Chapter 75

〈 Chapter 75 〉 Proposal

* * *

[YSG TaeHyeong: I'm Coach Park Tae-hyung from Y So Games. Would you be open to having a constructive conversation about joining our team?]

My heart was racing.

Whether it was a throb or a flutter, my heart was definitely pounding.

"Hmm..."

Deep breaths, deep breaths.

I had a feeling this was going to happen eventually.

The reason I accepted a friend request, unlike before, was also because of this.

'Oh, maybe there were some among the friend requests I've received so far?'

That was something I couldn't know.

Well, whose fault is it if you don't put your affiliation in your ID?

'How could they miss out on a talent like me?'

It was a bit ridiculous to say that while my heart was still racing, but anyway, I wasn't the one who was disappointed.

...Or was I?

[Me: What kind of story?]

[YSG TaeHyeong: First, may I ask if you are currently under contract with another team or if you plan to be?]

[Me: No.]

[YSG TaeHyeong: Ah, I see. Thank you.]

And...

A moment of silence passed.

It felt like an eternity to me.

[YSG TaeHyeong: If I may, do you have any professional or practice experience? Or perhaps a separate ID you used?]

[Me: No, I don't.]

I flinched slightly but proceeded as I had prepared in my mind.

If they ask persistently about other accounts later, I should say I deleted them about a year ago because I was causing problems while playing solo queue and trash-talking.

By then, the account information would be impossible to find, and it would be a hundred, a thousand times better than being exposed as a prisoner.

[YSG TaeHyeong: Thank you for your response. Would you be interested in taking a tryout with our YSG?]

[YSG TaeHyeong: As you may know, Y So Games is currently a team in the League of Legends Champions Korea 1st Division. Although we didn't make it to the Red Cup last year, we are a prestigious team with a lot of potential. We make great efforts to discover new players every year, and we are looking for outstanding players like Outlaw.]

[YSG TaeHyeong: If you are interested in joining a team with talented teammates, reliable coaches, and a front office that always cares for you, please contact me. I'll be waiting.]

The part below looked like it was copied and pasted, but I didn't feel bad about it.

At least, they didn't get my ID wrong.

[Me: Yes, I'll think about it and get back to you.]

I wanted to accept immediately, but it would be better to pretend to think about it for the future.

[YSG TaeHyeong: Yes, I'll be waiting for good news.]

That was the end of the conversation with the person who introduced himself as Coach Park Tae-hyung from YSG.

It was a simple ending, but there was a strange sense of ease.

'Well, my tier is just Diamond 3 now. It's not time to compete for a prospect yet.'

Of course, once my tier stabilizes, I'll naturally receive various offers.

...But that's a different story.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm..."

Now is the time to be happy.

"──!"

I let out a silent scream.

I was that happy.

To be honest, I had been somewhat anxious all along.

Can I become a pro?

Or, can I even get an offer?

I knew it was an unnecessary worry, but the pro world is a realm I've never been to.

It would be strange not to be anxious.

Most importantly, I confirmed through this opportunity that I can be a pro even without being a prisoner.

I can be recognized as a pro without being a prisoner.

'I will become a pro.'

As Outlaw, not as a prisoner.

I will become a pro.

"Phew..."

Calm down, calm down.

No matter how happy I am, I can't lose my composure. I need to make a rational judgment of the current situation.

After taking a few deep breaths, my pounding heart seemed to calm down a bit.

'...By the way, he didn't ask about my age.'

When I was active as a prisoner, one of the first things most pro teams asked was age.

Some might say, "It's just playing a game in front of a computer, why does age matter?" But for pro gamers, age is very important.

Even aside from external factors like the aging curve, the younger you are, the faster you learn, and the more obedient you are to the coaches and managers.

In a Korean society and gaming teams that prioritize vertical relationships over horizontal ones, this is a crucial issue.

'They say it's harder to manage someone once their head gets too big. Anyway...'

It was a culture I didn't like.

But it was something I couldn't avoid.

'The issue of age is not just that.'

Experience continues to accumulate.

The data of victories accumulated during a long pro career can become the flesh of a pro, but sometimes it can also become a poison.

I definitely did this and won.

Or did I? No, I'll win if I just keep doing this.

I'm wrong? No way.

As I aged, countless experiences, along with a deteriorating body, began to act as a poison.

'...But maybe not.'

I have no pro experience.

So I might be wrong.

But I know how the countless solo queue results have changed me.

"Is this matchup right? Why am I losing?"

"Is it because I'm not good? ...No, I must have made a mistake. I can win if I do it again."

Some changes were beneficial experiences,

and some became poisons.

As the number of games increased, the data of past victories naturally began to hold me back, leading to mistakes in important decisions.

'Well, age isn't really an issue for me.'

Or maybe both are issues.

It seemed like there were many mountains to climb, but I wasn't worried.

'Pros prove themselves by their skills.'

At least, I was confident in my knowledge of League of Legends.

'So, then...'

I opened a search bar to look up YSG.

The information I had was just the basics, so I planned to look into it in more detail.

YSG (Y So Games).

Although the team name itself is a strange and meaningless name, YSG is clearly a 1st Division team.

For me, who was thinking of debuting in the 2nd Division if possible, this was a great opportunity that came sooner than expected.

'If my memory serves, the original YSG had poor team chemistry despite their performance.'

Like most lower-tier teams, YSG had more than a few issues.

Individual problems were one thing, but the biggest problem with YSG was the lack of overall team chemistry.

There's a saying in League of Legends:

Even if the order is wrong, it's better to follow it.

This is a key concept in team games, meaning that if even one or two team members don't follow the order, it's as good as not having an order at all.

Of course, you can lose because of a wrong order.

In fact, the probability of losing is high.

But you still have to follow it.

If you don't follow the order, even the slightest chance of winning will disappear.

In fact, some mid-tier teams like BOQ, despite not having particularly high individual skills, have achieved the remarkable feat of reaching the playoffs with their unique teamwork, moving like a single body.

However, YSG was a team where even the basic teamwork was broken.

'Or... is this actually a good thing for me?'

If the team that offered me a spot was a team like BOQ, even if I showed outstanding performance, there might be no place for me to fit in.

The balance that had been maintained so far might be disrupted.

But if it's a team like YSG, where the trust between team members is not visible...

'I shouldn't think like this.'

No matter how hard I tried to think objectively, my brain, drunk with happiness, tried to interpret YSG in a positive light.

'I'll take my time to look into it, think about it, and it's not too late to contact them.'

...Or is it? What if it's too late? What if they've already signed another player and say to try again next time?

My head was a mess with all sorts of thoughts.

*

"I'm going to take the test."

The living room sofa was much wider than the one in my old house.

My mother, sitting there elegantly, sipping tea as if in a drama, or perhaps in reality, opened her mouth in surprise.