Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1123

“Hyung.”

Park Yu-min sighed and turned his head.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not ‘nothing’…”

“I’m really okay.”

Choi Jung-woo looked at Park Yu-min with a worried expression.

‘Why is he like this?’

The match had just ended.

The result?

The result was good. They had managed to win somehow. Thanks to that, they achieved the feat of advancing to the finals for the first time since the team’s founding.

However, the atmosphere in the car on the way back to the dorm was not that of victors.

Today, Park Yu-min’s play was, to say the least, terrible. It was hard to believe that he was the same person who had carried the team through the regular season. He made one terrible play after another.

There were a few flashes of brilliance in between, which at least prevented them from losing, but the situation was too dire to be relieved by that fact alone.

To put it bluntly, the reason they were able to advance to the finals was because of their good luck in the draw. But the opponents waiting for them in the finals were those they could never beat with this kind of play.

At this rate, the finals were as good as lost.

What Choi Jung-woo couldn’t understand was that the one playing so terribly was none other than Park Yu-min.

A rookie could be like that.

The pressure of the regular season and the post-season is different. Someone with stage fright might not even know what they’re doing. There are even cases where they don’t remember the game at all after it’s over.

That’s how scary tension can be.

But this was Park Yu-min.

Park Yu-min was someone who had gone up on bigger stages alone and won as easily as eating a meal. He couldn’t understand why Park Yu-min couldn’t play his game.

‘I’d understand if his physical abilities were declining.’

Pro gamers are also a profession that is affected by physical abilities, just like athletes. As they get older, their reaction speed slows down, and they can’t make the same precise movements as before.

When that happens, they either start covering their reaction speed with experience, or they have to consider retirement.

If Park Yu-min’s physical abilities were declining due to aging, everyone would understand. But from Choi Jung-woo’s perspective, the problem Park Yu-min was experiencing now wasn’t about his physical abilities.

The problem was that his judgment was too clouded at times, and he couldn’t concentrate on the game.

Choi Jung-woo, who was about to ask something again, sighed and lowered his head.

‘Let’s not say anything.’

This is Park Yu-min.

He knows his own condition better than anyone else.

Any advice Choi Jung-woo gives to Park Yu-min now would just be nagging.

Choi Jung-woo glanced up at the rearview mirror. The coach’s face in the front seat was as stiff as could be. Usually, on days they won, they would have a team dinner instead of going straight back to the dorm, but today they were heading straight to the dorm without delay.

“We’re here. Get out.”

“Yes.”

As the car stopped in front of the dorm, the team members got out of the car and went up to the dorm.

“Yu-min.”

“Yes, Coach.”

“Come to the coach’s office.”

“Yes.”

Park Yu-min roughly threw his equipment down and went straight into the coach’s office.

The coach, Oh Jin-hyung, who had turned on the light and taken a drink from the refrigerator, pointed to the front.

“Sit down.”

“Yes.”

Park Yu-min sat down without a word.

Oh Jin-hyung, who had placed the drink he was holding in front of Park Yu-min, smiled lightly and sat down across from him.

“That was close, wasn’t it?”

“We almost lost. It was dangerous.”

Park Yu-min lowered his head.

“I’m sorry, Coach. It’s because of me.”

“No, no.”

Oh Jin-hyung shook his head.

“Of course, it’s true that you didn’t play normally today. You’re a pro, and I’m a pro coach. We can’t deny that. But even so, I’m not going to say anything to you. Do you know why?”

“I’m not sure.”

“You wouldn’t have even made it to the playoffs if it wasn’t for you anyway.”

Oh Jin-hyung smiled.

“If you weren’t practicing properly, were being lazy, weren’t analyzing your opponents, or were being arrogant, I’d be trying to eat you alive right now. But that’s not the case, is it?”

In Oh Jin-hyung’s eyes, Park Yu-min had never been negligent in his efforts. Advice to work harder is necessary for those who don’t try, but advice to work harder for those who are already trying is nothing short of abuse.

How can you tell someone who is already pushing their limits to try harder?

“This isn’t the first time this has happened anyway, right?”

“Yes.”

“That’s what a slump is like. You don’t know why it’s happening, and you don’t know why it’s not working. And you don’t know how to get out of it either.”

Park Yu-min sighed.

He had experienced slumps several times during his career as a pro gamer. But this was the first time he had fallen into such a deep slump.

“Go and clear your head.”

“Coach?”

“Go and get some rest. There’s still a week left until the finals. I’ll give you two days, so go and refresh yourself.”

“But…”

“You know that just sticking to practice won’t solve it, right?”

Park Yu-min closed his mouth.

The only way to solve a slump is through practice. But that’s a long-term solution. Sticking to practice won’t make the slump disappear in a week.

“Go watch a movie, go on a date… clear your head. That might help. You know that sometimes you need to take a break from the game, right?”

Park Yu-min nodded silently.

The best way to get out of a slump is to refresh yourself. But Park Yu-min knew, and the coach knew, that the week to prepare for the finals was very important.

Whether they win or end up as runners-up depends on how well they work together during that week.

Wasting two days out of that week is critical.

What if Park Yu-min’s form doesn’t improve despite taking that risk?

‘He won’t be able to play in the finals.’

During the two days he’s gone, Kwak Hyun-tae, who is on the bench, will probably practice instead.

And if Park Yu-min’s form doesn’t match Kwak Hyun-tae’s when he returns, Kwak Hyun-tae will play in the finals.

Park Yu-min sighed.

For pros, results are everything.

Gaming is an unproductive field to begin with. No matter how hard you play games, you won’t earn a single penny. The reason why the profession of pro gamer can exist is because there are fans who watch the games.

And the fans’ affection ultimately follows the results.

That’s why pros have no choice but to be obsessed with results.

“I understand what you mean, Coach.”

“Don’t take it too hard. I want you to know that this is also a measure to protect you.”

That’s probably true.

If he couldn’t play his game in the first finals they’ve ever reached and became the cause of their defeat, he would be bombarded with enormous criticism.

Park Yu-min knew very well that his position was not yet solid.

The fans who have liked him since the beginning and have followed him until now will support and cheer him on even if he shows a bad side, but those who don’t know his past or didn’t like him in the past are not like that.

There are even those who are dissatisfied that Park Yu-min is drawing attention that should have gone elsewhere by joining the team. If Park Yu-min becomes the cause of their defeat in this situation, the fandom will be divided and a great war will break out.

“I know.”

“Okay, Yu-min. There’s no need to wait, so you can go rest right away. Come back by midnight two days from now.”

“Yes, Coach.”

It would be a lie to say that he didn’t feel a little disappointed. But the coach’s instructions to him now are not about pushing Park Yu-min away. Rather, it’s closer to placing a last hope on him.

He knows that, which makes it even more disappointing.

“Oh, and…”

“Yes?”

Oh Jin-hyung frowned slightly.

“It’s a bit strange to say this after telling you to go rest…”

“If you have something in mind, please tell me. I need to grab at anything right now.”

Oh Jin-hyung pondered for a long time before opening his mouth.

“I think your slump, it’s…”

“Yes.”

“At first, I thought it was a psychological problem…”

“Yes.”

“But it might not be.”

“Yes?”

If it’s not a psychological cause, then is it an injury?

‘But there were no physical problems?’

Could it be that his reactions were slightly delayed without Park Yu-min even noticing? He didn’t notice it when he reviewed the game?

“Ah, don’t make that face. It’s not an injury or a decrease in reaction speed. It’s more like… I think it’s a problem with your play.”

“I don’t quite understand?”

“Take a look for a second.”

Oh Jin-hyung took out his phone and clicked on something. Then he held it out in front of Park Yu-min.

“This is a game from when you first became a starter. Not the very first one, but about three games after.”

Why this?

Park Yu-min tilted his head and looked at the game video on the phone.

After staring at the screen for a while, Park Yu-min suddenly tilted his head.

“Huh?”

He felt a sense of incongruity.

Park Yu-min’s character was clearly moving inside. But it didn’t feel like his own character. It felt like someone else was sitting there playing the game instead.

He hadn’t even watched much of the game, but he felt like he knew what Oh Jin-hyung was talking about.

“This?”

“It’s different, right?”

“…Yes.”

Park Yu-min nodded vigorously.

It was different.

Even though it was only three months ago, Park Yu-min’s play style was completely different.

“That’s all I needed to know.”

Oh Jin-hyung turned off the screen.

“Just a little more…”

“You can’t look at it like this. Settle down and analyze it properly.”

“Ah, I understand.”

Oh Jin-hyung, who sighed softly, looked straight at Park Yu-min.

“Yu-min.”

“Yes, Coach.”

“You’re a really cautious person.”

“If you say it nicely, I’m a cautious person, but if you say it badly, I’m indecisive. Your old game style was like that too. You don’t take a gamble until everything is certain. When you were playing Galaxy, that was the right thing to do. Because there was something for you to do before you went into a fight. But this game isn’t like that. Do you know what you’re lacking right now?”

“…Aggressiveness.”

Looking at the games from the beginning of the season, he could see it clearly. Back then, Park Yu-min was like a mad dog compared to the current Park Yu-min. He didn’t know what he was trusting to be so reckless.

But that’s the right thing to do in this game. Those who can’t create variables die along with their stability.

“I don’t know why your aggressiveness from the beginning of the season disappeared like this. How…”

“Coach, I think I know.”

“Huh?”

“I, I’m going to go out right now. I understand what I need to do! I’ll see you in two days!”

“Uh… uh, okay. Uh.”

Without waiting for an answer, Park Yu-min dashed out.

Oh Jin-hyung stared blankly at the scene before smiling.

‘He’ll do well.’

To be honest, there’s no chance of winning without Park Yu-min. Objectively speaking, his team is at a disadvantage.

But Oh Jin-hyung believed that Park Yu-min would definitely recover his condition and return. Park Yu-min had always been like that in the past.

However, there was one thing that bothered him…