Every time the water flowed, my body moved.
It felt like I was a drifting boat on the sea, swaying gently without any strength.
Strangely… my thoughts were getting dazed.
Still, this warm sensation felt so good.
I chuckled in response to Sansa and Elderlyn, and occasionally wandered off into a daze.
I felt oddly lethargic, as if I was about to drift into sleep.
How many times had I blinked my eyes by then?
Elderlyn asked worriedly.
“Da-eun, your face is red. Are you alright?”
“Ah… huh? Oh.”
Is there something wrong with my condition?
When I tried to confirm by gently shaking my head, it felt strangely dizzy.
I wasn’t sure exactly, but it clearly wasn’t a good sign.
“Perhaps that’s why. I’ve been in here too long, I think.”
I hadn’t given this much thought.
My body now is much smaller and more delicate than it was when I was a man.
So, naturally, there should be a difference in how long I could stay in the bath.
I had been too complacent after successfully entering, thinking nothing could go wrong.
When we get too elated, things like this happen.
I should probably get out of the water.
Just as I tried to get up by holding onto the edge of the bath, dizziness hit me, and I lost my balance.
“Eh…?”
“Da-eun!”
It took me a moment to understand what was happening.
It took another three seconds to realize my impending tumble toward the floor had been stopped by both Sansa and Elderlyn, who had reacted quickly.
I might have been in real danger if I had fallen.
My head likely would have hit the corner.
Getting injured in this place, at this timing, would have been a disaster.
It would ruin the festive mood we had when we came here to enjoy ourselves.
Now that everything was fine, there was something I had to say.
“Thank you very much. I owe you my life.”
“You need to be more careful. We almost had a serious incident.”
“Yes, but my body feels fine now. Could you let me go?”
“Oh, sorry. Did it hurt?”
“It didn’t hurt.”
It was just a bit embarrassing.
—
Traveler’s transfer to the UK was a legitimate trade.
Timing-wise, it was just narrowly ahead of the roster deadline and, considering the nature of the contract, he was eligible to compete internationally right away.
Naturally, Traveler participated in Prelude alongside his new team.
[Champion’s Prelude Group B – Match 2]
[Acid Gaming vs Qingyun Club]
[Battlefield: Ruined Castle]
[Rules: 6-player Deathmatch]
A transfer that had caused quite a stir in the domestic leagues went almost unnoticed in the European league.
After all, in the UK, Traveler was not considered the top-tier talent he had been back in Korea.
In this league, “foreign-born aces” were not exactly rare.
The sight of star players fading away in foreign leagues had been seen countless times, so it was no longer surprising.
Of course, public opinion was always subject to change.
Esports, with its ever-shifting meta, was always prepared to change judgments, and this was undoubtedly one of the reasons people were so passionate about it.
“Long story short, professional gamers are generally divided into two types—those who are command-based players and those who are soldier-like players. Traveler was clearly a command player during his time at Q Prime. However, if we’re being objective, he was not the kind of leader who shone in the tactical aspects.”
After moving to the UK, Traveler completely let go of his role as main commander and became solely a fighter focused on battle.
He no longer wasted his focus on unnecessary tasks.
There was no longer a need to take unnecessary risks.
Traveler found himself with teammates who not only followed opportunities he recognized but sometimes even acted ahead of him.
The burden lifted from his shoulders, the tank began to perform to its full potential.
“The result is merciless. So far, the deathmatch score stands at 15-2. Qingyun Club, China’s third seed, is unable to put up a proper fight.”
“In a true case of being caught between a rock and a hard place, there’s Traveler, who’s pressurizing the front lines with assistance from the priest, while the Reaper slowly suffocates them from the back!”
His shield became more formidable, his spear sharper. After all, Traveler’s strength had never been in his strategic prowess.
The instinct to move toward victory—something that might as well be called animalistic, a talent hard to explain even by Traveler himself—combined with his unmatched practice hours, was truly his greatest weapon.
“Here comes the counter-strike! The Lance Knight’s retaliation!”
Even in its incomplete form, Traveler’s power was enough to hold its own with Cerberus, and Reaper, specialized in rear guard disruption and psychological warfare, was as good a partner as Traveler could have asked for.
Reaper’s fog spread while the Lance Knight fired relentless salvoes, risking overheating. Spells from three wizards exploded incessantly. Though the Fighter and Warrior put forth their best efforts, it was simply not enough.
“Our field of vision is obstructed. They’re cutting off our sight and bombarding us mercilessly!”
“It seems this game will be tough. They’ll need to come up with something different.”
“Qingyun’s combination excels in close combat, but they lack the penetration, and with continued casualties, their resurrection timings are also getting out of sync…”
While the Korean player’s strong play would bring joy to Traveler’s fans, it wasn’t something everyone appreciated.
In the arena, there are no old allies or dear friends. It’s only natural for gamers to burn with the desire to “crush” whoever they share history with.
Traveler’s success simply equated to adding a new rival for the Korean teams.
Moreover, there’s already one existing record with Korean league.
The previous generation of Luche and Traveler.
Veteran players with more experience than the two of them.
To where have the main players from the golden era disappeared?
“The next match in Group C will be between Veiled Nightmare, where Phantom participates, and the Korean ACL team…”
“Bad blood, huh.”
—
There are two major types of saunas that are popular domestically.
One is the steam-filled wet sauna, while the other is the dry sauna, better known as “jjimjilbang.”
Master enjoyed the wet sauna inside the bathhouse.
I, on the other hand, preferred the dry sauna because it didn’t make it hard for me to breathe.
Though, even if I liked the wet sauna, I might’ve had to give it up this time.
Dry saunas usually involve a separate area where you go inside wearing special sauna clothing.
However, the wet sauna is set up as a small room inside the bathhouse, so there’s no option to wear clothes.
For now, I find myself sprawled out on the bench.
Sansa tapped my cheek, handing me a cool drink.
“Here, something to drink. How about your body?”
“I’m much better now.”
Even as I said that, the heat from the baths hadn’t entirely disappeared yet.
I held the icy drink with both hands and placed it on my forehead—the cool sensation was almost jarring, but it felt like my mind was clearing up. My body began to feel a bit lighter.
“I’ll drink it. Was that the Invul tournament just now?”
“Yes, just checking how it was going. I’ve talked to Traveler a few times.”
“- There’s this person I really want to beat, and that includes you.”
“So, I hope to see you in the international championship.”
“I’ll crush you thoroughly, so just wait.”
The guy’s only words when we last met were something like ‘I’ll crush you.’
At the time, those words felt somewhat laughable to me, but now, I’m not so sure.
The guy seemed to have adapted well to what appeared to be one of the best teams.
He would surely gain a lot of experience going forward.
As part of a strong team, I was sure he would wield the privileges of that status to their full potential.
In comparison, I was still nowhere near the starting line.
Even if it’s one-on-one, I don’t feel I’d lose against Traveler or Reaper, but Invul is a team game, so it’s not that simple.
In sports, adding one and one can sometimes equate to three.
“I’ll be fine. If I just practice, that’s all it takes. I will definitely not lose.”
For no reason, I was feeling the fire of motivation rising within me.
I want to step onto that stage soon.
How many times have I imagined facing other strong opponents in international competitions and achieving victories?
Winning again and again to prove that the time I spent practicing kenjutsu wasn’t meaningless and that my life’s dedication was worth it.
As I jumped up, I sipped some icy sikhye.
The cool sensation filled my chest, and my condition definitely improved. Coincidentally, Elderlyn had just returned with a snack-filled tray.
“Let’s eat this and then go to the jjimjilbang.”
“Are you sure you’re okay? Don’t you need to rest a bit longer?”
“I’m perfectly fine.”
The brown eggs filled my stomach quite pleasantly.
If I had an ice cube right now, I’d definitely feel completely recovered.
I opened the plastic container and was about to put one into my mouth when several cubes slipped down into my lap.
“Ah, cold… Ahh!”
Instead of picking up the ones that fell, the real issue was the single cube that slipped between my breasts.
It was more slippery and colder than I expected. Despite trying to grab it with my hands, the ice just kept sliding around.
In the end, I scooped it up and swallowed it in one mouthful.
When I finished, the two women looked at me with concern.
“Da-eun, what am I supposed to do with you?”
“Huh?”
“You should never be alone with a man.”
“…?”
