Chapter 16: The Trident’s Grip

“Now, the second game has started. ”

“Which player stands out to you the most?”

“Of course, several players showed great performances in the first game,

but it’s hard not to pay attention to <JjamppongAehoga>.”

“Honestly, I feel the same! I’m sure not just us, but most of the viewers feel the same way! ”

“Now, let’s take a look at <JjamppongAehoga>’s situation.”

With the smooth commentary, the screen transitioned, showing a shocking scene.

Thankfully, the in-game voice wasn’t broadcasted.

Although sometimes, if the voice content is interesting and deemed acceptable, it might be played through replays.

Still, they had to perform their duties and comment on the situation.

“Yes… it looks like combat is already happening, just like in the previous match.”

“<JjamppongAehoga> is… punching her opponent relentlessly.”

“And the opponent is… holding a trident. Must be a coincidence, right?”

The battle itself was, as expected, of excellent quality.

It was clear that her skill was outstanding, despite the unconventional concept.

However, the scene at the end, where she knocks her opponent down and continues to beat them, was pretty intense.

It was so brutal that it almost made you feel sorry for the one receiving the beating.

Even the commentators couldn’t help but stay silent during this moment.

When she won the battle and lifted the trident in celebration, the scene quickly spread across the community.

[The villain with the trident… ]

[Comments]

• So funny
• She looks so cute when she’s happy
  L?
  The one calling her cute, just go back and watch the previous scene.
  That beating scene almost gave me PTSD…
• She got completely caught up in the concept
  It’s not a concept, she’s a real trident fanatic.

Thanks to her unique concept, she became a hot topic in the community and viewers of the ongoing Stardom tournament quickly increased.

As a result, rumors spread rapidly, drawing more people in.

This continued cycle made the community buzz with talk about the ongoing Stardom tournament.

Of course, not everyone was thrilled about it.

In fact, there were quite a few people who weren’t interested or even disliked the whole thing.

[Endless drama about the streamer’s tournament]

Why are they talking about this here?

Please go to the streamer section and talk there.

[Comments]

• This is about the tournament, so why are you complaining about it here?
  This is the place to talk about professional tournaments.
  Who made the rules? Are you the admin?
• Can we stop talking about this irrelevant streamer tournament?
  It’s not a streamer event, it’s a PC bang tournament…
  Anyway, it’s all the same.

Even so, the community runs on the principle that the loudest voices dominate.

Even if there are complaints, if they’re not actively voiced, they’ll inevitably get swept up by the majority.

So, neutral people, with no strong opinion, eventually got dragged into the conversation,

and at the center of this debate was, of course, <JjamppongAehoga>.

On the other hand, since obtaining the trident, she had been much more active than in the previous match,

massacring participants one after another.

With favorable conditions, including the map, she began to perform like a whirlwind, moving madly and decisively.

Her momentum was so overwhelming that, even in an official tournament broadcast,

unless something special happened, they kept the camera focused solely on her.

While this might have been frustrating for the other participants, the event organizers couldn’t be blamed for focusing on her,

as it was all for the sake of the tournament’s popularity.

Eventually, the second game ended even more one-sidedly.

There was no way to stop her, as she kept slaughtering participants from the start, growing stronger with every kill.

The victory was overwhelming, but the viewers’ reactions were less enthusiastic than the previous round.

The battle lacked any sense of danger, and it was all too easy.

The penalties, like the poor weapons and unfavorable environment from the first match, didn’t play a significant role this time.

With her second victory in hand, her win was all but confirmed.

This made the tension for the third game completely evaporate. The outcome was already decided.

The excitement in the community started to dwindle, replaced by a more natural curiosity.

[So, who exactly is the trident villain?]

From the looks of it, she must be at least a top-ranked player or a pro trainee, right?

Has her identity been revealed yet?

[Comments]

• No idea
• I’ve never seen this nickname before
• I checked the stats, and it’s definitely an alternate account
  ᄂ Last week was her first game, and she hasn’t even finished her placement matches yet
  ᄂ So, it’s probably an alt account. I’m curious who it could be.

Her outstanding skills and bizarre concept piqued the curiosity of many, and they started searching for any clues about her identity.

However, there wasn’t much to go on.

Her account was only created last week, so there wasn’t enough to make any educated guesses.

In the end, her true identity remained a mystery, and the final third game began.

As she entered the waiting room, she looked up at the sky.

There wasn’t a single ray of sunlight.

Dark clouds poured down rain in torrents.

And then, a flash of lightning struck, lighting up the world.

The weather was something else.

Looking around, the map matched the weather perfectly.

Without realizing it, a smile spread across her face.

This was the exact map she had been hoping for.

The Sea of Illusions.

The original map of the abandoned wreck she had fought on in yesterday’s duel.

And the only battlefield where the trident was considered a legitimate weapon.

She opened her watch and checked the spawn locations.

As the map’s concept was based on the sea, it was quite different from regular maps.

The available space to move around was extremely limited.

People can’t breathe underwater, after all.

So, in the Sea of Illusions, you must have a boat to survive.

There were small uninhabited islands, but to ensure safety, players would have to move across the map.

The map featured six large ships, and each one had four lifeboats.

In theory, this meant there were 30 boats available in the Sea of Illusions. Of course, not everyone would get one.

The key in this map was to fight for control of the boats.

A constant struggle between those trying to claim boats and those defending them.

In simpler terms, it felt like a naval battle in the age of exploration.

She briefly considered where to spawn.

There were two main options.

First, spawn on a ship and fight for control of the large vessels.

It was risky but could lead to an immediate chance of victory.

Or, spawn on a deserted island, build a raft, and explore the map.

From just hearing about it, you could guess that the first option, though dangerous, had the potential for great rewards.

If you could control a large ship, you were almost guaranteed to be in the running for the win.

The second option was much safer, but the chances of victory were slim.

Building even a small raft took quite some time, and even after making one,

its performance was so poor that it would almost certainly be destroyed by a large ship’s cannon fire, leading to

drowning and certain death.

The only variable in this scenario was the existence of the trident.

Naturally, like in the previous round, she planned to aim for the trident once again.

The problem was whether to use other weapons until she could get her hands on it.

“Okay.”

After much thought, she made a decision.

Her spawn location would be an uninhabited island, not a ship.

After everything so far, she didn’t want to lose her concept.

However, when she would obtain the trident remained uncertain.

In this situation, spawning on a ship with no weapon would be as good as committing suicide.

In a confined space where multiple people fought, it would be far too dangerous without a weapon.

So, for the early game, she decided to play it safe.

She spawned on a remote island.

Naturally, there was no one around she was the only one there.

Was this the beginning of a healing survival game after all?

Of course, in the tournament server, survival elements were almost nonexistent,

so she focused as much as possible on building a raft.

Still, the initial focus was on weapon farming.

She briefly dreamed of the trident, hoping for a miracle, but of course, that wasn’t going to happen.

In the previous rounds, it had appeared right away… honestly, she was a bit disappointed. Sigh.

While checking the surroundings of the island, she found a crescent-shaped polearm, but she didn’t pick it up.

This tournament would only allow the use of the trident.

So, it was time to start building the raft.

First, she picked up fallen branches and rocks from the ground.

Then, she crafted a crude hand axe, which would serve as a survival tool.

She used the hand axe to chop wood.

If she got hungry in the process, she would use the hand axe to catch a rabbit, roast it,

and then repeat the cycle of chopping wood and repairing the hand axe as its durability wore down.

“Ha.”

Wiping the sweat off her brow, she took a short break to regain stamina.

Was this the life of a natural-born survivalist?

The peaceful life without combat wasn’t so bad after all.

Of course, the moment she checked her watch and saw the experience bar creeping up ever so slowly, those thoughts quickly faded away.

After all, this battle royale game was all about combat.

But still, she kept chopping wood.

From now on, they could call her “The Lone Lumberjack.”