[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 153

“So, over there…”

After just a brief conversation, I discovered that the 3 Min Top School Honorary Member… no, Seo Yeon-woo was like a puppy that follows people around.

‘…Is this really her?’

I know the 3 Min Top School Honorary Member all too well.

Excruciatingly so.

「3 Min Top School Honorary Member (Irelia): Junglerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr」

「3 Min Top School Honorary Member (Irelia): Jg Ching」

「3 Min Top School Honorary Member (Irelia): The enemy top stays in the top, but our jungle just jungles」

Of course, it was completely unfamiliar to me since I knew what the guy at top looked like.

‘And… it feels kind of creepy.’

The more we talked, the more it felt like Seo Yeon-woo was seeing me as a Prisoner, or maybe not.

Her attitude towards me was quite ambiguous.

‘…It’s probably just my imagination.’

Didn’t she say herself that her playstyle was similar to that of a Prisoner?

Let’s just think that way.

Adding unnecessary musings would only give me a headache.

‘The important thing right now is something else.’

I took a final sip of my nearly melted ice coffee and said,

“Do you know any Bot Lanes?”

“Bot Lanes?”

“Yes, our team currently has an open Bot Lane position.”

“Hmm… there are a few, but you probably won’t like them.”

Before even seeing them, she assumed I wouldn’t like them… I had a rough idea of what kind of Bot Lanes they’d be, but right now, my feet are on fire.

“Still, can you at least introduce me? I want to do a test.”

“Sure. I’ll ask around.”

As I had felt in that brief chat, the 3 Min Top School Honorary Member… Seo Yeon-woo would say yes to almost anything I said.

She felt like a puppy wagging its tail; there was no need to elaborate on that.

“Should we wrap it up for today? I have some things to do regarding the team formation.”

“Ah, okay.”

So we got up from our seats.

Honestly, there was nothing more to say beyond this point.

“Well then… see you next time.”

Her timid bow and shy greeting still felt a bit… a bit odd, but I didn’t feel the need to voice that.

*

On my way back home.

My head was spinning with thoughts about the future.

‘If I consider the players’ salaries minus myself until next year… approximately 100 million won.’

That means 400 million won right off the bat just for player salaries in the budget.

If that’s the case, I have to assemble the team with around 600 million left, or rather including the personal savings I have of 100 million, that makes it 700 million.

‘Coaches or managers… I can’t afford them yet. It’s better to go without for now.’

Of course, in that case, it would have to be Getback or Outlaw as coach and manager, but given the current situation, it was unavoidable.

There might come a time when the roles of a coach or manager would become necessary, but with our team’s circumstances, it’s a luxury of a conversation.

‘And recruiting a Bot Lane is my immediate priority.’

Seo Yeon-woo said she’d ask the Bot Lanes she knows, but given her earlier attitude, the chances of them catching my eye were slim.

If a Bot Lane was extraordinary, Seo Yeon-woo would have already made a fuss about it, and prospects like that are already picked up by big teams and are hardly left.

‘We need to find unpolished gems with talent.’

Taking in a polished Bot Lane into a newly formed rookie team?

No matter how confident I was, that was a tough task.

‘Speaking of which… we haven’t even settled on a team name yet.’

We need to have a proper team name sorted out before we can post recruitment notices, yet we haven’t even got that figured out.

Originally, we were supposed to decide it together today, but since it felt awkward with just two of us, we ended up postponing it.

‘Once I get home, I should mention it in the group chat.’

It would have been better to discuss it face-to-face, but given the circumstances, that wasn’t possible.

‘And, the dormitory is an issue…’

Recruiting a Bot Lane and deciding on the team name are urgent, but honestly, the most pressing issue is about the dormitory.

The location for the domestic Legends of League tournaments is in Jongno.

So, if we’re going to find a dormitory, it would obviously be best to find a place nearby.

That’s precisely the problem.

‘Ugh…’

Naturally, it wouldn’t be cheap to find a place in Seoul, especially in Jongno, suitable for a dormitory and practice room.

Moreover, our team’s financial situation isn’t particularly good at the moment.

To find a place that can accommodate five people and have enough space for practice with such limited resources… it was definitely going to be a nightmare.

‘Nothing is easy.’

It’s not that we have no money at all, but there are countless issues that need resolving.

Starting a team from scratch feels like this.

‘But still, I must.’

Because it’s the path I chose.

And it’s the path I need to walk.

“I’ve arrived.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Lost in my thoughts, I barely realized we had reached home.

*

“Did you come back? What about dinner?”

“Not yet.”

“Oh, really? Let’s eat together later.”

“Sure.”

The first thing I did upon returning home was turn on the computer and open the messenger app.

Since it looked like I’d need to have a lengthy discussion, typing on the keyboard felt better than using my smartphone.

[Me: We need to decide on a team name.]

Surprisingly, it took a whopping thirty minutes for the unread notification icon to completely disappear, despite how important that topic was.

[3 Min Top School Honorary Member: What sounds good?]

[Getback: Oh, I’m sorry. The collab just finished.]

[Me: It’s okay.]

[Timid Person 190: I just got home too.]

Damned idiots.

I want to set some discipline, but I’m the one feeling the urgency here.

[Getback: Do you have any team names in mind?]

[Me: Nope. I was planning to decide today, but… the situation isn’t optimal for that, so I’m trying to decide now. ㅎㅎ;]

[Getback: ㅜㅜ I’m sorry.]

[Me: ㅎㅎ It’s fine; we can sort it out now.]

[Timid Person 190: I’m okay with anything.]

No, speak up, you dude.

[Me: Does anyone have any good suggestions?]

[Getback: Hmm… I’ll think about it.]

[Timid Person 190: I’m okay with anything.]

…That parrot of a guy.

You better not let me catch you later. I’ll give you a good scolding.

And…

In that aimless lull, another thirty minutes passed.

Combining the initial wait time, that was a total of one hour spent without anything to show for it.

‘Ugh…’

Should I just turn on the broadcast and do a viewer vote?

‘By the way, I just realized I didn’t even leave a notice about taking a break…’

I started broadcasting to make money, but it’s not that I didn’t enjoy it.

Even if there have been some tough moments, interacting with viewers has always been a pretty nice experience.

‘Well, I’ll have to turn it back on soon anyway.’

Once we finalize a team name, I’ll have to start looking for a Bot Lane, so I’ll need to get broadcasting again.

At that point, it would be a good plan to explain my future plans to the viewers and make them fans of our team.

As much as it’s a little sensitive for me to say, it’s true that I have quite a number of viewers.

[3 Min Top School Honorary Member: How about this?]

At that moment, the 3 Min Top School Honorary Member proposed a pretty decent team name.

[Getback: Oh… that sounds good!]

[Timid Person 190: I think that’s good too.]

The team members’ reactions were also not bad.

[Me: Can we settle on that one?]

[Getback: I agree.]

[Timid Person 190: I think it’s great.]

[3 Min Top School Honorary Member: I like it too.]

Even if there seemed to be a parrot mixed in among them, it was still a solid suggestion.

‘Since we don’t have much time to ponder anyway.’

If push comes to shove, we can always change the name once we get into the first division, so there’s no need to waste more time on this.

[Me: Okay, then let’s go with that.]

Outlaw Zone.

Shortened to TEAM OLZ.

That was our newly decided team name.

*

At long last, the whole family gathered around for dinner after a long time.

To be precise, it was my first time rejoining the family dinner table since I’d been glued to the computer all throughout the no-broadcast period.

“Sis, I watched your broadcast. My friends say you’re pretty.”

“…Oh, really.”

For some reason, hearing predictable things like that only made me slightly more accustomed to it.

Still, I couldn’t hide how my face flushed for some reason.

“Are you going to keep broadcasting?”

“…We’ll see.”

Once the official team activities start, I probably wouldn’t be able to broadcast like before, but I think I could still stream solo rank during my free time.

‘And… I need to earn money for keeping the team running too.’

Being a team owner has its own set of concerns.

“Oh, right, Mom.”

“Yeah, Yujin? Why?”

“Could you look for a suitable place to use as a dormitory for the new team? It should accommodate at least five people.”

I know I should handle it myself, but since I know nothing about this area, I thought it was shameless to ask for a bit of help from the family.

“A dormitory?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you need to find one separately?”

“What do you mean?”

And then, unexpected words came from my mother.

“You can just use your own building.”

“……Huh?”

What in the world is this about?

I don’t have any building!

“Oh my, what’s going on? Didn’t I mention this?”

“What?”

“A long time ago, your grandfather set aside a building for you to use for hospital expenses. It’s probably… somewhere near Dongdaemun? Since you no longer have hospital expenses…”

Without me realizing it, I had become a property owner.