The intern’s eyes were really bothering me.
Upon seeing my face, his eyes widened, then quickly shifted downwards with a look of embarrassment.
Usually, it’s just a second or two at most, but this intern stared at my chest for a whole four seconds.
His gaze, previously fixed on my oversized clothing, suddenly darted away as if it had never been there.
Boom!
Now was where it got juicy.
It wasn’t until the end of my convenience store shift that he noticed my crutches.
With a sticky, uncomfortable sense of pity, of course.
This intern seemed pretty shy, so he probably said something like:
“Uh, can I help you?”
─ “Uh, can I help you?”
Ding ding!
Nailed it.
I barely held back a bitter smile.
Deep down, I wanted to say, “Get lost! Sure, I can’t walk well, but you really think I’d let you help me?”
I wasn’t interested in your pity, so keep your eyes to yourself before I poke them out!
But it takes courage and strength to pick a fight with someone, right?
I lacked both, and my body was exhausted from climbing down the stairs.
So all I could do was force a smile.
Cha-ching!
In a stroke of luck, I was still a hungry little beauty even with my frail and skinny frame.
“Yes. Sorry, but can you ring up three plain ramen cups, and could you help me cook one a little?”
“You’ll eat there, right? Hand me your card and have a seat over there. I’ll cook it and bring it to you.”
“Thanks! You’re so nice.”
I traded my pride for a moment of comfort.
But I knew it had nothing to do with pride.
The intern was just inexperienced with women and offered kindness because I looked like I was struggling.
The only thing twisted in this place was my personality.
The intern bagged two cups of ramen and brought me a well-cooked one.
I felt a glance here and there directed at me, but I decided to ignore it.
I could forget about such things while looking at my phone.
Zing!
I shoved in my hard-earned earbuds and, as usual, headed toward the gaming community.
—–
[Author: ㅇㅇ(411.36)]
[Title: Today’s Sulbbang Caught by Gawol GIF]
[Upvotes: 107]
Of course, if Gawol is paired with Sulbbang, Gawol is bound to be the main character, but today I bring an interesting scene.
It was when Sulbbang charged in with a shield…
—–
[Author: Ingal (318.235)]
[Title: Did Sigma Esports Luce Re-sign????]
—–
Infinity Black Gallery.
I usually don’t stick strictly to galleries, but sometimes, when I need a mood lift, well, I turn on the gallery for some brain stimulation.
Swish!
There isn’t really a grand reason for it.
The websites that cater to the sunlit areas don’t mention Gawol much.
After all, streamers and pro-gamers have killed so many that they’ve earned the hatred of the fans.
At some point, it became a kind of taboo word, so I didn’t visit unless looking for information.
—–
[Author: Happy Grad Student]
[Title: Summary of Changes in Next Season’s Rank Game]
Infinity Black was currently experiencing a sort of calm before a storm.
Next season was forecasted to have patch changes close to a major upheaval. Because of that, no one knew how the siege dynamics would unfold.
Pro gamers focusing on rank games, as well as massive guilds, were holding their breath, not wanting to make enemies rashly.
Everyone was aware.
But that didn’t mean it was truly that way.
There couldn’t possibly be peace in the cutthroat realm of Inbl.
In Infinity Black, if you die in the field, you get a penalty of not being able to log in for four hours, which means falling behind in the endless farming competition.
Boom!
If I kill someone secretly now, it gives me an edge in the competition.
In this game, I am the only one who can take down a named user alone without arousing suspicion.
So right now, my market value was at its peak.
Of course, the money was far less than what actual broadcasting or pro-gaming would yield.
The cash I was pulling in from various guilds for item farming made up all my income.
—–
[Author: ㅇㅇ(423.28)]
[Title: Hey, I heard there was a volcanic eruption in Iceland?]
—–
[Author: Han River Stew Pot]
[Title: So, Sigma’s second-string pro got killed by Gawol today. Why isn’t he going pro?]
—–
[Author: ㅇㅇ(423.62)]
[Title: Is Gawol really the youngest son of a conglomerate?]
Choke!
My mouth, busy slurping ramen, suddenly paused.
Maybe coming into this community was a mistake.
After seeing that pointless post, my appetite flickered out.
Once I saw that hideous photo, I had to turn off my phone screen.
—–
I had eaten enough, so I decided to toss the leftovers.
It wasn’t like there was much left anyway.
Now that my belly was full, it would be better to get back to gaming.
As for broadcasting or being a pro-gamer… it wasn’t that I didn’t want to; it was just that path was one I couldn’t walk.
Nickname: Gawol.
Actually, it was just a typo from misspelling ‘April.’
April was the time I lost everything.
From that day on, I wasn’t able to walk again.
—–
—–
[Handa Hun, Overwhelming Victory at the National Kendo Championship]
[Coach of Korean National Team: Handa Hun will become an unparalleled figure in kendo history.]
Surrounded from all sides, I received congratulations.
My parents, who silently backed me, and my coach, who firmly guided me.
My phone buzzed constantly with messages.
Today was supposed to be a joyful day.
And yet, my mood felt oddly off.
“Dahun, did you see the article? Coach Kim is counting on you big time this time.”
“Uh… I did see it.”
“You don’t look too happy. Is Jaehyun still bothering you?”
“He was my friend, you know? My rival. If we faced off again, I could have won. But it doesn’t feel like a win. It’s like I’m left with half a victory. Just a meaningless semifinal.”
—–
This was all because of that stupid friend.
The monster of a guy I had always wanted to catch up to, now I could never hope to again.
Winning without my toughest rival felt like a hollow victory.
All because of that strange novel I had gotten into not long ago, about a saintess harem or something.
The guy they claimed would become an unparalleled monster in kendo had blandly died getting hit by a truck.
Bam!
I heard some old lore: if you die from being hit by a truck, you reincarnate in another world.
I hoped he would get that chance; it was too absurd for such a great guy to leave this world just like that.
If I were to take his place, I had an enormous journey ahead of me.
“Still, hold your head high. It’s rude to those you beat. If you’ve won, you have to show that you deserve to. Jaehyun wouldn’t like to see you sulking.”
“…You’re right. I apologize.”
“Just remember that. Go home early today, spend quality time with your parents, and tomorrow we’ll slowly start preparing for the world championship.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best.”
“Take your time. You’re doing well already, no need to push. I bet those foreign guys will wet themselves after watching your match video today.”
Tap tap. My coach patted my back and sent me off to my parents.
His short words felt like great comfort.
Thanks to him, I was able to spend the day feeling a little better and ready for what’s next.
Honestly, I hadn’t seen anyone from abroad who seemed a worthy opponent.
The difference was in all the foes I’d faced until now.
No one in this world could give off an overwhelming aura like Jaehyun did, so I couldn’t even fathom losing.
That said, I wasn’t about to take it easy either.
“Hey, Coach Jung. How’s Dahun these days? He’s not slacking off now that he won, is he?”
“Of course not. He’s even more driven than before. Even if Jaehyun were here now, I can’t guarantee he could win against Dahun.”
“Is it really that serious?”
“Yes. That kid, he will definitely win the world tournament this time.”
—–
I gritted my teeth and faced each day.
Now there was only one means left for me to prove myself.
Kaboom!
Watch out. The best player in the world is me.
So anyone challenging me, who can take me down? It must be me.
In our last match, I lost, but this time would be different.
To say that, I needed the title of world’s champion.
That heavy title of ‘pro.’ The bright spotlight. The honor of being the best in the world.
All of it felt like a promise to me, a vow to him.
Dramatic music intensifies!
This is how I protect friendship!
As time passed, my senses sharpened further.
Had he been seeing the world this way for a long time?
I felt as if I could read everything about my opponent, from the tiniest muscle movements to each breath they took.
—–
No one in the country could even come close to challenging me.
My instructor, who taught me how to wield a sword. My coach, who had matched my pace until recently. The other athletes who joined the training camp.
They all crumbled effortlessly. By the time we were about to leave for the trip, no one even wanted to spar with me, citing mental management.
Thump!
I can do this.
If it continues like this, I can do it!
A strong conviction settled within me.
But there would be no opportunity for me to stand on that tournament stage.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.