Chapter 26: A Delicate Dance of Traps and Suspense

What would have been a simple, overlooked online tournament became a whirlwind of chaos,

all thanks to one participant’s live stream.

[Ah, spectator mode is disabled.]
It says spectating isn’t allowed because it’s a private game. Any solutions?

[Comments]
Isn’t there an official broadcast?
Yeah, but you can’t see Samville’s screen there.
One of the players is streaming, though.
Really? Drop the link!
[https://www…]

Naturally, sharing personal gameplay from a tournament violated the rules.

However, the consequences were minor usually just a temporary ban from future events.

For most casual players, this wasn’t a serious concern.

The streamer’s priority wasn’t avoiding penalties but ensuring that Jjamppong lover’s gameplay reached as many people as possible.

They continued to spectate and stream her moves, and the broadcast gained traction in the community.

Curious viewers, eager to witness her rumored skills, flooded the stream.

The chatroom, buzzing with unfiltered comments, was chaotic and poorly managed.

Despite this, some dedicated viewers offered insightful analysis and discussions about her unconventional strategies.

What is Samville even doing?
Looks like she’s setting traps.
No weapons, only traps? Is this for real?
Her concept is mind-blowing. Genius move.

The stream’s viewership skyrocketed, eventually surpassing the official broadcast a major embarrassment for the tournament organizers.

Meanwhile, the person behind the illegal broadcast, Mr. A, was just as enthralled as the audience, absorbed in watching Jjamppong lover’s unorthodox gameplay.

The online forums were in uproar.

Many were shocked that all three infamous incidents were tied to the same individual.

The primary question was: Why is she doing this?

[Why is she acting like this?]
I could understand the malgamyeon Samville situation.
But now? It’s clearly intentional.
Why does she keep changing her playstyle every match? It makes no sense.

[Comments]
Why? Because she’s an attention-seeker, obviously.
That’s all there is to it. What other reason could there be?
But the coincidences are too many for that.
With a concept this unique, she was bound to go viral.
Hmm… I’m not convinced.

Speculation filled the community.

Was her eccentric gameplay a calculated move for fame, or was there a deeper motive?

[Do you really think Samville is doing all this just for attention?]
I don’t think so.
If she just wanted to get noticed, there were easier ways.
She could’ve streamed during the malgamyeon incident and gone viral instantly. No one can deny that.
Even if the first two incidents were deliberate, this one doesn’t seem planned.
What if none of the participants were forum users?

Who could’ve predicted someone would deliberately die early and stream her gameplay live?

[Comments]
Maybe she didn’t plan every detail but hoped it’d create buzz.
Hoping isn’t the same as being certain. Why go through all this effort when just streaming normally would be easier?
I don’t know.
That’s why I’m saying it’s not just for fame.
Then what’s her reason?
If I knew that, I’d be Samville.
Wait, are you Samville? ;;

Amidst the chaos of speculation, Jjamppong lover remained focused, continuing her gameplay with precision.

Her trap-focused strategy demanded a high level of skill and meticulous planning.

Lethal traps required consistent crafting to improve proficiency, which consumed valuable resources that could otherwise be used for growth.

Nevertheless, she invested everything into crafting and placing traps as she moved across the map.

The hallmark of a trap hunter was constant mobility.

She never stayed in one place, tirelessly turning every corner into a minefield.

However, as the number of traps increased, so did the caution of her opponents.

With traps littered everywhere, players became hyper-vigilant, carefully checking their surroundings before moving.

This caution slowed the game’s pace significantly.

Her presence cast a figurative slow-motion effect over the area, creating a stark contrast in gameplay tempo.

In this slowed environment, she seized the opportunity to craft even more traps, steadily honing her skills and tightening her web.

Normally, she would have paid no attention to growth, but now her current specs were extremely low.

No exaggeration just one high-tier arrow could instantly kill her.

In other words, any encounter with another player carried a high probability of her immediate death.

It was a delicate balance that seemed like it could collapse at any moment.

Viewers, immersed in her precarious situation, couldn’t help but feel drawn in.

While there were no flashy battles or jaw-dropping performances,

the intense tension and suspense were enough to keep people on the edge of their seats.

Someone stepped on another trap!

She laid so many traps, it’s crazy, lol.

Watching her dodge opponents makes me so anxious…

The traps in this game sent a signal to their creator upon activation.

Typically, players used basic, low-grade traps for defense, setting them up around their hideouts.

However, she took a completely different approach, showcasing a new strategy.

She filled the entire map with traps, constantly checking for signals and deducing approximate locations from them.

Then, she would place additional traps in frequently traveled areas and remain hidden herself.

Still, she hadn’t managed to create any instant-kill traps yet.

The grind to increase her crafting proficiency was so painstakingly slow that replicating her efforts would deter even the most dedicated players.

After all, making instant-kill traps too easy would diminish the game’s fun.

The excitement lies in decisive, thrilling combat between players, not effortless victories through traps alone.

That’s why creating such traps required not only immense skill but also rare and arduous materials.

Even so, the traps she crafted were horrifying.

There was a trap that severed the victim’s ankle on activation, permanently reducing their movement speed.

Another released spores that poisoned and inflicted food poisoning upon proximity.

One especially cruel trap featured hidden spikes in a pit, designed to deliver a deadly surprise to anyone who fell into it.

This is honestly terrifying, lol.

I’ve been playing this game for three years, and I’ve never seen traps like these.

That’s because no one bothers using them.

As the chat suggested, few players utilized traps to this extent.

Their performance wasn’t just inefficient it was highly situational.

If this match hadn’t been set on a small deserted island map, her traps would likely have been useless.

Traps require materials that match the map, and crafting them involves intimate knowledge of the game’s obscure systems and items.

The game was notoriously unfriendly in this regard, refusing to provide recipes or guidance. Players had to discover and memorize everything on their own.

I’ve used traps before, but I didn’t know these existed.

How many recipes does she know? This is insane!

Is she seriously just a regular player? Or is she secretly a developer?

No matter how cautious the participants were, it was nearly impossible to avoid all the traps.

Most of them had no prior experience dealing with such tactics, leaving them vulnerable.

As a result, the kill feed consistently displayed logs with her name listed as an assist.

This meant that players who fell into her traps were often finished off by passersby.

Her relentless labor finally paid off.

She had achieved the proficiency needed to craft an instant-kill trap.

She had also prepared the necessary materials in advance.

Now, all that remained was to decide where to place it.

Instead of rushing, she left it in a ready-to-place state and continued setting up her usual traps.

Thanks to her extraordinary efforts, the game became absurdly drawn out.

Most participants were now avoiding active combat, opting instead to play cautiously, hoping to benefit from others falling into her traps.

Thirty slow minutes passed, and the game was now nearing its climax.

Only three players remained, including her.

This was the highlight everyone had been waiting for.

Viewers sharpened their focus, eager to witness the drama about to unfold.

And then…

[The broadcast has ended.]

?

Open the door!!!!!!!!!

At the worst possible moment, the broadcast abruptly cut off.