[TS] The Return of The Gamer - Chapter 42

Incheon Airport.

Li Zixuan, having finally set foot on Korean soil, took a deep breath of the cold air and quickened his pace.

"Ugh, long time no see."

Coach Zhang Shihwan, wrapped from head to toe in a long padding coat like a silkworm cocoon, sniffled.

Li Zixuan, as a senior pro gamer, respected Coach Zhang Shihwan to a certain degree, and also acknowledged his coaching abilities, but whenever he saw that appearance, he truly doubted his own judgment.

"The accommodations? The company building?"

"Yes. That's probably best. After all, we're here for training."

"Right."

Like most Chinese teams, GRS is also one of the teams that doesn't lack in financial power.

Therefore, considering the speed of the internet and the average solo rank level, a separate company building was prepared in Korea, which was suitable as a training location.

A separate company building overseas…

If the teams in Korea saw it, they would have clicked their tongues, asking what kind of money-wasting this was, but GRS's strong sponsor made it possible.

"You already know this, but we're here for training. If any trouble arises, it could affect the season. Behave yourself. Got it?"

"Of course."

Li Zixuan replied with a smile, but Coach Zhang Shihwan couldn't shake off his uneasy expression.

Coach Zhang Shihwan also knew very well why Li Zixuan had come to Korea with such a hectic schedule.

'I hope nothing happens.'

The reason Li Zixuan, despite the season being just around the corner, had to set foot on distant Korean soil.

Nominally, it was for training before the season started in earnest, but it was clear that it was related to Prisoner.

'Why is he so obsessed with an amateur jungler….'

Of course, if he said such things in front of Li Zixuan, he would definitely blow up, so Coach Zhang Shihwan didn't bother to get involved.

Anyway, as a result of Li Zixuan's whim, he was able to take a vacation-like trip to his hometown after a long time.

Coach Zhang Shihwan hailed a taxi.

"Please go to Jongno 3-ga Station."

His Korean, used after a long time, was quite awkward.

Usually, other coaches would coach through interpreters, but Zhang Shihwan thought that doing so could deviate from his original intentions, so he desperately learned Chinese.

Of course, even so, he couldn't be considered perfect, but at least when giving game feedback, he was no different from a native speaker.

GRS's company building was deliberately located as close as possible to the Korean arena of Legend of League.

There were several reasons.

The first reason was to watch the games of Korean teams live during the vacation period, if the opportunity arose.

The second reason was, of course, to interact with other Korean teams.

Of course, due to the schedule, they haven't fully utilized the building in that direction yet, but there would be a chance someday.

'Well, when else would you use such an expensive building if not now.'

While Coach Zhang Shihwan was thinking about this and that, they arrived at their destination.

"Should we unpack first? Or eat first?"

"Let's unpack first. We'll eat in the accommodations."

"Alright."

The GRS team's company building was spacious enough to use an entire building, and there was no shortage of facilities.

It was natural, as it was a place for the GRS team players and related personnel to stay.

The fact that only the two of them were using that wide space… It even felt a strange sense of openness.

"It's clean."

"Right."

It was thanks to the cleaning company that provided regular maintenance.

Li Zixuan, having unpacked his luggage, immediately looked for a computer.

"Are you going to practice already?"

"Isn't there anything wrong with that?"

"Well... if you want to work hard, I don't mind. After all, we're here for training."

Even if it's training where only one player and one coach came, leaving all the teammates behind.

"What do you want to eat? The meals aren't prepared yet, so we'll have to order delivery for now."

"Just a cup of instant noodles, please."

"Is that enough?"

"Yes."

Li Zixuan thought this wasn't the time to worry about lunch.

Prisoner.

He had to find him.

'I will find him no matter what.'

And whether it was 5 million yuan or 10 million yuan, he would recruit him somehow.

Prisoner was worth that much.

However...

Even after utilizing all of Li Zixuan's connections and money for several days, he couldn't find Prisoner's whereabouts.

"...Does that make sense? If he took the pro test, there should be personal information somewhere, right?"

Li Zixuan's secretary, who was investigating Prisoner, said.

Of course, the work was done without Coach Zhang Shihwan's knowledge.

"The Korean pro teams refused to provide information due to personal privacy issues, so we bribed the coaching staffs... But since it wasn't even an official contract, there are no separate personal details except for his name and phone number."

"You must have used other methods too, right?"

"Of course. After that, we didn't care about any means, legal or illegal... But for some reason, there's not even a trace. It's like a person who doesn't exist. Unless the Korean government agency steps in and erases the traces, this shouldn't be possible... But that doesn't make sense either."

"Ha! Are you saying that I'm looking for a ghost, Mr. Hwang?"

"I'm, I'm sorry!"

Li Zixuan bit his lip.

He had thought that he would easily find Prisoner if he came to Korea.

But it was more difficult than he thought.

"So, what's his name?"

The secretary, trying to please Li Zixuan, finally said urgently.

"It's Lee Yujin."

"Lee Yujin…."

Li Zixuan savored the name.

Lee Yujin.

And Prisoner.

I'll find him, no matter what.

During his stay in Korea, Li Zixuan watched Prisoner's replays countless times.

And every time, he was amazed.

'How on earth did he make that judgment here? Did he have the confidence to win?'

Even in situations where Yoonki, known for his aggressiveness, would have retreated at least once, Prisoner didn't budge.

And the result was a landslide victory.

It was a miracle created by Prisoner's super play.

'My eye was right. Prisoner is better than Yoonki.'

Li Zixuan tasted true despair when he met the Rainbow Yoonki duo in the last Red Cup.

The public praised it as a great match, but in reality, it was only thanks to GRS's destructive bottom duo that they barely made it to the late game. The mid and jungle were virtually defeated.

Maybe that's why.

The reason Li Zixuan is so obsessed with Prisoner.

'Prisoner, if I'm with you, I can win the Red Cup.'

Prisoner actually trampled even Yoonki mercilessly.

Even though it was just solo rank, it was enough to make you say, 'The jungle difference is real.'

At the same time as he was examining Prisoner's replays, Li Zixuan played games countless times to meet Prisoner again somehow.

However, he couldn't easily meet him because the time he played games was irregular.

And...

Li Zixuan researched Prisoner's game playing time to some extent, and finally succeeded in being matched in the same game.

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Dayou TV 015745 has joined the lobby.

Prisoner has joined the lobby.

qq7785dd55 has joined the lobby.

ChansikChansikChansik has joined the lobby.

LeavingForThePlace has joined the lobby.

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Prisoner.

How long have I searched to find you…

I want to greet you familiarly right away.

I missed you, let's come and play together on our team.

However, since the recruitment proposal had already failed, Li Zixuan decided to approach him cautiously.

'First, let's carry this game.'

The teammates are just as important as their salaries when players choose a team.

Good teammates are directly linked to performance.

In short, there are also quite a few cases where they set conditions like, 'I'm willing to go to that team if we recruit so-and-so together.'

That's why Li Zixuan decided to showcase his value first in this game.

'I'll make you want to play with me.'

The game started.

'The opponent's top is… EZ.'

The reason Li Zixuan knew EZ, who hadn't participated in an international competition once, was simple.

Because EZ was the top solo laner in the recruitment priority.

'He's not lacking as an opponent for me and Prisoner.'

A smile appeared on Li Zixuan's lips.

However, the smile didn't last long.

-Our team has been killed!

-Enemy, double kill!

'…Lost in a top lane fight?'

The top and jungle of the allied team lost the 2:2 fight.

Did the allied top do badly? No. Even though his relative expected value wasn't that high, he did his part.

Rather, the one who made a mistake was Rek'Sai, that is, Prisoner.

The mistake that Prisoner, as Li Zixuan thought, would never make appeared.

'…Coincidence?'

Something was strange.

And as he played the game, the sense of discomfort grew more and more.

'It's not the usual Prisoner.'

Mistakes that the usual Prisoner would never make were showing up one by one.

His judgment wasn't sharp either.

Of course, he was still very reasonable in making big decisions, but… the speed of making decisions was slower than before.

If it were someone else, they would have just thought, 'He seems to have had a bit of a slump today,' but Li Zixuan, who had looked back on Prisoner's plays countless times, was certain.

Today's Prisoner was somehow strange.

'…Wait a minute.'

At that moment, a memory flashed through Li Zixuan's mind.

One crucial fact about Prisoner that should never be forgotten.

"…I couldn't help it. How can I do anything when I don't have much time left to live?"

Terminally ill.

Prisoner was living a terminally ill life.