Descent of the Demon Master

Chapter 546. Peaceful (1)

“Huh? Is that you, Yu-Min hyung?”

Park Yu-Min stepped inside the pro gaming practice area, then faintly smiled at the scene welcoming him. His attitude hinted at how familiar this scene was to him. “Hi, Jeong-Wu. It's been a while.”

Choi Jeong-Wu took his hands away from the keyboard and mouse and hurriedly got up. He ran up to Park Yu-Min and bowed deeply. “Wow, hyung. It's our first time seeing you like this after you left the team.”

“Yeah. It's great to see you again,” said Park Yu-Min, a bright smile on his face. Back when he was still an active pro gamer, Choi Jeong-Wu was just a trainee. But now...

'Our situations have reversed now.'

At that time, the difference in the statuses of Park Yu-Min and Choi Jeong-Wu was like heaven and earth. After all, the latter was just another run-of-the-mill trainee who dreamed of debuting as a pro but still lacked that tiny bit of edge required to rise above the rest.

On the other hand, Park Yu-Min had been one of the top players in the scene, with his name regularly featured among the list of 'gosus' for a while.[1]

However, that situation had reversed now. Park Yu-Min was now a trainee, here to take the entrance test. Meanwhile, Choi Jeong-Wu was a pro gamer trusted by the team and his fellow teammates.

Park Yu-Min chuckled after finding this reversal of roles a rather remarkable trick of fate.

Choi Jeong-Wu smiled awkwardly. “I wanted to call you so many times, but... I wasn't sure if someone like me could even talk to you like we're old friends.”

“Don't say that. Call me anytime if you want to talk.”

“Even then... How can a lowly dumbass like me do that?” Choi Jeong-Wu kept bowing his head as if he was awestruck.

Park Yu-Min hurriedly waved his hands in a fluster. “What's gotten into you, dude? You're making me blush here.”

“...I'm glad you still haven't changed, hyung.” Choi Jeong-Wu smiled brightly in genuine happiness.

Park Yu-Min had always been like this. Just like how it was with celebrities, people began changing once they became recognized as pro gamers, and their stock went up. Unsurprisingly, some of them would become completely insufferable as*holes.

To make matters worse, the modern pro gaming scene's structure meant the best of the pro gamers would always be openly favored by their teams. In this caste system, a lone individual would not have enough strength to change anything.

Some pro gaming teams demanded manners and discipline exceeding the harshest military camps. And corruption ran rampant in various places, too. Fortunately, though, Choi Jeong-Wu's team wasn't like that. And that was because the team's top representative used to be Park Yu-Min.

Despite being a top pro gamer in the scene, Park Yu-Min never shirked his responsibilities or dumped them on the shoulders of his juniors. He even did some of the work the trainees were expected to do in secret, too.

His reason? He couldn't bear to see the trainees go through that nonsense when they were already dead-tired from the harsh practice sessions.

'Yup, he was an angel, alight. A real-life angel.'

No wonder Park Yu-Min was so popular among the trainees back then!

After the Galaxy League shuttered, the former pros switched to streaming. And that opened the doors for their sordid past to be aired in the open. Even the top-level pros were not spared from public shaming. Now, there was no way to hide their dirty laundry of being tyrants and as*holes.

Many fans were disappointed by the truth and began turning their backs on the idols they once admired. That meant the withdrawal of financial support, too. That was the story these days, but Park Yu-Min's stock had been going up even higher instead.

The reason for that was simple enough. The more people dug into his past, the easier it became to prove how much of an angel Park Yu-Min was. Even the former pros treated Park Yu-Min as an exception and only sang his praises. Such was his fandom that some netizens jokingly started the Church of Park Yu-Min and tried to get him sworn in as its pope!

'But, it all makes sense.'

Choi Jeong-Wu smiled contentedly.

Park Yu-Min fully deserved all the platitudes he could get. Obviously, Choi Jeong-Wu was a human and would get envious if someone else was more popular than him. But he'd never feel jealous of Park Yu-Min. Never.

“What brings you here, hyung? Wait, are you here to cheer us on?”

Park Yu-Min chuckled. “Nah.”

That was when the team director walked in behind Park Yu-Min with a huge smile etched on his face. “Yu-Min's here to take the entrance test, obviously!”

“Sorry?” Choi Jeong-Wu stepped back in surprise, then he urgently stared at Park Yu-Min.

Park Yu-Min coolly nodded. “Yup. I've entered the upper Challenger rank, you see? I have the qualifications now.”

“Wow! Hyung! Really?”

“Yeah. I really did it, Jeong-Wu.”

“...Hyung, you're really amazing. How did you hit the highest ranks in two different types of games?” Choi Jeong-Wu stared with shock and pure admiration at Park Yu-Min.

From a layman's perspective, all video games might look the same, at least on the surface. Obviously, the truth was anything but that for the actual gamers.

Even if soccer and basketball used balls to play, a top soccer player would not be able to reach the same professional heights in basketball. Sure, the athletes were born with superior physical abilities, so they might reach the upper echelons of a different discipline, but reaching the very top? That was impossible. Even the king of the basketball court, a certain M. Jordan, couldn't cut it past baseball's minor leagues.

But now... Park Yu-Min was about to take the entrance test?

“Hyung! Seriously... As expected of you, hyung!”

“No, hold on. I'm still not there yet. But the director has been egging me to take the test for a while, and that's why I'm here today. The truth is, I'm still nowhere good enough yet.”

The team director butted in. “Don't say that, Yu-Min. You definitely meet the criteria to take the test. Besides, I ain't gonna sit here and watch some random team snatch you away, okay? If you end up debuting in another team... Gee whiz, that will be the day the internet roasts me alive, dude!”

“Aha. You have a point there, Director.” Choi Jeong-Wu agreed enthusiastically. Park Yu-Min could only smile awkwardly at this exchange, though.

“Anyways... Hyung, what's your lane?”

“Oh, uh... It's mid.”

Choi Jeong-Wu's expression became unreadable when he heard that. It wasn't because that was his lane, though.

“Eh? You're a mid-laner? Does that mean I'm gonna test you?” One of the younger gamers pointed at himself while blinking his eyes.

“Yup, so get ready, Hyeon-Tae,” said the team director.

Choi Jeong-Wu grew a little nervous just then. The thing was... this team's designated mid laner was a brat named Gwak Hyeon-Tae. Although Gwak Hyeon-Tae was the team's ace, Choi Jeong-Wu's real concern wasn't about that brat's skill level.

'Hmm. He's not gonna be too happy about this.'

Gwak Hyeon-Tae was known for his ruthless personality. And he was a teenage star with skills his peers acknowledged, too. Unsurprisingly, his cockiness was through the roof, while his desire to trample on his opponents could become uncontrollable at times.

Would Park Yu-Min be able to deal with that brat's unruly dynamism?

Gwak Hyeon-Tae smiled amiably. “I was a huge fan back when you were still in the scene, Senior Park.”

“Oh, I see. Thank you.”

“But, uh... This is a totally different type of game, you know? Will you be okay, Senior?”

Park Yu-Min naturally hesitated with his answer.

However, the team director replied for him instead. “Hey, you. Watch what you say.”

“Eiii, I was just asking, you know...”

“This ain't about his abilities, okay? Without Yu-Min, you all wouldn't have a job here. Never forget that Yu-Min played a big part in keeping our team going through rough patches, okay?”

“Yes, sir,” Gwak Hyeong-Tae casually shrugged his shoulders. He seemed to quietly mutter, 'This isn't the only team, you know. I could've debuted somewhere else, too,' but the team director didn't try to rake the brat over the coals.

Even if various teams all harped on the importance of the pro gamers' personalities and morals, what really mattered at the end of the day was their gaming skills. As long as their skill was the real deal, a pro gamer could survive in any team. And the team director knew that cold, hard truth better than anyone. That was why... It was time for Park Yu-Min to show off his skills, too!

“Alright, Yu-Min. Get ready.”

“Yes, Director.”

“I wouldn't mind seeing your wave management first, but it'll probably be in line with my expectations, so let's skip that for now. Instead, show us what you can do in a lane battle, Yu-Min. In the mid lane, of course.”

“Yes, Director,” Park Yu-Min nodded, then began taking out his gaming equipment from his backpack. His expression was stiff with determination.

'Just do your best, Yu-Min. That will be enough.'

Park Yu-Min tightly clutched his mouse while approaching a slightly unfamiliar-looking computer.

***

The director sounded a bit apologetic. “We'll hold another test next week.”

“...Understood,” Park Yu-Min slowly nodded.

“Don't get too dejected about this, okay? You know how it is with tests. People get nervous and can't bring out their best.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Still, considering the situation, you did pretty good. Next time, don't be too nervous, okay?”

“I won't.”

“Alright, then. You did good, Yu-Min.”

Park Yu-Min bowed his head at the team director. “Thank you.”

“Okay, see you next week. I'll DM you later.”

“Understood, Director.” Park Yu-Min turned around and headed to the exit.

The team director could only ruefully watch him leave. 'Well, Yu-Min's always been weak against pressure.'

If only Park Yu-Min was a bit more tenacious, a bit more driven; his acclaim would've been even higher, perhaps as much as 100% of what it used to be. Even at the height of his pro gaming prime, Park Yu-Min would often fail to endure the pressure and miss the chance to defeat the opponent.

However, the team director was sympathetic. Park Yu-Min was trying out a different type of game. And he was getting on in years, at least in the pro gaming scene. Suppressing others from a higher dimension, as he had done with the previous game, would be impossible now. No wonder the deficiencies in his personality, which had been masked during his prime, would be exposed so brutally like today.

Besides, Park Yu-Min also had prior achievements as a top-ranked pro gamer to consider. Those things should heap twice the amount of pressure on the poor guy's shoulders. It wouldn't be surprising to learn that his hands weren't moving as freely as he wanted during the test.

Except that... Would Park Yu-Min really be able to make his debut if he sorted that part of himself out? Something more fundamental about him needed to be...

“Director? I'm gonna pop outside for a minute.” Choi Jeong-Wu hurriedly got up and rushed outside the practice area.

The director stumbled before urgently reaching out. “What the hell?! Hey, man! Where are you going! We'll be getting people ready for a scrim soon, you know!”

“Oops! Can you tell them I'm really sorry about this? I suddenly thought of something I gotta take care of, you see? Please tell them I'll pay for the team get-together later! Thanks!”

“Wait! Just because you said sorry, it ain't gonna...!” The director's hand faltered as Choi Jeong-Wu's figure disappeared through the exit. He chuckled helplessly. 'Regardless of what, Yu-Min sure is lucky with people, isn't he...?'

Become the best by being an as*hole and lose one's humanity in the process... Or stay the same and forget about being the best but retain their humanity? The director wasn't sure which of the two options was the correct answer. Still, one thing was for certain; no one in this industry wanted to see Park Yu-Min ruined. At least those who knew Park Yu-Min personally, that was.

***

“Hyung! Hyung! Wait up!”

Park Yu-Min looked behind and discovered Choi Jeong-Wu running toward him. “Huh? Jeong-Wu, what are you doing here?”

“Hyung, what's the rush? Don't leave like that. I haven't even said goodbye yet.”

“...That's not really necessary, though?”

“Even so, I need to see you off like a man, right? So, how about I treat you to a... Actually, you should buy me coffee instead.”

Park Yu-Min chuckled. “Why did your tune suddenly change to 'buy me stuff' instead?”

“When I think about it, you must've made a ton of money by now, right? So, I figured me buying you a cup of coffee would be seen as being too arrogant and stuff.”

“...I would've seen it as a considerate gesture, though?”

Choi Jeong-Wu tilted his head. “Really? Okay, I'll buy, then.”

“Nah, it's cool. I'll buy. Come on, let's go.”

Park Yu-Min led Choi Jeong-Wu to a nearby cafe. After getting their drinks, Park Yu-Min settled down on the opposite side of Choi Jeong-Wu.

“Did you come here to take pity on me?” Park Yu-Min awkwardly asked.

“Eiii, there's no way, hyung. I'm not good enough to take pity on you.”

“But it's true that I failed hard today.”

“Let's be honest here, hyung. It's not easy to be great in two different games. Am I wrong?”

Park Yu-Min tilted his head. “But you're doing it, no?”

“Come on now. I've never been good enough to challenge the dirt under your toenail in Galaxy. And even now, I still can't even dream of reaching the heights you've reached as a pro. I'm just your common middle-of-the-road pro gamer. But you've already reached the level of a pro gamer in this game, and you were also the best of the best in the Galaxy. That's an incredible achievement, you know.”

“Thanks for your kind words. But... I don't think I'm anywhere near as good as a pro. Today was an eye-opener for me.”

Park Yu-Min wasn't being humble, though. He was actually discouraged by what he experienced today. As Park Yu-Min continued to practice online, his rank naturally kept climbing higher and higher. And that meant he got many opportunities to battle pro gamers. Since he was playing evenly against them, he figured his skills had reached the 'good-enough' level, but that was wrong.

'Then again, isn't it obvious when you think about it?'

Wasn't Park Yu-Min like this as well in the past? His mindset while playing against amateurs in public lobbies was starkly different from when he was competing against other pros. The only amateur Park Yu-Min needed to put in all of his efforts was Kang Jin-Ho.

“Listen, Jeong-Wu...”

“Yes, hyung?”

“In your opinion, what do you think is my problem?”

“Sorry?”

“What should I do to improve myself?”

Choi Jeong-Wu clamped his mouth shut. This wasn't something he could carelessly answer. Especially when the person looking for an answer happened to be his idol!

Giving advice to someone like that was not going to be easy. Even so, Choi Jeong-Wu had to do this. This was the only way to assist Park Yu-Min, after all.

“Hyung, this is what I think...”

“Okay?”

Choi Jeong-Wu gulped back nervously, then leaned forward. “The way I see it, it's not the issue of your actual skill or your lack of understanding, but... Well, it's your personality, hyung.”

“My... personality?”

Park Yu-Min's eyes widened at that unexpected reply.

1. 'Gosu' is a Starcraft term, an acronym for 'God of Starcraft Universe'. Incidentally, it also means 'expert' in Korean. Coincidence? ☜