Sigma Camelian.
At this moment, 신은채 was the most promising rookie in the Pro League.
She had talent from the beginning.
She started gaming due to a friend’s persuasion, and in just three months, she was on the brink of reaching the highest tier.
By around six months in, she received an offer to become a trainee at Sigma.
The looks from her seniors were something to behold.
She received a lot of jealousy due to her unstoppable growth.
At some point, they even stopped practicing with her.
Eventually, the trainees were let go in droves, and she was assigned a dedicated coach.
She once even had an illusion.
That this world wasn’t that difficult for her,
That she would naturally rise to the ‘top’ others dream of.
The outcome was predetermined, so she thought it was just a matter of speed.
Looking back, she seems to have thought too lightly.
– I can guarantee you, I bet my coaching career on it. You’re going to be big.
– As long as you don’t stray down a weird path, you’ll definitely succeed.
– Just like our team’s Luce. Just like Q Prime’s Traveler. You might even surpass them.
When the once strict coach recognized her,
Camelian felt like she had the whole world.
She never doubted her unwavering attitude.
As much as her coach believed in her, she believed in herself too.
It wasn’t an unfounded confidence. Her talent was real.
After all, she proved it with results.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Camelian literally swept through the 2nd Division League.
While she couldn’t win every match, she showed a good performance in all of them.
But was she too caught up in success?
Curious about how far she could go, she participated in the Arena.
There, Camelian faced the bitter pill of being eliminated in the second qualifiers.
Her opponent was one she hadn’t even considered.
She had heard rumors of a strange being killing pro gamers, but she barely ventured into the field herself.
She barely remembered the nickname “Gawol” until after the game ended.
Yet, she was defeated.
So utterly disgracefully that she had no words left.
– But then Gawol suddenly accelerates. How dare you test me?
– To sum this up, ‘I’m good at fighting. I’m confident. Only attack!’
– What did you say about Gawol’s build earlier? Yes. She truly fought well.
The unexpected failure slammed her mentally down to the ground.
Her fallen body felt crushed, as if splashed with cold water amid her pain.
As one streamer put it, her opponent just did well.
The public seemed to think, “You fought pretty well for this level,” but Camelian thought differently.
That girl… was on another level. There was a gap in abilities that seemed insurmountable.
It felt distant.
‘How much more do I need to improve to beat that person?’
Will that day ever come?
Even when she calmly thought about it, she couldn’t fathom.
It was as if the gods drew a line saying, ‘This is your limit.’
And it made her furious.
Camelian had buried her face in a pillow and cried.
After crying until her pillow was soaked, she watched every match of Gawol.
Is there anything more ridiculous than this?
Before she knew it, she was cheering for Gawol.
When she lost consecutively to Kelberos, Camelian clenched her fist so hard that blood flowed from her palms.
She marveled at the overwhelming swordsmanship.
Seeing herself injure her own neck filled her with complex emotions.
When Gawol finally grabbed the championship – she was even happy as if she had achieved it herself.
And so—
She found it impossible to forgive Gawol.
‘I just don’t get it.’
With that level of skill, why didn’t she advance to pro?
It wasn’t like she didn’t have the will. She fought desperately as if she were dying to win!
Trembling in phantom pain, Gawol had a happier expression than anyone in the world.
She thought they would meet in the next league.
Whether as allies or enemies, either way, she’d get to fight Gawol again.
But things were different.
Gawol seemed to have forgotten about the Arena and was living leisurely.
Only she burned with competitive spirit while Gawol snatched victory and ran away.
[IKL Match 2]
[Battlefield: Arena of Duel (Winner’s Match)]
[Sigma eSports vs Q Prime]
A twisted battlefield. A twisted opponent.
In the place where she suffered her first defeat to Gawol, she now faced an Assassin.
Somehow, it became the class she hated the most.
‘I must… absolutely win!’
There was no way she’d lose to the Assassin.
Someday, she would tear Gawol apart with her own hands.
She had to go question that cowardly runaway.
Sparrow was the best Assassin domestically, but compared to Gawol, she was a lesser opponent.
If she lost here, she’d have no right to challenge Gawol.
So please, just wait a little longer.
If you don’t come, I’ll come to you.
*
– Camelian dominates Sparrow! Completing the matchup against Assassins!
– Sigma eSports turns the tables with a 2:1 victory over Q Prime.
– Camelian: “There’s a rival I want to meet.”
Yesterday’s match ended with Luce’s victory.
I feel bad for Traveler, who’s probably letting out a furious roar, but I’m still a fan of Luce.
If you asked me who I wanted to win, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second.
That joy became my strength.
After the scheduled weekend rehab training, I drained my energy again.
“Aah, I’m gonna die…”
Today, I was thinking of going straight home.
But strangely, I craved something to eat.
Recently, my lifestyle pattern has improved in a good direction.
While exploring the New Continent, I had to force myself to align schedules with my party members.
Perhaps due to my regular sleeping schedule, my appetite had increased a bit.
Alright. Let’s head to the convenience store.
Buying some bread and milk should fill me up.
“Welcome.”
The employee greeted me half-heartedly while looking at their phone.
This is why I love hospital convenience stores.
Various patients come and go, so seeing a girl on crutches isn’t a big deal at all.
I didn’t have to care about others’ stares.
I picked out a packaged bagel and milk from the shelf.
Instead of the usual paper carton, I chose the one in a bottle.
It reminded me of the recovery potion I drank in the game and naturally caught my attention.
‘I shouldn’t fall for such marketing tactics…’
Well, what can I do?
This is a gamer’s instinct.
Whether I like it or not, if there’s a product co-branded with my game, I’m likely to pick it up at least once.
This concept of eating food from the game felt especially lethal.
In the past, I wouldn’t have dared to choose this, but I’ve now allowed myself a daily budget of ten thousand won.
I had the power to indulge my desires freely.
Confidently standing at the counter, I completed the payment.
The milk I drank was…
‘Just milk.’
Neither particularly delicious nor particularly disgusting.
Since it was something I wanted to try at least once, I’ll consider it a wish fulfilled?
After all, in games, I had to pick potions or whatever that didn’t taste like anything.
In the game, I couldn’t drink the original milk-flavored recovery potion.
It felt like the implemented flavors were overly exaggerated through my sensory assimilation.
No matter what I ate, the seasoning was too strong, causing a reverse effect.
Naturally, it was expected since the flavors were implemented based on the maximum assimilation rate of regular users at 30%.
Yet, the glass bottle resembling a potion bottle was still appealing.
It felt like the game mercilessly consumed reality a bit.
I tucked the glass bottle into my bag as a souvenir and stepped out of the convenience store.
The bus stop was located at the hospital’s back entrance.
As I walked away from the convenience store, I spotted a strange beast.
“…?”
– Woof, woof!
A giant Golden Retriever as big as my body.
To call it a dog would be right due to its size, but since it looks cute, can’t we just call it a puppy?
Seeing its golden fur, I felt an inexplicable desire bubbling up.
I want to pet that fluffy creature.
It must be so soft and cuddly that it would make me feel good.
Although it’s a strong large dog… it was smiling at me who it had just met.
It should be safe.
Golden Retrievers are said to be kind after all.
“Oh, come here… come here.”
As I approached and reached out my hand, the puppy came bounding over.
It let out soft panting sounds while licking my fingers.
The rough texture made me unwittingly smile.
This is strange.
Did I really love animals this much?
My heart was pounding so much that I felt like I could keep it in my arms all day long.
“Heh. If I had some treats, I could give them.”
Tempted, I took a step closer.
I leaned it against my lower belly and gently stroked its head.
Its warm body temperature and silky soft fur were addictive.
How long had I petted its neck and head?
The puppy, feeling good, wagged its tail vigorously, then jumped onto me.
Of course, my weak body couldn’t withstand the weight of a large dog.
“Ugh, ugh?! Ah!…!”
As my vision flipped upside down, I fell.
Thankfully, I lifted my left leg slightly to protect it, but the rest of my butt and back hit the ground hard.
My whole body throbbed in pain, but the problem was the dog.
Being stuck underneath was far too big for me.
With a deliberate intention to play, it became unbearable.
“Hey, hey… you’re heavy. Don’t touch my left foot! Don’t lick my neck! Eek!”
“Jessie? What are you… Jessie! No!”
Thank goodness.
There was a dog owner nearby because the large dog lifted itself off me.
But looking down at me was someone familiar.
“Da-eun?”
Forget about feeling thankful.
Looking up at Luce, I wiped my face with my palm.
It felt like the world was tormenting me again.
How embarrassing…
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