READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 64
Chapter 64 – Ah. I see.
The Knight of Knights game I remember was a masterpiece that I devoted my life to, but it wasn’t a commercially successful game. Or more accurately… it wasn’t a game that sustained its commercial success for a long time.
From the beta until the end of Season 1, it was a sensation. Combining the unique enjoyment of AOS (Aeon of Strife) with the thrill of personally participating in medieval sieges.
The seemingly endless strategies available due to the combination of characters and traits. And the structure, with a touch of randomness, allowed players to blame their losses on luck.
KoK (Knight of Knights) first became a major hit in the US and Europe, where players who loved medieval-themed games were abundant.
In Korea, it became the most popular game after an unexpected second-place finish in the Season 1 World Championship, despite having relatively few players.
The subtle wave of national pride was stronger than expected. At the time, there was also no suitable game for esports.
Thus, KoK rapidly grew, and aspiring pro gamers like me sprang up like mushrooms after the rain.
But that glory didn’t last long. No matter how fun a game is, as it is played for longer periods and analyzed by pros, its flaws and issues become more apparent.
There were many issues… but primarily, the Guardian Nerf Patch was delayed for too long. People wanted to be knights, mages, archers, or rogues sweeping the battlefield, not infantry getting swept away.
The most popular class, the Holy Knight, was getting swept away by Guardians or the archers and mages hiding behind them…
Meanwhile, Holy Knights didn’t even receive buffs because they were already popular, whereas the least fun class, the Priest, received infinite buffs.
As a result, Priests could heal and buff from afar at the top of towers. Have some integrity, seriously.
All these factors combined led to the stagnation of builds and strategies, and KoK’s popularity began to wane slowly yet surely from the start of Season 3—
By the end of Season 5, it became a dying game, only seen in a few seats at local internet cafes.
A game that retained only fragments of its past glory, where posts titled ‘Current status of 『specific』 game’ on communities would receive comments like ‘Man, that was fun back then’ or ‘Isn’t it closed yet?’
In summary, from back then until Season 8—a span of about 3 years—the KoK I continued to love embodied all the characteristics of a dying game.
Balance patches? New traits? Of course not. The only new additions were a variety of paid cosmetic items. Ahead of the start of Season 8, there was even an announcement that online play would be restricted to those who purchased a season pass.
The worldwide KoK user base—by then, just a handful—united to set the forums ablaze, eventually halting that patch. It’s a decent memory even now.
It wasn’t because they were unwilling to pay. The hardcore remaining KoK players were the kind who had already poured a fortune into cosmetic items. They simply didn’t want the already dwindling player base to shrink further.
But unfortunately… a truckload of players had already thrown in the towel, uttering a final “I’m quitting this crap”. The remaining Season 8 of KoK was a desolate game.
It was akin to an unholy realm.
Weak-willed Diamond players, exhausted from the saturated ranked games and seeking to dominate with smurf accounts, would suspiciously encounter almost identical Master-level players they met in ranked, now appearing in newbie zones.
The system’s flaw allowed players to jump straight into ranked games without leveling up, making it highly convenient to create and level up smurf accounts.
Occasional genuine newbies, who somehow wandered into this mess, had their souls devoured, left cursing the game as they quit, leaving behind only the most tenacious, veteran players.
Content?
As expected, none was added. The most popular content was smurfing as “Hawawa, I’m an innocent newbie!” only to suddenly reveal their true nature and slaughter everyone.
The most entertaining content was catching those smurfs, exposing them, and publicly shaming the supposedly innocent newbie who got wiped out.
I preferred the latter.
So, in those final ranked games, tiers were meaningless. Win count was meaningless. In those days, the only thing that truly mattered in ranked games was the ability to recognize your opponent.
The combination of armor and weapons. The direction of their footwork. The sequence of their attacks. The movement skills they used when chasing. Their stamina management. The tempo of their attacks. Their preferred direction for defense or evasion. The order in which they hunted enemy soldiers or neutral monsters.
As humans, it’s impossible to completely hide or change these habits—they were practically like fingerprints.
Combining all these observations: if you thought, “Hmm, I don’t know this person”, it was a rare newbie to be appropriately entertained. If you thought, “Hey, it’s that guy”, then it was time to devise a strategy accordingly—
After securing victory, it was customary to expose whatever pitiful player dared to act like a newbie and disrupt the newbie zone by publicly shaming them in the forum.
So, meeting someone for the fourth time—especially someone with movements indicating at least Master-level skill and failing to recognize them meant you should hand in your veteran badge for KoK.
Moreover, identifying players became even easier now that KoK had become a VR game. Now there were heaps of information that weren’t previously available, like habits of adjusting weapons, preferred hand and foot usage, and so on.
“It seems to match.”
In other words, it’s a matter of pride. You might lose in KoK, but you can’t fail to recognize a person.
…Besides, considering that person is a broadcaster too, I turned off the screen and voice so they wouldn’t feel pressured about being broadcasted.
“Old Man Shaves Builds, right? The broadcast is off, so answer me.”
I hoped they would make a wise decision when offered some consideration. There’s not much patience to be afforded to a Warrior, and my tolerance for their antics isn’t deep.
*
《Are you not going to answer?》
‘Is she really asking this directly? And during her broadcast?’
Suppressing his surprise, Revan reconnected to Yena’s broadcast, only to find a black waiting screen and a chat in chaos.
『??? The broadcast turned off?』
『Sister… it’s so cold hereㅠㅠ Sister… it’s so cold hereㅠㅠ』
『Open the door!! Open the door!! Open the door!! Open the door!! Open the door!!』
『What are you talking about with Revan now? You turned off the broadcast just to play with him? I was the first one to like you!』
The game continued, but not even the in-game sounds could be heard.
『GetDevoured (Rogue): Revan, is your voice off?』
『GetDevoured (Rogue): This is your last chance to answer.』
Yena had effectively paused the broadcast.
– Is this supposed to be a courtesy?
– Or is it more of a threat—implying she’s capable of doing anything if you don’t answer immediately?
Amidst the confusion, Revan closed his eyes tightly and spoke up.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
After much contemplation, he chose to feign ignorance. To admit in front of 5,000 viewers that you were watching the most popular female KoK broadcaster on a smurf account and then dueling her alone in a custom match?
That too, with a broadcaster leading a toxic viewer base that can hardly even be called a fandom?
The prospect of his inbox exploding was an unavoidable consequence. It was an impossible choice to make.
“Ah. I see.”
Her voice sounded slightly subdued. It was only audible through in-game voice, not broadcasted on the broadcast.
“I understand for now. I’ll restart the broadcast.”
“If you change your mind, let me know.”
…
“You adjust your weapon left hand, right hand, then left hand. Old Man Shaves Builds does that too.”
This was what Yena said after poking the tower for the second time, staring blankly at him. The image of the chat exploding with questions about who Old Man Shaves Builds was vivid in Revan’s mind.
“You plant your left foot before stepping and charging. Old Man Shaves Builds does that too.”
After poking the tower for the third time, she paused to stare at him again before making another pointed comment and leaving.
“In a standoff, you measure distance while holding back preliminary attacks. Old Man Shaves Builds does that too.”
After the central team fight ended, she stood in front of him for a few seconds and whispered,
“When the fight’s over, you sheath your weapon first. Old Man Shaves Builds would do that too.”
‘What do you mean, “would do that”…!’
Revan felt like he was losing his mind. Unable to hold back, he accessed Yena’s broadcast—unsurprisingly, the chat of the 5,000 viewers was an absolute frenzy.
From those disgusted by her attempts to leech off Revan, to people asking who Old Man Shaves Builds was,
To trolls suggesting there was a hidden alliance between Revan and Yena,
To crazy people insisting Old Man Shaves Builds was a secret pet name,
And viewers speculating if they knew each other or were close.
The result was a nightmarish chat.
But now, how should he respond?
If he admitted to being Old Man Shaves Builds, having lied once would become a fountain of absurd speculations. It was clear that it would be like throwing gasoline on a burning fire.
But remaining silent…
“You maintain a distance that adds two steps to your weapon’s reach. Old Man Shaves Builds-”
The person who seemed least likely to remain silent was endlessly, literally endlessly, listing habits Revan wasn’t even aware of.
Caught in a dilemma with no clear escape.
Revan opted for a mediator.
『Revan: Ark, are you here』
『Revan: Anyone from Ark』
『Revan: Could someone contact GetDevoured』
『Ark: Ah, yes Revan!!』
『Revan: Please, can you tell her to stop』
『Ark: …Sure, whatever it is, stay strong…』
『Ark: I’ll contact her right away…』
After achieving victory through the coordinated efforts of the Holy Knight and Rogue amidst the chaos, Revan finally received a response.
『Ark: She’s asking if you’ll admit it…』
『Ark: What happened, exactly…?』
『Revan: Can you give me her Discourse ID, please?』
『Revan: It’s fine if you give her mine instead…』
『Ark: Ah…』
『Ark: Good luck』
TL’s Corner:
Ark wishing Revan good luck means she already knows Revan’s fate.