“Nikang, Nikang, are you finally caught?! Nikang!”
“Oh, Nikang Player has collapsed in the end! A valiant effort against Kayak Player Alex! Still, they held on longer than expected!”
“Even with all the team members down, the struggle from the spire was quite impressive! Especially against Kayak, the master Camilla!”
“For a Platinum Player who hasn’t been in the Abyss long, it was the best play possible. Kayak seems to recognize it too, giving a thumbs-up in acknowledgment while capturing the spire.”
“The relationship between these two players is also an interesting point. Surprisingly, the person who taught Nikang Player was none other than rival team’s Kayak Player.”
“So it was a student-teacher relationship. Not quite ‘the student surpasses the master,’ but Kayak sure raised a little tiger.”
“That’s right. Kayak probably never imagined that teaching Nikang would result in this loss of Camilla.”
“By the way, Kayak Player’s Alex is looking pretty fierce. Wasn’t this player just skilled with Camilla?”
“The chat is buzzing with surprise. Kayak Player is quite the artisan. They had a strong image as a player who could only use one character, but this game has shattered that image.”
“Is this demonstrating that true talent and class are eternal? Kayak is also handling Paladin Alex remarkably well. Though the play style leans more towards Camilla…”
“More like a Berserker than a Paladin! Where do you see Paladins like that? Drenched in blood like that, they’d get excommunicated from the order for sure!”
“Still, with Kayak Player’s unexpected performance, the strategy of Yu Hye’s team to snatch Camilla from Kayak becomes meaningless.”
“And their base is being heavily pressured. The momentum they managed to hold on to has shifted to the opposing side thanks to Kayak’s super play.”
“It’s a crisis! How is Yu Hye going to overcome this challenge?”
*
Streamer Yu Hye, born Woo Hae-kwang.
Unlike other gamers, he had no doubt that he was the best.
However, what set Yu Hye apart from other common gamers was that he possessed true talent unlike anyone else.
In identical situations, he saw things differently and played accordingly.
Those who act unusually—differently from the ordinary folks—we call geniuses, and Yu Hye lived his life believing he was one.
In reality, he was indeed a genius. He confidently trained as a student in a prestigious club that most aspiring pros only dream of, even being selected as a candidate player until the final round.
But that was as far as he got. Yu Hye couldn’t progress beyond that.
His level of talent was already overflowing in the pro scene. All the others were as dominant in their regional leagues as Yu Hye.
He felt a barrier at the candidate player level.
The club’s unwanted player, the benchwarmer known as “that second-tier guy” to the fans. A bygone era’s has-been who can’t let go of past glories.
The past glory that even the retired generations couldn’t forget.
Even those Yu Hye had subtly ignored were sitting higher than her. It was a day-to-day struggle she could hardly bear.
What choice did he ultimately make?
He ran away. From a place full of real geniuses, not fake ones like Yu Hye.
While he called it running away, it was a rational choice.
In Yu Hye’s eyes, that place, the pro scene, was not where he would shine.
A step back for two steps forward.
If he had to be the tail of a dragon, he’d choose to be the head of a snake. With that mindset, he became an Abyss specialist streamer. At least here, he could be the protagonist.
In reality, the Abyss skill streams had a significant fixed audience due to the game’s popularity, allowing Yu Hye to function as a somewhat noticeable streamer.
The former pro, Lennok, was one of the names that referred to Yu Hye.
That image would surely strengthen through this tournament. It was also why he participated in a competition that seemed a bit beyond his level.
After all, winning was practically guaranteed. Among those participating in this tournament, there was no one with skills matching Yu Hye’s.
Certainly, stepping into the world of pros was no easy feat. In that regard, he had at least dipped his toes in, so these ordinary people were no match.
Anyway, the number of Yu Hye’s viewers was set to rise, and his broadcasting prominence would steadily increase, naturally leading to an increase in income.
Yes. A smooth road awaited him.
This tournament was just the starting point. It could be considered a flare—a signal that Yu Hye was here, a dazzling opener.
That’s how it should have been, certainly.
“I… I got killed…! Alex has taken the tower!”
“Oh, Alex is too strong. Is this okay?”
“Respawning in 10, 9, 8, 7….”
How did it come to this?
Urgent briefings from the team members. Hearing the obvious signals of defeat, Yu Hye felt a bit dizzy.
The gears weren’t turning properly.
Something was off.
What was the cause? What was the variable? Why had his predictions gone awry?
– Silongti has been eliminated!
– Weak Camilla (Alex) // Silongti (Ran)
“Damn it! Why is this guy here… Ah, I’m sorry. I got killed. Alex is in our swamp.”
Their ADC, respawning, had also been taken out.
Hearing her curse-laden call, Yu Hye realized.
Yes, that’s it. That was the problem.
The carry role from the opposing team. Weak Camilla. Maybe it was Kayak or something; that user.
The members of his team were falling one after another, and defeat notifications were ringing out.
Yu Hye gritted his teeth, barely visible on the cam.
“Damn it, why is this nobody acting like a big shot?”
“Why is that useless brat acting up?”
Anger towards an opponent who isn’t even a pro and is worse than him, yet still stands in the way. And then there’s that slight annoyance at his team members for falling without even a fight.
But he couldn’t show those feelings.
What was Yu Hye’s broadcast motto? Gentle and mannerly skill broadcast. That was the image he projected to the outside world.
He’d held it together well through the preliminaries; if he lost his cool now, everything he’d built up until this point would come crashing down.
Not to mention, most of his teammates were massive streamers, way above Yu Hye’s level. No need to stir up trouble.
“Right. As long as we don’t lose.”
Yu Hye decided to keep a little more composure.
The match against the Kayak team was the finals. That meant it was a best-of-five format, so he could afford to drop a few rounds.
“Originally, the goal was to win straight through from the semifinals…”
It seemed that would be tough. The opponent wasn’t just some random player he could dismiss.
This round had a bit of bad luck. If he had to point out two major causes for their defeat:
First, Kayak could handle heroes besides just Camilla at a high level.
Second, his team members had been taken out by Kayak far too easily.
“I guess I’ll have to tell them to avoid him from the next round on.”
He thought they could overwhelm the opponent by rushing together, but he never expected to get steamrolled like this.
In a way, it was his fault for overestimating his team members and underestimating the competition.
From now on, Yu Hye would make sure to focus on Kayak himself. If he could get the upper hand in a fight against Kayak, everything would fall into place.
“Middle! We’re being pushed back…!”
“Yu Hye, what do we do? What do we do?!”
“Oh, damn it! Alex keeps turning around and just killing me; pay attention to me!”
“I’ll give up this round.”
There was no helping it. The battle had already tilted heavily against them. Rather than expending energy, it was better to keep his mental state in check.
“Everyone, don’t lose heart; let’s get ready for the next game.”
Amid the somewhat downcast teammates, Yu Hye smiled to reassure them.
*
“And so, the first round goes to the Kayak team.”
“Wow, Kayak’s super plays stood out in so many ways, didn’t they?”
“That 3-on-1 dribble from the turret was crucial. Surrounded, taking down two alone and then finishing off the last one—it felt like watching a mad movie!”
“I never expected to see this kind of scene in a tournament, but that’s what makes it fun when it happens during one.”
“The MVP of the first game naturally goes to Kayak.”
“Game 2. This time, there’s a slight difference in the bans and picks.”
“There’s a bit of a difference.”
“The biggest difference would be that Yu Hye’s team has given up on Camilla. It seems they learned a lot from the previous match. They thought bringing Camilla would suppress Kayak, but they found out that wasn’t the case.”
“At that point, it feels like they should just let Camilla go and say, ‘You do you!'”
“Then Camilla will naturally slip into the last pick. Since Yu Hye’s team isn’t taking her, it doesn’t matter if she gets picked last.”
“Uh, wait… is that Lennok? Are they picking Lennok from Team Kayak? Ah, Kayak team snatches up Lennok right after the opposing team’s pick ends!”
“Who will play him is still up in the air, but it has a pretty strong symbolic meaning. It feels like they’ve stolen Yu Hye’s main pick, Lennok.”
“It looks like we’re seeing the draft from a different angle this match. Earlier, Kayak’s team lost Camilla, and now Yu Hye’s team has lost Lennok. Yu Hye seems a bit tense, possibly caught off-guard. They need to keep their mental game strong!”
“Uh… Kayak team. Isn’t this the situation to pick Camilla? Now they have no ADC. Are they seriously going for an ADC-less comp?”
“We could see the legendary ‘keu-keu-keu-keu-keu’ composition emerge. Or could it be… are they not going for Camilla?”
“That could happen… You know how herbivores can’t go back once they taste meat. Kayak has tasted something other than Camilla now. They could easily play other heroes too!”
“Oh. In the end, the last pick is decided to be Kacia. I think Hakchu will be playing that. So, who will get Lennok? I’ve heard that Cheonhun also has some experience with Lennok.”
“The swaps keep coming. Swap, swap, and more swaps… And now it’s stopped. Lennok is… in the hands of Kayak!”
“There’s some unusual movement caught on Kayak’s handcam. Is that… a V?”
“It’s a bit early to call it a ceremony; they’ve only won one round so far. This could be seen as teabagging or a taunt.”
“If it’s a taunt, it would likely be aimed at the enemy team leader, Yu Hye?”
“That’s probably it. It can be seen as a taunt and also a form of vengeance.”
“Vengeance, you say?”
“In the last match, Kayak lost their main character, Camilla, right? This time, Yu Hye lost Lennok. I think Kayak’s intention is to make them feel that sting.”
“The chat is heating up a bit. Let’s keep the excessive criticism of the players in check. It’s an event match, after all. Yes, as the host, I think such taunts and pre-game trash talk are just fine.”
“This game’s draft is already looking intense. Kayak’s Lennok pick! The taunt that follows! Yu Hye needs to keep their mental game strong.”
“I’m curious to see what Kayak’s Lennok will show! There’s a lot of expectations for this.”
“It’s undeniable that Kayak will be the key player in this round. Ah, just as I mentioned it, they’re saying that the second set game preparations are complete. Let’s now meet in-game with the action!”
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