NOVEL NEXT chapter 1149 - Spider's Tactics (1)
"Now, let's change the text!"
"Ugh, I wanted to use more extravagant tools..."
"It seems that the more attention you get, the more trials you face..."
While preparing for the team competition and adjusting the stage, Kim Yuri suggested changing the text on the hand signs held by the class.
Since e-sports matches are held indoors, and the distance between the players and the audience is relatively close, tournament regulations are quite strict.
Banners, placards, and flags could only be brought in one at a time, and their sizes were also limited.
Additionally, there were restrictions on cheering tools, so items that cause noise or effects like smoke or lasers, or weapons, couldn’t be used, causing significant despair for the attention-seekers.
So, our class decided to standardize the design of the hand signs we were holding so they would be easily visible even from a distance, fulfilling the desire to be seen by the attention-seekers.
‘There were issues with bringing in cheering tools, but at least the attention-seekers were able to show off their tools outside the stadium. They were pretty noticeable inside too.’
Several times, the attention-seekers were caught on the big screen in our class.
Since Huang Ji-ho and Cheong-ho, who were sitting next to me, glared at the filming devices with very displeased expressions, I wasn't caught on camera, but the attention-seekers sure got their share of attention.
I looked down at the hand sign that read ‘GO BPB.’
While Yoo Sang-hoon was competing in the individual tournament, our class had been supporting him, sharing snacks brought by Bang Yun-seob since our first year, and bonding with him.
But now, we had added "DUSK" to point to In Seon-oh.
‘Yoo Sang-hoon and In Seon-oh's teams won't meet unless they’re in the finals, so I can comfortably cheer for both of them in the preliminaries.’
If the two did meet in the finals, the class would have some difficult decisions to make, but if they both made it to the finals, that would already be a huge accomplishment.
While we were adjusting the text and checking how it would look from afar, a staff member wearing a name tag approached us.
"Excuse me, would you be willing to do an interview before the team competition starts?"
We had been informed that audience interviews would take place as we entered, and it seemed our class had been chosen.
At the mention of the interview, the attention-seekers eagerly tried to stand out, but since the two with overly extravagant outfits seemed a bit burdensome, the staff looked at me.
Perhaps they were looking at Cheong-ho or Huang Ji-ho next to me.
The staff offered PlayerZ merchandise and coupons that could be exchanged for in-game currency as compensation for the interview, which would amount to a considerable sum if converted to cash.
‘Yoo Sang-hoon would probably like the game merchandise.’
I thought about accepting the interview and giving the items to Yoo Sang-hoon as a congratulatory gift for his individual tournament finals, but I hesitated.
It seemed unlikely now, as I was casually visiting the Tiger Mansion and hanging out with the class, but at the moment, I was pretending to be captured by the Hojo family.
That situation had to be carefully considered, just like when Hiro Seiji's conversation was being wiretapped by the shadowy figures or when I was being dragged while tied to a white tiger.
At this point, I wasn’t affiliated with any backers but was pretending to be a somewhat capable student-player under surveillance by the Hojo family.
For me to voluntarily step into the interview seemed a bit unnatural, though.
As I was pondering, suddenly,
"I’ll do it."
Yong Je-gun stepped forward.
When Yong Je-gun raised his hand, the attention-seekers, who had been desperately striking poses to attract the camera, paused.
The staff also seemed uncomfortable.
"I’m a teacher at the school that Sang-hoon goes to, and I’m also the homeroom teacher for Seon-oh. Is there a problem?"
The staff looked nervous and then, after a moment of hesitation, contacted someone on their device.
It seemed they were reaching out to the PD.
Missing an interview with students was unplanned, but given the valuable compensation, they immediately agreed to interview a member of the Yuhui Circle.
"There's no problem. Can we ask Yeo Yi-bo-ju to do it?"
"My name is Yong Je-gun."
"Yes, of course..."
The staff, knowing the trouble that the Yuhui Circle could cause, immediately corrected themselves without further comment.
And so, Yong Je-gun’s chaotic interview began.
During the interview, Yong Je-gun suddenly started talking to the attention-seekers, encouraging them to join him on camera, and occasionally teasing Huang Ji-ho.
When the staff asked, "The student matches may take a while, will you be able to stay and cheer for a long time?" Yong Je-gun responded:
"I'm a teacher at Eungwang High, but they don’t give me much work at school, so I have no problem if their matches last longer. There are some teachers working hard at this time, but it's not my concern. If they’re unhappy, the chairman can give me work instead, right?"
Yong Je-gun seemed to be in high spirits after his friend’s 100-day celebration.
I wasn’t sure how this interview would be received, but I felt like the views would be quite high if it was uploaded to a streaming site later.
After the interview, Yong Je-gun proudly showed off the two shopping bags he received from the staff.
"They emphasized that I have two students, so they gave me two pieces of merchandise. Sang-hoon and Seon-oh will probably like it."
Well, I’d have to hear from the two of them to know for sure.
They might like the content, but I wasn’t sure what they’d think about who gave the gifts.
Anyway, whatever Yong Je-gun’s intention was, he had drawn all the attention, so I didn’t have to worry about the shadowy figures for now.
"If anything, I was going to step in myself."
"Me too. But still, that interview was a bit much."
"Yong Je-gun has always been excessive in many ways."
Although the two tigers openly discussed their homeroom teacher’s behavior, no one objected since they were speaking the truth.
After the interview and the videos of other attention-seekers were shown on the big screen, the team competition finally began.
The teams that had secured the most points in the qualifiers were seeded, and the seeding positions were assigned randomly.
Since both Yoo Sang-hoon and In Seon-oh's teams had secured seeds, they would compete later in the tournament.
Yoo Sang-hoon’s team was the first to play.
[BPB player, calmly putting on the headgear.]
[Since this is a tournament to select two players from the top 16, there will be three matches to play. Even though this is the fourth match, he doesn’t seem tired at all.]
[I’ve watched the shield-bearer’s streams a few times, and even though the broadcasts go on for long hours, he doesn’t get tired. If he has a quest he wants to clear, he never logs out until it’s done. There was a day when he streamed non-stop for two days without sleeping, and his concentration didn’t drop.]
[I saw that broadcast too. That day, his sister barged in and hit his back, so the quest ended right after he cleared it.]
[Ah, speaking of which, BPB’s sister is a healing expert! Fans must be relieved to know that.]
[Yes, viewers, make sure to manage your stamina and playtime to enjoy the game properly. Now, let’s introduce the players from each team.]
The caster and analysts casually exchanged words about Yoo Sang-hoon’s antics, likely referring to his quest search where he streamed non-stop for days, only to have his sister interrupt his stream.
The quest provided by the village elder had already been completed, but Yoo Sang-hoon kept insisting there would be more, and he continued his search, diving into nearby lakes and swamps.
Eventually, he found a hidden passage beneath a dry well, discovering the true treasure, which led to another successful mission.
He didn’t sleep, skipped meals, and kept playing the game relentlessly, until his sister barged in and disrupted the stream.
‘If the broadcast had gone on any longer, I would have gone in myself, but I’m glad Yoo Sang-hee intervened.’
After the introduction of the opposing team, it was time for Yoo Sang-hoon’s team to be introduced.
Yoo Sang-hoon’s team name was “Shielders.”
It was a team name that could have easily been seen as unappealing.
The teammates were all excited just to be on the same team as the shield-bearer, and even if they weren’t called "Shielders," they seemed happy to be associated with Yoo Sang-hoon.
[For the team competition, as previously announced, ten maps and ten tasks will be selected randomly.]
[Yes, just combining the maps and tasks results in 55 different combinations. Luck is an important factor too.]
[Luck is important, but teamwork and skill are even more crucial. Alone, you can’t handle the surprises that will unfold in Zeta.]
[Now, let’s start by selecting the map and task for the first match!]
The representatives from each team stepped forward to choose the map and task.
The order was decided by a coin toss, and Yoo Sang-hoon’s team would choose the task, while the opposing team would pick the map.
First, the map was chosen.
[The rising tower appeared on the rocky mountain!]
[This is not an easy one. If a dimensional shift occurs at the summit of a mountain in real life, it’s a big problem, isn’t it?]
[Yes, enemies emerge from the dimensional gaps while climbing the mountain, and they battle the players at the high ground, making it a difficult map to conquer.]
[It’s a tough map. Let’s move on to the most important task now!]
Despite the tough map, Yoo Sang-hoon calmly selected the card.
The card selection was done in an analog manner, so no manipulation could be suspected. After drawing the card, all of them were opened to avoid any doubts.
Yoo Sang-hoon seemed a bit lazy to even choose, opting for the card closest to him.
‘Since we got a tough map, he should have at least chosen carefully.’
In the end, Yoo Sang-hoon ended up with a very difficult task.
As the result appeared on the large hologram, cheers erupted from the audience, and the caster and analysts spoke excitedly.
[The task Shielders selected is "Garden Struggle!"]
[To briefly explain, the team that first turns the dimension into a garden and controls it will win.]
[Zeta’s players have quite a lot of Ineungpa, but gardenification is never easy.]
[Yes, since the gardenification task was chosen, the rarity of the dimension won’t be high. However, the team members responsible for gardenification will need to conserve stamina and Ineungpa.]
Despite drawing a difficult task and map, Yoo Sang-hoon remained calm.
He confidently held up the card, patted the shoulders of his nervous teammates, and put on his headgear.
He seemed so composed that there was no need to worry about him.
What worried me was something else.
‘If this game is advice someone is giving to me, the task in the competitive match might actually mean something.’
The tigers seemed to have the same thought, and they began staring intently at the screen.
With the announcer’s strong signal, the first match of the team competition began.