NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 156 - Isn't That a Dangerous Statement
“Wait, are you really going to wear that the entire broadcast?”
“Yes. Do you want to wear one too, Revan? I have an extra.”
Anyone could tell that it was Lee Yena, looking like a burglar who had just broken into the house.
Her long hair cascaded down the sides and back of the ski mask she had on. It was uncertain if her hair couldn’t fit all the way in, or if it was left out intentionally.
Revan had a fleeting thought that it might have been better if she had outright cosplayed instead. Everything else she wore fit her so well—no, it looked normal.
Tight dark jeans, a slightly baggy blouse, and then a burglar mask. It felt like looking at a bizarrely customized game character. Especially with the tattoo sleeve peeking out from under the flaring sleeves of her blouse.
Despite all this, her hidden beauty shone through the gaps in the mask, and her striking figure was noticeable even without any emphasis from her clothes. Truly, she had the looks to be mistaken for a game character.
A burglar character, that is.
Revan’s thoughts seemed trivial as Lee Yena tilted her head innocently and pulled out a black bundle from her pocket, unfolding it with both hands while she gazed at him.
It was another burglar mask, identical to the one she was wearing. Suppressing the urge to ask why she had bought two masks, Revan slowly opened his mouth.
“What…the… No,…just… It’s fine, take it off. We can just turn off the cam.”
“Saying ‘I’ll turn off the camera, so take it off’… Isn’t that a dangerous statement? Do you say things like that often? If you need a lawyer, contact me. I know a good one.”
-Pfft! Cough! Cough!
While Ark, who had been drinking water, choked and coughed heavily, Revan frowned and shook his head.
Even without seeing the slight twitch at the corner of her eye through the mask, he knew Lee Yena was trying her best to tease him. It had become easy to detect the emotions behind her calm, monotone voice.
“…I should just zip it.”
“If you keep frowning like that, you’ll get wrinkles on your forehead. I don’t know any good dermatologists.”
“Seriously, it’s fine to turn off the cam! We already discussed this. Besides… it will take about four hours to watch the entire finals. How can you keep wearing that the whole time? It’ll be too uncomfortable.”
Having finished coughing, Ark hastily chimed in. It was a considerate intervention, characteristic of her caring nature.
Running a no-cam group broadcast for the entire finals was not a decision that could be made lightly.
Even though there could have been considerable anger from viewers if a broadcast with four participants was conducted without cameras, it was hard to ignore the promotional effect of gaining face exposure using the finals’ buzz.
Nevertheless, Ark suggested proceeding without cameras as soon as the three were gathered. Revan and StarPork also believed it would be safer to go with a no-cam broadcast since they were working with Lee Yena.
Since the collaboration was going to be streamed on Ark’s channel, her manager was supposed to handle the chat moderation. Given the structure and setup of the broadcast, it was fair to say that Ark would be the one to bear the brunt of any backlash.
In other words, the person who had to manage and endure the viewers’ anger was the one proposing the difficult route first. Thus, agreement didn’t take long to reach.
“This has great ventilation. You’ll understand once you try it.”
However, convincing Lee Yena was a different matter. As an experienced broadcaster, Lee Yena was well aware of the circumstances. And she was not the type to just nod along to people suffering losses for her sake.
Several exchanges went back and forth.
Responding to StarPork’s concern that it would look uncomfortable, Lee Yena reassured her that even while wearing it, she could aim a gun, shout, and run around with heavy pockets comfortably.
“… So you’re saying it looks like a bank robber, even to you.”
“Objects aren’t guilty by association. Does the essence of a chef’s knife change because gangsters use it to stab people?”
“No matter what analogy…”
While Ark, Revan, and Lee Yena argued, StarPork fetched something and intervened.
“…Then how about this instead?”
She held a motorcycle helmet.
* * * *
Sound travels as a vibration through the air.
To prove this, every time a player from the opposing team was introduced, cheers echoed and shook the ground Orthodox stood on mercilessly.
As if to say, there’s nowhere for you to stand.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
It was a game set against the backdrop of a magnificent medieval siege. The stunning duels between knights were its major selling point.
It was only natural that it had gained popularity in North America and Europe.
The fact that the first World Series finals were being held in Europe was just as natural.
And it would have been so natural for the audience to want to see a team based in Europe win that it was hard to argue against.
GP Hustler was quite a popular team within South Korea—however, on the international stage, it was merely a villain that had stubbornly climbed up from a peripheral country and ruined the excitement by knocking out a popular American team in the semifinals.
Most of the sounds echoing through the stadium were cheers for the Europe-dominating team, V7, but mixed within were also no small amount of criticism and jeers directed at GP Hustler.
Orthodox did not mind.
How many years had it been since he began his career as a professional gamer? This wasn’t his first time standing on the stage of a finals. It also wasn’t the first time he found himself in the villain’s role, pitted against a rival basking in popularity.
Rather, it was a role he had grown accustomed to. He had always played the final boss that magnificently fell.
But—this time.
This time, he had no intention of playing that part.
“Guys.”
Just before the first game started.
A red plain unfolded in Orthodox’s field of view, and familiar music resonated in his ears. It was a screen he had seen tens, hundreds, thousands of times. It was just like any other scrim session.
Yet, the subtle trembling of the ground felt through his feet ceaselessly reminded him that this was the stage he had yearned for even in his dreams.
Disregarding the familiar wave of anxiety, fear, and tension that swept over him, Orthodox continued speaking.
“This will go off the record once we win this. Make sure to say something cool. It’s all going to be recorded for posterity.”
The team voice channel reverberated with nervous laughter. It was only natural. The team was composed of young players who didn’t have much experience.
Handling the tension of entering the finals on enemy soil wouldn’t be easy for them.
It was fortunate enough that they could even laugh. Laughing would help ease the tension, even if just a little.
“Uh, I didn’t prepare anything? Hyung, you go first.”
Bio, having pre-agreed to lighten the mood, chimed in almost immediately after the laughter faded. He understood that prolonged silence would only double the tension.
Although the line he delivered wasn’t the result of an impeccable performance but rather an awkward voice reading from a prepared script, no one had the leisure to pick up on that.
“From today, the meta is going to change.”
Orthodox spoke lightly, infusing his voice with all the calmness he could muster.
“If nothing changes, well. I’ll take responsibility and resign.”
“Oh, no. If you leave, there will be no one to handle Underground. I’ll resign too.”
“Uh? Then, I’ll run for the mage position.”
“Wow, were you harboring such ambitions? The betrayal is real.”
Once again, laughter echoed through the team voice chat. This time, it was a more relaxed laughter. Orthodox let out a light sigh, his complicated thoughts passing through it.
They were good junior members. Not only did they put up with the absurdity, but they also understood the value of strategy, making them good colleagues.
He didn’t want to burden them.
“I’ll go to Bio and with 2-Underground. I’ll be the rogue, Bio will be the knight. If anyone asks who suggested this, everyone acknowledge it was me, okay?”
‘If we fail, I’ll take all the blame.’
The chances of that were quite high, as it always had been.
He should avoid thinking like this. Think positively—
‘If we succeed…’
A small smile escaped him. Probably because it reminded him of a person who asked for just one line to say if they ever won and were selected for the MVP interview.
* * *
《Rogue! Rogue! It’s a rogue! It’s locked in! Now they can’t back off! What in the world is happening! A rogue has come out!》
《This, ah… still, it’s worth getting our hopes up! GP is a team that has stuck to stable and Orthodox picks. They must see some potential in overturning that tendency with a rogue-centered composition!》
《Of course, but the shoulders of the five who will fight on the ground are extremely heavy. The crucial question is how they buy time until Orthodox grows as a rogue, which is truly a difficult issue. Surviving against the onslaught of six enemies at the central stronghold will be filled with pain. And it’s not just any team, it’s V7 they’re up against!》
《The selections are complete! V7 has come out with a 2 knight, 1 mage, 1 archer, 1 priest, and 1 warrior composition. It’s incredibly stable, isn’t it?》
《Yes, that’s right. It’s a composition exuding the confidence that if it comes down to a matter of class, we won’t lose. Let’s stick to the fundamentals! If it’s fundamentals against fundamentals, we’ll win without any variables! They’re basically shouting this out loud!》
《On the other hand, GP’s composition is one that’s being tried for the first time in this World Series. 3 knights, 1 mage, 1 priest… and 1 rogue! Indeed, it’s thrilling to see what kind of outcome this unconventional choice will bring.》
TL’s Corner:
Debut of 2-Underground!!! Rogue and Knight, let’s go!!!