Chapter 177
CHAPTER 177
Lee Dongsu, who was watching Seojun after the seal had been removed, was genuinely impressed from the very beginning.
First, intentionally getting the guy’s name wrong.
Then provoking him by suggesting he might lose.
After that, without even listening to the other side, dragging him into the exact kind of fight he wanted.
A completely malicious sequence of actions.
Watching it all, Dongsu realized something.
Ah.
‘So he really was holding back earlier.’
Yeah.
‘I guess I should be thankful.’
‘It means he actually considered my feelings, at least a little.’
Seriously.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
As he watched Seojun clearly planning to squeeze even more value out of the situation later, Dongsu felt about two percent gratitude.
And then—
when everyone was eagerly waiting to see who would fail first,
the unexpected happened.
The moment Seojun defeated the clone in under thirty seconds.
Dongsu realized something else.
‘At least he wasn’t lying.’
Thirty seconds.
Insane.
No—
‘What kind of skill level is that...?’
Words failed him.
Defeating it within a minute using the opponent’s own sword was already insane.
Even Dongsu, a pro once praised as a genius, couldn’t help but admire it.
But doing it in under thirty seconds?
Without getting hit even once?
- Wow.
- Holy shit.
- The streamer just never makes empty boasts.
- Thirty seconds is actually hard, right? Taker isn’t going to suddenly do it in thirty seconds too, is he?
- No way??? He barely squeezed into one minute.
- So he’s been hiding fifty percent of his power this whole time?
The viewers’ reactions exploded a beat later.
Because until Seojun pointed it out, they hadn’t even realized it had taken only thirty seconds.
- If the streamer can do it in thirty seconds, maybe I could last around three hundred seconds?
- Beat Stage 9 first.
- LOL people who don’t even qualify are talking about lasting. The second we stand in front of it, we die instantly.
Messages started coming in from elsewhere too.
Not from the community.
From pro players.
The ones Taewoo’s team had contacted.
[Kim Harang: Wow. I held it in as long as I could, but I have to ask. What is that guy? Dongsu, seriously, what is he?]
[Kim Harang: Why aren’t you answering?]
[Kim Harang: Explain already.]
[Kim Harang: Even our coach suddenly started asking.]
[Kim Harang: Never mind. I’ll just look him up myself.]
“Look at that.
Normally after matches she only looks for Noona and never even acknowledges me. When she does message me, it’s always one-word replies...”
They were close enough to game together regularly.
So close they were practically family.
In fact, Dongsu sometimes wondered if she was illiterate because she never formed complete sentences.
He scrolled upward through their message history.
[Kim Harang: Today?]
[Kim Harang: ?]
[Kim Harang: Today?]
[Kim Harang: One game?]
[Kim Harang: Eat.]
[Kim Harang: Go.]
Though admittedly, Dongsu wasn’t exactly in a position to criticize.
He had never replied to any of them.
Whenever she messaged him, he simply sent a game invite.
As he continued scrolling upward, another notification arrived.
‘Huh? Why is this noona messaging me too?’
Kim Harang wasn’t the end of it.
[Lee Chaerin: Where did you meet that person?]
Things were a bit awkward with her.
Did her coach get involved too?
What a hassle.
He decided not to read it and answer later.
Shaking his head, Dongsu silently offered condolences to Taker.
The poor guy was currently fighting Stage 10 using his own sword style.
Though—
‘The match was already decided the moment Seojun cleared it in thirty seconds, wasn’t it?’
At some point, it had become a battle of pride.
But it had started because Taker thought Seojun couldn’t do it.
Now that he had proven it...
Well.
‘Can that hyung even do thirty seconds?’
Probably not.
Which was likely why Seojun had repeated the one-minute condition.
‘He doesn’t want the match to end.’
Watching Seojun standing a short distance away, Dongsu suddenly felt sympathy for Taker.
There was still a little room to breathe.
As he looked around, he noticed something.
While Seojun was completely immersed in the duel, the team members had somehow acquired carrots and were quietly eating them.
And Dongsu thought:
‘Actually, we’re the more pitiful ones.’
His sense of camaraderie had reached maximum levels.
“Oh? He got it. Pretty fast too. You only need to clear it within one minute.”
- Streamer, you did it in thirty seconds though LOL.
- He’s absolutely trying to rub it in.
At Seojun’s comment, Dongsu checked Taker’s time through the chat.
48 seconds.
A huge improvement.
The guy must have truly gone all out.
Still, wasn’t this getting awkward?
His limit had essentially been revealed to everyone.
Just end it already.
“No, everyone. It’s not over yet. Isn’t this where it really begins?”
The AI was summoned.
“I think he handled it better because he was using his own sword style. This time, I’ll show you the counter.”
What the hell is he talking about?
Was he seriously going to update the AI in real time?
At that moment, Dongsu revised his earlier thought.
‘Taker hyung is definitely the more pitiful one.’
At least for now.
***
In the next match, Seojun deliberately took the full minute before defeating Taker.
He wanted the AI to learn a specific movement.
Afterward, he watched the replay through the stream and began explaining it to the viewers.
“Watch. If you move just a little like this here, then bring the sword down from above—”
Clang!
Taker’s attack was blocked by the very movement Seojun had planted into the AI.
The shock was visible on his face.
Of course it was.
He had literally watched Seojun teach that movement to the AI.
- LOL it actually works as a counter?
- More like it got blocked LOL.
- We can actually see what’s happening in the fight now. What is this?
- Was that Taker’s weakness?
- No, seriously. He saw it happen, so why did he still get caught?
“It’s not really a weakness. Besides, knowing about something and dealing with it are two different things. You’d need at least enough talent to become a pro player to—”
Seojun suddenly paused.
“Oh right. My mistake.”
A pro player, right?
Seojun grinned.
It was not the expression of someone who had made a mistake.
- He is a pro though???
- He’s roasting him again LOL.
- Absolute madman. Absolute madman. Absolute madman.
- But seriously, is there something special about the streamer’s sword? He’s making a pro look helpless.
- He was this strong?
- Truly the Sword God...
His stress had been thoroughly relieved.
Now Seojun planned to guide the younger generation appropriately.
People watching might ask why he was acting like such a jerk.
Naturally, it wasn’t because this was his true personality.
The thing was—
disciples only listened properly after getting beaten first.
That was why Seojun was beating Taker.
With words.
With clones.
Definitely not because he was holding a grudge.
Absolutely not.
“Oh dear. Looks like we still don’t have a winner. Then this time, let’s update it with Baek Doyul’s swordsmanship.”
Seojun touched the air with his finger and summoned it again.
- Update ON lol
- Is he actually insane? LOL
- What a psycho hahaha
- So if you're skilled enough, you can do this even against a pro?
- Taker literally can't say anything right now. Imagine how shocked he must be.
To be honest, Seojun was enjoying himself a little too.
“Honestly, this is pretty fun. Updating the clone's movements that I don't like feels kind of like swapping out parts.”
He had never played a game like that before.
But now he understood why people did.
- LOL stop treating the clone like that.
- Baek Doyul's expression looks like he's thinking, What kind of nonsense is this guy saying? LOL
- Truly an amazing lunatic.
- So what's Baek Doyul's swordsmanship update?
[Viewers: 130,000]
The viewer count was climbing so absurdly fast that it was almost frightening.
How high was it going to go?
It looked like he might even surpass Ha Yoonho.
And in front of all those viewers—
“Baek Doyul's sword style systematically corners the opponent. Next, let's move on to Shin Hayeon.”
- Full build? LOL
- Champion, former champion, and Sword God. Clone, how strong are you planning to become? LOL
- Can this actually work?
- Didn't you just see him implant a movement and use it to block Taker? It looks possible.
Now then.
Be enlightened.
Honestly, it didn't matter whether it worked or not.
This was just an experiment.
How much could someone grow if they received rapid updates and immediate feedback?
Granted, Cheolsu was the one doing the actual fighting.
But Taker was talented enough compared to the other team members to make up for that difference.
As always, Seojun swung his sword with a relaxed expression.
A textbook counterattack.
Baek Doyul's dominant sword.
***
#1 Taker
Things had become genuinely precarious.
Even going all out,
the more he fought the clone,
the more bewildered he became.
‘This actually works?’
A moment ago it had been Baek Doyul.
Now it was Shin Hayeon.
The base remained that streamer he had been fighting all along.
Yet every so often, the irregular movements resembled those two so much that he momentarily mistook it for their actual clones.
It wasn't just simple swings or downward strikes.
It included things like—
how to respond at this timing.
The intent behind the movement.
And—
‘Is it just me? Or does this feel even more threatening than Shin Hayeon herself?’
There were moments that made him grit his teeth harder than when he had fought their actual clones.
It wasn't because the clone's level or techniques had improved.
It was using the same techniques.
Yet they felt far harder to deal with.
The techniques layered atop Seojun's fundamentals.
Why?
‘Am I imagining it?’
But—
‘No.’
He knew.
Having fought all three of them here, he knew better than anyone.
Maybe he had known from the very beginning.
Perhaps his pride had blinded him.
Perhaps he had dismissed him because he was a streamer.
But now he had to admit it.
‘At least in the training grounds...’
#1 Jin Seojun
The throne was reclaimed in an instant.
He summoned an even stronger AI.
Thinking about the owner of the clone standing before him.
‘Yeah. He's the strongest!’
He could already tell.
This time Seojun wouldn't do it within one minute.
Or if he did—
he'd have to give up taking no damage.
In that case—
‘Even if I have to sacrifice health, I'll clear it within thirty seconds at least once.’
The match itself no longer mattered.
It was simply a challenge now.
Even if he lost,
he wanted to lose gloriously.
Like a pro.
With impact.
Taker instantly closed the distance and attacked.
Combining offense and defense wasn't possible.
There wasn't enough time.
No—
his skill wasn't enough.
[HP 9]
[HP 9]
The two swords cut into each other's bodies.
Their health dropped simultaneously.
- So the match is over now?
- LOL
- What's he trying to do?
- Streamer, did you seriously beat a pro?
Their HP continued decreasing together.
At a terrifying pace.
His determination to finish within thirty seconds was obvious.
- Ah! He's trying to speedrun it?
- So thirty seconds really was difficult?
- Seriously, what the hell is Jin Seojun?
- Isn't Taker at least Tier 2?
- Even if he's borderline, he's still top five. Definitely Tier 1.
- Holy...
- This is insane.
Taker unleashed attacks that forced the AI to attack back instead of simply defending.
By his count,
about two seconds remained.
The remaining HP was 1.
If he timed this final strike just a little faster—
Using the unpredictable swordsmanship he was best at.
Using his greatest technique.
‘I finish it!’
At that moment.
Within a split-second opening.
At the perfect timing.
The AI stepped into his space.
Taker's eyes widened.
Clang!
The space around him was seized.
His sword could no longer advance.
‘Ah. I got distracted and forgot about...’
He was doomed.
It was the very countermeasure Seojun had implanted earlier.
The AI brought its raised sword down.
A vertical slash.
Normally easy to block.
But because Taker's attack had been rushed,
it didn't merely counter him—
it punished him.
‘Losing the match and losing like this are completely differ—!’
He couldn't stop it.
Slash!
[HP 0]
- Wait.
- What did we just see?
The universe shut off for a moment.
At least Taker's world did.
No matter how little he cared about public opinion.
No matter how much he walked his own path.
- LOL is this real???
- Hahahahahaha!
- This isn't a system bug, right? This actually happened?
- A pro... lost? To a clone?
- Isn't this literally Shadow Summoner gameplay??? LOL
- LOL this is peak content.
- “This is how you use clones,” holy crap.
It was an event that would remain in the history of virtual reality.
Right before everyone's eyes.
A pro player had lost.
To an AI.