Descent of the Demon Master

Chapter 567. Persuading (2)

“So, Yu-Min. Are you ready for this?”

Park Yu-Min nodded at Director Oh Jin-Hyeong's question. His expression seemed relaxed. Maybe, even a little laidback, too?

'Oh? This brat... Looks like he's really prepared, doesn't he?'

The director of the pro gaming team flinched slightly at Park Yu-Min's expression. Which was understandable, considering there was a precedence for this.

This profession called 'pro gamer' didn't care about talents or the amount of effort one put in to polish their craft. Even if a pro gamer practiced until their fingers were ready to fall off, being slightly off-condition meant their playing on the day would be worse than dogsh*t. On the flip side, even those fooling around doing nothing could produce a perfect game if they happened to be at their peak condition on the day of the competition. Of course, there was always an exception, and...

'Whenever Yu-Min makes that face, he ends up causing something big...'

Park Yu-Min was fundamentally a timid person. To be more precise, he had plenty of confidence inwardly but didn't reveal that on the outside. Every word he uttered was self-deprecating, and he never relaxed even when competing against someone clearly inferior. Maybe the best way to describe Park Yu-Min was... A type who didn't trust himself?

However, every once in a while, Park Yu-Min would make that face. He'd look relaxed like this whenever his endless practice sessions and hard work had prepared him for every eventuality, and he just couldn't see himself losing.

And when Park Yu-Min showed up to work with that kind of face... The end result had always been clear.

'It's always been a clean sweep...!'

Indeed, total domination! A complete victory with zero room for debates and what-ifs!

'No, no. I gotta calm down.'

Oh Jin-Hyeong hurriedly shook his head. That story only applied to Park Yu-Min of the past. The current Park Yu-Min was no longer the same wet-behind-the-ear kid with energy to spare. And the game he was about to compete in wasn't a solo title where he must manage every facet of the gameplay by himself.

However, at least one thing seemed certain at this stage.

'Well, he must've practiced his ass off.'

Park Yu-Min wouldn't make that face after only a so-so practice session. On top of that, he must've found the answer to the assignment of aggressiveness Oh Jin-Hyeong had given him earlier. That seemed the most likely explanation for Park Yu-Min's relaxed expression.

“Really?” Oh Jin-Hyeong asked cautiously.

“Sorry?” Park Yu-Min tilted his head.

“Oh, uh... Forget about it,” Oh Jin-Hyeong panicked a little when his inner voice leaked out. 'But how is that even possible, though? How did Yu-Min do it?'

This was Park Yu-Min's chronic disease. That one thing that kept holding him back!

Every person came equipped with something called 'natural inclination'. Effort could do something about their natural inclinations, but these stubborn things could never be 'resolved' fully. And Park Yu-Min was naturally inclined to be... not aggressive.

Even though he could have finished the match ten minutes early with his skillset, Park Yu-Min would remain extra-cautious and drag the battle out for another twenty minutes or so. And no, this wasn't a one-off thing either, but a regular occurrence! Since he often produced a complete and perfect victory, no one really minded it, but...

'But some people got sick and tired of it, too.'

No one could fault Park Yu-Min for his personality or performance, but the criticism of his matches being boring always hung around him like a bad stink. Fans naturally gravitated toward hotly-contested matches where competitors passionately fought for victory, so quite a few hated Park Yu-Min's playing style of cutting off the opponent's limbs one by one and gradually tightening the noose.

Park Yu-Min was obviously aware of the criticism, so he tried to alter his gameplay style several times in the past, but... But he failed each time. But now, he managed to fix his inclination in such a short time?

“Kuh-hum. Alright, let's go inside.” Oh Jin-Hyeong patted Park Yu-Min on the shoulder.

Whether Park Yu-Min had really overcome his limitation or not would become clear during the test. Oh Jin-Hyeong only needed to observe and find it out for himself. So, there was no point in asking a million questions here.

“Okay,” said Park Yu-Min, then headed to the team's practice area without any hesitation. It was as if he, too, knew what he needed to do here.

***

Choi Jeong-Wu smiled brightly. “Hyung! You're back!”

“Yeah. Good to see you again,” Park Yu-Min smiled back while extending his hand to Choi Jeong-Wu.

Choi Jeong-Wu shook the offered hand. “Did you get enough preparation, hyung?”

“Yup. I practiced a lot. But it wasn't as easy as I thought.”

“...Mm, I guess so.” Choi Jeong-Wu frowned a little in pity.

One of the drawbacks of this game was that practicing alone was very difficult. In the previous title, 'Galaxy', where Park Yu-Min was a certifiable god-tier, one could focus their training to improve on an area they thought they were lacking in.

Unfortunately, their current game was a team-based title. Unless another pro gamer boasting a similar skill level tagged along, special training focusing on particular areas of the game was nearly impossible.

“It's gonna be alright, hyung. It's you we're talking about, after all!” Choi Jeong-Wu tried to sound enthusiastic just then, although his words were only half-truthful. 'I mean, this is Yu-Min hyung, right?'

Even if the game was different, and the situation was also different now, Park Yu-Min should be able to overcome all these hurdles. At least, that was what Choi Jeong-Wu thought.

“Uh? Yu-Min hyung! You're back!” Gwok Hyeon-Tae strode over to Park Yu-Min and bowed slightly.

Choi Jeong-Wu couldn't help but frown a little at that.

'Blooming hell, this arrogant brat...'

In the world of pro gaming, one's skill was everything. That was what Choi Jeong-Wu used to think when he was much younger. However, his beliefs changed a lot recently. That was all thanks to Park Yu-Min's example.

No one cared about a pro gamer's personality or behavior while they were still active in the scene. Fans would often prefer to support a top ranker with a terrible personality over a bottom-tier with a pleasant personality. As long as the pro's gaming skill was impeccable, most people were prepared to put up with said pro's personality no matter how crappy it could get.

However, that story applied only during the super-brief career of the pro gamer. Once a pro gamer got older and went past their prime, it was only inevitable that their skill level would fall. Then, all the nonsense people had been putting up with would suddenly come back to bite the pro gamer in the rear. Those who behaved way too nicely like idiots would suddenly see their public image improve rapidly. Meanwhile, the pros who acted like jerks just because they had a modicum of skills would see themselves falling out of favor almost overnight, with their public image hitting rock bottom.

Park Yu-Min was the living proof of this.

'I gotta admit, Yu-Min hyung sure is amazing...'

Choi Jeong-Wu's respect for Park Yu-Min was genuine. If Park Yu-Min hadn't challenged for a spot in the team and focused on streaming instead, he could've made a killing already. According to the ever-reliable rumor mill, a well-known private broadcasting company had apparently offered a hefty sum for the privilege of exclusively hosting Park Yu-Min's streams.

However, Park Yu-Min declined the offer, saying he should still be challenging himself to go even further. And now, he was back in the pro team's practice area to make good on his declaration.

Choi Jeong-Hu tightly clenched his fists. “Hyung, please show us!”

A man with such passion and dedication needed to be rewarded somehow. No matter what!

“I'm not sure what you want to see from me, but…” Park Yu-Min's expression became unreadable for a second or two as the end of his sentence drifted away but then... A subtle grin soon floated up on his face as he glanced at Gwok Hyeon-Tae. “Seeing how I'm not nervous at all, I guess my condition is pretty good today.”

Park Yu-Min was barely holding his laughter back. During his last one-on-one match against Gwok Hyeon-Tae, Park Yu-Min didn't even have the chance to bring out his best. Gwok Hyeon-Tae's attacks had been unexpected, relentless and reckless, even though he knew his strategy could have put him at a severe disadvantage. Such bold actions left Park Yu-Min panicking and feeling like he was way out of his depth. But that would not happen today. Definitely not!

'At the very least, no one is crazier than Jin-Ho in video games! I'm sure of it!'

Park Yu-Min trained together with the Final Boss of recklessness. And now, attacks of most other players didn't even feel threatening anymore.

Gwok Hyeon-Tae noticed that smirk and muttered testily. “I'm not gonna go easy on you this time, hyung.”

“But you didn't go easy on me last time, either.”

“No, not true. You're my senior, so I did my best to be more or less respectful. But not this time. I figured demonstrating the clear gap in skill between us should be more beneficial to you, senior.”

“Hey, Gwok Hyeon-Tae...!” Choi Jeong-Wu was about to lose his cool, but Park Yu-Min hurriedly stopped him.

Gwok Hyeon-Tae tilted his head. “What, hyung? I was only stating the truth, you know?”

“Even so...!” Choi Jeong-Wu panted like an angry bull.

Gwok Hyeon-Tae looked even more confused. “Is this something to get angry about? I mean, let's be honest here. Are we really in a position to go easy on Yu-Min hyung? You gotta wake up to reality, Jeong-Wu hyung. Yu-Min hyung can just switch on his webcam and record some gameplay reactions right now, and that would be enough to earn hundreds of millions of won in one night. That's how popular he is.”

“Listen here, you brat. He's still here to challenge for a spot in the team, right? So, respect that.”

“Challenge? What challenge are you even talking about? Hyung, you're one of the top players here. That's why you can afford to say that. But me? Someone else who could make a killing doing something else is threatening my job because he's gotten bored with his life. Nope, I can't let that pass. I gotta make a living, too. So, I'm definitely not gonna go easy today.”

Park Yu-Min contemplatively nodded. “Good. Don't go easy on me. That's not what I want, anyway.”

Gwok Hyeon-Tae's expression crumpled a little as if he was dissatisfied by that response. He wordlessly turned around and headed to his computer.

“What the hell?! That stinking brat...!” Choi Jeong-Wu was about to say something not family-friendly, but Park Yu-Min pressed his index finger on his lips first.

“Shh!”

“But, hyung...”

“Please calm down for a sec, okay? Hyeon-Tae hasn't said anything wrong. This might nominally be an entrance test, but the truth is, I'm here to take over his spot in the team. I don't blame him for acting like that. You shouldn't, either.”

“...Got it, hyung.”

“This is what being a pro gamer is all about, isn't it? We take what we want through our skills. Being treated like a big bro is secondary. No, I'd say it's not even necessary. Going all out like this is a hundred times better than listening to all the excuses about how he went easy on me or his condition wasn't at its best. So, Jeong-Wu? Don't cheer me on and objectively observe the test, okay?”

“Okay, hyung.” Choi Jeong-Wu sighed softly. 'Geez. Yu-Min hyung can be level-headed in some weird things...'

Then again, that was probably why Park Yu-Min could reach the top of a game like Galaxy.

Director Oh Jin-Hyeong called out while walking out of his office. “Okay, Yu-Min! Get your gear ready.”

“Yes, Director.”

The atmosphere in the practice area just before an entrance test was always slightly tense. Ever so slightly volatile. It was a bizarre combination of anticipation and nervousness. Anticipation, since someone strong joining the team was always good news; nervousness, since someone new joining the team meant someone else would have to give up their spot.

'But... who cares? It'll work out somehow.'

Park Yu-Min chuckled softly to himself. He had already done everything he could and didn't have any regrets. In that case, he should focus on displaying his skills. Regardless of the outcome, Park Yu-Min was confident about not regretting or ruing missed opportunities.

He genuinely gave it his all, after all. Even then...

'Still, I better show them, right?'

Park Yu-Min wanted to show the world that his training with Kang Jin-Ho wasn't a waste of his energy. After all, Kang Jin-Ho had to find time out of his busy schedule to hang out with his friend, so Park Yu-Min would be too ashamed if he failed to display the fruits of his labor!

At the very least, Park Yu-Min wanted to let everyone know that he was no longer the same person as the last time.

After sucking in a deep breath, Park Yu-Min took out his keyboard and mouse from his backpack.

***

“Yu-Min, come to the director's office.”

“Okay, Director,” Park Yu-Min replied brightly, then packed his gear into his backpack. After tidying up, he headed to the director's office. Once he was gone, though... The pro team's practice area was enveloped in an eerie silence, only the game's BGM coming from the computer quietly humming away.

The first person to break the silence was Choi Jeong-Wu. “...That couldn't have been Yu-Min hyung, right?”

He rubbed his eyes several times, then glanced at his teammates.

“What the heck did we just witness?”

Choi Jeong-Wu wasn't flabbergasted by how well Park Yu-Min did. No, it was because the memories from Park Yu-Min's previous test were still fresh in Choi Jeong-Wu's mind. It hadn't been all that long since that test, yet Park Yu-Min's natural inclination had... completely changed!

Choi Jeong-Wu's teammates began muttering to each other.

“Holy cow. That was amazing. Where did he learn to play like that?”

“...That's how you're supposed to play, right? Right? That's supposed to be the truth, but... Gee whiz, I guess we all had preconceived notions about Yu-Min hyung. Never in a million years did I expect to see Yu-Min hyung play like that!”

Choi Jeong-Wu glanced at Gwok Hyeon-Tae sitting in front of his computer in silence. The brat's hand was still gripping his mouse.

The large back of the gaming chair meant Gwok Hyeon-Tae's expression couldn't be seen, but... Choi Jeong-Wu could guess without looking.

'Well, you asked for it...'

Choi Jeong-Wu tutted quietly. Gwok Hyeon-Tae had been ruthlessly crushed just now. Utterly humiliated. Like how he crushed Park Yu-Min during the previous test... No, the severity of the result this time was several times higher. Not just Gwok Hyeon-Tae's in-game character, but even his mind must've been crushed and blown apart into million particles by now.

“That's why you should've been more respectful...” Choi Jeong-Wu slowly shook his head. How dare that brat tempt fate with someone like Park Yu-Min!

Choi Jeong-Wu's gaze filled with respect chased after Park Yu-Min as the latter disappeared into the director's office.

Park Yu-Min was always like this. He'd nonchalantly pull off feats that other people said were impossible or nonsensical. At least within the realm of video gaming... Park Yu-Min was the king. He was the emperor! And thanks to the results from today's test... Choi Jeong-Wu would become a loyal right-hand man of that emperor.

'The triumphant return of the emperor, eh...?'

Choi Jeong-Wu smirked deeply. Once the news of Park Yu-Min's return to the pro gaming scene spreads, various online gaming communities should absolutely go bananas with sheer excitement and anticipation. All Choi Jeong-Wu could do for now was pray for the health of the poor admins managing those communities since they were about to experience Hell!