The part-time worker’s gaze irritated me.
When he glanced at my face, his eyes widened briefly before his gaze, directed towards my chest, betrayed his awkwardness.
Normally, such a glance would last at most 1 to 2 seconds, but this time, the part-timer stared at my chest for a full 4 seconds.
His gaze, which had been directed at the voluminous clothing, abruptly shifted elsewhere as if he hadn’t done anything of the sort.
This must be the climax.
Right at the end, the convenience store clerk finally noticed my crutches.
His sticky and unpleasant sympathy accompanied the moment.
Since this part-timer seems rather introverted, wouldn’t he likely say something like this?
“Excuse me, do you need help?”
─”Excuse me, do you need help?”
You hit the nail on the head.
I refrained from letting out a bitter smile once.
Honestly, there was something I wanted to say.
“Get lost. Even if I am a woman who struggles to walk, why would I ever need help from someone like you?”
“I don’t want your pity; either gouge out your eyes or stick to your cash register properly.”
But, starting an argument with someone else also requires courage and strength.
I lacked both, and my body was utterly exhausted after descending the stairs.
So, the only thing I could do was force a smile.
Fortunately.
Even though I’m this skeletal and frail, I’m infuriatingly beautiful.
“Yes, sorry, but can you please calculate three cups of mild ramen for me? And could you help cook one of them just a little?”
“You’ll be eating here, correct? Give me your card and sit over there. I’ll bring it to you once it’s ready.”
“Thank you, you’re so kind.”
I traded my self-esteem for the ease of my body.
Not really. I knew it had nothing to do with self-esteem.
The part-time worker was just unfamiliar with women, and probably extended his kindness because I looked distressed.
The only thing distorted around here was my personality.
The part-timer placed two cup noodles in a bag and brought one that was perfectly cooked.
I could feel his furtive glances, but I decided to ignore them.
I could forget about such matters as long as I was looking at my phone.
With determination, I plugged in the newly purchased earphones and, as I always did, headed towards the gaming community.
[Writer: ㅇㅇ(411.36)]
[Title: Today’s Gawol vs Soobin Reaction GIF]
[Recommends: 107]
It’s obvious that Gawol would win when Gawol and Soobin fight, but today I captured a pretty great scene.
It was when Soobin charged in with his shield…
[Writer: Ingaller(318.235)]
[Title: Did Sigma Esports Luche Re-sign??]
Infinity Black Gallery.
Though I wasn’t exclusively a gallery user, I occasionally visited when I needed a change of mood.
In short, when I needed any kind of stimulation for my brain, I’d often find myself opening the gallery.
There wasn’t any particularly great reason.
The mainstream sites didn’t mention Gawol much.
Because she had been ruthless with streamers and professional gamers, earning the disdain of her fans.
Somewhere along the line, her name almost became taboo, and thus, I only visited when searching for information.
[Writer: HappyGradStudent]
[Title: Summary of Rank Game Changes For Next Season]
Infinity Black has currently entered a calm phase.
A drastic patch update is set for the next season, leaving everyone in the unknown about the layout of the battlefield.
Not only the professional gamers focusing on ranked games, but even the mega-guilds were cautiously avoiding unnecessary enemies.
Or at least, that’s what everyone seemed to think.
It wasn’t really like that.
In the cunning and conniving world of ‘Inbl,’ there was no such thing as peace.
If you eliminated an opponent now in the field of Infinity Black, where getting killed resulted in a 4-hour disconnection penalty, you could maintain dominance in farming resources over your competitors.
And I was the only one who could silently kill a named player without raising eyebrows.
Which made now the moment when my worth was at its peak.
However, compared to becoming a full-time streamer or professional gamer, the amount of money I earned was negligible.
The income I received from various guilds under the pretense of item farming was currently my sole source of income.
[Writer: ㅇㅇ(423.28)]
[Title: Bro, a Volcano Erupted in Iceland?!]
[Writer: Han River Jjamppong]
[Title: Today, Sigma 2nd Division Pro Died to Gawol; Why Doesn’t She Go Pro?]
[Writer: ㅇㅇ(423.62)]
[Title: Is Gawol Really a Wealthy Family’s Youngest Son or Something?]
Halt.
My ramen-eating halted for a moment.
Maybe it was a mistake to enter the community.
Reading irrelevant posts ruined my appetite.
At the point of seeing a nasty picture, I should have turned off my phone screen.
Since I had eaten enough, let’s just throw away the rest.
It wasn’t like there was much leftover anyway.
Now that my stomach was full, it might be better to go back to the game.
Streaming or becoming a professional gamer… it wasn’t that I didn’t want to do it.
That path was simply one I could not take.
Nickname: Gawol.
Actually, it was a typo of ‘Sawol.’
April—the time when I lost everything.
Since that day, I haven’t been able to walk any path.
—
[Da Hoon Does Imposing Victory at National Kendo Championships]
[Team Korea Coach: Hoon Han Is a Singular Genius in the History of Kendo]
Cheers came from everywhere.
My silent, supportive parents, my solid leader, Master.
My phone buzzed incessantly with messages.
Though it should have been a joyful day.
For some reason, I didn’t feel completely happy.
“Da Hoon, have you seen the article? Coach Kim is really counting on you this time.”
“…Yes, I saw it.”
“It doesn’t seem like you’re happy. You’re still upset about Jae Hyun, aren’t you?”
“He was my friend. And my competitor. The next time we were set to clash, I could have beaten him. Even winning feels hollow. It’s like I ended my semi-final and it’s over.”
It was all because of that stupid friend of mine.
That monster. The guy I always wanted to catch up to, but now couldn’t.
Because my strongest rival was gone, my victory felt incomplete.
It was all because of that crazy novel.
Ever since a few weeks ago, he got hooked on some story about becoming a holy maiden, and he seemed distracted.
And then the monster of the kendo world was senselessly run over by a truck and died.
Somewhere I heard a rumor: if you’re hit by a truck and die, you’re reborn into another world.
I really hope that’s what happened to him. He was too amazing to leave this world so pointlessly.
If I’m going to take his place from now on, I have a long way to go.
“Still, hold your head high and go. It’s disrespectful to those you beat. If you won, you should show confidence. Jae Hyun wouldn’t like you sulking.”
“…Yes, you’re right. Sorry.”
“That’s enough. Spend today with your parents, and from tomorrow, let’s slowly prepare for the international tournament.”
“Yes. I’ll work hard.”
“Take it easy. You’re already doing great. Frankly, foreign opponents are probably shitting their pants after watching your match today.”
With a pat on my back, the Master sent me off to my parents.
His simple words provided me much comfort.
Thus, with a somewhat better mood, I spent the day and prepared for what’s next.
Honestly, I didn’t see anyone abroad that could even match me.
That was because of the disparity between the opponents I’ve faced so far.
No one in this world carried the same overwhelming presence as him, so it never occurred to me that I could lose.
But that wasn’t to say I would let my guard down, either.
“Coach Jung, how’s Hoon doing lately? He’s not letting himself slack off after this victory, is he?”
“Of course not. In fact, he’s even more relentless than before. Even if Jae Hyun were here, I doubt he could beat Hoon these days.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. This boy is going to win this World Championship, without a doubt.”
Through gritted teeth, I persevered day by day.
Because I now had only one way left to prove myself.
Look. I am now the best player in the world.
And the only person who could challenge and defeat you is me.
The last time we fought, I lost, but this time, it will be different.
To declare that, I need the title of World Championship Winner.
The heavy title of “pro.” The bright spotlight. The honor of being the world’s best.
To me, all of this feels like a promise with him.
‘This is how I honor our friendship.’
As time passed, my perception grew clearer and sharper.
Did he see the world this way all those years?
Even the smallest movements of muscles, each breath of the opponent, everything seemed readable to me.
No one in the country could stand up against me anymore.
My master, who taught me the way of the sword, the master, who was able to match me until recently, and the other members of the training facility.
They all fell easily. Near the time of departure, not a single player wanted to duel with me, citing the need for mental preparation.
I can do this.
If I keep this up, I can achieve it.
A strong conviction settled into my body.
But I never stepped onto the tournament stage.
