Return without the World Falling Apart -64-
064.
Chilling.
[-Wow, amazing! Being able to witness this directly.]
[-Anatole will surely win, right?]
A dagger flew into the heart through the voice.
But don’t worry.
[-Unnie, did that person also start Iron Fist? I saw that! Clip where Chuga oppa killed!]
[-Hmm.. They probably started not long ago, right?]
Since my experience with Iron Fist is more than Do-hyuk’s.
Do-hyuk started Iron Fist just 3 days ago.
It hasn’t been long since he turned on the broadcast today, so he must have only played for two days at most.
In contrast, my experience with Iron Fist is tens, hundreds of times more!
So far, I can still have the upper hand!
With that thought in mind, Anatol was nurturing a fierce heart…
[-Huh? Win rate 100%?!]
‘…?’
Do-hyuk’s record that caught Anatol’s eye in the Discord.
[61 wins 0 losses]
The important thing wasn’t the win rate.
‘No way…’
61 matches?
How many matches did that gentleman play in just two days?
**
Thud-
Since they said they would reveal the combos of the Brainwave characters, Anatol reluctantly picked a Brainwave character.
The one he picked was Seishu, the face of Iron Fist and the main character, the symbol of Brainwave.
“Oh, Anatol, your Brainwave must be different, right?”
Watching that, Do-hyuk said.
The main characters of many Iron Fist users are Brainwave characters.
That’s why Do-hyuk, who had met Brainwave characters while playing Iron Fist until now, was getting tired of them.
But if you asked if there was a satisfying opponent among them… that was a bit ambiguous.
‘Up to a certain rank, they were all guys who couldn’t even use one combo properly, and from the ranks above that, there were no guys who could use combos well.’
Except for Devil King user he met on the first day, they were guys who only used the Extreme Thunder combo after the Brainwave Step.
Well, there were a few variations there as well, but for Do-hyuk, it was a meaningless change.
In the end, since they were the same in essence, it was easy to deal with.
As he climbed the ranks, this tendency became even more pronounced.
But Anatol would naturally be different.
-Yes, Seishu is my main character.
-hahahaha, nice sniper shot
-Wow, he’s good at sniping too
“Oh, is that sniping? It’s not sniping, it’s participating in the content.”
Glancing at the chat window, Do-hyuk said that.
“Anatol, you’re hosting an educational broadcast for streamers participating in this tournament, right? Since I’m also a streamer participating in the tournament, isn’t it the same as you inviting me? Right, Anatol?”
-Oh, I see
-Miraculous logic, wow
– hahahaha, is this also Viking-style reasoning?
– No, this is Idohyuk-style.
“What, I mean…”
Anatol’s reaction upon hearing Idohyuk’s words.
Pressing his head with one hand, he responded to Idohyuk.
“It wasn’t about you, Do-hyuk, it was about someone else. Phew, it wasn’t about targeting you…”
“Oh, there are other people here now. Hello. I’m new streamer Idohyuk.”
-hahahaha
-Mu-si
“Aren’t you only listening to what you want to hear?”
-hahahahaha
[-Oh? Hello! I’m streamer Lemi!]
[-Can you hear us too? I’m Byuljandi!]
“…Wait a moment.”
Beep-
Anatol manipulated the settings.
First, he sent a friend request to Idohyuk’s account and upon acceptance, invited him to a watch party.
It didn’t take long.
“Oh, can you hear us?”
[-Yes, we can hear you!]
[-Wow, hello! I played a game with Jian a few days ago.]
“hahahaha, with Jian? You must have had a hard time.”
[-hahahaha, that’s right. Hey, have you ever seen someone so bad at Overcooking?]
“If Overcooking is a cooking game, hmm, if Jian cooks… Ugh, just imagining it…”
[-Exactly, the game was fun, but I failed the challenge ten times.]
[-Count me in for Overcooking! Oh, Do-hyuk, are you good at cooking?]
Idohyuk’s interaction with other streamers when invited to the voice chat.
One streamer, who knows Jian, continues the conversation.
-What’s with the insider behavior!
-Talking like this with people you just met?
-Ugh
-Charisma overflowing;;
-Is this… the life of a superstar…?
Seeing that, viewers with horns.
Of course, viewers always hope for Idohyuk to do well, feel good, and have an entertaining broadcast since he’s a streamer they like, but…
*Ding*
[“Honeyvoice” has donated 10,000 won.]
“I didn’t wish for him to be this happy…”
[“MyLittleHappiness” has donated 5,000 won.]
-Idohyuk… is this who he is…?
Being happy to this extent wasn’t the case!
They were viewers who chatted with one heart and one mind.
– I’m feeling mischievous…
– Is conversation with people usually this easy?
– OMG LOL
– Ugh
– hahahahaha, the chat box is hilarious.
– Sigh… not gaming?
“······”
And there was one person who wasn’t a viewer but shared similar thoughts with the viewers.
“Is cooking just about the basics? I’m more of a survival cook, so I prioritize nutrition over taste. My specialty is.. grilling? I’ve had many instances of eating raw without cooking.”
[-Oh, you like healthy food!]
[-I also like sashimi. There’s a really delicious flounder restaurant near my house. In winter, there’s always a long line in front of it. I’m really close with the owner···]
Why… am I getting more nervous?
“Phew.”
Anatole let out a long breath.
Getting nervous… right, it’s like stage fright.
Seeing Ido Hyuk after the disappointing loss in the last tournament, Anatole naturally felt a sense of stage fright.
And hasn’t he made tremendous progress himself since then?
Wanting to show that to Ido Hyuk, perhaps that’s what it is.
‘Well, maybe.’
Moreover, if he continues winning at the upcoming EVO tournament, he would eventually face Ido Hyuk or Kwanba.
For now, this practice match is just about wanting to defeat Ido Hyuk.
There are no other emotions, not even a bit.
Clang-
Just do your best to defeat the opponent.
That’s all it was.
With that thought in mind, Anatole adjusted his posture.
“Well, I’ll go play against Anatole now.”
[-Sure! Fighting! Anatole, fighting too!]
[-Both of you, do well!]
“···Yes, thank you.”
Thud-
For some reason, he kept tensing his jaw.
Thump-
Ido Hyuk chose a character to face Anatole…
-hahahahaha, this is it.
-LOL
-That’s the way.
-The throne succession meta is strong.
In the game setting, Ryu, the son of Seishu chosen by Anatole.
He was also a character who used the Noshinryu.
**
Crack! Thud!
His battle with Lee Dohyuk.
After Anatole had replayed that match dozens of times, he discovered something.
It was the realization that Lee Dohyuk’s feints, which had mesmerized him at the time, were not just feints.
Lee Dohyuk’s attacks were not carefully calculated deceptions from the beginning.
Rather, they were more about constantly changing his movements and seizing opportunities.
If Anatole hadn’t responded correctly to those movements from the start?
It wouldn’t have ended as a feint; Lee Dohyuk’s strike would have hit Anatole directly.
All of that was not just an illusion but a reality, and at the same time, it was also an illusion.
Of course, I still don’t understand how such miraculous techniques were possible.
But one thing I did realize, even if I didn’t understand it:
“I need to change my play style.”
From his Ultimate Fighter days, Anatole’s play style could be summarized as “calculated + instinct.”
Anatole, who stood at the pinnacle among Alpha gamers in both areas.
This allowed him to sometimes predict the opponent’s play through calculation and sometimes instinctively block, making him the strongest in the world.
In this way, Anatole could become the strongest in Alpha.
But what about after that?
Would he be able to advance to the next level using the same method?
“I shouldn’t do that.”
Until now, he had thought it might be possible.
But when he watched Kwanha two years ago, and through the recent match with Lee Dohyuk, he finally realized… that there are people in this world who do not conform to this “calculation.”
To face such individuals, he needed to boldly discard one of his play styles.
Rather than calculating the opponent’s play…
“I need to trust my instincts.”
The finely honed, instinctual sense.
With that, Anatole was confident.
Crack!
Just like right now!
Lee Dohyuk’s fist blocked by Anatole’s guard.
Anatole immediately rotated his body.
His sharp elbow aimed at Lee Dohyuk.
Hook-
Lee Dohyuk stepped back.
Anatole’s attack didn’t end there.
His body swaying like a willow.
Swiftly catching up with a Noshin step, he extended his fist.
A thunderous blow aiming for the opponent’s midsection.
But… it won’t work.
That thought briefly crossed Anatol’s mind.
In that case…
From Noble mtl dot com
Pop!
Cancel, then into Dragon’s Head.
Anatol’s leg swiftly extended, aiming for Ido-hyuk’s lower body.
“Now!”
But before reaching the target, the trajectory was altered.
It wasn’t a calculated move.
An instinctual attack relying on senses.
Bam!
Ido-hyuk raised his guard, deflecting the strike, but that was all.
The momentum shifted in Anatol’s favor.
Stepping forward again, Anatol continued the flurry of attacks.
Striking with Dragon Fist, then Wave Fist.
Transitioning from combo strikes to cancel, then Extreme Thunder Fist.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Once, twice… dozens of times.
The clash of offense and defense at an incredibly fast pace.
Extending a strike, altering the trajectory, twisting the body, retreating, then advancing again.
[Hmm, interesting]
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □ □
[Anatol]
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □
Their blood was shed in the ongoing close combat.
But it was Ido-hyuk who shed more blood.
Anatol was gaining the upper hand in the exchange.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
How many more seconds would the exchange last?
They separated briefly, then—
“Pressure!”
Crack!
As if refusing even a moment of respite, Anatol leaped forward once more with a burst of energy.
This, too, was not a calculated action.
Anatol, in a state of heightened concentration.
Since a while ago, he hadn’t entertained any thoughts, focusing solely on one thing.
If meeting a Buddha, he would kill the Buddha, Pongbul Sallbul; if encountering an ancestor, he would kill the ancestor, Pongjo Salljo;
If meeting Ido-hyuk, he would kill Ido-hyuk!
That was his sole thought!
From the beginning, that was his only thought.
This is truly the path of a true martial artist.
Bang! Bam! Bap!
Of course, it’s not a reckless attack.
Anatol in Iron Fist may not be the world’s strongest, but he is certainly at the top level of masters.
Even in the DaJeon fighting game, his experience surpasses Quabnana and Ido Hyuk by several times.
Without calculation, a variety of striking techniques extended, retracted, aimed at the opponent again, staggered, not just mere acrobatics, Anatol’s hands and feet poured out various techniques of the martial art “game” that could be called miraculous.
Pop! Pow!
The intense focus was leading Anatol to the next level.
“Here’s the lower part, then… the upper part!”
Hook! Pop, bam!
Clashing, crossing, crossing again!
A feeling of almost being caught.
To relieve that feeling, Anatol was unfolding everything he had saved for the EVO tournament.
Unknowingly, his senses were unfolding the strikes as they led him.
From Ultimate Fighter to the current Iron Fist.
The essence extracted by a gaming genius after endless battles with numerous competitors.
Anatol was unleashing all of that.
“I… see it!”
But there was no regret.
Thanks to that, Anatol was blocking all of Ido Hyuk’s attacks.
Ido Hyuk’s attacks, seemingly within reach!
Was it due to the heightened focus?
It seemed like his senses were beginning to read the opponent’s movements.
“Hmm.”
Well… it couldn’t be helped.
“This is something new? Oh, twisting it like this here…”
Bang! Crack!
“So, this is the move.”
Ido Hyuk’s flurry of strikes was what Anatol had displayed a few minutes ago.
It could only be read since it was a move he had just showcased with his own body.
“Ugh, still dizzy.”
“Well…”
Remi-chan and Byeoljandi.
Two streamers who couldn’t even last a minute watching the match from Anatol’s perspective before switching to their own mode.
They grimaced, still looking confused.
“Wow, this is insane.”
“Is this the fight of the strongest in that world?”
In reality, understanding the current match at their level was close to impossible.
Despite being experienced enough in Iron Fist to be invited to the Iron Fist streamer competition, they were not truly gaming masters.
Rather, they were more like dreamers who had to listen to viewers’ criticisms every day, and when they turned off the broadcast, they had to hear their older brother or younger brother saying, “That’s not how you do it…” every day.
“But they really teach well.”
However, there was one thing even they could understand.
Thud, thud-thud!
[Hmm, interesting]
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □ □ □
[Anatole]
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □ □ □
Before they knew it, their HP had become equal.
Viewing the two from a third-person perspective, it was naturally understandable.
Perhaps Anatole himself might not have known…
“Wow, how can they be like that for real?”
“Well, maybe it’s because they teach and learn so well.”
To them, it seemed like a truly remarkable ‘educational’ broadcast.
Both the teacher and the learner were exceptional, making this possible, right?
Thud! Thud-thud!
As shivers ran down Anatole’s arms and legs with his striking moves-
Thud! Thud-thud!
Similar moves unfolded through Ido Hyuk’s arms and legs as well.
Of course, not immediately, but a few seconds later.
Choosing one of the moves Anatole had displayed just before at the right timing, Ido Hyuk replicated it.
This was the true essence of education!
Even without the teacher knowing, the student learns!
-Oh… Ouch…
-hahahahaha
-Ah, damn, Pongtol hyung!
-But Anatole is really good at this, right?
-Yeah, but the problem is Ido Hyuk Sensei is even better at it
-This alpha GOAT gives generously…
-hahahaha, damn, hahahahaha
-I’d rather be on Anatole hyung’s side ㅠㅠ