NOVEL NEXT Chapter 423
“Alright, let’s start with the hopefuls, shall we?”
To do a normal game 5-man queue, I obviously need to gather 4 people.
I was thinking of picking from the viewers.
But just picking would be boring, and who knows, there might be hidden mines lurking around, right?
“Now then, let’s see some sincerity!”
So we should set up a simple qualification test.
– ???
– TrashPing
– This guy’s making a lot of money, huh
– LOL
[Thank you, Miro, for the donation of 100,000 won!]
Is this enough?
“Hey, I said sincerity, not money! I want you to plead!”
Goodness.
Do I want to do this for money?
It’s more like, you know, a filter to weed people out.
“First off, what’s your nickname?”
– LOL
– MoneyMiserPing, damn it!
“Alright, then the next people can appeal on their own.”
You can do it in the chat, and donations get seen better too, you know.
Thus, we began accepting serious participants for the game.
People were going on and on about how they’ve been watching the stream since when, and how much they begged for me to play League of Legends.
Their heartfelt stories and those who casually opened their wallets filled the 5-man party in no time.
“Okay, let’s give it a shot!”
– Let’s go!
– Finally starting!
– How many games are we playing with these folks?
“Well, I’m not really sure.”
Still, these are people I picked after reading their stories and getting donations, right? It wouldn’t be fair to end it after just one game.
“They’ll probably switch teams if we lose.”
But I can’t stick with these players all day long anyway.
If we lose, we’ll change the people out.
– Cold-blooded…
– You’re just going to toss us if we lose, huh? LOL
– Just pick based on tiers, why don’t you?
“Oh, what are you talking about? I’m going to carry anyway, why would I pick based on tiers?”
The level of normal games is kind of the same no matter what.
Even if I haven’t played for three years, I don’t think I’m going to lose.
– Ah, LOL
– OverconfidentPing!
– Bring it on!
And so the game officially began.
First off, I casually chose a mage champion for mid.
“Looks like it’s Yasuo on the opposing side.”
– Oh, nice
– That’s a counter match-up
– Ahri is poppin’ these days, so I should be fine
Looking at the champions we picked, it seems to be a counter match-up.
I’m at a disadvantage.
But who am I?
Even though it was three years ago, I was a Master-tier player.
I’m a ranged mage, while my opponent is a melee assassin.
Starting off, I showed off my incredible distance control and started whittling down the opponent’s health.
– Oh, nice job!
– What? Did you not practice?
– Now that’s a comeback! LOL
“Form is temporary, but class is permanent.”
It’s not like I’m past my prime, anyway.
It’s still a good time to be in my sporting prime.
So, while performing spectacularly, I continued to pressure my opponent, but…
“Ugh, this guy won’t come out.”
It seems the opponent noticed too and was hiding behind the turret, not coming out at all.
“Hey, if a gank comes, it’ll be a kill!”
– For real!
– A kill is coming!
– What’s the jungler doing?
“Yeah, I can’t believe I won’t see that guy next round…”
– Whoa, LOL
– Seriously?
– What a privilege!
– But you’re still gaining from top.
“Ah, well… I don’t really mind too much if I’m getting gains up here, but the viewers might find it uncomfortable, right?”
– Hmm?
– I don’t think so?
– I think only you’re uncomfortable right now?
“Goodness, it seems like this spot might leave, should I take applicants early?”
– LOL
– Just call the jungle over! Haha!
“Oh, finally coming in.”
As my desperate pleas kept echoing, my ally, who had been running around on top, finally came down to help me.
“This is it!”
– Ugh…
– What kind of dictatorship is this?
– This guy is real.
– Just you watch, I won’t be missing kills!
“If I sit back, of course, I’ll be able to carry.”
Where do you think I am, some leecher?
Just give me a few kills, and I’ll easily take on two or three worth.
Anyway, with overwhelming support from my ally, I started securing kills.
Then…
[Defeat.]
I lost the game.
– LOL
– Disaster!
– DisasterPing! Haha!
– This guy just can’t handle giving away kills…
“Hey, um, the game just got harder.”
Wasn’t it supposed to be a game where a player who stacked a ton of kills would sweep everyone?
Just giving me a bounty seemed to have flipped the tables, how strange.
– Nowadays, if there’s a bounty, you better play careful, right?
– You shouldn’t have died.
– That’s the weight of a log right there.
“Ugh, this really is harder than I thought.”
Though I don’t seem to have physical issues.
There are just too many changes going on operation-wise or whatever.
“Well, this was my mistake, so I’ll stick with the team.”
I originally planned to switch out the team if we lost…
But if I induce sittings and switch teams after a loss, doesn’t that make me a bad guy?
– Ah.
– I was waiting here;
– Just clear everyone out and let’s draw again.
– But hey, are we always listening to the same song here?
“Oh, the song? Come to think of it, it’s been playing on repeat for like an hour.”
I was supposed to promote the new track, but I just kept it on replay.
– Though it’s good, true…
– It’s addictive.
– When does the ranking start?
“Ranking? Not really sure, anyway, it’s not my song.”
– When are you planning to use that again?
– Another WWE moment?
– What a shameless person!
“Hey, what are you saying? Let’s move on to the next game.”
Anyway, we continued playing.
[Defeat.]
Lost in a similar manner the next round as well.
“Ugh.”
– LOL
– No mage play, please, it’s not working!
– Just go top, that’d suit you way better!
“Top? I don’t really…”
I was originally a marksman prince.
I may go to mid, but going to top is a bit off for me, you know?
– Look at him care about lanes, LOL.
– If you go mid, you’ll lose for sure.
– You need to go to a lesser impact lane.
“Just gotta get a feel for it. Just a feel.”
Just now, I almost won the last match!
If I just get the feel of it, I’m confident I could win all matches.
“I’ll be back to rank soon after just a few more games.”
– Oh, ranking now?
– Are you checking placement?
“Placement? It’s not that hard when my skills come back.”
How hard can it be? Nowadays, it’s down to five games, right?
In just two hours, or even three, I could play and still have time to spare.
[Thank you, ???, for the donation of 1,000 won!]
Hey Miro, wasn’t there a promise you made about placement matches in the old days?
But then…
A message came in with the donation.
Placement promise?
“Promise? Was there something like that?”
When I wondered, a flood of question marks flew up in the chat.
– ??
– ?
– If you can’t make it to Platin after placement, you have to play a normal game, right? LOL
– What? Can’t even remember it?
– What are you talking about?
“Ah, normal games.”
I’d made such a promise, right…
It was too long ago, and I hadn’t thought about it since I didn’t play League anymore.
“Can’t recall that.”
But what’s with this horror game?
That was back then; Miro’s now is different.
– LOL
– Damn,
– I knew it
– Anna??
– ForgetfulPing, damn!
“Alright, alright, let’s think about placements and promises later; first, I’ll take applicants for the next game.”
– Look at you dodging!
– You have to keep your promises!
– Just try breaking it!
Anyway, after that, we continued with normal games.
Some high-tier players joined, and as I got more comfortable, I soon noticed my wins surpassing my losses.
“Is this really all it takes? Easy.”
– It’s a bit awkward playing normal games, though;
– But hey, have you checked the song ranking?
– It’s charting, go listen!
But the chat was buzzing.
Charting? Has the ranking started?
“The song ranked? I thought I was the only one who knew about it.”
– Honestly, you probably were, LOL.
– Here we go again.
– You’re currently ranked 42nd!
“Oh… that’s a pretty good entry, isn’t it?”
The rank I heard was quite high.
With this initial rank, it should climb even higher, right?
– Could this hit number 1, maybe?
– The number 1 singer, whoa!
– This could be a real possibility!
“Ah, number 1? That’s a stretch.”
Number 1 seems out of reach.
Being included in the charts and hitting number 1 are two very different things.
– It’s possible!
– You’re not even the one singing, so don’t judge!
– Talks like it’s his own song.
“Aaah, did I just offend the artist? I’ll apologize if I get in touch.”
– You are going to look in the mirror and apologize?
– This guy is getting real WWE, LOL.
– But those rankings are looking good.
“Well, if it’s high, that’s great. Let’s go for the next game.”
Even if the rankings are looking strange, it’s still unknown territory.
Without getting overly excited, I continued playing.
Especially since playing League after a long time is quite fun.
Moreover, getting to play with 5 viewers feels pretty special, right?
With just a wave of my hand, the jungler comes to gank, the marksman hands me red, and the support shields block damage.
Feeling like the dictator of the game.
“Should I attach a mustache, then?”
– Huh? LOL
– DictatorPing! OMG.
– What’s with the mustache nonsense?
Anyway, while I was fully engaged in the game.
“I’ll grab a drink.”
I went out of the soundproof booth to get some water.
“Phew…”
I was really into it.
Looking at the cup, the ice had melted away.
I headed to the kitchen and filled my cup with water.
When I came back to the room, my phone, which I had tossed onto the bed, caught my eye.
Thinking about it, I probably missed quite a few messages.
Shall I just check?
Since I hadn’t seen it due to the broadcast, I picked up my phone to check…
And there it was.
[15 missed calls.]
I checked to see how many missed calls I had on my phone.
“Huh?”
It turns out it wasn’t just from one person.
I had calls from the Composer, the Agency Building’s director, Park Kang-seok, among others.
…Is there something going on?
First, I called back the composer, who was the last missed call.
“Hello?”
[Have you finished the broadcast?]
“Uh? Not yet… was there something urgent?”
[Nothing urgent, but do you know your ranking?]
Ranking, huh…
Now that I think about it, the chat had been quite noisy.
“I think I’m around 10 or so? It seemed high.”
[You’re nonchalantly broadcasting while someone you know is….]
“Oh, haha… it’s nice that it’s doing well for me.”
Thinking this conversation would get long, I sat on my bed.
The broadcast… should be fine if I’m away for a little while.
After all, the song is still playing, so there won’t be any dead air.
[You should actually be preparing now.]
“Preparing? For what?”
[There will be many more calls and invitations coming your way.]
“Oh, invitations? That’s all fine, I get them all the time.”
I guess because I’m somewhat well-known.
Recently, invitations haven’t been stopping.
I heard that the agency filters them out often.
[But you’ll get double what you’ve been receiving until now.]
“Eh? That much?”
[Yes, you’re going to hit number 1 soon.]
“…Number 1?”
[With this growth, it’s inevitable.]
I still hadn’t even cracked the top ten yet; isn’t this a bit too much?
But then I remembered who I was speaking to.
The composer, Kang Woo-hyeon.
Even though the idea of hitting number 1 is incredible, the composer is a giant in the industry who has seen number 1 countless times.
If a person like him is certain…
“Wow, that means my schedule is going to get packed.”
[That’s right.]
So, it really looks like I’m going to hit number 1.
Looks like playing League like today is going to be a rare treat.
“Well, then, I’ll go enjoy this moment for now.”
[… Right, that sounds like something Su-hyun would say.]
“Haha, if I hit number 1, I’ll treat everyone!”
[Looking forward to that!]
After hanging up, I stepped back into the soundproof booth.
“Am I too late?”
– Did you bring water?
– Let’s get back into the game!
“Alright then, I’ll be taking in players to join.”
And thus, that day, I continued my broadcast.
The next day.
Just like the composer had said, my new song achieved number 1.