Chapter 14: The Unexpected Star

“Yes. The match has just begun!”

With the caster’s comment, the game broadcast screen appeared.

On the left side was the nickname of the player currently on-screen,

and on the right were basic details like the number of players and playtime, neatly displayed.

“It seems that, since this is an amateur match, there are hardly any players with well-known names.”

“But that only means we can focus on the in-game content without any bias, right?”

” Plus, we might discover a rising star in today’s tournament!”

“That’s right! With a prize pool of 3 million won, who knows what kind of iconic moments might appear!”

As expected, the experts were a different breed.

As soon as the game started, their energy levels spiked,

increasing the excitement and anticipation for the tournament.

Since it usually took some time to enter the main game after entering the waiting room,

it was common for non-game-related topics to be mentioned to fill the audio during that time.

“So! What do you think, Gaojing-nim?”

Gaojing, a mid-tier streamer, had secured a decent fanbase thanks to his solid skills and good banter.

For this tournament, he had essentially been appointed as a face for commentary.

Of course, compared to professional analysts, his attention to detail was lacking,

but he had prepared thoroughly to solidify his image as a game expert.

“First, the map is the Red Wilderness, so I predict we’ll see quite a few direct confrontations in this match.”

“Ah, direct confrontations! That sounds great! Are there any other things to keep in mind?”

“Well… usually, in tournaments, people tend to play it safe. ”

“Since many of today’s participants are just regular players,

I think the fights will mostly happen in the later stages of the game.”

“Good point. You’re really sharp, Gaojing-nim!”

“Thank you, haha.”

“Uh, uh! A battle is happening right now!”

The analyst’s urgent voice startled me, and I quickly turned my gaze to the screen.

A battle was already happening? How long had it been since the game started?

It hadn’t even been two minutes since the players had moved from the waiting room to the battle area.

Considering the time it took to move, they had started fighting barely a minute after the game began.

In such cases, it was usually because one player was an aggressive fighter.

The player who wouldn’t stop attacking like a mad dog, forcing the battle to happen.

From the screen, it didn’t look like they were fighting with their bare fists.

“Wow, the fight is already underway! Incredible!”

The caster regained his composure quickly, continuing to build the excitement of the situation, keeping the energy up.

For the viewers, this was the perfect situation they didn’t have to endure boring farming and could watch an early battle.

“Both players have equipped their main weapons. <Hosik2> is holding a riot shield, while the opponent  has…”

The caster’s words trailed off as he stared in disbelief.

He was looking at the weapon in the female player’s hand, and even though he saw it clearly,

he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. He checked again to be sure.

“…A trident?”

It wasn’t just him who was shocked. Both the caster and the analyst were also taken aback.

The trident was a weapon that could appear in both casual and competitive play,

but in professional circles, it was practically dismissed as impractical.

After a brief moment of confusion, Gaojing tried to cover for the player, explaining it in a more positive light.

“Well, it seems like the first weapon they found was the trident.

When they encountered the enemy, they had no choice but to use it.”

“Could that be it? I’m sure players familiar with this game will agree,

but the reputation of that weapon isn’t very good, right? What does that mean for such an early fight?”

That was a question with an obvious answer.

The trident didn’t change its performance as the game progressed.

From the start to the end, it was useless.

In fact, most players would rather use a fork than pick up a trident.

However, since he was giving an official commentary, Gaojing tried to explain it as diplomatically as possible.

“The trident’s advantage is its long range for a melee weapon.”

“Yes. And?”

“Well, that’s about it. It doesn’t really have any other notable strengths, which is why no one uses it.”

As they were discussing the trident, the battle became more intense, and it seemed like the winner would soon be decided.

Now, it was time to focus entirely on the fight.

“Oh, right now! The player jumps and leaps over the shield. They land behind the enemy!”

“Now’s the time for a counterattack! But first, they crouch and tackle!”

“They’ve knocked the opponent down and landed a solid strike!”

Despite the awkwardness of the weapon choice, the player’s skill was undeniable.

Gaojing found himself unintentionally admiring the battle as he watched.

“Wow! First kill! The first death has already occurred!”

“What’s that? Water is coming out from the corpse’s chest? It’s being absorbed by the trident?”

Of course, this question wasn’t one the caster was asking out of ignorance.

As a professional tournament commentator, he was fully aware of the basic mechanics of the game.

He had simply set up the conversation in a way that allowed Gaojing to explain things smoothly.

“That’s a unique feature of the trident it can absorb water from the corpse.”

“Wow! So, what changes? Does the weapon level up immediately?”

“No. It just looks cooler. That’s all.”

“…Ah, so that’s all. Well, looking cooler is important too, I guess. Ahem.”

The caster, momentarily flustered by the unbelievable performance of the trident, cleared his throat.

“But now that they’ve won the battle, they’ll probably switch weapons.”

“Yes, especially since they’re holding the highly-rated riot shield. It’s like a sturdy bowl of soup!”

“Exactly!  seems to be moving with great skill. We should definitely keep an eye on them!”

Just when I thought the situation was wrapping up smoothly with a little awkwardness covered up, the commentators were thrown into another panic.

“…Are they just going?”

“Uh, yes. They’re moving without changing their weapon. They’re still holding the trident.”

“Could they really be planning to keep using that?”

I didn’t want to believe it, but there was a strange feeling about it.

Even after just watching a brief moment of the battle, I had this sense that this player might have star potential, capable of creating an incredible impact.

Meanwhile, on the largest domestic IBA (In-Game Battle) community:

[Is anyone watching the StarDom tournament?] Am I the only one watching? Anyone wanna co-commentate?

[Comments]

• What’s that, nerd?
• It’s not even ELK, what’s StarDom?
• PC room tournament.
• Wanna die? I thought this was a pro tournament.
• This is actually so fun, let’s watch together!
• Lmao.

[Gaojing is doing commentary, so is this an indie tournament? Anyway, it’s fun to watch.] It’s surprisingly fun. I can’t stop watching.

[Comments]

• StarDom tournament is so good, go watch it right now!
• Stop with the viral stuff, I’m not watching~~
• It’s not viral, I’m telling you, it’s fun.
• Where can I watch it?
• Just search StarDom on YouTube and the live stream will show up.
• OMG.

[Watching StarDom, trident villain lol] This is hilarious  Who is this? Doesn’t seem like a pro, lol. Anyway, they’re totally in-character, lol.

[Comments]

• Why? What’s going on? I never know what’s happening.
• There’s a StarDom PC room tournament, watch it now!
• Is it fun?
• If you don’t watch it, you’ll regret it for sure.
• Trident sister is insane Never seen someone use a fork like that before.
• Trident girl is the scene-stealer, lol.

[Real-time: Trident Sister Massacre] Their skills are extraordinary, huh?

Her physical skills seemed almost professional.

[Comments]

• That’s pushing it too far.
• But, yeah, she’s really good.
• The trident is being used so smoothly and efficiently.
• Since the start, she’s been using just the trident.
• Seriously? She’s insane…

Before long, her story began to subtly make its way through the community.

Like clothes getting damp from a light rain, naturally, people started taking an interest in the ongoing tournament.

No one knew exactly how it would turn out for her, but it was becoming clear that people were noticing.

“Alright.”

The game had entered its later stages.

With the sandstorm having passed, it was time to move again.

She checked the remaining players.

12.

Quite a few were still alive.

Considering how much the survival element had been reduced in the tournament,

it made sense that more people had managed to survive.

It was mostly the battles that led to eliminations.

Still, not bad.

In fact, looking at the flow of things so far, she was quite satisfied.

She had single-handedly eliminated double-digit numbers of players.

Though they probably couldn’t hear it, she could imagine how the commentators were reacting.

They were likely paying quite a bit of attention to her.

This was exactly the situation she had hoped for, so she needed to finish strong.

She planned to give a powerful final performance.

Then, it was time to hunt down more opponents.