Chapter 21: The Trident Villain and the Parry Enigma

“Hey, everyone. Nice to see you all again,” streamer Gaojing greeted casually as he began his usual broadcast.

A dedicated “League of Legends” streamer, Gaojing was about to jump straight into solo queue,

but his chat was unusually rowdy today.

Spill some tea about the tournament!
Talk about the Trident Villain! LOL
Great commentary yesterday!

The keyword that kept popping up in chat was yesterday’s tournament.

Though slightly puzzled, Gaojing was inwardly excited.

He’d agreed to commentate for the event to boost his reputation as a knowledgeable player,

and it seemed the gamble had paid off.

Could this be the beginning of a second heyday for his career?

The sheer energy of the chat was palpable far more explosive than usual.

Deciding to delay his solo queue plans, Gaojing opted to take some time to talk about the tournament.

“Oh, the Stardom Tournament, huh? So, Router approached me and asked if I’d like to commentate.

I thought about it and accepted,” he began.

He tried to elaborate enthusiastically, but the audience’s reaction felt lukewarm.

It was like scratching all the wrong places when someone had an itch.

A term kept appearing in the chat, and he couldn’t grasp its meaning.

“By the way, what’s this ‘Trident Villain’ you guys keep talking about?”

It’s the Trident Villain!
The one who placed first all three rounds!
They’ve been stirring up the forums nonstop.

“Ah, I see…” Gaojing finally understood why his viewer count was so high and why the chat was so noisy today.

A slight twinge of disappointment arose from realizing he wasn’t the main star,

but he couldn’t deny the situation made sense.

With such a unique gimmick appearing in the tournament, it was only natural for it to steal the spotlight.

On top of that, the player’s skill had backed it up flawlessly.

“Well, I don’t have much to say about that person. I didn’t even get to talk to them,” Gaojing admitted.

Really? You missed your chance to ride the Trident Villain hype!
You didn’t meet them even as a commentator?
What a letdown!

“Hey, if someone doesn’t want to come forward, what can I do? I can’t just drag them out against their will….”

Though his ears were burning from the chat’s criticism, he couldn’t help feeling regret.

If he had known this player would become such a sensation, he might have tried harder to meet them personally.

What’s your honest take on their rank?
Do you think they’re ranker-level?

“Their rank, huh?” Gaojing pondered, resting his chin on his hand.

Although he was currently struggling in the Diamond and Master tiers, in his heyday,

he had reached Grandmaster and proudly held the title of a high-skill streamer.

He prided himself on being able to gauge a player’s ability.

One thing he was certain of: true rankers were on a level that transcended human limits.

In battle royale games, where a match might include 66 players, having a mix of tiers was inevitable.

The smaller the player pool in higher tiers, the more uneven matchmaking became.

It wasn’t uncommon for rankers to wait over 30 minutes for a match.

Encountering one in-game was awe-inspiring.

While they didn’t always win, they almost always finished high enough to preserve their Matchmaking Rating (MMR).

“Well… I’m not sure if they’re ranker-level,” Gaojing admitted.

He replayed the Trident Enthusiast’s gameplay in his mind and compared it to the rankers he had admired in the past.

His thoughts were conflicted.

Throughout the commentary, he had been genuinely impressed, even shouting in excitement.

However, much of that was tied to their unique “trident-only” gimmick.

Trying to evaluate them without the gimmick felt almost impossible.

“If I had entered the tournament myself? Could I have won all three rounds? Maybe,” he mused.

There were Diamond and Master-tier players among the participants.

Given similar tiers, the player with a higher skill ceiling would naturally have an edge.

After all, just experiencing high-level matches often led to rapid improvement.

Gaojing was confident in his own skills.

“But winning with only a trident? Hmm… that’s tough.”

Told you the Trident Villain is insane.
LOL, how did they even pull that off?
Trident Villain haters are getting obliterated.

But, as always, the story wasn’t over yet.

“In my opinion… I don’t think we can call that player ranker-level just yet,” Gaojing finally declared.

?
Changing your tune already?
Honestly, they’re not ranker material.
Noobs hyping them up should just quit gaming.

“Hey, calm down, everyone,” Gaojing interjected. “I’m not saying they’re lacking I’m saying they haven’t been fully tested yet.”

Winning with just a trident?

Of course, it was an impressive feat. Most high-tier players,

including Gaojing himself, wouldn’t even dare to attempt such a thing.

However, this was an exceptionally unique case, and it was hard to apply standard criteria to judge the player.

“If they’re phenomenal at close-range combat but terrible at ranged aim, there’s no way they’d survive among rankers.”

” But if their ranged skills are as sharp as their trident work? Then, maybe they could compete with rankers.”

Hmm…
So, you’re saying you don’t really know?

“Well, yeah. How could I? Actually, this reminds me of something similar from a while back.”

“Remember that parry specialist who went viral?”

Parry Malguy?
That was insane, LOL.
Now that you mention it, I see the resemblance.

The Trident Enthusiast and the Parry Specialist two cases of players mastering unconventional and rarely-used techniques, turning them into viral sensations.

Though the situations were similar, the conclusion was equally ambiguous.

There was no clear answer, and the heated debate gradually died down.

Still, the conversation around the tournament, particularly the Trident Villain, continued relentlessly.

Watching the chat unfold, Gaojing suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

“Well, since we’re on the topic, why don’t we review yesterday’s tournament and do some analysis?”

Oh, nice!
Good idea!
Is Gaojing actually putting effort into content?
This stream is already shaping up to be great.

Though he hadn’t explicitly said it, both he and the audience knew the analysis would be heavily biased toward the Trident Villain’s perspective.

As he set up the footage from the tournament, a piece of information he had overheard surfaced in his mind.

It wasn’t particularly credible, but it was still about the Trident Villain, so he decided to share it.

“Oh, right! I heard something in passing after the tournament ended. Someone said the winner might be a woman.”

Wait, what?
Seriously?
Is she cute?

“I wouldn’t know. I didn’t see them myself, and I don’t even know if it’s true. It’s probably just a joke,” Gaojing replied dismissively.

Yeah, no way it’s a super-cute girl, LOL.
If she is, someone’s already writing a gender-bender story.
Gamers really let their imaginations run wild.

Logically, if a female player with that level of skill existed, she would have already become a sensation.

By now, the tournament’s winner being a woman should have been widely reported.

Unaware that his offhand comment would be taken as fact by some, Gaojing quickly dismissed the far-fetched theory.

As his tournament analysis stream continued, his earlier remarks ignited yet another round of debates and speculation on online forums.

[Breaking News: Trident Villain Is Not Ranker-Level, Confirmed by Gaojing]
And just like that, the controversy came to an end or so it seemed.

[Comments:]
Are they really that clueless?
Dude, go back to elementary school Korean.
No wonder you’re part of the “Korean Average IQ” meme.

[Wonder how rankers would feel about this.]
Most people probably agree with Gaojing’s take. Maybe I should ask the next time a ranker streams?

[Comments:]
Rankers probably don’t even know this drama exists. Don’t be so socially oblivious.
If someone told them, they might find it interesting.
Sure, good luck trying to make that a topic of discussion.
Honestly, Gaojing might be right. The concept is so niche it’s hard to judge objectively.
Wait, why are we calling him Gaojing Squid now? LOL
Bruh, chill.

Meanwhile, a new piece of gossip about the Trident Villain quietly emerged but, disappointingly, it wasn’t about their gender this time.

[It does feel similar to that thing last time.]
Remember Parry Malguy? People debated endlessly whether rankers could pull that off, too.
The discussions started from his tier placement and spiraled into a frenzy of overhype and nitpicking.
It’s uncanny how identical this feels to that.

[Comments:]
LOL, what if they’re actually the same person?
Be realistic. How would that even work?
If true, though? Instant legendary content.
Imagine they’re also a shy, awkward girl IRL… Oh man.
Please shut up, otakus. You’re grossing everyone out.

These baseless, borderline-fantastical theories continued to float around. But soon, a spark turned into a wildfire.

One single post set the community ablaze.

[Why Parry Malguy and the Trident Villain Are the Same Person]
With over 1,000 upvotes, the post united the IBae forums under a single burning question.