Chapter 530

Where does longing come from?

Plato viewed our souls as seeking perfect and beautiful ideals, while Freud believed that human desires stem from repressed early emotions.

Existential deficiency, I think, ultimately arises from knowledge.

Having once perceived a world without aura, having experienced a life as a man.

I speculate that the desire to overcome and transcend the fundamental imperfection of the current body manifests itself in a love for martial arts.

“Simply put, it’s the primal thrill of competition and the passion of the athletes that feels good.”

Bong-

“Uagh!”

With a single slap from Miochichi, a fan fell like a leaf in autumn.

After finishing with amateur fighters and event contests, it was time to spar with the fans.

The streamer IlusionX, who was in charge of commentary, glanced at me and took the microphone.

“Mateo, do you know who’s here today?”

Miochichi let out an awkward laugh.

“I hope it’s not who I’m thinking of. I just had a friendly chat with that person before coming up.”

“Ahh, unfortunately, that’s right. Introducing! The quarter-finalist of the 2053 France National Exchange Tournament! The No! Na! Me! of South Korea! Please welcome her!”

As the sun began to set, a spotlight fell upon my head.

With the help of the event staff, I entered the octagon.

“Oh. My. God. This can’t be happening.”

In stark contrast to the whistlers, Miochichi’s face grew increasingly incredulous.

I dragged a chair over and sat down next to him.

IlusionX giggled and asked the bewildered Miochichi, “Mateo, why do you dislike such a cute and adorable female fan?”

“When did I ever say I disliked her? I’m just worried she might start asking to experience being punched and kicked herself. Hoo…”

He really seemed genuinely concerned.

Ilusion handed me a microphone and led the conversation.

“Waaaaaaa!”

“Whew, the energy here is incredible! I can’t even tell whose fan meeting this is.”

“Cheating! Cheating! Cheating! Cheating!”

“Are you saying I brought her here by cheating? Haha, come on, make some sense. How could I possibly get a player in the middle of a national exchange tournament? Not even the President of the USA could manage that. So how did you come here, NaMe?”

“My older sister said there was a nice view, so I came, and I happened to learn that an event was happening today.”

“I see, when you said ‘view,’ you meant it in terms of muscle men, not natural scenery.”

“Thinking back, that seems to be the case.”

“Wait, wait, I have a quick question for you, kid. Do you know when my debut match was?”

Miochichi tried to verify if I was truly his fan by somehow getting me under the octagon.

“Your professional MMA debut was in 2044, and you entered the UFC the following year in August 2045. Your debut match was a decision victory over Brandon Carter on November 29.”

“Wow…”

That wasn’t even close.

I memorized the entire tree wiki before coming up, expecting this.

Eventually, he half-heartedly accepted and opened his heart.

“I’m honored and grateful that such a great young athlete is a fan of mine. Many people think MMA is dangerous, violent, and a brutal blood sport. How did you develop an interest in this sport from such a young age?”

“I’m not sure if it’s dangerous. In terms of injury rates, football, soccer, and basketball dominate. And in terms of permanent aftereffects, boxing is far riskier… So I think MMA is like a martial arts duel. It’s safe yet allows for an experience of teetering between life and death.”

“You can feel the ultimate thrill?”

“Yes. And conversely, you can also find vicarious satisfaction in primal strength.”

“Did you all hear that? A 10-year-old girl wants to experience the thrill of life and death. That’s the most shocking response I’ve ever heard.”

I believe the influence of living in the capsule for a long time played a role too.

“They say soldiers who survive wars seek the battlefield again. Although it’s virtual reality, I’ve been fighting here and there since I was young, so I think I’ve naturally become accustomed to combat.”

The stage fell silent in an instant.

Miochichi’s furrowed brows hung low as he sealed his lips.

He placed the microphone down and opened his arms for a hug.

“I have a one-year-old daughter. When I think about Mia going through such terrible things, ha… I can’t even express what I’m feeling right now.”

“That’s why I support you, Miochichi. You often show such a warm side outside of the match.”

“Right, do you want me to grant a wish before sparring? I can definitely do a fan service. Want me to sign something?”

“I want to gauge how strong your punches are by having you hit my belly.”

“Hey!”

“If you wear aura, it doesn’t hurt at all.”

“Just checking, do your family members happen to be here?”

“Um, my dad should be somewhere.”

“Please don’t say that…”

After a considerable back-and-forth, he set a condition that if my dad gave permission, he could show me a calf kick.

It seemed that a punch to the abdomen was something his principles wouldn’t allow.

The audience found Professor Cheon and pushed him to the front row.

“Are you okay with this, sir…? Your daughter is asking for it like that.”

“Go ahead.”

“Is this a yes or a no? Are you saying, ‘If you can, give it a go’?”

“Looks like Dad gave permission.”

Professor Cheon didn’t seem very keen, but I forced him into an agreement.

“I should kick at the shin, right?”

“Of course, you have to. Feet are essential for athletes.”

“Oh, so it was to protect me.”

It was purely for the safety of a fighter’s feet.

Facing each other, he let out a faint laugh.

“Do you know what’s going through my mind right now, Ilusion?”

“What is it?”

“That everyone entering the national exchange tournament is a true psychopath. How on earth could someone like me hit such a little kid like this?”

“Hahaha!”

“Come on, get on with it; we’re waiting.”

The intensity was set to 100%.

Tap-tap-

Just before kicking, he checked if the mat was tight enough.

He raised his hands professionally, getting into stance and stepping sideways.

‘Here it comes.’

As soon as my brain registered it, his foot met the mat.

Kaaah-!

The 110kg kick shook the mat violently as it landed.

With the cheers of the audience, a long trail of sweat was left on the mat.

However, despite taking the kick’s impact with my whole body, my feet stayed planted firmly on the ground.

“Is this all you’ve got? Keep it coming.”

I provoked him by demonstrating a series of body uppercuts.

This was the technique that led Miochichi to be KO’d by his opponent in the last match.

He slightly grimaced and swung his foot again at a lower angle.

Thud-! Thud-! Thud-!

The sound of his foot echoed like gunfire.

I curled my five toes and endured all three impacts.

As the tension in the octagon peaked, he murmured as he wiped his sweat.

“Ugh, I can’t do this without aura. I never thought I’d blame the aura.”

The audience’s applause and cheers were relentless.

I briefly shook hands with Miochichi and cleared the mat at my shins outside the octagon.

“Shall we also spar like this?”

“But it’ll be a touch spar. I won’t use any strength.”

“That’s not sparring; that’s just practicing weaving…”

I looked up at him with eyes full of disappointment, but it was a lost cause.

* * *

[NoName Miochichi took a calf kick but didn’t budge, haha!]

Is she a dynasty beetle or something?

How is she able to endure when there’s a 5 times weight difference?

(Anxiety-ridden NoName’s father.gif)

[Comments]

– There is a grappling technique called ‘dipping progression.’ I have seen it used in football occasionally.

– She has swept through competitions featuring national weaponized humans…

– A full-power calf kick to your daughter in front of you? That takes immense courage.

└ Had she listened to NoName’s words and only used a belly punch, it would have been a murder case!

– Now it seems NoName is enjoying it too, haha!

– Bodyguard: Please protect me! / NoName: Got it.

└ Hahahahaha!

[NoName’s insane evasion skills]

(NoName weaving for 10 seconds.gif)

Wow, whoa, whoa, it’s inhuman!

[Comments]

– She dodges like water flowing effortlessly.

– Incredible, haha!

– It’s so natural that it seems like she’s intentionally missing.

– Whoa, it makes sense that she’s called a monster.

– What’s the opposite of an uppercut? Now I’m curious.

└ Is there such a thing as a downward cut? Haha!

[NoName’s older sister was today’s savior of the broadcast, right?]

The match was exhilarating and fun until the end, but suddenly there was a drift in the lecture session, confusing everyone during the first round.

Listeners, who had been covering for NoName’s initial feelings, ended up in a second bout of confusion after thirty minutes.

But once her older sister appeared, the back-and-forth between her and NoName was hilarious!

I’ve watched the broadcast since the very beginning, but it was the first time I saw NoName speak so much.

After meeting the villains from Nice, it reached a new peak.

Plus, running into Mateo Miochichi by chance seems like the heavens are supporting the broadcast.

[Comments]

– Mei sister acts very demure, but there’s a subtle madness seeping out! Haha!

└ Subtle? It’s outright 4D, haha!

– Their father seems quite old; is he a late child?

└ No, no, he revealed he’s single in the past, so she’s likely adopted like NoName.

– Golden NoName should take good care of her father later on.

└ Hearing her ask Miochichi to hit her belly made me dizzy the moment I heard it, haha!

– Her figure is such that she’s like a non-Asian!

– Am I the only one who thinks of Adella when I see NoName’s sister?

└ Their voices are different, but NoName’s teasing repertoire is strangely similar, haha!

└ King Cat ASI learned nothing but trouble from her older sister.

└ Ah, please… Are VTubers really being discussed here too?

[NoName’s voice and Adella’s sound similar, don’t you think?]

People keep saying they’re different, but is my ear wrong?

(I just want to watch sports, not participate. I don’t want to!) ← This part.

(Please let me just go to the library! Why do you keep following me when I’m heading there? Aaaaah, I don’t want to!)

I brought up footage from when Adella played a public game and they seem almost identical.

[Comments]

– Wow, this is definitely quite similar!

– Are you suggesting Adella had vocal cord surgery? That would be a bit creepy…

└ Is it even possible to make it that similar?

└ Oh yes, with today’s technology, you can make them exactly the same.

└ But, of course, it’s illegal to impersonate someone else’s voice.

└ Adella wouldn’t mind, since even in games she used AI voices instead of a voice actor.

– Their way of speaking is unexpectedly similar too.

– Ugh, the specters of Adella are back…

– Adella is dead. She’s no longer here. Please face reality.

– It’s disgusting to slander someone. What do you mean voice surgery? It could just be a similarity.

└ Seriously, if you just take the part where they’re screaming, I can imitate that similarly, haha!

– It seems that some might not realize what they’re saying is hate speech.

The community was in an uproar with the appearance of the rumored NoName’s sister.

Some minor communities discussed voice surgery, but what most drew attention to was her appearance.

There were thousands of suggestions piling up at NoName’s broadcasting studio, asking if she intended to reveal her face without a mosaic in the future.

In the meantime, there were also those who lost money betting on sports, solely placing their trust in NoName’s words.

[NoName, give me back my money!!!!!]

Did NoName deceive me?

She clearly said Kazakhstan and Germany would advance!

Why are Switzerland and Australia here instead!!!!

[Comments]

– Is this even real? Hahahaha!

– How could Kazakhstan beat Switzerland? Haha!

– Betting on Kazakhstan was a real brain freeze!

– Wait, Australia won?

– What? Germany is about to lose?! Whoa!

– How did Australia even get matched up? Hahaha!

– Why is Germany out?

– How much did you bet?

└ (Author): 300… dammit…

– 300,000! Haha, that’s a hefty bet!