[TS] Malicious Sniper

Jericho drawing the number 1 in the 1st round meant I had to cancel my plans for a day off today.

I wanted to stream tomorrow, but being forced to stream now didn’t exactly put me in a good mood.

And as I sat there, feeling annoyed, the Whistle Team just kept target-banning during the pick phase, making me even more irritable.

“What are you going to pick mid? TF?”

As the last pick time approached, Antenna asked what I was going to pick.

Out of the seven champions I had pulled in scrims, five were banned by the enemy, and one was picked by them.

That left only the TF which I had used only once in scrims, but I really didn’t want to choose TF for this match.

TF definitely had operational advantages, but it wasn’t a champion whose performance depended solely on physical skills.

Not wanting a smooth win against an irritating enemy team, I continued to think it over and finally spoke up.

“Bring out LeBlanc.”

“LeBlanc… Got it.”

It seemed like Antenna held back from trying to question my choice and obediently picked LeBlanc.

After all, from Antenna’s perspective, picking LeBlanc, which he had never played even once, could lead to valid distrust.

But I figured Antenna let it slide because of Jericho.

Jericho was the streamer who placed the most importance on the Platform Tournament within the team.

Seeing Jericho not question my LeBlanc pick likely meant he had his own reasons for that.

Perhaps due to his exceptional intuition, his ability to assess the situation and make judgments was impressive.

With LeBlanc picked, the ban-pick phase ended.

After swapping champions, the game began.

*

League of Legends’ solo queue and tournaments are like entirely different games. The differences are so pronounced people even say so.

For example, getting solo kills is commonplace in solo queue, but they rarely happen in tournaments.

What’s crucial in tournaments isn’t the player’s individual skill difference, but the teamwork essential for team games.

But what happens when a team in the first division faces a team in the second division?

The gap between the first and second divisions is as vast as the sky and the ground, and it won’t close anytime soon.

Naturally, it was evident that the first division team would crush the second division team, leading the game without a doubt.

[There’s no way to stop them!]

Just like the ongoing match between the Curry Breakers and the Whistle Team.

Only 16 minutes into the game and the laning phase was starting to conclude, Barcode’s LeBlanc secured her fifth solo kill.

If Barcode’s physical skills were in the mid-tier of the first division, then the enemy midlaner’s skills were the lowest of the second division.

They had used all their bans to target Barcode, but the results were utterly pitiful.

As the other members of the Curry Breakers, who hadn’t been under much scrutiny, began to dominate their lanes, the balance of the game rapidly crumbled.

Reaching the mid-game, the Curry Breakers gathered to hunt the Rift Herald and moved mid.

The Whistle Team also gathered to stop the Curry Breakers’ advance, but perhaps they had already lost their will, as their movements were lackluster.

Due to the overwhelming gap, the enemy had no choice but to be pushed back, and the Whistle Team could only watch helplessly as the summoned Rift Herald demolished their tower.

As the twin towers fell, the Nexus under concentrated attack shattered.

The match ended with the Rift Herald dancing to celebrate its victory.

“The Whistle Team’s Nexus has been destroyed, and the game is over!”

“That was an overwhelming performance indeed. Congratulations to the Curry Breakers!”

[Isn’t this match-fixing?]

[Is Barcode the only one playing here?]

[If a woman can do this much, what about me as a man…]

[All the below-average men, please stop chatting from now on ^^]

[The neophytes in the chat, lol]

[You can see the tiers just by looking at the chat, it’s magic]

The official channel’s chatroom was a whirlwind of chaos.

I had expected Barcode, who was under heavy scrutiny, wouldn’t have a chance to shine at all.

But contrary to expectations, the match was effectively Barcode’s solo performance, causing a lot of confusion.

The name ‘Barcode’ was now engraved in the minds of viewers watching the official channel.

Unbelievable circumstances raised doubts, and those doubts soon turned into interest that led viewers to Barcode’s stream.

Streamers participating in the tournament must turn on their broadcasts before the match and set a 3-minute delay.

Due to these rules, all streamers, including Barcode, had their streams active.

Viewers watching the tournament on the official channel switched to wherever their interests led them.

Of course, the losing team would quickly fade from memory.

*

“I didn’t expect you to play LeBlanc so well. Did you practice separately?”

“I didn’t practice any separately. I’ve known how to play her for a long time.”

Honestly, it was obvious that they would expect me to play LeBlanc well.

Seeing Jericho pretend to be surprised and praising me made me chuckle.

Since the last lawsuit incident, Jericho had been considerate about these small details, much like Curry.

“Originally, I planned to have a feedback session after the match… but it ended so anticlimactically that there’s nothing to discuss.”

“But don’t you think we should go over even minor mistakes?”

“Um… from my perspective, Latte and Barcode had no mistakes at all. Ah, including myself, of course.”

Jericho added that he focused too much on the upper lane to keep an eye on the bottom.

“The bottom didn’t really have any mistakes either.”

“Oh really? If that’s the case, then there’s genuinely nothing to feedback on.”

When Antenna confirmed there were no issues in the bottom lane, it became clear there was no further feedback needed.

The Curry Breakers had no more matches for the day, and we decided to wrap up early.

“Thanks for your hard work.”

“Everyone did great. Wasn’t the next match in four days?”

“Yes, that’s right—four days.”

“Thanks for your hard work.”

With that, I said my goodbye and exited the call room.

Thus, after successfully completing my first match, I scrolled through the chat messages appearing above.

[What can Barcode not do?]

[Five solo kills in just 16 minutes;;]

[Killed as many as the bans used, haha]

[Hehee… my bro…]

[The ace of the Curry Breakers! The ace of the Curry Breakers! The ace of the Curry Breakers!]

[Breaking news) Curry Breakers win!]

[Spoiler alert! Get out!!!]

[Even if I get spoiled, it doesn’t make me feel bad.]

[Is there even a point in spoiling a preordained conclusion?]

Because there’s a 3-minute delay, the viewers were stuck chatting in the past.

A few damn spoilers from friends who claimed to have come from the future popped up, but Ji-hye quickly shot them down.

Seeing Ji-hye diligently handling the situation without needing much supervision made me feel undeservedly proud.

I thought to myself, at least I truly picked a decent person.

As the game came to an end, I released the 3-minute delay.

[Baha~]

[Baha~]

[Has the 3-minute delay been released?]

[Baha~]

[I really enjoyed today’s match.]

[It looked like they just crushed their opponents by force.]

[Isn’t it a reward when Barcode’s girl crush crushes them?]

[Hehee…]

[Seems like you’ve finally lost your beginner’s spirit, huh ㅠㅠ]

[During the break, please explain your targeting of Curry.]

“Explain the targeting of Curry? I just did it because I was told to.”

A small smile crept to my face as I recalled yesterday’s memories.

The sound of Curry sighing, Curry screaming, Curry venting his frustration…

I had been stressed by being made to stream against my will.

But recalling the memories from last night suddenly lifted my spirits.

[I was told to target, so I’d be disappointed if I didn’t… oho…]

[That’s why you shouldn’t recklessly say things you can’t handle.]

[When are you two going to take a real relationship? This seems like true love.]

[You can just spam that chat in Curry’s chatroom and get free ban immediately.]

[So when are you two realistically collaborating?]

“Real-life collaborations, huh?”

Just as I was about to log off, one chat caught my eye.

A real-life collaboration literally meant meeting in person and collaborating.

If I really did meet Curry for a real-life collab, what would happen?

I don’t usually like going outside, but for a real-life collaboration with Curry, I’d go outside repeatedly.

“Well, I wonder. But do you think Curry would want to collaborate with me in real life?”

[Would you?]

[Are you going to? Haha]

[Isn’t this like a rabbit collaborating with a lion?]

[Would the real-life collaboration be a mukbang?]

[Barcode’s Curry mukbang, wow!]

[Whoa!]

[That guy can balance well!]

[Curry was delicious, after all.]

[I just slammed down some instant curry today~]

My thoughts matched what the viewers were responding to.

If I were Curry, I’d definitely reject a real-life collaboration request from a streamer like Barcode.

There was no way Curry would agree to meet up for a real-life collaboration.

But Curry was still a streamer, and as a streamer, he had to pay attention to public sentiment.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen just because I want it to. But if public sentiment sways, a real-life collaboration might come to fruition, right?”

[Haha!]

[That’s our specialty!]

[?? What does everyone mean by that?]

[If you don’t get it, just shut up and go to Curry’s chat!]

[Is Zero Army returning?…]

[A bunch of brainless fans are dropping in left and right!]

As I straight-up threw bait into the chat, the viewers began to react.

“I’m going to wrap up the stream here and host Curry.”

[Is this a shutdown moment? What the hell.]

[It’s no wonder she’s not just a challenger goddess!]

[Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!]

[Seems like Curry has been gentler these days, haha.]

[Let’s see the spicy Curry!]

On the first day of the main selection finals, thanks to the buff from the first match, my stream surprisingly exceeded 30,000 viewers.

Sending my condolences in advance to Curry, who would be hosting this 30,000-strong crowd I had baited.

[Hosting Curry (rnjsxoqkr123)…]

Thus, after hosting Curry, I ended the stream.

*

Watching the replays of the Curry Breakers’ match, Curry let out a sigh of frustration.

She still didn’t understand why someone with such skill had been targeting her for years.

She also wondered what kind of face they made a stream and participated in the Platform Tournament.

There was no way they had turned on their stream just to target her during the tournament.

Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine, and she swiftly turned off the replay video.

The thought of meeting them in the finals of the main selection weighed heavier on her mind.

While gathering evidence that Barcode and Nayun Queen were the same person, progress was painfully slow, and only the staff’s fatigue piled up.

The only thing they managed to uncover during the investigation was that Nayun Queen’s activity patterns were irregular.

From time to time, she would suddenly disappear during periods when she was very active in targeting.

Actually, it wasn’t uncommon for Nayun Queen to vanish all of a sudden.

Just like the mysterious Yone Master, who had disappeared abruptly after achieving a ridiculous record of 50 wins and 0 losses.

The more they searched, the more circumstantial evidence mounted that Nayun Queen and Barcode were the same person.

But there was no concrete evidence anywhere to confirm they were the same.

How could she possibly obtain that crucial evidence?

Deep in thought, Curry suddenly recalled what had happened just before signing off earlier.

The 30,000 refugees flooding the chat with requests for a real-life collaboration and hosting by Barcode.

Just recalling that scenario gave her chills, but she felt she could find the key to cutting ties with this tough relationship.

“Real-life collaboration…”

Maybe meeting Barcode in real life and asking directly would work.

Of course, she didn’t entertain childish thoughts that they would just answer her calmly.

If they were to meet in person, Curry planned to demand a list of accounts under Barcode’s name.

It was an impolite request, but there was likely no surer way than that.

“…Do I really have to?”

The moment she considered meeting Barcode in real life, she felt a shiver.

Dealing with virtual harassment was nearly enough to drive her insane, and she sometimes even heard things.

If she had to deal with harassment in real-time right beside her, could she really endure it?

As Curry continued deep in thought, she could arrive at a conclusion.

Before this Platform Tournament is done and the new season begins, she will sever ties with this stubborn relationship.

Curry made a solid vow and steeled her resolve.

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