Chapter 10: Match Point

The happiest time for students?

Is it the short breaks between classes? The noon lunch hour? Or maybe gym class?

No, it’s 6 PM.

The moment school ends, they head home to dive into their favorite hobbies.

This applies to workers too, but in the gaming market, capturing students’ attention is key to success.

So, what’s the most popular game in Korea—no, the world—right now?

Force of Six.

Its popularity burns brighter every day, spawning national leagues and even a seeding system where league champions and runners-up (2nd to 4th place) compete in a Champions League.

But there’s an even bigger event.

The Force of Six World Cup.

National representatives compete in regional qualifiers, with successful teams advancing to the group stage.

Only the top two from each group move to the round of 16.

It’s the most prestigious tournament, a dream for every Force of Six player.

Thanks to its virtual reality nature, unlike old keyboard-and-mouse games, there’s barely an aging curve.

Reaction speed matters, but so does experience, which comes with age.

Some World Cup players are in their 40s and 50s, making Force of Six a game loved across all age groups.

The sheer number of tournaments proves its massive popularity.

—

[General] It’s finally today.

Ten minutes to 6 PM…

(Frog plushie shaking meme)

I’m losing my mind I’m losing my mind I’m losing my mind I’m losing my mind I’m losing my mind I’m losing my mind I’m losing my mind I’m losing my mind

↑(Upvotes) 88,912 ↓(Downvotes) 5,326

[Skipped academy to watch this big match. Teacher’s blowing up my phone, but I’m ignoring lol.]

[I’m a worker… left before my boss to catch this. No regrets!]

[If that hacker bails after all this, every Force of Six player in Korea’s grabbing a knife lol.]

ㄴ [Fr, I’d hunt them down.]

ㄴ [Buy or sell at your own risk…]

ㄴ [Crypto bro, cut!]

[Why’d the hacker post on Arena lol? Blew the whole thing up.]

[No idea?]

[They’ve got a plan lol.]

[Mark’s probably grinning ear to ear rn~~~]

—

“Crazy, just crazy.”

I’m ready to play Force of Six but have some time, so I browse Arena.

Every post is about Mark and me.

Honestly, it’s a bit surprising—this many people are obsessed with me? Not in a good way, of course.

“Time to jump in.”

Staying in this madhouse will drive me nuts too, so I log into Force of Six.

I lie on my bed in the most comfortable position and put on the VR headset, wires dangling everywhere.

Whirr.

The familiar mechanical hum starts, and my consciousness sinks into darkness.

As I surrender to the calm, a message appears.

Bold English text fades into view, accompanied by the sound of gunfire.

Seeing the director’s old catchphrase makes me chuckle.

“Life’s lessons come from death.”

Today, Mark will learn a lesson from death.

A social death, that is.

—

“Yo, brothers, stream’s live!!!”

Mark starts his broadcast in his personal room.

As soon as it goes live, viewers flood in, and the chat explodes.

[Ma-ha~ Mark high~]

[Where’s the hacker? Where’s the hacker? Where’s the hacker?]

[Crush that hacker and go viral!!!]

[Is Mark a god? Is Mark a god?]

[Hurry up! I wanna see someone lose it!]

[Been parked at my computer since 3 PM for this! Mark, you bastard!]

[Mom.]

[Dune.]

[Lmao, they couldn’t finish the chant lol.]

[Six.]

[Can’t wait to hear what the hacker says after losing lol.]

A crucible of madness.

The chat’s on fire, beyond the moderators’ control, with viewers spamming for the match to start.

The stream’s been hijacked by the audience.

“Haha, hold on a sec! I’ve set up the custom room, sent a friend request to the hacker, and I’ll invite them as soon as they accept!”

Mark’s loving it.

He’s never felt this kind of euphoria back when he had 10,000 viewers.

His voice trembles—not from nerves, but from pure joy, like he’s already a big-shot streamer.

Then—

Ding.

“Oh?! The hacker just accepted my friend request. Inviting them now!!!”

The hacker, NoobSlayer420, finally accepts the request he sent 30 minutes ago.

It annoys him that it took so long for a soon-to-be big shot like him, but it’s a great day, so he lets it slide.

Click.

Mark invites NoobSlayer420 from his friend list and waits.

It’s 5:59 PM—one minute until the hacker’s proposed bloodbath begins.

[Why aren’t they here?]

[I’m losing my mind I’m losing my mind I’m losing my mind.]

[Did they bail lol? Wild.]

[If they really bailed, damn.]

[Damn damn.]

[Yo, what? There’s a GM in the spectator list? For real?]

[Wtf, it’s actually a GM? They’re spectating to check for hacks?]

[Mark must’ve pulled strings to get a GM to watch for cheats.]

[Mark’s connections are insane…]

[Oh? They’re here!]

Finally, 6 PM hits.

As a viewer pointed out, an empty slot fills, and a character with striking black hair appears.

The infamous hacker has entered the battlefield.

‘Welcome, hacker.’

Mark had worried they’d run, but seeing her stride in confidently puts him at ease.

“Brothers, we’re starting soon!!!”

A sly grin creeps across Mark’s face.

—

As soon as I log into Force of Six, I’m hit with a flood of friend requests.

Probably people ready to curse me out the moment I accept.

Click.

I delete all requests except Mark’s.

My friend list goes from 0 to 1, and next to Mark’s name, it says “Creating Custom Game.”

He’s setting up the stage himself.

“Trying hard, huh.”

He has no idea everything he’s doing is playing into my hands.

I’ll siphon his popularity and make myself famous.

That’s my goal.

A translucent window from Mark pops up on my left.

Without hesitation, I hit accept.

My body is engulfed in darkness again.

I close my eyes and let my form transfer.

Seconds later, I’m fully loaded into the custom game room.

Opening my eyes, I see Mark smirking at me.

“Came with his main account, not a smurf.”

Unlike our last match, he’s using his original ID.

The character name and level next to it are different.

‘MarkChan? What a shtty name.’

Not that I’m one to talk, but guys who slap “Chan” on their names are always unhinged.

It was true back when I played, and seeing Mark now confirms it.

Mark’s mouth starts moving as he gestures at me before turning back to his spot.

“What’s with this guy?”

A small window appears in my vision, outlining the game rules:

1. This is a 1v1 match.

2. Hacks are strictly prohibited. A Force of Six GM is spectating to ensure fairness.

3. The map is a 1v1 corridor with cover obstacles.

4. Grenades and gadgets are banned.

5. Pure aim duel—no attachments allowed.

6. Only the Reserve Operator can be used.

7. Weapon choice is free.

“He’s pretty confident.”

After reading the rules, I close the window.

If it’s a pure aim duel, Mark doesn’t stand a chance.

I’ve got years of experience under my belt.

Guys like Mark would choke on the crumbs of my grind.

‘Platinum tier, huh? Cocky for a reason.’

Platinum’s decent—four tiers below it, so it’s upper-mid.

But that’s it.

Platinum’s full of skilled players who can’t climb higher due to some flaw.

“Tch, dumbass.”

I’m mentally roasting Mark when a chat from him pops up.

‘Annoying.’

[18:05 MarkChan: Scared?]

[18:05 MarkChan: I know you’re reading lol. Why use hacks? Be glad you got caught by me. Other streamers would’ve knifed you in the street.]

What’s with this idiot?

I know this type—hypocrites who act noble only when they think they have the upper hand.

Mark’s indirectly trashing me while playing the good guy.

[18:06 NoobSlayer420: Did your mom get knifed in the street? Why so obsessed with knives?]

[18:07 MarkChan: ??]

I close the chat.

Told you, Mark’s getting crushed by the crumbs of my grind.

I can feel his quiet rage. Glancing at him, he’s glaring daggers at me.

Dozens of messages from him flood my right corner, but I ignore them.

‘What’re you gonna do? You’re streaming, I’m not.’

If Mark fires back with insults, he’d be stooping to “hacker-level” morality.

Shouldn’t have gone with the good-guy persona—insult-slinging NewTubers don’t have this problem.

His death stare is getting annoying, so I look away.

Unable to withstand the viewers’ demands to start, Mark hits the ready button.

I do the same.

The game begins.

The match that’ll send Mark’s life into the abyss.