Guest Commentary (1)

[Author: Anonymous (622.98)]

[Title: What’s with the real-time IKL guest commentary?]

(Attached photo: Sigma vs Q Prime guest commentator ‘Gawol’)

Is this official?

But she’s neither a pro nor anything, can she do guest commentary?

[Comments]

– She won the Arena ㅋㅋ

– So has any other guest commentator beaten Cerberus?

└ Malicious Gawol fan detected

– Originally, IKL guest commentators are fundamentally without foundation

* * *

It’s been quite a long time since my leg was damaged.

As I’ve formed connections with Elderin and Luche, I’ve faced various situations.

If there’s any wisdom I’ve gained from that, it’s to avoid people who might recognize my face as much as possible.

After all, my leg easily invites others’ sympathy.

It’s annoying to keep lying that I was injured recently, so I minimize acquaintances altogether.

That’s why I arrived at the studio several hours early and stayed put.

Well, even so, there are people I inevitably have to show myself to.

The broadcast team I’ll be with during the match were such people.

“It’s our first time meeting in reality, right? I’m In Ho-eun.”

“Ah, I’m Han Da-eun. Please take care of me today.”

“I’m Hwang Yul, in charge of commentary. You’re even more beautiful in person than on broadcast.”

“Ah, so you watched the broadcast… I’m a bit embarrassed.”

“There will be fewer people who haven’t seen you in the arena today.”

I received comfort that wasn’t comforting at all.

Anyway, I exchanged greetings with the other broadcast team members, and was able to get past the leg issue with a “Just a bit…” kind of answer.

Maybe because they’re successful professionals, they seemed to instinctively give up on prying.

This is actually more comfortable.

If they pry thoughtlessly, or conversely, are too kind and meddle, it becomes burdensome for me.

It’s much better to deal with those who pass over it as if they’re not going to mind.

“Anyway, since you came early, we can tell you various things in advance. Do you often watch the pro league?”

“Lu… I usually only watch Sigma’s matches. Other than that, a bit of overseas matches?”

“That’s enough. In any case, for guest commentators, we tend to be more lenient regarding the level of remarks and expressions.”

Ho-eun explained to me in a calm tone.

Regarding the match, remarks are freer than expected.

As long as it’s not too spicy, it’s okay to use internet memes, and you can speak somewhat frankly.

The point to be careful about is not to go in the direction of criticizing specific players.

They asked me not to speak in a way that overly blames one team if possible.

Well, that’s natural.

Both teams will be watching this match.

Among pro gamers, there are ‘one club players’ who stick to only one team, but basically, they are contract workers who move between several teams.

This means that as you move around in this field, you might end up eating from the same pot as a player you thoughtlessly insulted.

It was a point to keep in mind if you aspire to be a pro gamer.

Even the trash talk before important matches is all staged in the end.

Even I’m not so lacking in common sense as to not know that much.

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

But at that time, I didn’t know.

That there would be a match so terrible that I couldn’t restrain myself.

* * *

《 Thank you for waiting! This is Caster Ho-eun greeting you from the first match of the IKL semifinals. 》

《 Likewise, this is Commentator Hwang Yul greeting you. And as many of you are already looking for, that’s right. We have invited the first Arena champion, Gawol, as our guest commentator. 》

My face was briefly caught on the broadcast monitor.

The left shows the screen that will be transmitted 5 seconds later, and the right shows the currently recorded screen, right?

I bowed my head slightly in a simplified greeting.

《 Hello, I’m… Gawol. I didn’t expect to be called. It’s an honor to meet you like this. 》

《 You’re a bit different from the image I had in mind. I think many people might have expected a more mischievous feel. 》

《 I’m, not that malicious. 》

《 Haha. Still, as many people are looking forward to today, we’ll expect your active participation. 》

What’s with these people?

I felt gazes that seemed to expect something.

Especially that Ho-eun person’s eyes bothered me.

Like in the previous Arena, he seemed to subtly expect me to make mistakes.

Is this the same person who was teaching me how not to cause trouble just now?

Anyway, as the match started, information came up.

[IKL Semi Final – Match 1]

[Sigma eSports vs Q Prime]

[Battlefield: Seething Lava Zone]

[Rule: 5-person Deathmatch]

《 Yes, the first match of the semifinals between Sigma eSports and Q Prime has begun. 》

《 It’s a matchup that’s even being called a preview of the finals. Q Prime tasted the bitterness of defeat in the second round, but they surely must have come after sharpening their blades. 》

《 The clash of these two teams. How does Player Gawol see it? 》

They’re calling me a player.

Is it because the image from the Arena remains strong?

I was about to say that of course Luche would win, but I held back once.

《 Hmm, well. I think we’ll have to see the flow first. 》

The general rule for deathmatch in InBull is a team total of maximum 30 deaths.

There are no other special rules besides that.

At most, killing neutral monsters to get stat buffs?

It was removed in the individual Arena, but it’s still a commonly used gimmick in team matches.

The intention is to divide strategies between seeking engagement from the start or aiming for late-game growth.

What’s important in deathmatch is that the cooldown until revival isn’t that short.

If the main force collapses before a dead teammate revives?

The game could end helplessly as team members die one by one like dominos.

Well, it’s a scenario that hardly occurs at the 1st division pro level, but still.

《 From Sigma, Camellia’s Warrior, and from Q Prime, Sparrow’s Assassin are moving as separate units. 》

《 They’re classes with high mobility and ease of handling neutral monsters. Generally considered safe choices, but how does Player Gawol see it? 》

《 Hmm… It’s a bit tilted. If it goes on like this, I think it’ll be good for Sigma. I wish they had made a bolder choice. 》

A safe choice is a strategy that only works when both sides are equal.

But the two teams I saw in the second round were not equal.

There was a strong team and a weak team.

If that’s the case, it’s the weaker team that needs to show something.

If things flow safely, they’ll just safely lose.

Or is it an expression of confidence that their capabilities have changed since the second round?

I hope that’s the case.

On the screen, Sparrow and Camellia were moving in the same direction.

Of course, they weren’t moving knowing about each other.

They probably just came to catch a few reptilian monsters living in the eastern lava zone.

It meant it was a simple coincidence.

But it’s skill that turns accidental luck into an inevitable difference.

《 The Assassin. Sparrow has spotted Camellia first. 》

《 There are two choices. Either start an engagement with a surprise attack, or retreat without showing themselves. 》

《 Sparrow is retreating to the rear. Heading towards the western battlefield. 》

Safety-oriented.

It’s not an incomprehensible choice.

Previously, Camellia achieved a perfect victory against Sparrow in the winner-stays-on match.

That skill gap wouldn’t have just disappeared now.

Even if the surprise attack succeeded, victory couldn’t be guaranteed.

However, this was why Korea was said to have a ‘weak assassin line’.

In a situation like just now, a skilled assassin should have attempted a surprise attack.

Spotting the opponent first and being able to decide the action is a privilege unique to assassins.

But the movement in this ‘Seething Lava Zone’ is by no means short.

Retreating here is too costly.

《 It’s a loss. It would have been better to attempt a surprise attack so that neither could touch the neutral monsters. 》

《 Player Gawol’s point seems valid. I wonder if the previous one-on-one engagement with Camellia reached as pressure? 》

《 5 minutes have passed since the start of the match. Sigma’s growth rate is slightly ahead. 》

If I were in that position, I would have obviously engaged in combat with Camellia

But Camellia isn’t a fool either.

If I had been in Sparrow’s place, I wouldn’t have attacked the monsters first in the first place.

Even in the one-on-one Arena, an assassin’s first surprise attack is hard to avoid.

It’s even more difficult to respond while fighting neutral monsters.

So she would have prioritized finding me.

The very situation where the Warrior can comfortably kill monsters was the problem in the first place.

The bigger problem is that Sparrow is by no means a low-level assassin among domestic assassins.

It was a total mess in many ways.

《 As I said that, the main forces of both sides collide for the first time. 》

《 The Mage’s bind traps Luche, and Traveler advances. 》

《 It’s fast. Their skills have improved a lot from before. It wouldn’t have been easy to grow this quickly at that level. 》

The Lance Knight, buffed by the Priest, shakes Sigma’s main force.

In the Arena, he met Cerberus early and was quickly eliminated.

Traveler’s individual capability is considerable even by world standards.

Firepower unleashed at the right place and time, and clean close-quarter combat.

Traveler’s imposing figure fighting alone against two, no, three – it was worthy of being called the romance of all knight classes.

And, my impression of seeing that brilliant battle was this.

《 Ah, their engagement method has become even more trashy. What on earth are they doing? 》

The pro league is not an individual game.

In a team game, why is Traveler fighting alone?