The news about Klaus Park being Kaizen started spreading quickly on social media after exposed's post about it, and the comments soon flooded the internet.
People were shocked, surprised and even incredulous at the revelation. The gaming forums were buzzing with fervent discussions and theories being thrown around every second.
While America fell asleep, the rumor spread to device screens all over the world, creating shock waves that spread beyond the borders of the internet. In Japan, Italy, South Africa, Argentina... Everywhere, Rise Online players saw a post about it or were told about it by friends.
Social networks were buzzing with different reactions. Now, some people vaguely remembered the name Klaus Park and the phenomenon he had been in gaming, while others found it hard to believe that such a young player could have achieved such success.
Skeptical comments appeared alongside messages of support and disbelief. So, as the story gained momentum, many started trying to do what the creator of the post said he did to access news and videos of little Klaus Park - go online.
The search for old news and videos of Klaus Park became a virtual race, with newspapers everywhere and esports fans all over the world trying to find the same content that had been mentioned in the post, because although there was plenty of material in the post itself, journalists wanted to be the first to confirm the news as true or if possible deny it. The search for this information reached such an intense level that some websites that promised to be able to access files on the internet began to experience loading problems due to the sudden increase in traffic, so many people resorted to old computers.
In different parts of the globe, people shared links, videos and screenshots of old newsreels of the most notable moments of Klaus Park's career as a Myth 2 player.
It was as if everyone was delving into a long-forgotten past, trying to better understand how the young prodigy had become the enigmatic Rise Online figure known as Kaizen.
Rise Online players were also eager for information. Many of them were fervent fans of the legendary Kaizen, who saved Capital from Tretidian twice, who took on the best players in Midgard and who excelled so much even though he wasn't an Evolved. And the idea that he could have such an interesting and noteworthy previous and current history made me even more curious about him.
On gaming forums and discussion groups, theories began to emerge about why Klaus Park had abandoned his career as a professional gamer and later decided to use his Kaizen nickname. Could it be that in the end he wanted people to be able to remember him? His past? Was he the one who made the anonymous post trying to gain attention?
Exactly, although most of the comments were respectful and curious, there were also those who saw this revelation as an opportunity to criticize and disbelieve. The anonymous nature of the internet often encouraged the expression of acidic and even offensive opinions.
Some users commented that there were similarities between Kaizen's moves and ways of playing and those of Klaus Park, but many others were still skeptical about the connection between the two. After all, the time between the events mentioned was considerable, and many wondered why someone would hide such a famous identity for so long because of an accident.
Lara, who was Klaus' friend and Captain, received a call in the middle of the night and was thus aware of the controversy that was sweeping the internet. She quickly shared the news with Andrew, Nathan, David and the rest of the New York Archery Department staff.
On the phone call with Lara in the early hours of the morning, Andrew, who already knew about Klaus Park being the Kaizen, was stunned by the revelation of his past. Still, he decided to pretend that he knew absolutely nothing about it. Scratching his chin with one hand, he said:
"If this story is true, it will be complicated for Klaus. Kaizen is a central figure in Rise Online and I bet that's why he has a lot of enemies. Considering how seriously some people take this game, it could be dangerous for him to go to the final tomorrow."
Lara agreed, looking at her cell phone. "It seems a lot of people are torn between believing and doubting. Will we get any official confirmation? Will he make a statement? Should we go to his room and check?"
Andrew shook his head. "No, I don't think so, because it could be a very delicate moment for him. If he wants to talk, he'll come to us. I think we should respect his space now."
The news didn't stop spreading for a single minute that night. As there was no official confirmation about it, people from all over the world began to debate it, and it reached some personalities from the gaming scene, such as narrators, professional players from big guilds and others, who began to share the post, adding even more visibility to the revelation. Hashtags related to Klaus Park and Kaizen began to stand out in the trending topics.
In China, Brightwater, an avid player of Rise Online, Evolved and someone who was very interested in Kaizen, stared at the screen of his device, absorbing all the information. He had always been fascinated by Kaizen's strength and courage in the game. Immediately, he started looking for plane tickets to the United States.
Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, Marklen Shattermast, an experienced and famous Rise Online player, was reading the comments with a smile of interest.
"I knew I remembered the nickname 'Kaizen' from somewhere, and to think it was from the game I also played... HEHE! That's fun. I wonder if I've ever faced him?"
...
Edited by: DrHitsuji
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