LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 2
Chapter 2 – Hello, I am a sniper. I will not snipe.
Sometimes, I think it’s better to have no talent at all rather than being insufficient in it. My talent was enough to reach the top 500 challengers in KoK, but it fell short of being sufficient to become a professional gamer.
I thought a slight difference in skill level meant that I needed to put in more effort. Everything from my reaction speed to my cognitive abilities was infinitely lacking compared to top competitors — but I believed I possessed a different talent that could overcome all of that.
I established a play style called ‘Data Gameplay’, constantly researching and studying how to win games: How to play the game to win. When and what mistakes are the most fatal.
At the end of my efforts, the ceiling I hit was ranked 492nd in the Korean server. Even after feeling a sense of awakening and evolving, the next ceiling I hit was that of a professional gamer trainee. It was a solid concrete ceiling that was crystal clear in my eyes, causing excruciating pain each time I hit my head against it.
I could have made a living as a professional gamer even in an unpopular overseas league where each friend had one large pimple on their head, earning a salary of around 20 million won. While it was hard to imagine receiving the spotlight in Europe or the United States, there were one or two spots in the second-tier leagues in the Middle East where I could have sneaked in.
However, I didn’t have confidence in starting from there to build a meaningful career, let alone the courage to live abroad with that money. So, I gave up on being a pro gamer. Looking back, cutting ties at that point was a somewhat wise decision. It would have been better if I never aspired to be a KoK pro gamer in the first place.
Nevertheless, I have no particular regrets. Whether in a 3-square-meter room from my past life or my current one, life is enjoyable in its own way, and KoK is still fun. Although I faced disappointment at the threshold of being a professional gamer, the KoK skills I once built remain intact. Especially for someone like me who relies on brainwork rather than physical abilities, skills don’t decline rapidly with age.
Therefore,
『Gatheri (Priest): I really want to tear apart that rogue』
『Léon (Holy Knight): Isn’t that the mage that’s broadcasting? Are they greedy for more broadcasts?』
『Gatheri (Priest): If the rogue likes broadcasting so much, they shouldn’t appear on the 9 o’clock news with their parents, right? I’ll order chicken and watch too』
The reason I’m struggling in the Diamond rank is definitely not due to my skills.
『Eat You (Rogue): Um… I’m sorry.』
There are two main problems.
First, reaction speed. I naturally had such poor reaction speed that playing the game by ‘seeing and reacting’ was impossible, and as a result, I performed almost all plays according to a pre-determined plan.
So when I anticipate an attack from the opponent’s upper left corner, my fingers are already preparing an evasion command to dodge that attack, and the moment I see a twitch in the opponent’s right shoulder, I input the command.
Rather than confirming the trajectory of the sword, reacting to the arm swinging is already too late. By the time the opponent’s right shoulder twitches, I must have set my mind to press the keyboard key in order to execute the counter just in time.
Having tested it multiple times, the auditory reaction time of this body I’ve inhabited for the past six months is 0.08 seconds, and the visual reaction time is 0.17 seconds.
Athletes are disqualified if they start within 0.1 seconds of the starting signal. It is considered that if they start within 0.1 seconds, it means they moved before the signal and thus the start time itself is evidence of a false start.
So, it means I possess reaction speeds that exceed the limits possible for humans. With such reaction speeds combined with my playstyle, what happens is this:
『Geochiri (Priest): Did that rogue just deliberately go forward and get hit by a missed skill?』
『Geochiri (Priest): Why does this damn game never catch trolls?』
No matter how hard I step on the accelerator, due to the habit of driving at 80 kilometers per hour for a lifetime, even when driving a Ferrari, I keep pressing the accelerator pedal too hard.
The result, of course, is crashing into a wall at 150 kilometers per hour. However, the real reason lies secondly. In the world I lived in before, the game was played with a keyboard and mouse.
In the parallel world I now live in, the game is played with full VR motion tracking. Whether it’s a remnant of my past life, they do support keyboards and mice, but only formally.
After realizing this fact and being dumbfounded, research revealed that in this world, not just my game, but most games were played in full VR. Once you put on specialized equipment, anyone would naturally opt for VR.
Unless it’s a professional match, most are heavily into motion correction, so when the opponent aims for my left shoulder and swings a sword, just slightly moving my left arm back immediately activates the character’s evasion motion.
In short, simply fidgeting around showcases excellent physical abilities. It’s truly top-tier physicality.
In any case, even in professional matches, using VR was a given, so for a KoK user, buying VR equipment was simply a natural thing to do. Despite this situation, there are only two types of KoK players using keyboards and mice.
Streamers who reluctantly attempt it due to a mission for a broadcast. And me.
I had no intention of subjecting the sacred KoK to such corrections, wearing strange equipment, or undergoing such modifications. I couldn’t afford the VR device priced at millions of won, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying my time with my trusty keyboard and mouse. Even if it put me at a slight disadvantage, I relished the thrill of competing.
“Ah.”
Comparing the queue time and the broadcast screen, I realized that I had failed to participate this time. Seeing Ark fervently praying for the opponent to be someone other than me, with his hands clasped together, chanting ‘Please, please, please,…’ made a smile creep onto my face.
My stomach growled while my wrists ached. It seemed like a good idea to just have a light meal and watch as a non-participating viewer. After finishing the game and standing up.
* * * *
“That’s it! See that? See that? I mean, I really don’t belong in Diamond, right?”
=Victory=
As Ark cheered in front of the blue victory screen, the chat started buzzing.
『Master Tier Ark…! Master Tier Ark…! Master Tier Ark…! Master Tier Ark…! Master Tier Ark…!』
『Crazy, just crushed them with a perfect 3-win streak lololol』
『But didn’t you struggle against them even when they were Crazy?』
– Viewer ㅇㅇ has donated 1,000 won! –
【Congratulations on your promotion, teacher! I believed in you!】
– Viewer ㅇㅇ has donated 10,000 won! –
【Perfect for the promotion match! Perfect for the promotion match! Perfect for the promotion match!】
Promotion match.
In KoK, to promote from Diamond to Master, you needed to win 4 out of 7 games. The promotion to Master was particularly harsh, earning it the nickname ‘the wall of tears.’
Ark, who returned to the promotion match after being demoted from Master for a whopping three months, looked content as the donations poured in and the chat was full of praise.
Having dropped from Diamond due to relentless sniping, and every time he mentioned a ‘skill broadcast’, being mocked with ‘Is Crazy really doing a skill broadcast?’
Just the thought of confidently setting up a ‘Master Mage Ark Skill Broadcast’ after successfully promoting back to Master was enough to make his lips twitch in anticipation.
Of course, there was no need to rush. Rest well today, come back in top condition tomorrow, and securing 4 wins out of 5 matches in one go during the promotion match was the best move both for the broadcast and probability.
“Everyone, I’ll end today’s broadcast here. Thank you for watching, and I’ll be back tomorrow evening with the promotion match broadcast.”
“Let’s just enjoy the promotion match, lol.”
“Ark, now is the perfect timing, don’t miss it.”
“If you come back tomorrow evening, I predict a full participation in the promotion match with 7 wins.”
“For real, it’s been a while since we’ve seen that guy for four consecutive matches.”
The viewers were going wild as expected, but such dissatisfaction was a good seasoning that raised expectations for the next day. With that in mind, just as they were about to display a satisfied smile and a ridiculous screen.
“- User ㅇㅇ donated 10,000 won! -”
“I won’t be sniped if I run it now since I’ve won.”
“Hahahaha.”
“Oh, hahaha, this one counts.”
“Ark, did you see now is the timing for the promotion match?”
For a moment, Ark’s face stiffened, but soon he checked the donor’s ID and relaxed. A regular Silver user who had donated several times since the beginning of the broadcast and also participated in viewer games. Although he lacked timing, he wasn’t genuinely angry. He just needed to act a bit to handle the situation.
“Where are you bargaining? If I win, it’s an immediate IP ban, you punk!”
With an irritated tone, hitting the table, Ark glanced at the chat box where ‘hahaha’ kept popping up consecutively and then smiled again before speaking.
“Our viewer, user ㅇㅇ, has been temporarily banned for impersonating a sniper. If we catch the real sniper, we’ll release the ban. Now, I’ll just leave it at that~”
“Bye.”
“See you tomorrow.”
“GG.”
“Today’s broadcast was great.”
“Good job.”
It wasn’t a bad broadcast. Donations were flowing generously, and with some good editing, there was a decent source material for an entertaining G-tube video. Even the viewer who sent a slightly baiting donation was satisfied just with an 18-hour ban forgiveness. Content with a proud expression, Ark watched the chat of the viewers, considering the optimal timing to end the broadcast.
“- User ㅇㅇ donated 1,000 won! -”
“I won, so If you play the game now, I won’t participate in viewer games. I can provide proof.”
“It’s all about timing even in joking about impersonation.”
Was it due to a slight negligence thinking it was the last moment? Ark’s failed attempt at expression management led to a slightly furrowed brow. As people say, there’s no job as comfortable as being a broadcaster, but it was quite challenging to maintain the tension in a situation where fake donations were pouring in without any fun and mistiming.
“I guess I’ll have to cut this part out for G-tube and keep the ridiculous part I did earlier.”
When Ark raised the donation window and checked the ID from which he received a donation a while ago – [email protected] – he soon opened his mouth with a sullen voice.
“dam1909267 at cmail.com, how boring~”
“Seriously.”
“It’s unbelievably boring.”
“They just can’t stop until someone makes them laugh, can they?”
“Even hitting the trolling timing perfectly, really.”
“Just kidding, everyone. I didn’t actually read the email, so don’t bother sending emails for no reason. Anyway, I’m out~ Bye~”
However, Ark’s hand, which left a farewell message, never reached the broadcast end button.
– User ‘ㅇㅇ’ has donated 1,000 won! –
【Password is q1w2e3r4! Check it out.】
In a donation that would usually be dismissed as mere aggro and ignored, for some reason, a strange sense of reality crept in. Despite being somewhat impulsive, there was no regret in sending the donation.
The chicken ordered after a long time was delicious, and the beer accompanying it was so refreshing. With four pieces of chicken and one can of beer left… I just want to enjoy it for another 30 minutes.
Am I going to let my own small happiness as a non-participating viewer enjoying Ark’s broadcast with chicken and beer be unjustly stolen by trolling?
This needs to be stopped. As I wait sipping my beer, the trolling screen of Ark gradually disappeared-
Instead, what appeared was the familiar ‘KoK’ client main screen.
Seeing that the client had been logged in while displaying the trolling screen, it seemed like the VR headset had been removed.
“Ugh….”
I wonder if putting on the VR headset again will take long. It would’ve been nice to start the game before finishing the chicken.
Opening my mouth wide to take another bite of the chicken, I quickly shifted my gaze to the fast-moving chat window.
“??? What?”
“?”
“?
“Isn’t this the ‘GetDevoured’ account?”
“???”
“This is actually the ‘GetDevoured’ account?”
TL’s Corner:
MC describes his gameplay as 뇌지컬 which directly translates to mental acuity and brain skills.
The term “뇌지컬” is a colloquialism derived from combining the Korean word for “brain” (뇌, noe) and the English term “physical.”
I chose to translate it as Data Gameplay since the MC’s description of this gameplay is similar to Data Tennis from Prince of Tennis. And I found it pretty neat.
If you have any suggestions for the name, you can comment here, or join our discord server.