Chapter 36: Preliminary Test (1)

“Hello. We’re here for complimentary tickets…”

Usually, the team booth opened 1 hour before the match started.

It was currently 2 hours before, so a few front office staff were setting up the booth.

“Oh? It’s really Para!”

When I approached and spoke, a staff member wearing an RG uniform recognized me.

“Our coach said he couldn’t come today.”

“No worries! I heard you helped our team a lot with scrims.”

“RG helped us with scrims. Other LCK teams don’t even schedule scrims with our team.”

“Hey, we’re teams that will play together in LoL Park next year. Here are the tickets, and this is a uniform.”

The staff member handed me a Team RG uniform.

It was common to give team merchandise when you came to watch a match with complimentary tickets.

‘Can I wear this?’

I wasn’t sure if it was okay for me, who was currently a pro player, to wear another team’s uniform.

But still, I took it and put it away.

“Did you come with a friend?”

“Yes!”

The staff member looked at Choi Eun-seo next to me and said in surprise.

“Isn’t this the uniform that was released in a charity auction last year? It’s a super rare item, and you have it?”

“Collecting uniforms is my hobby!”

The uniform Choi Eun-seo was wearing was actually last year’s RG uniform, and it was even a player-issued uniform, not the version sold.

“The booth will probably be crowded when it opens, so please take some merchandise, your friend too.”

Perhaps because she was wearing the uniform, the staff member gave Choi Eun-seo various merchandise, excluding the uniform.

Usually, you would spin a roulette and get one of those, but Choi Eun-seo received a small shopping bag containing all the merchandise.

“Please cheer loudly today!”

“Of course!”

We finished greeting the staff and came out of the arena.

“There are about 2 hours left, do you want to eat?”

“Sure.”

We left Jonggak Tower, where LoL Park was located, and walked for about 10 minutes to arrive at a place.

“What’s this place?”

“Was it temple food? It’s a famous restaurant for vegans.”

It was a restaurant that served temple food, that is, vegan food centered on vegetables.

“Welcome. Do you have a reservation?”

“I made a reservation under Yoon Seo-ha.”

“Just a moment…I’ll guide you this way.”

Since I had made a reservation in advance, we entered without waiting.

I held out my hand towards Choi Eun-seo, who was sitting at the table.

“Huh? Why?”

“Give me the rice, the one you always carry around.”

There was another reason I booked this place.

It was because the service was decent, probably because the vegan food was quite expensive.

‘I heard someone came here and microwaved chicken breast.’

Among the pro players I was close to in my past life, there was one who insisted on being vegan.

Because of him, we all came here to eat together, and the fitness fanatic said he needed to get his protein and ate chicken breast.

And the staff member who saw that asked if they should microwave it for him because it looked dry.

So it was okay to ask them to change the rice because she couldn’t eat regular rice due to her illness.

‘I also asked in advance on the phone.’

I handed the instant rice that Choi Eun-seo took out to the staff member.

By the way, Hansan Foods?

The Hansan I know is an IT tech conglomerate that fills Koreans with national pride.

Do they make food too?

I learned something new.

“Why are you so natural?”

While setting the spoons and chopsticks while waiting for the food to come out, Choi Eun-seo said something strange.

“What do you mean?”

“Should I say you’re skilled? It’s like, if you were a guy, I would have thought, ‘Wow, he’s so mannerly?’ You do those actions so naturally.”

It seemed like the skills I had ingrained in my body from taking care of gamer guys with zero life skills in my past life were showing.

As we were chatting like that, the staff brought out the food one by one.

“Where would you like the rice we were asked for earlier?”

“Here! Thank you.”

Since I had asked them to remove fish and bean dishes in advance, it was a perfect vegetable-based meal.

Still, it was worth the high price, and overall, we were able to eat it deliciously.

“So, who do you think will win today?”

“I think RG will win.”

“Why do you think that?”

Today’s match was the 4th seed do-or-die match between RG and WQ.

RG had made it to the last train of the qualifiers but won their previous match, and WQ had missed the opportunity to go as the 3rd seed.

The momentum was in RG’s favor.

‘RG also has the advantage in the matchup.’

Even if they were behind in overall points, RG had the advantage in head-to-head records.

Considering all those reasons, RG’s victory was a safe bet.

[In the long-awaited LCK qualifiers, the two teams will compete fiercely for the last remaining spot today]

The complimentary seats were at the very back, so the entire arena was visible.

I hadn’t had a chance to come here since I became a girl, but even though I came as a spectator, not a player, I could feel my heart pounding.

It was unbelievable that I would be able to play a match here if I waited just a little longer.

As if knowing my feelings.

[And also, we have a special guest who visited LoL Park here today]

My seat was shown on the huge screen, and at the same time, the audience gasped.

[It’s the player who is causing a storm in CK. It’s Para from Ark]

[She might be the hottest prospect lately. As soon as the age restriction was lifted, she appeared in CK and immediately took 1st place in the regular season]

[Not just 1st place, right?]

[That’s right. Undefeated, no-loss regular season champion, and she also received the season MVP]

“She’s a pro player? I was going to try to get her number.”

“A pro with that face?”

“That’s surprising.”

Two men sitting near me whispered, and my hearing, which had improved since becoming a girl, delivered useless information.

“Too bad, I was going to try to get her number.”

“She probably wouldn’t have given it to you even if you asked.”

[Also, the promotion tournament will be held here next week, right?]

[I think we’ll probably be broadcasting that too?]

[I’d like to rest a bit though]

[Didn’t you move recently? You have to earn a lot when you’re newlyweds]

[Haha, that’s why I’m even casting VCT]

Laughter was heard from the audience at the casters’ conversation.

Do you have to keep the audio from being empty even when it’s not about the game to become a top-tier caster?

I looked back at my past self, who thought I would become a caster if I failed as a pro.

‘But…’

I was still on the big screen.

How long are they going to keep filming me?

[And there’s another reason why Para is famous, isn’t there?]

[The ‘Pretty Girl Challenge’ that everyone knows these days, I think everyone who uses SNS has seen it at least once]

I knew what they were talking about, but I stayed still because I thought it would be too attention-grabbing if I did it.

[But the person who seems to be her friend is doing it with her, shouldn’t you do it too?]

Choi Eun-seo poked my back and started doing the challenge hand gestures by herself.

It was a bit awkward to stay still when she was doing it alone next to me.

In the end, I had no choice but to make two hearts with my hands along with Choi Eun-seo.

[The cheers from the audience are the loudest we’ve ever heard?]

[Wow, it’s louder than when there’s an amazing super play]

‘This will probably be made into a gif and circulate.’

In my past life, if you searched my name on the internet, half of it was criticism.

But in this life, if you search my name, it’s normal for photos of my face to appear first.

I don’t know if this is good or bad.

[Then shall we meet the players preparing for the match?]

As if it was time, the inside of the arena turned red with the words of the casters.

[Even though we’ve come to the 4th seed decider, we were 3rd in the regular season! It’s WQ!]

[The ability of the jungle to develop the game around the bot lane is top class, not just in the LCK, but in the world]

The players wearing red uniforms walked to the center and greeted.

Then.

[The devil of the qualifiers, it’s no different this season! It’s RG!]

[3 consecutive seasons of making it to Worlds as the 4th seed, their ambition to do it again this season is evident]

The arena turned blue as the RG players entered.

The RG players also walked to the center, greeted at the same time, and headed to their seats.

[Then let’s get to the picks and bans!]

[I think the champion to watch today is Aphelios]

[I think so too. It’s the most played and prideful champion of the ADCs of both teams]

[And there aren’t enough bans to use on Aphelios, so I wonder what kind of picks and bans…]

[Oh? They gave up Aphelios and picked Yone?]

[Usually, if you give up a tier champion, it’s common to pick the same champion to counter them. But they picked Yone with the 1st pick?]

[Of course, it’s a good pick this season, but there were many cases where they couldn’t break through because the tanks were too strong]

‘This draft looks familiar.’

Giving the opponent a non-mobile ADC and picking Yone.

Even if it’s a losing pick in the top lane, a tank for utility.

In the bot lane, a hyper-carry ADC of a decent tier.

‘Our team?’

It didn’t take long for me to realize that it was the draft that our team used when we scrimmed with RG.