I Have Reasons to Hate Streamers

The winner’s interview starts only after all the matches in Group E are finished.

This was because it was conducted during the preparation time for the next group’s matches.

My match was over, so I could do anything I wanted with the remaining time.

I could rest, but in any case, either Reaper or Fury would have to face me in the next match.

If I’m going to watch the match anyway, it might be good to see it in advance.

With that thought, I came to the viewing room, but it seems I had misjudged the situation.

As soon as I entered, I felt quite hostile gazes.

I’m not insensitive, so I felt that I was quite disliked.

Maybe I should have waited somewhere like the lobby?

I couldn’t hear any voices specifically cursing me, but this was clearly inside the game.

By adjusting the voice options, people could talk without being heard by those sitting next to them.

Just as I was about to leave because it felt awkward,

Tap tap. Someone patted my shoulder from behind.

“What are you doing here instead of going inside?”

“What? Why are you here?”

“Why? I came to watch too.”

A character almost as tall as Rime. It was Traveler.

Group D’s matches ended yesterday, so there was no need for him to come today.

If it was just to watch the matches, he could have done that from outside.

“Here… specifically?”

“I find it more fun to watch matches with people around. It’s better than being alone, right?”

The tall lance knight naturally sat in a corner.

His fingers tapped the seat next to him, as if telling me to sit there.

When I sat down as instructed, Traveler’s body blocked my view of the other players.

This… could it be that I’m being shown consideration?

There was something that bothered me, so I felt the need to test it.

“What? I don’t get excited by this kind of thing.”

“Are you crazy? Don’t think nonsense. I have a girlfriend.”

“Oh… I see. That’s good.”

Good. I’m relieved.

My heart felt at ease seeing him wave his hands vigorously.

I still found it difficult to accept people’s goodwill purely.

“Our team doesn’t care much about the arena. Luche is preparing for his match, so by process of elimination, you’re the only one left.”

“You seem to have a lot of complaints about your team.”

“Complaints… it’s not to that extent, tsk. When you become a pro gamer later, make sure to negotiate your contract well. Don’t get too attached to people.”

“……”

It seems he has his own circumstances.

I didn’t want to pry, so I just nodded silently.

Traveler seemed satisfied and shifted his gaze to the screen.

I saw Reaper leaving the viewing room from the side.

As the exit path was in front of me, our eyes met briefly, and surprisingly, Reaper nodded to me first.

I was a bit taken aback but returned the nod.

“It’s different from what I heard. Was Reaper always such a polite player? I only saw him in broadcasts, so I don’t know.”

“No. He was quite rude to our team at first. But he seemed quite respectful to Luche.”

“Then why is he acting like that towards me…?”

“I don’t know. How would I know? He must have his own standards.”

Traveler said indifferently.

On the screen, several highlight videos of Reaper were playing.

Among them were scenes of him facing Traveler, or more precisely, his team Q Prime.

I couldn’t see his expression properly from my position.

However, there was a shade of something in his nonchalant tone.

“Hey. Can you beat Reaper?”

“Of course. If you fight thinking you’ll lose, you can’t beat anyone.”

“Right. That’s the correct answer… but why is it so hard to hear these days?”

“Hmm. Seems like a mess.”

“It is a mess. Everywhere you go, it’s all a mess.”

《 Following that, the second match of Group E! The match between Acid Gaming’s Reaper and J Vitals’ Fury will begin soon. 》

《 Assassin and Swordsman. Of course, Reaper is also famous as a Mist Mage, but doesn’t it predict a breathtaking battle just from hearing it? 》

《 That’s right. Moreover, Fury is known for his speed-focused build, and Reaper’s flexibility and unpredictability need no introduction. It seems like it will be a match where both players’ strengths clash head-on. 》

《 Let’s see what answers both players have prepared… right now! 》

[Infinity Arena Main Tournament Group E – Match 3]

[Battlefield: Ancient Weapon Hangar]

[Acid Gaming Ripper(Mist Mage) vs J Vitals Fury(Swordsman)]

The battlefield itself turned out to be a neutral location.

Recently. The field where I had a good memory of gulping down the Dragon’s Tear.

It was a battlefield where powerful area-of-effect skills were used by monsters placed throughout, instead of having any special gimmicks in the terrain itself.

It’s not difficult to avoid, but it can be unexpectedly hard to pay attention to during a chaotic battle.

It doesn’t look bad for both sides to utilize the battlefield.

The swordsman is a class that actively inherits the samurai’s energy system.

A melee dealer who has to handle all attacks and defenses with a single sword.

It could also be used to receive powerful parrying bonuses by exploiting the attacks of ancient weapons.

On the other hand, Reaper’s mist mage is a class that seems to mix about 30% mage with assassin.

Instead of giving up many assassin skills, its main focus was on vision play using mist and stealth.

With eyes obscured by mist, it becomes difficult to avoid the attacks of ancient weapons.

“Come to think of it, why don’t you use swordsman? You’re good at it.”

“It’s more comfortable to fight as an assassin in the field. I don’t plan to use it here unless absolutely necessary.”

“I see.”

Having done kendo, I’m quite confident in swordsman as well.

No. I should say I’m confident I can do it better than anyone else.

If I could, I would have put it as my main class.

The reason I can’t easily bring out the swordsman is because of psychological issues.

When I took out a longsword without feeling like it, all sorts of negative emotions would rush in.

The last time I used it was when I was severely cornered in the field… it wasn’t a good memory at all.

A sense of guilt as if I had cheaply sold off something I considered noble.

A sense of shame as if I was tarnishing the most brilliant period of my life.

To me, a sword… more precisely, using the weapon I handled during my player days.

It had a meaning that couldn’t be expressed in words.

《 Fury blocks the first ambush with a perfect parry! 》

《 It’s an excellent start. Although the mist mage is not a traditional assassin, it’s still not a class that easily gives up the initiative. 》

《 But we still need to keep watching. Reaper has never ended with just one failure. Fury also seems to be maintaining his zanshin (lingering mind). 》

《 As I mentioned, Reaper’s second attack! 》

At some point, a thick mist covered the field.

An extreme vision restriction. In the midst of not being able to see even an inch ahead, five blades were raised right in front of the eyes.

The swordsman didn’t just take it either.

He blocks with quick reactions and parries. He deflects Reaper’s claw and immediately follows up with a counterattack.

A series of clean downward slashes followed, but to no avail.

What the sword imbued with sword energy cut was just water droplets in the white mist.

As the body that canceled the mist form crouched, both arms’ claws stamped on the swordsman’s instep.

He quickly lowers his sword and changes target with a short-distance movement.

《 Reaper aims for the upper body again. The Serpent’s Fang is… canceled midway. 》

《 Reaper, re-entering, succeeds with his attack! 》

That’s it.

The reason why Reaper is difficult to deal with.

《 Reaper’s mind game just now was incredible, wasn’t it? 》

《 He boldly gave up an attack that went in at a good angle. It was a critical attack, so Fury also hurriedly defended. 》

《 But that razor-sharp reaction speed itself became poison. The replay screen is coming up now. You can see Fury’s parry floating when Reaper cancels his attack, right? 》

《 While the defense judgment remains, the skill charges, and he precisely aims for Fury’s after-delay. From the moment he used the parry first, defense became impossible. It was a perfectly prepared hunt. 》

He induces the opponent’s defense, and then wedges into what they thought was the safest spot.

As a result, Reaper’s attacks often felt like they were coming in one beat slower.

The method of constantly targeting outside the field of vision causes anxiety.

If you can’t respond quickly, it feels like you might expose a vital point.

It’s probably not different in reality either.

But when the mind becomes hasty, you tend to lose your own rhythm.

Defensive measures are meaninglessly consumed against slow attacks, and Reaper leisurely accumulates damage before slipping away.

When you see the result from the outside… it looks like a terrible blunder.

《 The bleeding is substantial. As expected, Reaper raises the blood mist. 》

《 He needs to stay calm. The blood mist is a skill that’s more about sensory deprivation than damage. 》

《 Ah… Fury. Has he lost his composure? His attacks are too hasty! 》

He fails to block even a single slow attack.

It looks like he’s floundering alone and self-destructing.

Completely played by the enemy called Reaper – he ends up being torn to shreds by sharp claws.

Both his body and mind.

Fury’s two matches were evaluated as poor performances.