NOVEL NEXT Chapter 318
Brutal is a genius.
Not long after starting Abyss, he had already stepped into the challenger’s top tier, a level only accessible to the chosen ones, and caught the eye of a scout, leading to his practice life with the prestigious team MG.
He stood out even among them, making it almost a certainty that he would become a core member in the next team rebuild.
His reaction speed test showed extraordinary numbers that surpassed the average person, and his understanding of the game was top-notch. He often pulled off creative plays that not just anyone at the same level could replicate.
He truly is the real deal when it comes to genius.
Like most geniuses, Brutal had a tendency to be quite arrogant. And being young only made it worse.
Have you ever looked into the childhood tales of geniuses? They usually figure out between the ages of 15 and 20, right when puberty kicks in and their brains start growing, that they’re different from others. Whether they like it or not, they realize they’re superior and can see things others can’t.
They overflow with confidence, mess things up, learn from it, and become stronger. It’s a classic story you find in biographies.
Brutal was no exception. He too walked the same path as most geniuses, although the final outcome was still unknown.
“Is the Korea server really any different? I’ll hit number one here just the same. Just wait, I’ll do it within two weeks.”
[This guy is really arrogant wwww]
[The Korea server is different; don’t get complacent, Brutal!]
[I tried the Korea server because of my Korean student friend, and those kids are good.]
[Still, he says two weeks. LOL]
[Shouldn’t it be a month? Hm….]
“Hah, I’m different, friends. Just keep your eyes peeled.”
Despite the pleas from viewers, Brutal pressed on with his challenge. He was riding high on the recent string of server number one victories. In that state, he couldn’t hear the viewers’ words clearly.
He recalled the countless reactions when he had taken on the Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Brazil server challenges. There were genuine concerns, those who pretended to worry but secretly hoped he would fail, and the blatant doubters trying to drain his spirit.
But despite the hazing and pressure from naysayers, Brutal succeeded in achieving his set goals. This time would be no different.
“Alright, let’s see how the notorious Korea server treats me. I’m already looking forward to it.”
Brutal said this and immediately logged into his prepared Korean server account, a profile he had set up just to meet the minimum requirements for ranked games.
An account that only meets the minimum requirements for playing ranked games in the dark.
It would have been great to have support for a super account, but since Brutal isn’t officially a pro gamer active in the league yet, it was impossible.
However, Brutal thought that was actually a good thing.
“Rising from this tier makes for a nice broadcast, you know.”
Brutal originally aspired to be a streamer. He ended up stepping into the pro scene by chance.
True to his dream of being a streamer, he placed a lot of importance on broadcast visuals, viewer enjoyment, and entertainment elements.
He thought starting fresh with a new account from the very bottom wasn’t so bad.
“Flashy plays that viewers love often happen in low tiers.”
As the tiers go up, and the skill level of opponents increases, the frequency of flashy plays inevitably decreases.
Getting a pentakill in 2v1 or 3v1 situations is only possible by exploiting the opponents’ weaknesses or gaps. The smaller the skill gap with the opponent, the harder it is to show off plays like that.
“First, I’ll take the placement test. I started at Platinum in Europe and Brazil, but I wonder where I’ll land in Korea.”
Crack—
Brutal cracked his knuckles and started the first match of the placement test.
…
And about 5 hours later.
“This is—this is absurd!”
Brutal was yelling in excitement, showing a side of him that was totally unlike usual.
“I’m Silver?!”
The tier he got from the placement test was Silver.
*
[Brutal, what a mess, LOL]
Right into Silver, LOL
-What did you do to land in Silver? LOL
-I knew it when all the trolls started hyping him in the gallery. It’s usually the opposite of public opinion.
Nah, there were plenty of haters too.
Nah, it’s a troll gallery, now over 5000 people are watching.
Seems people keep coming in after hearing about the Silver news, LOL.
I came in out of curiosity too, but it’s funny seeing him so mad.
[Watched all 10 placement matches of Brutal.]
He has a reason to be upset; it was 4 wins and 6 losses in placements, and he played well in the matches he lost.
With teammates leaving, fighting with each other, intentionally trolling, and him doing his best to hold on, those were the matches he lost, all 6 of them, LOL.
-Those stats are brutal, LOL. 24/3/3, 20/1/9, 17/2/6, and still lost?
For sure, since it’s low tier, there are lots of kills.
But in the late game, having lots of kills means nothing, LOL. He keeps dragging it out and ends up with too much gold, then he loses.
The money left over made me lose.
ㄴ Still kinda disappointing though, right? At the pro level, shouldn’t you just stomp the trolls and carry like a boss?
ㄴ For real, calling it an all-time great but can’t even carry in solo rank—practically a rookie level.
ㄴ If all your teammates aren’t people, it’ll be tough no matter what.
ㄴ Seriously, the opponent’s skill level is way higher—it’s like a ghost, lol.
ㄴ If there was even one person on the team who knew what they were doing, we could win 2v5, but alone, there’s no way to win mathematically.
ㄴ Honestly, it looks like my teammates just don’t have the will to win.
ㄴ That’s why you need to duo up in lower tiers.
<Fact: If it were Kayak, we would’ve won games we couldn’t have and went undefeated in placements>
( Picture of Kayak smiling and doing a peace sign at the camera )
Hey, sis. Prove your skill!
Did she actually prove it? Lol, Brutal, kneel before the goddess Camilla.
– Just Camilla…
– Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak!
– Ugh, not another tribute post!
– Kayak, turn on your stream and take these guys away!
– Oh, king of solo ranks,ㅠㅠ
– Seriously, no one can compete with her in solo rank.
ㄴ Even pros can’t pull numbers like hers in solo rank.
ㄴ I’m seriously curious why she’s not going pro.
ㄴ If you get targeted by artists in the pro scene, it’s all over.
ㄴ Ah.
ㄴ She’s good at other stuff too, not just Camilla, but she’s fixated on Camilla, lol.
<Live transformation of Brutal’s image…>
( Brutal’s solemn profile picture ) >>> ( Brutal furiously shooting a shotgun in a gif )
Youngest genius pro trainee in MG >>> A clueless clown streamer in the Korean server.
What do you think, you pig-nosed loser? Lol, tasted kimchi and got dizzy, huh?
– The kids who were chilling in the peaceful foreign servers can’t handle this, right?
– His face turned as red as if he ate spicy chicken, lol. How mad must he be?
– Is there no trolling on foreign servers? I’ve only played Korean servers, so I don’t know.
ㄴ Even if there are, they don’t meet as often as here, only occasionally.
ㄴ Even trolls there aren’t this intelligent or annoying, they just play frustratingly.
ㄴ The kids in Korean servers are just full of malice; they have no will to win.
ㄴ The fact is, the Korean server is broken…
ㄴ That’s why I hardly solo rank these days.
ㄴ Watching is better for my mental health than actually playing.
“SHIT!”
[Calm down, Bru Bong.]
[Haha, I just came back from the gallery, and that guy is so funny!]
[The fact is, the broadcast is thriving.]
[But it seems like he’s getting the hang of it and is managing to win a bit.]
[It’s not just one or two streamers suffering, but this guy seems to be suffering a lot more.]
[Looks like there are a ton of targeted attacks right now.]
[He’s pretty good though, lol.]
[I’ll give him credit for his perseverance, Brutal.]
[Where did all these Koreans suddenly come from?]
[Everyone is cheering for Brutal! Hang in there, Brutal!]
Placement match 4 wins, 6 losses.
And currently, the record is 8 wins, 7 losses.
Brutal won four times and lost once after that.
In the meantime, he’s seen all sorts of dirty plays. Team members suddenly rushing out to die against the enemy, squabbles between team members, and an in-game chat that’s going up for reasons unknown, filled with unnerving plays from teammates.
At that point, Brutal had one question.
“Why the hell are these guys even playing the game?”
For Brutal and the average gamer, there’s a clear reason to play games: for fun, and to have fun, you basically need to win.
However, it seemed that most of the teammates Brutal encountered on the Korean server didn’t think like that at all. They acted as if winning didn’t matter, as if there were a screw loose in their heads, so he couldn’t comprehend the situation.
“It’s pure curiosity. Why are they acting like this? If only I knew Korean, would I understand? Could I interpret the in-game chat?”
[I’m sorry, Korea….]
[Even if anti-Korean sentiments arise, I’d understand, Brutal. I admit as someone who’s been watching your broadcast until now.]
[Honestly, if I could speak Korean, I think I’d be even more turned off, lololol.]
[Trying to understand these crazy people only makes it harder.]
[Ugh, is it you guys again, Dae Nam?]
[Koreans say it’s better not to know Korean?]
[Brutal, you’re doing fine; your tier is still going up, right?]
That was true. Brutal, who initially couldn’t get his bearings, seemed to have found some level of stability after the placement matches and was winning consecutively.
If he could maintain this pace, it would be slow but his tier would start rising.
“Right, once I get out of this low tier, things should get better. The higher up I go, there’ll be more people who are serious about the game. These friends here seem… more interested in other things than winning.”
And with that, Brutal added one more thing.
“I have to admit. The Korean server is different. It’s the hardest I’ve experienced among all the servers I’ve played so far.”
The arrogant genius, Brutal.
He learned humility once he came to the Korean server.