NOVEL WEB Chapter 159 - Second Meeting
Chapter 159 Second Meeting
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Preliminary briefing for the Asia preliminaries.
In other words, it was also referred to as the Hall Rental, a social event for pro gamers. Through the KSM, twenty individuals were chosen, along with forty more to fill any unforeseen circumstances, including each team’s coaching staff.
Nearly eighty people were discussing how to proceed and sharing some of the secrets they had hidden for a year, exchanging information on how to defeat other countries as representatives of South Korea rather than their own teams.
Moreover, for almost a month, these individuals would learn the curriculum devised by the ten teams, receive the same information, and undergo training.
Although only four people would advance to the finals, the competition’s scale had grown from domestic to Asian, transforming the rivalry between teams into a national pride contest, so many did not mind.
However, this time, the Hall Rental had something more special.
“Wow, we’ll finally get to see what Yoo Jin looks like.”
“Betting? I’ll bet 30,000 won that she looks like a human weapon.”
“Really? I’ll bet 50,000 won that she has knife scars or surgery marks on her body.”
“Are you guys out of your minds?”
Yoo Jin was coming.
In just a month, she had overcome all obstacles in her path—whether pro gamers or competitions—and stood at the top with overwhelming skill.
Given that one of the intentions of this preliminary briefing was to foster camaraderie among players, it was only natural that many pro gamers were eager to meet her. After all, no matter how many times they met in virtual reality, it could never compare to meeting face-to-face.
Thus, everyone eagerly awaited Saturday. This anticipation was not limited to the players but was especially noticeable among the forty selected individuals who also streamed.
In short, it was like this.
< YooJinTailShedThiefCaughtDice donated 5,000 won! />
—Please, when you see Yoo Jin on Saturday, tell us what she looks like!
“YooJinTailShedThiefCaughtDice… What kind of nickname is that! Anyway, I’ll share the story after I get permission from Yoo Jin on Saturday. Unlike the people I met last year, this will be the first time meeting her.”
—LOL
—But honestly, I’m curious~
—By the way, Crossline, do you know what Dice looks like? Please tell us!!!!
—There must be a reason why they won’t tell us, LOL
—Living Point) If you’re curious about what Dice looks like, become a pro gamer and make it into the top 40 in KSM.
Viewers were overflowing with envy for the pro gamers who would see Yoo Jin in person for the first time.
It was only natural. Despite countless questions over the past month, Yoo Jin had deliberately ignored any related to her real life. The only hint was the possibility revealed during a Q&A session that she might be a manifested being.
Even that wasn’t certain. It was simply because she had continued broadcasting and competing for over a month without being arrested for impersonating a manifested being, which added credibility to the assumption.
In any case, nothing about Yoo Jin was certain except what could be inferred from her actions.
However, like putting together puzzle pieces, the appearances she showed over the month allowed for some rough guesses.
Her tone was neutral.
Her name was Yoo Jin.
Given her physical prowess despite being a hardcore user, it was estimated that she could lift at least 800 pounds in a three-lift total and had exceptional endurance. Additionally, her firearm proficiency was at an unattainable level for the average person.
She used her tail freely, indicating she was at least an E2 level manifested being or a user testing the third tail technique in-game. However, since her delicate tail movements contrasted with her avatar’s thick tail, the latter seemed more likely.
And most importantly, her ability to easily read large battlefields and her participation in a 9-Line briefing in English suggested she was at least a JTAC, or Joint Terminal Attack Controller.
To sum up,
—A Korean-American who lived in the U.S., served as an Air Force Combat Controller, and worked in at least Tier 2 or the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, returned to Korea and dominated the scene!
This bizarre conclusion emerged.
‘Isn’t this bullying…?’
Of course, it wasn’t.
As Dark Zone gained popularity, it became common for former special forces personnel to enter the eSports field.
For instance, Unreal, the operator of the Yourspace channel, who handled game information and delivery, was also a former special forces member. Among those who won the KSM and made it to the national team, some were from the special forces, UDT, and even the 707 unit.
Looking overseas, there was Keith, who had served in the Japanese Special Operations Group for 14 years and recently started Dark Zone, rising to the top in Japan. As for the U.S., it’s better not to even mention it.
The U.S. was a hellish place where former Delta operators could be seen in scrims.
Moreover, Yoo Jin’s mysterious identity naturally fueled endless curiosity due to her secretive nature.
Pro gamers and streamers could only respond to viewers’ demands for Yoo Jin’s identity with lifeless answers. Given that they couldn’t even reveal information about Dice, what chance did they have with Yoo Jin?
Anyway, they would find out soon enough.
So, the 79 participants, including Dice, could only eagerly await Saturday.
And the person at the center of nearly a hundred people’s curiosity,
“…Why do they send this stuff?”
Various padded jackets that could fend off all the world’s cold arrived at her house, even though it wasn’t even September yet.
Reptile nutrients and special supplements.
A cat ear headset that couldn’t fit properly because her ear tips were too pointed.
A genuine tactical hammer and axe sent by a survival shop.
Wax? For polishing? Where was she supposed to apply this? On her tail to keep it shiny?
Lastly, a wallet made of real anaconda skin.
“Sigh.”
She had more than enough random items to give away to viewers.
Yoo Jin was buried under a mountain of useless packages.
It was a common occurrence.
And two days later, Saturday arrived.
“Ugh, I didn’t get any sleep… I’m doomed….”
Dice.
In other words, the one who had a restless night.
She should have slept well in preparation for today, but she ended up chatting pointlessly with Yoo Jin until she missed the right time to sleep, and to make matters worse, her excitement kept her tossing and turning for over an hour.
So, she finally fell asleep around 3 a.m. and woke up at 9 a.m. Six hours of sleep, which wasn’t objectively a lot. Naturally, she was tired in the morning.
Moreover, today she had more to prepare than usual. She wasn’t just going to any ordinary place; she would be facing everyone.
“Ugh, I’m dead….”
A tougher bath than usual.
She filled the tub with hot water, shampooed first, then applied treatment meticulously. As she relaxed in the water for 15 minutes, she suddenly drifted off, compressing the 15 minutes into a second.
In other words, she fell asleep.
The alarm rang loudly.
───Beep, beep, beep!
“Wah, ugh!”
Splash!
The sound of cool water splashing. Despite sleeping a bit, she felt a bit more refreshed. She washed off the treatment under the shower and repeated the same with conditioner. After another 10 minutes of sleep, she rinsed off again.
Next, she used shower oil instead of her usual body wash, scrubbing off all the grime and completing her meticulous routine before heading to the drying room.
She applied some oil essence to her hair and activated the pre-programmed hairstyling function, allowing carefully adjusted air to dry her hair while adding volume. Mechanical arms in the partition sectioned her hair and held it, making a fuss.
Honestly, without the drying room, she wouldn’t even think of showering, let alone grooming herself. Modern conveniences can really spoil a person.
After who knows how long,
“Wow, not bad.”
Her hair, full of volume, greeted her.
But it wasn’t over. Next was makeup. Since she had already finished cleansing, it was time for basic skincare. She moistened her dry skin with toner, applied a mask pack for 10 minutes, and decided on her outfit for the day. Then, base makeup.
Normally, she would have used primer, concealer, and foundation, but since that would make it hard to breathe, she evenly applied the primer, followed by shading and highlighting, and then eye makeup.
She applied eye primer, shadow, eyelash curler, eyeliner, and mascara diligently. She had learned all this from the internet. Without the internet, she probably would have just stuck to basic skincare.
Finally, her lips. She created a subtle gradient with a few colors and finished with a touch of lip gloss for shine.
But what time was it now?
“Oh, it’s already 11? My goodness.”
After bathing and makeup, it was already 11.
But to be honest, choosing an outfit was the easiest part. It was already September, and today’s temperature was an unusually cool 22 degrees, so it didn’t matter much what she wore.
After putting on her underwear, she layered a light white shirt, regular denim below, and a thin beige trench coat. Socks felt stifling, so she chose appropriate sandal heels and completed her look with a gifted brand shoulder bag.
Visually, it was fine. Inside the shoulder bag, however, were no cosmetics—just a card wallet and a regular wallet. Her phone was in her trench coat pocket.
“Will it look like I’m trying too hard…?”
I didn’t know.
But I had to look decent since I was meeting
people.
I stepped outside. As I mentioned earlier, it wasn’t that hot. The distance from the team’s dorm to the Swiss Grand Hotel was about 40 minutes by bus. Deciding to splurge, I took a taxi.
It was 11:20 a.m. After giving the destination and paying, I blocked the partition between the front and back seats and activated the mute function. Then I resumed the conversation I had with Yoo Jin.
“Are you almost there? I just got in a taxi. I spent so much time getting ready today. You’ll be shocked when you see me.”
“Of course. I’m almost there too. I think I’ll arrive about 5 minutes before noon. Go ahead and enter the convention hall first.”
“Wow, I thought I was running late, but it turns out there’s an even later riser. What a legend. What time did you sleep last night? I thought guys just had to wake up, wash, put on some cologne, and get dressed?”
“Well.”
Well…?
What did that mean? Of course, not all guys are like that. Plus, knowing Yoo Jin’s disciplined lifestyle, he probably had breakfast too.
My heart was pounding. Not in a strange way, but I was curious about his reaction when he saw me. And secondly, I was curious about what Yoo Jin looked like in person.
The person who kept me up last night…what did he look like?
“Ha, ha, ha….”
“Why are you breathing like that?”
“It’s all because of you, Yoo Jin.”
Talking like that, I soon found myself in front of the hotel.
Since the road was right next to me, I quickly opened the door and got out. Leaving the disappearing taxi behind, I followed the navigation into the building. It was 11:45 a.m. About 10 minutes until Yoo Jin would arrive.
But I couldn’t just stand around waiting because I started seeing familiar faces.
“Wow, is this really Dice? Unbelievable.”
“My goodness, you really dressed up this year. Anyone would think you’re here to meet a VIP.”
“The person saying that couldn’t even talk to me last year when you sat next to me.”
The reactions were mostly threefold.
Those who knew Dice’s identity from last year’s KSM selection were less tense and initiated conversations with familiar topics.
On the other hand, newcomers who didn’t know her were wide-eyed, mumbling to their mentors about Dice being a girl, mostly unable to even speak to her.
Among them, only those who maintained their composure were Summit from TK1 and Ink from Xi, both of whom had advanced to the finals with Dice last year. Their relationship was more akin to frenemies than just ordinary acquaintances.
But it wasn’t just that. Dice also greeted the coaching staff from other teams, not just SSM.
Thus, nine of the ten minutes melted away.
As the atmosphere quieted, someone asked Dice,
“By the way, why isn’t Yoo Jin here yet?”
“She should be here soon… Oh!”
Beep!
At that moment, the phone rang.
Dice quickly answered.
“Oh, Yoo Jin! We need to go in soon. Where are you?”
“Almost there. I think I’ll arrive in about 30 seconds.”
“Finally.”
Then, without much thought, she continued,
“By the way, we’ll meet in person in about a minute. When will you stop using the avatar’s voice? It’s time to reveal your real voice, don’t you think?”
“Oh, my real voice. Yes, it’s about time. But…how should I put it.”
Then he said,
“What you’ve been hearing is my real voice.”
“…What?”
“Oh, I see you. I’ll hang up.”
Huh?
With that foolish moan, Dice’s gaze turned straight ahead. The marble floor glistened as white lights from the ceiling reflected everywhere. In the midst of it all, a figure appeared, cutting through the space.
Long black hair reaching her waist.
Pointed ears protruding from the sides.
A small head and milky white skin. Delicate facial features gathered together. A cold and sharp gaze beneath azure eyes. All supported by a stable daily look.
But the most noticeable feature was the giant tail….
“Oh my.”
Why was that real?
With an unknown exclamation, Dice covered her mouth and collapsed on the spot.
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