[TS] The Return of The Gamer - Chapter 53
Challenger 2000 LPThe morning dawned.
Of course, even though it was morning, the sun was already high in the sky, but wasn't the center of the world solely oneself?
There's no need to worry about the trivial things.
After hastily eating a meal of cereal and milk, I immediately sat down in front of the computer.
-Welcome!
As always, I ran the Legend of League client, and I felt a slight sense of bewilderment.
‘Huh?’
+
[SY Rainbow]
Connecting.
+
Rainbow is online.
This was rare at this time.
‘What's going on?’
After Rainbow debuted as a pro, it was virtually the first time, excluding the off-season vacation period.
‘Hmm.’
Of course, they might just be logged in, but I felt the need to check.
There was no need for any special greetings.
Because the words to replace them had already been decided.
[Searching for a game…….]
Not long after I started the queue, Rainbow's status window changed as if they had been waiting.
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[SY Rainbow]
Searching for a game…….
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‘As expected.’
Rainbow was waiting for me.
The reason wasn't difficult to guess.
‘They must know I hit 1940 points.’
Well, even though it's a bit awkward to say it myself, Prisoner's score right now is arguably one of the biggest topics in the Legend of League scene.
Rainbow, who had even declared a direct challenge to me, couldn't help but know.
‘Being online at this time… Does that mean they have no schedule today?’
Today is Wednesday.
A weekday.
Well, I couldn't possibly know the internal affairs of professional teams, so I just went with it.
Even so, it was a bit strange that all the other pros on my friend list were offline.
Anyway, what this fact meant was clear.
‘Rainbow is in perfect condition right now.’
Most of the countless pros I've faced until now met me in situations that could hardly be considered perfect.
Because from their perspective, solo rank was mostly done after completing all team schedules, as personal practice or a kind of after-party.
Let alone Rainbow, who could be called the top star in the Legend of League scene, their personal schedule would be absolutely murderous.
And yet, Rainbow was waiting for me in perfect condition right now.
My heart couldn't help but race.
‘Yes, today is the day.’
I instinctively felt what kind of day today would be.
I had thought that such a day would come someday, but it came a little earlier than expected.
[Game found!]
[Accept / Reject]
There was no need to hesitate.
‘Let’s do this.’
Let's see, try to stop me.
* * *
After finishing all the picks, Ryu Jinhyuk, who was lost in thought for a moment, quietly checked his condition.
His current condition was the best.
His teammates were also all skilled players recognized by Ryu Jinhyuk.
Everything was heading towards victory.
However, if there was one variable, it was the fact that Prisoner was on the opposing team.
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[Prisoner]
Champion selection in progress.
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“Hoo….”
Despite being in perfect condition, which was quite different from when he played solo rank, Ryu Jinhyuk couldn't hide his tension.
Ryu Jinhyuk had felt this tension several times before.
When he stood on the stage for the finals for the first time.
When he stepped onto the Red Cup stage for the first time.
When he won the Red Cup for the first time.
They were all matches that would be remembered in the history of Legend of League, but, strangely enough, Ryu Jinhyuk was feeling the same way now, just before a solo rank game.
‘But I'm the one who wins.’
Just like I always have.
-Welcome to the Summoner's Rift!
The full game began.
Ryu Jinhyuk, or rather, Rainbow, relentlessly pushed the opponent's mid laner from the start.
It was to dominate the mid lane and shut down the opponent's jungler, Prisoner.
-First Blood!
Less than three minutes into the game, the first kill came from the mid lane.
The opponent's mid laner was a mid laner known as an amateur master, but they couldn't possibly withstand Rainbow's current strength.
And…….
If the mid laner gets solo-killed, the influence naturally goes to the jungler, who is the closest related position.
When their jungler pinged that they were invading the opponent's Raptors, Rainbow went to back them up.
And, they were shocked.
Because only one small monster was left in the opponent's jungle.
What this fact meant was clear.
‘…Self-invade?’
How many steps ahead did they see to make such an absurd judgment from the start?
‘Did they know I was going to solo-kill the mid laner?’
No, that's not necessarily the case.
Even without the solo-kill, Prisoner didn't doubt that Rainbow would win the laning phase.
Rather, they trusted Rainbow, the enemy, more than their own mid laner.
‘…Haha.’
Rainbow let out a hollow laugh.
Legend of League is a game where even teammates who have been together for a long time don't easily trust each other.
But, Prisoner trusted their enemy, themselves, without a shred of doubt.
That fact brought an extremely strange feeling to Rainbow, and that feeling soon exploded in the form of a competitive spirit.
‘…Prisoner!’
A fierce exchange continued.
When Rainbow killed two of the opposing champions, Prisoner immediately killed three of their team's champions.
It was a battle on a knife's edge.
The winner continued to change in the midst of it, but in the end, it was Prisoner who stood at the last moment.
And…….
When they came to their senses, Prisoner had already grown into a monster.
‘…No, not yet.’
Even if it's Prisoner, they only have one body.
If the opponent has grown well, they should induce a battle that excludes that well-grown opponent.
However,
Prisoner seemed to have read even this and appeared like a phantom.
They couldn't shake them off.
Prisoner was everywhere, and Prisoner was always blocking the way in the retreat path.
-Allied champion has been slain!
-The enemy is a battle incarnate!
After a fierce battle, the allied team succeeded in taking four dragons, but unfortunately, that was all.
In the end, the opposing team, who had both Baron buff and Elder buff, advanced to the allied team's nexus.
[Defeat]
As with anyone, defeat in Legend of League wasn't something that could be easily gotten used to.
No, rather, it was an even more unfamiliar sight for Ryu Jinhyuk, who had always been on the side of the victor rather than the loser.
“……”
While Ryu Jinhyuk was momentarily lost, one of the status windows on his friend list changed.
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[Prisoner]
Searching for a game…….
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Prisoner immediately started the queue.
‘…Right, this isn't the time to be like this.’
They had only lost the first game.
No matter how much the importance of the first game is emphasized in a multi-game series, this wasn't a multi-game tournament.
In the end, it's enough to be the winner in the last moment.
[Game found!]
[Accept / Reject]
Ryu Jinhyuk pressed accept again.
And then he was shocked.
───────────────
Prisoner has joined the lobby.
.
.
.
SY Rainbow has joined the lobby.
───────────────
Ryu Jinhyuk is currently playing pure solo rank.
There are no duos.
Of course, he had also expected this situation, but it gave him a strange feeling to meet the opponent who had just brought him to defeat as an ally.
Let alone if that was Prisoner.
‘Should I dodge?’
Ryu Jinhyuk soon shook his head.
Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will not be defeated in a hundred battles.
And…….
[Victory]
The game time was a total of 13 minutes and 11 seconds.
It wasn't that the opponent opened, but purely the time it took to destroy the nexus.
“……”
They dominated all lanes from the beginning.
Among them, what shone was, of course, Prisoner.
Just as ordinary gamers shine even more in advantageous games, so did Prisoner.
‘Just… what are you?’
In doubt, Ryu Jinhyuk queued up to match Prisoner without a moment's rest.
As a result, he met them as an ally three more times and as an enemy about four times.
Among them, the game in which they met as an ally and the game in which they met as an enemy each had a dodge.
He faced Prisoner two times as an ally and three times as an enemy.
[Victory]
[Defeat]
[Defeat]
[Victory]
[Defeat]
And in all those games, Prisoner won every single game without missing one.
Even Rainbow, who had put in all their strength, couldn't block Prisoner's path in the end.
“……”
Ryu Jinhyuk dropped his head in the face of a sense of helplessness and powerlessness he had never felt before.
He lost.
He lost completely.
It was clearly different from before.
There had always been small excuses for the defeats until now.
Because the condition wasn't good,
Because the scrim was hard,
Because it was just solo rank.
However, it wasn't like that now.
Ryu Jinhyuk faced Prisoner, putting everything he had on the line.
Just as something solid eventually breaks, Ryu Jinhyuk knew that the solidity he possessed had eventually shattered in front of the wall called Prisoner.
“……”
And Ryu Jinhyuk saw.
At last, where the individual called Prisoner had arrived.
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[Prisoner]
Rank 1
Solo Rank
- Challenger
- 2000 LP / 271 Wins 172 Losses
- Win Rate 61%
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2000 points in solo rank.
The fact that a new legend could be called from the moment they passed 1800 points, they finally achieved the myth of changing the front digit of their solo rank score.
“…Prisoner.”
When people see something they can't understand, they show two reactions.
They are afraid, or they are in awe.
Strangely, Ryu Jinhyuk was feeling both of those emotions right now.
He was afraid of Prisoner.
He was in awe of Prisoner.
He was…….
“Prisoner……”
It was when Ryu Jinhyuk was still muttering the name over and over, half out of his mind.
[2]
[Prisoner : Rainbow-nim]
[Prisoner : I have something to say]
A 1:1 conversation came from Prisoner.