Chapter 84

### Chapter 84: Tryout (5)

* * *

After the test officially began, Coach Park Tae-hyung, who had quietly returned to the practice room, couldn't hide his amazement.

‘This is…’

It's real.

It wasn't that Coach Park had seen it wrong, nor that the story of Challenger 1000 was a mere ghost of the past. Despite being just one game, Outrow's performance was undeniably genuine.

‘To play like this here?’

Coach Park was well aware that the environment of the second-team practice room was so poor that it couldn't even be compared to other places. While the mice and keyboards were decent enough as they were shared with the first-team players, the basic computer and monitor specifications were abysmal.

No wonder the players often joked that they would get better results at a local PC cafe than in their familiar practice room.

Actually, it wasn't a joke; it was the reality.

‘Even if I said it, they wouldn’t listen.’

What's the big deal about that?

The team, which belonged to the supposedly world-class Korean league, treated its players far too poorly.

‘Damn money-grubbers.’

YSG's parent company, YS, is a typical private equity firm.

A group that pursues extreme profits.

Naturally, they don't extend their hands to anything that doesn't make money, and the professional gaming team and its players are only used for profit.

‘…Honestly, this talent is too good for this team.’

Outrow.

Despite being in an unfamiliar environment and playing with unfamiliar people, she started giving orders without hesitation from the middle of the game. Moreover, she exuded a certain charisma.

‘…I still can't believe it. Did those stubborn players really follow her orders? Even the master orders?’

The fact that Outrow had a Challenger 1000 account was unknown to the trainees. Coach Park wasn't hasty enough to spread unverified information to the players.

Thus, to the trainees, Outrow was just another amateur coming for a tryout.

Yet, they followed her so well?

Even Coach Park, who held the title of coach, couldn't do that.

‘Of course, her win rate isn't typical for a Master. But still, it's amazing. Because of her seniority? …No. Rather…’

Coach Park soon recalled a peculiar charisma that Outrow exuded.

‘Siren.’

Like the siren's voice in mythology, which one couldn't help but follow?

The absolute charisma that Outrow exuded gave such a feeling.

Well, the metaphor wasn't entirely satisfying, but Coach Park still described Outrow this way.

Moreover, this was clearly the ability that YSG had been desperately seeking.

‘I need to observe a bit more to be sure…’

If her skills were as genuine as he had seen…

‘No, there are many players who play well occasionally. Don’t get carried away.’

It's not for nothing that the club conducts tests for a week to a month when selecting trainees.

Coach Park shook his head and headed towards the first-team practice room.

Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to focus on this.

‘If it's real, she'll prove it.’

Coach Park took a step forward.

*

Coach Park busily shuttled between the first-team and second-team practice rooms.

Normally, during the season, he wouldn't have the time to visit the second-team practice room, but Coach Park ignored the gazes of those around him and headed there.

The results of the internal scrim held in the afternoon were straightforward.

Outrow's team won all their matches.

3-0.

“Is it over?”

“Yes.”

“Then gather around.”

As always, Coach Park tried to give feedback as quickly and briefly as possible.

“Min-su, you should have joined the bottom lane instead of taking the blue buff. The situation wouldn't have changed much even if you had the blue buff, but if you had arrived 3 seconds earlier, it could have made a difference.”

“The mana was ambiguous, so I thought it wouldn't be useful even if I went.”

“I understand, but look. You only needed to use one skill. Right?”

“…Yes.”

The treatment of the second team and trainees in YSG was deplorable.

Thus, during the season, the coaching staff wouldn't normally give such feedback, but Coach Park was the only one who paid attention to the second team and trainees.

Of course, this was partly because he was desperately seeking a savior to save YSG from its crisis.

“And here, the calls didn't match. Why are you all moving separately?”

“It’s….”

While giving feedback and reviewing the game, Coach Park's thoughts gradually solidified.

‘…She dominated the game alone.’

If the game had been played according to Coach Park's feedback, the result might not have changed.

Unfortunately, her physical performance seemed slightly worse than when he first saw her in solo queue, but considering the abysmal environment, it was understandable.

Of course, being too affected by the game environment wasn't a good trait for a pro, but still, this level of skill was impressive.

“Let's do individual practice for today.”

He could have continued the team scrim, but he didn't have the energy to give more feedback.

Coach Park asked Outrow.

“What do you want to do? The test is over for today. Do you want to stay and practice more?”

Normally, trainees would stay in the dorm during the test, but given the circumstances, that wasn't possible.

“I'll go home for today. I'm not feeling well….”

“…Okay?”

‘Not feeling well?’

Now that he thought about it, she did look a bit pale.

Surprisingly, Outrow had shown such play despite the poor conditions and her not-so-good condition.

“Yeah, go home. Come here by 9 AM tomorrow.”

“Yes. Goodbye.”

With a nod, Outrow looked around and waved lightly to the numerous gazes directed at her.

“…See you all tomorrow.”

Despite the brief greeting, the trainees were left speechless.

‘Sigh, these guys.’

Given the nature of pro gamer trainees, it was natural that they lacked immunity, so Coach Park smiled.

Even he had felt his heart skip a beat at Outrow's faint smile a moment ago.

‘…But that face is a bit too much.’

It wasn't just pretty; the aura was so strong that it made one doubt if she was even human.

Why not be a celebrity instead of a pro gamer?

…No, her gaming skills were too precious for that.

‘Stop thinking nonsense.’

Coach Park shook his head and headed back to the first-team practice room.

The match was approaching.

* * *

My body feels heavy.

But my steps feel lighter than ever.

As I stepped out of the building, I realized it was already dark outside.

I hadn't noticed it was evening while I was inside.

‘Right.’

I was about to call my mother on my smartphone.

“Eun-jin!”

I saw my mother waving her arm from a distance.

“…Sorry for being late.”

I thought she would be angry, but surprisingly, she looked calm.

“You said it was an important test. How did it go?”

“Um, I think I did well.”

It wasn't exactly as usual, but since we won all the matches, it was a good result.

“Is that so?”

“And I’ll be tested for a week. Could you ask Secretary Kim to give me a ride for a while? I’ll arrive early in the morning and finish around evening.”

“A week?”

“Yes.”

“Um, I see. I’ll tell him. Since you’re here, let’s go out for dinner. It’s been a while since we’ve had a family dinner.”

“Okay.”

The reason we rarely went out for dinner was simple: I found it very inconvenient to eat outside.

But today was a special day, and since I was already out, it wasn’t a bother.

“Do you want anything specific? And it’s probably going to be meat or seafood, right?”

“That’s true.”

My mother chuckled.

It was because my father’s taste was typical of a middle-aged man, and he was subtly picky despite pretending otherwise.

We chose a high-end Korean beef restaurant in Cheongdam-dong, which had private rooms, making it perfect for a family dinner.

To be honest, I had no appetite.

My condition was already poor, and the tension had further reduced my appetite.

But once I put the beef in my mouth, it melted.

Meat is always right.

“Is the team you’re testing for called YSG?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

My mother sensed something odd in my father’s voice.

“Why? Do you know it?”

“No, it’s just that the name sounds familiar. I’ll look into it later and let you know.”

“Okay. If it’s a strange place, tell me right away.”

“I will.”

A strange place…

The facilities were a bit poor, but was that it?

I focused on the meat again, lost in thought.

If it’s a strange place, he’ll tell me later.

*

The next day arrived.

I had to be there by 9 AM, so I woke up early, washed up, and put on a hoodie and a cap, different from yesterday’s outfit.

I thought I might be woken up early for a tour performance, but fortunately, that didn’t happen.

My mother seemed to have reached a compromise with the idea of a week-long test.

‘My condition… is still not good.’

But from experience, I knew it would improve by tomorrow, so it was a silver lining.

‘I need to get used to it.’

Pros are human too.

Of course, it would be ideal to always be in top condition, but that’s not always possible.

One must be able to perform even in less-than-ideal conditions to survive as a pro.

‘I can do it.’

The second day of the tryout.

I headed to the YSG practice room.

* * *