[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 9

“I’ve already raced 27 times.”

Monaco

Baku City

Barcelona Catalunya

Hungaroring

Paul Ricard

Autodromo Nazionale Monza

Etc.

I’ve raced through a multitude of circuits in 27 ranking matches.

The circuits here were no different from when I was Jin Hyun-woo, so it was easy to adapt. I just had to instinctively move my body according to the racing line and circuit strategy I usually practiced.

No one was a match for me.

[KING#16007 – F5]

In just one day, I’ve already reached F5, to the point where I can be considered a mid-level player.

“The road ahead is long, very long.”

Still, the road ahead is still long.

If it were a different game, I would have achieved a higher rank through a placement match system, but For One has no such concept.

Anyone has to start from the bottom, F9, and gradually climb the ranks, which is why I am still at F5.

Nevertheless, as I continued my winning streak, my points rose significantly, and since I finished every race in first place, I showed a remarkable rise to F5.

Kang Ho-yun: “Already F5?”

Feeling impatient, I queued up next, and one of my friends in the chat, either Kang Ho-yun or Jihyun Lee, called me on voice.

KING: “It’s already F5, but I’m still at F5.”

It’s undeniable that I had a remarkable record and growth, but my rank was too low to succeed as a streamer.

Kang Ho-yun: “What’s with the record? Monza lap time is 1 minute 11 seconds? I’m speechless.”

Was he secretly spying on my profile? He kept expressing his admiration.

KING: “It’s nothing special. By the way, how’s your practice going?”

Kang Ho-yun: “That’s why I called you on voice. Can you take a look now?”

KING: “Please invite me. I’ll take a look.”

I was eager for ranking matches, but I reacted positively.

Having a contract with Kang Ho-yun and since it was almost mealtime anyway, I was planning to watch his practice and then go eat together.

I ended the queue and waited for his invitation.

[Kang Ho-yun invited you to ‘For One. For One, for One.’ room. YES / NO]

“Accept.”

Soon, the screen went dark and my body moved to his room.

“Just try any circuit. We didn’t come here to time the lap. I’ll help with the technical parts.”

An avatar with a black appearance.

Like a shadow, Yooihyun’s avatar, who seemed to be plotting something sinister, swayed around.

“Paul Ricard, normal weather and temperature.”

[Set.]

I set up the French circuit where she first watched my race and took my place on the grid.

Feeling uneasy as she was watching, I spent several days practicing in a private room, endlessly repeating my runs and honing my skills without even looking at the ranking matches, following her advice.

To do this, I also made the big decision of taking a break as a streamer, leading 20,000 people.

Hello, this is Streamer One-Man Show.

I’d like to inform many of you who watch my broadcasts.

You may remember that I faced limitations while trying to showcase my skills and distanced myself from ranking matches.

Recently, I’ve been under severe stress regarding my abilities.

My skills just wouldn’t improve, my lap times weren’t narrowing down, and even worse, I dropped as much as 1 second below my usual lap time.

I felt nothing but sorry for my viewers.

So, I have decided to take a break.

I will hone my skills and return.

Despite practicing a lot, it’s inevitable to feel nervous.

Yooihyun.

As time passes, she is surely observing a top-tier player of For One who will someday become a part of F2, if not F1, so I couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“Let’s just do what we practiced. Just as we practiced.”

On the first day, I repeatedly watched the race records I saved without Yooihyun noticing, experiencing her physical sensations and reactions from a first-person perspective.

From when and how to enter and exit corners, to how to manage tires.

Even advanced techniques like critical braking and trail braking.

I completely immersed myself in her and analyzed and studied the same race countless times.

Having poured all my time into practice, excluding sleep and meals, I managed to reduce the average lap time across all circuits by about 0.2 seconds, so all I had to do was show the results of that effort.

KING: “You know? Just stay relaxed like usual. Don’t be nervous. Okay?”

Kang Ho-yun: “Got it.”

With the signal lights turning on, I started the race.

The F1 Gallery, filled with users from all over the world enjoying For One. Shortened to F-gal.

The largest community of For One, F-gal was ablaze with questions about KING, who had thoroughly dominated the threads from F5.

<Recently, KING’s record was unreal>

Total races 27, 27 first places. Is that even real?

It seems like you’re not turning the queue now, but what will happen if you turn it more? ;o

Pochanginlife*: “True, you’re good, but it’s just F2 upper-tier players making it look easy, so what’s all the fuss about?”

ㅇㅇ(175.223): “This is right. You’re not turning the queue because it might break the perfect record if you turn more, haha.”

ㅇㅇ(183.98): “Fact.)”

Polanghae*: “Fact.) KING’s Monza circuit lap time of 1:11:547 ranks 12th overall.”

EungGit*: “I love KING!!!! EungGit~”

<KING's shocking revelation from analyzing his records>

While analyzing KING’s records and driving style, I discovered something astonishing.

The selection criteria were based on lap times from Monza, and I analyzed from 1st to 20th place, but there was not a single overlap in driving style or racing lines.

Based on the Monza circuit, KING has no correlation with the top 20.

Conclusion: KING is an emerging powerhouse.

ㅇㅇ(158.11): “You’re writing this long story based on your own bullshit.”

ㅇㅇ(173.873): “You’re not even looking at the whole ranking from 1st to 20th, but only the ‘Monza’ ranking, lol.”

ㄴSeong-i-reum*: “It’s because the Monza lap time is the fastest. You dumb idiot.”

Jeoktomatan*: “I checked the overall ranking, and it’s clear there’s a difference in racing style from the top rankings.”

The unveiling of KING’s identity intensified as time passed; even Jeoktomatan, a famous figure in F2 with an overall ranking of 79, couldn’t state his identity conclusively.

The curiosity of For One users regarding his identity was only increasing.

At that moment, a post came up in the chaotic gallery that could serve as an indirect answer.

Isn’t that possible?

I know he’s an attention seeker, but seeing as he kept everything private except for his nickname, it reeks of attention-seeking behavior from KING.

If he wins the tournament, he could promote his name, get support for streaming, and even win money, so there’s no reason he wouldn’t participate.

I believe he would definitely participate given his skills.

EungGit*: “!!!!!!!”

Polanghae*: “KINGS MUST PARTICIPATE.”

ㅇㅇ(187.221): “There’s a possibility KING will join. They’re taking registrations until this week, so we should be able to see the list.”

The appearance of a reclusive master always excites people’s minds.

That day, the posts in the For One Gallery reached over 1000 per minute, leading to the server crashing, an event that would later be referred to as “KING’s Coronation.”

Kang Ho-yun

Fastest Lap 1:26:104

“What? You just broke the record.”

“That was all I did all day since then.”

1:26:503.

Originally, this was Kang Ho-yun’s fastest lap, but he managed to lower it by about 0.4 seconds in just a few days, achieving remarkable growth.

In any field, reaching the top tier generally means that the margin for growth becomes minimal, and the same goes for F1.

Even reducing it by just 0.1 seconds could be seen as a success, but four times that, 0.4 seconds?

“You must’ve gritted your teeth to do this.”

I could feel all the effort and passion he poured into reducing his lap time.

Still, I could see there were still many shortcomings.

Tiny details like adjusting the pressure when braking or the number of times to step on the brakes, things that would be hard to notice unless you were actually an F1 driver.

Kang Ho-yun, being a regular person who came to know F1 through For One, naturally lacked those details.

But only by filling in those details can one truly improve.

Kang Ho-yun himself wanted to transform into a real F1 driver, not just an ordinary user of For One.

I will have to cover his shortcomings.

“To get closer to the pinnacle, you need to master braking. You still lack a sense for critical braking. Your trail braking is a bit inexperienced, too.”

Critical braking.

The moment the tires are about to exceed their grip limit, the maximum friction that allows for the fastest stop can be applied.

Critical braking involves many considerations like tire condition, brake system status, and road surface friction coefficients, making it a challenge even for F1 drivers.

This is more a sense that comes from experience than a technique.

It means you have to practice hard until you can feel that sense.

I explained the principles and concepts of static and dynamic friction during critical braking and suggested practice methods.

“You don’t need to lap the circuit. Keep turning corners and resetting until you find the critical point.”

A method only possible thanks to virtual reality and the most effective training technique.

From now on, it’s a domain of perception where I can’t get involved.

I just hope his talent and effort surpass their limits.

Just before I could suggest we go eat together, he opened his mouth first.

“Are you thinking of participating in the KiwiChi tournament?”

“What tournament?”

“It’s a random circuit, one-on-one tournament, and I heard you’re going to stream.”

I was so preoccupied with ranking matches that I missed this important fact.

“It’s open to the public, and you can also join anonymously, so you should give it a try. If you win, there are benefits like broadcasting promotion, which will help you a lot later.”

“I’ll have to look into it. Thank you.”

A tournament, and a one-on-one random circuit one at that.

A true battle of skill.

Even I had never experienced anything like this before.

That day, I logged into KiwiChi and completed my player registration.

This would be the first tournament in this world and Yooihyun’s first tournament as well.

This upcoming KiwiChi tournament would herald the first re-emergence of me, who was once called the king of F1.