Chapter 120: Never Too Late to Train
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn
Einherjar Wannabe's victory had turned the ordinary night into a night to remember. People not only discussed the techniques but also about how astonished they were by Wang Tong's power.
After the audiences had taken in what had just happened, they let out a wave of loud cheers, laced with the joys of the IPA players. They had considered Einherjar Wannabe their representative in the arena and cheered for his decisive victory.
The night didn't wind down after the match was finished. Instead, more and more people joined in the discussion and celebration.
Most of the enthusiasts were waiting patiently online for the release of the video analysis. They wanted to know what had defeated the number one fighter from the S-Class Academy, Capth.
Unlike most IPA players, the TPA players had remained calm. This match had revealed a great deal to them, and they needed time to take in the god-like existence of Einherjar Wannabe.
"Who is he? How did he do that? Is he really only 16?"
"Einherjar… Wannabe? Is he really an Einherjar?"
"What is the meaning behind that stoic expression on Cisco's face after his defeat?"
No one could bring themselves to leave the arena without getting the answers to those questions.
No one at Capth disturbed Cisco who had remained in the virtual terminal after the fight, sitting quietly without saying a word. He held his head with both hands, and there was no sign of any expression on his face as if he had zoned out.
This defeat had been too much for him to bear, it had crushed his ambitions completely.
The video analysis had taken longer than usual to be released. Not only DREAM but also Luv Ma was busy working on his version of the video analysis. However, Luv Ma found it extremely difficult to break down the last moment of the fight as things had happened just way too fast.
Everyone waited patiently; they knew that the longer the wait was, the more interesting the video analysis would be.
Half an hour later, DREAM finally released their version of the analysis.
The audiences were shocked once again after they were able to view the last movement of the fight in slow motion. They couldn't help but marveled at the talent of Cisco, as they watched the impeccable control of his GN force. He was able to regulate the output of the GN force to the finest degree, mainly thanks to his inborn talent, but also thanks to those well-kept, elegant and long fingers.
The kunai danced in his hand like a deadly dark elf thirsted for blood. Despite Cisco's unmatched ability, Einherjar Wannabe had proven to be even a better fighter. People found it incredulous that Einherjar Wannabe was able to gain the same degree of control over the kunai as his opponent while holding not by its handle but by its deadly tip. Numbers seemed pale while being used to measure the precise amount of force and the speed required to achieve such control.
Cisco's finger looked like five phantoms that danced around, each with its own GN force at its disposal.
"How did he achieve this?"
Everyone was deeply in awe of Cisco's ability to use the kunai, for many in the audience, it was their first time seeing Cisco's deadly secret weapon.
Cisco's used the kunai to maximize the damage output of his coup de grace. It was a very different fighting style than the Fist of the Racing Tiger that had given up using any weapon, but they were equally deadly. In a way, Cisco was a real genius because he had invented his own unique style of combat.
Unfortunately, a genius had fallen this night. The injuries he had sustained were minor, but the humiliation of having his kunai taken away was a wound that would never heal.
Some IPA fighters who didn't know Cisco well had foretold Cisco's defeat, but after the fight, they realized that they were right in the wrong way since Cisco's downfall was not because of his own weakness, but rather the god-like power of his opponent.
As for Wang Tong's last decisive move of snatching the kunai away from Cisco, it had become an unsolved riddle to every one since no one could tell what Einherjar Wannabe had done even playing the recording at the slowest speed. DREAM did attempt to slow the recording down even further, but it had caused their video editing software to crash.
The crowd at Capth slowly dispersed after realizing that there was no more information to be gained from the video analysis.
However, the heated debate on the internet had just begun. The more perplexing a subject was, the more attention it would likely attract, and the more mysterious Einherjar Wannabe had become, the more popular he grew.
Cameron had reckoned that Einherjar Wannabe was the savior of the PA system that DREAM had been waiting for so long. Therefore he conceded that he had to collaborate with this mysterious fighter as much as possible instead of trying to control him. He still struggled with Einherjar Wannabe's intention of display his power under the public's view, although Cameron knew for sure that Einherjar Wannabe didn't do it for money nor fame.
"Boss, the number of IPA players had increased more than in the TPA."
Cameron had expected that much so he nodded to his co-worker. This could not have turned out to be better for DREAM. IPA players were where the money was at for DREAM since TPA players wouldn't care to purchase virtual METAL suits — something they could earn in real life — with real world money. However, DREAM had failed to realize the difference between the IPA and the TPA players and therefore many of their campaigns aiming at promoting the IPA league had failed.
Thanks to Einherjar Wannabe, he had built a bridge between the worlds of IPA and the TPA player by winning the hearts of the IPA players.
"But how did he do that?"
Cameron pondered for a moment, and then he suddenly realized the answer. It was respect!
As an old sage used to say: "Treat others the way you want to be treated." The IPA players poured their support to Einherjar Wannabe because they felt the respect in the way Einherjar Wannabe had addressed them. It was such a subtle effect that perhaps even the most die-hard fan of Einherjar Wannabe didn't realize the moment that they were deeply moved by the sense of respect and sincerity.
Einherjar Wannabe's ability to affect another player might seem ordinary, but it was an ability that not many humans in this world possessed.
"One should influence others with genuine sincerity, not with advertisements nor propaganda, and such is the way of being a human," Cameron thought to himself.
Cameron's moment of zen was quickly disturbed by the loud cheers of his coworkers.
"Einherjar Wannabe, who the hell are you!?" Cameron screamed in his mind.
Cameron knew that the fight with Cisco would not be the last one; as Einherjar Wannabe's fame grew, he would attract more powerful fighters, even those who had been lurking in the PA system.
Cameron knew that a storm was coming.
Wang Tong was back in his dorm, laying on his bed and was not sure what to make of this fight. He wondered if he had done the right thing and if there were other ways to improve his skills other than the PA system.
Wang Tong had then been experiencing his growing pains as he had to face choices and the consequences.
"Hey, kiddo! kiddo! Hey, you little brat! I'm talking to you!" Mr. Wannabe emerged from the crystal as Wang Tong heard his signature husky voice.
"I don't want to talk!" Wang Tong turned around, facing the other way. He hated it how Mr. Wannabe always showed up at the worst possible moment.
"Hey Kiddo, something is on your mind? Spit it out, you know you can count on me!" Mr. Wannabe said it curiously with a smile on his face, but it could not hide the patronizing tone in his voice.
Wang Tong rolled his eyes at him; however, on second thought, Wang Tong decided to tell him what had happened since he figured that there was no harm of venting.
"That's it?" Mr. Wannabe asked incredulously.
"Balls, don't be rude! This is a serious issue! If I didn't use the Tactics of the Blade accidentally, I might have lost the fight. "
"Tell me then, is the Tactics of the Blade still yours?"
"Of course it is!"
"Then that's it, what’s the problem?"
"The problem is, I joined the fight to learn new tactics and techniques, but I end up always relying on my own tactics."
"Well, if you had realized that your hand speed is not as fast as your opponent, why don't you focusing your training on the speed of your hand movements? A fight can not only teach you new techniques but also tell you where you still need to improve."
Wang Tong paused for a second to let Mr. Wannabe's words sink in. Right or wrong aside, he felt that Mr. Wannabe's no-bullish attitude bore a striking resemblance to Old Fart.
"You might have used the Tactics of the Blade without knowing it, but it was not an accident, it only meant that you had trained hard these days. I am not too familiar with your tactics, but I can tell you for sure that there is still a long way for you to go to improve and perfect your tactics, you are still a beginner."
"Beginner? My recent opponents were all pretty strong!"
"Strong? You call these kids strong? Kiddo, you should know your place, everyone has their own destiny. Perhaps to some, the opponents that you had defeated were strong, but not for you. That being said, I do notice that you have improved quite a bit and even hit your limit in certain areas. You should be proud of it, instead of wasting your time on useless sentiments."
"Balls, I don't believe you, there is no way I can surpass Cisco in the movements of fingers. You can't expect me to be a master at everything."
Wang Tong figured that he was still young and he didn't want to die out of exhaustion due to unrealistic training scheduled.
Mr. Wannabe didn't press on; instead, he waved an arm in the air and initiated a virtual reality projection to show Wang Tong's his real ability. Stunned by what he saw, Wang Tong choked back his retort.
"Kiddo, what I had just showed you were only the basics, and you are still quite a way from there. You will reach that state whenever you discover your own fighting and training style. Until then, you are still a rookie!"
Wang Tong wanted to retort but found nothing, so he rolled his eyes at Mr. Wannabe. "Maybe you are right, on another note, how did you get out of the crystal? Miss me?"
"Buzz off! I had no choice! I always got kicked out of that damn place every time you are upset. F*ck, like I am your babysitter or what not!" Mr. Wannabe ranted.
"Well, Mr. babysitter, your job is done, see you later."
Mr. Wannabe raised his middle finger at Wang Tong and disappeared into the crystal. Wang Tong noticed that there was a sense of uncertainty on Mr. Wannabe's face as he disappeared as if some change had taken place inside the crystal. Whatever it was, Mr. Wannabe must have liked it for any change would be welcome after getting stuffed in the crystal for so many years.
After the talk with Mr. Wannabe, Wang Tong felt much better about himself. He stretched his fingers and felt confident that he could improve his finger movements very quickly. He had never trained his fingers other than using them for space simulation, the lack of practice had led to his subpar performance while fighting against Cisco. However, it was never too late to start intense training.
As Wang Tong trained his fingers techniques with new found enthusiasm, the former genius at Capth had never felt more depressed and lost in his life.
The most intriguing story presented by the real-world were usually tragedy of the losers.