Descent of the Demon Master

"Your form lately has been something else, Yu-Min!" Director Oh Jin-Hyeong heartily chuckled while patting Park Yu-Min on the shoulder.

Park Yu-Min smiled sheepishly. "I just got lucky, that's all."

"Don't say that in public, okay? If the dude who climbed to the number one spot in the solo rankings says it's all down to luck, all the pro gamers sacrificing sleep to get more practice might as well jump in a lake and get it over with."

"That's not what I meant, though..." Park Yu-Min got flustered and started sweating.

Oh Jin-Hyeong smiled brightly.

'Seriously, this kid is something else, alright.'

He had to acknowledge that he used to be under some serious misunderstanding until recently. And that misunderstanding was about Park Yu-Min.

This kid had been active as a pro gamer for quite a long time now. Even back when he reigned supreme as the emperor in the Galaxy Craft days, Park Yu-Min was one of the most experienced players in that scene.

A pro gamer's career was much shorter than a pro athlete's, so anyone lasting over three years in e-sports was worthy of the label grizzled veteran. That was where Oh Jun-Hyeong's misunderstanding stemmed from.

He should've remembered that Park Yu-Min wasn't even twenty-five years old. Considering that an average e-sports athlete usually reached their physical peak before the age of twenty and their prime during the early twenties before entering the gradual decline past the age of twenty-five... Park Yu-Min should still be in his prime.

Oh Jin-Hyeong had failed to properly evaluate Park Yu-Min because this was a different game to the Galaxy Craft, and the latter had comparatively longer experience in e-sports than his younger teammates.

'He should be able to remain in his prime for a few years longer, at least.'

Oh Jin-Hyeong was confident of his findings. After joining the team's practice area, Park Yu-Min improved himself at a voracious rate. It was as if he had finally found the right environment to unleash his talents. All the proof was in how he conquered the solo rankings and put in some of the craziest, most outstanding performances during scrims![1]

Choi Jeong-Wu sitting next to Park Yu-Min enthusiastically butted in. "Hyung! I'm telling you, you give me goosebumps sometimes!"

"Come on, dude. Stop it."

Choi Jeong-Wu was clearly more pumped by Park Yu-Min's feats than Park Yu-Min himself.

"I mean, seriously! Hyung, that solo kill was the stuff of a legend, you know! We were dealing with the number one-ranked team, too! We won easily because you were with us. Dang it, if only it wasn't a scrim but an official match...!"

Park Yu-Min shook his head. "Things would've been different if it had been an actual match, Jeong-Wu."

"Eiii. Nah~, I don't think it would've been."

Park Yu-Min suddenly grew serious. "Listen, Jeong-Wu."

"Yes, hyung?"

"It's pointless to do great in practice. As a pro, you need to do great in actual matches. Don't ever forget that many so-called kings and queens of practice halls faded away into obscurity."

"Eii, hyung. You're different, though."

"Jeong-Wu...!"

"...Yes, yes. My bad. I got a bit carried away."

Park Yu-Min chuckled at that, which also helped Choi Jeong-Wu to stop pouting and smirk back.

Oh Jin-Hyeong smiled contentedly.

'And the mood's been pretty good, too...'

A jovial atmosphere would inevitably surround a team that had been doing pretty well. However, some level of discipline was still necessary.

Despite being energetic and motivated, Oh Jin-Yeong's team lacked the spirit of pro athletes until recently. But Park Yu-Min showed up just in time to fill that void. To the team members, Park Yu-Min was a super-senior and an idol they looked up to. So, when someone like that joined their team and practiced harder than anyone... It became a catalyst that naturally transformed the team's atmosphere.

It was that kind of an atmosphere where everyone was motivated to work harder without their team director losing his temper or personally pointing out all the areas requiring improvement. Better still, their skills were improving noticeably, so how could the team not be motivated?

"Director?" Choi Jeong-Wu, making an expectant face, called out to Oh Jin-Yeong.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Who's gonna get picked as the mid-laner for the next match?"

"Hmm..." Oh Jin-Hyeong couldn't reply right away. 'Well, it's about time, anyway.'

No, that wasn't right. It was a bit late, wasn't it?

In terms of skill, Park Yu-Min had already exceeded the team's previous ace, Gwok Hyeon-Tae, quite some time ago. Even Gwok Hyeon-Tae himself admitted to it. In that case, the obvious thing to do was to select Park Yu-Min as the lead.

However, Oh Jin-Hyeong had been struggling with the right time to do that.

'It's not as simple as it sounds.'

When Park Yu-Min's name was added to the Summer roster, the online communities lost their collective minds. The passionate supporters making up the 'Park Yu-Min' cult went absolutely berserk at the news.

Some people were so happy at the news of Park Yu-Min switching the game to return to the e-sports scene that they apparently were losing sleep. However, some others felt betrayed by the fact that Park Yu-Min abandoned the Galaxy Craft and moved on to a different title.

The communities were split neatly into two camps of 'In Favor Of' and 'Against' to create a messy warzone. In the end, though... People gradually settled on the 'In Favor Of' camp since Park Yu-Min was finally resuming his pro gamer career, which was seen as better than the alternative. And now, the focus of their attention was on how far Park Yu-Min could go in his second shot at the e-sports career.

'So, the pressure on the kid's shoulder must be no goddamn joke.'

Even if Park Yu-Min didn't look worried, he was still a human being at the end of the day. If Oh Jin-Hyeong were to be more objective in his evaluation, Park Yu-Min was actually a bit more timid than an average boy his age. Challenging a new title when he had no prior records or achievements to fall back on was already taxing enough. The audience's anticipation must be weighing down like a mountain on the poor kid's shoulders.

Failing to deal with that pressure could destroy Park Yu-Min in the blink of an eye. That was why Oh Jin-Hyeong had been reluctant to pull the trigger until now.

Choi Jeong-Wu continued to speak. "Director, you know our team ranking's in a precarious position."

"Why do you sound proud when saying that? You're supposed to be a pro, aren't you? You should be improving your skills if the team's ranking's been falling instead of thinking about switching out the team members!"

"Eiii, come on now, director. This is a team game, you know? I'll do my best, sure. But having a higher-skilled teammate is way better, don't you agree?"

"Tsk..." Oh Jin-Hyeong scowled while turning away. Despite his displeasure, he had to concede that Choi Jeong-Wu was right. This was a team game, after all.

'The problem is with Hyeon-Tae...'

While Park Yu-Min was in the form of his life, Gwok Hyeon-Tae's form was in the pits. Which didn't surprise Oh Jin-Hyeong at all.

Obviously, being skilled was crucial for a pro gamer. However, one should never forget how important one's headspace was. To demonstrate physical attributes and understanding of the game's mechanics to their fullest, a pro gamer's state of mind must not be in a mess.

However, Gwok Hyeon-Tae's headspace was in tatters right now. In complete shambles. A competitor he didn't think was on his level surged ahead nonstop and eventually left him in the dust. Gwok Hyeon-Tae was too young and immature to remain psychologically strong after experiencing that.

Whenever Gwok Hyeon-Tae encountered Park Yu-Min during solo ranking matches, he'd get utterly obliterated. Even during scrims, he'd fall behind in evaluations, too. Crucially, teammates preferred gaming with Park Yu-Min, not Gwok Hyeon-Tae.

Oh Jin-Hyeong shouldn't forget that Gwok Hyeon-Tae was still a kid who became twenty years old this year. A kid who was glorified as the Next Big Thing, no less! But now, in the proverbial blink of an eye, he was relegated to obscurity. The shock to his mind must've been nothing to laugh about.

'In that sense... Yu-Min can be ruthless in stuff like that.'

There was a reason why Park Yu-Min was seen as a natural-born pro gamer. He could see Gwok Hyeon-Tae's headspace and confidence going down the drain, but... Even after offering some words of consolation and encouragement, Park Yu-Min never went easy on the kid. Not even once. Actually, it'd be safe to say he utterly, thoroughly crushed Gwok Hyeon-Tae.

When judged by that vicious side of his, Park Yu-Min should be trusted to handle the pressure, so maybe...?

"Hey, Yu-Min?" Oh Jin-Hyeong called out.

"Yes, director?"

"What do you say? Don't you think it's about time you start participating in the matches?"

Park Yu-Min didn't immediately reply and began pondering his answer.

Choi Jeong-Wu cried out in exasperation. "Hyung! What's there to think about? You're the unofficial number-one player in this game, you know! You at 80% capacity during official matches alone should be enough to crush our opponents!"

"Hey, you. Pipe down, will you?" Oh Jin-Hyeong tutted loudly and cut Choi Jeong-Wu off.

Choi Jeong-Wu pouted unhappily.

'I'm being serious, though...'

Since he practiced together, he could confidently say it. Park Yu-Min was the real deal. And no, this evaluation didn't come about because Park Yu-Min was someone Choi Jeong-Wu idolized and respected. Choi Jeong-Wu's evaluation would've remained the same even if it was some other random rookie, not Park Yu-Min.

It wasn't as if Choi Jeong-Wu didn't get why the director was so worried. However, he thought the director was being a worrywart for nothing. A pro gamer proved themselves through their gaming skills. And Park Yu-Min possessed more than enough skills to walk the walk.

"If I'm being honest, I think it's still a little too early for me..." Park Yu-Min finally broke his silence with his composed voice. "I'd like to improve my form a little more to meet my fans' expectations, you see?"

Oh Jin-Hyeong tilted his head. "Really?"

"But when I think about what this 'form' is... I don't think I'll ever be satisfied with it. It happened before, you see? Even though other people kept saying I was in the form of my life, that I'm at the peak of my form... I kept noticing where I fell short, and that dissatisfied me. Knowing that, the form that I want to be in will probably never arrive in my lifetime."

"...What do you mean by that, Yu-Min?"

"If the desire is to get out there after a thorough preparation... Then, I have no problem joining the team, director."

Oh Jin-Hyeong silently studied Park Yu-Min's expression. There was not a hint of wavering in the latter's face. "I see. What about the pressure, though?"

"Well, the pressure is always there. And it's heavy and kinda scary. So scary that I nearly black out whenever I step inside the arena. However... If I avoid playing matches because of that fear, I might as well quit this scene. We didn't become pros to play well in practice, after all."

"Mm. You're right." Oh Jin-Hyeong nodded while smiling brightly. 'Yup, he's gotten tougher than before.'

Park Yu-Min was always an outstanding pro gamer. But now, he was steadily becoming something more than that. He was becoming an outstanding person.

'As for me, I should learn to trust my players more.'

Worrying too much was a problem, now wasn't it? Oh Jin-Hyeong couldn't shield Park Yu-Min from the headwinds forever. And the truth of the matter was... Oh Jin-Hyeong needed Park Yu-Min's help, not the other way around. His team needed a trigger to turn things around right now.

The ace called Park Yu-Min needed to play his part for his team to finally start aiming for victories.

Oh Jin-Hyeong slowly nodded. "Okay, got it. Can you start from the next match?"

"Yes, director," Park Yu-Min confidently replied.

"Good. Let's go with that."

Park Yu-Min silently nodded.

Choi Jeong-Wu cried out in excitement. "Woah! Yu-Min hyung, that means you're taking the lead in the next competition, right?"

"I guess so."

"The internet's gonna go absolutely mental now," Choi Jeong-Wu cackled in anticipation.

Once Park Yu-Min rocked up and played an outstanding match, the online gaming communities would experience another Renaissance. Probably. Choi Jeong-Wu couldn't wait to see how many new memes would pop up afterward.

Oh Jin-Hyeong tutted loudly. "You're worried about online communities? We've come this far, so you should be focusing on winning matches instead!"

"What's there to worry about, director? I know for sure we're gonna win, anyway."

Oh Jin-Hyeong was dumbfounded and stared weirdly at Choi Jeong-Wu. "And what makes you so sure about our chances?"

"With Yu-Min hyung's skills, not winning will be more weird, you know? As long as he turns up for the match, we'll win. No ifs and buts. And if we lose somehow, you can blame us, not Yu-Min hyung."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely do that," Oh Jin-Hyeong chuckled. "Don't get too cocky and keep your head in the game, okay? If one of you idiots somehow messes up Yu-Min's debut match, you're gonna receive a lifetime's insults in one day."

"...Wow, you're right, director." Choi Jeong-Wu shuddered grandly. He got scared by the prospect of the Park Yu-Min cult members making his life miserable if he somehow messed up the upcoming match.

Park Yu-Min got up to leave. "Before the next scrim starts, can I go outside and make a phone call?"

"Sure thing. Don't be late, though," said Oh Jin-Hyeong.

"Got it." Park Yu-Min nodded and left the practice area.

Choi Jeong-Wu sighed and muttered quietly. "He sure is an amazing dude..."

"Yup, I agree," Oh Jin-Hyeong nodded slowly.

Park Yu-Min was much younger, yet as a fellow man, Oh Jin-Hyeong couldn't help but respect that kid. A talent for playing computer games wasn't really important. What was important, though, were the persistence and adventurousness to reinvent oneself over and over again to reach one's goal.

On the surface, Park Yu-Min was a timid kid, yet inside him was a hotly burning furnace. People should learn from how passionate Park Yu-Min really was.

"Hey, Jeong-Wu! You should also work harder, kid! At least try to be more like Yu-Min, will you!"

"That's easier said than done, though. Yu-Min hyung is like a superman, you know!"

"He's a human being like everyone else."

"Sure, he is, but it feels like different people are born to different standards. Ask me if I can become the world's top player, and I'll tell you nothing is stopping me. But ask me if I can win against Yu-Min hyung, and I won't be able to give you a straight answer."

What kind of nonsense was that? Still, Oh Jin-Hyeong was able to figure out what Choi Jeong-Wu wanted to say.

'In any case... Yu-Min's one remarkable kid, alright...'

Oh Jin-Hyeong stared at the doorway Park Yu-Min used to exit, his expression warm and fuzzy. Just how many people would get the shock of their lives once Park Yu-Min re-debuted in the scene? He was genuinely looking forward to that day.

1. "Scrim", short for scrimmage, means a test match between two e-sports teams. ☜

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