The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 111

The first day of the test was over.

The practical test for non-combat roles was held but didn’t attract much attention, as everyone’s focus was rightfully on the matches.

After the preliminary rounds of Groups A and B ended, the community’s reaction was quite heated.

– Are these graphics for real? Is this really a game?

– There are still those who doubt the graphics…

– It’s natural for non-gamers to believe it after watching the broadcast.

– I randomly flipped channels and found out about this. Where can I buy this game?

– No cosplay for regular people. Regular folks posting on the Connect-exclusive board? Caught red-handed lol

– It’s amazing how this detective cracked it. New members are flooding in after watching today’s broadcast. The forums are exploding!

– I didn’t have high hopes when they said it would be a survival during the preliminary rounds, but it was unexpectedly fun. The test designer must have used their head.

– True. I thought it would be the typical scene of everyone ganging up and fighting, but I was proven wrong. Even as a viewer, I was surprised. Imagine how bewildered the players who participated must have been.

– The sense of justice angle was clever. Cheaters should be eradicated. Let’s play the game fairly! Hackers and rude players OUT!

– Wait, isn’t the main issue the organizers not properly explaining the rules and penalizing players? And why is teaming up and playing considered rude? It’s strategy. Honestly, there seems to be a clear conspiracy to expose certain factions.

– Go back to your country’s forums!

– They clearly marked it as survival, so these rules are necessary. Honestly, it was hilarious to see the Chinese players forcibly being teleported. lol

– Let’s be honest. It wasn’t just the Chinese players, but also a lot of Korean players got teleported, right? Some even started political fights and ended up experiencing justice.

– There was one real loser. Honestly, I thought they had good talking skills, so I had expectations, but I didn’t expect them to act like idiots and fail.

– Hey guys. Isn’t now the time to be leisurely chattering like this? Only two Korean players made it through. Honestly, weren’t you a bit disappointed?

– Indeed. I expected at least three or more. There were many top rankers, so what could have been the problem?

– It’s obvious. Isn’t it because they wasted time on useless politics and picking sides?

– Who knows. Maybe this was the original standard? It’s not just a click game in front of a computer, it’s a real virtual reality game. Honestly, how could you compete with Western players in terms of physicality?

– Pessimists, go away. If you’re Korean, shouldn’t you support Korea even if you can’t make it?

– Without reason, nationalism is irritating.

– Even if you don’t get too impatient, those who deserve to move up will eventually move up. In reality, if you look at the rankings of the successful candidates, most of them are at the top, and just by watching their gameplay, you can tell they fight well. There are also many top-ranked players among Koreans, so just trust and wait.

The aftermath of the live broadcast was more remarkable than expected. Not only did the forums explode, but countless articles poured in, and the level of interest was starting to decorate the main news on TV.

[“Strife”

” Internet live broadcast, simultaneous online users exceeding tens of millions.]

[“Strife”

” preliminary highlights video surpasses 100 million views in less than a day!]

[“Strife”

” first day of preliminaries, 2 Korean players confirm advancement to the finals.]

[Connect integrated forum experienced excessive traffic and almost caused a server shutdown.]

[Advertisers flocking to Connect show interest. According to industry insiders, ad slots are sold out until the “Strife”

” finals!]

[Some civic groups file injunction to ban “Strife”

” broadcast, citing excessive violence and brutality.]

As the outside world buzzed on, the players within Connect were also bustling with activity.

Some were focusing on hunting to increase their levels before their turn came, while others were strategizing with their teammates in the same group.

Especially the Chinese players, who represented the largest number of players, were analyzing the exam centered around Li Jincheng, the last person from Group B to qualify.

“How did the video analysis go?”

“Yes, we just finished it. As Li Jincheng mentioned, there was consistency in the rules.”

They were analyzing the most problematic issue, the ‘forced portal’. It was a rule that posed the biggest obstacle from the perspective of the Chinese with the most players.

To increase the passing rate, they needed to know the range of penalties, and now the answer had finally emerged.

“The sample size for analysis is small, so it’s not certain, but if there are 5 or more people, and 3 minutes have passed, the forced portal will open.”

“Good, let’s use that as the basis to create a strategy for our brothers. Tomorrow is the perfect opportunity to widely announce the rise of China to the world.”

It wasn’t information they could use for long. The Chinese players were preparing rigorously for the matches to achieve the best results. And on the second day, the first test.

The results from Group C in the morning ended as expected, with an overwhelming victory for the Chinese. Out of the 8 successful candidates, five were Chinese, and Korea suffered the embarrassment of not producing a single qualified candidate.

The Chinese players paired up two out of the ten zones in advance to roughly determine the joining areas and participated in the match.

For example, let’s say we designate them as Zone 1 and 2, and gather in front of the tallest building or artificially constructed structure in Zone 1.

Teams that successfully joined forces operated strictly in groups of four and maintained a certain distance between teams. In the event of a battle, nearby teams would organically move to join forces.

Ultimately, their decision was the right one, as they overwhelmingly performed in the preliminary rounds, except for conceding the kill rankings to three high-rankers from another country.

“Wow, those Chinese guys are really something.”

“They may be ruthless, but you can see they’ve prepared extensively. How did they accurately grasp the hidden rules in just one day?”

“Are those Chinese guys going to snatch up all the remaining qualifying spots?”

Players who watched the matches couldn’t help but express surprise and concern. Fortunately, the morning qualifiers ended with only one group finishing, allowing other players from different countries to strategize until the next match during lunchtime.

“We should form teams and move like the Chinese guys did.”

“We lack the numbers, so we might have to collaborate with players from other countries.”

The desire to qualify quickly brought players from different countries together in a short amount of time.

In the following afternoon qualifiers, most players moved in groups of four, transforming the survival concept into squad showdowns rather than individual battles. However, Raul did not intervene nor intend to do so.

“I expected it to turn out like this. Although China moved faster than I thought.”

Initially setting the rule of mandatory portal with five or more members was to encourage the formation of four-member squads.

Through this “Strife,” Raul aims to make players into stars. To achieve that, talented players need to stand out. One-on-one matches lacked impact, and gathering too many in one place would lead to individuals getting lost in group combat. Thus, Raul decided on four members as the optimal number. He judged that showcasing outstanding performance was achievable when facing a four-member squad.

Fortunately, the qualifiers proceeded as Raul predicted. Apart from China’s overwhelming performance in Group C of the qualifiers, no country dominated the remaining matches or saw top players being outnumbered and dropping out. Overall, while Chinese players showcased dominance, rankers from various countries managed to highlight their skills and succeed in qualifying. And finally, Bae Dohyun’s last team, team H, was approaching the preliminaries.

[National Qualifiers by Group]

China 14, USA 8, Korea 5, Japan 4, russia 4, UK 2, …

-“I had a feeling, but the results are more disappointing than I expected. Out of the 1,600 participants, nearly 200 are Korean players. Even though it’s the last group, having only 5 members is too much, isn’t it?”

-“It’s all because of those Chinese players. They cause chaos, and the Western players tend to gang up whenever they see someone with black hair. Our players, lacking in numbers, became the target.”

-“I have no words. Those 200 players would have been ranked higher than the USA based on their individual skills, right? The average rank was high. In other words, they didn’t even earn their keep.”

-“If they didn’t play properly despite having high skills, I knew this would happen. They just had strong egos for no reason.”

-“Since the games in Group C, the game feels less fun, honestly. Am I the only one feeling this way?”

-“I agree. I wanted more intense battles, but after the team culling, it feels like it’s just the same old, same old.”

-“Still, there were standout players. If their skills are exceptional, they stand out even if you don’t like them.”

-“Those Chinese players are the worst, pushing with numbers in that crap game they’re playing.”

-“Honestly, I wish there were more flashy and eye-catching players.”

-“With only mediocre players, there’s no fun in cheering for anyone.”

-“Isn’t it worth looking forward to the last group? They have the top ranker there, and he’s a Korean player to boot.”

-“Well, I’m not sure if being the top ranker changes much, but let’s see. After all, he’s Korean.”

Psh.

Raul, or rather Bae Dohyun, closed the system window and smirked.

The forum atmosphere was flowing just the way he wanted.

Of course, he hadn’t expected the Korean players to be in such dire straits, but there was a silver lining.

“Heroes always appear at the end.”

The reason he chose the last group.

It was to make an impact. Raul imagined himself standing at the top of the playership once again as Bae Dohyun. And I had plans to walk a slightly different path than my past life.

Not as a lonely solo player, but as an ‘influencer.’

To do that, I had to leave an impression on other players. Bae Dohyun knew he was different.

‘It’s like the perfect stage set for it.’

The qualifying rounds had transformed into a team battle scenario. And with Korean players unexpectedly pulling off a brilliant performance in the finals.

If Bae Dohyun could show his prowess properly when he appeared at this moment, people would have no choice but to focus on him until the end of the competition.

Of course, such a situation would inevitably lead to various problems. However, ‘Bae Dohyun’ was just a virtual character in the virtual reality world, not existing in the real world.

Pushing ahead with the plan despite knowing this was because he was already well-prepared.

‘It’s going so smoothly, it’s almost scary. Embracing that label was definitely a brilliant move.’

Rabel was truly a genius. In just a month, he had almost perfect understanding of the world. Especially when it came to the internet, he seemed to have surpassed the level of an expert, reaching a different realm.

‘If I were to explain, to me, the internet looks like a magic circle and barrier structure made of mana. The flow of information through the internet network is like the flow of mana through magic circles, and the security system is similar to forming barriers, should I say?’

Honestly, it was difficult to understand what he was saying, but Rabel’s words were not false.

Nonchalantly hacking into the local office computer and displaying the system window, Raul intuitively felt it.

‘I’ve been raising a formidable hacker.’

And Rabel demanded Bae Dohyun’s profile from Raul. Offering to create Bae Dohyun’s real-life identity for him.

‘Well, if I can’t do it, I’ll give up.’

Raul didn’t have high expectations. What he wanted was just to know enough to handle hacking, nothing more. And a few days later.

He couldn’t help but regret messing with a fairy using nothing but a mere human’s shallow knowledge.

(To be continued…)