I Regressed but the World Didn’t Fall Apart

– Transcendent Hunter’s Streaming – 35 –

035.

-Don’t go, Evan;

-Oh, don’t leave;

– Already gone.

– Sword Dance ㅠㅠㅠ

– See you tomorrow!!

Turning a blind eye to the disappointed viewers, Yi Dohyuk ended the broadcast.

After shutting down the broadcast, he waited in his personal VR room, and soon, Jiane entered.

“Jiane, you’ve worked hard, haven’t you?”

Yi Dohyuk expressed his gratitude to Jiane.

Jiane, who had worked hard as his manager throughout the considerable broadcast time, occasionally whispered advice on broadcasting progress to him.

“Working hard? No, you’re the one who did all the hard work. I didn’t do much. Your broadcast viewers seemed much tamer than expected?”

“You set the right tone early on.”

“No, even if I ban a bunch of people in my room, the troublemakers still find ways to misbehave. From my perspective, not being able to watch your broadcast is a huge loss for them, don’t you think?”

These days, unlike before, getting banned on Tworc results in a ban from the connected Full Dive account as well, preventing viewers from watching the streamer’s broadcast through the Full Dive device and experiencing the streamer’s Full Dive environment indirectly.

Hence, if broadcasts like Yi Dohyuk’s, where crazy physical performances unique to his room erupt each time, were to occur elsewhere?

Even if viewers in other rooms were troublemakers who didn’t hesitate to misbehave, in his room, they could do nothing but behave.

“Anyway, I’m off to bed now. You get some rest too!”

With that, Jiane left.

“Shall I try Alphena?”

Naturally, Yi Dohyuk launched Ultimate Fighter.

Though he hadn’t played for a few days, he quite enjoyed Ultimate Fighter.

If viewers had shown a bit more positive response, he even considered doing something during the broadcast.

Swoosh-

Curious, he checked his friends list, but no one was online.

Of course, the only person he could call a friend was the Blackened Girl who accepted his friend request last time.

[Blackened Girl (OFFLINE)]

“I still haven’t had a rematch.”

That was the reason he added her as a friend.

Every time he logged in, either the timing was off, or perhaps she had quit the game after their last defeat, as the Blackened Girl was never online when he was.

Still, he wasn’t too disappointed.

“Now even the ranked opponents are quite fun.”

Initially, it was mundane.

But after climbing the ranks, it was different.

Unknowingly, Yi Dohyuk’s ranked game record stood at 21 wins, 0 losses.

Winning one more game would elevate him to the second-highest rank, the Grand Rank.

However, due to his continuous winning streak, the opponents he faced were between the upper Grand Rank and the highest rank.

Thanks to that, he found the level of the opponents he faced quite pleasing.

“Beowulf was quite entertaining.”

Unlike opponents who repeated a few patterns like in [It Kills Two], he faced an opponent where artificial intelligence was properly applied.

It actually felt like fighting a quite skilled warrior.

But that’s that, and this is this.

If Balhalla has a taste you can feel in Real Mode, there was a taste unique to Eolpa through the Daejeon fighting game.

“Should I try Iron Fist too?”

Eolpa was quite fun, but I was curious about how it managed to push aside and become the top popular game.

Since viewers prefer Iron Fist much more, there might be room to utilize it in broadcasts.

Of course, that’s a story for later.

Ding-

[Rank Game]

[Search for a Match]

For now, reaching the highest rank in Eolpa is the priority.

Once Ido Hyuk starts something, he has to see it through to the end to satisfy his temperament.

Not only the highest rank, Cheonwaecheon, but he also aimed to reach the top of the rankings.

[MATCH!]

“Oh.”

Ido Hyuk showed a faint smile at the opponent he quickly found.

Last time, it took over 5 minutes to find an opponent.

This time, the opponent appeared in just a few seconds.

[RamenBoilingContestFirstWinner]

“…Hmm.”

It’s not boiling but boiling contest.

Moreover, it’s very long with 12 characters.

That nickname was quite irritatingly lengthy.

[Record: 0 Wins 0 Losses]

Oddly, the opponent had no record at all.

Ido Hyuk raised an eyebrow in surprise.

An account that has been dormant for a long time and is now back in action?

Anyway, whether that’s the case or not, it’s not important.

Swish-

Just one win away from the Grand rank.

Ido Hyuk adjusted his posture.

**

“Wow! 21 wins 0 losses? Is the opponent also a veteran like me?”

Anatol’s broadcast.

After checking the opponent’s record, he spoke with a pleased tone.

“Wow, this should be fun.”

His long-lost homeland, Ultimate Fighter.

Why do people long for and seek their homeland?

It’s because it holds the most memories, nostalgia, and sentiment.

For Anatol, Ultimate Fighter was such a place.

When [Ultimate Fighter FD] was first released and its popularity swept the world, there were veterans who tirelessly studied better combos, damage dealing, judgment, patterns, and more by playing the celestial queue day and night.

The veterans gathered and gave birth to corruption, and the corrupted ones assembled to dominate the world.

And at the center of it all was Anatol himself.

That was why he remembered those times most vividly.

“It was the most exhilarating time.”

Fierce battles that went from brilliance to corruption, with top players going mad to the point of decay, and daily tournaments.

Anatol, who was overwhelming in Ultimate Fighter, hearing the resounding cheers of “GOAT,” but that didn’t mean he won every time.

Winning, losing, hitting a wall, colliding, breaking through, improving, winning, then losing again, being defeated, bending, wandering, overcoming, triumphing, moving one step forward.

Through such processes, Anatol became the best in the world.

Of course, those days have passed, and not much remains now.

Many memories, a bit of longing, a few who haven’t left, and the brilliance Anatol still can’t forget.

But with these things remaining, he decided to run Ultimate Fighter today.

To revive the feelings of that time and maybe sell some nostalgia.

“So, since I came here for nostalgia, I wanted to meet a proper opponent from the first round.”

Fortunately, the opponent he met now seemed to be just that.

[MATCH!]

[Hm, is this a proper opponent?]

[Record: 21 wins 0 losses]

A record of 100% win rate.

Seeing himself being matched, his MMR must be off the charts.

To have never lost even once up to this point means the opponent’s level is at least off the charts, likely among the upper-middle tier players.

“I wonder who it is.”

Perhaps it’s one of his former comrades he remembers from that time.

If not, then it must be one of the top players he knows.

“Could it be someone I know playing under a different character?”

As Anatol was about to ready himself with those words.

-Oh, it’s Jeonseung.

-Whoa, who’s that?

-Huh?

-Isn’t that person? The one from the Black Girl broadcast.

-hahahahaha, is this a joke?

Among the flooding chat messages, a few stood out.

“Is this a joke? What does that mean?”

Was there a player with such a nickname?

He didn’t recall.

Could it be a player who gained fame over the past year by completely abandoning Alpa, which he occasionally enjoyed, and focusing on Iron Fist?

-Seeing the nickname, it seems right, hahahahaha.

-Yeah, from the Gyeomhui broadcast, the mysterious master who teased and joked around with Gyeomhui.

-I watched the live broadcast, and they’re really good.

-The force is real.

As Anatol inquired, the chat box quickly filled up.

Explanations about the player using the nickname [HmmThatIsInteresting] started appearing.

In the blink of an eye, the chat was flooded with discussions about [HmmThatIsInteresting].

In reality, after the showdown between her and [HmmThatIsInteresting] was broadcasted on the last “Dark Girl” stream, [HmmThatIsInteresting] became extremely famous among the Alpa users.

With the influx of newbies due to the recent drought, the latest hot topic for Alpa users was not some recent plot twist, but rather something like “So, did Anatol from Season 32 surpass Anatol from Season 31?” — a plot twist that’s been around for a few years.

Among those users, the topic of “A sudden appearance of a sub-character who trashed Dark Girl and teabagged; who could this be?” could only be intriguing.

In other words, the mysterious expert [HmmThatIsInteresting] is currently the hottest topic among Alpa users.

And what more than half of those Alpa users seek is Anatol’s stream.

Naturally, the chat was bound to heat up with discussions about [HmmThatIsInteresting].

– Someone on Algal said it feels like Beyond.

– Nah, Beyond has a different style; I’d believe it’s Wilder instead.

– Judging by the damage output and pure physical skills, it feels more like Wilder… but when you look at the skills, it’s not Wilder.

– True, if Wilder was toying around with Dark Girl that much, he wouldn’t have retired.

“Oh, so that’s what’s going on.”

Judging by the viewers’ reactions, it seemed like the player was hiding their identity and masquerading as a reclusive expert.

“Playing the reclusive expert role is fun.”

In the past, Anatol had done this a few times during Alpa’s heyday.

In intense matches, the playstyle and patterns of experts usually become distinct.

Even if they faced each other without knowing who’s who, after a few exchanges, they’d start to think, “Is this guy…?”

Some experts deliberately imitated others’ playstyles or mixed things up to confuse, enjoying playing with sub-characters.

Anatol was one of those who enjoyed such games.

There were times when he recorded content like “Pretending to take a lesson and then defeating a pro.”

“Ah, I see now. But they still haven’t figured out who it is on Algal? Their investigative skills are no joke; they must be hiding well.”

– Yeah

– There aren’t many match records, so it’s hard to tell

– Algal nowadays isn’t like the old days, hahahaha. Everyone’s left.

– There are many speculations, but just speculations.

“Oh, I see. Is that so?”

Grin—

A smile crept across Anatol’s lips.

After being eliminated in the Iron Fist World Championship quarterfinals, he had started this retrospective broadcast to calm his mind.

And unexpectedly, he encountered such an interesting situation in his hometown.

“A reclusive expert in a mask… can I pull that off in front of me?”

How did he become the world’s best in Ultimate Fighter, and furthermore, the all-time best?

Studying the patterns of everyone who claimed to be an expert, mastering their playstyles, absorbing their strengths — reaching a level achieved through all this.

Though he felt embarrassed to say it himself, Anatol believed he had mastered the game of Ultimate Fighter.

As such, he thought he could uncover the opponent’s identity that even the Algal Investigation Division couldn’t.

Thud—

[“Visiting my hometown after a long time”] -＞ [“Mysterious Master from Hometown?! Insane”]

Anatol made up his mind to step up his game.

He decided to change the whole stream setup.

[Preparation Complete]

After finishing the ready check.

“I’ll try to figure out that identity. I stake my grandfather’s honor on it!”

Anatol vowed with a determined face.

He wasn’t a great detective, but he was staking his grandfather’s honor on this.

Ring-

[‘GodAnatolLover’ has donated 10,000 won.]

– Just so you know, Anatol’s grandfather is doing well in the apartment Anatol provided. Don’t get the wrong idea.

Along with a donation from a viewer for any potential newbies.

[Ready-]

[3]

[2]

[1··· Fight-!]

‘I wonder who this is… I’ll figure it out once we start.’

For now, put aside the questions and focus on the game.

Was it just a coincidence?

Or was it the confidence of a hidden master?

The opponent had chosen the same character Anatol had selected.

The martial artist, Hoken.

“Well, Mister Mysterious Master? Come at me once.”

Click-

With those words, Anatol gestured to his opponent.

Giving up the first move.

Swoosh-

‘Huh?’

The opponent seemed to be laughing.

Maybe a warning not to underestimate.

After all, this was his secondary account being revealed for the first time on the broadcast.

Thwack!

In the end, the opponent took the first move.

Rushing forward with determination.

Was the opponent truly as skilled as their confidence suggested?

With a bit of anticipation, Anatol swung his leg.

His fist heavy, his kick even heavier.

A slightly modified version of a phrase he had seen somewhere before was how he handled Hoken.

Thud!

Thud!

Anatol’s leg met the opponent’s leg.

And a series of subsequent exchanges.

Anatole smiled faintly.

Just as he was exploring his opponent, he could sense that his opponent was exploring him as well.

Well, the exploration ends here.

Thud!

Anatole’s leg stretched out.

He seized the moment when his opponent was retracting his fist.

A well-aimed strike.

A flicker in his opponent’s eyes was visible.

He was confident that this attack would hit the mark.

Swish!

But it didn’t connect.

Instead, his opponent’s body seemed to spin around.

“Huh?”

Thud!

A solid sensation on the side of his head.

How?

He couldn’t grasp it in that instant.

But there was no time to comprehend.

The onslaught continued.

His opponent’s foot extended.

Targeting the same spot… the head again.

Anatole quickly raised his arms in guard, preparing for the imminent impact.

Thud.

But the blow didn’t land on his head.

It struck Anatole’s slightly bent right knee instead.

Using it as a foothold, his opponent leaped forward.

Then, crossing his legs, he squeezed Anatole’s neck.

“…Choosing to grab here.”

It was the basic grabbing attack of the character Hoken.

It felt like a proper jab to the gut.

No, was it really a jab to the gut?

– Gwaaah!

Following that, a tremendous impact struck.

As Anatole’s back met the ground, shockwaves reverberated.

“Crack!”

Sensing the impending follow-up, Anatole swallowed hard.

But…

“…?”

There was no attack rushing towards him as he lay fallen.

With a stern expression, Anatole rose to his feet.

And then, what appeared in front of him.

Tick-

It was the opponent signaling to him, just as Anatole had said earlier.