I Regressed but the World Didn’t Fall Apart

Chapter 18

Hmm.. Is it there? (1) – [Ultimate Fighter]

018.

“No, again, show it again! Again!”

[PERFECT]

[Defeat]

Red letters appeared prominently.

A defeat mark displayed after the perfect.

Ding-

[The ‘Spider Girl’ has donated 1,000 won.]

-We hit 100,000, ss

-Perfect cut

-hahahaha

-What about ‘that defeat’?

-Attention, Dark Maiden

-How long has it been since we saw a perfect defeat like this?

The chaos in the chat window mirrored her defeat.

Dark Maiden shouted at the chat window.

“Wait, wait, everyone. No, this isn’t right, really!”

A visibly flustered Dark Maiden.

A perfect defeat.

To be beaten without landing a single blow.

Of course, even in high-level matches like Eolpa, perfect games occasionally happen between top players. Due to the nature of combat games where one mistake can lead to significant losses, making just one or two mistakes can result in a perfect defeat.

Dark Maiden had both handed out perfect defeats to her opponents and suffered them herself several times.

But no matter what, it was still hard to accept.

It wasn’t a showdown between the symbols of Eolpa’s top players and Dark Maiden’s class, nor was it a battle between top players, but a perfect defeat in a mere sparring match.

And even though it sounded like an excuse, Dark Maiden had nothing to say.

“Ah, really! Everyone! Do you know I lost because I let my guard down?”

It was true.

She really lost because she let her guard down.

Dark Maiden, with a slightly dejected face, shouted.

But the viewers’ reactions were cold.

-hahahaha

-Letting your guard down hahahahaha

-That word came out

-Huh?

Ding-

[The ‘Girl with a Sword’ has donated 1,000 won.]

-Huh? I’m pretty sure someone said something about skill even during carelessness

A donation that hits the mark.

Indeed, Dark Maiden had once made such a statement.

“Hmph, carelessness? That’s amusing. Carelessness is a skill. Isn’t it?”

At some point, after meeting a rival player in the finals of an important competition and winning, she must have said something like that.

But Dark Maiden still wore a deeply unjust expression even during the donation.

“No, really, really, really this time. I was deceived by a newbie cosplayer? Didn’t you guys also think that person was a newbie?”

Dark Maiden vented her frustration with a face full of injustice.

Staring at the chat window as if seeking approval.

Clearly a newbie, right?

But who cares about being a newbie.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-That’s true

-Their acting skills were impressive

Who knew they could deceive so convincingly.

Another rotten player who came with a solid concept without a doubt.

Ding-

[“Eolakgwi” has donated 1,000 won.]

-A newbie? We can’t have that

-True

-For real, where did the noob go

-Seriously, these days, anyone who tries to be a noob ends up playing like Iron Fist

-Oh

-Geez…

-Don’t mention “that game” on Noob Day

-Protect the noobs!

“No, even if it wasn’t Yamazaki, I wouldn’t have lost! That Yamipae is really trash! It’s because of the agility, I couldn’t escape the combo.”

-Ahㅋㅋ

-Yeah, yeah~

-Is your tongue long..?

-For real, it’s all Yamashichi’s fault

-??? : Me again?

Of course, for viewers, such unjust scenes of the Black Girl were simply a source of laughter.

Normally regarded as a legend among professional gamers in Ultimate Fighter, effortlessly winning a round or two against legendary pros, the Black Girl, who was usually so confident, displaying such a sight against a mere sparring partner?

A rare chance to tease.

From the perspective of Black Girl’s fans, this was unbearable.

“No, seriously! Argh, this won’t do. Let me show you how to win perfectly this time, but in reverse.”

Saying so, Black Girl picked her main character.

The Master of the Sword, Harang.

A character who allowed her to be called the Sword Maiden during her pro days, and while she may not know much else, her mastery of Harang was the reason she was considered inferior to Black Girl.

Ding-

[“KingRidgeKeep” has donated 1,000 won.]

-If you say I got wrecked perfectly and instantly pick Harang, that’s just sadisticㅋ

-Ah

-Ugh

-Sadisticㅋㅋ

-First things first

– Gaechoo (meaning of Gaechoo below) ㅋㅋㅋ

-ㄱㅊ

“Uh, uhuhu. Seriously!”

The black-haired girl trembled at the teasing remarks from the viewers pouring towards her.

Of course, she wasn’t genuinely angry.

She knew well that it was teasing mixed with fans’ affection.

But as unjust as it felt.

“No, I would win if I had done it properly.”

If she hadn’t allowed the first hit so carelessly, she would have been the one winning.

And she would have smoothly completed the sweet 5-win mission.

Although the onslaught after allowing the first hit was a bit… no, quite… sharp.

That’s all.

“It’s not like I’m at the level of Cheonoecheon.”

Cheonoecheon, the highest rank in Ultimate Fighter.

A prestigious rank allowed only for 100 users.

The opponent didn’t seem to be at the level of such a skilled player.

Viewers might not have realized, but the black-haired girl herself, one of those Cheonoecheon, knew.

Even though she was helplessly hit due to a gap in defense, the black-haired girl couldn’t sense the Cheonoecheon’s essence in the opponent’s play.

If the opponent had the skills of a Cheonoecheon player, the recent match could have ended a few seconds faster.

The Cheonoecheons, who had moved on from being novices to experts long ago, were well aware of the damage dealt by all characters in the game in increments of 0.1 HP.

For instance, when the opponent’s character, like Steve used earlier, swung an uppercut with the left arm and rotated it more than 25 degrees towards the body, it would typically reduce the opponent’s HP by about 0.8 more than a regular uppercut.

Such differences in damage existed not only in uppercut movements but also in punches, kicks, elbows, and other striking areas.

Similar to an Easter egg in the game for veterans.

And at the level of Cheonoecheon, it was considered basic to be aware of all the damage differences based on each character’s movements.

However, the opponent showed no signs of such knowledge.

“Was it like trading a top-quality gemstone for a lower-quality one? Maybe just relying on sheer physical strength.”

Though the opponent’s physical strength was quite impressive, it was likely that they had only played Ulpa intensively for a few months, not like a seasoned high-tier user from another game.

But such gameplay would only get you so far, at best reaching the lower ranks.

Ulpa’s ranking system goes as follows: [Cheonoecheon – Daega – Geumgangseok – Baekgeum – Geum – Eun – Cheongdong – Cheol – Shinbyeong].

While Daega is directly below Cheonoecheon, there is still an insurmountable gap between the two ranks.

If done properly, one wouldn’t lose.

“At the very least, I wouldn’t have lost like this if it weren’t for Yamazaki.”

If she had chosen an ordinary character instead of a lousy one like Yamazaki.

If she hadn’t let her guard down and carelessly given away the first opportunity.

It wouldn’t have been herself facing a perfect defeat, but the opponent.

So now, it’s time to show that.

“I’m really angry. Please pass on my condolences to them instead. I’m going out in serious mode.”

Saying so, the black-haired girl raised her sword.

Her face looking ahead was quite serious.

– She’s here, ㄷㄷ

– Ambush Sincerity Mode Declaration

– Is the Dark Lady Mode coming out?

– Great Sword Hui

“Hmph. Get ready to be amazed by my play.”

Losing once didn’t generate any huge ill feelings towards the opponent.

Having been perfectly defeated in front of the viewers, she was determined to return the favor with another perfect defeat.

What is the control that can only be shown by the exceptional few!

I will engrave it properly!

[Ready-]

[3]

[2]

[1··· Fight-!]

Swish-!

“Ugh?!”

[PERFECT]

[Victory]

“Oh.”

Ido Hyuk let out a small sigh.

Yet another perfect victory at last.

It was a somewhat challenging goal achieved.

“The first round was easy though.”

At first, the opponent used a character wielding a staff.

Back then, without allowing a single hit, he defeated the opponent.

But then, in the next round, the opponent changed to a female character wielding a sword.

“And things got a bit tougher from then on.”

The female swordsman character seemed more skilled than the previous one.

As if performing a dance like some kind of martial art, her speed increased, and she even shot sword winds from her blade.

It must be some kind of skill existing in the game.

Watching that, Ido Hyuk regretted skipping the tutorial, as he didn’t know how to use the powers he wanted to try in the game he chose.

He tried using his former magical sense to activate something, but of course, it didn’t work at all.

So, from the second round onwards when the opponent brought the female swordsman character, and since the opponent could use skills while Ido Hyuk couldn’t, it was not insignificant that he suffered losses.

Of course, that didn’t mean Ido Hyuk was defeated by the opponent.

“Was that a 5-win streak just now…?”

The first round was a very easy perfect victory against the staff character.

In the second round, victory was achieved with about 1/3 of the health bar depleted.

But in the third and fourth rounds, victory was possible with almost no health depletion.

In the second round, even if he was flustered by the skills, after seeing the opponent’s skill once, he could handle it.

So, honestly, from the third round onwards, he thought that a perfect victory was possible.

Finally, it took until the fifth round to achieve a perfect victory once again.

There was a reason why it was labeled as ‘For Absolute Beginners’ on the room title.

Although Lee Dohyuk was a novice in the Full Dive game, he was not oblivious to the gaming culture.

Just like in the old days of StarCraft where most public matches were for beginners only, this seemed to be a similar case.

Knowing this, Lee Dohyuk had entered this room.

He was aware of his own skill level to some extent.

Even if it was his first time playing the game, in a ‘versus’ game, Lee Dohyuk couldn’t be underestimated.

Although the second round was not entirely easy.

Yet, it wasn’t because Lee Dohyuk was incapable, but rather because his opponent was quite sharp.

“He’s not bad. I wonder what level he’s at here.”

“You’re quite good. What’s your tier?”

Lee Dohyuk said.

It was a compliment with a touch of sincerity from him.

However, whether his praise had been conveyed to his opponent was uncertain.

“──? ─! ───?!”

“I can’t understand what you’re saying.”

The opponent had been talking enthusiastically since earlier.

Lee Dohyuk couldn’t hear a single word of it.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand, but that he genuinely couldn’t hear anything.

Although the opponent was speaking, no sound was coming out of their mouth; it seemed like they were just moving their lips.

“Can he not hear me either?”

Speculating, it could be some in-game feature like communication block.

There are many gamers who prefer to play without talking to each other.

While thinking these thoughts, Lee Dohyuk continued to watch the opponent who kept shouting incomprehensible words.

“─! ──! ──!”

If he had known this would happen, he should have properly learned lip reading.

Among Lee Dohyuk’s former colleagues, there was a hunter who could read lips not only in Korean but also in English, Japanese, and Chinese.

Lee Dohyuk, who had once attempted to learn out of curiosity but found it harder than expected and gave up, regretted not mastering it now.

From Noble mtl dot com

Even though he couldn’t hear the opponent’s words, he could still infer their meaning.

[A revenge request has been received]

The incessant alerts had been informing him of that.

It was undoubtedly a suggestion to play one more round.

However, Lee Dohyuk had no intention of doing so.

[Rejection]

Dohyuk continued to decline the incoming requests one by one.

“I’ll leave now.”

Choosing a prosecutor character like the opponent did, Dohyuk played with a prosecutor character that made him look somewhat cool.

However, unlike the opponent who was constantly shooting out skills, Dohyuk had never used skills like as “Chamgeok” or “Geompoong.”

He wanted to try stepping on air and shooting “Chamgeok” as seen in the introduction video, but in the end, he couldn’t find out how to activate the skills.

So, he decided to leave the room and figure out how to activate the skills.

After getting somewhat used to the game, he planned to play some ranked matches before the broadcast started.

“If a room user is at this level, they must be better at a higher tier, right?”

He was thinking like that at that time.

“─?! ────!!”

The opponent who kept rejecting the revenge requests shouted at Dohyuk.

“Huh? What’s up with… in front of…?”

This time, Dohyuk could somewhat read the opponent’s lips.

“What are you asking about?”

It seemed like he was asking for his nickname to add him as a friend.

A pretty reasonable deduction.

“Well, it shouldn’t hurt.”