Sniper-Ridden Climb (5)

Coming out of the connection device, the area around the practice room was quite deserted.

In contrast to how usually at least three or four people were visible no matter how few.

It felt a bit empty, giving me the feeling of being thrown alone into a wide space.

It wasn’t that Sigma’s players suddenly became negligent in practice.

Trainees and second-string players were on a short vacation.

The first string, including Luche and Camellia, were busy preparing for departure.

Soon, the first international competition gathering the strong teams of the Spring League would begin.

The official name is Champions Prelude, but it’s usually just called Prelude.

Among users, it was a tournament with the character of a mid-term check.

That doesn’t mean the league itself lacks impact.

Even now, e-sports communities are pouring out articles with high expectations.

– Champions Prelude: Which teams to watch?

– [Special] Sigma with historic strength. End the international slaughter?

– The atmosphere is unusual. Watch this team! ‘Falcon’

– The value of S-class Assassins! About the Middle East League, home of Hashashin

– This is the birthplace of martial arts. Introducing teams from the Chinese League

– [Column] Can teams weak in Assassins survive?

At the point when a new season has started and one league has ended.

For e-sports fans, there are naturally arising curiosities.

How much have last year’s strong teams maintained their strength?

Have they adapted to the meta sufficiently?

Who are the new strong opponents to be wary of, and which region’s league is showing the most dominance?

A preliminary battle before the World Championship that will mark the end of the year.

If you achieve good results in the Prelude, you could gain some merit in the Championship too.

It’s also an opportunity to gauge competitiveness in advance.

Maybe because Camellia showed strength beyond imagination this year.

Or because Q Prime’s strength weakened due to Traveler’s departure.

Domestically, there seemed to be a great expectation leaning towards Sigma.

Well, it’s a story that doesn’t matter much to me now.

A competition I won’t be able to participate in anyway.

It was just a matter of analyzing necessary matches as they come.

‘Should I fill my stomach first?’

I was hungry because I hadn’t eaten anything since waking up.

In the past, I think I could endure for quite a long time just eating a quick ramen.

As I started managing my health with exercise and such, my living pattern returned a lot and the amount I eat increased.

In the days when I sold gold to make a living, this would have been troublesome in many ways.

Now it’s not necessarily so. Since I became part of Sigma, I can use the player cafeteria.

It was a heaven where I could eat delicious meals for free anytime 24 hours a day.

And now I have broadcasting revenue too.

I haven’t checked yet, but wouldn’t the donation revenue have accumulated quite a bit?

I should take a look now that I thought of it.

“Eek.”

I knew it wouldn’t be a small amount of money.

But the settlement amount was far beyond my expectations.

…For this much money, maybe cosplay is worth doing once?

* * *

Sigma’s practice room is on the 5th floor of the dormitory building, but the player cafeteria is on the 3rd floor.

It means I, with my inconvenienced legs, should obediently take the elevator.

Fortunately, as soon as you exit the elevator, the entrance is right in front.

– This is the 3rd floor.

– The doors are opening.

The moment the elevator opened like that.

Perhaps it was meal time, I ran into Camellia.

“Ah.”

“Um.”

When you meet like this, naturally you end up sitting at the same table.

It was an awkward time of sitting together.

The relationship with Camellia… is actually not that bad.

She burns with a sense of rivalry towards me, but that’s about it.

There hasn’t been a single instance of her showing hostility or anything like that.

Rather, shouldn’t it be considered good?

According to Luche, she seemed to have been quietly taking care of me behind the scenes.

Personally, I don’t have any lingering resentment either.

I clearly agreed to accept her apology, so keeping grudges in my heart would be unmanly.

So there were no emotional issues on either side.

However.

Even so, the meal with Camellia, Shin Eun-chae, felt quite awkward.

“……”

“……”

Before becoming a pro gamer, Shin Eun-chae was a typical honor student.

Although her impression is a bit sharp, except for her lava-like competitive spirit, she’s usually quiet.

In other words, she was quite introverted.

The same goes for me.

I’m not someone who can warmly lead conversations even when left alone with someone.

In the end, with just two introverts left, an endless silence continued.

You know, it happens sometimes, right?

A relationship where it’s fine when there are three people, but becomes awkward when only two are left.

The relationship between Camellia and me without Luche was exactly like that.

Did she think this won’t do?

As if trying to say something, Camellia’s lips quivered.

“I heard. Unnie, you’re going to do cosplay.”

“Puhueup. Cough, cough. Keck.”

What did I just hear?

I pounded my chest hard as I choked from the sudden sound.

It was fortunate I didn’t have anything in my mouth.

“News travels fast.”

“Somehow I heard it. Anyway, which character are you going to do?”

“Why are you curious about that…?”

“Of course I’m curious. When someone I know is doing something.”

“Well, I haven’t decided yet. I’ll have to think about it carefully.”

From the beginning, it wasn’t a roulette made with the intention of actually doing anything.

The initial intention was just bait that exists but would never actually be used.

It was nothing more or less than that.

But once it spun, those words became meaningless.

Thinking that far made me feel a bit bitter.

My words came out as if snapping for no reason.

“You must be confident about the tournament? Seeing how you’re interested in useless things.”

“It’s about you, unnie. It’s not useless at all.”

R-really?

I almost let the corners of my mouth rise slightly.

“If you get too arrogant because you’re a Royal Roader…”

“I don’t want to hear that from you, unnie. You’re the person least suited for humility in the world.”

“…Anyway, you’re preparing for the tournament, right? Is it going well?”

“Yes. I’m working hard.”

Camellia’s passion is never lacking.

She’s even been developing strategies against me since the defeat in the arena.

It would be a lie to say it wasn’t insufficient, but it was certainly impressive.

Thanks to that, she’s showing considerable skill in Assassin battles even now.

I couldn’t help but acknowledge her in terms of physical ability.

“You’re leaving tomorrow, right?”

“We’re leaving the dorm tomorrow, but the flight is after midnight.”

“I see. Do well over there. I might not be able to see you off tomorrow because I’ll be broadcasting.”

“Yes. I’ll definitely bring back good results. I won’t lose to you, unnie.”

Camellia smiled brightly.

Could it be that she wanted my encouragement?

If that’s really the case, it would be a happy thing for me too, but somehow I felt like teasing her.

“What do you mean win? You’ve lost everything so far. You’re terrible.”

“……”

Ah, her eyes got scary.

* * *

[Title: Until I Reach Rank 1]

[‘Gawol’ is broadcasting.]

[ON AIR | 04:10:24 | Waiting Room]

The contract with Sigma. And a connection device capable of personal broadcasting.

Even though these two things I had longed for came within reach, nothing changed in my daily life.

I eat, sleep, and play games.

It’s true that the time spent on other activities has increased.

Nevertheless, games still occupied most of my life.

I shouldn’t let my guard down just because the environment around me has improved from before.

It should be the opposite.

If given an environment where I can do better, I should know how to pour myself into it to the fullest.

“Can I really reach 1st place, you ask? I don’t know. Not until I try.”

A viewer’s question casually thrown into the chat.

I was uncertain about it too, so I just spoke honestly.

The path to rank 1 is arduous.

It’s not something you can achieve just by being good at the game, but it also requires a considerable number of games.

Even assuming I win all future games, the time needed was by no means small.

[Matching complete.]

[Do you want to accept the match? Y/N]

[…You will be moved to the battlefield in 20 seconds.]

InBull’s ranked games adopted a point system, and theoretically, there was no limit to the maximum score.

The limit line for ordinary people who are good at the game is usually up to Diamond.

Beyond that, the ranking competition of the unlimited point system, commonly called the celestial realm, begins.

The highest tier, Infinity, is for the top 400 players. And up to the top 1,000 are registered in the Abyss rank.

As the point gain decreases the higher you go, it doesn’t become an infinite marathon.

Usually, the cut-off line is determined at an appropriate point, but… that’s the story when you’re just maintaining your tier like last season.

To raise your ranking to single digits, the required points skyrocketed.

“If I thought I couldn’t do it, I wouldn’t have started. If I decided to do it, I should see it through to the end.”

After all this and that, this game is decided by skill.

If many games are needed, I just need to play a lot.

Anyway, what I have in abundance is time.

[Rank Match – Black 541 RP]

[Battlefield: Seething Lava Zone]

[Rule: Duo]

I gently moved the dagger in my hand.

By now, the knife handle felt almost like a part of my body.

After a short waiting time, the moment the nicknames of allies and opponents were displayed.

The chat started to stir.

– What the hell is that

– Why is that person matched here?

– Is it sniping again?