Chapter 71: Outlaw

Outlaw.

There were several reasons I chose this nickname, but the most important one was that it signified my escape from the shadow of Prisoner.

The life of a prisoner, trapped in a cell, was over, and it was time to become an outlaw roaming the world.

Moreover, at a quick glance, it didn’t seem related to Prisoner at all, which was a plus for me.

It seemed both connected and disconnected.

It was exactly the ambiguous nickname I wanted.

Of course, there were similar words like “Desperado,” but… something about the sound of it felt too heavy, so I decided on Outlaw instead.

Also…

Although I made it sound easy, honestly, the process wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

The nickname itself was somewhat rare, so of course, it had already been taken by someone else, and I only recently managed to get in touch with them.

Had I not been able to contact them, I would have had to use something like “Outlaw4148” until I finally debuted as a pro.

Of course, I didn’t want that, and to put it simply… well, yeah. I bought it.

Though I didn’t know much about it, there didn’t seem to be any rule against buying a nickname as a pro, so I figured it was fine.

‘…Right?’

Honestly, it felt a little weird, but I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal.

If they asked for a fine, I’d pay it; if I had to give up the nickname, I’d do that too.

‘Alright…’

I turned on my second computer, one I rarely used, and logged into the account where I had already secured the Outlaw nickname.

[Welcome!] [Outlaw]

I had both accounts open, with the nickname change window on each.

[The summoner name you can change to.]

It felt a little strange to let go of the account I’ve had for a long time, “GameWellDone4148.”

‘Should I just take the nickname with the sub-account?’

…This thought crossed my mind briefly, but given the effort of changing the nickname twice, it seemed like an unnecessary hassle, so I quickly dismissed the idea.

‘Alright, then.’

I slowly changed the sub-account’s nickname first and then followed by changing my main account’s nickname to Outlaw.

[The summoner name has been changed!] [The client will restart.]

I became Outlaw.

---

Still in the game results screen, Li Zhixuan let out a deep sigh.

[SY Rainbow: sorry] [SY Rainbow: I don’t know]

After the game, Li Zhixuan sent a friend request to Rainbow.

And he waited quietly until Rainbow accepted the request.

Honestly, he wasn’t confident.

Rainbow was one of the pro players with the largest fanbase in the world, and naturally, he worried that his friend request might be ignored.

[SY Rainbow – Online]

But fortunately, Rainbow accepted the friend request.

As soon as Rainbow accepted, Li Zhixuan asked if they knew the whereabouts of Prisoner.

When a foreign pro player suddenly asked about Prisoner, Rainbow seemed somewhat surprised, and a brief silence followed.

After a short wait, the answer that came was unfortunately negative.

‘As expected… Rainbow doesn’t know either.’

He had hoped, but as expected, he got no information.

Li Zhixuan briefly thanked Rainbow and then logged out of the League of Legends client.

The plane was getting ready to leave.

‘In the end, I couldn’t find anything.’

Even though he had set foot in Korea and had been searching for Prisoner, he still couldn’t find any clue about them.

But Li Zhixuan didn’t give up.

‘Someday.’

He would definitely find Prisoner.

And together, they would lift the Red Cup trophy.

‘And… the Raise I met in the last match.’

He also remembered him.

Although it had only been one game, his skill was extraordinary.

He had made Prisoner cross his mind even when playing against the entire SY team.

‘If his skill is real, he’ll rise up soon enough.’

When that time came, making a formal scouting offer wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Of course, he had no intention of competing for a starting spot, so GameWellDone4148 would need to play another lane, not mid.

‘I’ll take it all.’

While Li Zhixuan was lost in thought, Coach Jang Seokhwan came to him.

“Are you ready?” “All set.” “Good.”

Li Zhixuan, along with Coach Jang Seokhwan, left the now familiar accommodation.

It was time to go back to his home country.

“Ugh, I can’t stand playing with these trolls.” “Who’s saying that?”

The general game for the SY team, meant for team bonding, naturally ended after a major comeback defeat.

Even though it was just a general game for fun, the goal of any game is victory.

If the discord between us continued, it would be a complete reversal of purpose, so in a way, this outcome was natural.

‘This is a bit much, but… should I play a solo rank match?’

Li Zhixuan reflected on the game he had just played.

Raise, GameWellDone4148, the decisions, the movements, the skillshots, all of it was still fresh in his mind, and he felt the strong urge to play again.

As Li Zhixuan was debating whether to play solo rank or not, something caught his attention.

‘Hmm?’

[50+ Friend Requests]

A new friend request came in. Normally, he would’ve ignored it, but perhaps due to the influence of GameWellDone4148, Li Zhixuan checked the friend request list.

He felt puzzled.

‘What is this?’

GRS Nightmare.

One of the rivals he had faced in the Red Cup finals, and someone he had just fought against in the previous game.

It was none other than him who had sent the friend request.

Normally, he would’ve ignored it, but Li Zhixuan had faced Nightmare a few times in solo rank, so he remembered his Korean server ID.

‘Should I accept it?’

So, Li Zhixuan accepted the friend request without hesitation… and then Nightmare asked immediately about the whereabouts of Prisoner.

[qq7785dd55: Hi] [qq7785dd55: Where’s Prisoner?]

Why would Nightmare be looking for Prisoner?

Li Zhixuan felt a wave of confusion rising in his throat, but he didn’t want to say anything unnecessary, not knowing how Nightmare might react. So, he just responded with what he thought was appropriate.

[SY Rainbow: sorry] [SY Rainbow: I don’t know]

“I don’t know where Prisoner is.”

[qq7785dd55: Thank you] [qq7785dd55: Goodbye]

That was the end of the conversation.

Nightmare logged out soon after, and Li Zhixuan was left staring at the screen in a daze.

‘…What was that?’

In truth, it wasn’t so strange for someone to be looking for Prisoner.

Still, Li Zhixuan felt very strange knowing that someone was trying to find Prisoner through him.

‘Does he know something?’

No one knew why Prisoner disappeared.

But Prisoner had left a farewell message for Li Zhixuan before disappearing.

He could no longer play the game.

Prisoner had said that.

Whether Prisoner had left similar messages for others was unknown, but at least no one knew why Prisoner disappeared.

In the end, those who knew the reasons would be only a few, including Li Zhixuan.

For this reason, Li Zhixuan didn’t talk about Prisoner’s last words to anyone.

If Prisoner had wanted others to know about his final moments, he would’ve done it differently, not just leaving a message for Li Zhixuan.

It was a matter of respect for Prisoner.

‘…I don’t plan to make that mistake again.’

Li Zhixuan still regretted the interview that day.

It felt like he had killed Prisoner.

‘What did he mean when he asked… or was it just a random question…?’

Rainbow and Prisoner’s relationship was no secret.

They had been playing together since the early days of League of Legends, which was well known.

Because of this, Li Zhixuan asked his teammates if many people were searching for Prisoner.

“Oh, didn’t you know? Our team, along with others, had a huge competition over trying to recruit Prisoner.” “…Really?”

His teammates didn’t seem to think it was strange.

Of course not.

The first 2000-point jungler.

While solo rank and competitive play were different, there was no doubting his abilities.

Moreover, Prisoner was a player Li Zhixuan himself acknowledged.

Other players’ evaluations wouldn’t be very different.

‘Still, something feels…’

In the midst of this uneasy feeling, Li Zhixuan spent the night awake, eyes open.

---

The placement test began.