae loses even once, the haters will go wild with negative comments;;
└ I think some criticism is warranted.
└ Seriously, Nam-ae isn’t even 16, they’re just 10. Who bought them the alcohol?
However, public opinion quickly flipped.
[@NoName]
[I didn’t drink.]
(‘Diagnosis Magic – Blood Alcohol Content: 0%.jpg)
Just had lunch with my sister and was curious, so I only smelled it~
Nam-ae promptly proved their innocence with diagnosis magic.
Some opinions doubted the image, but they were quickly silenced by Nam-ae’s fans.
– Well, what do you know, the media played dirty, lol.
– These types would demand a clarification even if video evidence was shown.
– Why would someone like Nam-ae, who manages themselves so well, drink?
– They just want to slander our Nam-ae.
– It’s cute they just smelled it out of curiosity like a true child, hehe.
– Did No Name have an older sister?
– Could it be the one Dispatch mentioned last time?
– Wow~ How is it possible that an adopted younger sibling is No Name?
– A private hotel stay with Nam-ae, I truly envy the sisterㅠㅠㅠ
Shortly after, security issues at the accommodation emerged as a new topic.
In preparation for drones filming from tens of kilometers away, the South Korean national team hastily installed optical disruption devices in the accommodation and training facility.
[During outdoor training, am I the only one worried that they’ve never used the optical disruption device?]
If you set up a base camp in another country, shouldn’t the primary concern be security?
It’s frustrating that in an era where you can photograph from space, they didn’t even consider installing optical disruption devices.
What if all tactics were leaked?
[Comments]
– How can a great team like this pick such awful management?
– It’s honestly frustrating.
– We need to give up the expectation that others will be fair just because we are.
– Remember last year when Russia siphoned off the combat data from athletes? What won’t they do to win?
– Honestly, isn’t this grounds for disciplinary action?
Meanwhile, other countries with that news hoped that someone brave would leak more.
Love Kim, who relied on Unique Magic, and No Name, who relied on the Imperial Palace Sword Method, had predictable victory patterns.
What someone hoped for and what others feared eventually occurred.
[530824 No Name Training]
The contents of a video uploaded anonymously on Vtube were shockingly impressive.
<AI Summary>
-(00:01): The screen brightens.
-(00:03): Camera zooming in 1000 times.
-(00:06): A girl enters the training hall (please enter the name).
-(00:10): The girl looks around.
-(00:18): The girl places her wand on the ground and starts gymnastics (00:18~03:34).
-(00:23): Stretches with hands interlinked.
(…)
-(03:09): Jumps in place.
-(03:20): Jumping jacks.
-(03:35): The girl wipes her forehead with her right arm (=wiping sweat) and flutters her clothes with her left hand.
-(03:42): The girl picks up the wand she had placed on the ground.
-(03:46): The girl drinks a beverage (please enter product name) and exits the training hall.
[Comments]
– Wait, is No Name’s training video leaked? This is really serious ㄷㄷ
– What? They only did gymnastics in the video?
– Crazy cute when jumping, lol.
– Stretching—
– Then why bring the wand if it’s just gymnastics? lol
– I can summarize better than AI: No Name does 3 minutes of gymnastics.
– Nam-ae can’t stand the heat either, lol.
– What a bright ray of sunshine.
It was a summer with temperatures exceeding an average of 30 degrees.
Using an outdoor training hall in such weather must have been a stretch for Nam-ae.
Nam-ae’s gymnastics video started gaining explosive popularity through the algorithm, eventually even getting mentioned on the National Exchange Tournament official channel.
[@France National Exchange Committee]
(video) ▶ The shockingly (cute) gymnastics routine of one National Exchange Tournament participant.
└ Is this the secret to No Name’s strength? I should try this with my 5-year-old daughter right away.
└ Such rigorous training… you could get charged with child abuse, lol.
└ Nam-ae is so adorable~~~!!!
└ A lovely yet fearsome being.
└ Gatorade is undeniably the best drink.
The video exceeded 100 million views in just one day.
The National Exchange Committee brought substantial marketing profits to their official sponsor, PepsiCo.
Seeing the potential for Product Placement, sponsors from various countries pressed the national teams.
Beginning with Monica Rich from Italy, participants began voluntarily uploading training videos, enriching the National Exchange Tournament’s content.
However, controversies have a way of popping up unexpectedly.
One day before the start of the Round of 32 in the National Exchange Tournament, a major incident occurred in the Korean community.
[Hey, isn’t this the Imperial Palace Sword Method made by Nam-ae?]
(De Luo’an – Seventy-two Soft Sword Techniques demonstration video)
(Illustration.gif comparing Soft Sword and Imperial Palace Sword Method)
I thought the Soft Sword Technique from the Wu Dang Sect was supposed to be a theoretical swordplay that was never actually used.
What’s going on?
[Comments]
– Other than bending the tip of the blade, it’s almost the same, right?
– Even I, who don’t know much about swordsmanship, can see it’s the same.
– Is their conscience now awake?
– Regardless of how similar swordsmanship is, isn’t this a blatant copy?
– What’s this about everything originating from China?
– Honestly, these actions are disgusting to watch.
– After burning everything down, they act like it’s all theirs, lol.
Despite numerous complaints in the comments, China stubbornly maintained their claim over it.
[▶ The Soft Sword Technique is steeped in the history and tradition of Wu Dang Sect. I hope the true value of embracing the unpredictable fills your eyes with wonder.]
└ What blatant hypocrisy? What a condescending tone.
└ You all better be ready to get beaten by No Name tomorrow.
At a time when anti-China and anti-Korea sentiments reached a peak.
Nam-ae’s broadcast suddenly opened up.
[No Name]
[Just Chatting – I Can’t Sleep]
[Broadcast time – 0:01:31]
[Viewers – 5,819]
*
The human brain cannot comprehend negativity.
When we say “Do not think of an elephant” our brain activates the frame of an elephant.
Even with an aura that can control overall body activity, one cannot force consciousness to cease through sleep.
“Is there a good way to fall asleep quickly? I want to be in top condition so I need to wake up by 8 AM at the latest.”
I lay in bed seeking advice from the viewers.
The current time was 11 PM.
As long as I can fall asleep before midnight, I’m fine.
“I accidentally drank something with caffeine in it.”
– Noooooo!
– Nam-ae can’t sleepㅠㅠㅠ
– Forcing yourself to sleep will only make it harder to do so.
– How about a warm bath?
– Imagining lying on a hammock sounds nice.
– How about listening to classical music?
One by one, the viewers desperately suggested their remedies.
[‘belleamie’ donated 100,000 won!]
– I think it’s better not to think about sleep. Maybe the teacher should take a light walk.
“Sounds great. Please wait here for a moment while I change clothes.”
I had a quiet hummingbird drone follow me, equipped with a camera.
To not forget the sensation of wielding a sword, I always carry my wand.
I passed through a quiet hotel hallway and took the elevator down to the first floor.
The small auditorium being used for tactical meetings was bustling with coaches preparing for the competition.
They seem to have plans to pull an all-nighter.
Avoiding the noisy places, I strolled through an empty restaurant and past the pool.
– Thump thump ~
– Nam-ae is thump thump, today too thump thump.
– The hotel atmosphere is ghost-friendly. My child loves it here~
Compared to other days, the chat was relatively mild.
There were no messages that got on my nerves at all.
I wished it were like this more often.
I decided to drop by the outdoor training hall as well.
Perhaps because it was night, the temperature was pleasantly cool.
– Is this the place where the legendary Nam-ae gymnastics was born?!
– Whoa, the plants are nicely decorated.
– Did Nam-ae watch their own gymnastics?
The chat was entirely filled with discussions about that gymnastics routine.
It wasn’t anything especially noteworthy.
Just a routine focused on flexibility, but I couldn’t understand why people were so captivated by it.
[‘Dog-Guarding Home’ donated 50,000 won!]
– Did you know they stole the Imperial Palace Sword Method from Nam-ae in China? Please let Nam-ae teach them a lesson tomorrow…!
– Please don’t say that.
– Shhh, please!
– Nam-ae must not experience stressㅠ
– The Imperial Palace Sword Method is far stronger than that Soft Sword nonsense, so don’t worry.
– Don’t tell them to stop saying that.
– I feel like this is already attracting a lot of trolling, lol.
This was the first I’d heard of such a thing.
What could it mean that they “stole” the Imperial Palace Sword Method?
With a quick internet search, I was able to piece the event together.
I sat on a cool rock, swinging my legs.
“Everyone, please don’t fight too much in the chat. I’d like to share my thoughts. What is the essence of a sword? The ideal of the sword, the truth of the sword. For what purpose do we wield a sword? First and foremost, it isn’t solely to be unconditionally strong, right? If a tiny grain of sand from the universe is shot at 99% the speed of light, that particle would have a mass larger than a continent. But to reach such destructive strength, one cannot easily view the sword as the best choice, intuitively speaking.”
In other words, the essence of the sword cannot be limited to mere physical strength or destructive power.
Given that ours is a universe set up that way from the beginning, strength equates to mass and speed.
There is no room for swordsmanship to intervene here.
If so, how then do we determine which swordsmanship is superior?
Furthermore, to answer the question of whether the sword’s wielder can exist, we need to clarify the essence even more.
“I believe this is my personal opinion, but perhaps the essence of the sword is closer to being a tool that expands human capability and provides the ability to manifest human will. It sounds like a classic answer that an amateur would give, right?”
I had once heard this notion from my master.
When asked what a sword is, novices reply that it’s just a sword.
If you ask those who have learned a little about swords what a sword is, they present their values such as the will to change the world, courage, and so on.
And when you ask those who have learned swords for a long time what a sword is, they say it’s just a sword.
However, this response is decidedly different from that of novices.
“We engage in a tug-of-war with the world through the sword. Among those perspectives is this: Beyond the simple concept of cutting down the enemy and winning, it achieves harmony between ‘me’ and ‘the world’. This goes beyond physical strength; it represents understanding and growth of the dynamics between the individual and their environment.”
I stepped down from the rock and infused my wand with mana.
With the simple magic inscribed on the wand, the form of Skiabona from my last life appeared.
I released the golden aura into the sword.
This was the unique aura color that was almost my identity.
At the same time, I gripped the handle with my left hand.
If up to now I had faced the world, I would now construct the opposite imagery where the world faces me.
The looming indigo multicolor aura seeped into the sword.
“This is complete balance, transcending victory and defeat.”
Moving slowly, as if drawing the circle of a magic circle, I began to rotate the Cheokhwa Sword smoothly with my wrist.
The contrasting colors blended harmoniously within the circle, forming a Taiji.
Slowly, very slowly, I withdrew the sword.
Once the calm waves emitted by Skiabona completely vanished, only a smooth flat surface remained.
I swung the sword in one strike towards a massive rock.
[Imperial Palace Sword Method 20th Technique – Crescent Slash]
Sling—
It was a stillness I had never felt in battle before.
– ???????
– Wow, what…
– ????
– What???
– Wow, No Name…
– Is this really possible????
The top part of the enormous rock slid along the 45-degree cross-section.
Kugugung—!
As soon as the heavy rock hit the ground, it produced a noise that woke people from their slumber.
“Is this the 20th technique, Crescent Slash of the Imperial Palace Sword Method, or…?”
I ran my fingers over the smooth cut surface, smiling with satisfaction.
“Or is it the Taijihye Geom used by the Luo’an competitor last week?”
Eventually, I gathered all the aura I had infused into the Cheokhwa Sword.
If I was to take balance and harmony as my motif, I should also have been prepared to be confined in return.
Having tried it once, I found the swordplay to be not that difficult after all.
I smirked lightly, heading toward the exit of the training hall.
“By the way, this isn’t my favorite philosophy. I’ve always preferred victory.”
