[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 152

……What? What’s going on?

What did I just hear?

My mind is all jumbled up.

A word I shouldn’t have heard, a word that shouldn’t even be able to reach my ears, was ringing in my ears.

“Think, think.”

3 Min Top School Honorary Member is a friend deeply connected to the Prisoner.

It wouldn’t be strange to have such doubts after seeing Outlaw’s play.

But,

That’s just a doubt and can’t be turned into certainty.

People already know that the Prisoner is dead, and this fact has been validated to some extent.

“Wait, does that mean that my acceptance into the team was…….”

Because they knew I was the Prisoner?

“……No way. That’s ridiculous.”

Prisoner and Outlaw.

I have to admit there’s some questionable context between the two.

However, doubt remains merely doubt.

That surely could never amount to certainty, yet the voice of the 3 Min Top School Honorary Member held a certainty.

It shouldn’t be possible.

Could it be the instinct of a top laner? That’s just nonsense, right?

“……Or is it? Is it really an instinct?”

If that were true, they’d be a beast, no, a true top devotee.

And…….

As the time of thought in a crisis passed, I finally returned to reality.

“……What?”

Let’s just deny it for now.

That was the conclusion I reached.

“What do you mean? That I’m the Prisoner?”

I am not the Prisoner. I am not the Prisoner…….

Self-hypnosis to deceive others was not a choice but a necessity.

“Oh, I’m sorry. What did I just say?”

What the heck is this?

“You just called me the Prisoner……”

“Oh, I’m sorry…. I didn’t mean to……. I’ve been thinking about the Prisoner when watching Outlaw. So, I guess I just blurted it out.”

Right?

That’s how it is, right?

“I’m sure that’s the case…….”

For some reason, my anxiety wouldn’t go away.

My heart raced, pounding with a sound I couldn’t quite label as thumping or pounding.

Honestly, I wanted to escape from this situation right now.

“……Is it an illusion?”

Pretending to act calm, I ordered a coffee and sat down.

I couldn’t tell if the coffee was entering through my nose or my mouth.

“I’m Seo Yeon-woo.”

“Excuse me?”

“That’s my name.”

“Oh… I’m Yujin.”

Now that I think about it, I felt like I had known the 3 Min Top School Honorary Member for quite a while, but this was the first time we were properly introducing ourselves.

In some ways, it was truly a shallow relationship, but… considering that the 3 Min Top School Honorary Member, no, Seo Yeon-woo thought of me as the Prisoner, it didn’t seem that simple.

“I watched your broadcast.”

“Cough! Cough!”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, cough! Ah….”

It seemed that the word “broadcast” had now become something reminiscent of my Achilles’ heel, causing an unexpected seizure.

After showing such a poor spectacle, the real conversation finally began.

“So… why did you want to gather today?”

Honestly, I wanted to postpone it, but you insisted on wanting to meet.

…Of course, I couldn’t say that.

“Oh, um… I thought we could start discussing the team formation.”

“Ah, I guess it’s about time for that.”

Seo Yeon-woo even clapped her hands, reacting to my words more than necessary.

Having such an active reaction while talking to someone was a first for me, so I continued the conversation in a daze.

“First, let’s talk about the most important thing—the salary─”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“…What?”

“I’m in. Without question.”

…What’s up with that?

Why are you being so proactive?

“I guess you’ve always been like this……”

Still, to say you won’t even look at the salary, which is the most important thing in a professional career, and that you’ll sign without question?

“Do you really think I’m the Prisoner?”

No, even if that’s the case, it’s strange.

Strictly speaking, my being the Prisoner and the 3 Min Top School Honorary Member wanting to join a new team without caring about the salary are completely separate issues.

“…Why?”

So, I asked.

I felt like if I didn’t ask this, I’d always feel uneasy.

“The reason?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not anything grand, really…….”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m just genuinely curious.”

“Hmm.”

Seo Yeon-woo seemed to think for a moment, resting her chin in contemplation.

Strangely enough, that sight was quite perplexing in many ways.

“Actually, I was quite close with the Prisoner.”

“Oh, really…….”

I already knew that well.

Well… even though it couldn’t be helped, disappearing suddenly without any goodbye when deleting the account was somewhat regrettable.

“When I used to play games with the Prisoner, I thought to myself, if I could play professionally with the Prisoner, I could probably manage it.”

Seo Yeon-woo gazed blankly into the distance.

I didn’t know what she was looking at, but she must have received quite a few offers as a Challenger.

However, the reason for rejecting all those offers and agreeing to mine was what I wondered.

Surely, what Seo Yeon-woo was saying right now was the answer to that.

“I’m not the Prisoner, you know.”

Of course, that’s that, but we have to move on.

I was worried if I could lie well, but surprisingly, the lies flowed easily from me.

“I know. Of course, I know. The Prisoner is…….”

The 3 Min Top School Honorary Member, Seo Yeon-woo, briefly wore a gloomy expression before forcing a bright smile.

“I mentioned that when I saw Outlaw, it reminded me of the Prisoner, right?”

“Oh, yes.”

“I mistook it after watching Outlaw. I think Outlaw plays the jungle just as well as the Prisoner. So, I thought if I teamed up with Outlaw, I could also go pro.”

“Ah…….”

Each of Seo Yeon-woo’s words pierced my heart.

However, that sentiment seemed genuine.

In fact, the way she looked at me was sparkling with excitement.

“…Here’s the contract.”

I felt so burdened by that look that I quickly pulled out the contract from my bag to change the subject.

“If you read it, you’ll know it’s a standard contract for professional gamers. The basic contract period is 1 year and 7 months, with a salary of 60 million won.”

“60 million won?”

“Why? Is that not enough?”

“Oh no! Rather… isn’t it a bit much? Is it okay for me to receive that much……?”

It made sense.

The ‘standard contract’ I was offering was based on the first division league and was not the kind of salary amateurs would typically receive.

Of course, I hadn’t brought out this contract without any backup plan.

“Don’t worry about that.”

In fact, for me, this amount was a bargain for signing a player.

“We will definitely make it to the first division within this year.”

*

The plan was simple.

“We will participate in the second division qualifying round in May.”

Seo Yeon-woo looked blank for a moment, then suddenly snapped her fingers as if she remembered.

“Ah!”

How should I put it… her reactions were still quite… something else.

“You mean the qualifiers against the second division teams?”

“Yes, yes. That’s right. If we pass the qualifiers, we’ll meet in the main round.”

Legends of League Challengers Korea.

Commonly referred to as Legends of League second division.

There, the lowest two teams will face off against the two teams that passed the qualifiers among the so-called third division teams, risking their second division status.

In other words, if we win there, we will earn the right to participate in the second division.

“We’ll play the second division summer season and finish it in first place.”

“…First place?”

“Yes.”

Actually, finishing first in the second division isn’t that grand of a deal.

Whether you finish first or win, not many people acknowledge it, and the actual treatment reflects that.

What’s vital is what comes afterward.

The true value of finishing first in the regular season of the second division lies in the promotion playoffs that follow.

The first division.

It’s the place where being called a professional gamer feels appropriate on your job title.

“Of course, even if we don’t finish first, we can go to the promotion playoffs if we win them all… but it’s best to finish first if possible.”

“Ah….”

This year, we’ll finish the second division summer season in first place and win the upcoming promotion playoffs as well.

If that happens, we’ll secure our promotion to the first division this year and be able to compete actively in the first division starting next year.

Although it’s physically impossible to go to the Red Cup this year, at least we can say we’re going next year.

“Can we… do it?”

In contrast to what she usually showed in the top lane, she seemed a bit timid.

But I knew.

“Yes. We can do it.”

We can do it.

“…I think so too.”

Seo Yeon-woo nodded and then signed the contract without hesitation.