– Returned but the world hasn’t gone to waste -70-
070.
Dark Girl looked at the opponent who picked Massamune.
“Hmm.”
Was it nervousness?
The opponent had a blank expression, looking around here and there.
The map chosen randomly was Monkey Garden, commonly known as the jungle map, where both walls and floors collapse.
Tock- Tock-
Lynn reached out her hand and grabbed the vines full of grapes.
She even walked to the end of the wall and when blocked, she groped the thick wall with her hand.
“Huh?”
The dark-haired girl who was watching her made that sound.
It was because of a sudden sense of familiarity.
She felt like she had seen someone do that kind of thing before…
“Oh.”
It came to her.
Clearly, it was the day when the dark-haired girl was on a crafting mission.
It was when Ido Hyuk appeared in the volcano-shaped map duel and did exactly that newbie cosplay.
No… Strictly speaking, it wasn’t cosplay, he was actually a newbie, but… anyway.
‘Provocation?’
…It seemed unlikely.
It didn’t look like that kind of gesture.
And surely, the first encounter between the dark-haired girl and Ido Hyuk wasn’t exported to Japan.
Even if a video was uploaded on YouTube, it wouldn’t have spread to other countries by now.
Moreover, the opponent belonged to the Blue Faction.
It had been quite some time since she briefly touched Iron Fist and returned to the Blue Faction, ranking up to a new seat. The gap in their ranks was like night and day compared to her.
[Lynn]
[16 wins 0 losses]
It might be a bit annoying to face someone with a 100% win rate, but still… 16 wins.
The dark-haired girl achieved that easily if she set her mind to it.
So, the opponent’s appearance wasn’t deliberately fabricated.
In that case…
“It seems like you’re quite talented, aren’t you?”
“…?”
It would be right to see her easily adapting to Iron Fist, which she tried for the first time.
-Kya
-As expected, the first disciple
From Noble mtl dot com
-You’ve even learned the mentor’s catchphrase well lol
The chat window buzzed with excitement at the sight of the dark-haired girl.
Of course, by regulation, the dark-haired girl had long turned off the chat window.
“Hmm, Masamune isn’t an easy character for beginners to handle, right? Oh, did you use to do kendo or something?”
Nodding-
Lynn nodded in response to the dark-haired girl’s question.
Thanks to the translation AI, communication was not an issue.
“Ah, I see.”
She had thought so, but it turned out to be true.
The dark girl smiled warmly.
Among gamers of various disciplines, not just fighting games, there were quite a few who had experience in other sports.
In fact, the dark girl was no exception.
She too had practiced kendo in her youth. And she was quite good at it.
During middle and high school, the number of national competition trophies she won exceeded two digits.
Although in her senior year of high school, due to the release of Full Dive, she veered off the path of kendo and onto the road of gaming, completely changing her career path.
Anyway.
Clang-
[READY]
The dark girl, reminiscing old memories, completed her preparations.
Masamune vs. Masamune in a mirror match.
Well then, wouldn’t it be nice to try this after a long time?
Hoo-
First, two steps forward.
Then, she met Rin’s gaze.
“···”
The opponent, Rin, started to show signs of tension at the sight of the dark girl.
Rin, like the dark girl, took a step forward.
Then, they exchanged greetings.
Thud-
Waist cut.
Next, a three-step advance starting from the right foot, executing a thrust.
Sizzle-
As Rin followed suit with her actions, the dark girl’s lips curved into a smile.
Rin, too, wore a smile.
[FIGHT!!!]
And thus, the match began.
The two didn’t rush towards each other.
Rin had stuck to this style since the preliminaries.
If the opponent attacked first, she would counter.
But the fact that the dark girl didn’t rush in immediately…
‘It’s too harsh…’
She decided not to do it.
Was it because she hadn’t bowed properly after a long time?
Or was it because the opponent was similar to her?
For some reason, Rin was reminded of when the dark girl started to show interest.
The pleasure of displaying the kendo she learned in reality at a speed several times faster in Full Dive.
Just like the dark girl back then, it was probably an exciting moment for Rin.
It was unnecessary to show the severity of this fighting game to the opponent so early on.
“Hmm.”
Then at first…
“Lightly.”
Shall we test our skills?
Blame!
The dark girl rushed forward, kicking the ground.
Continuing from the pause…
Huh-?
Swish─!
Geum Hee, are you cheating again!
**
Two sword blades intersect.
Clang!
[Oh, what is this!]
[Come on! Cut it off and lift it up! A great response from player Lynn!]
The commentators in a surprised atmosphere.
It couldn’t be helped.
Dark Girl VS Lynn.
Especially in a mirror match where the gap in skills is clearly visible.
Who would have expected Lynn to win in such a matchup.
Of course, one would have thought it would be a landslide victory for Dark Girl, a former pro player and a famous streamer.
Wasn’t she the one who even defeated Shinjiro today?
Just enduring a few rounds would have been considered lucky.
But what is this?
Clang, clang!
The clash of swords.
“Huh?!”
The dark girl quickly moved her hands, taking a few steps back.
She was the one being pushed back.
Several exchanges of attacks had been ongoing since the beginning of the match.
[Dark Girl]
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □ □
[Lynn]
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
The dark girl, who had allowed the opponent to attack several times.
-?
-What’s this?
-Is this a hidden camera..?
-I said I was uneasy earlier!
-Is this a plot twist for a dramatic ending?
Viewers were greatly perplexed by the nature of the game.
-www
-The Blue Faction of Japan overwhelms the New Seat of Korea www
-Where are those traitors who were swaggering around earlier, hyung? www
Of course, the Japanese side’s reaction is quite the opposite.
The Black-haired Girl who defeated Shinjiro.
Except for the quiet fandom of Tsuki, there were quite a few viewers who anticipated that she would be the final winner of this tournament.
However, such a Black-haired Girl is suddenly facing obstacles from an unknown streamer, and a Japanese one at that.
‘…Tsk!’
The Black-haired Girl herself felt like she was going to die.
To have let her guard down at first and handed over the momentum to her opponent? That was not like her.
Of course, she did suffer losses in the first exchange.
But that was it.
As her opponent withdrew without further pursuit, there were no further losses.
Swish-!
Even now, it’s the same.
A sword strike aimed at a gap.
Clang!
Lynn easily brushes it off.
Swoosh-
The subtly slipping blade once again cuts the Black-haired Girl.
She desperately evades backward, but it grazes her left hand.
Just now… what did she do?
A feeling like being possessed by a ghost.
And once again, a sense of déjà vu.
Surely… she had felt this way recently.
Several times, even.
“……!”
No way.
Shing-!
The Black-haired Girl’s sword strikes once again.
The tip of her sword reaching the end of Lynn’s blade.
Lynn’s sword moves as if accurately predicting that point.
It was right then.
Tick.
The flowing movement suddenly changes direction.
Forcing the motion to cancel, activating a different technique.
The stabbing blade twists and transitions into a slashing motion.
Masamune’s Strong Slash, Chamchunseom斬天閃.
Kwahng!
This time, she didn’t let it slip away.
[Dark Girl]
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □ □ □
[Lynn]
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □
The dark girl who successfully unveiled Lynn.
‘..As expected.’
At first, she thought of her as a master who concealed her identity.
Unless Iron Fist got banned entirely due to illegal program use, they allowed multiple accounts.
She already possessed the pro-level skills of Iron Fist, so she assumed that someone preparing for their debut and wanting to catch the opponent off guard came under a different account.
Of course, such actions were prohibited by tournament rules, but… who knows what happens.
From the beginning, the tournament itself was surrounded by various rumors.
She even considered that it might have been a setup not for Shinji from the start, but for Lynn.
[Ah! We allow the Chamcheon Island as it is, Player Lynn!]
[The dodge was slightly late. Oh, the situation is turning around. The opportunistic Geomhee, not missing a chance, continues the attack!]
As Lynn was pushed into defense as the commentator said.
Swish! Clang!
She stepped back hesitantly.
But only for a moment.
Twisting her body, Lynn evaded the dark girl’s attack.
In no time, the aimed blade of the dark girl was directed towards Lynn.
Thwack!
The dark girl had to forcefully execute a backdash.
But no follow-up attacks came.
The opponent remained in the same stance as before.
Observing her blade, Lynn was only keeping a certain distance after dodging.
‘In that case…’
Whoosh!
As she dodged the dash and thrust her blade, the dark girl.
Swish─!
And just like a little while ago, the blade twisted.
Transitioning from the Spirit Stab to Chamcheon Island.
In fact, this was one of the secret techniques the dark girl had prepared to face Idohyuk.
One of Masamune’s techniques that was not commonly used.
But she thought she could land a hit on Idohyuk at least once with this.
Clang!
Unlike before, this time Lynn effortlessly blocked the attack.
Even though the attack trajectory was different due to the transition of techniques, she easily responded without any difficulty.
Watching this, the dark girl’s speculation gradually turned into conviction.
‘This person…’
For some reason, she had a feeling of familiarity since a while ago.
Opponent, Lynn.
Her talent is on par with or even surpasses Idohyuk’s!
I can’t even fathom there being such a level.
Nevertheless, Lynn keeps bringing Idohyuk to mind.
Naturally, I couldn’t help but realize the reason.
‘So alike.’
Just like Idohyuk, Lynn has never relied on corrections within Iron Fist.
In other words, all her swordplay is purely her own doing.
“hahahaha.”
To meet someone like her again.
Recently, the Dark Maiden, not just her but also others like Anatol and Beyond, who have faced Idohyuk a few times, were all reducing their reliance on corrections in their plays.
While unavoidable to poke holes in the opponent’s defense with activations and cancels, corrections, and non-corrections, apart from that, like Idohyuk, they were trying to unfold as much as possible on their own.
Of course, in the process, what they were referring to was Idohyuk’s replays.
Naturally, they weren’t yet capable of unfolding as much as Idohyuk.
Clang! Cling! Clang!
Is that why?
[Dark Maiden]
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □ □ □ □ □
[Lynn]
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □ □
As the workshop continued, the Dark Maiden’s HP gradually started to deplete.
The Dark Maiden gritted her teeth.
At this rate, she would end up losing.
Not to catch Idohyuk… but.
She participated in the tournament to give him a run for his money.
However, she unexpectedly stumbled over a rock.
‘No… It can’t be called a rock…’
The current opponent, too, was like a massive wall.
Regardless, there was no turning back now.
She had tried to save herself for the moment she met Idohyuk, who could ‘Beyond’ with just one look.
But the current opponent seemed equally formidable.
Hence.
Blame!
Evading Lynn’s sword strike, the Dark Maiden leaped back to widen the gap.
How much distance had opened up?
The Dark Maiden stood still, looking at Lynn.
“Phew-“
After a long exhale.
“Dark Maiden Mode ON.”
Until she uttered those words.
Gya-uk.
Even with the help of the interpreting AI, Lynn slightly tilted her head at the meaning that wasn’t properly conveyed.
– Pyeopyeo.
– This is it.
– Daegum Hee!
– Oh dear, stop fooling around now!
The dark girl adjusted her posture once more.
Following the waist sword from earlier, it wasn’t the sword of kendo.
Rather, slightly higher.
Tilt the angle a bit more.
The dark girl, in a position where she felt most comfortable.
Having practiced pole dives so far, she had developed a swordsmanship of her own.
It was a posture for that.
“······”
Seeing the dark girl in such a position, Lynn also adjusted her posture.
For those who had seen a past broadcast, it was a stance reminiscent of something familiar, like a kisoshiki起手式.
How much time had passed like this?
“Ha-ah!”
As if the dark girl’s readiness was a signal, they both rushed towards each other.
**
─ Suck!
Swords clashing.
Clang! Clang! Jjeoung!
Dozens of exchanges.
– Whoa.
– What level is this???
– Is this a streamer competition??
– In Do-hyuk sensei’s opinion, who do you think will win?
Addressing the viewers who marveled at the sight, Do-hyuk spoke.
“I think… probably the Japanese contestant will win.”
– Hmm.
– I also think that’s likely.
– ㅠㅠ
From Noble mtl dot com
– I was rooting for Gumi Hee
– Nooooo, my first disciple
At first glance, the appearance might raise some doubts, but viewers believed in Do-hyuk’s words.
And as it turned out.
[The Dark Girl]
□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □
[Lynn]
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □ □ □ □ □
Just a bit more······ Four points behind, losing!
But fought well.
Joseon’s Best Swordswoman!