Ch.99 – Not Avoiding the Fight

Let me tell you a story from the past.

[Princess Estasha Latias de Kaizen, someday I’ll crucify you and burn you in front of the imperial citizens.]

Talking about the royal family puts me in a bad mood now, so let’s go further back.

I lived in a basement studio apartment with the woman who gave birth to me.

I don’t know if we lived there since I was born or if we moved there when I was very young.

In my earliest memory, a child was crying desperately. But in that space filled with acrid smoke, the woman never answered his desperate pleas.

I could never leave that basement apartment my entire life. My legs were the problem.

The exact diagnosis was Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), but I only learned that later when I became interested in the field.

The woman’s emotions were always filled with hatred.

She hated the cramped basement, hated the drunks shouting in the early morning, hated me for being nothing but a burden, and ultimately, hated herself.

When others were choosing their first school backpacks with their parents, she suddenly disappeared.

I hadn’t cried since I was three because I was too exhausted, but I never cried as long as I did at that moment.

Thanks to crying so desperately until my throat bled, I was miraculously rescued three days later.

At a young age, I realized how harsh the world was.

I was useless to society as a whole.

I was nothing but a burden and an object of hatred in any group.

Unless I had something special to offer them, they would have coldly abandoned me anytime.

Fortunately, I was more mature than my peers and made this my strength.

I comforted myself thinking that if I’d been born 10,000 years BC, I would have been thrown off a cliff at birth, and I became obsessed with studying.

I didn’t need to be overwhelmingly good. Just like how math seems easy when a 7th grader learns 1st grade math, I decided to stay ahead of others.

Even knowing I’d eventually be caught up to, I couldn’t give up.

But I underestimated this society. The world we live in wasn’t as simple as a knowledge competition.

Even if scholarships covered tuition, what about shelter? Food?

While others had time to study, I had to desperately search everywhere for places that would hire me.

And when my first paycheck was deposited, I despaired.

From creditors’ collection notices and my mother’s missing person report, I sold the basement apartment, inheritance procedures began, and I ended up with her unknown debt of 1.24 billion won.

That day, I quietly burst into tears for the last time.

If there’s a next life, I’d like to live as the world’s richest person.

* * *

“NoName, the game started! What should I buy first?”

Arin clings to me with a tearful face again.

Yes, in contrast, what the game required was clear.

“Witch’s staff and one potion. Stay close to me.”

Destroy the enemy fortress. The penalties given to each other during the process are equal.

The simpler things are, the clearer my mind feels. That was the secret to surviving my third unfair life.

The wind pleasantly brushes by. The sky is a bit cloudy, but who cares.

“Hello, Liri.”

“Hmm? Don’t misunderstand, I wasn’t sleeping at all! Oh? You know my name?”

I could talk to Liri the fox merchant even though our other three teammates were still in the Starting Village. Feeling curious, I patted her head.

“Thanks. I’ll be in your care today too.”

I handed her 5 silver coins and put on the Soul Harvester’s Ring. The intermediate potion was a bonus.

The air on the battlefield was cold but refreshing.

“This feels weird! But I feel like I can’t leave NoName’s side.”

Arin turns into a fluffy cat and flies around my head.

“It’s a skill. You can detach if you want to, but it would be dangerous. Stay close and shoot arrows when you see enemies.”

“Okay!”

“Meanwhile, read this.”

Since she’s an elementary school student, she should be able to read, right? I handed her the manual with skill descriptions.

“I’ll… I’ll try my best!”

The familiar forest landscape that I’ve seen 50,000 times unfolds. I’ve memorized where and how many red-spotted mushrooms there are.

The jungler waiting at the Red buff position greets us.

[Lucalis: Are you the real NoName?]

So this is how chat normally looks. When I was trapped in the capsule, all the text appeared garbled, so I always blocked chat while playing.

After hitting the spawned Red buff about five times, I head to the bottom lane.

The champion I’m possessing now is “Kai’Sa.”

She has a tragic background of being separated from her parents and isolated in the demon realm, accepting the power of monsters to survive and return.

Because of this, her lower body and parts of her upper body are covered with rough crustacean-like material.

On the enemy side, a pirate beauty and an anchor-wielding mechanical monster take the vanguard in the bottom lane.

Soon, six minions face off against each other.

“Aim your arrows at the red-haired girl. Even if you aim poorly, they’ll guide themselves somewhat, so you can control them.”

“I’ll try!”

The cat shoots an arrow in a cute pose, but it’s blocked by a minion and canceled. Arin makes a crying sound, but I comfort her that it’s okay.

At level 1, you should focus on removing minions rather than trading damage.

The enemy has a strong level 2 composition. If they reach level 2 first and try to pressure us, we’ll be forced to use our skills to deal with minions.

Fortunately, the enemy’s harassment wasn’t too intense.

With Kai’Sa’s skills, I quickly eliminate minions and strip away the enemy’s bone shield as a bonus.

The second wave quickly approaches. We still have one minion left from the first wave.

I twist my body sideways, pretending to back off, and when the enemy tries to finish our last minion, I focus damage on the pirate girl with auto attacks and Q skill.

The mechanical monster tries to restrain me with its anchor, but I’ve already anticipated this and pulled back.

The pirate girl, unable to collect herself, habitually backs away.

Typical of someone who doesn’t understand trading mechanics, she doesn’t realize that retreating here could cause even greater losses.

I poke her health before the second wave of minions arrives.

Feeling they can’t lose like this, both suddenly lunge forward.

From the feel of it, they were trying to escape pressure with an unavoidable meteor attack while gathering resources.

I approached as if I would engage, then changed direction sideways.

I only took one hit from the harmless rock.

“Arin, heal!”

“Got it!”

Suddenly increased movement and attack speed.

Basically, Kai’Sa has short range despite her excellent stats at low levels.

But with increased movement speed, managing a range of 25 was nothing.

I hit one auto attack and back off.

The pirate girl tries to hit back, but the range is already too wide and her attack is canceled.

Using that gap, I respond with another auto-Q.

The two minions I hit earlier disappear after taking two missiles each out of six. The remaining two missiles are for the girl.

This time she tries to counter with a quick auto attack when in range, but my increased attack speed barely squeezes in one more auto.

Six minions still alive join the battle and focus fire on the pirate girl. In contrast, taking hits from four is cute in comparison. The mechanical monster looks helpless.

I was about to back off, thinking that was enough, when Arin lands an arrow.

“I hit it this time!”

The girl grumbles and gets annoyed at her support.

As I’m finishing off the remaining minions and about to use a potion.

The passive stacks on her hadn’t reset yet.

[W-Flash-Auto-Ignite]

In an instant, the pirate girl’s heal and flash were used, and I was inflicted with Exhaust, but it was already after I had used all my skills.

[(All) MintChocoRiceBurger: Dying in low elo like this xx]

After that, the lane phase was smooth sailing.

Because top and mid combined for 10 deaths, a surrender vote was initiated at 15 minutes, but as someone tasked with winning for Arin, I couldn’t agree to it.

I even take down the mid and jungle who came to free up bottom, bringing the game back to square one.

Kai’Sa has builds that focus on physical damage and builds that focus on magic damage.

But the so-called hybrid build that takes both isn’t widely recognized because the ambiguous scaling restricts the carry potential of a ranged damage dealer.

But with overwhelming growth and items slathered all over?

She transforms into an all-purpose champion capable of in-fighting, poking, initiating, and kiting.

“Waha!!! Let’s go! NoName, sweep them all!”

I charge at the enemy at what feels like 300 km/h.

I assassinate Nautilus first, the enemy team’s only reliable hard CC.

Arin’s ultimate activates as if we’re of one mind, without me having to say anything.

In a one-versus-many fight with Kai’Sa, the most important thing is to reduce the number of enemies as much as possible.

This applies to any champion, but Kai’Sa needs to utilize this more delicately.

[(All) MintChocoRiceBurger: Now dying to auto-Q-auto too, this is ridiculous lol]

Whether tank, bruiser, or assassin, they all fall equally before Kai’Sa and Yuumi.

Although there were only three allies left since top and mid had already abandoned the game… Arin thanked the jungler who stayed with us until the end.

[NamelsTooCute: Thanks for playing till the end!]

[Lucalis: Thanks for the carry, your friend is insanely good]

[Lucalis: Why are you even at this rank with that skill?]

Now that I’ve kept my promise to Arin, it’s time to leave the game.

“Was it fun?”

“Yes! Can we play again sometime?”

“You need to do your homework.”

“But… that can be done later.”

“You said you got scolded by Teacher Cheolmin for being late again today.”

Arin’s relationships were too focused on me alone. Getting along with others applied not just to school friends but to teachers as well.

“The PE teacher doesn’t really like me…”

“If Arin goes to school early and helps clean the classroom in the morning, he’ll like you.”

“You think so…”

“Let’s play board games after we get out of the capsule.”

“That sounds good too! Should we play Halli Galli? Or Monopoly?”

“Anything. Just wait outside first, I have something to do.”

“Okay! I’ll get things ready.”

My friend list is small. Three clan members from “PleaseIBegYou” and a Rammus one-trick jungler “PatientlyPersistant” I met by chance. I left them a brief message.

* * *

“Damn it, lost again.”

Minjun slammed his innocent floor. Beyond the defeat, the taunting voice of the streamer made him even angrier.

[Yeah, keep sniping me~ Just win and it’s over~]

-LMAO

-Your form is insane today lol let’s go for 4 wins in a row

-GOAT

-When you get sniped, your points get copied! When you get sniped, your points get copied!

-Are you seriously hitting Challenger this week?

-LOCK

-GOAT

-At this rate, Fyodor will be demoted to Master first lol

Why did he suddenly get so good? Or did my skills deteriorate?

Whenever streamer Bebegood appears as an opponent, Minjun always gives his all. He doesn’t want to say he lost because he wasn’t focused.

Minjun grabbed his throbbing head and left the waiting room.

[Message from NoName]

“What?”

Did I see that wrong?

Minjun rubbed his eyes, but the strange nickname was still there.

NoName, the extreme concept player who never chats or even speaks.

He suddenly lost contact a month ago and hasn’t even logged into the game.

Everyone thought it was strange, but since he was always an odd person, they just accepted it.

Even Mir didn’t seem to want to remove him from the clan.

“What is this…”

[Thank you all for saving me. I’m living well.]

[Recipients: IlllIllIl, plzplzlqzlq, IfSunnyFallsThenNightComes, PatientlyPersistant]

[Sender: NoName]