Chapter 53 of 100
Chapter 53
6 min read1,513 words
〈 Chapter 53 〉 Challenger 2000 LP
* * *
Morning had arrived.
Of course, calling it morning when the sun was already high in the sky was a bit of a stretch, but isn't the center of the world oneself?
There was no need to worry about trivial matters.
After hastily eating some cereal and milk, I sat down in front of the computer.
Welcome!
As usual, I launched the League of Legends client and felt a bit of curiosity.
‘Huh?’
+
[SY Rainbow]
Connecting.
+
Rainbow was online.
This was unusual for this time.
‘What’s going on?’
Since Rainbow debuted as a pro, this was practically the first time he was online outside of the off-season.
‘Hmm.’
Of course, he might just be logged in, but I felt the need to check.
There was no need for a formal greeting.
The words to replace it were already decided.
[Searching for a game……]
Not long after I queued up, Rainbow’s status changed as if he had been waiting.
+
[SY Rainbow]
Searching for a game……
+
‘As expected.’
Rainbow was waiting for me.
The reason was not hard to guess.
‘He must know that I hit 1940 points.’
After all, even if I didn’t say it myself, Prisoner’s score was one of the biggest topics in the League of Legends community.
Rainbow, who had declared his intention to target me, couldn’t have been unaware.
‘Being online at this time… does that mean he has no schedule today?’
Today was Wednesday.
A weekday.
Of course, I couldn’t know the internal schedules of pro teams, so I didn’t think much of it.
However, it was a bit strange that all the other pros in my friend list were offline.
In any case, the fact was clear.
‘Rainbow is in top form right now.’
Most of the pros I had faced so far were not in top form when they met me.
For them, solo queue was often a form of personal practice or a post-game activity after all team schedules were completed.
Especially for Rainbow, who could be considered the biggest star in the League of Legends scene, his personal schedule was likely to be extremely demanding.
Yet, Rainbow was waiting for me in top form.
My heart couldn’t help but race.
‘So, it’s today.’
I instinctively felt what kind of day today would be.
I had expected such a day to come, but it arrived a bit earlier than I thought.
[Game found!]
[Accept / Decline]
There was no need to hesitate.
‘Let’s do it.’
Try to stop me.
* * *
After all the picks were completed, Ryu Jin-hyuk, who had been in a brief meditative state, quietly checked his condition.
His current condition was at its best.
His teammates were all skilled players he recognized.
All the conditions were set for victory.
However, the one variable was the presence of Prisoner on the opposing team.
+
[Prisoner]
Champion selection.
+
“Phew……”
Despite being in top form, Ryu Jin-hyuk couldn’t hide his tension.
He had felt this tension many times before.
The first time he stepped onto the finals stage.
The first time he stepped onto the Red Cup stage.
The first time he won the Red Cup.
Each of these moments was a historic game in the League of Legends community, yet now, Ryu Jin-hyuk was feeling the same tension just before a solo queue game.
‘But I will win.’
As he always had.
Welcome to the Summoner’s Rift!
The game officially began.
Ryu Jin-hyuk, or Rainbow, aggressively pushed the enemy mid from the start.
He aimed to secure mid lane dominance and then target the enemy jungler, Prisoner.
First Blood!
The first kill in mid lane came within three minutes of the game starting.
The enemy mid laner was a well-known amateur expert, but he couldn’t stand up to the current Rainbow.
And……
The influence of the mid lane solo kill naturally extended to the jungle.
When the allied jungler pinged that he was entering the enemy jungle to clear the camp, Rainbow backed him up.
He was shocked.
The remaining enemy jungle monster was just a small minion.
This fact was clear.
‘…Self-clearing the camp?’
How many moves ahead did he see to make such an unbelievable judgment at the start?
‘Did he know I would get the solo kill?’
No, it wasn’t necessarily that.
Prisoner didn’t doubt that Rainbow would win the lane.
In fact, he trusted the enemy Rainbow more than his own mid laner.
‘…Ha ha.’
Rainbow let out a hollow laugh.
In a game like League of Legends, where even longtime teammates don’t easily trust each other, Prisoner trusted his enemy without a doubt.
This gave Rainbow a strange feeling, which soon exploded into a fierce competitive spirit.
‘…Prisoner!’
The intense battle continued.
When Rainbow killed two enemy champions, Prisoner quickly killed three allied champions.
A fierce battle of skill.
The winner kept changing, but in the end, it was Prisoner who stood at the last moment.
And……
By the time he regained his senses, Prisoner had already grown like a monster.
‘…No, not yet.’
No matter how strong Prisoner was, he still had only one body.
If the enemy was strong, he could induce a fight that excluded the strong enemy.
However,
Prisoner seemed to read this and appeared mysteriously.
He couldn’t shake him off.
Prisoner was everywhere, and always blocking the escape routes.
Allied team member down!
The enemy is the embodiment of the battlefield!
After a fierce battle, the allied team successfully took the fourth dragon, but that was all.
In the end, the enemy team, with both Baron and Elder buffs, advanced to the allied Nexus.
[Defeat]
Defeat in League of Legends is not something one easily gets used to.
Especially for Ryu Jin-hyuk, who had always been on the winning side, it was an unfamiliar sight.
“……”
As Ryu Jin-hyuk was momentarily dazed, one of the status windows in his friend list changed.
+
[Prisoner]
Searching for a game……
+
Prisoner immediately queued up.
‘…No, this isn’t the time to hesitate.’
He had only lost the first game.
Even in a multi-game series, the first game’s importance is often emphasized, but this wasn’t a tournament.
In the end, the winner is the one standing at the last moment.
[Game found!]
[Accept / Decline]
Ryu Jin-hyuk pressed accept again.
And he was shocked.
───────────────
Prisoner has joined the lobby.
.
.
.
SY Rainbow has joined the lobby.
───────────────
Ryu Jin-hyuk was currently in a pure solo queue.
There was no duo queue.
Of course, he had expected this situation, but meeting the opponent who had just defeated him as an ally felt strange.
Especially since it was Prisoner.
‘Should I dodge?’
Ryu Jin-hyuk shook his head.
Knowing your enemy and yourself ensures victory.
Understanding your enemy and yourself allows you to know how to deal with them.
And……
[Victory]
The game lasted a total of 13 minutes and 11 seconds.
It was the time when the Nexus was purely destroyed, not when the enemy opened it.
“……”
He dominated all lanes from the start.
Among them, Prisoner stood out.
Just as typical gamers shine more in favorable games, Prisoner was no different.
‘What… are you?’
In his confusion, Ryu Jin-hyuk continued to queue up against Prisoner without a moment’s rest.
As a result, he met Prisoner three more times as an ally and four times as an enemy.
Among these, one game as an ally and one as an enemy were dodged.
He faced Prisoner twice as an ally and three times as an enemy.
[Victory]
[Defeat]
[Defeat]
[Victory]
[Defeat]
In all these games, Prisoner never lost a single game.
Even Rainbow, who gave his all, couldn’t stop Prisoner.
“……”
Ryu Jin-hyuk felt a sense of powerlessness and helplessness for the first time in his life.
He lost.
He lost completely.
It was clearly different from before.
Until now, there were always small excuses for his defeats.
His condition wasn’t good,
The scrim was tough,
It was just a solo queue.
But not this time.
Ryu Jin-hyuk put everything he had on the line against Prisoner.
Like a solid object that eventually breaks, Ryu Jin-hyuk realized that his solidness had shattered in front of the wall called Prisoner.
“……”
And Ryu Jin-hyuk saw.
Finally, where Prisoner had reached.
+
[Prisoner]
Rank 1
Solo Queue
Challenger
2000 LP / 271 wins 172 losses
Win Rate 61%
+
2000 points in solo queue.
From the moment he surpassed 1800 points, it was an achievement that could be called a new legend, and he finally made the myth of changing the first digit in the solo queue score.
“……Prisoner.”
When people see something they can’t understand, they have two reactions.
Fear or reverence.
Ironically, Ryu Jin-hyuk was feeling both emotions right now.
He was afraid of Prisoner.
He revered Prisoner.
He was……
“Prisoner……”
Just as Ryu Jin-hyuk was half-dazed, repeating the name, a 1:1 chat came from Prisoner.
* * *
[2]
[Prisoner: Rainbow]
[Prisoner: I have something to say]