Chapter 227: The Foolish Father
"······."
Baek Woohyun, sitting in a chair prepared in the battle preparation room, wasn't flustered by the slightly delayed start.
This was sothing he'd already heard about from Jeong Nayeon. She had ntioned that due to the aftermath of the trailer, it might take a bit longer than usual.
So his attitude was simply relaxed. He rely waited calmly with his eyes closed, leaning against the soft chair's backrest.
This was absolutely not an act with a purpose like calming his nervous heart before climbing the Challenger ranking through ditation—or anything of that sort.
Even if it was Challenger rank, victory was far too natural a thing for him. It would be the sa even if it were a place filled with practitioners even more skilled than that.
Since he never considered defeat from the start, how could he possibly be nervous?
'What build should I try today.'
Therefore, the thoughts floating in Baek Woohyun's mind as he sat with closed eyes could only be this leisurely. Making the challenge called the Challenger road seem aningless.
But who could really bla him for that? He was currently a monster with an incredible record of 131 wins and 131 losses, limited only to the PVP 'Duel' mode.
They say if you act leisurely and win it's confidence, but if you lose it's arrogance. Since he's been winning all along, even this should be considered confidence.
"Hmm."
Setting that aside, Baek Woohyun had used quite a variety of builds in PVP, and doing so for so long, he'd secretly found enjoynt in encountering new builds.
As ntioned earlier, since victory was an extrely natural result for him anyway, it was fair to say he'd decided to enjoy the process a bit more.
Unlike 'that side,' here his life wasn't at stake with each battle.
In his perception, a battle where you don't struggle between life and death was no different from amusent. aning it was rely sothing to enjoy.
Thus he accepted 'Reverse Planet's' PVP in his own way—though he tended to dismiss it, anyway!—and was fully prepared to enjoy it thoroughly.
Even if he changed builds, his strength wouldn't suddenly disappear.
'Let's see.'
['Social Misfit' Build]
['Scathing Mockery' Build]
['Super Random Box' Build]
·········
······
···
['Foolish Father' Build]
['The Bed Is Science' Build]
['Gift Exchange' Build]
Baek Woohyun, opening his eyes, calmly examined the supernatural ability builds he'd received from Jeong Nayeon. The corners of his mouth, barely perceptibly raised, revealed his mood.
Indeed, it was worth requesting with the criterion of 'interesting builds' from her—the builds in the list were truly bizarre, starting from their nas.
Just from the packaging, you couldn't predict the contents well. He couldn't even guess how the 'The Bed Is Science' build would fight.
'Should I use this for the first match.'
After browsing through the list here and there, Baek Woohyun selected one build that interested him reasonably well.
A build with the na 'Foolish Father,' it was a bizarre yet powerful build that could demonstrate unique abilities through the constraint of closing one's eyes.
Generally, they say that among the five senses, vision accounts for 80 percent, and the description attached noted that its power was trendous in exchange for abandoning that.
Well, it made sense since ordinary people couldn't even maintain daily life properly if they closed their eyes.
'Fighting with eyes closed, huh.'
However, it was a story that didn't particularly relate to Baek Woohyun.
While he too valued visual information, he was different from ordinary people who clung only to it. To him, vision was rely one among his senses.
Nice and convenient to have, but even without it, while it might be botherso, it wouldn't prevent him from fighting.
As always, he'd had experience fighting blind on 'that side.' Though it was when he was captured in a research facility as a test subject.
-Jeong Nayeon: ㄱㄱ
Just as he finished choosing the supernatural ability build to use in the first duel, a ssage ca from Jeong Nayeon. It seed the studio's issues had been resolved smoothly as well.
Since he'd chosen the build to use and the start signal had co, there was no reason to hesitate, so Baek Woohyun imdiately attempted ga matching for 'Duel' mode.
[Would you like to start PVP 'Duel' mode ga matching?]
[Yes/No]
The option Baek Woohyun chose was, of course, "Yes."
Soon the matching tir slowly turned.
Even for Challenger queue, since 'Duel' mode was 1v1, matching didn't take very long.
[PVP 'Duel' mode ga matching successful]
[Moving to dueling grounds]
***
[PVP 'Duel' mode ga matching successful]
[Moving to dueling grounds]
'Oh, got one.'
Jang Baekho, who used the ID 'White Tiger,' was a rare, ordinary Challenger tier user.
It might seem strange for the modifiers 'rare' and 'ordinary' to be attached simultaneously to Challenger tier, of which there were only a thousand in the Korean server, but it really was so.
In a Challenger tier crowded with active first or second-string pro players, aspiring players about to debut, or at least forr pros, he was truly ordinary.
Additionally, since he was an amateur who simply loved 'Reverse Planet' who made it into Challenger ranking, he couldn't help but be rare.
'Though I am near dead last.'
Jang Baekho's expression turned bitter as he recalled his ranking, which he'd checked one last ti before starting matching.
His current ranking was 998th. Virtually dead last, and even that would clearly drop lower if he lost a few more tis.
To preserve his Challenger ranking, he'd need to cling to this place for at least several more months from now, but if things were already like this, wouldn't it be utterly impossible?
He'd made it into Challenger ranking a few tis in previous seasons too, but ultimately failed to preserve it, so he felt even more desperate.
"Ugh!"
It's not like Jang Baekho would gain anything just by preserving Challenger ranking. There was no prize money or rewards at stake.
To begin with, for him who had no intention of becoming a pro player, Challenger ranking preservation was practically no help at all.
At most, maybe so honor where he could brag about his ranking preservation and swagger around a bit more?
But for a gar, honor—especially the honor of being good at gas—was sothing he wanted to have by any ans, so he couldn't help but be desperate.
'This ti, I really must!'
"······."
"···Huh?"
Because Jang Baekho had so desperately wished for victory, he realized the fact that heaven was indifferent when he saw his opponent.
On the opposite side of the dueling grounds, implented by cutting out part of Zone 11: Cetery, stood a man whose face he'd seen sowhere many tis.
Jet-black hair, pale skin, deep dark circles around the eyes, annoyingly handso features.
'Why is Hackphysical here···?'
It wasn't very difficult for Jang Baekho to realize his opponent was Baek Woohyun.
Currently, the personal broadcast that was the biggest topic among 'Reverse Planet' users was the 'Hack Tour' content, and he was like the owner of that place.
Even Jang Baekho, who only watched broadcasts occasionally when he had ti—usually he was busy running PVP 'Duel' mode—had actually seen him.
However, separate from recognizing him, he wondered why the famous Hackphysical was in front of him.
This was because Jang Baekho not only rarely watched broadcasts, but had also cut himself off from the community since he might fall out of Challenger ranking if he made even one mistake.
So he didn't know until the large truck called Challenger ranking climbing ca right up to his face.
[Ti remaining until first round start - 10 seconds]
'Ah, why, really why! At such an important ti!'
"······."
Unlike the indifferent-faced Baek Woohyun, Jang Baekho's expression twisted close to tearful.
Even he, who was rely at the bottom of Challenger ranking, knew very well just how strong the monster called Baek Woohyun was.
Not only in personal broadcasts but also in official tournants, he'd displayed his strength everywhere, so it would be strange not to know.
Just when the resignation of 'should I just surrender···' began to swirl in his head, thinking there was no hope of winning.
"Phew— Hmm?"
Jang Baekho, who let out a sigh and looked at Baek Woohyun one last ti, widened his eyes. It was because he belatedly discovered the tattoo drawn on his face.
Utterly uninterpretable characters resembling hieroglyphics filled the area around his eyes. Though there was quite a distance and they weren't visible due to the dark circles.
Anyway, that was clearly evidence that Baek Woohyun wasn't using his signature build!
'Then, it's worth trying once!'
Of course, Jang Baekho knew well that Baek Woohyun was strong even when using other builds. The build roulette during his winning streak was quite famous.
The famous phrase 'form is temporary but class is permanent' had been changed to 'the build may change but class is permanent' and attached to him.
However, even so, it was clear that he'd beco weaker compared to his signature build. Strong but strong, he'd co down to a level that wasn't absolute.
aning he didn't have to resign and surrender the mont it started. That alone was enough to reignite Jang Baekho's motivation.
[3 seconds]
[2 seconds]
[1 seconds]
'Alright, let's do this!'
"Whoo—!"
"······."
Tick-tock as the remaining ti gradually decreased.
Finally, just before the system ssage announcing the round start appeared.
Baek Woohyun, who had been standing in the silence, closed his eyes.
[First round, start!]
■■■■!
"—?!"
Though Baek Woohyun who chose it didn't know, the 'Foolish Father' build was created taking motifs from the Cthulhu Mythos, a fictional cosmic horror mythology.
Precisely, it could be seen as shaping into a build the cosmic entity corresponding to the supre god, the chief deity of that mythology—'Azathoth.'
The constraint that amplified the build's power, 'closing one's eyes,' also originated from the original mythology that described him as 'the blind idiot god, king of all things.'
······And as ntioned earlier, the Cthulhu Mythos belonged to the genre called cosmic horror.
aning its the was the fear forced by helplessness based on beings that humans could hardly oppose, let alone even comprehend.
Therefore, the supernatural abilities of the 'Foolish Father' build couldn't help but be filled with elents characteristic of cosmic horror—bizarre, unsettling, and fear-inducing depending on the person.
■■■■!
Pitch-black, writhing darkness spreading around Baek Woohyun standing with closed eyes!
Its edges continuously squird like tentacles, and between them, the fierce sound of drums and monotonous flute lodies stabbed into his ears.
Beyond the despair that didn't allow even a point of light, horrors that humans should rightfully fear lurked, waiting only for the mont to burst forth.
But though he was clearly watching with both eyes, he couldn't say for certain what ugliness crouched there.
It looked like a ghost, a monster, a demon, and perhaps even a human. It was to the degree that this might be what it would look like if you lumped together all the evil in the world.
If there was just one certain point, it was that inside that darkness was an existence more terrifying than the horrors—Baek Woohyun in the role of 'Foolish Father.'
"···Ugh, ah."
'Why of all things—!'
Jang Baekho, who had been preparing with the mindset of giving it a try, stepped back hesitantly. His face was noticeably deathly pale.
The inner thought of 'of all things' plainly revealed the fear he was feeling. Well, that made sense—he had a timid personality that couldn't even watch horror movies.
Baek Woohyun, who brought a cosmic horror genre build, had unintentionally struck right at his weak point!
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