The day my temporary contract ended, and I officially became a pro.
The first person to send me news was Master.
[Message from Jeong Seok-won]
– Congratulations. It’s really great news.
– With your skills, there’s nothing to worry about.
– If you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll definitely see good results.
– You’re still my favorite disciple.
– When my competitions are over, let’s have a meal together.
The person who supported me when I was going through a tough time.
When I was practicing hard with the sword, they were my teacher, and when I couldn’t, they tried to fill the empty space left by my parents.
Even this time, Master celebrated for me as if it was their own achievement.
Now that I earn a decent amount of money, I’d like to treat them to a meal. But Master has always stubbornly refused to eat at the expense of their disciples.
So, there’s nothing I can do about it.
I have to visit with a gift in hand to prevent them from refusing me.
Since Master is busy now, I plan to set a date soon.
There will surely be some free time during the season.
So right now, let me finish the goals I haven’t achieved yet.
[Streamer ‘Sigma Gawol’ Lounge]
[Author: Sigma Gawol]
[Title: I’ll wrap up the ranking climb broadcast today.]
Everyone is curious, aren’t they?
But there’s no need to rush.
Since I plan to broadcast regularly in the future.
We’re really just a few games away from the top rank now.
Let me handle it step by step while achieving my goals.
I also need to think about something to commemorate achieving 1st place.
By the way, did you notice?
I changed my broadcast nickname!
Now, my game name will be Sigma Gawol too.
[Comment]
– So what time will you broadcast?
– What are you supposed to do if you don’t mention the broadcast time?
└ Oops… I’ll turn it on at 3 PM.
– So, will you stop killing the streamer?
└ I talked to the front office, and there’s no rule against banning it.
└ Anyway, it’s kind of disappointing that my field time will be reduced.
└ ?
The ranking climb to 1st place that I wanted to complete before debuting.
I had really reached the tipping point, but unfortunately, the timing didn’t align.
It’s true that my motivation slightly waned.
However, it’s not like I can sit silently and give up because of the things I’ve already said.
It’s not bad as an event to celebrate with my audience.
Not all disadvantages, right?
I can probably use this as something to boast to the Master.
That my disciple is still the best.
They’re sure to be delighted.
[Title: 83 RP left to 1st place]
[‘Sigma Gawol’ is currently broadcasting.]
[ON AIR | 00:01:17 | Waiting room]
“Ah, can you hear me well? Thank you all for coming again today.”
The prelude is almost over.
The surviving teams have faces that seem to say, “You guys again?”
The matchups where any team could win are just waiting for the climactic battle.
Once the prelude ends, it’s time for the league to start again.
The gap is usually around a month?
My debut is scheduled for the Summer League.
In Sigma’s case, we decided to start the live-in training and scrims two weeks before the opening.
Until then, we can each spend our vacations as we please.
Not that any player would spend such a long time doing nothing.
‘Inbl’ is a full-dive VR MMORPG where the player directly controls the character.
Moreover, the physical abilities of characters surpass the biological limits of humans and also handle skills that don’t exist in reality.
Once you lose the feel for it, it’s natural to need some time to warm up.
So if I queue up now, it will definitely happen.
The strong players who were eliminated in the prelude and are now grinding their teeth.
Professional gamers who can’t sit still with all the free time on their hands.
Since it’s my first broadcast after debuting, it’s fine to catch their attention.
Expect much higher-level matches than usual.
“Thank you to ‘Badaeueolintiback’ for the sponsorship. As for a face-to-face broadcast, I think I’ll get the chance soon. Since I owe someone, I’ve decided to pay them back in a few days.”
After turning on the broadcast, I waited for about 20 minutes, answering questions from the viewers.
This was to give time for those who heard the news to turn on the game.
“I think I’ve shared almost all the information you need. Shall we start queuing up?”
Since the first day of broadcasting, I haven’t hidden the timing of queueing.
The period where sniping was easy has long passed.
Unless you’re one of the top users, there’s little chance of getting caught, and even in a serious game, you wouldn’t fear being sniped.
Well, the results weren’t too great.
I was hoping to run into some big names.
The first match ended more anticlimactically than expected.
The second and third matches were the same.
There was a moment where the map gimmick turned against me, making things dangerous, but the games themselves were one-sided victories.
I furrowed my brow slightly.
This is a rare attempt at reaching the top rank.
It couldn’t possibly end this easily, could it?
“… Did I raise it too much by myself? What’s the current score for Luche?”
I opened the interface to check the ranking window.
At the top was a familiar name.
The person competing for the top rank in the game is always fixed.
In Korea, it’s Luche, Dong-hae, a few other pros, and a few amateurs.
Traveler used to be in there too, but that guy flew off to the UK.
After a lot of effort, my current ranking is 2nd.
The gap between Luche and me is down to just 15 points.
If I win the next match, the rankings are likely to switch.
I didn’t like it.
I wanted this moment to be special.
Is it true that worldly matters don’t always go as planned?
[Matchmaking is complete.]
[Do you accept the match? Y/N]
[……You will be teleported to the battlefield in 20 seconds.]
After hesitating, I finally queued up.
Fortunately, the last match had a good lineup.
[Rank Match – Infinity 2,739 RP]
[Field: Duel Alley]
[Rule: 5-Man Survivor Battle]
[Round 2]
[Defeat]
[vs NYX (Toxic Alchemist)]
The region that once dominated the e-sports scene was Northeast Asia.
Korea and China. There was a time when these two countries swept almost all the awards and ruled the scene.
However, China faced strong regulations on virtual reality games.
And Korea experienced a large-scale exodus of talent triggered by the Phantom mistreatment scandal.
The golden era that lasted for so long finally came to an end.
Conversely, the Anglo-Saxon regions absorbed the talent that Northeast Asia lost.
Their powerful capital and newly acquired expertise widened the gap, with Korean players also contributing.
Even now, the key players from that era are still active.
Phantom. And Hero.
These two representatives of the North American League are… from the generation before Luche, and they are Korean pro gamers.
Well, Phantom became a U.S citizen, so technically, they’re of Korean origin.
[Victory]
[Prepare. The next opponent will be loaded without waiting time.]
[Remaining Health: 91.4%]
I pulled the daggers out, and blood trickled from the wound.
The amateur alchemist fought better than expected, but was ultimately inexperienced.
In short, you could kill all five with amateurs like these.
On the flip side, if a big name appeared, I would have to fight with my life on the line.
[Round 3]
[Defeat/Win]
[vs W Titans Hero (Knight)]
As the light signaled my entry into the battlefield, an asexual knight appeared.
In an antiquated gray armor, a large great sword was in their hands.
However, the knight was of short stature.
At a glance, they were just slightly taller than me.
I hear they slightly increased their height in the game.
In reality, if we met, our eye levels would be the same.
Although there’s a significant age gap, that person is known for looking much younger.
We might even be taken as friends if we were together.
Anyway, the moment the light dissipated, combat began.
The Hero lets out a loud shout, “Haaaaap!”
A voice that doesn’t fit the brute with the great sword.
A sound that reminded me of a young girl.
[You are affected by ‘Warrior’s Roar.’]
[Your strength decreased by 8%, and half of that decrease boosts the opponent’s strength.]
But don’t be fooled by appearances.
This woman has one of the roughest playstyles among the top-tier players.
Without hesitation, the great sword aims for my lower half.
It’s not a speed that I would let hit, the problem is what follows.
When the sword hits the ground, it’s not so much that it’s embedded, but rather creates a small crater while smashing through.
Knights as a class have excellent performance in subclasses.
Paladin has robust defenses and sustainability. Lancer has overwhelming build. Dark Knight excels in debuffs and high damage.
Hero has sacrificed all these advantages by choosing ‘Knight’ for one reason only:
To maintain overwhelming strength stats.
A madman’s build that raises strength to the maximum theoretical potential.
The great sword buried in the ground surged up while plowing through the ground.
“Nice to meet you, Junior. I heard you’ve been making a name for yourself, so I really wanted to meet you.”
Fighting this madman’s weapon is suicidal.
I side-step to dodge and counterattack.
I advance with my daggers while raising thorns from my shadow on the opposite side.
Isn’t it polite to reply to a greeting?
I smiled as I thrust the blade toward their philtrum.
“Nice to meet you, Senior.”
