[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 92

As a gamer with some recognition who has been active for a long time as an amateur, there are always those kinds of comments floating around.

What if ■■■■ debuted as a pro?

What if ■■■■ did something else?

What if ■■■■ had been a pro? Could he win the Red Cup?

The answers to such questions have always been similar.

If ■■■■ could be a pro, he would have been.


If ■■■■ could win the Red Cup, he would have.

So, what’s the deal with ■■■■’s career?

Honestly, these kinds of questions shouldn’t need to stir up controversy.

In eSports, there are no IFs.


Literally, that means there are no hypotheticals.

Still, there was one person who consistently raised a question mark instead of suggesting otherwise.

Prisoner.


The first jungler in Legends of League to hit an incredible 1900 points, no, 2000 points.


And now… he’s a jungler who’s gone.

What would have happened to the history of Legends of League if he had debuted as a pro?


The answer is still unknown, but compared to other gamers, the difference with Prisoner was that there was confidence instead of doubt about that “what if.”

If it were Prisoner, he would have pulled it off.


He would have achieved feats no one else could.

To be honest, Bandetta and Kim Kang-Han never fully understood Prisoner’s play.


To be precise… the old Prisoner was a player that even Kim Kang-Han could “understand,” but at some point, he completely changed.

One day, Prisoner’s plays began to show decisions that seemed utterly incomprehensible on the surface.

—No, no matter how well it turned out, what on earth did you base that decision on?

I wish I could take Prisoner’s replays and interrogate him, asking how the game was meant to be played.

But unfortunately, I can no longer do that.


Prisoner has disappeared, and now he’s slowly fading from everyone’s memory.

But why is it that I can still see glimpses of Prisoner now?

To clarify, Kim Kang-Han does not clearly understand the play of Outlaw.


It’s just that since he can’t understand it the same way, it’s more accurate to say he sees reflections of Prisoner in Outlaw.

‘…But that’s not possible.’

The chances of Outlaw being Prisoner are nearly zero.


If Prisoner hadn’t really died like the rumors say, there would be no reason for him to change his perfectly fine nickname.

Is the honor that Prisoner achieved ordinary?


Being a trainee in YSG means you’re someone who dreams of going pro, and if Prisoner had been a trainee in YSG, he would have had no reason to throw away his nickname that could create a monumental stir.

Thus, Outlaw is not Prisoner.


No, the chance of it being him is exceedingly low.

‘But.’

At least one thing has become clear.

Outlaw, no, YSG is not someone to be underestimated.


The presence of one ace can change not only the atmosphere of the team but the entire team’s color.

Let alone if that player has the skills to unwittingly remind you of Prisoner?

‘This wasn’t the time to be laughing and goofing off.’

Kim Kang-Han’s expression hardened.

“…From now on, it’s serious gaming.”


[“I feel like you’re going to lose saying that.”]


[“Agreed.”]

The solemn declaration that he uttered, filled with a sense of resolution, was met with the mocking laughter of his teammates.


Of course, Kim Kang-Han didn’t bother to react to their laughter.


They would find out soon enough.

‘Let’s see how long they keep laughing.’

As Kim Kang-Han expected, the laughter of his teammates didn’t last long.

*

[“Let’s try a Baron burst.”]


After 37 minutes of game time.


Did my efforts to somehow grind through this nonsensical game pay off?


Finally, it seemed we were hearing something worthy of being called a real call within the team.

‘A little touching, isn’t it?’


If there was absolutely no hope like in the early stages, it would be one thing, but at some point, the opponent’s movements started to slow down a bit, and the team began to think, ‘Could it be?’

[“Even if the opponent comes, don’t panic and burst it. If we can’t take this, we’re doomed. Got it?”]


[“…Uh.”]


[“Then go for it.”]

Even if it’s the wrong order, we have to follow.


If one person throws, it’s throwing, but if everyone throws together, it becomes a gamble.

Words that resonate with the core of team gameplay aren’t meaningless.


Even though it was a clumsy judgment and a clumsy attempt, the risk paid off.

—The blue team has slain the Baron Nashor!

The opponent was far too advantageous, so they became complacent.


This Baron was the beginning of our comeback.

Our team’s wave-clearing abilities weren’t great, so if the opponent took the Baron, we would have had to give away at least two to three inhibitors.


But thanks to taking the Baron, we only had to concede one inhibitor—the least impactful mid-lane inhibitor—buying us five more minutes.

Games tend to introduce variables the longer they go on, and that holds true even against a team like SCV.


[“We can handle this while stopping mid.”]


[“Can we catch a soul fight? That’d be nice.”]


[“That seems difficult.”]

‘The teammates are regaining their concentration.’


Legends of League is a game that is greatly affected by mental state.


Not many people strive in a match where the loss is already determined.


But in a game where victory is possible?

‘I can win.’

Though the situation is still quite dire, it’s getting better continuously compared to five minutes ago, and even ten minutes ago.


Of course, the opponent is SCV.


They wouldn’t go down without a fight.

—The red team has slain the Earth Dragon!


—The red team has obtained the Earth Dragon soul!

Without giving us a chance to strike, SCV took control of the vision around our red jungle and snatched the dragon before we could make a move.


We lost the dragon soul without even having the chance to fight for it.

At least it wasn’t ocean or infernal, but the Earth Dragon was one that offered huge advantages in favorable situations, so being told that was of little comfort.

The Baron buff on our side ended,


While the opponent was now draped in the dragon soul.


It was again a crisis for us.

‘If we just stick around and push through, we’re doomed. We need to strike first.’


Ezreal flicks his tail in what seemed like a poking distance.


‘That distance is tricky, isn’t it?’

Was he lured by that?


Or did he think it was an opportunity to cut me down?


I couldn’t tell.


But he naively advanced, trusting Morgana’s black shield.


However, that was an overly arrogant move for me.


‘I cut him down.’

Having made my decision, I boldly used my flash.


At this timing, I could break through everything, black shield and all.


Not to mention my Mejai stacks were at full.


No matter how much Elise lost power in the late game, if she grew this much, she’d be just like an assassin or a nuker.

However, there was a variable.


‘The Earth Dragon soul shield means my damage is lacking.’

But did that mean I miscalculated my damage? If you ask me, the answer is obviously no.


The calculation was perfect.


It was just that trust in the team was part of that calculation.

‘Come on, show me.’


—Power Shot!

Jason’s EQ ball flew in from a distance and literally smashed into Ezreal’s head.


—Enemy eliminated!


—Shut down!

While I stalled with Junya and web-walked, our allies arrived just in time.


[“Nice!!!”]


The teammates who had been silent until now erupted in cheers as if to ask if this was really happening.


We pushed forward to the mid-lane inhibitor and the bottom lane inhibitor.

Considering how unfavorable the situation originally was, it was regrettably impossible to end the game just with one team fight victory.


[“Let’s pull back. Everyone stay calm!”]


[“Are we actually going to win this?”]


[“Whoa, let’s not get too carried away.”]

The atmosphere within the team, which had been grim and deadly, began to loosen up.


‘That’s a good sign, but…’


There’s something unsettling about it.

Of course, I had no time to spare worrying about that, so I kept playing.


The scrappy game had reached its last moments.


With both Baron and Elder Dragon now available, we had to make a decision.

Baron and Elder exchange?


A bold team fight at Elder?


Which option should we choose to win this game?

‘The answer is… both.’


In this situation, we had to take such a gamble to win against SCV.


There was that much of a power gap between YSG and SCV, and although we had hurried to catch up in terms of teamwork, it wasn’t enough.

“Let’s four-man Baron. I’ll steal the Elder.”


[“…Huh? Is that really okay?”]


[“That seems a bit off… Ah, whatever. Let’s just try it. If we lose, we lose.”]

The team members hesitantly agreed to my order.


As our team crossed through mid toward Baron, the opponent quickly started bursting the Elder Dragon, baffled.


‘3000… 2000…’


I quietly held my breath behind the bush with the control ward, waiting for the right moment.

And then, finally, the time came.


‘Now!’


I took a bold flash over the dragon’s nest.


—Our team has stolen the Elder Dragon!

But that wasn’t the end.


At this point, beyond the Baron or Elder buffs, the number of players is what mattered most.


In other words, I needed to survive this.


‘This isn’t too tough.’


Having bought one turn with Junya, I used the web to ride the cocoon out of our jungle, gracefully making my escape.

Since I had previously noted the location of the cocoon, this play was possible.


If the cocoon hadn’t been there, I would’ve had to jump over with web-walk, then flash out, but in that case, my survival rate wouldn’t be very good.

‘Still, I survived.’


—Our team has slain the Baron Nashor!

From here, it’s just about pushing forward.


Ezreal, the opponent’s only damage dealer, was one of the champions that could lose power extremely quickly against Baron-buffed minions.


In such a situation, having both Baron and Elder buffs meant that even BlackDog wouldn’t be able to stop our advance.

‘Now, the opponent has only one option left.’


Last stand.


In other words, the final team fight.

But our team was entirely different from 20 minutes ago.


The growth differences and item possession had long been caught up, and additionally, with both of the best buffs in Legends of League on us, it became harder to lose than to win.


Even the Earth Dragon soul couldn’t compete against the combination of Baron + Elder.

—Enemy eliminated!


—Our team has fallen!


But the opponent is SCV.


As their name suggests, they began to show their spirit in that last stand.

—Our team has fallen!


—Enemy eliminated!


—Double kill!

SCV was truly impressive.


Amidst the onslaught of Baron-buffed mid and bottom minion waves, with the flame-spewing Elder buff, they managed to secure an absurd exchange rate of 4:5 despite all the unfavorable conditions.

Yet in the end, we were the ones who secured the team fight victory.


[Victory]


53 minutes and 41 seconds.


The time we tore down the opponent’s Nexus.

*

“I… we won!!!”


Cheers erupted from everywhere in the practice room, breaking the silence we had never heard before.