On one side, people were eating contentedly and watching the screens with rapt attention; on the other, they were learning diligently and practicing hard.
Faced with 46 selectable characters, the new players were utterly confused, not knowing who to pick. However, by now they had grown wise: if you don't know how to play, just watch Wayne. Whether sitting together or tucked away in private boxes, everyone was discussing tactics in the in-game chat channel.
Shadowbreak: "What's the name of the character in white that Wayne is using?"
Andromath: "That's 'Ryu'."
Verdan: "What about Tess? I see Old Marlin is teaching her another character."
Rainier: "That's 'Chun-Li'. She seems to specialize in kicks."
A group of people switched their game interfaces to Wayne's public livestream, learning as they watched.
In truth, Wayne was also familiarizing himself. This VR-enhanced version was quite different from the arcade sticks, controllers, or keyboards he had used before transmigrating. In this version, moves were executed through intent—similar to the "Modern Controls" of Street Fighter 6—but core mechanics like recovery frames, startup, and active frames remained unchanged. Even though one could "think" a move into existence, they couldn't simply spam them without end.
Other settings remained faithful to the original, including light, medium, and heavy attacks, throws, V-Skills, and V-Triggers. However, one specific setting from other games was applied: by default, "Immersive" players retained their own physical appearance in the arena, but their names, health bars, and move sets were those of the selected character.
For instance, the person on the screen was still Wayne in his commoner clothes—no red headband or white gi—but every Shoryuken and Hadoken he performed used Ryu's exact animations.
Wayne explained to Amy: "Light punches are fast to execute and recover from. They are weak but leave few openings. Medium punches are slower but more powerful. Heavy punches deal massive damage but leave huge openings; you must time them perfectly."
"These principles are similar to real combat, but there's one mechanic unique to fighting games: the 'Crouching Low' attack. It can trip a standing enemy even if they are guarding. It has nothing to do with the size, strength, or weight of the opponents."
Hearing this, many players had a moment of realization. Veri: "No wonder! I just fought Laini. We picked random characters, but I kept getting swept off my feet by his long, spindly legs. Guarding didn't do a thing." Hicks: "Spindly legs? That character is 'Dhalsim'. He has a name."
While the discussion continued, Wayne demonstrated another mode. In "Original Mode," the player's appearance would transform into the character's actual model. Even a short, skinny person picking Zangief would appear as a hulking giant.
Verdan, thinking he had "attained enlightenment," eagerly joined a match. But once they were teleported to the "Justice Arena," Verdan found himself facing a tanned woman in a green fighting outfit with a black belt— "Laura Matsuda."
Verdan: "What the hell are you doing?" He looked down at his own character, the green, feral "Blanka" he had picked at random.
[...Scene Cut...]
Verdan: "It was like hitting a piece of... rubber?"
Verdan didn't believe it: "Only pain?"
At that moment, Wayne shouted in the public channel: "What are you two perverts doing?! This is a fighting game!" Hearing Wayne's shout, everyone immediately switched their view to see what depraved act was occurring. The two men turned bright red and fled the match in a panic.
Meanwhile, on the continent of Kalimdor, north of the region known as "Durotar," sat the majestic city of Orgrimmar amidst the mountains. Inside a fortress in the Valley of Wisdom, a Troll scout, permitted by the Kor'kron guards, hurried inside.
"Reporting to the Warchief!"
Beside the throne, a young Orc in black plate armor was studying a massive map alongside an elderly, grey-skinned Orc. He waved his hand for the scout to proceed.
"A Black Dragon has been detected near Stormwind!"
The Warchief and his advisor immediately turned.
"Give me details."
"Five days ago, our spies spotted a Black Dragon about 100 kilometers south of Stormwind. Less than an hour later, another Black Dragon and a Bronze Dragon appeared. But... the first dragon was repelled. Stormwind has issued grand rewards. Among those rewarded, besides humans, there were Night Elves and Dwarves."
Eitrigg pondered aloud, "Has Darnassus and Ironforge sent troops to Stormwind?"
"What were the Alliance losses?" The scout lowered his head awkwardly. "There were... no losses."
The Warchief's brow furrowed. "What?! Are you sure it was a Black Dragon? Not a whelp or a drakonid?"
"Confirmed! It was a massive Black Dragon."
Eitrigg interjected: "How many Alliance forces were deployed?"
"According to our spies, fewer than ten humans, two dwarves, and two night elves..."
The Warchief and his advisor exchanged looks. Usually compassionate toward his subordinates, the Warchief now spoke with irritation. "How is that possible?! A dozen people repelling a Black Dragon? You report such absurdities to me?"
Before the scout could explain, an Orc commander with a double-edged greataxe strapped to his back entered. His spiked pauldrons were unmistakable. "Warchief, I swear upon the honor of Saurfang, this intelligence is accurate."
This was High Overlord Saurfang, leader of the Horde's elite and direct subordinate to the Warchief. He patted the scout's shoulder dismissively, letting him leave. With Saurfang's endorsement, the Warchief—Thrall—had no choice but to believe it.
Saurfang: "No, if it were all of them together, it might be one thing. But the report says a twenty-year-old youth led them and easily repelled the dragon without a single casualty. Only a few trees were scorched. And that youth is merely a blacksmith shop owner we've never heard of."
The situation was so bizarre that it made the legendary Warchief, who had seen many strange things, feel his thoughts tangling. He looked to his advisor. "Eitrigg, what do you think?"
Saurfang: "Warchief, this is why I am here. It is said the Argent Dawn has already made contact with this human youth. I request authorization for Lieutenant Betha to use her contacts in the Argent Dawn to confirm the truth. However, this will require some gold."
Lieutenant Betha was a female Orc who had joined the Argent Dawn. Legally, she no longer took orders from the Horde, but in the world of Azeroth, personal ties often overrode legalities.
Thrall agreed immediately. "Allocate 30 gold and... ask her to handle it." Saurfang spoke respectfully: "I'm afraid 30 gold won't be enough." Thrall: "How much then?" Saurfang: "At least 300 gold." He briefly explained the net cafe's pricing, though the report contained many exaggerations since the spy hadn't actually played.
Thrall gasped again. "1 gold for only one hour?!" However, he didn't want to make things difficult for Saurfang. "Fine, set aside 500 gold. But Varok, you know our economic situation isn't great. Make sure we get clear information."
Saurfang saluted and left. Once only Thrall and Eitrigg remained, Thrall spoke again: "Perhaps you can find out where your old friend is. There has been no word since his exile from Stormwind."
Thrall turned back to the map. "The world needs him. And so do we."