Season 4: Chapter 51. The Glitch Demon (3)

“W-What the hell was that!? How did he do that!?”

Almond suddenly teleported behind Oh Sang-Gi and landed a clean slash. Technically, he just stepped and struck using Dimensional Step. However, it looked like several frames had been skipped in between the motion. He had reappeared with the sword already at Oh Sang-Gi’s back.

Assistant Manager Kim widened his eyes in stunned silence.

‘Holy crap.’

Almond’s combat ability was now being properly unleashed. And this was just the beginning. It felt terrifying.

‘What is this? Some old PC game input buffering? How is that even possible?’

After gaming transitioned into full virtual reality, using pre-inputs while fighting was considered impractical. Almond had just pulled it off.

“Wait... is this how you’re supposed to fight?”

“Ah... yeah. This is the first climax point.” Assistant Manager Kim played it off casually.

It was true that fighting Oh Sang-Gi was the first major climax, but Oh Sang-Gi wasn’t supposed to get hit that easily based on his speed and combat power.

‘Just let him enjoy it...’

Assistant Manager Kim decided not to mention anything to Manager Kim, who seemed hyped to watch a proper battle unfold. There was no point in ruining the mood.

“This looks good, doesn’t it?”

To be fair, the combat visuals here looked better than what the devs had hoped for. Almond’s fighting style was so fast and fluid. It made their original concept footage look bland.

“Man... this is insane.”

For the first time, Manager Kim became completely immersed in the game. Not in terms of who was winning or losing. The fight itself captivated him.

‘Dammit...’

Sweat already beaded on Assistant Manager Kim’s forehead.

‘No way... is he really going to kill Oh Sang-Gi like this?’

The way the battle currently went, even Phase two began to look shaky. Even if Oh Sang-Gi died here, the player wouldn’t find the true villain. The game would probably force a restart from a save point. In that sense, the outcome wouldn’t be bad. However, that was a shallow way to look at it.

‘This is supposed to be the game’s first climax.’

If Oh Sang-Gi died in a dingy bathroom like this, it would undermine the entire marketing narrative.

‘Right... Almond can’t kill him. Even if he does, it won’t count.’

He repeated it to himself like a mantra, but the way Almond charged in made it hard to believe.

***

[Dimensional Step]

Fwoosh!

Almond reappeared behind Oh Sang-Gi again, and his blade flashed.

Slash!

A deep wound tore through Oh Sang-Gi’s dark red skin.

BOOM!

Oh Sang-Gi retaliated by whipping his wings out, sending Almond flying with a gust.

“Your spiritual power is way too low. How?” Oh Sang-Gi looked genuinely surprised. “You... what are you?”

“I’m Blessed Almond.”

— LOOOOOOL

— Oh no, not this again

— That name tho

— Blessed Almond rise

— Legendary delinquent exorcist title?

— Epic

— I’m Blessed Almond~!

Oh Sang-Gi now acknowledged Almond—no, Blessed Almond—as a real threat.

“So you're not a normal shaman.”

He hadn’t taken Almond seriously before due to Almond’s low spiritual power. After taking a few hits, it became clear that he would lose if he didn’t go all out.

“Very well. I’ll fight you seriously.”

Fwoooosh!

A whirlwind surged around him.

Almond was fully fired up too. He only focused on his sword and Oh Sang-Gi.

Flash.

‘Straight in.’

Shhhh!

The Exorcist Sword slashed through the wind, cutting its way forward. Oh Sang-Gi swung his arm. A wall of wind collided with the sword.

BOOM!

The sword trembled violently from the impact, knocking Almond off balance.

[Dimensional Step]

Fwoosh!

Almond instantly shifted and unleashed a follow-up strike. He appeared behind Oh Sang-Gi again.

Shhh!

The slash aimed at Oh Sang-Gi’s back, but Oh Sang-Gi was prepared this time.

“Not again.”

Oh Sang-Gi pivoted and unleashed a spinning kick. A gust slammed into Almond, throwing him back. Almond rebounded off the wall and launched forward again to attack.

“Oh?”

Oh Sang-Gi’s eyes sharpened. He countered with a blast of wind.

BOOOM!

[Dimensional Step]

Almond vanished once more.

Pop!

This time, he reappeared crouched at Oh Sang-Gi’s feet.

“Below?”

Oh Sang-Gi’s eyes twitched.

Huff!

Almond thrust his blade up for a clean stab from below. This angle couldn’t be blocked conventionally.

“Begone.”

Oh Sang-Gi’s eyes turned crimson. Wind wrapped around his entire body. Then, it burst in all directions.

BOOOOM!!!

The shockwave blew apart every tile, wall, and faucet in the restroom. Almond was launched back with his hat flying loose.

“

Huff... huff...

”

It wouldn’t get any easier from here. Almond tossed his dangling hat aside and caught his breath.

Oh Sang-Gi slowly circled him but didn’t attack right away. They both briefly paused for a moment of mutual analysis.

Fsssshh...

Broken plumbing sprayed water everywhere and flooded the ruined bathroom.

— Whoa

— This game is getting serious now

— Blessed Almond is cracked

— This turned into a hardcore boss fight real fast

— I’m scared, Almond-nim...

— Bro’s got aura

— He’s HIM

Even the chat had gone mostly quiet. Viewers were glued to the screen. This was easily the most difficult moment since the start of

Ghostwo Busters

.

‘Again.’

Splash!

Almond kicked off the wet floor and charged in.

Oh Sang-Gi swept his foot low.

BOOSH!

Water burst up like a fountain and obscured Almond’s vision.

Shhh!

Almond’s blade sliced through the sword, but Oh Sang-Gi wasn’t there. In that instant, Almond’s eyes dropped.

‘Below?’

Oh Sang-Gi crouched with his fist clenched for an uppercut.

BOOOOSH!

A massive wind blast exploded upward and flung all the water like a geyser.

If that had connected, Almond would've been smashed into the ceiling and dead on impact.

[Dimensional Step]

Fwoosh!

Almond teleported behind Oh Sang-Gi once again. At the same time, he spun and slashed horizontally.

Shhhraaack!

The strike landed, and another deep gash carved itself across Oh Sang-Gi’s dark crimson back. Blinded by the splash of water he had created himself, Oh Sang-Gi suffered a counterattack instead.

— Whoa

— Who gave Almond Flashy Blade again?

— Damn

— The man who defeated JeonJaPa’s score

“

Whoa...

”

Su-Yeon, sitting collapsed in the corner of the restroom, couldn’t help but marvel. She knew she had to get involved somehow, but couldn’t find an opening.

BOOOM!

The ceiling shattered, and windows exploded from the pressure.

Fwump!

Almond dodged again with Dimensional Step and seized another narrow chance. There was simply no room for anyone else to interfere in this fight. And yet, someone in every group always charged in despite the clear danger. That one person with zero self-awareness had arrived just now.

BAM!

The bathroom door flew open and a familiar voice rang out. “Almooooond!!”

Bubblegum had finally fled the cafe after the wraiths completely mobbed him.

Almond’s eyes went wide.

‘Why is he here?’

Two very big problems would come from this. First, Bubblegum had brought a trail of wraiths right behind him. Second, the floor was wet. For some reason, Bubblegum was in the middle of casting Wind Bomb.

Slip!

“Almond—

urk!?

”

He slipped hard on the wet tiles.

[Wind Bomb]

BOOOOM!

The Wind Bomb went off.

It veered off and curved at a bizarre angle that no developer would have ever intended.

‘What the—?’

Even Almond couldn’t react to it. Such a shot made a mockery of physics. Almond was also in the middle of using Dimensional Step.

‘Huh?’

BOOM!

The Wind Bomb struck Almond dead-on.

Dimensional Step was incredibly dangerous depending on one’s angle and timing. For example, one could instantly die if they teleported into a concrete wall. Precise control was critical, but not even Almond could adjust after getting hit by an unexpected variable. He had already activated the skill.

Pop!

He just vanished.

— ?

— ??

— What just happened?

— Huh

— Wait, WHAT???

— Bubblegum throwing, LMAO

— Classic

“Oppa!?”

Su-Yeon’s eyes widened as she scrambled to her feet.

“Al-Almond?!”

No one knew where Almond had teleported to, at least not at first.

“Th-There! Isn’t that him!?”

Rumble!

From one of the toilet stalls, the water inside the bowl began to bubble violently.

Bubblegum’s chat exploded.

— Bro LMAOOOOOOOOO

— NO WAY

— Did Almond... fall in the toilet??

— What is this game

— Lost it XD

— Zombie School 2.0 incoming

— Bubblegum: literal demon of livestreaming

“Huh?”

Even Oh Sang-Gi turned to the bubbling toilet and tilted his head. He had just lost sight of his target mid-fight and was understandably baffled. As an AI, he could only express confusion through a fixed set of phrases.

“You... what are you?”

As he stared at the toilet, he could only manage that line.

— Me? I’m a toilet

— LMAO

— Honestly, we want to know too

— God of Streaming

— Seriously, Bubblegum, WHAT is your deal? LOL

— I’m dying!

***

“What the hell!?”

The Kim Duo would remember this moment for the rest of their lives. It was maybe the peak of their careers. The moment they saw the demonic streamer Almond being pushed to the brink and completely taken down.

Glorp!

White ceramic and bubbling water suddenly filled the stream feed. Then, everything faded into darkness. The demon of streaming had been taken out by the demon of bad luck. How could they ever forget this moment of Almond’s annihilation?

“I believed in youuuu! Bubblegum!!!” Manager Kim practically howled.

“

WAAAAAAHHHH!!

” Assistant Manager Kim, worrying the entire time, victoriously roared.

They felt absolutely euphoric.

“

KYAAAAHAHAHAHA!

Choosing Bubblegum was the BEST decision, Assistant Kim!”

“Of course! Obviously! Naturally!!”

However, they didn’t know one thing. How much it would hurt to fall from such a great height.

Thud.

Something landed heavily. The feed on Almond’s stream came back into focus.

“Wait. I’m alive?”

He was drenched, but still breathing.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

“Where... is this?”

It wasn’t inside the toilet, not even close.

The Kim Duo’s smiles froze in place. They didn’t say a word as if trying to delay accepting what they saw. They just slowly lowered their arms and walked stiffly toward the monitor with blank faces.

Doooom...

A deep drumbeat echoed as text faded in.

[Final Chapter – The Abyss of the Mastermind]

A man seated on a massive throne slowly raised his head.

Rumble...

Anyone could tell. This character was in a league beyond anything seen so far.

He glared with glowing red eyes and muttered, “So... you made it here.”

The Kim Duo wanted to say the same thing.

“W-What the hell? He made it there? This is a dream, right?”

“D-Did we fall asleep for a second or something?”

They couldn’t believe it. Almond had somehow skipped straight to the final boss.

— ??

— What is this??

— Is this the boss stage??

— BROOOO IS THIS REAL???

— Is it connected through the toilet?!?

— LMAO

— Bubblegum, you absolute legend

—God of Streaming returns!!

The mastermind asked, “Who are you?”

The answer came in the form of a donation.

Dun-dun!

[BigSon has donated a whopping 1,000,000 won!]

[The Glitch Demon.]