[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 40

“Really… I would say this is the biggest upset of the tournament. Yoo Seon-jin gave up the podium to a participant ranked around 900.”

“That performance from that Barcode Nick participant is really unbelievable. At that level, it seems fair to say he’s top-tier…”

Could it be called an act of God?

The fact that a user ranked 900, barely hanging on in F2, beat an F1 ranked 15 driver by more than 0.7 seconds on lap time.

[What the hell, does that even make sense…?]

[Even considering it’s a one-on-one tournament, what’s up with a time of 1:19?]

[Was there really a chance for Yoo Seon-jin to lose this match?]

[It’s not like he gave up the lead for just a few laps; losing entirely doesn’t make sense;;]

[The lap times are significantly different too.]

[Is Barcode using a secondary account? There are participants who didn’t compete.]

[That seems the most likely… but it’s a bit unsettling.]

No, to be exact, the fact that an unknown ordinary person beat an F1 driver by over 0.7 seconds is indeed shocking.

The chat room froze in confusion over Yoo Seon-jin’s unexpected elimination, and even the commentators, who had to relay the situation from a neutral stance, were left speechless.

Yoo Seon-jin couldn’t contain her excitement over the result, which was hard to accept, and sent a voice message to her opponent illililiili.

Legend: Who are you? How did you…?

His voice, trembling with rage, was transmitted to his opponent without filters.

Illililiili, who had kept all personal information private except for the nickname, scoffed at him with shoulders shaking in dark attire.

Illililiili: What do you mean? I’m just a user barely hanging on in F2.

Legend: Is that your excuse now?

Illililiili: If that’s the truth, what else can I say?

Barcode Nick personally moved off the podium and approached Yoo Seon-jin, who was standing in shock on the pit.

“You must be feeling upset after losing to someone like me… but the race is already over. Let’s head back.”

He stepped out of the room just like that.

In the room that now only had Yoo Seon-jin, commentators and viewers alike had all left, leaving her standing there alone.

There were several aspects that raised suspicions.

His cornering and acceleration felt subtly faster, and his race car seemed unaffected.

But feelings are just uncertain notions based on guesses.

It’s an argument that’s impossible to prove.

The undeniable fact is that Yoo Seon-jin lost.

“That’s nonsense… There’s no way I wouldn’t know a driver of that caliber.”

But all the loser could do was drown in helplessness within the empty pit.

Kang Ho-yun, One Man Show!

He achieved rapid growth in a short period that exceeded my expectations.

The cornering sense he showed in the round of 128 was still sharply present in the round of 64.

While he was no match for me, compared to the Kang Ho-yun from a week ago, one could say he has developed to the point of being a completely different person.

Sshhuuuuu!

Kang Ho-yun was narrowly following behind at a distance that still allowed me to see him.

Is this what they call transformation in the martial arts world?

A miracle where the body or mind awakens due to some reason and reaches a point unattainable before.

Some might retort that a notion like transformation, which exists only in the martial arts worldview, makes no sense in the 21st century on Earth!

But in terms of mental transcendence, it is entirely plausible.

Why, haven’t there been experiences like that at least once?

Words that seemed impossible to read no matter how much one studied them suddenly became easy to read, from individual words to complete English sentences.

Complex formulas, which once felt convoluted, were organically connected at some point and unraveled in a disturbingly simple manner.

I called these moments mental transcendence.

However, Earth’s transcendence is different from the kind found in martial arts, which involves taking elixirs or unblocking stagnant energies.

The transcendence on Earth occurs when the data, experiences, and knowledge that have been scattered as fragments in the mind are organized in the realm of the subconscious.

It was the unconscious realm itself completing the puzzle when provided with thousands of pieces.

KING: Oh… One Man Show is running well, huh?

One Man Show: Thanks for the compliment.

KING: You’ve developed this much without me even realizing? Impressive.

One Man Show: Just focus on the race. You might get overtaken.

I scoffed at Kang Ho-yun’s last voice message.

No matter the transcendence talk, defeating me was impossible.

Regrettably, Kang Ho-yun wasn’t the only one to experience such an event.

How many times had I experienced moments of transcendence while in the race car, in the cockpit?

There was that time during the last Grand Prix where I achieved my first championship, finishing just 0.003 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton, battling for 1st and 2nd place.

That time I ran through the Baku City Circuit, memorizing every puddle while closing my eyes as heavy raindrops fell like a downpour.

And when I discovered a faster and new racing strategy utilizing DRS at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit…

There were far too many.

Not to brag, but if I were to objectively evaluate Jin Hyun-woo, I could say he was in a state where “all puzzle pieces exist infinitely, allowing any picture to be completed.”

That means I could experience moments of transcendence that I wouldn’t even be aware of in the future.

In any case, right now was a momentous occasion for Kang Ho-yun, so it was the duty of a mentor to make his race even more enjoyable.

Kang Ho-yun enjoyed the race with me, showing no sign of tension, and we were able to finish the round of 64 while refreshing each other’s best lap times.

KING: Good job, senior.

One Man Show: I’m just glad I lost to you.

Name / Time

① KING 1:19:878 🏁

② One Man Show 1:22:788 +2.910

Of course, the first place was mine.

<What’s up with Barcode Nick?>

Turns out he’s ranked 943, does that level of skill even make sense?

1:19:774 is ridiculous.

Is he using a secondary account…?

ㅇㅇ(10.17): It’s gotta be a side account, but it’s shocking he beat Yoo Seon-jin;; doesn’t that imply he’s at least a current F1 driver?

ㄴGiraffe: It can only be explained as a side account since all the participants who didn’t compete are currently guest commentators in Kiwich, so he’s probably not a player.

Poline:* It’s unreasonable to compare since it’s a one-on-one, but with a time of 19:774, wouldn’t that place him in the top ten?

ㄴPochang Life:* Just looking at raw lap time, he might be at that level. Anyway, it’s quite shocking that Yoo Seon-jin lost. I was looking forward to a matchup between KING and him in the round of 32…

The number of viewers watching the tournament from the round of 64, where only genuine skillful players remained, was so great that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was 99 out of 100.

The For One community, as well as totally unrelated galleries, were broadcasting all the matches.

In just a few minutes, posts about the shocking result of former F1 driver Yoo Seon-jin losing to the Barcode Nick ranked around 900 dominated the board.

I watched every moment as a Yoo Seon-jin fan through a first-person camera, and something felt off.

Just a subjective feeling, but it seemed subtly faster. It didn’t feel like equal performance?

I also viewed from Barcode Nick’s first-person perspective, and there was definitely something different.

Should I say I could feel the difference in the race car, regardless of technique?

Jeoktomatan Shumiher*: I watched after his elimination and it did feel a bit strange. If I had to pinpoint it, I wouldn’t know how to articulate it, but there were subtle feelings of discomfort…

ㄴMr. Love KING*: All players’ eyes seem to be similar!!

ㅇㅇ(384.94): If he lost, he lost. Why spread so many excuses? hahaha

ㄴLemon*: Yoo Seon-jin’s expression did look a bit uncomfortable. Frankly, there are parts that seem suspicious. Out of nowhere, an ambiguous identity with that record???

ㄴㅇㅇ(384.94): Then why is the equally ambiguous KING excluded from being a suspect?

ㄴKing God*: KING is just a loser, and his technique is simply awful.

ㄴㅇㅇ(384.94): If you can’t refute logically, you just gotta resort to insults level of that low-quality forum poster^^.

Raikonan*: The truth is always one! It’s a hack.

ㄴㅇㅇ(227.99): Raikonan, you idiot, you’re not Conan playing detective here, are you? hahaha

Yeah. The meaning of his loss was not simple, and that was also why the community was ablaze.

Hack.

A malicious program that penetrates into a game system and creates an abnormal game flow.

Is there a hack capable of penetrating the rock-solid security program of For One?

If it exists, was Barcode Nick using a hack or not? A fierce debate continued regarding this.

Of course, the opinion that he didn’t use one was prevailing.

Since the release of For One, the security program known as ‘Steel’ has never been breached, showcasing outstanding completeness.

Steel, which operates from the moment one accesses the game, blocks hack users before they even participate in the race, and it has achieved a blocking rate of 100%.

<Hack???>

Yoo Seon-jin’s fanboys are desperate to rationalize their loss.

Just saying.

(From the Great Gatsby frog)

Did you come running because you liked it?

That doesn’t exist, hahaha.

The opinions of users claiming that there is no hack inevitably influenced public opinion.

On the contrary, users asserting that a hack exists had to find a way to breach Steel’s solid wall individually, so they would suggest doubts but eventually give up.

Proving sensations and feelings, which are amorphous concepts, was something impossible alone.

What about that KING you all are sucking up to?

Furthermore, bringing KING into the equation left them with even fewer words.

VS Chris Bauer

After battling One Man Show,

Hammington, who was commentating KING’s match against illililiili, felt an underlying discomfort regarding the user Barcode Nick during the ongoing race at the Silverstone Circuit in the UK.

‘How can that speed be possible through that corner?’

‘The entry and exit angles are mismatched…’

‘Despite being a circuit known for good downforce, that seems too much…’

As the laps progressed, the discomfort turned into suspicion, and once suspicion took hold, it continued to grow.

Then, the moment he entered the notorious corners of Maggotts, Becketts, and Chapel in an arduous slalom!

‘It’s a hack. Without a doubt, it’s definitely a hack.’

The suspicion turned into certainty.

Hammington was convinced that the user Barcode Nick was engaging in foul play, identity fraud, and using hacks.

The combination of Maggotts → Becketts → Chapel is hell for drivers.

Because the apex, the point that signifies the transition from deceleration to acceleration, was intertwined to the point of making it challenging to approach, and they had to endure intense gravitational acceleration while navigating the corners.

In summary, this corner was clear in its limits regarding the maximum speed any human could handle, yet Barcode Nick casually surpassed those limits.

It might be nigh impossible for an average driver to notice the subtle differences, but coincidentally, it was none other than the reigning F1 champion, Hammington, who continued to offer commentary on KING’s race.

With a sharp glint in his eyes, Hammington sent a voice message somewhere.

Hammington: Michael? Are you online?

FOR ONE*: Hammington, it’s been a while.

A voice arrived without any delay.

The chief planner of the game “For One” and the creator of the security program Steel.

It was Michael Nantz.