Chapter 46 : I’ve Made Up My Mind
“Have you ever played a shooting game before?”
“This is my first time with games, but I’ve done real shooting before.”
“…Real bullets?”
“Yeah, I used to enjoy clay shooting as a hobby. As I got into it, I eventually ended up trying live ammunition.”
“Oh, I see. That should make this easier to grasp.”
Soul Fighter is a VR game where your actual skills really matter. If clay shooting was her hobby, hitting targets shouldn’t be much of a challenge for her.
“Let me show you how the game feels.”
After pressing the start button, a stage filled with neon signs appeared in his view. Across from him, a guy in a flashy outfit was loading into the game.
“Is that a real person?”
“Yeah, it’s connected online.”
“There’s something floating above his head, like an emoji. It looks like he’s sticking his tongue out.”
“He’s taunting me, probably thinks I’m a beginner. Since I haven’t played in a while, my rank is reset to zero.”
“Ah, got it.”
On the other hand, the opponent was a skilled platinum-ranked player. Since the game was losing players, the matchmaking system didn’t really separate newbies from pros anymore.
‘This should be a good warm-up.’
Judging by all his expensive customizations, he seemed like a veteran player. But instead of being worried, a smile spread across Ha-neul’s face.
“Your opponent’s using guns, are you okay with that?”
“Of course. I think guns will suit you too, Bada-ssi. Just watch closely and see how he plays.”
“Alright, good luck!”
10, 9, 8.
As the countdown started, she cheered him on. Meanwhile, he swung his sword a few times to get a feel for it.
‘It feels a bit thinner than before.’
Did they nerf it?
The hitbox seemed noticeably smaller. As someone who mainly used a lightsaber, it was slightly annoying, but not enough to throw him off.
3, 2, 1. Game Start!
Before he knew it, the countdown had ended. As soon as the game began, the opponent started wildly firing both of his guns.
Of course, it’s still just a game, so it wasn’t as fast as in real life. It was about the speed of a rhythm game on fast mode.
‘Is he laughing?’
An emoji of a smirking face popped up over the opponent’s head. He must’ve assumed Ha-neul was a total beginner, thinking he could end the match with this surprise attack.
I mean, if you saw someone with no rank just standing there with a lightsaber, you’d probably think they were just some newbie caught up in a light novel fantasy.
‘Well, he’s not entirely wrong, but…’
Ping ping ping ping!
Ha-neul swung his sword and deflected all the incoming bullets. The look of shock on the opponent’s face was priceless.
Caught completely off guard, the opponent had already dashed forward, quickly closing the distance between them.
Slash!
Ha-neul’s sword sliced through the opponent’s neck. As the enemy dissolved into dust, he casually sent a thumbs-up emoji, almost out of habit.
Ding!
[Winner: Loki]
[Score: 0p → 1380p]
Because of the MMR system, his points shot up like crazy. He instantly ranked up to gold. As the results screen faded away, Ha-neul checked himself over.
‘I’m definitely rusty.’
Two bullets had grazed him.
In the past, he wouldn’t have let a single one slip through. The lightsaber felt thinner than before, but it had also been a long time since he last played.
Having experienced the game now, they would be more cautious next time. But getting back to their previous flawless gameplay might be a bit challenging.
“Whoa… what was that just now? Did you seriously deflect all those bullets with a sword?”
“They weren’t as fast as you think. Considering how you played that variation of Canon earlier, I’m sure you can dodge bullets just by watching the muzzle.”
“No way! The speed is on a completely different level! How can someone have such fast reflexes? Are you even human? I kind of want to dissect you and find out!”
“When you say stuff like that, it doesn’t come off as a joke. Please tone it down.”
After that, Kang Bada bombarded him with questions about the game’s mechanics, different weapons, and everything else she had been curious about during the fight.
“…I think you’ve got the theory down. The rest, you’ll pick up faster by actually playing.”
“I’ll try my best not to hold us back!”
Kang Bada seemed unusually excited. As he helped her log in, Ha-neul found himself wondering just how far they could get together.
‘I think we can definitely make it to Diamond.’
Soul Fighter’s ranking system followed the familiar hierarchy: Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, and Challenger.
Since it was a global game, and more players played solo than in duos, climbing the lower ranks wouldn’t be too tough.
But at higher levels, the percentage of fixed teams increased. From Master rank onwards, teamwork became critical, making it hard to progress solo.
“Ha-neul-ssi, I’m ready!”
“Alright, just relax and have fun.”
He wasn’t too attached to his rank, and the main reason he was here today was to enjoy playing with Kang Bada. As long as she had a good time, that was enough for him.
“What are you talking about?”
“Huh?”
“We’ve already started, so we need to see it through. If I lose more than I win, I’ll be too frustrated to sleep tonight.”
Ha—
Ha-neul let out a small laugh, surprised by how serious she sounded. Clearly, he had underestimated her competitive spirit.
“And what’s your goal?”
“Number one, of course!”
“That’s going to be hard to pull off in one day.”
“Then we’ll stay up all night if we have to.”
“Don’t you have work tomorrow?”
“That depends on you.”
He could easily picture the determined expression on Kang Bada’s face behind her VR headset. Shaking his head, Ha-neul quickly ran the numbers in his head.
Even though his duo MMR wasn’t very high, the system would boost their score quickly if they went on a winning streak. Based on the current first-place player’s score…
‘About 50 consecutive wins should do it.’
That should put them face-to-face with the number one player. Realistically, they wouldn’t reach first place in total points within a day, but beating the top player would be a satisfying achievement.
Each match usually took 1-3 minutes, and including matchmaking time, around 5 minutes per game. They wouldn’t even need to stay up all night to make it happen.
“Alright, let’s give it a shot.”
“Let’s do this!”
Though the challenge to reach the top suddenly became more intense, Ha-neul found himself enjoying the moment even more since he was playing alongside Kang Bada.
* * *
“Wow… that guy’s insane.”
“I don’t even have words. That was just ridiculous.”
“Is that even a human? I mean, it’s a game, sure, but how can anyone deflect machine gun bullets with a sword!?”
At a VR café just outside Seoul, the members of the Soul Fighter Association had rented out the entire space after hearing that Loki had made an appearance. Now, all they could do was sigh and shake their heads in disbelief at what they had just witnessed.
Since this was a gathering of hardcore fans of a niche game, everyone took pride in their skills. But after facing the Loki duo, they all ended up feeling defeated.
“Fine, Loki is one thing, but who’s that girl? Her shooting is insane. Is she really a newbie?”
“According to the data, she is. It’s likely she created a new account… but her skills are improving with every match.”
“And that’s the real problem. In the last round, she even calculated the ricochet angles on her shots!”
Everyone in the room had faced Loki in his prime. At least once, they had each encountered that unbeatable wall.
Losing to Loki was something they could accept. But losing to his teammate? That was a completely different story.
“We’ve checked all the current top-ranked players, and even the former ones, except for Loki. No one knows who she is. Who is she?”
“If no one’s lying, she’s a total unknown. Where did this monster come from?”
“Her individual skills are great, but the real issue is how well they work together as a team. There’s no opening to exploit.”
The group sighed and turned their heads to the screen displaying the Soul Fighter ranking.
────
– Points: 3,232p
– Rank: 19th (up 41,504 places)
– Record: 48 wins, 0 losses (48-win streak)
───────────
Even after double-checking, the ranking seemed unreal. The once-static leaderboard was now buzzing with excitement as the Loki duo kept climbing.
Although they were ranked 19th, most of the higher-ranked players had already been defeated. The only ones left unbeaten were those dodging matches to protect their rank, and the duo in 1st and 2nd place.
“Second place just lost!”
“What? What’s the ranking now?”
“Hold on, the results screen hasn’t… wait, here it is!”
As the 2nd place team fell to the Loki duo, the entire café went silent, eyes fixed on the results screen.
“Am I dreaming right now?”
“So… this is actually possible.”
“Yeah, who would’ve thought anyone could go on a 50-win streak? The ones who avoided playing them just look like cowards now.”
Everyone was at a loss for words. The Loki duo had just leaped 17 places and claimed the ‘2nd place’ rank.
At this point, all eyes turned toward a table where a young man and woman in their twenties were calmly sipping coffee.
“It’s down to you two now.”
Cloud & Jin.
This real-life couple had held the number one spot in Soul Fighter‘s duo rankings for months as the defending champions.
Feeling the expectant stares, the couple exchanged awkward glances and scratched their heads.
“What do you think?”
“Today doesn’t feel like the right day.”
“Yeah, I thought the same.”
“What? You’re not seriously saying you’re scared, are you?”
“Watch your words, President.”
Gulp—
The chairman of the Soul Fighter Association, who had been speaking loudly, swallowed hard under the woman’s icy gaze. It felt like he was staring down a predator, not a person.
As the atmosphere grew tense, the man raised his hands to calm everyone down. He clarified his point.
“I’m not saying we’re running away. Actually, it’s the opposite.”
“The opposite?”
“How many wins in a row does the Loki team have now?”
“They just beat the second-place team, so that makes it 49 straight wins… Oh!”
The chairman finally understood what the man was hinting at and nodded. The others, eager to know more, urged him to explain further.
“Hwang, what are you getting at?”
“The Loki team has played 49 matches back-to-back, which means they’ve been playing non-stop. No matter how good they are, they’re still human. They’ve got to be getting tired. In fact, didn’t their reaction time slow down noticeably in the match against the second-place team?”
“So, you’re saying…”
“We want to face them when both teams are at their best.”
“Ooooh!”
The crowd let out a sound of admiration. Though this couple wasn’t as famous as Loki, they were still known as a legendary duo who had carved out their own place in *Soul Fighter* history.
────
– Points: 3,322p
– Rank: 1st (-)
– Record: 515 wins, 337 losses (27-win streak)
───────────
They may not have dominated like Loki, but through consistent effort, they had fought their way to the top spot. Currently, they were on a 19-game win streak, defending their title.
“We may be the champions now, but out of respect for the ‘Immortal King Loki,’ we’re officially challenging him.”
“Damn it, I knew I could count on you!”
“Get revenge for all of us!”
Clap, clap, clap—!
The room erupted in applause. The couple, familiar with the attention, responded with calm, confident smiles.
* * *
“That was a pretty bold move.”
“Yeah, it just kind of happened.”
“So, are you going to accept the challenge?”
After waiting a while with no match in sight, Ha-neul wondered if the opponent had chickened out. But thanks to Moon Young-cheol, they finally got in touch with the first-place team.
Apparently, they wanted a proper match when both sides were at full strength, in a best-of-seven series. That was exactly what Ha-neul wanted too, but…
“The timing’s not great right now.”
“Why, is something up?”
“Yeah. We just came here to blow off some steam today, but we’re going to be super busy for a while.”
“How long is ‘a while’?”
“Hmm…”
Ha-neul glanced at Bada, but she was too worn out to respond. She had already pushed her limited stamina to the edge in her quest to reach the top and was completely exhausted.
“About a month, I think.”
“And there’s nothing I can do to help?”
“You’re already helping a lot.”
“Still, if you ever need ‘strength,’ just say the word.”
“Just knowing you’ve got my back is enough, thanks.”
Mun Young-chul placed extra emphasis on the word strength, and it was clear from his tone that he meant it. He was a man with a big heart.
“Anyway, a month from now should work, right? It’d be a shame for your wife to miss out on this. I’ll set up the date for you.”
“That works?”
“I want to see for myself what all the hype is about—how amazing you two really are.”
Moon Young-cheol handed Ha-neul his phone. On the screen was a video someone had already shared in the community, showing their gameplay.
“I’ll talk it over with Bada-ssi and let you know.”
“Sounds good.”
“Thanks for a great time. I already transferred the game fees to your account.”
“You sneaky little…”
“We’ll be off then!”
Ha-neul quickly stepped out of the café, carrying the unsteady Kang Bada on his back, while Mun Young-chul chuckled and shook his head in disbelief at the scene.
“Hmm…”
Once they were outside, a new issue popped up. The building didn’t have an elevator.
At that moment, Kang Bada’s legs were shaking so much that it was clear she couldn’t go down the stairs by herself.
“Are you alright, Bada-ssi?”
“…I don’t think so.”
“Do you want me to carry you?”
She nodded slightly.
He had said it half-jokingly, but to his surprise, Kang Bada readily agreed. Since turning back wasn’t an option now, he let her climb onto his back.
‘This isn’t the first time I’ve done this.’
Having carried her once at the awards ceremony made this feel familiar. The parking lot was just a short walk away once they made it down the stairs, so it wasn’t too much of a burden.
Carefully, he began descending the stairs with Kang Bada on his back. It was a bit hard on his knees, but he didn’t mind the cozy atmosphere.
“…Ha-neul-ssi.”
“Yes, Bada-ssi?”
“I’ve made a decision.”
Kang Bada whispered in his ear.
Was she saying she was determined to enter the competition and win? Even in her current state, she was full of spirit, showing how competitive she was.
He waited for her to elaborate, but she surprised him with her next statement.
“I want to bring Yena with me.”
“Sure, that’s fine. What do you want me to say?”
“…You’re surprisingly okay with this, aren’t you?”
“Why? Did you think I’d try to talk you out of it?”
“At least I thought you would ask me why.”
“I already know why.”
“Eh?”
Still on his back, Kang Bada tilted her head slightly. It seemed she wanted to see his reaction, as if she was asking him to explain.
However, he kept his focus on the stairs, not wanting to reveal his true feelings.
‘…I can never say it out loud.’
Her gaze when she looked at Yena was incredibly sweet. Just watching her made him smile without realizing it.
At that moment, he had an inkling of what this outcome would be. Maybe he had even been secretly wishing for it the most. Yena was really special to him.
– Did you come to film a YouTube video too?
The little girl who used to look up at him with empty eyes now ran toward him from a distance whenever she saw him. The feeling was hard to put into words.
In fact, he had been considering adoption long before this. He just hadn’t been able to act on it alone. Then he met Kang Bada.
‘If we work together, we can make it happen.’
More accurately, he believed that with Kang Bada, anything was possible. Spending time with her that day made that thought even stronger.
Aside from financial concerns, he couldn’t imagine going back to a life without her now.
“Aren’t you going to ask me why?”
“Hmm. What’s your reason?”
“I had an amazing time with you today, Ha-neul-ssi. I felt like I could do anything. Even help Yena with her trauma.”
“…I understand.”
It seemed Kang Bada was on the same page as him. A warm, fuzzy feeling began to bubble up inside him.
As he tried to figure out what that feeling was, Kang Bada spoke up again.
“But are you really okay with this?”
“With what?”
“People will think we’re really odd. They’ll wonder why we would adopt, and question if she’s actually a hidden child of ours. We’ll probably get criticized for it all.”
“If I told you how many nasty comments I read in a day, you’d be shocked.”
“…Seriously?”
Puh—
Kang Bada let out a sigh, her face resting against his back as if she had run out of energy.
“I’ve been thinking about this all day before coming here.”
“Oh, really?”
“Don’t treat me like a child! I want to get down now.”
“I’m not going to let you down.”
“Ugh, come on…!”
If it’s meant to be~♬
Just then, a ringtone rang out from behind. Kang Bada fumbled through her bag, struggling to pull out her phone.
He could feel her body tense up for a moment through the contact between them.
“It’s my unnie.”
“Go ahead and answer it.”
“Please let me down.”
“Just talk like this.”
“What on earth are you talking about!?”
“Uh-oh, the call is going to drop!”
“…Just wait and see.”
Kang Bada playfully tapped his back, as if to complain. Luckily, her tension seemed to have eased a bit.
“Why did you call?”
Hearing Kang Bada’s voice turn cold again, Ha-neul sensed that the moment of truth was drawing near.
