NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3
Click-click.
Slurp-.
“Hmm….”
I was seriously staring at the computer screen, searching for information.
That information was about the changed Abyss and the resulting shift in Camilla’s status.
[Clear your mind and be happy (Ran): It seems like you’re a returning user of Camilla, but please choose someone else, you can’t use Camilla right now.]
The trigger was the chat from my teammates during my first game.
A user kindly advised me that it would be better to choose a different hero instead of Camilla.
However, I ignored his words and kept playing the game.
After all, be it now or back then, there was only Camilla for me. Plus, I had the stubbornness thinking, “I did just fine with the underwhelming Camilla before, why can’t I do it now?”
And the result was a three-game losing streak.
It was only then that I acknowledged and accepted reality.
Something had changed significantly, and understanding that change was my first priority.
So, I logged into the official Abyss website and began to meticulously review the old patch notes one by one.
Like studying a history book, I started from the last patch note I saw three years ago, when I was actively playing, and read carefully without skipping a single word to see what had happened since then.
“I see.”
I came to a conclusion of my own.
The reason I suddenly started losing like this—there were two major reasons.
First was the changed body.
Every person has inherent physicality based on their nature.
In games and esports, things like reaction time, hand-eye coordination, and accuracy come into play.
Originally, I was not too shabby in esports physicality. I could react to skills from opponents, especially those slower ones.
For fast-casting skills or instant skills with almost no casting animation, on good days I could dodge or ignore them all.
You could say that’s impressive, but truthfully, if you’re going to play Camilla, this level of skill is a given. She requires quick strikes.
So, what’s the problem with the change in my physique? Did my physicality decline?
No, quite the opposite.
The new body that closely resembled Camilla seemed to follow the laws of international TS Beautiful Girls and was proven to have even better physicality than mine.
I can vividly see each skill trajectory my opponent throws at me, and I feel like I can react in time.
The problem is my mind can’t keep up with my superior physique.
I’ve always enjoyed a risky playstyle, but this body offers a level of risky play that makes me wonder if it’s really possible.
While the old me pushed my brain to its limits, now I can’t even tell where my limits are, causing me to hesitate.
In a battlefield where a moment of hesitation leads to death, that delay is bound to be fatal.
In short, this tragedy happened because I couldn’t properly grasp the specs of my current body.
Ultimately, it’s something that can be solved with enough time.
I believe I’ll eventually adapt to the two heavy water balloons hanging from my shoulders, even if they make me ache every time I play.
“Ugh….”
Thinking about those water balloons makes my shoulders and neck feel stiff again, so I stretch, groaning.
What used to be a casual stretch has now become a necessity.
If I don’t stretch at least once per match, it feels like my upper body, including my shoulders, goes stiff. It’s like I’ve received a curse as a trade-off for my superior physique.
So far, this hasn’t been a huge problem. My physique isn’t regressing, and I’m confident that with enough adjustment time, I can outperform my old self.
But then comes the second issue.
This is the crucial factor for defeat.
“What kind of patch is this….”
The Abyss transformed from a trash game into a god game, and after an upheaval in the world, there was a three-year gap.
During that time, the heroes of the Abyss underwent incredible changes.
From minor improvements in skill motions to control, structural issues of heroes, significant buffs, and complete skill and appearance reworks—the heroes changed one by one.
It’s like a massive update. In fact, the patches that needed to be done for Abyss to truly be a god game should have happened a long time ago.
The old Abyss had a myriad of issues, from odd controls to bugs, fitting of a trash game.
This patch, which happened about two and a half years ago, was the turning point for Abyss to leap into a god game, making it almost a flawless god patch. If you look for writings from that time, you’ll find that most users praised and responded positively to the patch.
But now, after checking the entire history from the massive update at that time to the little patches now, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Why is it only Camilla… that hasn’t received any buffs?”
It was because Camilla hadn’t even been mentioned once in all those patches.
It seemed as if her very existence had been forgotten, receiving no benefits from numerous patches.
Only then did I realize the true nature of the discomfort I’d felt while playing the game. The strange reason why the enemies’ health bar wasn’t dropping much. The odd reason why Camilla’s health bar was dwindling rapidly.
All of it was due to the changes that took place over three years.
It wasn’t surprising that Camilla’s reputation was bad.
The reason why she was the first to be picked on in the last game, and why the team members silently agreed with that, was because there was a perception that Camilla was a bad character.
Characters that are inherently bad tend to be disliked without anyone even realizing it.
“Overall, it doesn’t seem that big….”
Camilla’s state remained unchanged; she hadn’t received any nerfs or buffs.
But it wasn’t something that could be entirely ignored. The other friends I was playing with had received buffs, and some had even been entirely reborn in new forms.
For Camilla, who was already being called a trash or a failed character, this had to be pretty devastating.
Especially for me, who had already prepared proper countermeasures against all heroes.
But that didn’t mean there was no method to remedy the situation.
“I guess I’ll have to start all over.”
Concluding that, I moved my mouse to close the patch notes and booted up the Abyss again.
It would be easy to abandon the currently invisible Camilla and utilize other good heroes, but that wasn’t my intention.
If I were going to do that, I would’ve ditched her long ago. I wasn’t the type to switch picks based on patch notes like a performance chaser. If I were to abandon my girlfriend, family, or comrades just because they weren’t as good as before, I’d be no better than a scumbag.
And whether in the past or now, Camilla was incredibly weak. With her pretty appearance, people would try her out once, but wouldn’t reliably keep using her.
In the end, she was a hero with a pick rate of 0.01% that I alone played.
“If I chip away at her bit by bit, a solution will come.”
I thought that making a hero like that usable by honing and refining her was the role of a true artisan. Someone had to create the Abyss into a great game and turn me into Camilla itself, and wasn’t that a tacit message for me not to abandon her? My appearance, looks, and even gender had changed, but it was like someone was telling me to never give up on Camilla.
I started queuing for ranked games again, with a different mindset this time.
From today, I’m rebooting the Camilla Research Lab.
*
“Alright, everyone. I’ve finally reached Platinum! I… might just end up hitting Diamond, right?”
[No way]
[The world is seriously messed up, Nicang is Platinum?]
[I’m stuck in Gold, damn it]
[Planning to feel the wall in Platinum and dive into Gold like a dog]
[10 minutes later, guys, I can’t do this]
“No, no. I’m a different breed of Platinum and Diamond, maybe even surpassing minerals, so that’s absolutely impossible. What have I been until now? Hmm… You know, sprouts that grow amidst hardships develop deep roots. Unlike those other water Platinums and Diamonds, I’ve built my foundation.”
With an innocent face and a tone as if she truly believes it, the words flowed from the woman’s lips.
As soon as the words escaped her mouth, the chat began soaring at lightning speed.
“Bullshit, this woman is starting again, see you later lol” filled the screen as the woman smiled contentedly.
‘Nice, a lot of viewers have gathered.’
It’s already been three months since Nicang, the streamer who runs personal broadcasts, started Abyss.
Originally, she mainly played FPS games but stepped into Abyss feeling the need for something new.
Nicang sought change, and that change has successfully paid off, drawing in fresh viewers and increasing her viewer count.
‘I knew it, it’s definitely Abyss.’
Currently, in the realm of personal broadcasting, particularly in game broadcasting, it’s said that one must play Abyss due to the immense impact a single game can have. There are even specific audiences out there solely watching Abyss.
Thus, broadcasters are playing Abyss one by one to capture these elusive viewers on their streams.
Nicang, who was just beginning to gather a fixed audience, also started playing Abyss.
As can be seen from her current broadcast title [Three-Month-Platinum-Newbie Nicang], people were quite interested in watching Nicang slowly climb the ranks after not playing Abyss for long.
Of course, her pretty appearance and impressive physical skills for a female streamer contributed to gathering more viewers.
‘This is an opportunity.’
A chance to grow her broadcast and rank up.
And a chance to gain recognition from her viewers.
Streamer Nicang smiled slyly with such thoughts in mind.
Unaware of the shadows approaching her.