I Regressed but the World Didn’t Fall Apart

Back to the Past, the World Isn’t Doomed -41-

041.

-Is this really the Hmm Chair broadcast?

-Yeah, newbies, come on in

-Geez;; seriously?;; This person is a former pro?

-Is this person really the Hmm Chair?

-First time seeing this face, did I follow the wrong link?

-For now, take a seat

As rumors about [Hmm, intriguing]’s identity spread, viewers continued to pour in.

Coincidentally, a fitting match was found for them.

[Hmm, intriguing] VS [Beyond]

“Wow, nice border.”

Ido-hyuk remarked as he looked at the opponent’s nickname.

With a sky-blue background, the name written in golden letters, and several special effects, it probably symbolized an extraordinary class border considering the opponent’s current rank.

What he lacked… was probably because this season hasn’t ended yet.

His prediction was accurate.

The benefits given to those who finished the previous season as extraordinary.

-Oh

-Is this for real?

-Yeah, it’s live

However, unlike Ido-hyuk, what caught people’s attention wasn’t the opponent’s extraordinary class border.

There was something more eye-catching.

The nickname written as Beyond, with the character 석 (Suk).

-It’s Beyond

-Nice, matched up right away hahahaha

-Damn hahahaha, but everyone you meet is a legend for real

-Is this person single-handedly hosting the Alpa World Championships?

In the world of Ultimate Fighter, the greatest ever, the GOAT, is Anatol.

There’s hardly any room for debate on that.

But that was not because Anatol had dominated the world from the very top for a long time, showing top-tier skills for an extended period, nor because he was always the best in the world.

Over the years, there were those who threatened his position, sometimes even breaking him, those who chased Anatol’s stature to the very brink.

One of those was Beyond.

He was a top-tier gamer who, for a very brief moment, had dominated the world.

“Is he a famous person?”

Of course… a name unheard of to Ido Hyuk.

It was only natural.

He was unknown to Anatol as well.

While there might be people in the world who do not know Anatol, there is no one who knows Beyond without knowing Anatol.

The tragedy of those who could not become the best, ending up as second best.

– Ah hahahaha, there’s someone slightly less skilled than the person who was said to be good at broadcasting

– He once defeated Anatol and was the best, yeah

– Sigh… has it been about 3 weeks since then? That’s a bit…

– ? hahahaha, did you forget that Anatol lost two games in a row in those 3 weeks?

– Oh no, another Galdecup

– Sigh

– Does he not have a manager?

The chat window becomes dizzy for a moment.

When it comes to professionals, especially those of similar caliber, fans have no choice but to fight each other, a long-standing tradition that has descended from the Meho Battle to the present.

But then, there was someone who appeared like a comet.

– (Sword) From now on, anyone who opens Galdecup gets banned, yeah

– Oh?

– What’s with the sword;

– I thought Jianchu was broadcasting, but ㄷㄷ

Next to the viewer using the ID “Ido Hyuk’s Disciple” appeared an emoticon in the shape of a sword, symbolizing a chat room administrator.

It was the manager Ido Hyuk appointed before today’s broadcast.

Before even mentioning officially selecting a manager, he had applied.

His usual chat history, participation in broadcasts, and, as it turned out, his experience as Black Oak’s manager under the nickname “Blon’s Disciple” led to his selection.

Of course, there was confirmation from Black Oak that he wasn’t a strange person.

– hahahaha, the disciple is rising in the ranks

– Whoa, the first sword of God Ido

– (Sword) No, Jian is the first sword, I’m the second

– Sigh… for a first sword, that one’s too much like a paper sword…

Anyway, as the manager set the tone in the chat.

Ping-

Ido Hyuk chose Hoken again this time.

And once again, the chat window buzzed.

– Oh, Hoken mirror match?

– Wow, Hoken picking in front of Beyond!

– Honestly, there’s no chance of being lured hahahaha

Beyond was also famous for his nighttime battles, especially for his exceptional skill in handling Hoken.

Hoken was considered a character for beginners due to his simplicity and strength.

In other words, it meant that he did not fare well among experts above a certain level.

However, there was someone who found a kill combo that could utilize Hoken’s abilities at a professional level and hear the voice of Hoken’s father. That someone was Anatole.

Anatole was the one who achieved the first victory in a competition with Hoken.

Yet, it was Beyond, not Anatole, who won the most competitions with Hoken.

If Anatole was Hoken’s father, then Beyond was the legitimate son of Hoken’s nemesis.

[Preparation complete]

In front of Beyond, Lee Dohyuk chose Hoken without any hesitation.

“Wow… This person really exudes confidence, doesn’t he?”

Swish-

[Preparation complete]

It was only natural for Beyond to pick Hoken after seeing that.

Moreover, Lee Dohyuk had already defeated Anatole’s Hoken with the same Hoken before.

So…

– The one who wins here will be the one to take down Hoken in one shot, right?

– Yeah.

– Wow.

– Exciting.

– It’s going to be big.

It was another Hoken mirror match that everyone was anticipating.

**

[3]

[2]

[1… Fight-!]

Thunk-

“Very aggressive style. Prefers mixing things instinctively rather than sticking to standardized patterns.”

Beyond didn’t know much about his opponent.

At best, he knew that the opponent’s fighting style was very aggressive, and he was highly skilled enough to use a few of Hoken’s main skills as Novo Jeong, and he had the physical ability to adapt them according to the situation.

But there was much more he wanted to know.

Out of the 5 matches Anatole and the opponent had, Beyond had only seen the last two.

“I heard he perfectly caught Geumhee earlier.”

But he hadn’t seen that either.

Unlike Anatole, the dark girl who had fought against [Heumgeujung] had suddenly made all her videos private after the morning match, without deleting the ones where she fought against him.

Although there was some curiosity about the reason behind her actions, it was not something to focus on now.

Thump. Thump.

As the opponent casually approached him, who had distanced himself at the start, it was necessary to confirm if the man from the rumors was as remarkable as his confidence suggested.

For now…

“I don’t know.”

Too defenseless.

That was the first impression that came to mind.

The pace of walking, the posture lacking strength.

It was obvious to anyone that the opponent was rushing in first.

To see that and then rush in is what a novice would do.

If you were a master, you would carefully examine the opponent, thinking they must be hiding something, and instead of reacting to the opponent’s pace, you should wait for the moment when you can showcase your own strengths and confront them head-on.

So, what should Beyond choose here?

Attack!

To rush in first as the opponent desires.

Beyond forcefully landed a blow.

The reason for his choice was simple.

Why? Because Beyond is not just a master.

No matter whom he faced, even if it was Anatole, he lacked confidence in close combat, being a master of masters.

Thunk!

Beyond’s body spun around, aiming for Ido Hyuk.

But the moment he put his foot down, a perfect counterattack came back.

As a result, the impact on each other was nullified.

Beyond immediately twisted his upper body backward.

Whoosh!

A fierce wind brushed past his nose.

If he had been a little slower, the opponent’s foot would have hit his face directly.

He didn’t predict and evade.

He “saw” and evaded.

Swish-

As Beyond pulled his body back, he swung his right arm.

Whip! His arm swung like a whip, deflecting the opponent’s fist.

Once again, what was unexpected was the same.

Beyond dodged by observing the subtle movement of the shoulder muscles.

This was the source of Beyond’s confidence.

The talent that had once made him briefly the world’s best in the Ultimate Fighter, his extreme physical abilities.

-Kyah

-As expected, the pure physical GOAT, Beyondham.

-Hey, Yundu-hyung~

-How did you do that? Saw it and blocked it.

Reactions in the chat of Beyond’s broadcast.

In this way, he was recognized as the gamer with the best physical abilities in the realm of pure physicality.

He was even being evaluated as surpassing Anatole in terms of physicality.

Here, physicality refers not to physical abilities but to mechanical skills in e-sports.

Anyway, due to his physicality, Beyond had a nickname.

– How’s the taste of the Bomaek-style?

– hahahaha, seems spicy.

– Hm, looks like Hmjo is a bit surprised too.

Commonly known as Bomaek-style.

Even the professional e-sports players claimed that it was impossible to see and block due to the techniques with such short activation times, but he earned the nickname of being able to see and block, insisting that he could do it.

Initially dismissed as just the usual provocation of a rookie pro who had just debuted, Anatol’s remark of “Oh, that? It’s possible on a good day for me too” and a few subsequent proofs established the fact that while other pros might not know, Anatol and Beyond could indeed do it, cementing the nickname for Beyond.

And as if to prove that he wasn’t just called that for no reason –

Bam! Parry!

Continuously in the ongoing exchange of blows, Beyond successfully guarded against the opponent’s entire technique.

But that’s not all.

Beyond didn’t just stop at blocking; he also parried, counterattacked, evaded, and even aimed for the opponent’s stiff timing after executing a technique.

Parry! Bam!

– Whoa.

– He’s on a different level, seriously.

– He’s even parrying NP attacks;;;

Even more astonishing was the fact that unlike Anatol, who had his HP chipped away in close combat, Beyond didn’t suffer any HP loss even with a slight hit.

This meant that during the clash of techniques, it implied that there wasn’t a single attack from the opponent that he couldn’t block.

And that his close combat skills were even superior to Anatol’s.

– Did you see that?

– Is this possible?

– Whoa;; Is this for real?

The chat room erupted in surprise and excitement.

– Aren’t they saying the opponent is an amateur?

– Whoa; I saw it earlier, and Beyond was on fire today… he’s on par with Anatol

Of course, in Beyond’s broadcast, the opponent was acknowledged to be on par with Beyond.

– Oh, Yondoo is really putting up a fight.

– Kyaa, going toe to toe with Master Dohyuk for 10 seconds?

Conversely, in Master Dohyuk’s broadcast, viewers were amazed by Beyond matching him in combat.

– ?

– Why is the chat room reacting like this? It’s against Beyond, guys.

– We know too, hahahaha

– This is Master Dohyuk’s room hahahaha

– Both the streamer and the Gloc fans in this room are overly confident, whoa

– Just close your eyes and watch this guy’s broadcast for 3 days, you’ll know the outcome, yup

-? How can you watch with your eyes closed?

Today, due to some tuning into Master Dohyuk’s broadcast for the first time upon hearing the news of [Hmgejeongdungga] becoming a streamer, there were mixed reactions swirling around.

At any rate.

Bam! Parry!

aaah!

How much longer would the sparring last?

Beyond, after crossing hands and feet a few more times, distanced themselves again.

‘Strong.’

It was Beyond’s impression from the recent sparring.

It was a brief clash, but it was enough to gauge the opponent’s level.

“Anatol hyung didn’t win for nothing.”

So what if he’s an amateur?

In fact, such thoughts were discarded within the first few seconds of the match.

There was no other way.

Feinting for the shoulder, then aiming for the neck, trying to block it, only to change direction towards the occiput.

The opponent’s attacks coming in sharp and agile.

And effortlessly blocking his counterattacks, including his retaliation.

All accompanied by flawless movements, leaving no room for error, even in evasion.

Gulp-

“This person is the same.”

Anatol with a scratched day.

And himself, revered as the epitome of physique.

The ‘block and counter’ move that only those two could pull off in Ultimate Fighter.

The opponent was also at the same level.

“Why didn’t he go pro?”

Such thoughts naturally surfaced.

Beyond knew it too.

How difficult it was to reach this level.

In reality, it wasn’t just about blocking and countering.

Although from the arcade days and PC gaming, it was termed as ‘watching,’ the reality was different.

What should it be called?

Closer to a more sophisticated sense.

Not only observing the opponent’s stride, muscle movements, foot positioning, body posture, and the distribution of strength in the upper and lower body.

But also mastering every activation skill of all my characters in Ulfpa without missing a single one, practicing repeatedly based on that, training to respond to various scenarios, and reaching a level where extreme physicality and real-world sense are added.

How much effort would it take to reach such a position?

“I know that best.”

Hence, Beyond felt a sense of kinship.

Beyond looked up to Anatol, dreaming of reaching him, and made efforts beyond bone-deep to touch him.

Perhaps the opponent was the same!

“He was a streamer, right?”

Simultaneously, a sense of empathy was felt.

It’s a pity.

Beyond, as a result of such efforts, had succeeded in reaching Anatol, if not surpassing him.

But the opponent was an anonymous high-level player.

There were several reasons why he was ‘anonymous.’

‘Perhaps preparing for the Alfa Pro… it seems like the Propan failed, and didn’t match the style of Iron Fist.’

The reason that can be guessed right away is this.

It might be the most likely guess.

– Breaking News) It’s been 17 hours since Heumjwa started Alfa

-?

-LOL what a joke

-Don’t feed the troll

-Uh… is it for real?

-You saw the Alfa Guild and even got verified, didn’t you?

-???? So a newbie has been leading for 17 hours with the guild leader?

-Well… right?

Of course, contrary to Beyond’s thoughts, there was a separate reason why Lee Dohyuk couldn’t do the Alfa Pro···

-Wow hahahahaha I was just wondering why this person wasn’t doing the Pro until now

-OMG hahahahaha

-(Don’t even know this game) How do I do this?

As Beyond, who was focused on the match, couldn’t see the chat window, he couldn’t help but not know the reason.

Pah!

Beyond lunged forward.

‘I was planning to use it against Anatol hyung at the official tournament.’

As the Propan collapsed faster than expected, he had a hidden weapon that he hadn’t used in the end.

His ability to handle Hoken to the extreme allowed him to discover the unexpected weapon.

‘Treat the best opponent with the utmost respect.’

But if it’s an opponent, he wouldn’t be lacking as a sacrifice!

Taht-!

Watching Beyond charging.

“···Hmm.”

Lee Dohyuk also subtly expressed his thoughts.

‘Compared to that guy Anatol last time···’

It feels a bit more lively.

In terms of instantaneous reaction speed and dynamic visual acuity, this person is slightly superior.

However, in terms of situational judgment that occurs moment by moment, the Anatol he met last time is definitely superior.

Overall, Anatol’s victory seems likely.

‘But this person isn’t bad either.’

In a momentary clash, this side is slightly better.

Above all,

‘It seems like he has written a lot of interesting things.’

Looking at the reactions in the chat window before the start, it seemed like he was famous as a Hoken master.

Perhaps that’s why there was a lot to learn from the opponent’s moves.

More accurately, he was ‘stealing’ to learn······

During his Hunter days, Lee Dohyuk’s unique ability was Copy, allowing him to use others’ abilities and skills as if they were his own.

Watching others and feeling guilty about following their actions had been a thing of the past for a long time.