Chapter 124
Bae Dohyun’s opponent for the final match was chosen to be the Chinese player, Wang Chunmyung.
Wang Chunmyung, the last survivor of Group C, was one of the top-ranked players in China along with Li Jincheng. He had been training with a sword for over ten years in real life and had shown a significant skill gap, although not as great as Bae Dohyun’s, by defeating opponents in tournaments.
‘Wang Chunmyung. It’s been a while.’
He was one of the figures still lingering in Bae Dohyun’s memory. This was because he was a top solo player among Chinese players until the very end.
Maintaining a ranking within the top 100 players since the early stages of the game, he remained as one of the top-ranked players even at the time of Bae Dohyun’s death.
In a way, he could be considered one of the closest acquaintances among the players who connected and interacted in Connect.
“I knew you would make it to the finals.”
He had fully anticipated this result since he first saw the tournament bracket.
Among other players, there were many who would later rank as top players, but there were few who trained in martial arts in real life and could be considered masters.
His special trait was the nearly top-tier [S-Grade Ki Swordsmanship].
Being a master of swordsmanship with the trait of swordsmanship, if Bae Dohyun had not been there, he would undoubtedly have won the championship.
In fact, Wang Chunmyung was a skilled player to the extent that he once held the top spot in the early days of Connect.
‘Well, that’s enough praise for now.’
While their past relationship was true, it was built on mutual respect forged over more than ten years. Currently, they were merely strangers to each other.
Moreover, their encounters in past lives were not particularly pleasant. Before the final match, in the players’ waiting room.
Squeeze.
Strength could be felt in the handshake. Was he intending to test their strength?
“Mr. Bae Dohyun, I enjoyed watching your qualifying matches. You have an exceptional skill.”
Squeeze.
“Yes. I also enjoyed watching your match, Mr. Wang Chunmyung. Your swordsmanship is quite impressive, isn’t it?”
Grip.
The two clasped hands turned pale as the blood circulation was cut off.
“Why does this guy have such a problem with me?”
Bae Dohyun thought about exerting more force but decided against it. It wouldn’t be fun to kill the excitement before the main game even began.
“Tsk. I acknowledge your skills. However, I can’t sense the dignity befitting them. Any strong individual should not boast about their power but should show consideration for the weak and respect their opponents. Don’t you think so?”
What kind of fresh nonsense is this?
“As expected, people don’t change easily.”
Wang Chunmyung, known for spouting pretentious and unfamiliar words about the chivalry and romance of martial arts novels, often had others reluctantly accept his words as he was a high-ranker.
Eventually, Bae Dohyun started behaving like a true swordsman due to Wang Chunmyung’s influence, which sometimes led to disagreements between them as Bae Dohyun didn’t fancy insincere behavior or speech.
“Well, I have rarely thought of myself as a strong person. I just do my best in every moment.”
“Even if you try to avoid responsibility in that way, it’s futile. I will hold you accountable on behalf of the players unfairly eliminated in the preliminaries!”
With that, he forcefully pulled away the hand they had shaken. It seemed like his hand hurt a little.
“Anyway, he’s meddlesome.”
Bae Dohyun peered sharply into Wang Chunmyung’s eyes and asked,
“Rather, I wonder. Wang Chunmyung, you passed in Group C, right? In Group C, Chinese players formed teams to slaughter players from other countries and secure their spots. What do you think about that? From what I saw, it didn’t seem like a very dignified act…?”
“Th-that was purely a strategic move. Compared to mindlessly slaughtering players like you…”
“Oh, did you show consideration for the weak and respect your opponent by overwhelming them with a significant numerical advantage? Can you guarantee that no unfairly eliminated player existed in that process? I’m sorry, but I believe Wang Chunmyung’s argument is nothing but a forced one.”
Seemingly at a loss for words, Wang Chunmyung bit his lip for a moment before forcing a smile and speaking again.
“Hmph. You may think that way, but your play style was clearly flawed. I…”
“Enough. Let’s stop this argument. I don’t know what kind of responsibility you’re trying to assign, but if you can, prove it. Actions speak louder than words.”
Cutting off Wang Chunmyung’s words, Bae Dohyun strode towards the stage for the final match.
After all, he was not someone who could be persuaded with just words.
“He’s not a fundamentally bad guy, but his perspective is too narrow. I need to help him get out of that stubbornness a little faster this time. If that happens, he might turn out to be quite a useful ally. So, let’s try to get along for now.”
Bae Dohyun clenched his fist with a mischievous expression.
* * *
The live broadcast of the finals was attracting more attention than expected. While most people acknowledged the high likelihood of Bae Dohyun winning with his overwhelming skills, some also hoped for an unexpected outcome.
[First Knight Order Academy Special Admission Test ‘Strife’. Live broadcast of the finals – CNT Sports]
On Connect’s own broadcasting channel, many viewers were tuning in, flooding the chat rooms with their discussions.
– Hey. Bae Dohyun! He’s going to win anyway! Let’s go!
– Hasty guesses are forbidden. Haven’t you seen Wang Chunmyung’s games? Honestly, except for the massacre in the preliminaries, Bae Dohyun didn’t have any outstanding performances.
– That’s a funny thing to say. Maybe he didn’t need to show his skills. Because he couldn’t handle his opponents one on one.
– Korean guys winning with their minds. Didn’t you see that Bae Dohyun struggled since the round of 16? He barely managed to advance after facing strong opponents.
– He was just lucky with the match-ups. How could he avoid facing skilled players and make it to the finals? We should investigate if Korean guys manipulated the brackets.
– Yeah. If we Chinese players faced anyone, they would have failed miserably. Kekeke.
– It’s unbelievable. Are Chinese guys really thinking like that?
– Korea has always been famous for winning with their minds. Just watch, Wang Chunmyung will crush Bae Dohyun. The problem is the small country trying to beat the big country from the start.
– You crossed the line. Saying that small country versus big country in the 21st century.
– It’s not wrong though. Why are you like that? China is a big country, so does that mean Korea is a big country too?
– (Content cannot be verified due to report.)
– (Content cannot be verified due to report.)
“For those using the chat, please refrain from excessive profanity or personal attacks. Our CNT Sports channel abides by broadcasting review regulations and guidelines regarding malicious comments in chat rooms. We ask for your understanding that you may be blocked from accessing due to sanctions. Now, let’s continue with the analysis. Panelist, what kind of strategy do you think Bae Dohyun will adopt in this final match?”
“Well, our player Bae Dohyun is capable of handling a wide range of weapons proficiently, which makes it difficult to predict his strategy. However, considering that Wang Chunmyung excels in swordsmanship, I think Bae Dohyun might have an advantage if he chooses weapons like polearms with longer reach or long-range weaponry.”
“So, what do you estimate his chances of winning to be…?”
“Among the experts, opinions are about fifty-fifty or 6:4 in favor of Bae Dohyun. However, personally, I predict Bae Dohyun’s victory by a margin of 9:1 or more.”
“May I ask for the reason?”
The commentator scratched his head slightly and answered with a smile.
“Well, isn’t the aura visibly different? Bae Dohyun seems very relaxed, while Wang Chunmyung looks like he’s ready to spit fire from his eyes. Although it’s called the final, there’s a strong sense of champion versus challenger.”
“Yes, that’s true. Any other reasons?”
“My gut feeling, honed through a life in martial arts, tells me so. Bae Dohyun is guaranteed to win. That’s what this strong intuition is telling me.”
“Ah… I see. In that case, next….”
Reporter Park Jinhwan had a feeling that he might not see this analyst on the next broadcast.
* * *
The final match began.
Wang Chunmyung, as usual, was wearing traditional attire that could appear in Chinese martial arts dramas on top of his leather armor.
“His concept is consistent.”
To be honest, it was not entirely a concept; there were rumors that he had actually trained with a sword in a volcanic faction.
Even if his outfit seemed a bit amateurish, it resembled the real training attire of the volcanic faction.
Not only did he have the appearance, but his skill was outstanding, creating quite a fandom among the Chinese.
Holding up his longsword, dressed in the martial artist attire, Wang Chunmyung looked quite convincing.
“Today, I will defeat you here and prove that the Mount Hua’s sword is the best in the world!”
“Oh, my. I feel like my hands and feet are getting cramped.”
While it was somewhat bearable when watching martial arts novels or movies, hearing such words directly before his eyes made him lose his composure.
Bae Dohyun deliberately maintained a calm expression as he pulled out a longsword similar to Wang Chunmyung’s from his inventory.
“I’m sorry, Wang Chunmyung, but I believe the skill gap between us is too significant to engage in an ordinary battle.”
Clash.
Bae Dohyun drove his longsword into the center of the training ground floor and drew a small circle around himself.
“So, I will not step out of this circle during this final match. If even one foot goes beyond this point, I will admit defeat.”
Like a master in the martial world showing mercy to a lesser opponent, Bae Dohyun decided to impose this penalty on himself.
This action not only caught the attention of Wang Chunmyung but also stirred up the spectators watching the match.
– Crazy. Is he seriously deluding himself into thinking he’s an absolute master or something?
– Such arrogance. This is a disrespect to all Chinese players!
– Why making it a big deal suddenly involving the whole of China…?
– Shut up, arrogant Koreans. Just because you excel a bit in the game, you act all high and mighty! This is crossing the line.
– Well, this might turn out well. Let Wang Chunmyung crush that arrogant guy and bring the next Connect TO to our China!
The Chinese fans were ecstatic, while the Korean side didn’t respond with such refined remarks.
– Why the fuss? Can’t he just win? What if he gets careless and loses our spot for TO?
– Seriously, representing the country, shouldn’t he give his best even in a minor match! Such a lack of character.
– I’m also a bit frustrated, but still, he’s not representing the country, right? This is an academy entrance exam after all…
– I don’t know. If he loses, I’ll really go find Bae Dohyun and give him a piece of my mind! Why did he get the seeding right for himself?
– You want trouble? Meeting Bae Dohyun in real life might not end well. I’ll pray for you in advance.
– It’s a bit disappointing as fellow Koreans. It would be nice if Bae Dohyun wins, but even if not, what right do we have to curse him? The country hasn’t done anything, and he’s the one who made it to the final with his own efforts.
The chatroom was not the only place where such discussions were happening; even the broadcasters from various countries voiced their concerns.
Many questioned the need to take such risks and put on such a performance. Despite the external reactions, how would Wang Chunmyung, the main character, feel about this?
“I thought he was a reasonable opponent, but I was foolish. Bring it on with all you’ve got!”
With his face flushed red, Wang Chunmyung shouted in apparent frustration.
“Hmm. I did as he asked, why is he getting angry? Consideration for the weak, respect for the opponent. What’s the problem here?”
As Bae Dohyun smirked, the final match finally began.
(To be continued…)