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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: All Master's Game Broadcast
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Elbow.
He was called the king of Iron Fist, and even at an age over forty—advanced for a pro gamer—he hadn't relinquished his throne.
Virtual reality games made it possible by setting aside much of the physical demands of real life.
Of course, his stamina had declined significantly, so all-nighters and other taxing sessions were out of the question. Even so, his status remained unshaken.
"Alright, that wraps up today's stream."
- Boo hoo, Daddy Elbow... Your streams are getting shorter as you get older.
- Edward Elbowgate....
That said, Elbow's viewer count was massive.
His concrete audience alone hit 10,000, and with floaters, it could reach 30,000. A mega-streamer through and through.
As viewers waved goodbye, lamenting his invariably short broadcasts due to his age...
[Daddy Elbow, you seeing this? From me: 10,000 won donation!]
-[Link]
"Hm... I usually skip links from donations... But it's the Api Gallery? Mind taking a quick look?"
- Nice timing!
- Lowest chat extends stream life!
Caught off guard by the sudden donation and link, Elbow—already apologetic about his short runtime—readily agreed to check the Api Gallery.
Viewers, despairing over the brevity, raised a toast in response.
"Oh, the Api Gallery's in quite a mess."
- lololol beyond messy.
- Old man... The post regen rate there is insane...
- Burning bright~!
- Whew~
The Api Gallery on Elbow's screen was pure pandemonium.
Posts regenerated by the dozens per second, but none carried info—just endless vitriol and trash-talk. Hell on earth didn't begin to cover it.
Even a name-only admin like himself could see his gallery was in shambles. Elbow stroked his stubbly chin and muttered.
"What the hell happened to turn the gallery into this..."
-Shocker) Elbow says Api Gal ain't normal
- But he's right tho
- What's the bait? Curious af
Spotting viewers' curiosity amid the chaos, Elbow tabbed straight to the 'Featured Posts.'
"There must be something in the featured ones."
The spot commonly called "feat posts."
Posts racking up tons of likes and comments rose to a dedicated Featured tab, safe from the flood.
That section should explain the Api Gallery's turmoil.
Soon enough, he scrolled past gems like 'Upvote if the post-warring idiots piss you off' and 'Mint Chocolate Unit GTFO' to a few hours-old first log that fueled the blaze.
[Creator of 'If You Don't Know, You Deserve a Hit' Spotted on Today's Mint Stream]
"Ah, this must be it. The 'If You Don't Know' creator... Niche story, but he showed up on Mint's stream?"
- ??? Daddy Elbow knew?
- Wtf, it had a creator?
- I had no idea??
Elbow, who'd streamed with Mint before and called her "Miss Mint" as a much elder figure, sparked a barrage of question mark hooks from chat.
Realizing he'd spilled an exclusive, Elbow smacked his forehead.
"Spilled a secret only I knew. Getting old means more mumbling to myself..."
- ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Daddy Elbow...
- Age comes, but he still owns Gold rank solo...
- lololol no but fr, it's wild watching
Few agreed, though.
Sure, he'd aged.
Grown old.
But Elbow was still the dominant streamer.
His face grew serious again as he rubbed his prickly chin and continued.
"But from what I know, it couldn't be anyone but the guy who basically coined it. Let's check it out."
- What, a lie?
- Mint ain't small-time, why cap?
- Wait for Daddy Elbow. He's checking, so chill.
The famous catchphrase ignited debate in chat.
Elbow clicked the inciting featured post, reading intently.
Having verified it all, he nodded.
"It's legit."
- ...fr?
- Why's it real?
- Iwjy? (It's why it's real?)
Chat reeled at the claim that every detail rang true. Elbow broke it down.
"The player who first said it, far as I know, was 'Comet.' And the guy who's Miss Mint's oppa? Player name Comet too."
- Oh? Yeah.
- Names can overlap tho?
First clue: the name.
The original 'If You Don't Know, You Deserve a Hit' sayer was Comet, matching Mint's oppa's tag.
That was reason one.
For skeptics, Elbow dropped more.
"Name coincidence? One-in-ten-million odds. But that Comet vanished nearly ten years ago. And the guy in Mint's vid? Said he dipped ten years back and just returned."
- Oh... Detective Palnan...
- Sounds legit piecing it together.
Reason two: the suspiciously synced disappearance timeline.
Even doubters nodded.
Elbow sealed it.
"And honestly, this alone suffices... Comet said it to me after taking two wins."
- ...Daddy Elbow lost?
- ㄷㄷㄷㄷ Proves it with skill.
- lol what fingerprint
- Lmao, two people saying 'If You Don't Know' after 2-0ing Daddy Elbow? Nah
- But it's spot-on, hilarious
Skill.
Chat spammed lolol as Elbow reminisced the guy who'd crushed him with overwhelming prowess.
- But can you tell just from watching?
- Fair, Mint's good but all-rounder, not top-tier
- Mint's tiers below Daddy Elbow.
- Agreed.
Even against the Four Emperors' "weakest" (?), Mint, Elbow was firm.
"Honestly, even with anyone else, it'd be similar. Not as dominant or all-in aggressive, but the base sense is worlds apart."
Skeptics conceded at the seeming defense of Haesung.
"As admin, gotta post to clarify. No good letting facts rile the gal."
He typed a quick title.
[My take: Seems Miss Mint's claim checks out]
Title down, he outlined his stream spiel clearly, posted, and smiled.
"Would love a rematch someday. Back then, I was young... but man, it pissed me off."
- Oh... Daddy Elbow smiled!
- Gentleman's revenge... Ten years ain't late...
- Almost ten years, last train boarded.
- First time Daddy Elbow calls a fight?
- Fr, first challenge post.
Viewers cheered at Elbow's rare itch for an Iron Fist clash.
Industry peak, set to reign years more—Elbow vs. the resurfaced Comet who'd beaten past-Elbow!
For Iron Fist players glued to the top player's stream, nothing beat that thrill.
- Drooling already!
- lol heading to Api Gal to post
- Breaking: Elbow challenges Mint's... oppa
- Mint jolts awake, pounds bro's door
"Ah... Wasn't aiming for that... But it'll burn in a good way now, right?"
His post had shifted the Api blaze, but his viewers would ignite fresh flames. Elbow awkwardly scratched his cheek.
He waved with an awkward smile, leaving new fire behind.
"See ya."
Final count: 25,000. Elbow's stream ended. Most hopped to other streamers.
But...
"Mint, huh... Curious."
"VOD should stick around."
"Gonna watch. Need to see the skill level."
A hefty chunk kept interest in Mint's stream alive.
Thousands dove into Mint's broadcast. Next day, Mint gawked at the influx.
* * *
An ordinary morning.
"Hmm~ Hmm hmm hmm~"
Hayun hummed waking up, scarfed light breakfast, headed to wash up—and habitually checked her stream board on her phone.
"Wonder if anything's up today~"
Fresh off Haesung feels, viewers must've stirred something. Smiling...
Her face froze.
[Breaking: Elbow Knows Mint's Oppa!]
[Elbow Says: Comet! Let's Duel!]
"...Pffft! Wh-what is this!"
Stream board flooded.
Most mirrored gallery 'feats' on 'Mint Cho.'
Hayun's own setup, sure.
But the volume—and titles—stunned.
"Elbow... knows Oppa? How? Wait, why's Elbow gunning for 1v1 with Oppa?"
Elbow.
Iron Fist's unrivaled king, now eyeing her bro for a bout.
No deep insight from titles alone, so Hayun tapped a Mint Cho post.
She jolted harder.
"Ah, Hayun. Bathroom's free. Go ahead."
"Wh-what are you doing!!!"
Not from the post—from Haesung emerging from the firmly shut bathroom.
Freshly showered, water dripping from hair he toweled with one hand, toothbrush clamped in mouth.
Waist wrapped in a big towel, torso bare.
'...What a body.'
No gym buff herself, but Haesung's chiseled physique screamed inhuman.
Mesmerized briefly by skin that'd shrug off a blade...
"Why are you naked!"
Face aflame, Hayun shielded her eyes, yelping and backpedaling.
Haesung shot back, baffled.
"Just showered, so naked. Family, what's the big deal?"
"N-no, but..."
No retort stuck; he was right. Hayun sighed deep, thrusting her phone at him.
"Perfect timing. Meant to show you anyway."
"...What's this?"
Grumpy from the morning yell, Haesung took the phone, eyed it.
Hayun planted hands on hips.
"Elbow wants a 1v1 with you, apparently. You know Elbow, Oppa?"
"...Elbow?"
Familiar yet fuzzy name. Chewing his toothbrush, Haesung dredged memory.
"Ah, yeah. Worlds finals, the guy I beat was Elbow."
"...What?"
"That dude sucked at games... Nah, at his level, pretty solid?"
Casually rating Elbow, then tweaking post-Hayun-stream recall, Haesung drew Hayun's incredulous stare.
"...You fought Elbow too, Oppa?"
"2-0. Ten years back, Worlds finals—the World Cup of 1v1 fighters."
"No way! Then..."
Hayun gaped, stunned she'd missed her bro's 2-0 over legendary Elbow, stammering.
Haesung preempted, wet hand atop her head.
"Means I'm better than him. Probably?"
"..."
Blunt as brass, with a refreshing grin. Hayun was speechless.
Elbow.
World #1 Iron Fist king—and her bro oozed undefeated confidence.
But more shocking—
'Feels like he could.'
Was her instinctive nod, buying into it.