It’s not that kind of malicious broadcast

Objectively speaking, it wasn’t a particularly thrilling game. The outcome was quite predictable due to the clear disparity in skill. Even though the process of reaching the pre-determined conclusion might be beautiful, it was never interesting.

What happened to the stellar performance of the first game, particularly when they seized control of the central stronghold?

Since the second game began and even now, as we approached the third, V7 had been relentlessly beaten down.

Had they not gotten flustered trying to understand the Rogue’s underground tactics in real-time, perhaps it wouldn’t have been so one-sided. They managed to do slightly better in the first game when they were unaware.

The attempt to directly oppose nearly seven years of accumulated strategy resulted in a near disaster. The European audience watched in silence, stunned, as V7, powerless and collapsing, crumbled in front of them.

The bitter and somewhat painful sight of the former champions being utterly defeated lingered… If I had some share in GP’s victory, their bitter tears might be partly my responsibility too.

《Orthodox’s rogue directly charges at Jansen’s warrior! A rogue and a warrior! It’s David and Goliath, but this David has a gun!》

《The warrior, Jansen! The pillar of V7 collapses yet again! What about V7’s exposed backline now? Ah— Orthodox! Will he reach the mage too? The mage is down! They can’t stop this!》

《GP, simply incredible! On the final stage! Against that V7! They are on the verge of a 3-0 shutout victory!》

However, the faint guilt was overshadowed by the overwhelming joy and excitement. I almost wanted to cheer—well, maybe it was better not to make it too obvious. Someone next to me had bet their life on the warrior.

Knowing when to teabag and when to silently savor the victory was key.

『How did you do it』

『Why do they fall for such obvious tactics repeatedly』

『If only we had a rogue in FourAgL T^T』

『Lame finals』

『Fans are crying』

『Who told you to play a loser’s game?』

『Wow, reactions』

『What’s with Orthodox and Bio’s synergy ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ』

『Warrior is trash』

Upon checking the chat, I noticed they were expressing what I wanted to say. But of course—

“Wow! Wow! Did you see that?! How in the world, wow!”

“Jansen lost his momentum. Dual axes can fail quickly when you get hasty. Against a rogue, he should have planned his first strike more cautiously… he was too impatient.”

“Really? Losing so fast under pressure… He can’t be a logger, can he! Go GP! Go our rogue! If you disagree, you’re a traitor!”

…although it seemed there was a student who hadn’t quite learned the right timing.

“Did someone spike StarPork’s drink with alcohol? Also, cheering for GP has nothing to do with the rogue—”

“Best rogue ever! Go GP! Go GP!”

“… Please don’t say that out loud.”

“Huh? Why? Teacher, are you embarrassed by the rogue?”

I shouldn’t say, “I’m embarrassed by StarPork.”

I turned my head slightly away from StarPork, who was half-standing and cheering fervently—only to meet eyes with Revan, who had a look of half-resignation.

After pausing momentarily as if deep in thought, a sigh escaped, followed by a shake of the head… No, say it. What do you mean? I’ve been considerate enough.

I directed my gaze towards Ark to express my frustration. Ark looked at me with a peculiar expression, then reached out to grab a cup. Bringing it to her nose, she sniffed… Wait, wasn’t that StarPork’s cup?

I felt a sense of wrongful accusation that words could hardly describe.

Fortunately, the unfair and misunderstanding looks did not last long.

《The gates! The gates have fallen! At the heart of Europe, in its very center, the dagger of GP Hustler has struck!》

《Victory! We have won! Ten years! It’s been ten years! A Korean team, our very own GP, has clinched the world championship!》

《Oh, Orthodox… it’s okay to cry! Cry as much as you want now! There’s nothing more beautiful than the tears of joy shed by those who have worked endlessly!》

『Wowwwww!』

『Rogue wins!』

『Did we really win, oh my god, LOL LOL LOL』

『This is insane!』

『Wow, damn, I can’t believe I’m seeing a Korean team win again in my lifetime.』

It didn’t exactly clear up the misunderstanding, but it helped.

* * * *

The attention focused on KoK’s first World Series was beyond imagination. The viewership for the finals alone nearly reached ten million. It was hard to believe that a game, two years old even when counting from the beta service, had achieved such numbers.

A significant portion of that viewership came from Korea, which was even more exceptional, but at the same time, expected.

Ever since VR became mainstream, Korea had become an obscure player in the world of esports. For a Korean team to emerge as a contender in a game with global popularity was something most esports fans couldn’t even remember happening.

Naturally, various gaming communities began to strain under the heavy traffic. Even large non-gaming-focused communities had posts like “Breaking News: KoK Update”, showing immense interest sweeping across the internet.

Therefore, when GP clinched the victory, the ensuing explosion of activity was truly phenomenal.

Not just GP, but their strategies and every character they used were flooded with attention.

Initially, the message boards were filled with posts about GP or their members like Orthodox and Bio. Gradually, more and more posts about their main weapon, the Rogue, started appearing.

『Author: Anonymous』

『Title: Was GP’s Rogue Strategy Really Prepared?』

『So they won, but

(screenshot from the broadcast)

When they locked in Rogue in the first set, ZipCoach looked like a bomb went off in front of him, LOL LOL LOL.

Did they really pick that according to the coaching staff’s order?』

– No way, LOL LOL LOL. The coaching staff was so flustered they mumbled among themselves for a while, LOL LOL.

– Off the record, aSAP.

– I’m so curious about the voice chat.

– There’s no way they went with a wildcard strategy right from the first match of the finals.

– How little do you think of pro players if you believe they used an impromptu strategy in the finals?

– “Romantic”

– “Orthodox, please interview quickly.”

Following this, the number of people questioning why they pulled out the Rogue, which they had never used until the semifinals, continued to rise.

『Post by: USERNAME』

『Title: “GP Coach’s expression when Rogue was locked in the first set.”』

『(Video)

Isn’t this clearly a “What the hell is this crazy guy?” expression?

No matter how many times I watch, it seems right.』

– Absolutely LOLLOL

– I can hear the sound LOLLOL

– But honestly, I would curse too ooo

– Yup, the moment I saw it, I thought he’d… get hit? LOLLOL

– This messed-up coach, who always seemed to fall short, finally did something unexpected… but carried the game like a boss LOLLOL

– So, was it really a pick that fell into place?

– But the players didn’t seem surprised, though.

– Maybe they just froze up?

– Hard to imagine cursing at someone 6 years older saying, “What the hell are you doing?”

『Post by: USERNAME』

『Title: “Isn’t GetDevoured a genius at stock investment?』

『Rogue is sure to soar now, and she’s been consistently investing in it.

Even formed a close bond with the first champion, Orthodox, in advance.

Isn’t she a professional investor or something? Did she come from the future?』

– GetDevoured was close with Orthodox?

– Yup, last time during the broadcast, she immediately ended the broadcast when Orthodox sent a whisper.

– ?? Is she nuts?

– Isn’t the chat going wild?

– Her broadcast was down for a whole week.

– What a crazy woman.

– Why even watch her broadcast?

– I just watch because she’s good at the game and funny? Only morons with delusional love feelings go nuts when a female broadcaster chats with a guy LOL

– These are the most dangerous kinds of people.

Eventually, even Lee Yena, the most famous broadcaster known for playing ‘Rogue’ (at least domestically), started getting attention, which was only natural.

『Post by: USERNAME』

『Title: GP Strategy GetDevoured Style 2-Underground』

『One person provided support and boosted the growth of the rogue, causing the rogue to wreck the backline from mid-game onwards, leading to the collapse of the enemy formation.

This was what GetDevoured constantly chanted like a mantra, insisting it was the right strategy. The rogue had low stats and skills designed for non-combat, making solo growth difficult but gaining momentum resulted in a steep growth curve.

So, to avoid early skirmishes, two players headed underground.

Naturally, if the opponents pushed deep in the ground battle, the two from underground would then move focusing on the surface, breaking the formation of the mage-priest-archer in the backline.

If the opponents refrained from attacking out of fear, they would slowly grow and overpower in late-game battles.

A rogue, never seen in the league, suddenly appeared after GetDevoured’s show and prove? Predictable.

One hundred percent sure Orthodox learned it from GetDevoured』

– Delusions should have limits

– What GetDevoured constantly chanted was ‘Since the carry is the rogue, knights should focus on inhibiting the enemy. Warrior… that character was badly designed from the start.’

– Isn’t that the same thing?

– No, how on earth is that even close to being the same thing? Are you having a reverse reading disorder? Even if they speak nonsense, you understand exactly what they’re saying.

– Do you think pros are nothing? LOLOLOL Listening to nonsense makes it seem like the pro learned from KoK.

– GP should sue, seriously.

– Delusions of you fanboys are limitless, for real.

– There is a possibility.

– During the broadcast, GetDevoured’s ID was exposed, showing they were friends and had exchanged whispers.

– Maybe GetDevoured is thinking of retiring and becoming a broadcaster.

– No limits to what they will accuse a player who carried the Worlds Finals.

– The accusation is that the pro learned from a female broadcaster, you fool.

– She wasn’t a female broadcaster, you idiot. I wish she was a female broadcaster, starting from Sakura Mbo to ZeroTwo Cocaine Motorcycle, wanting her to perform all iconic female broadcaster dances.

– What’s wrong with this guy?

Of course, it was merely playful exaggeration by Lee Yena’s fans.

‘Who did it first’ was nothing more than close to mischief.

Very few people truly believed that Orthodox would reference the playstyle of an amateur female broadcaster.

《Next up, player Orthodox! Having demonstrated impressive performance with the hidden strategy and being named Finals MVP, just when did you start preparing for the rogue?》

《Quite recently. Ah, but……do you mind if I give an unrelated answer to that question?》

《Of course! Feel free to answer multiple questions!》

《Actually, when we were developing the rogue strategy, someone helped us, and I have a message from that person. Yes.》

-Ahem.

At the MVP Finals interview, holding the trophy somewhat awkwardly, Orthodox scratched his head and said,

《Everyone, please give lots of love to the rogue. The rogue is… wait a minute. It’s too long so I wrote it down… well… adept at psychological warfare, excelling at overall game comprehension, pinpointing win points in games, responding to changing scenarios, and having the ability to design the flow of the game from the ground up. Rogues can change the game profoundly and provide significant enjoyment. For real. Please give lots of love… that’s it. By no means am I saying I am such a person, this is their opinion, so please don’t misunderstand…….》

Until then, he went on about nonsensical words probably uttered by none other than Lee Yena, saying it was a message from her.

TL’s Corner:

Giving props to the one who deserves it.