[Byeolha]
[ Challenger, must go! Must go!]
[Byeolha]
[Is it “Master Craftsmen” day today?]
[Who’s today’s guest?]
As the broadcast began, countless comments flooded the secondary monitor.
‘Setup feels no different from last time.’
The place felt familiar, having been here a few times in my previous life.
I waited for a bit outside the camera.
“Now, today’s guest is none other than the mysterious solo-rank bomber who knocked Hanbyeori down, para!”
Following Hanbyeori’s announcement, I entered the room and sat next to her.
As soon as I appeared, the chat exploded in a way that couldn’t compare to before.
[???]
[Is she really a middle school girl? Is she really a middle school girl? Is she really a middle school girl?]
[????????]
[?????]
“Wow, why are the viewers acting like this today? Let me switch to subscriber chat for a moment.”
Even Hanbyeori couldn’t handle that level of chaos and quickly switched the settings to subscriber-only chat.
“Alright, could I possibly get a brief introduction from our guest?”
Knowing her true form made the formality of it all seem rather amusing to me.
“Hello. My name is Yoon Seohwa, I’m 15 years old. Oh, and I’m a girl.”
[Great Seoha]
[15 years old, insane]
[No way, is this her first day of school?]
[My heart, my heart, my heart]
“Yes, then let’s resolve the mysteries many people might have.”
Hanbyeori opened the League of Legends client on her desktop and stepped aside.
All I had to do was one thing.
Log in with my current account and display the tier page.
[???]
[Challenger?]
[Challenger at 800 points, are we talking about?]
[200th rank, crazy]
[Well, it’s probably proxy play… she got boosted by Queen Bee bus services, so people are flattering her. Tsk.]
[If it were proxy play or bus play, would it show up here, haha?]
[Just laugh, just laugh.]
“Uh… has your rank gone up since then?”
“It was just luck.”
As I smiled and made eye contact, I could see her fluster.
I deliberately restrained myself, curious about her reactions, and I’m satisfied with how it turned out.
“Then, shall we start with a simple solo rank match?”
“Sure.”
I returned to the lobby and clicked on the button for a private 2-player ranked match.
“What Champion do you plan on playing?”
“I’ll decide after seeing the overall composition.”
After waiting for about ten minutes, we moved to the champion select window where our mid-lane opponent picked Arin, while the enemy jungler picked Byai.
Arin and Byai, a combination often seen in tournaments—a classic duo designed to cover Byai’s tendency of getting drawn into fights with Arin’s ultimate while providing strong crowd control.
“Hmm…”
I pondered over my options, twiddling my mouse. Should I pick someone strong in 1v1 situations, or should I go for a team-wide synergy?
[The Black Rose will bloom again.]
Our jungler picked Lisim, and given their strong synergy in teamfights, I decided to go with LeBlanc.
[LeBlanc, insane]
[Checking your stats… haven’t played a single game with her?]
[???]
“Uh… excuse me, what’s with those strange comments? This isn’t LeBlanc’s first game for you, is it?”
Hanbyeori dropped the honorifics she had been using, switching to the casual tone she usually employs during her streams.
Yeah, this account actually hasn’t played a single game with LeBlanc.
“First game, yes. But I still play her well.”
[Plays well (first game)]
[Challenger-grade middle school girl playing a joke pick… Challenger-grade middle school girl playing a joke pick…]
With unwavering confidence, the game started with my choice of LeBlanc.
TOP: K’Sante
JG: Lisim
MID: LeBlanc
AD: Kai’Sa
SUP: Lulu
VS
TOP: Nasus
JG: Byai
MID: Arin
AD: Izreal
SUP: Lulu
‘She acts beyond her age, those determined eyes and her poised demeanor.’
Hanbyeori immediately realized that Yoon Seohwa was the very person who had duo-queued with her earlier.
But what about the audience?
Though they acknowledged Yoon Seohwa’s beauty, there’s a difference between meeting someone in real life and watching them on screen.
‘What if I lose the mid-lane match?’
The mere thought was terrifying.
Starting from accusations of proxy play, bus services, Queen Bee, and other nonsense would surely come up.
‘That’s why I recommended you go with your main champions.’
The champions Yoon Seohwa played the most were Yune and Akali. Even during duo queues, she had never seen LeBlanc.
[Is that actually Rave?]
[Actual?]
[Worlds semifinalist vs middle school Challenger, insane.]
Meanwhile, our opposing mid-laner went by the nickname Rave.
One of the five renowned mid-laners representing the LCK (Korean Pro League), who despite losing in a bloodbath to a Chinese team, remains one of the best mid-laners.
‘Still before the spring season starts.’
This was the period after the end of every league and international competition where professional players would engage in solo-ranked matches.
As expected, in the Challenger tier where Yoon Seohwa was placed, one often ran into professional players during these times.
‘Rave… could it be?’
As I glanced at the chat window, the worst-case scenario was unfolding.
[Rave and k1ng duo-ing?]
[Got the ultra-toxic duo, haha! Ultra-toxic duo haha!]
[This feels too cruel.]
[Is k1ng streaming right now?]
k1ng, the jungler from the same team as Rave, was known for a distinct pattern in solo rank: when duo-ing with Rave, they would relentlessly gank mid.
Jungle monsters? He didn’t farm them.
Levels? They didn’t matter.
Just obliterate the opposing mid-laner, boost Rave, and win—a crude, brutal strategy.
But through this strategy, the duo had managed to climb to the first and second spots in Challenger and occasionally even applied it in tournaments.
‘Guess it’s that “Mid-killing duo” who once ganked and froze someone with 20 deaths…’
All Hanbyeori could do was plead with them not to gank mid this round.
“Eh?”
[? What the heck was that skill move from LeBlanc?]
[Wow! When skills land perfectly, you can’t lose during mid-lane fights.]
[Byai’s ultimate hit at the perfect timing, but LeBlanc’s W drew him back into a reverse counter-gank! Haha]
[The price for ganking a middle school girl… The price for ganking a middle school girl…]
Yoon Seohwa went on from simple lane phases to small skirmishes and eventually team fights.
Opposing mid-laner Rave couldn’t even breathe as she dominated him completely.
‘…Unbelievable monster.’
“Is their mid-laner really a middle-schooler?”
“Middle-schooler? She’s a trainee? Or maybe an aspiring one?”
“She’s a girl.”
“What nonsense is this?”
Rave, Kim Hyun-sung, assumed that Seo Habin, his teammate for the last five years and the team’s mainstay, finally developed dementia after his return from overseas.
Currently, his solo-rank score wasn’t at the top due to a leisurely post-tournament vacation.
Even so, this was Challenger territory—no matter how different solo rank is from tournaments, it was still filled with flying geniuses.
A middle-school girl in this tier?
That was preposterous.
“Check this.”
Nearby, Seo Habin, who was duo-queueing, sent a link via personal chat.
On the screen:
[Me? Boyfriend? No, I don’t have one. The reason… well, there isn’t one in particular.]
Habin occasionally watched this stream, so he recognized it.
The issue was the young girl sitting next to her.
[Height? Right now, about 160cm?]
Though hidden by a mask, the long lashes and the area around the eyes of the girl suggested she was quite beautiful.
“Is that kid… para? That person?”
“Yeah. Didn’t you see that community blow-up last time?”
“We haven’t even gone back to training after the semifinals.”
“That’s because it’s your fault.”
“What?”
Kim Hyun-sung brushed off Seo Habin’s usual scolding and returned to the stream.
“Yo.”
“What?”
“Is that person really her?”
“Are you serious? How many times do I have to tell you? Yes, it’s her. I even watched that broadcast.”
“Surprisingly fascinating…”
The match history showed that she climbed by demolishing everything below Challenger’s lower ranks and the Master tier.
“Yo, you know this?”
“Keep your eye on her mid-game.”
Every fresh talent occasionally needs some challenges, after all.
…
…
…
“Is she really streaming?”
This was already the second instance. She didn’t just charm by her charm skill; combining a Flash and following through while just slightly tilting her head to dodge made no sense. Clearly, this was a master.
No one from the champion World team could do this.
“Her broadcast is from home, and there’s no way she’s using a hack. If Hanbyeori had used hacks, she would’ve been in Challenger long ago, right? Not playing a ridiculous number of games with the Yetis.”
“You reacted instantly to my ultimate just moments ago.”
“She’s got the physical skills alright… still.”
The current game time was 25 minutes, with the ADC roaming around the mid lane, while each lane-farmer concentrated on side lanes.
“Try wagging your tail.”
The KDA for the opposing LeBlanc was 4-1-3, while Kim Hyun-sung’s Arin was 0-2-1.
“She’s probably aiming for a kill or a trade in the mid-lane.”
Intending to teach the difference between solo rank and team games, he waited in the bottom brush for 30 seconds.
Unexpectedly, instead of LeBlanc, K’Sante arrived.
“This could be hard to take down alone.”
Choosing to retreat as planned, at that precise moment,
[The enemy team has slain Baron!]
The opponents secured Baron, making an even sharper attempt than typical Baron Circus teams.
Since both bottom and top were growing evenly, trying something this risky risked disaster if discovered.
It was his fault, calling the support to the bottom for fishing play while Baron was already out.
“This is it.”
As Kim Hyun-sung voiced his thought, a surrender vote popped up.
[oooxo]
Four out of five agreed, and the red-letter defeat screen appeared.
And then came the results screen.
Without realizing it, Kim Hyun-sung had sent a friend request to the opposing mid.
