Chapter 76: Rumble Stage Day 2 (2)

“Para’s solo kill was absolutely perfect.”

“Unsealed Spellbook seems like a great rune because you can change spells, but if you don’t use the changed spell at the right time, it becomes a liability.”

“Didn’t we see that in yesterday’s match? The jungler who took Unsealed Spellbook and switched to Smite couldn’t use it for 10 minutes!”

[Do you know the jungler who was without Smite for 13 minutes?]

[Haha, you don’t have Smite!]

[It was legendary.]

“But Para used Ignite at the perfect time, marking a great start.”

“Securing the Rift Scuttler after a solo kill in mid lane is typical ARK, but the bot lane is struggling a bit.”

[Does Senna Tahm Kench usually win this hard?]

[The CS difference in bot lane is quite significant.]

[Why is Lucian so low?]

“PG’s bot lane has been demonstrating their strength in the league as well; they are incredibly dominant in lane.”

“To elaborate, the reason for this disparity despite Nami having lane buffs is Senna’s positioning.”

“What kind of positioning are you referring to?”

“Usually, with Senna Tahm Kench, Senna plays like a traditional ranged support, staying in the bush and poking.”

[Senna is actually building support items, lol]

[She is a support, isn’t she?]

“But PG’s Senna is taking an aggressive position from level 1, using her range advantage to prevent Lucian from farming and pushing.”

“Wouldn’t it be better for Lucian to trade aggressively?”

“Due to the range difference, Lucian would have to dash forward to trade, and if Tahm Kench lands a knock-up, it’s game over.”

[Lucian Nami scales with items anyway.]

[Yeah, it’s a different story once Nami gets Imperial Mandate.]

.

.

.

“Both teams are starting to move towards the dragon pit.”

“ARK secured six Scuttlers. Are they going to contest?”

“Neither top laner has Teleport. ARK has a lead in mid and jungle, while PG’s bot lane is slightly stronger at this point.”

[Are they seriously contesting this?]

[Seems too greedy.]

[Will this work?]

[Orianna used her ult earlier, so it might be doable.]

“PG is using Tahm Kench as a front line to gain vision. Senna has completed her support item, so her pokes hurt.”

“Lucian tries to poke, but Nami doesn’t have Imperial Mandate yet, so PG can withstand it!”

“ARK needs to make a decision.”

“But Viego can’t just dive in with his ultimate; if Tahm Kench devours him, his ultimate will be wasted, so he’s hesitant to commit…”

[Whoa!]

[The Great Seo-ha!]

[What just happened?!]

“What an amazing play!”

“Para’s Ornn calls down his ultimate, flashes forward to connect the second part of the ult, and then lands a knock-up with his E.”

“We need to see that again in replay.”

[See? Noona is good at tanks too.]

[Para is known for her carries, but she’s also a tank god.]

[Lucian cleaned up nicely.]

“She was playing Aurelion Sol yesterday; there was nothing she could do! Para is making an incredible play, as if to vent her frustration from yesterday’s loss.”

“PG could have won that dragon fight if their bot lane continued the standoff, relying on their early items and support item advantage. But Para just went all in and ended it.”

[Is it even possible to use Ornn’s ult like that?]

[She flashed to prevent them from reacting.]

[All of PG’s laners had Flash, but they couldn’t react and got blown up.]

“With Lucian picking up two kills, ARK now has a firm grasp on the game.”

“Even Illaoi, their confident top lane pick, is getting slowly chipped away by Azir.”

[Why did they even lose yesterday?]

[Streamer Seo-ha played instead of Para yesterday~]

[OMG!]

[Let’s not say anything bad about the rest of the team being the reason they lost without Para.]

---

[Was yesterday just a fluke? ARK is dominating the kings of Europe!]

A complete victory. There’s no other way to describe it.

They rendered PG’s surprise pick useless with a swap mind game, followed by flawless execution.

Seino shook her head, still baffled by yesterday’s events.

“That’s the ARK I know.”

The woman next to her, unlike yesterday, was dressed in full uniform today, pumping her fist in excitement.

‘She’s passionate.’

Thinking that, Seino looked up at the screen.

Para, with her usual calm expression, took off her headset. Her face was the same as when she entered the arena.

Normally, after losing a crucial match like yesterday’s, it would be difficult to regain composure.

However, Para played as if nothing had happened and secured a decisive victory.

‘If it were me…’

Seino imagined herself in Para’s position.

She hadn’t even gone to school because she stuttered a little during self-introductions.

She concluded that she probably would have been overwhelmed by anxiety and self-doubt after losing the first match and wouldn’t have even shown up for the second day.

‘…Could someone like me…’

…perform in front of the huge crowd she saw around her?

Could the Seino who failed every time, unable to sing properly even in small live houses or street performances?

As these depressing thoughts lingered, she noticed the woman next to her getting up.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to grab a drink. Want to come?”

Seino wasn’t thirsty, but the invitation felt like a command.

She reluctantly got up and followed the woman out of the arena.

As they walked…

“Oh, we haven’t properly introduced ourselves, have we?”

“Ah, right. I’m… You can call me Seino.”

“Ah, Seino. I’m Choi Eun-seo.”

“So… Choi-san?”

“Just call me Eun-seo. By the way, how old are you? You were wearing a school uniform yesterday too.”

Seino looked down at her school uniform, a pang of regret hitting her.

Usually, it helped her blend in with the crowd.

But MSI weekday matches started at 5 PM. Even if she attended a nearby school, it would be impossible to make it here after school.

Wearing her uniform two days in a row might make her seem strange, a thought that filled her with anxiety.

“Why are you so surprised? I’ll go first. I’m 17. A year younger in Korean age, I guess? Anyway, I’m a first-year high school student.”

“Eh? Really? I’m 16, and I’m also a… first-year high school student.”

At Seino’s answer, the woman’s face lit up, and she grabbed her hand.

“Did you know Para from ARK is also a first-year high school student? We’re all the same age! Wow, I can’t believe I met another League fan here.”

---

“Our next match is against VXG.”

“We’re 3-1, and they are too, right?”

“If we beat them, we’re guaranteed a spot in the next round.”

“Losing that first match was such bad luck.”

Our Rumble Stage record so far was 3-1.

We had beaten Europe, North America, and even Brazil, a minor region team, without much trouble, after our initial loss.

Our remaining opponent was VXG, also at 3-1, our final opponent in the Rumble Stage.

“Honestly…”

After our victory against Brazil, we went to a barbecue restaurant for a team dinner.

It was a Japanese-style restaurant where each person had their own grill, but for some reason, Kim Do-jin kept putting meat on my plate.

‘It’s delicious since he grills it better than I do, but…’

He probably didn’t have a crush on me or anything.

Maybe it was just a habit?

“If we want to win tomorrow, Seo-ha has to make the calls, and we have to execute.”

“Suddenly?”

“Even if Seo-ha plays incredibly well, their opponent is Hoon.”

It felt like he was subtly looking down on me, which annoyed me, but the pile of meat on my plate quickly appeased me.

“Asking for a mid lane gap against Hoon is too much, don’t you think?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll carry tomorrow by smashing their bot lane.”

“Who was it that had their first tower destroyed at 12 minutes against the North American bot lane?”

“That’s because they picked Kalista and just camped bot!”

As the team’s atmosphere grew lively, the coach stood up.

“Everyone, listen up.”

“That’s rude in a foreign country.”

“We rented out this place, so it’s fine.”

“Ooh, rich.”

“What do you mean rich? This place is barely big enough for the seven of us.”

The coach flicked Jin Yu-seong, who kept nitpicking, on the forehead and continued.

“Our match tomorrow is against VXG. Let’s do our best.”

Tomorrow’s match was crucial because, with North America, Europe, and even the unexpectedly strong Japanese team performing well, the standings were very close.

“Everyone! Let’s win tomorrow and stay here longer.”

“If we go home like this, we might actually have to swim back.”

“You need to stop reading online comments. Shall we do a cheer?”

At the coach’s lead, we all shouted “Fighting!” raising the energy in the room to a new level.