It’s not that kind of malicious broadcast – Chapter 257

The broadcast was turned on the phone for chat monitoring.

『”Thank you!”』

『In the tournament, insincere Heal LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOL damn』

『Devour Devoured, please, stop your crazy antics only on your broadcast』

『Breaking news: A new controversy/official broadcast section on the wiki for GetDevoured』

『The light will burn you!』

『Shouldn’t the commentators be paid more?』

『A pro pestering a male broadcaster too much ㅡㅡ』

『Give the prize money to the commentator, tenly』

『Yet she’s incredibly good at the same time』

『Oh, nerf incoming for the 3-survivor priest strategy that was overpowered』

『Park yet again dead』

『Park’s skull crushed』

『Is his goal to flood the chat window?』

『Seriously, so rude』

『Honestly, if a pro gets trashed by a woman, shouldn’t he just accept it?』

『Is the priest a pro and the knight a male broadcaster? (seriously not sure)』

『Triggering the lechers ㄸ』

『Look at his face souring after T-bagging all over the place himself』

The chat window, which had been full of praise for Yena’s skills and mockery towards Park’s skull, turned into chaos. Even though the second game had already ended.

“……Seriously, insane…….”

It would have caused an uproar in the community even if it was a match between professionals. The fact that it was done by a broadcaster—a female broadcaster at that—meant it was certainly a controversy that wouldn’t die down easily.

Getting marked by professional gaming fandoms was a different dimension. What was she thinking? Shihoon held his throbbing head with one hand and let out a deep sigh.

No, probably… she wasn’t thinking at all. If asked, she would have likely said it was unfair and that it was a moment when she needed to heal. She would say it was unthinkable to ignore someone who needed healing.

At this point, he was almost hoping that her heal was a pure T-bagging, and praying it wasn’t due to some bug related to healing.

She was someone who could use bugs as if they were at her command, mysteriously finding them from who knows where.

He even felt like going to that game booth and giving her a piece of his mind. Of course, he couldn’t really do that—especially given what she had done in the round of 16, he wasn’t in much of a position to say anything.

But still, he was anxious.

He could only look at Yena beyond the partition, fervently hoping she would come to her senses.

Did she feel that gaze?

New Elements and Characters:

– 박골 = Park’s skull(he/him)

It felt like Yena, who was gazing around the spectator seats, made eye contact with me. No, we definitely made eye contact. Her eyes widened slightly in a welcoming expression but soon closed her mouth firmly and gave a resolute nod-

“….. I feel uneasy.”

While I frantically made an X with my arms to tell her not to do whatever she was thinking.

By the time I turned my gaze back to the screen, Yena was deeply focused on something with a rather serious expression.

As if she had made a significant decision.

.

.

.

“Yes, both players have completed their preparations. So, let’s start the pick for the third set!”

“Speaking of which—first, Player Pagol has chosen the Holy Knight once again! This time, the Holy Knight is equipped with a lighter shield compared to the second set, giving it an aggressive edge. Could this be a reaction to the passive approach that led to the defeat in the second set?”

“For Player Pagol, this third set could be their final chance. They need to show everything they’ve got! This time, they’ll have to demonstrate their destructive attacking power!”

“Player GetDevoured is still contemplating… It’s really hard to predict what she’ll pick. Given her excellent performance as a Priest, there’s also a chance she might choose a Mage or an Archer.”

“Yes, that’s right. But, still, wouldn’t she pick a Rogue? From GetDevoured’s perspective, she’d want to seal the deal with this set. The Rogue who brought her to the finals must be on her mind!”

“Oh-? It’s a Warrior! It’s a Warrior! GetDevoured has picked a Warrior for the first time!”

“This is totally unexpected. GetDevoured has chosen the Warrior, which she hasn’t played once since the first round. Is this a secret weapon she saved for a decisive moment?”

“Yes, the viewers are also quite surprised right now. That shows how astounding her choice of Warrior is. And, oh—GetDevoured smiles toward the audience! It must be fan service for those who came to support her! Such a beautiful smile, but really, how does a player like her turn so fierce in-game!”

“Yes—Both players have finished their build choices, and the match—begins now!”

* * * *

It was a massive body. Encased in thick plate armor, the giant two-handed axe on its back looked almost light.

-Thump. Thump.

Nevertheless, the weight was clearly conveyed with each step resonating audibly.

-Thump!

The heavy steps of the Warrior continued until he reached the wide area in the middle of the snowy field.

Was it to stay true to the setting of a warrior who dives into battle to spill boiling blood?

The Warrior arrived at the open ground and drove the axe into the ground with a tremendous noise. He stood there, waiting for the enemy in the field he had chosen, exuding a sense of arrogance. Shortly, buffs generated throughout the map would offer a wreath to him, or so it seemed.

Did that attitude scratch a pride?

Or was it confidence from having recently defeated another Warrior here?

The Holy Knight, armed with a long estoc and buckler, also stepped forward without any hesitation to face the Warrior.

And the moment the two warriors met each other.

As if the prior caution had all been a lie, the Warrior charged and immediately swung his axe horizontally. A brute force swing. It was an attack that could never be blocked head-on.

**Summary of new elements and characters:**

– Player Pagol (he/him): Chosen Holy Knight with aggressive setup.

– Warrior (varies): Newly introduced by GetDevoured for the first time.

The knight, having quickly assessed the situation, hesitated for a moment before stepping back.

-Boom!

Thus, the axe missed narrowly but significantly—yet the look on Pagol’s face was far from bright. Despite having had several options to evade, the fact that he instinctively chose to step back left him unsettled.

Pagol’s philosophy had always been that a duel was ultimately a fight, and it was exceedingly rare for the mentally weakened to emerge victorious from a battle. The feeling that the future was already cast after the first exchange was far from pleasant.

Especially if the opponent repeatedly toyed with him, tilting his head ever so slightly when he had the upper hand.

However—

Even if his lowered mental state had been exposed, he had gained an advantage in terms of stamina. He had managed to dodge a powerful attack with only minimal movement.

Now, it was his turn to retaliate. Extending his sword, Pagol thrust his leg forward in a classic fencing lunge. It was a fast attack that would be difficult to block with an already-swinging axe.

-Crack!

However, the warrior had apparently anticipated this. Utilizing the inertia of his movement, the warrior twisted his body with a smooth motion, deflecting the attack using the curved surface of his armor. This technique was something he had demonstrated in his previous fight with Orthodox.

It was a technique to avoid stiffness, even if it meant taking some damage.

The warrior’s left arm, already bleeding, moved swiftly. He had half-released his grip on the axe, which was now dragging along the ground, supported only by his right hand. The next move was a punch from his left fist.

Having initially showcased the destructive power of his double-handed axe attack to the head, he had now shifted to a punch.

An unconventional maneuver. It’s hard to see the point in landing a single punch at this timing. He might even have been better off taking the punch and then countering with a heavy shield strike.

However, exchanging this way was problematic. The opponent was using an unpredictable build with unexpected tactics. There was surely some hidden meaning behind the seemingly random punch.

Typically, such attacks aimed to inflict stiffness upon hitting their mark.

Pagol quickly pulled his head back to avoid the incoming punch from a precariously close distance, preparing to resume his offensive stance immediately after.

But then, sensing a warning alarm ringing in his head, Pagol swiftly stepped back—

At that moment, the warrior, who had already lowered his stance for a tackle, picked up his falling axe again.

It was a terrifying sight. Pagol could not fathom why the warrior would repeatedly take such high-risk gambles.

However… though he did not understand, he had a sense of the warrior’s motivation. This was not someone who calculated risks. As long as he could exploit a gap in his opponent’s judgment through unpredictability, he was willing to engage in any odd tactic.

Pagol was not given much time to think. The warrior dragged his axe on the ground as he advanced, before stepping forward and making a downward swing—

Having anticipated the timing, Pagol positioned his shield diagonally in front of his face. It was a deflective maneuver. Attempting a parry seemed too risky. He figured he could deflect the massive axe first and then look for the next opportunity.

But the anticipated impact never came.

A moment later, when Pagol secured his vision beyond the shield, he saw the warrior had halted his swinging axe mid-air and redirected it to the side.

The reaction was surprising—but undoubtedly a harsh move, depleting significant stamina.

The warrior was surely attempting to surprise with these bizarre tactics. However, to Pagol, this seemed an obvious mistake.

For the first time since the start of the finals, a smile formed on Pagol’s lips. He chalked it up to the limitations of an amateur relying on unpredictability.

The first set, where he was caught by the unusual killing-strike of a rare greatsword knight, and the second set, where he got entangled in the rarely-one-on-one tactics of a priest, could both be seen as exploiting his lack of experience.

However, the current situation was highly favorable. If he could steer the battle into a stamina contest, victory seemed inevitable. He planned to exploit the blind spot, and once the opponent dodged, he aimed to attack from the opposite side.

Until the opponent, worn out from repeated evasions, finally succumbed to lack of stamina.

—

**New Elements and Characters**:

1. Pagol (파골) – he/him

2. The Warrior (광전사) – varies

The moment the estoc pierced the Warrior’s chest, assuming it would naturally miss, it instead deeply lodged into GetDevoured’s left arm as she turned, stepping just half a step aside.

The attacker was more startled than the victim by this result. It was shocking because an experienced opponent like her shouldn’t have been caught off guard by such a move. In an instant, Pagol recalled the image of Orthodox being grabbed by the hand and overpowered.

He didn’t waste time. Pulling the sword swiftly back out and aiming for a more lethal spot took only 2 seconds.

However, before his first attack could even connect, the Warrior’s preloaded kick reached out in a much shorter time. With health decreasing, the trait causing faster movements had been triggered.

‘From the start, my plan—’

Pagol realized he had funneled his trait points to accelerate movement speed belatedly, and a low curse escaped his lips.

“Damn.”

Realizing that all the seemingly easy-to-read timings were intended to ramp up the speed earlier on.

Yet, cursing didn’t change the situation.

The armored kick of the Warrior drove into his abdomen, sending him sprawling, dealing minimal damage but significantly disrupting his balance. Pagol, knowing he would fall as the kick connected amid his intense movements, let out a hollow laugh.

It seemed the constant obsession with knocking him down mirrored Pagol’s own tactics in the round of 16, with uncanny similarity.

As he lay in the snow, he saw the executioner’s axe descending and closed his eyes tightly.

Maybe the wild behavior since the second set meant it wouldn’t end smoothly—even after the end—he thought.

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.

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-Wham!

Right after the giant axe swung at the knight who had fallen and given up his neck.

The beheaded head rolled in the snow. The victory trigger. With both sides losing control, the victory screen appeared.

Yet, the pre-entered movements continued even afterward.

For some reason, GetDevoured, looking immensely satisfied, halted, while the Warrior continued moving.

Lifting the severed head with the axe’s blade, tossing it up, and swinging the axe like a baseball bat to send the head flying far away.

In some sense, it was the most complex calculation in the entire final round. From the motion of lifting an uncut head to the swing, calculating for a target that might not be there.

For GetDevoured herself, it was likely the moment she was most proud of.

* * * *

“…… Yes! Congratulations to GetDevoured on your victory! Uh, first, as the reigning champion representing South Korea, having clinched the crown in the regional prelims of the Clash Tournament, please share your thoughts!”

“Hmm… I’m happy. But… yes. I wish the semi-finals, no, that the semi-finals had been best-of-five too. The final—”

“Yes, more matches are better! Truly an answer befitting a champion. So, a lot must have happened leading up to your victory. What do you think was the biggest factor in your win?”

“… Definitely, it’s got to be the promise. Victory is always joyful, but this time I’m even happier because I kept a promise. Ah. Since I fulfilled my part, I believe Revan-nim will keep his promise too.”

New elements and characters:

– 파골 = Pagol(he/him)

– 오소독스 = Orthodox(he/him)