Chapter 1

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〈 Chapter 1 〉 Prologue

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Cover View

I've been frail since birth.

According to the doctors, it's a rare disease where the muscles throughout my body contract, and no treatment has been discovered yet.

Because of this, I couldn't even run and play outside like other kids, let alone walk properly.

­Squeal!

­Hey, stop!

The scene of children playing outside the window was always something I could only envy.

“Eunjin, do you want to go outside?”

Fortunately, our family was quite well-off, and my parents were devoted to me.

Whenever I stared blankly out the window, my mother would quietly wheel over and take me for a walk outside.

“The air is nice, isn’t it?”

“Mm-hm.”

Maybe that's why.

At some point, I stopped looking out the window.

“Eunjin, shall we go for a walk?”

“I want to stay home today.”

“Really?”

There was no particular reason.

I just didn’t like seeing the moisture in my mother’s eyes when they reflected in the window, and it made me feel sorry for her when she pretended to be fine while we walked and saw other kids playing.

“Mom.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m fine.”

“…Eunjin.”

After I stopped looking out the window, the only thing I could do was sit in my chair and move the keyboard and mouse.

Click, click

In a way, I was lucky to be born in this era.

At least in the world inside the monitor, my body, which was like a prison, couldn’t confine me anymore.

[Rainbow: Wow... Prisoner, you’re always so insightful. How do you come up with such judgments?]

I was good at games.

No, I had no choice but to be.

Gaming was my entire world.

Unlike other kids, I didn’t need to go to school or cram schools. Except for the three times a week when my home tutor came, I spent most of my time playing games.

My parents didn’t really stop me either.

In fact, they seemed satisfied just knowing I had something I wanted to do.

And… time passed.

[Current Ranking: 1st]

League of Legends.

My favorite game and the most successful game in the world right now.

For the eight years since League of Legends launched in Korea, I’ve never lost my position as the top-ranked solo player.

Of course, I didn’t always stay at number one.

I lost and regained the top spot several times.

But what’s clear is that I hit number one every season.

In other words, I could be considered one of the best amateur players in League of Legends.

I received countless offers to turn pro.

“Hello, I’m Coach Kim Mun-sik from SCV. Do you have a team? If not, are you interested in turning pro?”

At first, I naturally refused.

With my condition, where I could only be active for six hours a day, becoming a pro was out of the question.

“Ah… I see. If you change your mind, please contact me. My contact information is….”

Given the situation, the topic of why I didn’t turn pro was a long-standing controversy in the community.

­Why doesn’t Prisoner turn pro? Seeing an old player still hitting number one, he would have dominated if he had debuted earlier, right? ㅇㅈ?

­Haha, dominating is a joke. He’s just a solo queue warrior. Does it look like pros are ㅈ? And Prisoner’s style is more about management, which doesn’t work in the intense pro scene. What do you know?

­What’s your tier?

­Diana? Bronze is your tier ㅇㅈㄹ ㅋㅋㅋ

But as time went on, seeing people who used to play with me and still play with me debut as pros, a desire grew in me.

Could I do it too?

The exact trigger was Rainbow, with whom I often played duo, winning the League of Legends World Championship twice in a row.

The international tournament known as the Red Cup.

A total prize of 100 billion.

Additional skin revenue.

The champion of that prestigious event mentioned me during his second Red Cup victory interview.

[“I think I only won this year because of luck. If Prisoner had turned pro, the result might have been different.”]

The Red Cup champion of that year is known as the ‘Best in the World’.

The best mid-laner in the world.

And he recognized me, a mere solo queue warrior.

Naturally, the community went wild.

­See? ㅋㅋ I told you. Prisoner is fundamentally different from other solo queue warriors. Anyone who disagrees doesn’t know the game.

­He’s just being nice because we’re friends. ㅋㅋ If Prisoner really turns pro, I’ll bet all my money that he’ll fail and retire.

­캡쳐 완료 (Capture complete)

Someone I had played with for a long time recognized me.

It felt like an invitation to the pro world.

“……”

Maybe that’s why.

I mustered the courage for the first time.

“Mom.”

“Yeah?”

“I want to turn pro.”

My parents supported my courage.

“I’m Prisoner, who contacted you before. Is there a chance for a tryout?”

When the scouts, who had been trying to recruit me, found out about my condition, they all showed reluctance.

“Ah… We understand Eunjin’s determination, but as you know, being a pro isn’t just about skill. You need basic physical fitness to participate in team scrims and tournament schedules….”

It was a reasonable response.

I can barely walk, and my arms, which are so thin that the muscles are twisted, are a wonder to even move the keyboard and mouse.

Most importantly, I couldn’t even handle a multi-game series, let alone the team’s schedule, because I could only be active for about five hours a day.

Of course, some offers came from overseas teams, where the league level was relatively lower than in Korea, but it was impossible for me to play professionally abroad with my condition.

“Eunjin….”

“It’s okay, I knew it wouldn’t work anyway.”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry….”

“It’s okay, really.”

My parents tried to comfort me, but I couldn’t hold back my tears.

And….

As if the rumors about me had spread among the pro teams, the offers suddenly stopped.

“I’m sorry, we’ve already signed a new player.”

“I hope we can meet if the opportunity arises in the future.”

In the end, I had to remain a solo queue warrior, as I always had.

­My brother’s friend is a coach for Team Max, and he said Prisoner has a rare disease, which is why he can’t turn pro.

­That’s crazy. How can someone with a rare disease be so good at games?

­Now that you mention it, Prisoner’s physical condition is pretty average, but he’s exceptional in management and judgment. The rumors aren’t entirely baseless.

­Next rare disease patient with a lower tier

­Next Bronze player ^^

­Master? ㅋㅋㅋ

­Prove it, Bronze player

It seemed the rumors were true.

Although I had to give up on my pro dreams, I couldn’t give up on my passion for gaming.

This was all I had.

‘Streamer, I’ll become a streamer.’

The dream of becoming a pro gamer isn’t the only one that can be achieved through gaming.

What kind of era is this?

An era where internet broadcasters are as influential as celebrities. Given the reputation Prisoner had built over the past eight years, I was confident I could succeed in streaming.

[Prisoner’s First Live Stream]

After days of preparation, I was about to announce the start of my first live stream with a trembling heart.

“Huh?”

With a sharp pain in my chest, I rolled off the chair.

It was a seizure.

For someone with an unknown rare disease, sudden full-body seizures were almost a regular occurrence.

But this time was different.

“Gah!”

Previous seizures had calmed down in a few minutes.

But this one had been going on for over ten minutes with no signs of stopping.

I instinctively knew.

This seizure was different.

As if to prove it, I couldn’t move a single finger, my breathing became rapid, and I felt suffocated.

“‘If you have another seizure, it could be dangerous. You should be hospitalized….’”

The warning from my doctor last month flashed through my mind like a slideshow.

The doctor strongly recommended hospitalization, but I didn’t want to live in a hospital, already feeling trapped in my body.

“I’m fine.”

Even if I were to die, I didn’t want to die alone in a hospital bed.

That was my last wish, and my parents granted it.

However….

Ironically, my first and last stubbornness, which led to my current situation, was the reason I was dying.

“Gah, gah….”

Usually, someone would have come to help me by now.

Yes, if it weren’t for today.

My mother, who usually took care of me, had gone to a class reunion for the first time in years, and the helper lady had gone to the market.

My father and brother were still far from coming home from work and school.

Soon, no one would be there to help me as I was dying.

“Gah, gah….”

Death was approaching.

My vision blurred, and I heard ringing in my ears.

Beep─────

“Hah, hah, hah….”

Because of this damned body, I couldn’t live a normal life like others.

Because of this decaying body, I couldn’t even dream the dreams that others dreamed.

Because of this dying body, I had to give up everything and couldn’t start over.

“Hah….”

Why, why, why!

Why me?

Everything was so frustrating.

If there is a god, he shouldn’t take anything else from me.

Not from me….

“…Gah.”

My breathing slowed.

As consciousness was swallowed by darkness, death faced me.

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