Season 2: Chapter 230: Memory Arcade (3)
Parang was one of the representative characters in the fighting game Fist of Power known for his tall stature and handsome appearance.
— Choosing someone like him, what a leech brother tsk tsk
— Wow, Parang lol
— Oh, taekwondo??
The martial art he used was taekwondo. He was also a Korean character.
— As expected, Almond is filled with national pride! lol
— Do you know Almond? Is it Almond milk?
Almond, famous for archery, matched surprisingly well with a character who used taekwondo.
"Ah. That character suits you well, doesn't he?" the commentators mentioned this point too.
"Right. Taekwondo's Parang and archery's Almond! Aren't they both excellent?"
"Taekwondo? Not so much anymore."
"Ah... Anyway! It's not about Parang being a taekwondo or a Korean character. He's just a high-performing character, especially in this classic version."
"Right. The characteristic of taekwondo is using kicks, right? And Parang has long legs. He's great at harassing the opponent from a distance."
Parang was popular in Korea and evaluated as a strong character worldwide.
Click.
The game began as Parang took a fighting stance against his opponent.
***
As with all fighting games, a single match didn't determine the winner. Fist of Power matches were best out of five rounds. Even if a player lost twice, they still had a chance to win.
The countdown began as the two characters faced off.
[Ready~]
Tap.
Tatatap.
Sang-Hyeon aimlessly moved the joystick around, warming up his hands.
'This should be doable.'
His right hand twitched slightly, but it wasn't a major issue yet. Joystick games didn't require holding and precisely aiming like archery, so Sang-Hyeon's right hand was somewhat free from his chronic issue.
[Go!]
As the start signal sounded, they began sizing each other up.
Swoosh. Swish.
The shirtless muscular grandfather Heihachi showed movements that didn't match his age, moving here and there.
"First, they're sizing each other up!"
This common occurrence often took place in fighting games with both players looking for an opportunity without making the first attack.
Then—
Shick!
Heihachi threw a punch first. It was a mid attack.
When a mid attack came, pulling the joystick toward the character's backside would block the attack. The left hand operated the joystick, so the motion could easily be done.
Thump!
A hollow sound indicated the attack was blocked. However, this small attack didn’t require any big motion. Just because Almond blocked it didn't mean Heihachi left a big opening.
Choi Sa-Rang pressed on.
Thud!
Two consecutive mid attacks followed, but Almond blocked again.
'Low!'
Sang-Hyeon instinctively thought a low attack would follow after three consecutive mid attacks. In this game, the probability of landing a mid kick was quite high when the opponent attempted a low attack.
Thwack!
Parang kicked for the first time. However—
"Ah! A counterattack as if he was waiting for it!?"
Swoosh.
Heihachi executed a counterattack. It was a type of grab technique that activated in advance and required predicting the opponent's attack.
"!?"
Almond moved the joystick here and there, but reacting didn't make a difference since the opponent had read his move.
“Aaaaaah!” the grandfather screamed and swung his leg, smashing it down.
“Aaah!”
Parang fell down in pain.
[HP: 85%]
It didn’t end with just a counterattack.
As the fallen Parang tried to get up, Heihachi stomped on him.
Boom!
Parang was launched into the air.
"Ah! He's up!"
"He's been launched in that state! This is where the combo starts!"
Bang! Boom! Crash!
In an instant, Heihachi executed a combo and sent Parang flying almost to the end of the screen.
[HP: 42%]
True to a fighting game, his health sharply dropped.
"..."
Almond's lips curled inward.
— lololol cleared out!
— Ah, that expression is so cute lol
— Getting beaten up, aren't you? lol
— Are you sulking? lolol
Afterward, Parang regained his posture and prepared for a second round.
'Let's make the most out of my reach.'
From what he remembered as a child, no character had a longer reach than Parang. Using kicks to keep the distance could somehow create an opportunity.
He turned the joystick toward the opponent.
Tap.
Parang charged forward and the opponent attempted a jab to counter his dash attack.
Sang-Hyeon seized the moment to kick instead.
Thwack!
The hit landed.
"Oooooh!"
Since landing a hit against Choi Sa-Rang was rare, even a single hit received a good reaction.
Sang-Hyeon rode the momentum, hitting the buttons in succession.
Boom!
Another hit landed.
'Now!'
He tried to launch the opponent with a low lifting kick at this moment.
Thump!
As expected, such a large move ended up being blocked. However, Sang-Hyeon stepped back for a moment and looked for another opportunity.
'Using my long reach is definitely advantageous.'
Choi Sa-Rang attempted to counter, but her punches only struck the air.
Again, Parang stretched his leg out.
Thwack!
Another hit landed.
"Sharp with keeping the distance, aren't you!?"
Sang-Hyeon didn't go for a combo here. He just waited momentarily.
Click.
As expected, Choi Sa-Rang chose to defend and Sang-Hyeon didn't lose any health.
"Playing it safe and not forcing any combos. You’re just chipping away!"
The momentum had shifted toward Sang-Hyeon. His joystick movements began to grow more precise. Riding the rhythm created by the joystick, he began pressing more buttons.
Parang moved as if he was alive, hitting on the way in and defending on the way out, tormenting Heihachi.
"He's up. He's up!"
Crash!
Heihachi was knocked over and launched upward. The start of a combo in the air had been initiated.
Sang-Hyeon's right hand began to rapidly input commands and Parang's combo started straightaway.
Wham-bam!
Boom!
Parang switched between his right and left legs dazzlingly, hitting the opponent. He also mixed in punches occasionally.
Tatatap.
Sang-Hyeon's right hand hit the buttons even faster.
'Uh.'
Zap.
A headache-like sensation came along, and his hand hesitated.
The combo was broken.
"Ah! It breaks off here!"
"But for a beginner, that was quite the spirit!?"
Swoosh.
The standing Heitachi immediately kicked Parang in the chin.
Boom!
'Ah.'
The opponent was a formidable player. There was no second chance. As Parang was launched high, Heihachi started a dazzling ten hit combo and even landed a finishing move to utterly destroy him.
Boom!
"Kyaaa!"
"That's refreshing!"
[Defeat]
The first round ended like that.
— wow lol
— ah gg
— that person is really good???
— wow, cleared!
A mix of ridicule and sympathy filled the chat that came up on one side of Sang-Hyeon's goggles.
[Pein has donated 3,000 won.]
[It's ok, it's ok. If you haven't played fighting games before, you absolutely can't win against such a veteran. It's all about the mind games.]
The donor's words were true. Fighting games had their unique domain within game genres. The playground of veterans could slice each frame to their advantage.
Theoretically, if one's reaction speed were high, that would solve everything. However, that was impossible to achieve in reality compared to virtual reality.
It ultimately boiled down to a battle of wits and prediction. Sang-Hyeon knew this.
'Maybe the few hits I got in were only because I'm a complete newbie.'
The fact that Choi Sa-Rang almost got hit was not because Sang-Hyeon was good, but because he was so bad that it made his actions unpredictable and thus successful.
"Because you do archery, you're good at measuring distance. Focus on that."
A voice came from the other side. The voice was so quiet that he thought it was a murmur to herself.
"Did you say that to me…?"
Thump.
The second round started before he could hear a response.
'It must have been meant for me.'
Sang-Hyeon excelled in measuring the distance well. He etched this into his mind.
What Choi Sa-Rang said had to be true. She wouldn't stoop so low as to lie and play mind games, not with her skill level.
'Maybe this could work.'
He opened his eyes wide and thought about just winning one round.
[Ready~ Go!]
***
Afterward, Sang-Hyeon realized it.
"Ah. That's a counter there."
"You can't block a grab, can you?"
"That was a mid attack~"
"That combo was too obvious."
"You should have quickly hit low and then launched just now."
Advice in a fighting game was closer to mockery, chipping away at the opponent's mental fortitude little by little.
— Isn't that noona's tongue also at a challenger level? lol
— What's with the sonic attack lol
— Wow, if she can talk like that and still do everything, is she a pro?
'... Uh.'
After numerous advice, Sang-Hyeon came to his senses only to find a streak of defeats.
"Ah~ That's too bad~"
— ??
— Too bad?
— ??? It's too bad you have to lose more.
— ??? Pity, my toy is getting ruined.
The opponent thought the match was a shame even though Sang-Hyeon lost.
[Defeat]
He lost every game.
"Ah! In the end, the last set was a perfect game!!"
In the last set, it seemed she stopped holding back and left him completely helpless.
Then, a sound came out of Sang-Hyeon's mouth unintentionally.
"Damn it."
It was a spontaneous utterance.
— He got defeated miserably! He got defeated miserably!
— Damn it lol
— Damnalmonds lol
— lol Seriously, such an authentic reaction, so funny lol
Being human, Sang-Hyeon's reaction to losing in an arcade game was natural.
Tsk.
He clicked his tongue once and stood up from his seat.
'It's a pity.'
He hadn't really thought he would win. He just wondered what it would be like to take even one set. To lose so overwhelmingly...
Still, getting completely thrashed like this had brought in a lot of donations.
Ding!
[RubySword donated 30,000 won.]
[Hey! Follow me to the capsule!]
— lol, let's meet in the capsule...
— Should I grab you by the hair now, Princess Ruby?
— Ah, if you go to a capsule, it's over lol lol
'That's not going to happen...'
“Sigh.”
Sang-Hyeon swallowed his words without being able to say anything.
"Ah, Ruby Sword, thank you for the 30,000 won donation."
Ding!
[Eggplant has donated 3,000 won.]
[It's okay, Almond. Let's just say it was Almond's younger sibling, shall we?]
— lmao
— Blaming it on the younger sibling lol
— The worst job on earth: Eggplant's younger sibling
— Props to "The Brotherhood of Steel" Eggplant!
Boom!
[MadDogGang has donated 10,000 won.]
[Bro, should I step in? I can lose without anyone knowing.]
— ?
— lol, I can do that too
— What's the point of losing? lol
— I'm confident too
Not only from them, but donations kept coming in from unfamiliar nicknames. It was a strange phenomenon.
Indeed, some people liked losing. This reminded him of a famous quote from Bubblegum, "If you're going to be mediocre, you might as well be terribly bad!"
***
Meanwhile, a long line stretched out in front of the JetPumped booth at G-Star.
[No waiting number issued]
Naturally, this booth didn't issue waiting numbers and people lined up instead.
"Seriously," Ju-Hyeok muttered in disbelief.
He directed his gaze at another provocative sign.
[<<< If you want to beat him, you have to line up]
Naturally, the arrows on the sign pointed to a standee of developer Kim Yi-Seo.
'That's some serious taunting.'
At this level, it had to be considered a talent.
"Ha... that son of a...”
"Ugh..."
"How can you lose like this!? Like this!?"
The disappointed sighs from the people lined up revealed how much they hoped for Kim Yi-Seo's defeat. Everyone waited in this long line with the same desire.
"What is this place?"
"Are they giving something away for free?"
It even piqued the curiosity of passersby. Everyone made it a point to stop by the JetPumped booth at least once, driven by the curiosity to check out various spots, effectively making the most out of the marketing effect.
During this, a lament burst out from the line.
"Is there truly not a single person capable of beating him!!"
The challenge had progressed to the twenty-first challenger and no one had defeated the main developer yet. No one had even managed to get past the other developers to face Kim Yi-Seo.
"Isn't this rigged coding?!"
"How is it that twenty people haven't even seen Kim Yi-Seos face!?"
Various suspicions emerged. Meanwhile, Kim Yi-Seo was mockingly commentating from the broadcasting booth.
"Uwahaha! Why blame the game’s balance when you’re so bad, eh!?"
— lol
— I really want to beat him up lol
— Most geniuses are at a loss being born in Korea, but he would have been shot if he was born in America lol
— Genius in a different sense lol
— The lunatic lol
Despite the desperate situation, time continued to pass.
'Soon, it’ll be my turn.'
The line gradually shortened toward Ju-Hyeok's number.