My seniority is extraordinary: I was only eight years old when the whole village came to wish me a H

"Originally, if the person standing here playing against me today were a true chess player, it would probably be quite difficult to win this game."

Lee Chang-hyuk's continuous, room-wide crying suddenly stopped without warning.

It was as if an invisible hand had forcefully extinguished the bright lamp hanging high above his head, plunging him instantly into boundless darkness; and...

Like a massive machine spinning at an astonishing speed suddenly having its power cord violently severed, all sound and movement came to an instant—

Time seemed to lose its natural fluidity at this moment, becoming unusually heavy and slow.

Lee Chang-hyuk slowly raised his face, which was already soaked with tears.

And his tender face was covered with deep and shallow tear stains, and his swollen and red eyes were full of confusion.

Even the glistening teardrops that were not yet completely dry and still clung firmly to his eyelashes began to tremble as he blinked his eyelids with a slightly dazed expression.

But in the end, it didn't drip down...

What does the phrase "If you were a chess player" really mean?

Does that mean I'm not a chess player?

But if what the other party said is true, then what exactly is this person of unknown identity?

These few seemingly casual yet profound words, like an incredibly sharp needle, easily pierced through the suffocating and oppressive atmosphere that permeated the entire venue.

Not only Lee Chang-hyuk, but everyone in the Tourism Authority of Korea, Park Jung-chang, the executives of the Korea Baduk Association, Go players from all over the world, and even the millions of netizens who were just spamming "Young Master is awesome" in the live broadcast room were stunned.

The barrage of comments paused for a moment, then erupted like a tsunami of question marks.

"???"

"What? Are you playing a riddle?"

"Young master, you're not just killing me, you're destroying my spirit! Winning isn't enough, you're now denying my identity?"

"Quiet down, listen to what the young master has to say! I think this matter is not simple!"

Wu You ignored the commotion around him. He simply looked at Li Changhe's dazed and confused expression and gently shook his head.

His eyes, so pure black, now reflected a compassion and insight beyond his years.

"pity."

"You are now trapped by things outside the chessboard."

He paused, his voice not loud, but each word was clearly delivered to everyone's ears.

"You are not your own player."

"Instead, they are someone else's pawns."

The last few words were spoken without any thunder or explosion, simply and calmly.

But when these words reached Lee Chang-hyuk's ears, his mind went completely blank.

Someone else's... pawn?

Is he... a pawn?

Scenes kept swirling uncontrollably in his mind.

Before the match, Minister Kim Ji-sung patted him on the shoulder and said in an unquestionable tone, "Chang-hyuk, the glory of Korean Go depends on you. You can only win, you cannot lose!"

At the press conference, countless flashbulbs were pointed at him, and reporters' microphones were practically poking his face: "Li Changhe, are you confident you can bring glory to your country and defeat that arrogant Chinese brat?"

In the training room, in order to win, he abandoned all his favorite opening moves and instead frantically studied those cold, utilitarian "AI-style" game records that were all about winning with maximum efficiency.

He could even feel that with each move he made, countless eyes stood behind him, eyes filled with expectation, pressure, and... greed.

He thought this was the world of professional chess players.

He believed that bearing the hopes of the entire nation was the greatest honor.

But now, Wu You's words have shattered all his understanding.

He wasn't playing chess for himself.

He was playing a game for those people, for those so-called "glory" and "expectations".

He is no longer a pure chess player who simply enjoys the thrill of the game in the black and white world.

He was merely a tool pushed to the forefront to seize benefits and honors.

One, a chess piece.

Having figured this out, the color drained from Lee Chang-hyuk's face as quickly as the receding tide, leaving only a deathly pallor.

An unprecedented feeling of exhaustion surged from my limbs and bones.

He felt that all his efforts over the past ten years—working from dawn till dusk, single-mindedly pursuing everything, and persisting in everything—had turned into a huge joke.

A joke, both pathetic and laughable.

He stared blankly at Wu You, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Wu You simply watched him quietly, his eyes devoid of the pride of a victor or the condescending mockery, only displaying an almost bland statement.

He spoke again, asking a question that surprised everyone, including Lee Chang-hyuk himself.

"Now, have you figured it out?"

"What are you fighting for?"

...................

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