I am Smart

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[The opponent banned the Priestess. Does that mean the opponent has nothing to do in the sky realm?]

[Then, it seems we have the upper hand.]

[The Thief and Bard combo counters the Priestess. Looks like that was bothering them a bit.]

[First, cut off the Shaman and lead them into picking a Bard. The enemy’s sky realm supporter is a Shaman, right? And we’ll bring the Priest here.]

[Sure.]

[Sure!]

[Okay.]

Team KILLTHAT’s Discord voice channel.

―――

Oh man, this is dizzying.

Is this how the ban-pick goes in the Sky Realm competition?

It’s a bit overwhelming;

―――

Without a hint of joking, the talk about the game flowed rapidly.

A conversation about synergy and team compositions that seemed to require breaking a few eggs in “Fist Over Legend.”

These were discussions from seasoned sky realm players who had learned it long ago.

Eventually, as the ban-pick progressed, only the final ban card remained.

[The last ban is… Hmm.]

The coach Malchi, who had been actively leading the team, paused for a moment.

―――

Ban the Fighter?

We should totally ban the Fighter.

Yes, let’s ban the Fighter.

Let’s block Moon Si-hyun for sure.

―――

[Dae-woo, I’m asking once more, are you confident?]

“Hey! Why are you asking like that, bro~!”

Jo Dae-woo, a current realm dealer, Grandmaster with 900 points, and Swordman user.

He boisterously declared with a loud voice.

“We’ve talked about this a lot. The Fighter is literally my bread and butter, you know? Let’s stick to the plan. It’s better to push the top lane hard and go for a complete blow-up.”

―――

Wow.

Dae-woo, haha!

Dae Dae Woo.

Seriously, what kind of Fighter ban is that?

It’s honestly right to say this, haha.

Why do the noobs keep insisting on banning the Fighter?

They should just ban a 600 rank user, haha.

The conversation is already over.

The Fighter has a bad matchup against high-spec melee fighters, so why ban them? It’s just a meal for Dae-woo.

It’s a bit sketchy for a Swordman to ban a Fighter, right?

San-deng needs to cut off some limbs.

―――

“It’s really easier for me to keep the Fighter alive. The Swordman is a counter to the Fighter, you know.”

[Haha. Okay. So we just go with the plan. I was just checking if you were nervous.]

“Hey~ Do you really think I’d be? I’m totally confident I can slice up Si-hyun!”

Malchi, following Jo Dae-woo’s request and their discussions, banned the Warrior.

Then, in the following pick, Moon Si-hyun chose the Fighter.

―――

The game is about to start!

―――

Once all choices were made, a brief preparation time was given.

Jo Dae-woo stretched for a moment during that time.

[Let’s win cleanly.]

[If we just don’t let our guard down, we’ll win.]

“Ugh… Yes, sir.”

He replied, shaking it off.

Everyone, including Jo Dae-woo, seemed relaxed.

Objectively, there was a significant power difference between the Bear Doll Family and KILLTHAT.

Unlike the other team, which was mostly Grandmaster and Master users including KILLTHAT.

Moon Si-hyun’s team had one Grandmaster, one Master, and the other four were all Diamond ranked, making them relatively low-tier.

As soon as Jo Dae-woo and the team members realized that the Bear Doll Family was their first opponent, they silently cheered.

Given that momentum is crucial in competitions, taking an overwhelming first win would surely have a huge impact.

And next—

“……”

Jo Dae-woo quietly gazed at Moon Si-hyun’s nickname on the loading screen.

Jo Dae-woo’s personal desire.

Moon Si-hyun was a Fighter that had recently gained immense popularity among current realm dealers.

With high physicality and being a popular pick as a Swordman user, he had steadily built that popularity over five years.

But Moon Si-hyun had surpassed him in less than six months.

To say he didn’t feel inferior would be a lie.

Moreover, her playstyle was closer to being unconventional rather than orthodox.

If he could win against her…

‘My recognition would surely rise.’

The opponent is a fresh Grandmaster Fighter.

He is a Grandmaster user with 900 points, and a counter to Fighter, a Swordman.

A truly low-risk, high-return matchup.

The loading finished. His hands showed Eastern-style bindings and wrappings.

“Let’s go.”

Jo Dae-woo grabbed his sword, grinning widely.

*

―――

When a major tournament begins, especially an immersive event like the Demons Competition, the relevant galleries on DC become so overheated that server traffic exceeds capacity.

Dozens of posts were flooding in every minute.

Thus, during game broadcasts, there was a culture of skipping content and using sensational titles.

―――

Pazzk Minor Gallery

―――

Fighter no ban, lolololol[2]

Si-hyun the weak, be gone, haha[0]

Jo Dae-woo: Moon Si-hyun, I’m going to totally stomp you, haha[0]

Broadcast Practice) F*ck, Moon Si-hyun’s demise, lolololol[1]

Dae-woo, three minutes till Moon Si-hyun’s crash, haha[2]

Moon Si-hyun’s public display, lolololol[0]

How does a 900-point Swordman get beaten, lololololol[2]

How come the team captain has a KDA of 1:1:1, lolololololol[4]

―――

Hako Virtual Minor Gallery

―――

– But why did the neighboring gallery suddenly become a dumpster?

Why did it suddenly turn into an anti-Moon Si-hyun gallery?

– It’s an annual event for the Demons Competition.

– It usually goes like that during Demons Competition season.

Yeah… Honestly, if you don’t like Moon Si-hyun, then there are many points to hate, haha.

Yeah, everyone’s in a serious mood, but our team name is Bear Doll Family, and we have so many cacti, San-deng, four VTubers, and two kids.

Yeah, it’s a high-level tournament, but if it goes like this, some might think we’re ruining the atmosphere.

Yeah, there’s also no team with two women, haha. This place is seriously bizarre.

Yeah, there’s at least some romance, right? Let’s have a drink!

Yeah, but does romance feed you?

Romantic team feature: Getting wiped out and then receiving a ton of insults – completely – and then forgotten.

– Does the Demons Galaxy Cup look like j*nk?

– Even in tournaments that bring together only the deepest waters, there’s a ton of immersion, so how much worse do you think Demons Competition is, where even pro players show up sometimes?

Yeah, when the Demons Competition rolls around, even die-hard naysayers gather here, demanding streamers.

– Those fools who are off the rails must have fled here, haha.

―――

– What’s the winning percentage of the Bear Doll Family since Moon Si-hyun joined?

I hope they win.

– Honestly, it’s going to be tough.

– KILLTHAT has two Grandmasters, three Masters, and one Diamond…

OMG; isn’t the balance totally wrecked?

– San-su, while saying “I’ll be the punching bag,” took all the crap, but how could this happen, haha.

– No one expected they’d bring three people through elimination…

– The fact is, San-su didn’t even know.

– They said that competing with Ravi and Moon Si-hyun was way too unexpected.

– Ravi won, but why here…

– It’s super frustrating that the Fighters are not respected.

– Just relax and enjoy; there’s nothing more stressful than rooting for a weak team.

*

[The match has begun. Bear… Doll Family vs KILLTHAT, KILLTHAT vs Bear Doll… Family… Huh…]

[Huh. I hope both teams show their desired skills.]

―――

Haha, it’s hard to hold back laughter.

That name is super cute, haha.

The names contrast so well, haha.

―――

The game progressed.

About five minutes in, the screen showed San-deng holding a shield in the sky realm, retaliating against the skill assaults while retreating.

[… But the Bear Doll Family seems to be holding out better in the sky than expected? Their earlier personnel distribution seemed quite decent.]

[Yes. The sky realm tank, player San-deng, seems to be very capable in setting positions. They are minimizing damage while avoiding conflicts as much as possible.]

[They are naturally a player with outstanding situational awareness. They gauge and don’t overextend, also don’t retreat too quickly. They are maintaining that line excellently.]

[Although they’ve been banned from sniping quite a bit, it’s impressive.]

[However, this just means they are holding out. Such passive play will force them to concede some objectives to the sky realm, you know?]

[That’s right. So the Bear Doll Family is supposed to look for inevitable gains against the current realm. They won’t find it easy to contend with the current realm’s suppressions, though.]

[The Bear Doll Family’s position in the sky is tough, but the current realm must also avoid suffering losses. Instead, they have to gain as much as possible.]

Then, suddenly, the screen switched.

This was the current realm.

The Shaman was walking towards the objective alone across the riverside.

And just beside the stone wall he was approaching, right next to the objective, the Swordman was lying in wait.

[Oh!? Player Cactus is in danger!]

As the words left their mouth, the Swordman charged towards the Shaman over the wall.

[Ah! Player Cactus! You let your guard down! You shouldn’t just waltz into a place like this!]

[He was waiting beforehand! Truly, it’s Jo Dae-woo’s strategy!]

[Oh, this is bad! Can he dodge this? He must avoid it!]

Though he belatedly sensed the approach, Player Cactus hastily tried to dodge to the side.

[Ah!! He got hit! He fell over!! If this continues, he’ll be half-dead!!]

[Is there a Fighter nearby? No, there isn’t! If this happens, he’s done for!]

The Swordman’s decisive move, a charge, was unavoidable, and he hit the ground soundly.

Then, the Swordman kept assaulting the now groggy Shaman.

―――

KILLTHAT’s Jo Dae-woo has taken down the Bear Doll Family’s Cactus!

―――

Ah.

Wow.

Sh*t.

Wait, haha.

Sh*t Cactus, haha.

Wow, Grandmasters are different;

Oh no, he mustn’t die, really.

Sh*t.

Sh*t.

―――

Pazzk Minor Gallery

―――

Sht, sht, sht, sht [7]

Sht, sht, sht, sht, sht, sht, sht, sht [4]

Total sh*t Cactus cut, laugh out loud [6]

Breaking News) Sh*t, it’s over, haha [4]

Dae-woo the Great, haha [0]

The one who should be supporting went down in flames, haha [3]

Why did you go in there you f*cker, haha [3]

Sh*t bear dolls were cut, haha [2]

Moon Si-hyun is weeping, haha [3]

―――

Hako Virtual Minor Gallery

―――

Oh [6]

This is not good [3]

Sh*t [4]

Cactus you f*cking jerk [5]

Sh*t; [2]

Wait, Cactus, was it right to go in there? [3]

Oh sh*t, haha [4]

In such a high-level place, dying like this is a huge deal… Oh [3]

We are so screwed, right? [3]

Hmm [4]

―――

[Ah… This is really not good.]

[This makes a loss feel quite heavy.]

At that moment, the observing camera shifted back to the sky realm.

[Oh? In the sky realm, are they clashing? The Thief and Satori are hiding in the bush, huh… Ah, they’re not engaging in a fight.]

[There’s really no need for them to fight. They’ve already gained a massive advantage at the bottom, and they’ve seized a lot of objectives.]

[Yes. They seem to have enough leeway without needing to take any risks.]

[Even so, player Satori seems disappointed enough to throw a dagger-]

Just then, the screen switched again.

It was back to the current realm.

And there stood one woman and two men.

―――

Bear Doll Family’s Moon Si-hyun has taken down KILLTHAT’s Jo Dae-woo!

Bear Doll Family’s Moon Si-hyun has taken down KILLTHAT’s Trend!

―――

[Oh?]

[Oh!?]

[AAAAAHHHH!!]

[Moon Si-hyun! Moon Si-hyun just took down Jo Dae-woo!! And Trend too!?]

―――

????

Wait, what the hell?

???

Oh f*ck, they didn’t catch it on the observer.

―――

Pazzk Minor Gallery

―――

What the f*ck is going on? [3]

Observer, you moron, get it right, haha [0]

Sh*t Dae-woo, haha [0]

Total sh*t Dae-woo, haha [4]

―――

Hako Virtual Minor Gallery

―――

Wow, f*ck [4]

What just happened? [8]

Wait, what the f*ck San-su was right?? [4]

1.0 Moon Si-hyun joins! Hahaha [6]

What was that just now??? [7]

That was total insanity, haha [7]

What the heck? [3]

How did she do that alone??????? [3]

A domestic bipolar gallery, haha [3]

―――

[W-What on earth just happened!?]

[I need to see the replay of that!]

*

“…… What the heck.”

Jo Dae-woo had confidently entered, seeing the path to victory.

But… He found himself face down in the mud, staring up at the blue sky.

―――

?

???

Wasn’t there a catch?

??

????

What happened?

Why was he knocked out?

What?

Wouldn’t Trend also be dead if this goes on?

―――

Confused chat.

“……”

Jo Dae-woo was equally engulfed in confusion.

He was careful not to spam his normal hits, conscious of the parry.

He didn’t recklessly use his crucial skill, the Slash.

Surely he had built up enough pressure to avoid being caught off guard.

In reality…

… But.

“…… Did she dodge my charge?”

Against the Swordman’s charge?

His body wouldn’t move despite the gust of wind.

– Thump, thump

He could hear footsteps approaching from the side.

It was the Fighter.

She slowly raised her bare leg.

– Whack!!

And she stomped her bare foot squarely onto Jo Dae-woo’s head.

Covered by her foot, in the darkened haze of his vision.

[Bear Doll Family’s Moon Si-hyun]

Only her highlighted nickname remained visible until his consciousness faded away.