ALL NOVEL Chapter 98
[IKL Regular League – Match 102]
[Sigma eSports vs Q Prime]
[Score – 1:0]
[Battlefield: Bamboo Forest]
[Rules: Annihilation]
《What on earth is happening, Sigma e-Sports!》
《For a long time, there have been two beasts in the domestic league: Sigma. And Q Prime. With this stronghold solidified, there have been ongoing critiques suggesting the league has become stagnant.》
《But today. I can say for sure. In any way, this stronghold has been broken. Sigma’s solo upset has begun, and Q Prime has taken a step back.》
《Traveler is putting up a fight, but… ah, this isn’t going to be easy.》
Luce and Traveler clashed.
The Gunlance spewed fire up close, and the brilliant radiance cleared the explosion.
Heavy weapons and shields collided multiple times, engaging in a weighty conversation of metal.
Paladin versus Spearman.
In a one-on-one scenario, it’s a matchup that favors the Spearman.
In reality, the one-on-one engagements between the two players showed a higher win rate for Traveler.
But in the Inbl Pro League, team engagements are the focus.
When it comes to overall team win rates, Luce holds the advantage.
The attitudes of the two teams were revealed in the class choice of their respective leaders.
Knight classes are relatively flexible when it comes to changing classes.
Still, Luce chose a Paladin to support her teammates, while Traveler picked a Spearman with higher combat power.
《Who would have thought this matchup would be so one-sided?》
《Suddenly, Sigma’s performance skyrocketed. Camelian is sweeping through the enemy territory!》
《Caution must be exercised here… The former Camelian player relied heavily on individual physicality. As such, there have been consistent critiques about lacking attention to detail.》
《But that isn’t the case now. Camelian’s play has become solid. A Camelian that doesn’t waver. Fans should understand how frightening this statement is.》
Sigma’s Luce is the supporting leader for her team.
Based on her high baseline, she elevates her teammates’ skills as a supporter tank.
She stood as a shield protecting her teammates on the front line.
In contrast, Traveler is the leading force for his team.
The unique brute force of a Spearman. Exceptional judgment for reading the engagement flow.
He is a spear that advances with his skill.
“If you can’t hold off the enemy, Swallow, retreat! Are you just going to let their ADC free-hit us?”
“Our ADC will…”
“I’m not expecting you to deal well; just don’t die, please. Fall back!”
Traveler shouted desperately.
The situation on the battlefield had already tilted severely.
Still, Traveler’s lance didn’t falter and continued to assault.
Recently, the balance between the two teams has completely collapsed.
It’s true that Sigma’s players have greatly improved,
But who exactly are they getting smacked by, causing such growth in their combat skills?
It feels like they’re growing based on the standard of a certain monster.
It wasn’t hard to guess whose influence it might be.
Who else could bring such abrupt changes in this country?
An amateur who had never even shown her face in the Pro League until now.
Yet there’s one woman who could stir up a massive uproar just by her appearance.
It’s no mere coincidence that Sigma’s growth began simultaneously with her break.
Although it seems everyone is keeping it secret for now, the time will come eventually.
But that wasn’t the important part.
“This is frustrating. This season… I really wanted to win.”
“I know. You worked hard.”
“No. We didn’t work as hard as Sigma.”
Traveler barely managed to hold back his teeth grinding.
The opponent was Luce. A worthy rival who deserved respect.
Showing all his emotions here wasn’t something a professional should do.
As Sigma grew, Q Prime did not.
Or rather, should I say they couldn’t?
Traveler wondered if this team had any aspirations for improvement.
Individually, they are no slouches.
If they truly lacked skill, they wouldn’t have even been able to contend with Sigma thus far.
However, the fact that they’re “satisfied” — that was something Traveler found horrifyingly repulsive.
Second place is fine. It’s true.
Being a runner-up is certainly not a failed career.
Many pro players retire without ever stepping foot on the finals threshold.
But who doesn’t understand that?
It’s more infuriating because they could have won.
“Let’s meet again in the playoffs. I’ll be better prepared by then.”
“Okay.”
Camelian’s spear pierced through an ally priest.
Our assassin couldn’t take down the enemy ADC, and no matter how much Traveler tried, he couldn’t overcome both Luce and Camelian at the same time.
In his final moments on the battlefield, Traveler closed his eyes quietly.
There was no need to confirm; it was obvious.
Today, e-sports journalists would write about how Traveler fought valiantly.
A neatly wrapped way to say he ultimately lost.
But nothing would change.
Ah, I can’t take this anymore.
I want to win too.
*
Originally, I wasn’t going to appear on broadcasts for a while.
I thought it would be busy practicing with the professionals from Sigma, whether they were in the second or first team.
That was until Luce came to me after looking through my play logs.
“Da-eun? I distinctly remember telling you not to overdo it.”
“I wasn’t overdoing it. I can handle this much on a regular basis.”
“Do you know why there’s a four-hour death penalty in Inbl?”
“……”
“In the past, we needed safeguards to prevent death from happening too frequently. It’s a remnant from that time.”
I got scolded a lot.
What would happen if I really got into trouble like this?
The thought that it could backfire sent shivers down my spine.
No more grueling schedules like the first day.
I was also told to take at least one day off, and coincidentally, I was invited to appear by Elderin.
Luce said it was fine as long as the specific contract details remained confidential.
In fact, she encouraged me to be proactive if possible.
The more influence I have, the more the game company will take notice.
I was even allowed to hint at some clues.
So, in a way, this was a continuous battle.
It didn’t take long to drive to Elderin’s studio.
“Welcome! Isn’t it hot outside? Was your trip tiring?”
“It was fine. A bit hot, though.”
“Yeah, it warmed up quickly. I wonder why. Would you like a glass of water?”
“Ah, yes please.”
Summer was slowly approaching.
Soon, the playoffs would be held in the Pro League, and the winner of the spring season would be determined.
This win would likely belong to Sigma.
After drinking the cool water, I felt a bit refreshed.
Elderin seemed to be adjusting the setup before the broadcast, while I watched her being groomed by the staff.
“So, what are we doing today?”
“Well, originally I was just going to chat casually and then play, but since Da-eun is here today, I was thinking we could do a mukbang.”
“A mukbang? That’s also a casual chat, right?”
“Yeah, I’ve set a few topics: Pro League talk and relationship stories…”
“Let’s stick to the Pro League talk.”
Good. I blocked a dangerous topic before it could come out.
My reaction speed isn’t dead yet.
Speaking of casual chat, I didn’t really know what to do that people would like.
Last time… I think I showed my armpit or something.
I still couldn’t understand why that was good.
“I’ll warn you in advance, this time I’m going to ignore every request to show anything. Not even if you ask nicely, okay?”
“…Wasn’t I just asking you last time? I was the one who tried to stop you.”
“Oh.”
That was an incident caused by alcohol.
At that time, I needed something to numb my fears, and coincidentally, the alcohol was the culprit.
Normally, people’s brains tend to make irrational judgments once they’ve had a drink.
So I bear no guilt.
The people who coaxed me into doing bad things when I was drunk were the ones at fault.
After the staff finished their preparations, I sat in the chair.
I didn’t want to reveal my left leg to the camera.
I adjusted the angle carefully, murmuring because the air conditioning was a bit lacking, while fanning myself.
“By the way, I bought ice cream from the freezer. Want to have some?”
“Sure, I’d like to.”
“What flavor?”
“Do you have vanilla?”
“I’ll get it for you.”
What I received was a candy bar of pure white color.
When I finally put it in my mouth, it was so cold I could barely bite it or suck on it.
When I pressed my tongue against it, it was frozen solid enough to stick.
Well, it should melt a bit if I wait.
“We’re about to start the broadcast; should I finish this first?”
“Hmm? No, it’s fine to just start.”
“Alright.”
As the broadcast began, the viewer count quickly rose.
While Elderin was smiling brightly and delivering the opening statement, I checked the chat window.
There were mentions of my stories in there, which were fun to read.
As time passed, the icy candy bar slowly started to melt.
I checked its condition by gently touching my tongue to it.
This seemed like it would be edible soon.
I licked it several times to prevent the melted bits from dripping.
As I tasted the vanilla-flavored ice bar, I brought it to my lips.
It was still a bit hard to bite, but it was soft enough to keep in my mouth.
The human body has a temperature of around 36.5 degrees.
As I flitted my tongue over the ice inside my mouth – it melted quickly.
The moment I bit into the ice bar, Elderin was staring at me with a blank expression.
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
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