What followed was predictable.

Jung Da-ul tried every possible move to turn the game around, but his opponent skillfully secured the victory.

-Player_SIN: Let's try again on the same map.

-daul02: Huh?

-Player_SIN: If you want to make it to the first team, you need to get better at defending against harassment.

-daul02: Do you know me?

-Player_SIN: You're Jung Da-ul from MBS’s second team. I saw you play against Byeong-cheol in the preliminaries. Your defense was solid.

-daul02: Thank you. But who are you? Are you a pro?

-Player_SIN: I used to be.

"What the hell is this?"

Shin Ji-ho's face was filled with disbelief after reading their chat.

"You lost to a retired player?"

"Yeah…."

"No wonder he was using the outdated Two Mechanized Stations build. Damn, how does someone in active competition lose to a retired player?"

Leaving the crestfallen Jung Da-ul behind, Shin Ji-ho played the next replay.

The second set was played on the same map, Throne of Omnipotence.

Jung Da-ul assumed his opponent would harass with Rapid Tanks again, so he reinforced his defenses thoroughly.

Then, when he sent out a single Divine Acolyte to construct a Grand Temple for his expansion base—

A single enemy Rapid Tank appeared and sniped the Acolyte.

-Aagh!

After killing the Acolyte, the Rapid Tank disappeared effortlessly.

'Damn, now he even knows when I'm going to start building the Grand Temple.'

Perfect timing.

How could a retired player have such precise timing?

Jung Da-ul sent another Acolyte, this time accompanied by four Colossi.

Just as the four Colossi and the Acolyte were moving—

Click!

A mine shot up from underground!

Reacting instantly, Jung Da-ul had all four Colossi focus fire on the mine before it detonated.

Boom!

The mine was destroyed before it could activate.

"Oh, that was some quick reflexes."

"Fast reaction time."

"Almost got blown up along with it."

But it was too soon to be impressed.

Just as the Colossi finished neutralizing the mine, a single Rapid Tank appeared and attacked the Acolyte.

Bang!

One hit.

The Colossi, having just fired at the mine, couldn't immediately retaliate.

Bang!

-Argh!

Two hits.

The Acolyte was dead.

Only after that did the Colossi attack the Rapid Tank, but it swiftly retreated without being destroyed.

"Wow…."

"That's insane."

"He's completely trapped."

At this point, Jung Da-ul must have started to panic. Having his Grand Temple construction denied twice meant his expansion was severely delayed.

Delaying the expansion meant falling behind in resource collection. In the world of professional gaming, where every second mattered, this was critical.

This time, he moved out with two Divine Acolytes and eight Colossi.

And then—

"Ohhh!"

"Damn, that's insane!"

Seizing the moment when the Colossi had moved out, four Rapid Tanks broke into his main base.

Though two Colossi and eight Fanatics remained to defend, they couldn’t completely stop the Rapid Tanks.

Like slippery eels, three of the Rapid Tanks maneuvered past the defenses and massacred the Divine Acolytes working at the main Grand Temple.

They planted mines to slow down the pursuing Colossi and Fanatics.

Weaving in and out, they ultimately wiped out twelve Acolytes.

-Player_SIN: No matter how many times you try, the result will be the same.

-Player_SIN: Your defensive setups are solid, but your approach is flawed. How do you expect to cover all those gaps?

-Player_SIN: You need to secure the center with your Colossi and actively patrol the key routes to block them completely.

-daul02: Yes….

-Player_SIN: Want to go again?

-daul02: Yes, just one more time, please.

-Player_SIN: Alright. Same map.

Third set begins.

Following the instructions given, Jung Da-ul advanced to the center of the map with four Colossi.

Two enemy Rapid Tanks set out from the opponent’s base but were blocked by the Colossi and forced to retreat.

However, soon after, Player_SIN returned with two more Rapid Tanks.

This time, they were accompanied by four Construction Robots—human production units.

All four Construction Robots charged at the Colossi, while the two Rapid Tanks flanked and planted mines in the rear.

Jung Da-ul’s Colossi were caught in the explosion of the mines planted right in front of them and were completely wiped out.

It was flawless micro-control, leaving no room for counterplay.

-Player_SIN: You need to practice your control more. You should have kited backward with the Colossi while focus-firing the mines first.

-daul02: Can’t you just tell me who you are?

-Player_SIN: What would you do with that information? Anyway, I’m done here.

As if there was no need to continue, Player_SIN simply left the game mid-match.

"Judging by how insanely good he is, he must have been pretty famous back in the day."

"Who could it be?"

"Maybe it’s Emperor Choi Hwan-yeol?"

"Hwan-yeol hyung? That makes sense."

The players whispered among themselves, speculating about the legendary pro gamer.

Shin Ji-ho was just as curious.

'Yeah right, Hwan-yeol hyung? That level of multitasking isn’t something a retired player should be capable of.'

Shin Ji-ho replayed the match.

Even while executing dazzling micro with the Rapid Tanks, Player_SIN had been steadily producing workers and units back at his main base.

'I need to find out.'

Returning to his seat, Shin Ji-ho launched Space Craft.

He went online and searched for Player_SIN.

Finally, he found him.

-GOD_JiHo: Want to play a match?

Luckily, he got a response instead of being ignored.

-Player_SIN: Shin Ji-ho?

-GOD_JiHo: Yes.

-Player_SIN: Pick a map.

His opponent was none other than Shin Ji-ho, widely considered the best human race player in Korea.

And yet, Player_SIN agreed without hesitation.

-GOD_JiHo: You should pick. ^^

'Who does this old man think he is, making me choose the map?'

Shin Ji-ho didn’t like the condescending attitude, as if he were a mere amateur.

Even an active player wouldn’t dare underestimate Shin Ji-ho.

-Player_SIN: Celestial Crossroads.

'This bastard…!'

Shin Ji-ho felt his blood boil.

Celestial Crossroads.

It was the map Shin Ji-ho was most confident in. Korean eSports fans even called it "Ji-ho’s Crossroads" due to his overwhelming win rate on it.

On this map, his win rate was nearly on par with Lee Shin.

In other words, Player_SIN was basically saying, "If you’re going to prove yourself, do it on the map you’re best at."

'You arrogant prick. I’ll teach you some humility.'

Seething with determination, Shin Ji-ho started the game.

The matchup: Human vs. Human.

The map: Celestial Crossroads.

"Huh?"

"That’s Player_SIN!"

"He’s playing against Ji-ho."

"Against Ji-ho hyung?"

Players and trainees gathered around.

A match between Ace Shin Ji-ho and the mysterious, exceptionally skilled Player_SIN—there was no way they wouldn’t be curious about the outcome.