NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
Episode 278 – Step by Step (1)
It wasn't just Korea, the birthplace of metal punch, that was considered a powerhouse of metal punch, along with Japan.
Although the scale of fighting games is smaller than other genres, it is a genre that focuses on player confrontations and PVP, and world tournaments are held every year.
Among them, the most famous world fighting game competition was the championship hosted by the 'International Versus Organization', commonly known as IVO.
AIBO has hosted several fighting game world championships in the United States every year, and the legendary Metal Punch shoulder also became known to the world by winning the AIBO Championships one after another.
There were many fans of fighting games in the US, and it was no coincidence that American fans who were subscribers to PerTube uploaded Lee Kyung-bok's Metal Punch video to Reddit.
[-WTF? This is a day 1 player?]
[-Nah, if it's purple, this much is possible!]
[-His physique is new every time I see it. He shows incredible adaptability to all game genres, right?]
[-Damn! Purple knows how to deal with Pluggers!]
[-It seems like there are a lot of shitty pluggers in Korea too lol]
[-There are fools everywhere who don't accept the results]
[-Shit, basically in Metal Punch we need to kick out players who exploit connection errors]
They expressed satisfaction with Lee Kyung-bok's response to the random picker. However, they soon began to express their admiration for the videos that followed.
[-Wow, the winning streak is really crazy?]
[-At this rate, we'll get to Boradan in no time, as the name suggests lol]
[-Purple is only on day 1, but she's already good enough to compete in the IVO Championship!]
[-Guys, he's not a Metal Punch pro-gamer. Too bad he doesn't have a team.]
[-Wouldn't it be possible to convince him with a shoulder?]
[-Maybe? But considering his skills and potential, he seems more suited to be a rival than a team with the same shoulder?]
Overseas fighting gamers also saw his play and judged it to be comparable to Shoulder. Considering Shoulder's position in Metal Punch, it was a very generous evaluation.
[-I admit Purple is good, but not as good as Shoulder]
[-I totally agree. Shoulder is the king of metal punches!]
[-Shoulder has proven his worth over the years. To judge him on par with Purple after just one day of play would be disrespectful to both him and Shoulder.]
Because of this, there were many who did not agree.
[-Yup, not just anyone can be a shoulder rival]
One comment caught everyone's attention. To be exact, it was not the content but the person who wrote the comment.
[-Siddiq Ash?]
[-Is this really Ciddiq Ash?]
[-Hey, Siddiq! The atmosphere is similar to when you first appeared!]
Siddiq Ash.
The player came from Pakistan, a country that was thought to have no relation to Metal Punch.
He attracted attention for his outstanding skills and play that was completely different from before, and people even admired his shoulders so much that they went all the way to Pakistan to compete in person.
This was the opportunity for him to become a professional gamer and advance to the IVO Championship, where he continued to win and reached the finals.
[-Huh? Your skills are really good. But with this level of skill, why are you staying in the Red Group? Isn't that abusing?]
He left a comment on Lee Kyung-bok's play video, saying he couldn't understand it. When he checked the video later, he didn't realize that Lee Kyung-bok was on day 1 because of the piled up comments.
[-Oh my god, what kind of country is Korea? Is there a separate curriculum for nurturing Metal Punch pro-gamers? Isn't one shoulder enough?]
When other people pointed out this fact, Siddiq couldn't help but be surprised.
And he expressed his deep regret.
[-Ahh! You won't get matched up in Pakistan, right? I'm really jealous of Shoulder in this regard. I only play against local players, but Shoulder gets to experience with these experts. It's really unfair!]
He is also a fighting gamer, and his competitive spirit is as strong as anyone else's.
* * *
At around the same time, the shoulder virtual reality studio.
He was taking a break after finishing his broadcast on Serengeti TV.
“Wow, it would have been really fun if I had seen this live.”
Shoulder burst into laughter while watching Lee Kyung-bok's 10-line match.
“No, I’m telling you it’s seriously fu*king fun. That’s why the Metal Punch meta went into total chaos.”
Across from him was his close friend and member of the pro-gamer team 'DRS', 'Channel'.
“Honestly, it’s no joke since Siddiq first came out. No, he blocked all the burst moves I’ve never seen before, so this is surprising.”
At the end of the channel, Shoulder sighed.
“That’s what I’m saying. Purple-nim is a real monster rookie. He’s a monster rookie. If I had my way, I’d go and meet him right away, just like I did with Siddiq.”
“But the current situation is more difficult than going to Pakistan.”
The channel spoke in a voice mixed with laughter, causing him to frown and sigh.
“Oh, really, what I’m saying is…! Seriously, if it weren’t for Serengeti, I would have requested a merger right away?”
“Then should I ask for it instead of you?”
The channel shrugged its shoulders teasingly.
It was because they were on the same team but broadcasted on different platforms. The channel was not Serengeti, but Try Partner Streamer.
“Hey, do you want to get hit?”
“No, of course I’m joking. Do you think I’m shameless enough to eat other people’s event prizes like my brother? Why would I suddenly ask to merge with someone I’ve never met before?”
“No, Inma! That’s content, content!”
The channel burst into laughter at the shoulder's reaction. Shoulder also chuckled and cleared his throat to draw attention.
“Hey, seriously, should we make a deal with Serengeti?”
“Deal? How?”
“We have to continue while the mood is high. We have to create some issues before Purple loses interest. That way, things will be lively.”
“That’s true, but…”
The channel shook its head, agreeing with the sentiment.
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“But Purple’s stock price is no joke right now. There’s no other rising star that’s as popular as this.”
“So this is an opportunity!”
“No, hyung, listen to the end. That’s why we have no choice but to hold back more from the Serengeti side.”
The channel continued to speak with a serious tone, just like the shoulders.
“Think about it from Serengeti’s perspective. Purple is already active in Try, right? Honestly, I don’t like it. Why? Because all the viewers are flocking to him. And here, he’s merging with hyung?”
“Ha… I guess so?”
“It’s not quite at that level. I’m afraid I can’t do this because I’m afraid the viewers will go over to Try. The loss is too great for Serengeti.”
Shoulder nodded in agreement with his words, but he washed his face dry. He opened his mouth in a voice that was half joking, half sincere.
“Hey, how about this? If you don’t let me merge, I’ll transfer to Try.”
“Oh my, we all know that you wouldn’t do that. There are so many competitions sponsored by Serengeti…”
The channel answered like that and then opened its eyes wide.
“Wait, a contest?”
"huh?"
“Brother, why don’t we just pull in both platforms?”
“What are you talking about? Tell me quickly.”
As Shoulder showed interest, the channel poured out ideas that came to mind.
“Even Serengeti didn’t say anything when the Tristreamers came during the competition.”
“Oh, that’s right. Well… there weren’t many people who could do metal punches.”
“Yeah, honestly, in Korea, the ‘Shoulder Hosted Metal Punch Competition’ is almost like the Aibo Championship.”
“Ahem. Hey, why are you talking like that again…”
“The important thing is that our country’s Metal Punch competition revolves around Hyung.”
"aha…"
At those words, Shoulder could also sense what the channel meant.
“Serengeti and Try, let’s have a platform competition?”
“That’s right! The Serengeti representative team will compete against the Tri-national representative team. Of course, you will be the Serengeti representative, right?”
“Of course it should be like that.”
“Yeah, then Serengeti is also a perfect match. I think you’ll win again. Then the picture of Serengeti winning against Try comes out.”
“Would Serengeti accept that positively?”
Both Shoulder and Channel had smiles on their faces. Both of them became professional gamers because of their love for Metal Punch, and they spared no effort in revitalizing the game board.
“Hey, this is good. I guess we should talk about it tomorrow.”
Shoulder said with a smile on his face.
“If this comes true, Purple will definitely participate. I knew it when I watched the broadcast.”
For fighting gamers, skill isn't the only thing that matters.
“He’s someone who really has a strong desire to win. I’m saying he has the makings of a fighting gamer.”
The essence of fighting is always to pursue victory.
* * *
Early morning.
Eclipse turned on the broadcast and was playing Mystic League.
[defeat]
Despite his efforts, the game ended in defeat, and viewers expressed their regret.
-I've completely taken over the Ikle Tower, what the f*ck
-What is the team value difference?
-As you go up in tiers, you definitely get team rewards
-Really ㅋㅋ In low tiers, Kyung Lee solo carried
As the tiers get higher, teamwork and overall value become more important than individual skills. As a result, Eclipse's good performances have been losing more often.
“There are no ifs in battle. It is a disgrace to a knight to run away without accepting the outcome. I appreciate your concern, but there is no need to discuss it further.”
Eclipse turned their attention to the viewers' disappointment.
“It’s getting late. Each of you must fulfill your duties. I guess we should take our leave for today.”
-I haven't worked yet ㅠㅠ
– Sir Ikle! The ending shouldn't be decorated with victory!
-If you truly show your loyalty, you should follow the words of the Lord Ikle!
-It's liver! Kick out the liver!
– Sir Ikle, I'll see you again on the next battlefield!
-I'm going to recharge my chivalry today too
Eclipse has finished broadcasting.
The chat window disappeared and he returned to his studio.
"hmm…"
But he didn't come out of the capsule right away. Instead, he fell into deep thought, deep in thought.
'It might be time to close the Mystic League.'
This was something that the viewers and even he himself felt. It was because he often encountered results that felt unfair, regardless of his skills, like in the last game.
'Maybe it would be better to go back to the Prom game… '
The problem was that his gaming experience was limited. He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
'I guess I'll watch Purple's broadcast first.'
He had just finished broadcasting and was feeling stressed, so he checked out Pertube to relax.
The latest Metal Punch video was shown on the studio screen.
"oh…"
Eclipse wasn't particularly interested in fighting games, but he quickly became engrossed in the visuals.
It wasn't simply because Lee Kyung-bok's play was so great.
'It has a lot of similarities to the Elden series.'
1:1 match, intense psychological warfare and physical battle where every second counts. Metal Punch has many aspects in common with the duels enjoyed in the Elden series.
It felt like the tension I felt in Elden Souls was coming back to life.
'There's something similar to Mystic there.'
It wasn't just the Elden series that came to mind. The fact that each character's set skill was activated based on the command was similar to Mystic League.
I couldn't help but be interested in the game because it felt like a mix of two games I enjoyed.
Moreover, Purple is even playing.
'But unfortunately, it's a fighting game…'
The excitement soon subsided. He had only trained in swordsmanship, and the concept of the show was knights, so 'fighting', which used the body itself as a weapon, did not suit him.
As the video ended, Eclipse attempted to exit the capsule.
“… This is?”
But there was something that caught his eye: the list of related videos that appeared after the video ended.
YouTube's algorithm was well aware of his usual preference for swordsmanship. The algorithm linked swordsmanship with metal punch and showed him videos that could catch Eclipse's attention.
“The thief, Tsujimoto?”
And the algorithm caught his interest exactly, which made Eclipse realize that he had a bias.
'Even though it's a fighting game, there's a character who uses a sword?'
Tsujimoto, one of the characters in Metal Punch, used a sword. Although it was a Japanese sword that was suitable for 'quick sword', unlike the 'heavy sword' that Eclipse mainly mastered, it didn't matter.
‘If it’s this, then me too…!’
Eclipse settled back down and started watching the Tsujimoto-related videos.