Returned, the World Didn’t Collapse -59-
059.
When Ido Hyuk started Iron Fist, debates raged across various communities.
The topic was, ‘Can Lee Dohyuk really reach the top spot in the Iron Fist rankings?’.
Some said it was definitely possible, while others pointed out various differences between Elpa and Iron Fist, claiming it was impossible.
Moreover, Iron Fist’s server was different from Elpa’s, as it was a continent-wide Asia server.
Not only top-tier experts from Korea, Japan, China, and Southeast Asia, but also experts from Australia and New Zealand, despite not being part of Asia, were integrated into the server.
Iron Fist’s celestial realm was filled with those who were confident in their skills.
Just the number of users alone was hundreds of times more compared to Elpa’s peak in the Korean server, surpassing it by over tenfold…
[“How likely is it for you guys to reach the top spot, Lee Dohyuk?”]
– Honestly, even if we try hard, getting to the top spot won’t be easy, right?
– For now, it’s impossible within this season lol
– Yeah, if we want to increase our character angle, it will take a few months
– I think the same… Even from the Celestial Rank, winning just one match won’t make a difference, the ranking is packed
– hahahaha, wasn’t it the same in Elpa? Didn’t some easily reach the top spot within a few days?
– Are Elpa and God Fist the same? Anatol and Tsuki couldn’t reach the top spot throughout the season
– They will reach it lol. It’s just a matter of how long it’ll take
Such conversations were common in various communities and were not considered strange at all.
“Hmm, Iron Fist? Is that so… / Lee Dohyuk / 31,603 users”
However, this was only Lee Dohyuk’s second day of broadcasting Iron Fist.
In other words, it was the first day he achieved a 100% win rate of 30 wins and 0 losses, swiftly advancing to the Purple Rank.
Crack–!
That day, users from Elpa remembered.
The fear of being dominated by Lee Dohyuk…
The humiliation of high-ranking players being effortlessly defeated by a 2-day-old newbie…
**
“Ugh, ugh!!”
Purple Rank.
Even if it’s a smurf, once you’ve reached the Purple Rank, you can confidently say anywhere, ‘I’m pretty good at Iron Fist.’
It was also a place where expert users representing each character, users who had won prizes in domestic and international competitions though not professionals, former professionals, and the alts of pro-level celestial realm users were abundant.
Most Iron Fist tournaments set the minimum qualification as ‘Purple Rank or above,’ indicating that Purple Rank was a highly prestigious level.
Swish–! Thud!
“Why, it didn’t hit… Ugh!”
The user currently known as ‘NationalTreverAssociationChairman’ was also one of the well-known experts.
Trever was one of the protagonists in the crime-themed sandbox game Felonies, who appeared in Iron Fist through collaboration.
As a character appearing in Felonies with a violent psychopath concept, he used a bloodied baseball bat as a weapon.
Thanks to the long reach and generous judgment of his weapon skills, he could easily and quickly gain advantages by countering a few moves during a match.
And the ‘N.T.AssociationChairman’ was renowned as a master among masters in handling Trever.
Although he retired early due to character issues, he had once been active as a professional in Iron Fist.
However…
Boom–!
With each swing of the bat—
“···Hmm.”
A word uttered by the opponent.
“What.. what is it?”
From the perspective of the President of the Jent Association, it was incomprehensible.
Why was it so difficult to hit this opponent who was trapped against the wall, unable to retreat?
Why were none of his attacks landing?
“Wasn’t it an abuse?”
With a record of 100% win rate confirmed just before the match began.
However, the President of the Jent Association was convinced that his opponent’s record was inflated through abuse (gaining unfair advantage through dishonest acts) as he easily cornered the opponent against the wall.
Using the pushing technique, known as the “Smunti Push,” to drive the opponent against the wall, Trevor’s primary strategy involved pressuring the opponent endlessly through wall pressure and counterattacks.
The President of the Jent Association could be seen as a master and pioneer of such tactics.
In the current match, he could push the opponent against the wall without even needing to utilize pushing.
The opponent seemed to have attempted to evade with a Backdash, but voluntarily retreated.
For any user with even a bit of knowledge about Trevor, it was an obvious choice not to make.
In other words, assuming that a novice couldn’t achieve a 100% win rate, the President naturally thought that victory was secured through abuse.
Thunk─!!
At that moment, the baseball bat swung once again.
Dodging Trevor’s bat by slightly turning his body.
“Hmm···”
Followed by a muttered ‘Hmm.’
The meaning behind it was unclear.
But at that moment.
“···Is this all you’ve got?”
The opponent, as if broadcasting, spoke into the air.
– hahahahaha
– Target acquired
– ‘Those eyes’ ON
– This one took a bit longer
– hahahahaha, seems like the first person to use Trevor properly, took a while watching
– Jent Association guy’s got some skills.. just gotta handle that well hahahahaha
“..Huh?!”
Following that, the eyes of the President of the Jent Association widened.
Thud!
At that moment, the opponent’s movements reversed.
Just moments ago, cornered against the wall, how did he manage to dodge to this extent? Twisting his body continuously to evade, now he was actually springing forward.
And then-
Thud!
A strong impact struck the President of the Jent Association.
Dodging sideways, but facing the opponent’s attack accurately. Desperately swinging the bat, yet effortlessly parrying it.
Crack!
A perfect parry executed with impeccable timing.
There was no choice but to follow with a brief stiffness.
Simultaneously, the opponent’s fist traced a linear trajectory.
Crackle!
Electricity sparked in the air.
A characteristic of the Brainwave characters.
Electricity swirling around Lee Dohyuk’s arms.
Followed by a one-sided pummeling.
Hook – Thud!
Thwack, Thud, Thud!
And finally…
Swoosh –
Trevor’s baseball bat spinning through the air.
After dodging the swing from the Head of the Trent Association, Lee Dohyuk swiftly kicked up the opponent’s wrist.
Thud.
And caught the slowly falling bat.
“Huh?”
Could it really be done? To actually disarm the opponent’s weapon.
A baseball bat.
Perhaps because it was a weapon used in the outbreak, the grip wasn’t bad.
Anyhow.
Crash!!
Grabbing it and swinging downward.
The baseball bat collided with the opponent’s head, producing a satisfying sound.
-hahahahaha
-Now he’s even snatching away weapons, hahahahaha
“Sounds good, doesn’t it?”
Saying so, Lee Dohyuk swung the bat once more.
Though the Head of the Trent Association desperately tried to dodge, the bat followed that evasion path and struck the opponent’s head.
Thud!
Another resonating clear sound.
-That sound is hilarious, hahahahaha
-Thud!
-(Accompanied by a sound effect illustration)
[YOU LOSE]
In the end, not long after, the defeat symbol appeared before the Head of the Trent Association.
“······”
The chairman of the J-Ent Association looked at Lee Dohyuk with a face that seemed fed up.
[Hm, what’s up with that?]
#1774
It felt like a nickname meant for himself.
In the end, his choice was…
Paat!
To hit the “Run” button.
The chairman of the J-Ent Association quickly left without requesting another match.
-Run kekeke
-Another run
-He’s running away again
-Kekeke but a death match with Master Dohyuk is too intense
“We’ll have one more round this time too.”
Before you knew it, Lee Dohyuk had become familiar not only to his viewers but also to himself.
In reality, Iron Fist had a culture of death matches.
When players of the same rank faced off, they would continue with revenge matches until one side was demoted or promoted.
It wasn’t a rule set by the game company but rather an unspoken rule among the players.
However, since reaching the Violet Tier, Lee Dohyuk had only played a few matches at first and had been unable to engage in death matches for some time.
Just like the chairman had left without requesting a revenge match, everyone else followed suit.
-That’s a wise move
-He tried to challenge Akuma earlier and got demoted kekeke
-Darn… That’s why you need to be quick-witted…
The reason was that as the opponents’ skills improved, they quickly assessed Lee Dohyuk’s level too.
An opponent who seemed unbeatable no matter what.
Not many were willing to have a death match with such opponents.
In essence, it was akin to voluntarily accepting a demotion.
Anyway…
[You have ascended to the Divine Throne]
A golden notification filled the screen.
-Wow
-Day 2, Divine Throne cut!
-The Golden Tier guys are something else!
“Fortunately, the promotion didn’t take too long.”
On the second day of starting Iron Fist.
About 6 hours into Lee Dohyuk’s broadcast today.
He swiftly broke through the Violet Tier known as the Masters’ Zone and successfully entered the Golden Tier.
His current rank was the Divine Throne.
From here onwards, it was a rank where he could confidently call himself a “master.”
It wasn’t just artisans or former pros here; it was filled with current pros and top amateurs, essentially making it the Golden Tier where everyone was at least an amateur master.
From the concept of the tier itself, it was meant to be a place symbolizing the gods of Iron Fist.
And the result.
[Ah, fooled again!!]
(Another fooled scene)
Yeah, you should’ve believed those rumors, lololol
– Ah, lol, we’ve already experienced it.
– You guys should experience it too~
[??? : Even Ido-hyuk is a bit···]
(Smacked with a ladle!)
(Grabbing a baseball bat and hitting the President of the Federation scene)
“Next.”
It had been a long time since those who doubted Ido-hyuk’s achievement of being ranked first in the Iron Fist community had almost disappeared.
[Today’s Ido-hyuk Sensei Hunting List]
Muyeongsu, Beyond Sub-Character (presumed), Akuma, President of the Federation, Roronoa Musashi, Iris······
-Yondu···
-Lololol, Yondu, did you get exposed again?
-After two rounds, when Sensei Ido-hyuk asked if you were Beyond, and you stubbornly said, “Yes..? I don’t know that person,” it was hilarious, lolololol
-Ah, lol, he’s someone who never used a four-wheel drive.
Besides the President of the Federation, there were many current and former professionals in the Hyunpro and Junpro who had met Ido-hyuk and lost, which is why.
In the Boradan, there were many who had been demoted in the Death Match held in the Golden Section, so they often faced such opponents.
[56 wins 0 losses]
Of course, Ido-hyuk never suffered a single defeat against these opponents.
Thud-
Ido-hyuk began to spin the queue to find his 57th victim.
[Mission Success!]
Yet, he did not forget to complete the mission that was crucial for his promotion.
-Lololol, can’t resist the temptation.
-For real, a critical mission.
“Trevor doesn’t look as good as expected. The taste of his hands… was unique, though.”
-Smack!
-Lololol, the taste of his hands is awesome, lololol
-He hit hard.
-No, lololol, what you’re writing now is about Devil King, right?
-But the finishing move was a bat?
“Next time, I’d like to meet some characters I haven’t encountered before.”
Ido-hyuk had played 56 matches so far.
However, out of about 15 characters he had encountered, some opponents he faced two or three times, and in some cases, up to five consecutive matches, causing character overlaps.
In the past, characters were sold for a fee, unlike Ultimate Fighter, which released new characters on a regular basis.
One of the advantages of Iron Fist over Ultimate Fighter was that the participating characters exceeded thirty.
Even though Ido-hyuk had reached the Golden Section, he had yet to meet over half of the characters.
Clang-
[GET READY FOR THE NEXT BATTLE]
At that moment, the opponent was caught.
[Kenshin]
“Hmm?”
Was it because of his 100% win rate?
It was Lee Dohyuk who encountered Jin Shin, not a God Seat but a higher rank.
From Noble mtl dot com
[72 wins 16 losses]
Though not undefeated like Lee Dohyuk, his opponent boasted an exceptionally high win rate.
Maintaining such a win rate even in the Golden League meant that his opponent’s skills were outstanding.
Furthermore, the character chosen was one Lee Dohyuk had desired and had never encountered before.
– Oh? Jin Shin is the opponent?
– Yes! Finally, it’s Masamune.
– Your nickname is awesome, lol. Kenshin is the best.
– For real, lol.
– We’re Hm-Shin, lol.
– Lol, Hm-Shin, lol.
– Japanese player?
Masamune, a samurai character wielding a Japanese sword.
Adopting the concept from the famous Japanese swordsman Musashi, who used the Ittō-ryū style of wielding two swords, along with the character Miyamoto, Masamune was highly popular among Japanese players.
In Korea, however, he was a character with a low pick rate, unlike in Japan.
Due to the well-balanced Iron Fist character lineup between weapon wielders and bare-handed fighters, Korean players tended to prefer characters who did not handle weapons.
“…”
Thud-
After a brief glance at Lee Dohyuk, the opponent immediately readied up.
Despite the surprise that could come from his win streak, there was no sign of shock.
Thud-
[READY]
[FIGHT!!!]
And thus, the battle began.
How much time had passed?
“Hmm?”
‘What is this…?’
Lee Dohyuk’s eyes flickered.
**
Kenshin’s true identity is Shinjiro.
The prince of the Japanese fighting game scene, who may even surpass Tsuki, was none other than him.
Shinjiro was planning to participate in the Tworc Iron Fist Tournament to qualify for EVO.
There was a reason why he brought an undisclosed alt character today to snipe Lee Dohyuk.
It was to conduct a “scouting match.”
[“…It would be wise to be careful.”]
The warning Tsuki had given him.
At first, he thought it was to restrain himself from coming up with a plan to defeat him someday.
[“…Hmm, easy.”]
*Pak, pat-! Papabak!*
He could easily tell from the broadcast he had checked just in case that the warning was indeed real.
Before he knew it, he had appeared on the Violet Faction, indiscriminately slaughtering the strong players he had encountered a few times within the server, as broadcasted.
The opponent’s strength was clearly evident.
But did that mean he had no chance of winning when they faced off in the tournament later?
That was yet to be seen.
If the odds were low, raise them!
It wasn’t about the stronger one surviving, but about the survivor being strong!
That was his definition of strength.
Hence, he was targeting him with his sub-character now.
He brought out his main character, Masamune, but concealed his swordsmanship as much as possible, aiming to understand the opponent’s play style.
He wasn’t targeting to win, but he was targeting to win from the start.
[FIGHT!!!]
And the ensuing battle.
A few minutes had passed.
“─?!”
Shinjiro’s brain refused to comprehend the current situation.
It was inevitable.
*Swish!*
A swinging sword.
Not his own.
A sword that was snatched away in an instant.
Yes, he could understand that too.
It was humiliating, but not impossible within the game system, and the sequence of actions that led to his sword being taken was so clean that it was admirable.
Yet, if the same moment were to come again, he was confident he wouldn’t be disarmed.
“───!!”
But who on earth was this opponent?
“─! ──!!!”
Handling his family’s secret swordsmanship so skillfully without even showing it properly.
Was it possible that he had mastered something that even he hadn’t learned yet?!