Chapter 172: Chapter 172

Falcon.

A team in Japan with a similar status to Sigma.

They haven’t achieved a perfect undefeated victory like us, but they’ve garnered attention with their highly destructive record.

In Prelude, they drew Phantom’s attention with their dazzling growth.

Although they started the battle from a relatively advantageous position, “Insane,” the swordsman, even marked Hashashin solo.

Such a team is placed in Group B. There’s a very high chance we’ll face them.

"The possibility of a Korea-Japan match has emerged in the group stage."

"We’ve had a few Korea-Japan matches in the qualifiers, but it’s been rare in the main tournament."

"It’s finally happening. It’s been three years."

"If we meet, it’s going to be an intense battle. Both teams are highly anticipated."

In the past, during the period when Korea dominated eSports, the Korea-Japan match didn’t hold much meaning.

The power disparity was so great that it was hard to consider them rivals.

But now, it’s a much closer match-up, and the significance has changed completely.

Would we really lose to them?

It became a battle of pride.

Now, like with the sports industry in our country, it had become a life-and-death struggle.

No matter how good our performance was, if we lost in a Korea-Japan match, it would all be in vain.

The World Championship is being held in Berlin, Germany.

If we weren’t careful, even if we achieved good results, we might have to swim across the Atlantic and Pacific to return home.

"Speaking of which, Insane said he really wanted to face Ga-wol, right?"

"Yes. As a swordsman, he said he definitely wanted to compete."

"He didn’t pick a sword in IKL, but will we see it this time?"

The commentators were getting excited.

Even in our team, there were some glances thrown at me, but I ignored them.

Honestly, I was a bit uncomfortable.

It wasn’t because of my team’s glances... but wasn’t it too arrogant of them to try and match me with a sword?

You should know your place. Who do they think they are?

I had seen Insane a few times because of all the talk surrounding him.

He wasn’t bad. He was definitely at a higher level than ACL’s Donghae.

He was at the level I had been when I was reckless and uninformed.

Then again, there’s a peak of foolishness.

When you’re at that level, your self-esteem tends to shoot through the roof.

Once you imprint your objective position, people naturally start lowering their heads.

Still, since we were bound to meet, I could use this as a good teaching aid.

There were other opponents for him besides me.

"The next team to be placed in Group B is... Ah, Dune Sentinels."

"A strong team from West Asia, featuring Hashashin. This will be a revenge match for Sigma."

"It’s a complicated group, since Dune Sentinels also want to avenge their loss to Falcon."

"It’s a love triangle of sorts, where each team is obsessed with the other."

Hashashin is considered the highest in personal combat power among assassins.

What’s notable is his unique technique in handling both his body and his weapons.

Although he was held back by the lack of eSports talent in West Asia, his raw strength is surely world-class.

He’s a competitor that overlaps with me in several ways.

Right now, my rating is dominated by the term "hexagonal," but what’s most highly rated is still my combat skills.

We haven’t clashed in the arena, so it would be good to sort out the rankings.

After Reaper, Hashashin is the first top-class assassin I’ll face, so I’m looking forward to it.

As the draw ceremony finished, I decided to watch every one of Hashashin’s matches.

Just as I thought about it, Hekate suddenly pulled on my cheek from behind.

“Ugh! Da-eun, I don’t like those guys.”

“It hurts. Don’t pull my cheek.”

“Da-eun, you’re going to beat them, right? I suffered a lot from them last time!”

“I’ll beat them, so stop pulling my cheek.”

“Really? Are you serious?”

“It hurts!”

Even though I gave her the answer she wanted, the torture on my cheek didn’t stop.

When I tried to pull her hand away, she just gave me some strange answer, saying it made her feel safe because my cheek was soft.

Since it wasn’t that bad, I just allowed it.

Hekate’s survival rate had always dropped when it came to international matches.

She knew this herself and seemed to be quite anxious.

Since we left for the tournament, she’d been showing signs of unease.

She was a friend I hadn’t made in a long time.

If this was what made her feel better, I had no reason to stop her.

And well, for now, it was okay.

She hadn’t shown any real problems during the practice sessions, and it was only natural to feel nervous before a big tournament.

It was much better than being arrogant after winning the championship.

In the group stage, even if we lose once, we won’t be eliminated immediately.

If things don’t improve, we can address them later.

"The last spot in Group B will be filled by a team from the qualifiers."

"There’s really no easy team in the main tournament."

"After all, this is the world stage. We wish you the best of luck."

[Author: SigmaZoya]

[Title: Are Our Kids Scrimming Against Foreign Teams?]

(Attached photos: Latin V7 Muse broadcast screenshot)

(Attached photos: Arena Quarterfinals, Pilgrim’s Desert)

I saw Sigma mentioned in Muse's broadcast earlier.

He’s not a well-known player in Korea, but he’s quite recognized in South America.

Since I met Ga-wol in the Arena quarterfinals, you might remember him from the pictures.

Just a short summary of Sigma-related news:

Q. Have you had many scrims so far?

A. We’ve scrimmed with Korean, Chinese, Australian, and Indian teams... Anyway, we’ve done a lot. We scrim with any team that isn’t likely to leak strategy."

Q. Any teams worth paying attention to?

A. Sigma eSports. There’s no room for disagreement. I’m sure all the team members think the same."

Q. I’ve heard of them. Could you tell us more? Any special reason?

A. I can’t give you specifics, but I’ll just say that a monster has emerged from Korea."

[Comments]

This makes me excited.

Is that really the case?

Why is it so different from the Chinese team’s story?

Has the day come when we’re really expecting to face a formidable opponent? └ Unforgettable memories...

[Author: HekateStockings]

[Title: They Say Galaxy is Stronger Than Us in China?]

(Attached video: Personal broadcast of Chinese player Polaris from Tianlang Gaming)

Personal broadcast of Polaris from Tianlang Gaming

Some paraphrasing

Tried to convey the meaning as accurately as possible

Today, we scrimmed with two Korean teams.

I wouldn’t say they were easy opponents.

The level of the Korean league seems to have improved compared to the past.

But the team people are really expecting turned out to be... not all that great.

[Comments]@@novelbin@@

???

Is the response really divided like this?

What exactly happened in the scrims?

I’m losing my mind here, losing my mind!

[Author: ㅇㅇ (402.571)]

[Title: What Does "Catapult" Mean in the Chinese Community?]

(Attached photo: eSports forum screenshot from a Chinese community)

(Attached photo: "There’s a monster in Sigma, and a catapult.")

They say our team has a "catapult"?

What does that even mean? Are we throwing something?

[Comments]

Throwing the game.

Team evaluations seem to be all over the place. Isn’t someone fluctuating between low and high points?

Wait, didn’t Hekate suddenly go quiet?

└ What?

└ Are you calling our Hekate a useless deadweight who flounders in international matches?

└ I didn’t mean it like that.

The long qualifiers had finally ended.

In Group B, Europe’s Team CP advanced. There were no major surprises across the tournament.

The lesser-known teams from the minor leagues were eliminated, and only the strong teams earned their tickets to the group stage.

And time passed, and finally, our turn had come.

"Thank you for your patience! This is the World Championship Group B!"

"The first match is waiting at the Berlin eSports Stadium!"

"Sigma eSports vs. Dune Sentinels. Ga-wol steps onto the stage for his first test since debut!"

"Two of the most powerful assassins face off. Many staff and fans are looking forward to it..."

Before the match began, I entered alongside the Dune Sentinels’ players.

They were kind enough to let me enter slowly.

As I passed by, Hashashin glanced at me.

He offered his fist first, and after lightly bumping fists, he grinned in satisfaction.

He spoke awkwardly but politely in Korean.

“I’ve been really impressed by your matches. I’ll learn from you.”

“Yes. The same goes for me. Please take care.”