[TS] The Return of The Gamer - Chapter 73

“Ugh.”

I wonder if I’d spaced out and fallen asleep, because my pillow is damp.

It wasn't, of course, because I suddenly became sentimental in the middle of the night and soaked my pillowcase with tears; it was just drool.

“Hmph.”

Wiping my mouth with my sleeve, I woke up from my sleep with a wet sensation, and I instinctively rummaged under my pillow.

I don’t even make a habit of putting my smartphone under my pillow, but it’s always there when it’s not visible.

[PM : 3:11]

It was a time when the sun was high in the sky, and it wouldn't be strange if it set in a few hours.

It was a late time to stretch, but it didn't matter to me, who was unemployed.

I roughly organized my blanket and woke myself up with a light morning shower using warm water.

Breakfast, or rather, a lunch-and-dinner meal, was a simple cereal and milk.

Like most people, I don't particularly like food that makes my stomach churn first thing in the morning.

A day like any other.

However, the only special thing about today was, as expected, the opening ceremony of the Legend of League Championship.

‘Hmm, should I watch it or not?’

While I was making various preparations, the time had already passed 4:30 PM.

The opening ceremony would start in a little while.

‘What should I do?’

…Even while I was agonizing, the fact that I had turned it on in the first place makes me a legend.

It was almost an instinctive movement.

-Do you want to be the best? If so, join the LLL helper! It contains all the information, such as counter-picks for each champion, item builds, and how to deal with them!

As soon as I turned on the official channel, a messy advertisement greeted me.

Yes, I should watch the ads diligently so that the game company can make a living, the pros can make a living, the advertisers can make a living, and everyone can live happily together.

Putting aside my random thoughts, what caught my eye was, as expected, the match-up list located in the upper right corner.

[ NEXT GAME ]

[ SY vs SCV ]

[ 21:42 ]

SY and SCV.

In a way, they could be considered fated rivals, but to be precise, SCV has never once surpassed SY's dominance.

No, to put it even more precisely, even if SY was struggling, SCV ultimately failed to become number one.

In fact, during last year's spring season, when SY experienced a significant slump, SCV ultimately failed to win even though SY, their fated rival, finished in 6th place.

The eternal second-place.

In colloquial terms, SCV was the team known as the so-called Kong-line.

Of course, as is often the case with players or teams that have been called the Kong-line in the history of the esports scene, SCV is a team that boasts tremendous popularity, even if they aren't comparable to SY.

Since SCV and SY were matched up on the first day, it was no wonder that interest was so high.

‘What, 50,000 viewers?’

That's the number of viewers even before the game has really started.

And that's just the number of viewers on one channel, so if you add up the number of viewers on other platforms, it would probably exceed several hundred thousand.

‘It’s definitely a big match.’

The chat window was also heated, as if to prove the heat.

-ㄷㄱㄷㄱㄷㄱㄷㄱㄷㄱ

-When does Rainbow come out?

-Breaking News) Rainbow isn't a starter Breaking News) Rainbow isn't a starter Breaking News) Rainbow isn't a starter Breaking News) Rainbow isn't a starter Breaking News) Rainbow isn't a starter Breaking News) Rainbow isn't a starter

-It's a troll, ignore it

-I'm really looking forward to it

-SY will crush them

-Haha, next up is a cut for the 29-level

-Anyone can see that SCV will win, why are you still rooting for the has-been SY?

I opened the community to take a closer look at this heat.

-Why hasn't it started yet?

-Seriously, hurry up and come out and play

-SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!SY!

-Stop spamming, you guys

-SCV will win, hahaha

+

────────

Gallery official vote) SY vs SCV

────────

────────

Rooted Red Cup winning team SY wins > Upvote

No, SY, who is getting destroyed by GameWell4148 + others, will be crushed by SCV. Downvote

────────

-This is a clear vote, haha

-Seriously, how can an amateur team cut by GameWell4148 win against the "real" pro team SCV?

-Seriously, haha

-There are a lot of haters, SY looked like they were just having fun, while they always throw

-^Gal^

-I think it'll be a close match, inconsistent form SY vs. SCV who has been preparing with clenched teeth

-But whose form is inconsistent in SY?

+

“Cough! Cough! Keck!”

I choked.

I didn't expect GameWell4148 to pop up here.

‘The atmosphere is intense.’

I had forgotten because it was a relatively quiet off-season period recently, but this was the original appearance of the community.

A place where various fandoms mix together to create a scene like hell.

Even so, the reason I'm still curious and lurking is probably because it's also a kind of magic that the community possesses.

[ NEXT GAME ]

[ SY vs SCV ]

[ 01:13 ]

While lurking in the community posts, the opening ceremony had already approached.

…Why am I nervous about this?

[ 00:01 ]

In the midst of a strange sense of anxiety,

the opening ceremony finally began.

The opening video was a flamboyant video where each team's representative players appeared as if they were the main characters.

The content was about fighting for the throne... something like that.

Even though my expression was clumsy, I had to explain it that way, but it was quite a cool video.

‘As expected of an expert.’

After the opening video, short interviews with each player followed.

[“Honestly… it was a little difficult. The results weren’t as good as I thought, and I even considered retiring. That's why I worked even harder. You can look forward to it.”]

[“I just worked hard, I think. To be honest, our team did better than expected last season, right? So, I worked really hard to live up to the fans' expectations.”]

[“The new friend? He's a bit unique, but he's a very good player, so there weren't any major difficulties. You can look forward to it.”]

.

.

.

[“People say, right? SCV will never win. They’ll always be second-place. I want to break that prejudice.”]

[“Anything to say at the end? I don't have anything in particular… I'll do my best. Because the win will be ours anyway.”]

The interview video ended with Rainbow’s interview.

“……”

In the past, I didn't have any particular thoughts when I watched those kinds of interviews.

I just thought they were the usual interviews.

But, somehow, it was different now.

Dugeun, dugeun─

‘Why? Is it arrhythmia?’

My heart is beating as if it's broken.

If it were in the past, I would have seriously tried to go to the emergency room, but now I know that this pounding is not caused by health problems.

‘I want to become a pro.’

That longing has now become something I want to reach out and grab, rather than just ending as a dream.

*

Today's matches are as follows.

Match 1: SY vs SCV

Match 2: MYE vs BOQ

Based on last year's results, the first match of the opening match was between the top teams, and the second match was between the upper-middle teams.

In many ways, it means that a close match is expected.

[“Hello, I’m caster Jin Junghan, who is in charge of the Legend of League Champions Korea Spring.”]

[“Hello. I’m Madman, Kim, the commentator.”]

[“Hello. I’m commentator Im Kangsan.”]

[“The Legend of League Champions Korea opening ceremony has finally begun. What do you two think of this match today? First, Madman Kim.”]

[“As many fans would expect, a close match is expected, and even if we have to give an advantage, it's common to give a slight advantage to SY.”]

[“Yes, I see. What about commentator Im Kangsan?”]

[“I generally agree, but… if there's one variable, there have been various discussions about Rainbow's team schedule recently, so the outcome is uncertain. And is SCV an easy team? Red Cup Top 4! League runner-up! These aren't results that can be easily achieved.”]

[“In other words, a close match is expected! Now, let's go to the ban-pick!”]

The grand opening screen passed, and the official ban-pick began.

[SY vs SCV]

*

The ban-pick for the first match was as follows.

[SY / SCV]

Top: Viego / Renekton

Jungle: Xin Zhao / Diana

Mid: Akali / Ryze

ADC: Ezreal / Aphelios

Support: Leona / Braum

It could be seen as a combination with some balance between each other.

However, the fact that Akali itself has been nerfed quite a bit in the current version, making it more difficult to handle than before, was a variable.

And…….

[“That's too much, SCV! If you're this dominant, shouldn't you fight at least once?!”]

[“Oh… This is like this, ah ah!”]

SY lost.

It was a one-sided result that made the commentators sigh.

As is often the case with losing teams, there were complex causes, but the biggest cause was the defeat in the top lane skirmish in the early 3-level timing.

After the defeat in the early top lane skirmish, SY tried to follow SCV in any way they could, but SCV was a team known for its unique stability and tight snowballing.

Of course, they didn't give up the momentum, and SCV won the victory in a smooth manner.

[“SCV defeated their fated rival SY and takes the first set!”]

[“I could feel how hard they grinded their teeth from the players' plays!”]

[“But the opponent is SY. The master of the throne will not fall like this!”]

After the ads with short preparation time passed,

the second match started soon after.

*

The first match of the opening ceremony, the first game, continued with a fierce match.

It was a fierce match that went on for as many as three games.

And finally, the first match of the opening ceremony completely ended.

[“Oh… How did this result come about?”]

[“It was a breathtaking bloodbath. In particular, the plays shown by SCV's Black Dog and White Cat duo will be remembered for a long time.”]

The result was 1:2.

SCV won.

Someone might say it was a shocking defeat, but in fact, such results could occur in the fight between strong teams during the season.

SCV did well, and SY was a little lacking.

That was all.

However, even so, I felt a sense of incongruity while watching this match.

‘It's not Rainbow as usual.’

It's not that they did poorly.

They could have done a little better.

SY lost because Rainbow, the team's core, faltered.

That means that the opponent, SCV, was a formidable enemy.

‘…Is it because of me?’

If so, is it because of Prisoner, or because of GameWell4148 recently?

I was quite worried because of the rumor that Rainbow wasn't participating in the team schedule when Prisoner disappeared a long time ago…….

‘Ugh, my head.’

The problem was that I was re-remembering things I didn't need to.

The dark history of that day… I still kick the blanket while sleeping.

Well… anyway, whatever it was, it was also true that I felt a strange sense of responsibility.

Whether it was my fault or not.

For a pro gamer, the first match of the season, the first game, is all important.

This match could determine the direction of the following games.

Of course, according to the principle, I can't blame it on myself, but a person's conscience doesn't just break like that.

“……”

Staring blankly at the monitor with a complex state of mind, the next match announcement came up.

[ NEXT GAME ]

[ MYE vs BOQ ]

[ 28:42 ]

The second match was also quite an interesting match, but I turned off the Legend of League official broadcast channel.

Because it wasn't the time for me to watch the competition like this.

‘Raise my tier and become a pro.’

Even though it was a goal I've had until now, I felt that the goal became even stronger starting today.

I ran Legend of League.

‘First, let’s hit Challenger.’

* * *

A week later.

A mysterious all-position user appeared in the Diamond tier.