[TS] The Return of The Gamer - Chapter 206

Legends of League Challengers KOREA promotion/relegation match.

As the name suggests, this is where the teams participating in the next season of the 2nd league are determined.

Unlike the promotion/relegation match in the 1st league, all schedules for the 2nd league promotion/relegation match are completed on the same day.

In other words, the matches are also held with only two matches using the best-of-five format.

It is today that those who will fall from the 2nd league are decided.

“They didn't pick us, after all.”

“It couldn't be helped.”

The teams participating in the promotion/relegation match from the 2nd league are the bottom two teams, the 7th and 8th place teams.

Among them, the 7th place team, which has a relatively higher ranking, is given the option to choose their opponent from the 1st place teams of Group A and Group B.

In other words, it is an advantage based on the ranking.

BSM (BrainStorMing), the 7th place team in CKR, designated PBHG (ParkBokHee Gaming), the 1st place team in Group B, and naturally, GKG (GurKha Gaming), the 8th place team, became our opponent.

Soon, the matches were as follows.

+

[MATCH 1] [Best of 5]

CKR Spring 7th place team BSM

vs

CKR Promotion/Relegation match preliminary round qualifying team PBHG

[MATCH 2] [Best of 5]

CKR Spring 8th place team GKG

vs

CKR Promotion/Relegation match preliminary round qualifying team OLZ

* The winning team of each match will acquire the Challengers Korea Summer Split seed right.

*1st, 3rd, 5th set side selection rights: BSM, GKG.

*2nd, 4th set side selection rights: PBHG, OLZ.

+

Even though it's a small difference, the existing CKR teams are slightly more advantageous in terms of side selection rights.

It could be seen as a kind of home advantage.

There was no particular dissatisfaction because those who challenge always have to surpass those who defend.

That was the original rule, too.

“Well, we're in the second match, so what are we going to do? Are we going to watch the first match? I'm planning to watch it.”

“Um… No.”

Baek Seong-an wanted to watch to see the various structures, including the ban-picks, but I didn't want to waste energy watching another team's match.

‘I didn't sleep well yesterday.’

Even though I've hardly ever gone on a picnic, I felt like I knew what it meant to be excited the day before.

I was trying to stay still on the sofa in the corner of the waiting room, adjusting my condition, when I kept hearing a strange sound.

Whoosh─

Whoosh!

“…Jihoon, you too, don't waste energy and just watch the match over there.”

I scolded Kim Ji-hoon, who had brought dumbbells to the waiting room, and Kim Ji-hoon shook his head.

“This much is fine.”

“I'm not fine. It's distracting.”

“…Understood.”

Kim Ji-hoon, even though he looks like that, surprisingly listened to me quite well.

He's a really diligent guy, except for being obsessed with exercise... Everything needs moderation.

‘Then…….’

I close my eyes and mentally simulate the match that will take place today.

We have already had considerable scrim experience with GKG, our opponent today.

Scrim results? Of course, it's obvious.

We won them all.

Therefore, I didn't think it would be a difficult match, but the opponent also knows that they are behind us in scrim results, so they will prepare their own secret weapon.

‘Even if it's a secret weapon, they can't use a pick that hasn't been practiced at all. Then, the picks that GKG players usually use in solo queue are…….’

It's all in the data already.

If so, there are roughly two ways GKG can choose.

Fight head-on according to the standard.

Or bring out a joker pick that they occasionally used in scrims with other teams and kept hidden until the very end.

Whatever they choose, there was no reason for us to avoid it.

Whatever method the opponent uses, we would just crush them with force.

Someone might say we're arrogant, but I, and we, were confident.

And…….

Lying still with my eyes closed, I naturally heard the voices of my teammates, who were giving advice during the match.

“Wow, they're doing that there. They're so bad, aren't they?”

“Don't say that anywhere. You'll get into big trouble.”

“Okay.”

Of course, even so, the advice was something that couldn't be stopped, and even Seo Yeon-woo, who was watching the match, would occasionally blurt out a word.

“In my opinion… the top laners' judgment is strange. It doesn't seem like they should do that there……”

“That's right. If they do that, they'll get their jungle completely eaten. Aren't they going to back up?”

“That's right.”

Kim Ji-hoon also chimed in.

“The support difference seems significant.”

“That's true. More precisely, the bottom lane itself is quite different.”

“The bottom lane laning is done by the support.”

“That's right.”

As the voices of the teammates and the commentators overlapped, I could roughly understand how the match was progressing, even without watching.

‘BSM seems to be very advantageous.’

After all, as the name suggests, ParkBokHee Gaming is a team formed by amateurs who have come together through a common purpose.

Even though they've made it to the promotion/relegation match, they still fall short compared to BSM, a professional gaming team with its roots.

‘In fact, ParkBokHee Gaming also struggled quite a bit in the Group B qualifiers.’

It's a different story from us, who breezed through Group A with a perfect record.

Well, that's why BSM, which could choose their opponent, chose ParkBokHee Gaming instead of us.

While I was lost in thought, the first match ended smoothly with BSM's victory.

“They just got pushed all the way.”

“It looks like it'll be almost 3:0, doesn't it?”

“Yeah.”

Listening to that conversation, I thought.

‘That was a match that didn’t need to be watched after all.’

As a matter of fact, our team has already scrimmed with ParkBokHee Gaming as well as BSM several times.

The result was a perfect victory for our team.

It was a perfect victory with a considerable difference, so there was no way to be interested in the matches of the two teams that had lost to us.

As I spent time dozing with my eyes closed, the long, long match was heading towards the end.

『“Shall we say there was no surprise, as expected? The difference in performance between the two teams today is considerable, isn't it?”』

『“Yes. It's a bit unfortunate for ParkBokHee Gaming, but I think they should prepare more next time and give it another shot.”』

The first match, between BSM and ParkBokHee Gaming, ended.

The result was 3:1.

It was a victory for BSM, the existing Challengers team.

Only then, after tidying up my messy hair, I stood up and asked Baek Seong-an.

“How was it?”

“…It wasn't very helpful.”

Baek Seong-an shook his head and added.

“I watched the MSL finals the other day, and I feel like my standards have just gone up for no reason.”

Indeed, the difference between the MSL, where the world's top teams gather, and the 2nd league promotion/relegation match was like heaven and earth.

“It's not just your standards that have gone up.”

Because next year, we'll be in that spot.

“Uhm, if you say so…….”

Baek Seong-an couldn't hide his usual awkwardness, but the other teammates didn't seem to disagree either.

“Honestly, if it were us, I think we would have just won BSM.”

“Didn't we actually win a lot? That… we did scrims, didn't we?”

“Oh, that's true. Yeon-woo, your memory is really good.”

“……”

At that level, the current condition and form of our team could be said to be at its peak.

As we were preparing, a staff member from the scene came into the waiting room and shouted.

“Please get ready now, OLZ!”

TEAM OLZ (OutLaw Zone).

From now on, it's our time.

*

The distance to the arena where the computers were set up felt somehow too long as I slowly left the waiting room.

“Hoo……”

“What's wrong? Are you nervous?”

“Yes, well……”

“Actually, I am too.”

I was momentarily taken aback by Baek Seong-an's words.

“Yes?”

“It's always been like that. Being in a match is scary and nerve-wracking. But I'm not going to be like that anymore.”

“Why?”

“Because we're going to win.”

“Ha.”

It was a bit of a boast, not like Baek Seong-an, but it wasn't so bad.

As he said, we will win.

Not only today, but also in the future.

Today is the first step for that.

As I slowly walked through the hallway, I soon saw the booths and the audience seats.

The audience seats are empty right now.

Of course, it wasn't as if there were no people at all, but they were more like staff than the audience.

‘The audience…….’

It somehow comes to mind.

The image of those empty audience seats being filled and cheering for me and our team.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah, yes.”

I sat down and made a resolution.

Someday, when those audience seats are full, I will proudly show them.

That the prisoner, who was once trapped,

has returned as an outlaw.