[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 122

The contemplation didn’t last long.

I promptly posted an announcement on the broadcasting station’s bulletin board.

──────────


Seeking 5:5 Team Members


──────────

We are recruiting team members to compete against BJ Jjuhsim’s team in a week.

Top: Open


Jungler: Outlaw111


Mid: Open


Bot Lane: Open


Support: Open

We look forward to many applications.


────────

– Full-scale audition content ㄷㄷㄷㄷ


– What’s happening? I just came in and there’s a 5:5?


– Aren’t you doing Solo Queue?


– Declaring eternal no-broadcasting ㄷㄷㄷ

Amid various viewer concerns, the real team member recruitment began.

After posting the announcement, I refreshed the page a few times and saw countless comments.

[MyungMingMyungMing♥]


Platinum 3 Bot Lane application!

[GengSiki]


Master Jungler main.


Can play Top / Mid (roughly Dia level).

[DaHyeNunDaHae]


Silver 1 Support application!


My skills are diamond level!


Jjuhsim is officially a malicious parking guy!

[BJ SongSongSong]


Dia 2 Top application!

[GameingMinGu]


Dia 3 Support application!

“……”

Although the comments were flying in, to be honest, not a single applicant caught my eye.

‘Not a single Challenger here.’

Of course, it’s true that Challengers are a rare breed in Legends of League.


But this is Red TV, and there surely aren’t too few Challengers among the active BJs.

Yet, how is it that not a single Challenger applied?


The only Master in the mix is a Jungler, so if he goes to any other position, the chances of not meeting the tier value are high.

‘… No rush. The announcement was just posted.’


Let’s just play some Solo Queue.


Eventually, applications should come in.

However……

[Victory]

Two hours had passed, and still, meaningful applications were almost nonexistent.

[GengGengGengGengGengGeng]


Challenger Jungler applying.


Can do Mid / Support.

[BJ Nillyriri]


Dia 1 Bot Lane applying.


Can handle all meta champs, including Jiksoo and non-Bot instances.

[ParkChangSu123]


Dia 2 Top application!


Top lane Master at 112 points.

Only the one serious application I could consider is from the Challenger, GengGengGengGengGengGeng…


Honestly, I’d love to ask 3 Min Top School Honorary Member or TimidPerson190 for help, but sadly, Jjuhsim’s criteria included only active Red TV BJs.

‘No way this is what he’s aiming for.’

No matter how influential Jjuhsim is, he can’t control the actions of other BJs.


In fact, even though there just aren’t any Challengers, there still were quite a few applications.

‘Wait a second…’

Is it just that there are no Challengers?


A reasonable suspicion flickered in my mind.


Whether Jjuhsim really possesses such influence still casts doubt, but it doesn’t make sense that specifically no Challengers are applying.

-Ding.


At that moment, my smartphone buzzed.


I received a reply from Coach Park Tae-Hyung.

[Hmm, okay. I’ll find some time this weekend.]

Contrary to my worries, Coach Park Tae-Hyung’s response was friendly.


Honestly, I thought he’d reject immediately, so this was quite unexpected.

[Thank you. I keep causing issues. ㅜㅜ]


[It’s fine. I heard you’re having a tough time.]

Has the word spread this far?

[Thank you. Please contact me when you can. I’m available anytime!]


[Alright.]

It seems like I’ve been relying on Coach Park too much. I can only hope there’ll be a day when I can repay him for all this.

‘The YSG-related problem should be resolved with this…’


It’s true that the calls for an explanation are low during my stream, but the outside situation is a bit different.


There are quite a few voices filled with suspicion regarding allegations associated with abusing and the YSG escape.


In other words, it’s also worth clarifying this issue properly.

‘Now, what’s left is recruiting team members.’


However, regrettably, this part isn’t going as I hoped.


Although applications have been steadily coming in… there aren’t that many who would fit a Challenger-level 5:5.

‘For now, I guess I can only round up Master-level players or above?’


Just as I was pondering this,


『‘ReturningGetBack’ has gifted 10 balloons.』


『“Are you looking for a Mid? I’m a Master Mid!”』

A familiar ID caught my eye.

*

A considerable amount of time has passed since the Legends of League tournament began.


The players I first met in solo queue have become the 1st generation of professional gamers, nearing retirement or having already retired to coach and various other fields.

[GetBack]


GetBack could also be seen as one of those players.


After around four years of not a short career as a professional gamer, I heard he transitioned into becoming a professional internet streamer… but I never dreamed I’d see him pop up here.

“Uh… is it you, GetBack? The one I know?”

– Uh-huh.


– Yup, that’s me.


– Oh, it’s been a while, GetBack.


– For real.

『‘ReturningGetBack’ has gifted 10 balloons.』


『“That’s right.”』

Just to be sure, I went to verify on GetBack’s broadcast station, and indeed, it was the pro gamer I knew.

What kind of player was GetBack as a professional?


If you quietly observe tournaments, there are players like him.


They don’t seem to be bad, but during their long professional careers, they never shined and ended their careers just being average players.


Actually, it’d be more accurate to say that most players turned out this way.

Only a minuscule number of professional gamers can become shining stars.


GetBack was also one of those players.


He was undoubtedly a skilled player, but he remained unnoticed, bobbing along and eventually disappearing like grains of sand in the desert.

However, this standard applies solely to pro gamers; in this type of team game, the presence of a former pro is invaluable.


Especially since Mid is the core of Legends of League, the asset itself is scarce and hard to procure.

“Mid! I still haven’t found one. Do you happen to have any interest, GetBack?”

I have to secure him.


I was already at my wit’s end thinking about how to structure the team.


Having an ex-pro active on Red TV would surely help a lot in this regard.

『‘ReturningGetBack’ has gifted 10 balloons.』


『“Yes, yes.”』

– Oh


– Former pro joins ㄷㄷㄷ


– If it’s GetBack, I’m all in.


– It seems Jjuhsim’s team Mid Router might end up being the highlight; this could be a blast ㅋㅋ


– Oh, ㅋㅋ


– GetBack vs Router


– Old dude vs youngblood ㄷㄷ

Router is an amateur Challenger Mid Laner who has been rising in popularity recently.


I’ve even met him several times in solo queue, and aside from that, I recall he was quite exceptional in terms of physical skills.

‘I don’t know if the current GetBack can hold up against Router, but… it’s not the time to be choosy.’


Given the situation, ditching the desire to form an entirely Challenger team is the right decision.


Therefore, what’s left is to scrap together the best available cards from my pool.

“Alright, I’ll send you an invite to the chat. Please send your contact through my broadcast message.”

While ideally, I’d want to test everyone before bringing them on board, at this point, that seemed a bit extravagant, so I moved quickly.

– Getting numbers from Outlaw, GetBack ㄷㄷㄷㄷ


– Yo girl, get me a number too!

– If you decline, you’re a legend.


– Ah, ㅋㅋ how do you even decline this? ㅋㅋ

Shut up, you guys.

‘I don’t have much time left.’


Even though there’s still about a week left, the real problem lies in the limited time to match up the team and practice.

At that moment.

[It’s me, GetBack]


[I have a Top in mind. Want to check it out?]

*

As Jjuhsim quietly skimmed through Outlaw’s stream on his broadcasting computer, he smiled faintly.

‘Finding members sure isn’t easy.’

In truth, Jjuhsim didn’t have the power to dictate the actions of Legends of League BJs on Red TV.


No matter how successful a BJ or YouTuber, they didn’t wield such power.


But he could certainly make some suggestions.

“Hey, doesn’t it feel like viewers have significantly dropped lately?”

What Jjuhsim did was evoke a sense of competition among the BJs who had taken considerable hits to their viewers and revenue alongside Outlaw’s emergence.

There was no need for lies.


In reality, after Outlaw showed up, most Legends of League BJs saw a substantial decline in their viewer counts and revenue.

What Jjuhsim did was maximize the latent resentment they harbored.

“Honestly, ranking number one in no-broadcasting is crossing the line, right? It’s like saying all the lesser BJs should just die. Doesn’t make sense, does it?”

“Right? That was pretty excessive.”

“And now they’re throwing out an impromptu 5:5 suggestion without an explanation? If you’re ranking number one in no-broadcasting, just quickly raise your tier and stop streaming. Clearly just stalling for time.”

“True.”

“The Legends of League scene is practically all swept up by Outlaw,ㅋㅋ Even in the past, I had at least a thousand viewers; now it’s down to double digits ㅋㅋ.”

“There’s no sense of ethics. None at all.”

The plan worked quite well.


While it didn’t reach other minor or obscure BJs without contact information, it certainly reached almost all active/current Challenger BJs on Red TV.

Of course, no matter what Jjuhsim said, the choice was ultimately theirs.


However, in light of the noticeable drops in viewers and revenue, few could afford to ignore Jjuhsim’s words.

‘Well… if it were me, I’d probably ignore my own words and stick with Outlaw’s team.’

Although they seemed unaware, this was indeed a tremendous opportunity for the minor BJs.


A chance to hitch a ride on the big boat that is Outlaw.

Knowing that better than anyone, Jjuhsim was fishing his line, but that didn’t mean those BJs had no options.


They simply made their own choice.

Rather than jumping on board with an unexpected new star, they chose to reject it.

One of the factors contributing to this was how the chat room that Jjuhsim established had turned into something of a cartel.

“Let’s not betray each other.”


“Sounds good.”

“If anyone heads over to Outlaw’s team from here… you all know what to do.”

To miss out on a significant opportunity because of jealousy or pride… that’s just foolish.

‘This is why you guys are considered low-tier.’

As Jjuhsim watched the BJs caught in the trap he set, he couldn’t help but smile faintly.

In reality, many BJs not on the chat were desperately trying to get into Outlaw’s team, but most high-tier BJs on Red TV had already been scoped out by Jjuhsim.

What remained were basically just the bottom feeders.

‘GetBack, huh… I didn’t see that one coming. But really, he’s just past his prime.’

No matter how much of an ex-pro he is, GetBack never really stood out even when he was active.


In Jjuhsim’s eyes, Router, who was on the team, could easily overpower him.

‘Let them keep trying.’

Even the remaining options were barely Master low and Dia high.

‘No matter how good Outlaw is, he can’t win against our team with those guys.’

Everyone’s currently a Challenger.


Moreover, the Mid and Bot lanes, the core of Legends of League, are well over a thousand points.

To Jjuhsim, it felt as though the Goddess of Victory was already smiling down upon them.

And then…

Finally, a week passed,


The moment of the decisive battle approached.