Chapter 27

〈 Chapter 27 〉 What are you doing?

* * *

[Me: Hehe;;]

The reason 3MinTowerBridgeHonoredDisciple sent me a private message was simple.

No matter how poorly the game went, it was impossible to curse at a professional player in person, so he resorted to this timid form of gossip through private messages.

Since neither of us, nor 3MinTowerBridgeHonoredDisciple, were doing personal broadcasts or anything, there was no real need to hold back.

Of course, I would maintain my stance of silently listening.

[3MinTowerBridgeHonoredDisciple: Even a Red Cup champion like you, who can just throw away the game, is really...]

[Me: I was just lucky ㅋㅋ]

[3MinTowerBridgeHonoredDisciple: No, no, from what I see, you've been on fire lately.]

[3MinTowerBridgeHonoredDisciple: Even so, can you really play so well that you can outshine YoonGi? I thought he was a different person.]

[3MinTowerBridgeHonoredDisciple: That's why you want to duo, right?]

This was probably the real reason.

After all, he must have thought that even with a Red Cup champion as the jungler in the previous game, they lost due to the jungle disparity, which was a natural reaction.

‘Actually, the jungle disparity was correct.’

But, strictly speaking, it was because YoonGi's early game mistakes had a significant impact.

If it had been someone else, YoonGi wouldn't have made such mistakes.

To that extent, YoonGi had underestimated me, and I had repaid him in full this time.

‘Next time, he won't be able to do that again.’

Even if it was someone like Kaisa, using a Blue-Blue route, which is an extreme play, would be hard to tolerate, even for me.

‘Well... I've managed to hold back so far.’

The feeling of anger management disorder being forcibly turned into anger management is something you can't understand unless you experience it yourself.

‘Not anymore.’

I can stand up to YoonGi.

No, I can go beyond just standing up and deliver a fatal blow to YoonGi.

I had already realized this fact through the previous game.

[3MinTowerBridgeHonoredDisciple: You?]

[3MinTowerBridgeHonoredDisciple: Don't pretend to be AFK]

Ah, we were in the middle of a conversation.

[Me: If I win one more game, I'll be first ㅈㅅ ㅋ]

[3MinTowerBridgeHonoredDisciple: ? So you should duo more]

[Me: Really???]

[3MinTowerBridgeHonoredDisciple: Yeah, can't believe it?]

[Me: I believed it until yesterday, but today, a little... ㅋ]

[3MinTowerBridgeHonoredDisciple: No, really, the previous game was so unfair. It was clearly a ㅈㄱㅊㅇ. Want to check the replay?]

Of course, objectively speaking, 3MinTowerBridgeHonoredDisciple isn't a bad top laner.

‘If he was a bad top laner, he wouldn't be at this rank.’

In the previous game, YoonGi's mistakes had severely affected the top lane, and 3MinTowerBridgeHonoredDisciple's strength lies in tank champions, not aggressive ones.

Now that I think about it, it was a bit strange.

‘Was it a first pick?’

If it was a first pick top lane and no swap was offered, then picking a tank was inevitable.

‘I can't quite remember.’

The in-game content was so impressive that I can't recall the ban/pick process.

Well, it wasn't a big issue.

‘Still, top lane...’

The Renekton from the previous game naturally comes to mind.

If I asked ten people who carried the previous game, about half would probably point to Renekton, who performed exceptionally well.

‘The other half would naturally be me, of course.’

Regardless, Renekton's carry power was outstanding, and more importantly, his synergy with me was quite good.

‘Is he a Chinese pro?’

I shook my head.

Just because he's a foreign pro doesn't mean he's necessarily from China.

While the league level has become more balanced recently, the solo queue environment in Korea is still unparalleled globally, making the Korean server a kind of study abroad destination for the League of Legends community.

‘He could be from Europe or North America, or another pro.’

Or, thinking the opposite way, he could be a Korean amateur or trainee.

While he looks like a foreigner, some users deliberately choose that concept.

‘Whatever it is, if we meet again, we'll see.’

Given the nature of the top-tier solo queue, once you start meeting, you keep meeting.

At that moment, a private message came in.

[2]

[3MinTowerBridgeHonoredDisciple: Hey???]

[3MinTowerBridgeHonoredDisciple: If you're not going to do it, just say so. Let the queue roll.]

I realized I had made the other person wait too long.

‘One more game should be fine.’

Just because we're duoing doesn't mean we'll definitely lose.

In fact, duoing generally has a higher win rate than solo queue.

[Me: Let's go]

* * *

SY Dormitory.

The dormitory was bustling, as the new season was just around the corner.

The sound of someone (mostly top laners) playing shotguns, separated by a thin panel, had become a familiar white noise, and the coaches were busy with various heated tasks, leaving no time for a break.

The players were equally busy.

After the scrims, they diligently worked on their solo queue during their personal practice time.

And...

SY YunGi, Park YoonGi, couldn't take his eyes off the result screen of the solo queue game he had just played.

[Defeat]

A single, stark word.

A stigma that could never become familiar.

Usually, he would have brushed it off as just another solo queue game, but YoonGi couldn't shake the shock of the recent defeat.

...

He lost.

Completely.

Very few people had ever made YoonGi feel this way.

But in the end, even they eventually knelt before him.

Red Cup champion.

YoonGi had used that title to declare himself the best in the world.

And yet, to feel this way from an amateur?

Moreover, the opponent wasn't a rising star who appeared like a comet.

If it had been, YoonGi might have thought, "Ah, I must be getting old," and accepted the generational shift. But the opponent was someone YoonGi had met countless times.

Prisoner.

A familiar and long-time rival.

YoonGi still remembers the first time he met Prisoner.

At the time, Prisoner was a top amateur, consistently ranking first in solo queue, while YoonGi was one of the rising stars just starting to climb the ranks.

However...

‘He’s so bad.’

YoonGi genuinely thought this when he saw Prisoner, who was then the top-ranked player in solo queue.

He literally crushed Prisoner every time they met.

‘This is the top player?’

Now, after learning more about League of Legends, YoonGi's perspective has changed, but at the time, his view of the game was remarkably simple.

Pure mechanics.

In that sense, Prisoner was so far below par that it was hard to believe he was the top player.

At best, he was in the upper Diamond to Master tier.

‘Even the top rank can’t beat me. Haha.’

This was what YoonGi thought, having just emerged from his middle school years.

Of course, this didn't mean YoonGi's perspective was entirely wrong.

In fact, YoonGi quickly gained attention by completely outplaying Prisoner, who had only recently appeared in the top ranks, and received offers from several top esports teams, including SY.

YoonGi soon joined SY and stood out among the other trainees.

It didn't take long for him to secure a starting position, which had been effectively vacant.

And then, victory after victory.

Not just in the domestic league, but in international tournaments, and even the Red Cup, the ultimate stage.

YoonGi had it all.

Of course, from around that time, his win rate against Prisoner started to slip, but it was just in solo queue.

YoonGi didn't pay much attention.

Most importantly, even when he lost to Prisoner, YoonGi never truly felt defeated.

‘He just runs away. Is he that scared of me?’

The only thing that made YoonGi pay a bit more attention to Prisoner was his connection to Rainbow.

Prisoner is an old gamer, and Rainbow, while not as old, is also an old gamer.

Perhaps because they had played together for so long, they were quite close, and Rainbow had a high opinion of Prisoner.

“Prisoner? He’s good. Definitely.”

‘What’s so good about Prisoner?’

YoonGi couldn't understand Rainbow, even though he didn't show it.

He thought he was clearly the better player.

In fact, YoonGi wasn't wrong.

A mere amateur and a Red Cup champion.

They can't even be compared.

And yet...

He was thoroughly crushed by the very Prisoner he had secretly looked down upon.

It wasn't like he had fallen for Prisoner's tricks as usual.

He lost purely.

Literally, he was defeated.

As YoonGi was ruminating on the feeling of defeat.

“What are you doing?”

A familiar voice rang out.

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