When I exited the terminal, the training room area was surprisingly quiet.
In contrast to the usual sight of at least a few people hanging around, the place felt rather empty. I almost felt like I’d been abandoned in a vast space.
—
The Sigma players weren’t suddenly slacking on practice.
The junior trainees and second-string players were on temporary leave, while the first-string team, including Luche and Camellia, were busy preparing for their overseas trip.
—
Soon, the first international tournament of the season—the Spring League’s gathering of strong teams—was set to begin.
Its official name was the Champions Prelude, though most people simply called it the Prelude. Among users, it was considered a kind of mid-season evaluation.
—
That said, the tournament wasn’t lacking in influence.
As always, the esports community was already brimming with excitement and churning out articles.
– Champions Prelude: Which Teams to Watch?
– [Special Feature] The Unstoppable Sigma: Will They Dominate International Playoffs?
– Troubling Atmosphere: Watch Out for ‘Falcon’!
– The Worth of an S-Rank Assassin: A Look at the Middle Eastern League, Homeland of Hashashin
– This is the Home of Wuxia. Introduction to the Chinese League Participants
– [Column] Can Teams with Weak Assassins Survive?
—
With the start of the new season and the conclusion of one league, esports fans naturally had questions.
How much strength had last year’s powerhouse teams retained? Had they fully adapted to the new meta? Which upcoming teams should we be wary of, and which region’s league is showing the most dominance?
—
This preliminary tournament, ahead of the culminating World Championship, served as a testing ground.
Good results here could give teams an edge in the Championship, as it was a chance to gauge potential competitors.
—
This year, much speculation surrounded Sigma, likely due to Camellia’s exceptional display of power or, conversely, Q Prime’s weakened lineup following Traveler’s departure. Domestically, Sigma seemed to be favored.
—
Though, for me, it made little difference.
After all, this was a tournament I wouldn’t participate in. All I needed to do was analyze the necessary matches when the time came.
—
Maybe I should grab a bite to eat first.
—
I was hungry from not eating anything since I woke up. In the past, I could survive quite a while on just a bowl of instant noodles, but since I started exercising and managing my health, my eating habits—and the amount I consumed—had drastically increased.
It would have been annoying back when I relied on selling in-game gold to maintain my livelihood, but now that I was with Sigma, I had access to the player dining hall. A paradise where you could get free, delicious meals around the clock.
And with added broadcasting income now, I hadn’t checked recently, but my donation earnings had likely piled up quite a bit. With that thought, I decided to take a quick look.
—
“Hiiik.”
—
As expected, the amount wasn’t small, but it vastly exceeded my expectations.
Hmm… With this amount, maybe I should try cosplay once?
—
The training room of Sigma is on the fifth floor of the dormitory building, but the player cafeteria is on the third floor. Given my leg issues, I had to take the elevator, which was conveniently placed right next to the cafeteria entrance.
—
“Third floor.”
“The doors are opening.”
—
As the elevator doors opened, it seemed to be meal time, as I happened to bump into Camellia.
—
“Ah.”
“Hmm.”
—
Bumping into her naturally meant we would end up sitting together. It was an awkward shared mealtime.
—
My relationship with Camellia… it really wasn’t that bad.
She may view me as a rival, but that was about the extent of it. She’s never shown any territorial behavior towards me.
If anything, it could be considered good. From what Luche told me, Camellia had subtly looked out for me from behind the scenes.
—
Personally, I didn’t harbor any grudges. Having agreed to apologize, I felt holding resentment wasn’t manly. Therefore, there were no lingering emotional issues between us.
—
Still.
Even so, having meals with Camellia, or Shin Eun-chae, felt quite awkward.
—
“…”
“…”
—
Shin Eun-chae was a typical straight-A student before becoming a professional gamer. She has a slightly sharp impression, but aside from her fiery competitiveness, she remains generally calm.
The same could be said for me: I wasn’t exactly someone who could naturally take the lead in a conversation when left alone with someone.
Thus, an endless silence lingered between two introverts.
—
It wasn’t uncommon, though.
You know those relationships where everything is fine with a third person present, but it turns awkward when you’re just two? That was me and Camellia without Luche.
—
Did Camellia feel the same way? Perhaps that’s why her lips twitched as if she was about to say something.
—
“I heard you’re going to do cosplay, big sister.”
“Phew- cough, cough. Huh?”
—
What did I just hear? The abrupt sound startled me so much my throat gave out. Fortunately, I didn’t have anything in my mouth.
—
“You got news quickly.”
“Well, I just happened to hear. Anyway, what character are you planning to do?”
“Why are you interested…?”
“Of course I’m curious. Someone I know is doing something.”
“Uh, I haven’t decided yet. I’ll think about it step by step.”
—
It wasn’t really the intention to do anything specific. Initially, creating the rulet wasn’t to actually use it but to have it as bait that never got utilized.
Nothing more, nothing less.
—
But once it had spun, it felt meaningless now. Thinking about that, and feeling a little irritated, I instinctively snapped.
“Are you confident about the tournament? Given how you’re focused on trivial things.”
“Well, it is your business. It’s not entirely useless.”
—
A-ha?
I almost felt my lips curling.
—
“If you become too arrogant as a Royal Loader…”
“Actually, I don’t want to hear that from someone who’s the least modest person in the world.”
“Still, you’re preparing for the tournament, right? How’s it going?”
“Yes, I’m working hard.”
—
Camellia’s passion was never lacking. She had already devised her strategy after her defeats in the arena.
While there might be areas for improvement, her efforts were undoubtedly commendable.
—
Thanks to those efforts, she was performing impressively against assassins, even physically—a fact I couldn’t deny.
—
“Isn’t your departure tomorrow?”
“We’ll leave the dormitory tomorrow, but the flight is after midnight.”
“Alright. Do your best. I might not be able to see you off, as I have a broadcast tomorrow too.”
“Yes. I’ll definitely bring good results. I won’t lose to you, big sister.”
—
Camellia grinned widely.
Perhaps she wanted my encouragement? If that were true, it would be a pleasant surprise for me, but somehow I felt like teasing her.
—
“Haha, what winning? You’ve lost to me every time. You’re terrible at this.”
“…”
—
Ah, her eyes turned scary.
—
[Title: “Until I Rank #1”]
[‘Gawol’ is live now.]
[ON AIR | 04:10:24 | Waiting Room]
—
My contract with Sigma. And a personal broadcasting terminal.
Even though these two things I had long yearned for had come true, my everyday life hadn’t changed much.
Eat, sleep, play games.
It’s true that I started engaging in more activities, but the majority of my life was still dominated by gaming.
—
The environment around me has improved from before, but I shouldn’t let my guard down. On the contrary, I need to push even harder.
If I’ve been given the opportunity to thrive, I should fully exploit it to enhance myself.
—
“Can I really rank #1? I don’t know. We’ll see after trying.”
—
A casual question thrown into the chat. Since it was a concern I shared, I simply spoke honestly without reservation.
Reaching the top rank is a tough road. It’s not just about being good at the game—it requires an impressive number of games. Even if I win all the upcoming matches, the required time wouldn’t be short at all.
—
[Matching complete.]
[Do you accept the match? Y/N]
[…You will be teleported to the battlefield in 20 seconds.]
—
The ranked games of Invul operate on a scoring system, where theoretically, there is no upper limit.
Ordinary skilled players usually top out at Diamond rank. Beyond that lies what players call the “Celestial realm”—the unrestricted scoring competition where truly elite players battle.
The highest tier, Infinity, includes the top 400 players, while the Abyss ranks register those ranked up to the top 1,000.
—
The higher you climb, the fewer points you gain per match, so it doesn’t turn into an endless marathon. It’s more or less standardized, although that’s usually for maintaining a tier between seasons. Reaching into the single digits of rankings requires a skyrocketing number of points.
—
“If I thought I couldn’t do it, I wouldn’t have started. If I said I’d do it, I’ll see it through to the end.”
—
No matter the talk, this game ultimately comes down to skill. If I need a lot of games, then I can just play more. Lucky for me, time was abundant.
—
[Ranked Match – Black 541 RP]
[Battlefield: Boiling Lava Zone]
[Rule: Duo]
—
I idly twirled the daggers in my hand. By this point, the hilts felt almost like extensions of my body.
After a brief wait, the names of my ally and opponents popped up.
—
The chat began to buzz.
—
– What the hell is that?
– Why is that person being targeted here?
– Another sniper strike?
