Chapter 261

The crowd was already going crazy while Do-Jin and Hex stood waiting inside the arena. Hex frowned the moment he saw Do-Jin’s displayed stats. He had read every line and understood exactly what it implied.

He looked across the stage and spoke while barely containing his irritation, “There has to be a limit to how much disrespect a person can show. This is enough to piss me off.”

His hand tightened around the shaft of his spear until his knuckles whitened. The way he gripped it made his bruised pride obvious as hell.

Do-Jin gave him a small nod. “I apologize if it offends you.”

It was completely fair to interpret the situation as blatant disrespect, so Do-Jin offered a clean, simple apology without any drama. But Hex was already in a bad mood. Even that calm response felt irritating to him, like it carried a layer of unspoken arrogance.

Hex let out a thin, bitter laugh. “There is no need to apologize. If you are handing me a free win before the match even starts, then I should be thanking you instead.”

At the reverse taunt, Do-Jin simply raised his head upward. There was no point arguing. Once the match began, there would be no need for explanations.

「The countdown has begun! Three, two, one... the match starts now!」

The moment the countdown ended, Hex moved first. Before stepping onto the stage, he had already laid everything out in his head. He had broken the fight down into clean, logical steps and laid out exactly how he would take Do-Jin apart.

Under tournament rules, pre-stacking spells is not allowed. He has to cast from scratch. That means he cannot instantly Flash away. And since he downgraded all of his equipment to C-grade...

That downgrade would slow his casting speed. It would make reacting to pressure harder. If Hex handled any crowd control cleanly and closed the distance properly, the win would be guaranteed and that was the plan.

With that confidence, Hex tracked Do-Jin’s movement and mentally lined up the skills he would use depending on the situation. But the entire calculation was already thrown out the window from the very first second.

“What the fuck...?”

Seven Fireballs were already flying straight at him. Hex’s eyes widened as they came in on precise trajectories, sealing off every approach route. Hex hadn’t even blinked yet, and they were already there, tearing through the air and rushing toward him like they had been waiting to drop him from the start.

They didn’t flare up in front of Do-Jin and they didn’t form through visible casting. It seemed as if he didn’t even need gear to create spells without casting anymore.

“Fuck!”

Hex had no choice but to swing his spear and knock away several of the incoming Fireballs as he twisted his body to the side. The impact rattled his arms, and the heat scraped past his face.

Then, a pinpoint of light locked onto him. It was the targeting spark of Flash Lance. That spell still required casting, even for Do-Jin, but the casting speed was terrifyingly fast.

What the fuck kind of casting speed is that...?

A downgrade in gear was supposed to slow things down. Even accounting for that, Do-Jin’s cast time was not just fast, it was ridiculous. It didn’t even feel like he was playing by the same rules.

In reality, the source of Do-Jin’s incomprehensible strength was never just high-tier gear. Of course, Relic and S-grade items and equipment made a difference, but his class was already cracked from the root. His traits were woven together in sick, organic synergy that amplified each other in ways most players couldn’t even imagine.

On top of that, he had stacked monstrous stats through countless hidden contents, hidden quests, and ridiculous grinding routes. Even without proper equipment, he was already a monster.

He can pull that off without real gear?

Hex was visibly shaken by the speed of the magic flying at him. The spells came so fast that he was barely keeping up, forced to focus entirely on dodging just to avoid getting blown to pieces.

Still, a former pro was still a pro. Even in a situation that felt like it was spiraling out of control, Hex forced himself to think. He searched for the one path that would let him turn this around.

One hit. If I land one clean hit, I can apply more pressure to keep him from casting.

He dodged with sharp reflexes, deliberately maneuvering so that Do-Jin’s spells would funnel toward a specific direction. He let them chase him where he wanted them to go.

Then, in a split second, he changed direction and slammed the butt of his spear into the ground. Hex triggered the spearman’s movement skill, Spear Step, and in the blink of an eye he slipped to Do-Jin’s side and seized his flank.

Got you!

There was a razor-thin gap between a spell’s activation and the moment it fully took effect. It was short as hell, barely a sliver of time, but it was more than enough to drive a spear through someone.

Hex was certain he had won, but the opening he thought he had carved out through sheer effort was something Do-Jin had deliberately handed to him.

Going for the gap between casting and activation is not a bad idea... but your movement’s way too obvious! Do-Jin thought as he locked onto Hex’s spear.

Hex’s heart dropped into his stomach the moment their eyes met, yet by then it was already too late to pull back. The ground around Do-Jin slammed downward with a heavy crack as Earth Shards activated, spiderweb fractures tearing across the arena floor. From those cracks, shards of earth burst upward all at once and fired outward in every direction.

It was a spell Do-Jin had preloaded into his Magic Circuit the moment Hex had stepped into range. Harassment spells were chosen specifically because they required no casting. The real killing blow remained ready to fire inside the circuit.

“Ghk!”

Hex froze as he got slammed by the counterattack mid-strike. He managed to throw up a defensive skill at the last second to soften the damage, but the opening he exposed couldn’t be taken back. And Do-Jin wasn’t the kind of guy who let an opening slip away.

「Ahhh! Do-Jin blocks Hex’s strike! Incredible reaction! But if he doesn’t capitalize here, Hex will recover soon! Is he preparing a big spell... Wait, what? He’s charging in! Do-Jin, a mage, is closing the distance like a warrior!」

The commentators’ excited voices never reached the two fighters locked in combat. While the casters shouted themselves hoarse, Do-Jin was already charging straight at Hex, taking advantage of the momentary stagger after eating Earth Shards head-on.

Do-Jin’s fist shot forward. A Fireball rode along with the punch and slammed directly into Hex’s face. The explosion that followed snapped Hex’s head backward like a whip.

Even so, he reacted fast. Hex shortened his grip on the spear and tried to stab at Do-Jin, who had closed the distance. Grabbing the weapon just below the blade in a reverse grip, he moved as if he were thrusting a dagger.

With a crunching sound, Anemone burst out from Do-Jin’s shoulder and sank her teeth into Hex’s wrist.

“GAAAH!”

“Thanks, Anemone.”

“You crazy bastard! What kind of mage runs straight into a lancer’s range like this?”

His spear thrust had been ruined, but Hex still believed that if even a single punch or kick landed, a fragile mage like Do-Jin would crumble. As he drew up his strength for a counterattack, a crushing weight suddenly pressed into his chest. Anemone’s thick forepaw slammed down and pinned him.

“Ugh!”

Anemone inherited Do-Jin’s power directly. With Do-Jin’s broken traits and monstrous stats flowing into her, it was only natural that the summon itself had become a monster. Her sheer strength shoved Hex flat onto the ground, locking him down so completely he couldn’t even twitch.

With a thud, Do-Jin’s hand covered Hex’s face. The cheap texture of the C-grade magic gauntlet brushed against his skin, and in that instant Hex realized he was screwed.

“Wait—”

With no chant or casting motion, Fireballs exploded one after another straight from Do-Jin’s palm. The overlapping blasts sounded like a string of fireworks going off, flames surging nearly five meters into the air. Hex’s body twitched violently at first before going limp under the sheer force of the explosions.

「W-what the heck? This is insane! What did I just watch?!」

The broadcast zoomed in on Do-Jin’s face as he was declared the winner.

「Everyone already knew how incredible Do-Jin is in LOST, but Hex is a big name in PvP as well! Nobody expected a result like this!」

「Exactly! Even considering Do-Jin’s past performances, I thought the class matchup between a mage and a lancer would at least lead to a close fight, but it did not!」

「This was completely overwhelming! Hex looked like he might seize the momentum when he closed the distance, but that step forward turned into a walk straight into his own grave!」

The commentator and caster were practically half-standing out of their chairs, yelling over each other in shock. Meanwhile, the viewers were absolutely losing their minds.

└ What the fuck... is that even real?

└ I was so shocked I dropped my damn chicken all over my keyboard, shit!

└ I always knew Do-Jin was a crazy bastard who didn’t mind fighting up close, but pulling that shit against a lancer at Hex’s level?

└ Wait, was that not a two-versus-one? Is that not fucking cheating?

└ Two-versus-one? You talking about Anemone? That is a summon, you dumbass.

└ I have been a Do-Jin fan forever, lol. That was one hundred percent intentional. Anyone could see he could have just kept distance and nuked him with magic. He went in for the performance.

└ He literally nerfed himself with trash gear and then rushed a spear user as a mage... What the fuck?

└ Was Hex trying to surrender at the end? It sounded like he started to say something but got drowned out by the fireball explosions, lol.

└ Still, Hex is not one of those wallet-warrior punks who only know how to swipe their credit card, right?

└ Yeah, he is legit. The guy even won tournaments back in Blood Soul.

└ Then why did he lose like that?

└ Because his opponent was Do-Jin. That’s why.

Strangely, the chat wasn’t overflowing with Do-Jin fan praise. Most of his hardcore fans had already lost their minds during the match and got slapped with chat bans for spamming nonstop in the stream.

It wasn’t just the official tournament channel going crazy. Every streamer who had hopped onto the controversy train and run their mouths about Do-Jin before the tournament was now getting their streams blown up.

└ I remember Hex saying something along the lines of how he’s confident, that he will win, and that he’s definitely not losing to that guy?? (Yes, he actually said that.)

└ Lol, just win two more matches and you get to face Do-Jin, right? Good luck, man!

└ Please tell us how you are feeling right now.

└ Hello, we are here from the afterlife funeral services.

The streamer Mantara, who had confidently claimed he wouldn’t lose to Do-Jin, switched up his attitude instantly.

Mantara had always had strong class-clown tendencies, so he didn’t waste a second. He switched his background to a bright green screen, hurriedly put on a suit jacket, and then dropped into an exaggerated, full-body kneeling bow on the floor, pressing his head down in a dramatic display of apology.

└ This dude is an actual fucking clown, I swear, lol.

└ All those streamers who were flexing their PvP pride are in full emergency mode right now, hahaha.

└ Maybe it would be different if Do-Jin had struggled even a little, but Hex got absolutely demolished, so everyone is just sitting there stunned as hell.

While all that chaos kept rolling, the winner’s interview with Do-Jin went live.

「Hello, Do-Jin! So many viewers are celebrating your victory right now. Could you say a few words to everyone watching?」

「Hello, this is Do-Jin.」

「Wow, the audience reaction is absolutely insane. People are literally getting chat bans in real time!」

「Alright, everyone, please calm down a little. Now, Do-Jin. Today’s match was one shocking moment after another. First, we really want to know why you voluntarily downgraded your gear.」

Do-Jin answered the announcer’s question in a calm, almost blunt tone.

「There is a reason, but I don’t think I can talk about it right now.」

「Now that you say that, it just makes us even more curious. Could you at least tell us why it is hard to explain at the moment?」

「Because it would be embarrassing if I lost.」

The announcer’s eyes widened.

「Sorry?」

「I could lose the next match right away. Talking about it in advance just adds unnecessary pressure, you know.」

Viewers watching the interview immediately started firing off comments.

└ You say that shit after putting on a match like that today? What the fuck, lol.

└ This guy is actually insane, hahaha. That was a straight-up shot at all the idiots who ran their mouths before the tournament started.

└ What are you even talking about? Our Do-Jin is not that kind of person! He is sweet and innocent and does not know a damn thing, okay?