“By the way, did you mean what you said?”
Suhyeok suddenly asked as we were finishing the chicken and beer.
“When you told me to be your manager.”
“I meant it.”
“Huh... Well, having big dreams is better than being depressed.”
He tossed a bone with not a speck of meat left on it into the bag and wiped the grease from his lips.
“So does that mean you’re going to keep pursuing a career as a Player?”
“Of course. Otherwise, there’d be no reason for me to want you as my manager.”
“Hmm…….”
A strange look entered Suhyeok’s eyes.
It was all too obvious what he was thinking.
“Jaeha, don’t take this the wrong way. Honestly....”
“That I don’t have any talent?”
“Ghk.”
When I beat him to it, Suhyeok startled and bit his tongue.
“Your Constitution relates to physical attributes, but your Awakened skill belongs to the Mage or Supporter line. You finally joined Sky Epic as a trainee by making the most of what few advantages you had, only to walk out on your own. And you’re a guy who barely reached Level 5 and has nothing else to his name.”
“No, not quite that far... Haa, fine. I’ll be honest with you, speaking as an active coach.”
Suhyeok opened a fresh can of beer.
“In the current League, Shin Jaeha isn’t a particularly appealing card.”
“…….”
“Unless you can be used as a Multi-Position like a Spell Archer (Spell Archer) or a Paladin (paladin), your Constitution and skill are completely at odds. You’re neither one thing nor the other.”
Player Positions were broadly divided into four.
Warrior (Warrior)
Archer (Archer)
Mage (Mage)
Supporter (Supporter)
Warriors fought on the front lines in close combat.
Archers attacked from a distance instead.
Mages unleashed large-scale, high-firepower attacks with magic or supported other Positions.
Supporters aided their allies through various buffs, heals, debuffs, or curses.
Of course, each of those had further specializations.
Even among Warriors, there were numerous specializations—tanks, pure damage dealers, damage-tanks, and so on—but those were minor details.
There were also ‘Multi-Positions,’ Players who could fulfill two or more Positions for various reasons.
The primary attributes of Warriors were Strength and Stamina.
For Archers, Agility and Stamina.
For Mages, Mana and Agility.
For Supporters, Luck and Mana.
For example, if someone Awakened a healing skill but had a Constitution related to physical attributes, they could become a Paladin who served as both a Supporter and Warrior.
Likewise, someone who walked the path of an Archer while possessing high Mana could become a Spell Archer, serving as both a Mage and Archer.
But even those were only possible when the circumstances and conditions lined up.
“Your skill is... too ambiguous.”
The skill I had Awakened upon becoming a Player, ‘Gravity Field.’
Its basic effect was quite useful. It created a force field around me and increased the gravity within it.
However, it also had the side effect of weighing down the caster with that intensified gravity.
“Other than jumping into the middle of the opposing team’s formation to hold them in place, there’s no particularly efficient way to use it. Even that assumes you can pull it off. Once the level rises even a little, they’ll deal with you before you can leap in. It becomes a four-versus-five game.”
“That’s harsh.”
“...I’m telling you the reality.”
Before my regression, Suhyeok’s words would have genuinely upset me.
But now, I knew.
He was speaking so bluntly because he sincerely cared about me.
‘A vague hope is a disaster.’
Just like the Dimension Representatives who promised to bring home a victory next time, then suddenly left for other dimensions.
Suhyeok simply wanted me to turn away from an unattainable goal as quickly as possible.
You could stare at fruit you could not eat all day, but it would only leave your mouth dry and your stomach empty.
“Jaeha, let’s leave the Channel as something you enjoy. You’re still young, and you’re smart enough. I’ll help you—”
“Suhyeok.”
But things were different now.
“Then, how about we make a bet?”
At the very least, I now had enough ability to climb the tree and pick the fruit.
“A bet?”
“Yeah. If I don’t reach Silver Rank within the next month, I’ll give up any thought of becoming a pro and prepare to get a job, just as you said.”
My bold terms made Suhyeok blink.
“Silver Rank...?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re still Under Rank, aren’t you?”
“Forget Under Rank. I haven’t even reached the level requirement to unlock Ranked Matches yet.”
“Jaeha... Oh, Jaeha....”
Letting out a deep sigh, Suhyeok grabbed my shoulders.
“Silver Rank isn’t some easy place to reach... You know the average Rank of K.P.L. Division 2 Players is Silver to Gold, right?”
There were ten Ranks in total.
[Stones-> Iron-> Bronze-> Silver-> Gold-> Platinum-> Diamond-> Master-> Grand Master-> Challenger]
The vast majority of Players ranked somewhere between Stones and Iron.
Those with some skill or talent reached Bronze.
And among those Bronze Players, the ones who possessed even a little potential to become pros reached Silver.
“There are plenty of people at high Ranks who don’t go pro.”
“That’s because competitions and regular games are completely different worlds. Even among Players who reached Gold or Platinum by relying on their attributes and skills, plenty come to the League, have their lack of fundamentals exposed, and fall apart.”
In other words, even at the same Rank, ordinary Players and professional Players were fundamentally worlds apart.
Even taking that into account, reaching Silver Rank was by no means easy.
Especially not for a Level 6 Player who had not even unlocked Ranked Matches, and certainly not within a month.
“Even reaching Bronze makes you above average.”
“So what? It’s not like I’m planning to invest a year. A month should be enough.”
“Hmm... I suppose. You do learn something by running headfirst into it....”
Suhyeok was already taking it for granted that I would fail.
A snicker kept threatening to escape, but I barely held it back.
“If you really don’t reach Silver within a month, you’ll give up cleanly and prepare to get a job, right?”
“When have you ever seen me lie?”
A bet only worked if both sides had something at stake.
“But if I reach Silver, you have to grant me one request as well.”
“A request? What is it?”
“Heh heh heh, I’ll tell you then. It wouldn’t be fun if I told you beforehand, would it?”
“What is that? You’re making me nervous.”
“Don’t worry too much. It isn’t anything unreasonable.”
“If that’s all, okay.”
The moment Suhyeok agreed, I stood up and lightly stretched.
“Are you going to log into the Channel?”
“The bet has already started. I need to level up quickly and unlock Ranked Matches first.”
“Hey, brat. Don’t you know it’s bad manners to log into the Channel after drinking?”
“That’s non-alcoholic beer.”
“...Really? Oh, it really is.”
I had deliberately bought only non-alcoholic beer at the convenience store.
“Ah, no wonder the beer was bland.”
“I’ve gotten used to the slightly bland taste.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
I smoothly changed the subject and set up the Channel.
‘Solo Matches are better for standing out alone... But if I want to level up quickly, Team Matches are definitely better. If I do well, I can even take the experience that would otherwise go to my teammates.’
I changed the setting from ‘Solo Match’ to ‘Team Match.’
[Connecting to the ‘Channel.’]
[Prepare for the Game!]
“I’ll be back.”
I waved at Suhyeok, who was licking seasoning from his fingers.
With the enormous wooden club resting on my shoulder.
“...But you’re just going to leave without cleaning up what you ate—”
FLASH!
My vision flashed, and my body floated weightlessly.
.
.
.
[Your Ability Has Been Reevaluated.]
[You Will Be Matched with a Game Suited to Your Level.]
[The Reward Level Will Rise in Proportion to the Increased Difficulty!]
“Hello, everyone! Nice to see you~! Thank you for coming to Taeya’s stream again today!”
The static-filled screen stabilized, revealing a man with shaggy bangs grown long enough to cover his eyes.
He had a relatively small, slender frame and skin paler than that of most women.
The half-hidden face exuded an enigmatic charm.
But his energy was completely different from his appearance.
“Did you enjoy yesterday’s outdoor stream? I only go outside about as often as once a year, but I pushed myself a bit yesterday because of the mission.”
“But next time, I’m going to raise the mission fee for outdoor streams. There were so many people in Hongdae that I thought I was going to die.”
“Staying in my room is still the best. Look, my energy’s all back.”
A Channel Streamer who had built a fandom through his cheerful personality, sharp wit, and distinctive atmosphere.
[Taeya (Taeya)- Followers: 30,000]
He had a sizable following of 30,000 fans.
Taeya’s charm had certainly helped him build a stream of that size in such a short time.
But the biggest factor was, of course—
-So when are you logging in today?
-Seriously, we’ve waited long enough.
-I can’t take it anymore, bro!!!!!!! Log in already!!!!
-We’ve fried enough pancakes, so shall we get started?
-I like chatting too, though... Hehe.
-Hurry up and show us you slicing through everyone in the Channel.
-Hello, is this the famous slash-slice-urk stream?
-LOG IN ALREADY LOG IN ALREADY
-If Taeya doesn’t log into the Channel, I’m swallowing a rock right now?!
His talent as a Player.
Taeya’s Position was ‘Assassin (Assassins).’
It was a Multi-Position that could be fielded as both a Warrior and an Archer.
Based on a Class called ‘Dagger Rogue (Dagger Rogue),’ he shredded opponents with nimble movements or intercepted distant enemies by throwing daggers.
With a Class, a Multi-Position, tremendous skill, and a gift for conversation, there was no way his stream would not grow.
There were even rumors that Eclipse, a K.P.L. Division 1 team, was trying to recruit him as a promising trainee.
“Guys, ladies, don’t you enjoy talking with me? I’m hurt.”
-Sure, sure. Why don’t you log in and keep being hurt after that?
-When do we get the slicing? When do we get the slicing? When do we get the slicing?
-I’ve got the rock in my mouth now. If you drag this out any longer, I’m really swallowing it.
-Someone’s going to die!
Taeya subtly smiled where they could not see it.
‘They’re getting impatient. Hehe.’
If he stalled any longer, viewers might start leaving.
Making them wait anxiously was enough for now.
“All right. Since you re~ally want it, I’ll play one match.”
-Now that’s it~
-This is it!!
-Straight into Ranked Matches!
“You know it’s standard to warm up with a Normal Match before your first game of the day, right?”
Taeya skillfully set up the Channel.
‘Normal Match’ and ‘Team Match.’
[Connecting to the ‘Channel.’]
[Prepare for the Game!]
When he attempted to log in, his body flashed and he was instantly transported to another space.
[Normal - Team Match]
[Genre: Dungeon (Dungeon)]
[Map: Underground Prison, Floor 131]
[Objective: Defeat the Boss Monster and Clear the Dungeon.]
[Time Remaining Until Start: 5 Minutes]
When his vision returned, a forbidding landscape came into view.
“An Underground Prison. We drew a rough one right off the bat, tsk.”
-LOL, of all maps, it had to be Underground Prison.
-Are we going to get to see Taeya play seriously?
“Come on, why would I play seriously in a Normal Match? I’m just going to have fun. Just have fun~.”
Taeya grinned as he checked the Players entering.
A Team Match normally consisted of five Players per team.
“Ah... Underground Prison?”
“Ugh.”
A male Warrior equipped with a sword and shield and a female Mage holding a staff entered in succession.
Then a woman presumed to be a Supporter appeared as well.
Depending on whether the last Player was a Warrior or an Archer, Taeya’s Position would be decided.
“Who will it be?”
He waited with an enormous yawn.
A moment later, light flashed as the final Player entered.
“……Huh?”
The man twisted his lips as he looked around the moment he appeared.
“What? Why did I get this map?”
He wore a shabby hoodie and jeans.
There were even a few yellowish crumbs on his clothes, perhaps from fried food he had been eating just moments earlier.
Most eye-catching of all was the enormous club in one hand.
“Huh...?”
-What is that?
-LOL.
-Look at that gear.
-That’s a Normal Match for you! A troll on a whole different level!
-Just thinking about getting someone like that as a teammate in a Ranked Match makes me dizzy.
-At least it’s a Normal Match, lol.
The viewers had already decided that the man was a troll.
A term for malicious Players who intentionally acted uncooperatively during matches and hindered their teams.
-Those trolls, seriously.
-Taeya’s probably going to have to carry the team, lol.
But no one knew then.
That the man who did not look like much—
“Underground Prison shouldn’t come up at this level... Ah, whatever. I’ll just do it.”
—would turn today’s stream into an all-time legend.