[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 164

Ju, I’m dying.

Instinctively feeling a looming sense of threat, Kim Jae-min shrank back without realizing it.

The moment he saw the ominous smile of Timid Person 190, his body moved before his mind could catch up.

“…?”

However, surprisingly nothing happened.

“What are you doing?”

“…Ah.”

With the incredulity mixed in the outlaw’s voice, Kim Jae-min finally remembered where he was standing.

The sudden pressure had made him flinch, but this wasn’t a battlefield where life and death were at stake.

This was the dormitory of TEAM OLZ.

Far from being a place of life and death, it was where Kim Jae-min would stay and unfold his dreams.

Naturally, the towering figure in front of him wouldn’t harm him either.

Despite the intimidating appearance, they were going to be teammates, right?

“I’m so, so sorry. I was just really startled.”

“What’s there to be startled about?”

The outlaw chuckled like it was the funniest thing ever.

Even that laughter made Kim Jae-min uneasy.

As he was nervously glancing around, the scene before him shifted.

Someone was approaching who blocked Kim Jae-min’s path.

“Did I scare you? Oh, can I speak casually with you? Since I’m older, right?”

“Y-Yes!”

Kim Jae-min’s voice rose excessively. But unfortunately, he had no capacity to care about such trivial things.

‘Oh no, I’m doomed…’

Like a slideshow, Kim Jae-min felt his past flash before his eyes.

“No.”

“Ah.”

“Please don’t.”

“Why can’t we just go bottom?”

“Bottom.”

“Jungle, please.”

“Just a bottom gank.”

“Ah…”

“Why there?”

“Ha.”

“No way!”

If it had ended there, Kim Jae-min wouldn’t be trembling in fear.

Yes, he would have been fine if he hadn’t heard that line from Timid Person 190.

“Just stop.”

Kim Jae-min remembered the voice he had heard that day.

Even though they had played together all day long, Timid Person 190 only said a few words, but that one sentence still resonated clearly in his mind.

‘It definitely sounded like they were angry.’

In retrospect, it was understandable to be mad.

Even Kim Jae-min thought that he had trouble controlling his emotions when gaming.

‘…Why did I do that?’

It was too late for regrets.

The water had already spilled.

‘Am I really such an idiot?’

In Legends of League, no matter how nice someone appears on the surface, there’s a terrifying hidden potential lurking beneath.

And among those whose true nature often surfaced were typically the top and bot laners who frequently clashed with other teammates.

That was just the nature of their positions.

Of course, that didn’t take away from the mistakes Kim Jae-min had made.

‘What do I do now?’

He could see the face of Timid Person 190.

Though he had to look up to see him due to their height difference, Timid Person 190’s face looked much gentler compared to his intimidating muscle armor.

In a word, he had a pleasant demeanor.

‘Maybe…’

He might think of it as a youthful mistake and let it slide.

He looked nice and seemed kind, right?

Surely, they would be living together down the line, so there was no way things would get uncomfortable…

“Hey.”

He flinched.

“…Yes?”

“Let’s do well.”

Though it was a short statement, Kim Jae-min felt his blood run cold.

Without a doubt.

The era of barbarism had ended long ago.

Modern times are a civilization where people live in harmony and reason prevails over individual violence.

No longer does individual strength determine superiority between people.

That should be the case…

Sadly, that was just an ideal, as the remnants of barbarism still lingered throughout civilization.

Physical strength still clearly influenced the hierarchy between people.

There’s a vast difference between what someone can do but chooses not to and what someone cannot do at all.

That person could kill him if things went sideways.

This simple fact alone made him feel small and pressured.

Kim Jae-min felt that way right now.

He knew that person wouldn’t hit him or harm him in any way.

There was simply no need for that.

But, but…

‘…I’m scared.’

This was instinct.

It’s a perfectly natural instinct that humans, once beasts, have harbored since facing overwhelming predators.

His legs were trembling.

His lips felt parched.

He feared the sound of him swallowing.

At that moment.

As if extending a hand of salvation, a remarkably pure voice echoed in his ears.

“What are you doing?”

“Y-Yes?”

“Let’s go. I’ll show you to your room and the dormitory.”

With the outlaw’s outstretched hand, Kim Jae-min managed to escape the grasp of Timid Person 190.

Though saying he escaped might be a bit misleading. After all, he would have to live here from now on.

‘Phew…’

Even so, Kim Jae-min felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for escaping the immediate fear he had been under.

In the back of the leading outlaw, he felt as if a halo was shining.

“Here, this will be your room, Jae-min. Oh, can we talk casually?”

“Ah, yes. Of course.”

The room was so spacious that it hardly felt like a single room in the dormitory.

In fact, it even had an attached bathroom.

“Wow…”

“How is the room?”

“Um, it’s really nice!”

By the time he got here, Kim Jae-min had imagined five people crammed into a small room.

He had heard that new teams often struggled like that, so it was a natural assumption.

But the environment now… it was more than sufficient to be called a professional team.

“Here’s your room, and the next room is for the supporter. Remember? The person you saw earlier. Bottom duo needs to stay together.”

“…Huh?”

Kim Jae-min’s expression turned mournful.

*

With the addition of the ranged carry, TEAM OLZ was finally complete.

It meant they were about to dive into scrims along with the full-fledged team training.

“Has everyone introduced themselves?”

“Yes, sure.”

“Yup.”

The responses were lackluster.

Looking at their awkward demeanor in their chairs, it was evident that they were all a bit shy.

3 Min Top School Honorary Member Seo Yeon-woo was wriggling around as if she was overly bashful,

Get Back Baek Seong-an was sipping coffee with his usual sly grin, finding something amusing in the air,

Timid Person 190 Kim Ji-hoon was busy lifting weights as if time spent doing this was too precious,

And lastly, the newly joined ShowMeTheAgal Kim Jae-min couldn’t hide his anxious expression, scanning the area as if he were in a horror film.

‘What a bunch of antisocial brats.’

It’s not like I should be the one to point fingers, yet seeing them like this was bewildering when they should be living a somewhat functional life…

‘Well… I guess we’ll all adapt while playing together.’

What kind of game is Legends of League?

It’s a demonic game that can destroy friendships and toss human emotions around like a ball, right?

Thus, I believed that the issues of camaraderie would naturally resolve over time.

‘But that’s not the urgent matter right now.’

I started briefing the team about our plans moving forward.

“About our upcoming schedule…”

Well, I called it a briefing, but really, it was just a casual talk.

“As you all know, we will participate in the upcoming 2nd division relegation qualifiers.”

“I, um…”

The one who cautiously raised his hand was this new bot laner, ShowMeTheAgal Kim Jae-min.

“…What if we get eliminated?”

“We won’t get eliminated.”

“So, what if…”

“We won’t get eliminated, I said.”

“But there’s a possibility, right? So what happens to contracts if we do…?”

“We. Won’t. Get Eliminated.”

“…Okay.”

Of course, I hadn’t dismissed the idea entirely, but I excluded the possibility of us getting eliminated in the qualifiers.

“Confidence is good, but that means we need to practice. What are we using for practice matches?”

Get Back Baek Seong-an’s pointed question hit the nail on the head.

Being an experienced veteran, he knew how to get to the heart of the matter.

“Well, regarding that…”

I turned to look at Baek Seong-an.

Naturally, everyone’s eyes followed suit to Baek Seong-an as well.

“…What’s up?”

“No, I think there’s someone who would fit the role perfectly.”

While we were conducting the bot laner tryouts, it had unconsciously become Get Back’s task to schedule scrims with other teams.

Given the circumstances, it was only natural that the gazes of the team members, aside from ShowMeTheAgal Kim Jae-min, were now glued to Baek Seong-an.

“…Shouldn’t that be the coach or manager’s job?”

“Then starting today, Get Back can also serve as a playing coach. Playing Coach Baek Seong-an. Wow, that sounds really cool. Okay, everyone clap.”

Seo Yeon-woo was the first to clap, and Kim Jae-min awkwardly joined in after her.

Baek Seong-an chuckled bemusedly at the haphazard appointment.

“…This is why I asked beforehand, and here we are.”

Yet there was no hint of displeasure in his expression.

It seemed as if he had anticipated this outcome all along.

“Can you handle it?”

“It’s going to be tough at first, but… I think it’ll get easier after I prove myself to a certain extent.”

And so, the discussion about scrim arrangements came to a temporary close.

“Free time starts at what time—”

“It depends on the scrim schedule. You’ll have daily exercise sessions, so don’t worry about that.”

“…Ahem.”

Timid Person 190 Kim Ji-hoon’s question was also brushed aside.

And now, we had another crucial matter to discuss…

“You.”

“M-Me?”

I pointed to the new bot laner, Kim Jae-min.

Though we had brought him in because we had no other options, I had no intention of treating him as just a placeholder.

“Don’t you think it’s pretty embarrassing for someone pretending to be a pro to be in Diamond?”

“Well, that’s just the team’s luck…”

“Excuses aside, starting today, you have an assignment. Get to Grandmaster at least before the relegation. Got it?”

There was about a month left until the qualifiers.

Given the team schedule ahead, it would be a tight timeframe to climb from Diamond 1.

“…What if I can’t?”

“You’ll face penalties for contract violations.”

“E-Penalties?!”

Kim Jae-min’s voice shot up.

Of course, I had no intention of actually making him pay a penalty, but I thought a little motivation wouldn’t hurt.

“Don’t worry too much. I wouldn’t ask for anything impossible, would I?”

“W-Well then?”

I added with a smile.

“Let’s duo it up.”

“…Huh?”

It began to dawn on Kim Jae-min, and his face turned pale.