Chapter 97 (2) – Date…?

Part 1

“Do you have an ID for Fantasy Tekken 4?”

“Fantasy Tekken? I should…”

“Okay, then let’s log in right away!”

Sanghyuk was somewhat expectant because it was said that this was DN content that truly allowed you to feel like you were sharing your senses with a partner, and this allowed the enjoyment of interactive shared fantasies.  And of course Leah was a beautiful woman. However, the reality was that Leah was still Leah, and she liked “Fighting Games”. (EN: Dream Network. ^_^ )

Leah, who accessed the DN with Sanghyuk, immediately opened the Fantasy Tekken channel and accessed Fantasy Tekken 4 [T].

“What’s this? Was there a service like this in Fantasy Tekken 4?”

“It’s a recent update so I guess you didn’t know. The basics are still the same as Fantasy Tekken 4 but it’s a version that allows for team matches.”

“Huh…”

Sanghyuk was truly surprised when he heard Leah’s explanation.

In Sanghyuk’s past life, there was no such version of Fantasy Tekken 4. It was only a few years later after Fantasy Tekken 5 came out that this feature was introduced on top of the basic game content.

‘Can this… because I changed my future, did things unrelated to me change as well?’

Although he was aware of the “Butterfly Effect”, it was a shock when the future that had little to do with him or his involvement changed.

“Huh! Thunderquake? What? You were Thunderquake?” (EN: Chapter 5.)

Leah looked surprised when she checked Sanghyuk’s Fantasy Tekken 4 ID.

“Mm? Why? Do you know me?”

“I don’t think there is a single top ranker in Fantasy Tekken 4 who doesn’t know Thunderquake. Although his…I mean YOUR activity period was very short, it was extremely impactful and your identity was never revealed so there were quite a few rumours floating around for a while,”

“Ah…”

Before playing EL, Sanghyuk had played Fantasy Tekken 4 hard for a while to regain  his skills in Virtual Reality games. Back then, Sanghyuk was an object of terror among the Fantasy Tekken 4 top rankers.

Before playing EL, Leah had been in love with Fantasy Tekken 4 and even until recently, she would often log in to Fantasy Tekken 4 and enjoyed playing it.

“At that time, the rumours were so exaggerated that it actually made me want to face you in the ring, but unfortunately, I never came across you.”

“Ah, really? I just played it a little, I didn’t think it would have been that much.”

“There were so many nicknames attached to Thunderquake at that time, ‘The Unranked Horror’, ‘A Ranker’s Hell’, ‘Crazy [email protected]’.”

“W-were there? I didn’t really go into the forums or anything so…”

“Anyway, to think the Thunderquake who I couldn’t meet at that time is here with me now, what an honour.”

“What honour…. Let’s just play the game.”

Getting all embarrassed, Sanhyuk scratched his head and looked away.

“I was going to give you a ride on the bus, but I think it’s going to end up being the other way round. Well, since it looks like you won’t need any other explanations, let’s just get started right away!”

(T/N – I was going to guide you and help you, but it’s the other way around.)

Leah grabbed Sanghyuk’s hand and ran towards the red portal in front. Starting from Fantasy Tekken 2, Leah had begun using the name ‘Aspis’ and though Sanghyuk wasn’t aware of it, Aspis was a rather famous ranker among the Fantasy Tekken 4 users. (EN: An aspis, sometimes also referred to as an hoplon, was the heavy wooden shield used by the infantry in various periods of ancient Greece.)

She was famous for not participating in online activities and only working on her solo ranking matches, additionally she was famous for always being within the top 10 in every season.

Of course she disappeared from the tournament scene after meeting Sanghyuk and concentrating on EL but either way, she was a player with real skill.

However, she was somewhat overshadowed by the legendary Thunderquake.

Thunderquake, no, Sanghyuk was strong.

Because they were on the same team, Leah could fully understand why facing Thunderquake was called ‘A Ranker’s Hell’.

Especially because Leah was an expert player of Fantasy Tekken 4, she could not help but be aware of it.

Even in the small movements, subtle shifting of his weight, loosening and tightening of certain muscles, that would be overlooked by anyone of lesser skill, to Leah they betrayed Sanghyuk’s high-level battle sense.

Leah had no choice but to admire Sanghyuk’s movements which were NOT reacting to his opponent’s moves, but perfectly anticipating his foe’s next movements, and flawlessly anticipating their reaction to Sanghyuk’s counters and ripostes.

She also anticipated her opponent’s responses, linking her movements to her foes’ predicted reactions and tactics, but Sanghyuk’s play style was a few steps above her’s.

If Leah was moving approximately three or four steps ahead of her opponents then it felt like Sanghyuk was moving almost seven to nine steps ahead of his opponents.

Moreover, since Saghyuk and Leah have already worked together countless times in both reality and virtual reality, their teamwork was peerless even from their first Fantasy Tekken 4 match.

They continued to win consecutive games and the users who lost to them were left in a daze, unable to come to their senses. They had been literally crushed, in spirit and will, by a couple so far above them they were simply unable to comprehend their defeat.

Since a few hours ago, posts had been continuously updated on the main community forums for Fantasy Tekken that Thunderquake had returned.

[That crazed Thunderquake is back! This time he appeared in Fantasy Tekken 4 [T] and is winning consecutive games!]

[Wow, his team member is Aspis! Seriously, if it’s a combination of Aspis and Thunderquake we’re F-ed!]

[Thunderquake? The one who got a bit famous way back when? Why are you guys making such a fuss?]

[Since the one above doesn’t know the fear of Thunderquake they must be either Unranked or a Noob]

[Thunderquake is for real and if the two who teamed up are really him and Aspis then they would be the worst possible opponents for any ranked teams.]

[They just won 71 games in a row]

[71 consecutive wins? They won over 70 consecutive games in the 2-member team rankings? Crazy. It’s crazy]

[Since there weren’t any gaming hours put in previously, their ranking has only just entered the top 1000 but since they’ve won 70 consecutive games without losing once, the ‘Virtual Match Point’ will be extremely high. In other words, the top-ranked teams are likely to get matched up with that crazy team if they play now.]

[Ah sh!t, I shouldn’t play the game today. A few years ago, I was robbed by Thunderquake and lost my ranking. I should just quit the ranking matches for today,]

[I don’t know him because I’ve never experienced Thunderquake before and only heard rumours, but I’m scared of Aspis. Aspis is called the ‘Silent Ranker’ or ‘Mysterious Ranker’ and is famous for being a skilled player even among the top tankers.]