Chapter 22

### Chapter 22: Encounter

* * *

At first, I was so flustered when Mother left a note and went out without a word...

Now, it's just a thing of the past, but back then, it was quite a serious issue.

"‘...Reheat the soup?’"

How could I have been so incompetent that I couldn't even do such a simple task and had to call Mother in a panic?

"‘...So, how do you reheat the soup?’"

I still remember the mixed tone of surprise and exasperation in Mother's voice.

‘I've never done it before, so it's not my fault.’

I tried to console myself, but the fact that I, a grown adult, had to call my mother because I couldn't reheat a meal was embarrassing.

It was a slightly shameful memory for me.

Of course, that was in the past. Now, I can handle it. I skillfully scooped the rice from the electric rice cooker, served the heated stew into a bowl, and sat down at the table.

The breakfast menu was simple: miso soup, a fried egg, and a variety of side dishes.

Originally, I preferred bread for breakfast, but recently, I've been eating whatever Mother prepares.

The main reason was that complaining about the side dishes no longer worked.

"‘Just eat what’s given to you.’"

That day, I learned what it meant to be scolded with a smile.

‘Well, that’s not the important part.’

Clack, clack.

It didn’t take long for me to finish my bowl of rice.

Perhaps it was because the start of the day was so impressive, or maybe I was just very hungry.

"Thank you for the meal."

After a quick rinse, I put the dishes in the dishwasher.

I couldn’t help but think how convenient the world has become and how fortunate I am.

If it weren’t for such conveniences, I would have felt the absence of the housekeeper more acutely.

‘Well, then...’

Having eaten a hearty meal, I headed to my room as usual.

"What should I do today?"

If someone saw me, they might think I was choosing an outfit for a first date, but what I was really considering was the equipment I would use today.

‘Let’s go with this.’

I chose a set of keyboard and mouse and connected them to the computer in order.

When I tried them, they felt a bit stiffer than the ones I had used before, but it was only relative and didn’t hinder my use at all.

‘I don’t really need to play a normal game again.’

To be honest, the normal game I played yesterday was quite tiring.

The team members, and even the enemies, seemed to be out of sync, creating a bizarre and disharmonious atmosphere.

If I had just wanted to have fun, it would have been different, but because I was trying so hard to win, the fatigue was intense.

In terms of mental energy alone, it felt more draining than a ranked game.

[Practice Mode]

Of course, I didn’t plan to jump straight into a ranked game, so I set up a dummy in practice mode and spent about twenty minutes using various skill combos.

‘Hmm, this should be fine.’

There were no significant issues with using the skill combos, and they didn’t feel clunky.

Satisfied, I started looking for a match.

[Searching for a game...]

It was 11:00 AM.

Not too early, not too late, but an awkward time, so it wasn’t the best time to find a match quickly.

While waiting, I habitually browsed the League of Legends community.

Unfortunately, with the professional league season not yet starting, there weren’t many interesting posts.

At best, there were some bizarre memes about bees or something.

‘What’s so funny about this?’

The posts were so nonsensical that they seemed to be on the verge of disappearing.

Just as I was about to close the community, a peculiar title caught my eye.

­(Caution: Data) Singing and Smiling Peaceful Normal.jpg

No way, it can’t be.

It’s just a normal game, right?

Despite my thoughts, I clicked on the post as if drawn by something.

───────────────

(Game has been going on for over a minute, but the bot duo is AFK.JPG)

(Game explodes early due to AFK snowballing.GIF)

(Freeze laughs while tormenting the prisoner.GIF)

(Another death at the bottom.GIF)

(Scene where the jungler has a 2-level difference.JPG)

(Diamonds boasting as if they’ve won the game.JPG)

(Angry prisoner. Diamond gets mid-dived immediately.GIF)

.

.

.

(Reversing the game.GIF)

(Jungler has a 3-level difference.JPG)

(Your ultimate was amazing. Sylas’ Baron banish kick.JPG)

(GG.JPG)

───────────────

As expected, it was as expected.

Or, have I developed some kind of precognitive ability?

The main characters in this post were none other than the diamond friends I met in the normal game.

To be honest, I was a bit taken aback.

‘...These guys are even looking up my normal games.’

It’s not unusual for replays to be saved in the challenger tier.

In fact, it’s more unusual for them not to be saved, as players use them for feedback or to learn from.

But this is just a normal game.

And it’s not like any famous streamers are involved.

In other words, someone saved the replay specifically to watch Prisoner’s play.

‘...This is a bit scary.’

I was a bit frightened, as I never expected my normal games to be recorded.

While lost in thought, I read the comments.

­Challenger is a challenger, how does he reverse this?

­For real, anyone who comes should be warned that this game can’t be won.

­Diamonds are in the top 1%, but Challenger is on another level lol

­It’s not that Challenger is on another level, he’s ranked 2nd. Looks like he’ll be back to 1st soon.

­Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner!

­Stop spamming

­Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner!

Well, it’s nice to have fans.

Even if they’re temporary, it’s a good feeling to know someone supports and likes me.

[Game found!]

[Accept / Decline]

After reading through hundreds of comments, I realized the match had been found.

───────────────

qwdkmqwojfte has joined the lobby.

IIIIlIIIlIlIII has joined the lobby.

Prisoner has joined the lobby.

Let’sGoThere has joined the lobby.

1q2w3e4r1234 has joined the lobby.

───────────────

Perhaps because of the time, there were more amateurs or unknown IDs than pros.

The unknown IDs were probably Chinese pros or amateurs.

[Ban List]

Lissandra / Rumble

Sylas / Senna

Shaco / Mordekaiser

Mordekaiser / Kai'Sa

Kai'Sa / Lissandra

The ban-pick phase was quite straightforward, with no special requests, perhaps due to the early hour or other reasons.

[Allies / Enemies]

Top: Renekton / Sion

Jungle: Elise / Kha'Zix

Mid: Galio / Akali

ADC: Ezreal / Ziggs

Support: Maokai / Lulu

‘We’re definitely going to lose in the late game.’

A so-called time-attack composition.

It’s not a ban-pick I particularly favor, but I wasn’t lacking in confidence.

'Not the first time I’ve done this.'

The team members seemed to feel the same, as the game started without any dodges.

[Game starting!]

As the loading screen appeared and the enemy IDs were revealed, I couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable.

───────────────

3MinTopHonor ­ Sion

SY YunGi ­ Kha'Zix

meiuvanfairer ­ Akali

SCV BlackDog ­ Ziggs

SY GuineaPig ­ Lulu

───────────────

‘...Almost all pros.’

I was particularly focused on the enemy jungler’s nickname.

[SY YunGi]

Red Cup champion jungler.

The Wild Horse of the Rift.

Rainbow’s partner.

And...

The world’s best jungler.

The man with all these titles.

He was my opponent.

* * *