Chapter 23 : Don’t be arrogant. Always be humble (7)

Log Master.

The first character Rydel showed.

Its base stats are a bit low, but in terms of mobility, it’s the strongest champion.

“I like it.”

In other games, being fast might not be that exciting, but this is a VR game.

It’s a fully immersive virtual reality game.

Just running around the surroundings gives you a thrill far greater than driving an expensive sports car.

Although, I’ve never actually ridden one.

But, it must feel like that.

Shooting guns or swinging huge weapons that you normally couldn’t hold is fun in its own right,but the most physically tangible feeling is still the “speed.”

However, what was a bit disappointing was Rydel’s skill tree.

Rydel had chosen Charge, Assassinate, and Paralyze Arrow skills as if they were fixed.

Since Rydel is skilled with Log Master, this is likely the proven skill tree.

But that way, she couldn’t fully utilize the mobility that Log Master is known for.

“Speedster” skill tree.

While Rydel was getting beaten,it was another skill tree Rydel found online.

“A playstyle that increases your own speed.”

As Rydel explained, Raid and Master is a game where most skills are focused on enhancing physical strength rather than utility.

Skills that make you stronger or give you more health.

Even the magic is mostly attack spells, like Fireball.

It’s a pretty intuitive game.

On the other hand, Log Master is a type of character that focuses on utilizing various utilities like Charge, Assassinate, and Paralyze Arrow.

The downside, however, is its basic stats.

Since it doesn’t enhance its own stats, its overall abilities are lower.

Was there another skill tree for those who feel disappointed by that?

Yes, there is.

The Speedster, a skill tree that maximizes speed.

Although its already weak defense becomes even more fragile,at least in terms of mobility, it’s the strongest in Raid and Master,a very unique skill tree.

Rydel could hear her voice warning, “Don’t pick that skill.”

But,”I want to try it.”

The more she was told not to, the more she wanted to give it a go.

Thud-thud.

The Sniper, Ragnarok, appeared from the enemy tower.

It was sticking closely to the tower.

Was this a sign that they wouldn’t be careless this time?

Unlike last time, when it came out and shot at her.

“I prefer this.”

Although Rydel won the last game, it wasn’t because she played particularly well; it was because the opponent let their guard down.

Even though she had only watched a few games, it was common sense that the Sniper shouldn’t be exposed upfront.

She wanted to fight against an opponent who wasn’t being careless and experience their full strength.

[Monster has spawned.]

As the monster appeared, the Sniper made a bold move.

It was an aggressive positioning, but it felt different from before.

If you’re fighting with a monster in the way, then it’s actually standard play to move forward like that.

Before fighting me, in Rydel’s battle,Ragnarok also played aggressively, using the monster to take control in the early stages, chipping away at her health.

I immediately chose my first-level skill.

The foundation of the Speedster skill tree:Acceleration

[Boosts the physical abilities of Log Master to their extreme, granting explosive speed for a short period.

Movement and reaction speed increase drastically.

It becomes possible to dodge enemy attacks or close the distance quickly.

However, the body doesn’t fully adapt to such extreme speed, so all damage taken is increased during activation.]

In other words, agility is greatly enhanced, but the damage received also increases.

A double-edged sword.

“That’s just a troll skill.”

“You often pick that and run straight into the turret when you’re throwing the game.”

“Leaving trolling aside, the skill itself isn’t good.”

“You can’t handle the speed.”

“You were doing fine just now, but maybe you should pick a charge skill and try it out…”

When I placed my hand on the skill, I could hear Rydel’s frantic voice again.

Click.

I used the acceleration skill and rushed towards the enemy.

Wow.

My legs moved much faster than usual.

Even though it was a first-level skill, I could definitely feel the speed.

The distance between us rapidly closed.

Ragnarok retreated and aimed for my legs.

Bang!

But the bullet flew toward my head.

‘She shifted the barrel at the last second.’

It was a fake.

She pretended to aim at my legs, but at the moment of firing, she changed the direction of the gun to aim at my head.

It sounds easy, but it’s a very difficult technique.

When you shift the barrel so quickly, it becomes impossible to aim precisely.

If you do it poorly, you’ll shoot somewhere you didn’t intend, making it worse than not attempting the move at all.

But Ragnarok’s shot was accurate.

She turned the barrel sharply, but the bullet flew precisely toward my forehead.

Suddenly changing the gun’s direction and shooting accurately.

It was an impressive technique.

The problem was, I could see it coming.

I slightly tilted my head.

The bullet passed just beside my ear.

It was easier to dodge than I expected.

‘This acceleration skill is great.’

Maybe it was because my overall agility increased?

It became much easier to dodge than before.

In the last game, even though I could see the bullet, I barely dodged it due to the limits of my champion.

But now, it was much more comfortable.

I didn’t understand why Rydel told me not to pick this great skill.

Click!

Maybe Ragnarok thought it was too late to retreat?

Ragnarok gritted her teeth and, instead of retreating, took a precise shot.

It wasn’t the wrong choice.

Unlike before, there was still a monster shooting arrows.

I was in a situation where the damage I took was increased by the acceleration.

Even a single arrow from the monster would likely deal significant damage.

Bang!

Ragnarok fired in sync with the monster’s arrow.

She was definitely skilled.

She calculated the monster’s arrow trajectory and shot at an angle that made it difficult to dodge.

But.

Shing!

I dodged one arrow and deflected the other with my left dagger.

I blocked the sniper’s bullet with my right dagger.

Since I had two daggers, defending against this was easy.

Approach.

Ragnarok retreated and tried to defend with her rifle.

She used the large sniper rifle as a shield.

‘Rydel struggled to break through this.’

Most of Rydel’s attacks were blocked by Ragnarok’s gun.

Because of that, she couldn’t gain much of an advantage even in close combat.

‘Is it that difficult?’

I hesitated for a moment with my left dagger before quickly twisting it.

A quick fake.

Ragnarok’s arm trembled for an instant.

Right in that moment.

My right dagger pierced the vital points like lightning.

Swish – the back of the neck.

Swish – below the collarbone.

Thud – the heart.

I struck exactly and deeply, only targeting the lethal spots.

The sniper’s hand moved quickly, but I could still tell where she was trying to defend.

Calmly charging in, I attacked the spots where she wasn’t guarding, and blood spurted out like a fountain.

The sniper’s body slowly collapsed.

[Silver Hair’s first point!]

[You win.]

The victory message appeared.

For a moment, my body trembled with the joy of victory, but then.

“Ah, darn.”

I wanted to try a different skill, not just the acceleration, but it ended too quickly.

This is a bit troublesome.

I looked at the now-defeated sniper and typed in the chat.

[Silver Hair: Can I ask for one more game?]

As politely as possible.

***

“Ah….”

Kang Arin collapsed onto the bed with a dazed expression.

I lost.

10-game losing streak.

I played 10 games, but the game time wasn’t long.

Most of the time, I was defeated instantly.

I thought it would be hopeless, so I even brought out my main character, the “Knight,” but I just ended up being a well-performing punching bag and fell in the same way.

Silver Hair seemed to enjoy the fact that she had more health than the sniper.

“Shit…”

Blood flowed from my tightly clenched lips.

The ability I was most confident in.

Analyzing the opponent.

It doesn’t always lead to logical conclusions, but while playing, I naturally start to notice the habits or weaknesses of others.

I can spot weaknesses that the person being attacked doesn’t even realize they have and easily exploit them.

In Rydel’s case, I noticed that her left leg’s reaction was a little slow, along with a few other weaknesses.

That’s how I easily took down Rydel, the sniper, with my Logmaster.

I thought I could win if I spotted weaknesses like that in Silver Hair as well.

“But…”

‘What the hell is this?’

Silver Hair.

I couldn’t spot any weaknesses or habits.

No, to be exact, I could spot some weaknesses, but when I tried to exploit them, I realized they weren’t weaknesses at all – they were just pretending to be weaknesses.

When trying to exploit weaknesses, it’s a trap.

In the end, the one getting caught is me.

It felt like an adult playing tricks on a child.

Even my full-force attacks were easily blocked, almost like a joke.

In fact, it was embarrassing to compare it to the difference between an adult and a child.

Between Silver Hair and me, there was an insurmountable gap, one that I couldn’t see the end of.

‘I lost.’

Defeat.

I had lost many times in games before, but this was the first time I had truly experienced defeat in its full sense.

Had those I defeated ever felt like this?

Kang Arin hugged her pillow tightly.

For some reason, it felt colder.

***

“Ugh, that was fun.”

I stretched my arms out.

It seemed like my collaboration with Rydel had wrapped up well.

The game was fun, and overall, it had been a satisfying day.

“The last match wasn’t bad.”

Perhaps realizing that Sniper wasn’t going to work, my opponent brought out a new character at the end.

It was a character wielding a longsword and a shield, and it was more difficult to deal with than Sniper.

But that was even better.

Unlike Sniper, who would fall with just a few hits, this character allowed for a much longer, more enjoyable fight.

As soon as I lost with that character, my opponent disconnected.

‘Ten games is a lot.’

I had fun enough, so I didn’t really have any complaints.

“I should go get a late-night snack… maybe the convenience store.”

Ziiing.

When I got up, my smartphone flashed.

[Sorry for messaging so late.]

[Are you still awake?]

It was a message from Rydel.

I remembered giving him my phone number when I received the package.

[No, I’m still awake.]

Actually, it was still a long way off from bedtime.

With nothing to do, I had been dragging the time and my sleep schedule kept getting pushed back.

[Glad to hear that.]

[Today’s collaboration was so much fun.]

[The fans’ reactions were amazing too.]

[And if you ever plan to stream, please let me know.]

“Ugh.”

Streaming.

I’m sure I’ll have to do it someday.

But still, doing something in front of so many viewers felt embarrassing.

Playing games might be okay, but showing my face and speaking out loud was a whole different level of discomfort.

I still find it hard to make eye contact with the convenience store staff.

‘Why do they react like that?’

Actually, yesterday I mustered the courage to attempt eye contact, but the convenience store clerk made a strange sound, “Heh!” and quickly looked away.

I don’t know why, but it stung a little.

[Oh, and about the earnings from the collaboration stream.]

[After deducting the fees, it was about 4.93 million KRW.]

“Huh?”

I dropped the smartphone I was holding to the floor.

Did I see that wrong?

4.93 million Zimbabwean dollars?

No, 4.93 million Korean won?

And that’s after the fees?

I quickly picked up my smartphone.

It wasn’t a mistake.

[Many more people joined than usual.]

[This is actually the first donation earnings I’ve gotten from a stream haha.]

[Even on my birthday, I didn’t get this much.]

[Anyway, if you send me your account number, I’ll transfer 3 million KRW to you 😊😊]

I see.

3 million.

I earned 3 million in a day.

Even though it was more than usual, the number 3 million kept spinning around in my head.

“Hmm.”

I cleared my throat.

With a serious expression, I typed on my smartphone.

[What should I buy first if I’m going to stream?]