How long has it been since I started this game?
I spent most of my game time as a loner.
Most of the conversations I shared revolved solely around “work.”
Other than that, it was mostly minor banter with targets to kill.
And those were often filled with curses from various players, which made it really boring.
But now it’s different.
Humans are evolving creatures. Before I knew it, my social skills had evolved too.
Now I can gather enough people from my friend list to form a party!
[Party Member List]
[Party Leader: Elderin (Mage)]
[Gawol (Assassin)]
[San-sae (Bard)]
[Sulbbang (Warrior)]
[Dad Dol-gwal (Berserker)]
With Elderin’s suggestion, we came together again.
It was great to meet up, but what was there to do in the game other than chit-chat or hunt?
Naturally, everyone leaned towards doing a party hunt.
To fill the lacking numbers, I called San-sae, who then brought Dol-gwal along, completing our party.
It was as if the two regulars who had gathered for the SSA guild previously were meeting again.
“By the way, Sulbbang, do you have a backstory for your nickname? You didn’t reply to my question last time during the stream.”
“Oh, that! My parents used to bring home Sulbbang a lot when I was younger. Back then, I had no idea what it tasted like… but, here we are.”
“Hahaha! Right? It’s such an old food now. You hardly find it being sold these days. I guess you have some meaningful memories with your parents about it? I do.”
“No… I was planning to joke that I have no story about it. It’s just that there was a food called Sulbbang in a game I used to play… Sorry.”
“Ah…”
Dol-gwal, the Berserker, was a fan of Sulbbang.
It seemed San-sae also watched Elderin’s stream frequently, and thanks to that, the party’s atmosphere improved from the get-go.
The combination of San-sae and Elderin was particularly good.
They both had an outgoing nature, leading to endless chatter.
I couldn’t possibly keep up with them, only listening from the sidelines.
Just watching others happily chat brought me a peculiar joy.
Simply not being ignored by those two made me feel a sense of belonging.
It was my way of accumulating warmth as a loner…
“So, Gawol, what did you do before?”
“Ah, I’m curious too! I saw Yulang’s stream the other day, and he said you seemed good at exercises.”
“You watch a lot of San-sae’s streams…”
“Well, it’s because I work alone. Even when I’m not gaming, I often watch streams. I caught your commentary too, Gawol! You were amazing.”
“Uh-huh.”
Getting compliments like that lifted my mood.
I didn’t want to talk about my past much, but just mentioning it didn’t make me shake.
It was something I had to overcome someday. I just wasn’t ready yet.
I chose my words carefully.
“That’s right. I used to exercise. Not anymore, though.”
“I see. So, are you really flexible? I’ve heard you’re quite… supple?”
“Um… I’m not sure. I’ve never compared with anyone else’s body. But I don’t think I’m stiff.”
Well, compared to my original body, I was probably a lot more flexible.
I had been wielding a sword since I was young.
But still, being a woman. My abdomen would likely be softer than a man’s rock-hard muscles.
By the way, the conversation seemed to be shifting towards reality.
That made me slightly uncomfortable.
To avoid showing it, I pushed forward a bit more.
After all, my job this time was to lure monsters anyway.
They probably wouldn’t find it odd.
Fortunately, the chat about reality didn’t last long.
San-sae usually worked in video editing, while Elderin focused on design.
I assumed Sulbbang was older, but he turned out to be in his mid-20s.
Dol-gwal looked like a middle-aged man in his late 30s, which was no surprise.
“Gawol, do you have someone you want to face during the group draw?”
“Hmm… not really. I want to see those I want to face from a higher ranking.”
“So you have no thoughts about losing in the finals?”
“Of course not! I didn’t enter the competition to lose.”
“Good. It’s nice to see such confidence.”
Still, I did have quite a few people I wanted to face.
I wanted to fight Luce before the Arena started and exchange blows with that strong Kelberos.
Especially since Kelberos had a different active server, it was hard to meet him in the field.
AT Kelberos.
He was considered a key player in the current European League, a strong candidate for the arena championship.
He was also the one who defeated Luce in last year’s international match.
If Luce beat Kelberos, and I beat Luce…
How delightful would that be?
“Hey, can you take down that mob for me~”
“Got it!”
As we kept hunting, we shared more stories.
I was enjoying myself. It really felt like I had made real friends.
I didn’t know what these people thought, but at least that’s how I felt.
Since that guy died, I hadn’t had someone I could truly call a friend.
Those I knew from my competitive days felt distant most of the time.
After my body became like this, I had unilaterally cut off contact.
Looking at the other players…
It’d probably hurt too much to see my changes.
It was the same for my teacher; I had gotten familiar with him over time.
I couldn’t bear to show my pathetic inferiority complex to my teacher.
“Gawol, where do you live?”
“I’m… in Incheon.”
“Oh, that’s close to Seoul!”
Elderin’s question.
After overcoming a moment’s hesitation, I answered.
It should be fine to share this much.
“If you perform well in the upcoming arena, would you like to come to Seoul once?”
“In reality…?”
“Yes! I’ll cover the tab!”
“Well, um… can I think about it a bit more?”
“Sure. Feel free to think about it, and if you feel like it, we can meet!”
I didn’t give a definite answer.
*
The anticipated time had arrived.
After getting wrapped up in party hunting for a few days, I quickly reached the date of the finals.
The group draw was essentially irrelevant, whether participated or not.
But since abstaining would forfeit all choices, there was no reason to take risks.
It was my first time in an event like this, so I felt oddly excited.
[You have used the item “Final Round Group Draw Invitation.”]
[Moving to special field in 5 seconds… 00:03]
For a moment, my vision went dark, and what appeared was a clean, sophisticated stage.
Were there people who had arrived before me? A few had gathered and were chatting.
Unfortunately, Luce was nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps I was staring too blankly, but a familiar character approached me.
“Nice to meet you! It’s your first time, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Just sit and wait. We’ve already announced the basic order and rules, but if you didn’t see it, you can check it again. For now…”
Caster Ho-eun. A famous figure who wouldn’t miss a domestic match.
Hearing the voice I’d only heard on broadcasts felt unfamiliar.
As Ho-eun kindly explained, I listened quietly.
“…So, the order of group draws will be like this. Gawol, you’re in seed number 11.”
“Thank you. That helps a lot.”
“There will also be highlight videos before the draw. You can look forward to it… since you’re quite popular overseas, huh?”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, so you didn’t know. Well, enjoy the upcoming event anyway.”
Those words felt ambiguous.
I’m popular overseas?
Could they be mistaking me for someone else?
No conclusion came, despite pondering it for a while.
I hadn’t done anything to earn popularity abroad.
But out of curiosity, I searched for terms like Gawol or Kawol, and found nothing.
All that came up were some posts from a few months ago.
One even mentioned how I had acted like a jerk in the rankings. I mean, I had done that once or twice, at least.
Was it really too late to get attention now?
“Looks like all the participants have gathered. We’ll jump into rehearsal soon; does anyone need time?”
After everyone gathered, we had a simple rehearsal.
It was intended to help familiarize us with the general order.
They mentioned highlight videos and player interviews in passing.
I spent that time dazed.
I had done many rehearsals like this before.
Why did it feel so strange this time?
Is it because it wasn’t just a game?
“Live broadcast starts soon!”
After the producer’s announcement, as the cameras rolled…
I sat there, vacantly watching the other players.
Someone seemed to want to talk to me, but for some reason, they didn’t follow through.
– Next up… Acid Gaming Ripper!
As the final contestants were introduced, a highlight video played.
Each name that flashed across, someone I’d at least heard of once.
Players from North America, Europe, Japan, China, and the Middle East appeared.
And amidst their names, there I was.
“Next up… we have someone making quite a name for herself. Known in the Western world as the Korean Tea-bagging Girl.”
“…?”
“Main class: Assassin! Subclass: Swordmaster! Here’s Gawol’s highlight video!”
As the host shouted, a video unfolded right before everyone’s eyes.
It began with me pulling an archer out of the seawater.
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