NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22
I was so flustered the first time Mother left a note like that and dashed out…
Now it’s just a past memory, but back then, it felt like a serious issue.
“‘…Heat the soup?’”
I must have been so lost that I even had to call her to ask about something so simple.
“‘Um… So how do I heat the soup?’”
I still remember her voice, mixed with equal parts surprise and disbelief.
‘Well, I’ve never done it, so what do you expect?’
I tried to comfort myself with that thought, but the fact that I, a fully grown adult, had to call my mother just to heat up some food was undeniable.
It was a bit embarrassing for me.
Of course, that’s all in the past, and it wasn’t like that anymore, so I skillfully scooped rice from the electric rice cooker, poured the warmed stew into a bowl, and sat at the dining table.
This morning’s menu was a simple meal of soybean stew with fried eggs and a selection of side dishes.
I’d normally prefer bread in the morning, but lately, I just ate whatever Mother prepared.
The argument over side dishes like before didn’t work anymore.
“‘Just eat what’s given.’”
That day, I learned what it means to curse with a smile.
‘Well, that’s not really the important part.’
Clinking, clanking.
It didn’t take me long to empty my rice bowl.
Maybe it was because I started the day with an impressive meal or maybe I was just really hungry.
“Thank you for the meal.”
After rinsing the bowls quickly for a preliminary wash, I tossed them straight into the dishwasher.
It suddenly struck me how convenient life has become, and I was grateful for it.
If it weren’t for such conveniences of civilization, I’d clearly feel the absence of a housekeeper by now.
‘Alright, then…’
Having filled my stomach, I headed to my room as usual.
“What should I play today?”
If someone saw me, they’d think I was picking out an outfit for an exciting first date, but I was really mulling over equipment, certainly not what I’d wear.
‘Let’s try this.’
After selecting a keyboard and mouse set, I connected them to the computer in order.
As I pressed a few keys, it felt a bit stiffer compared to the previous one, but that was relative—there was zero trouble in pressing them.
‘No need to play a normal game again.’
To be honest, I felt a bit drained from the normal game I had yesterday.
The bizarre dissonance between my teammates and even the enemies…
Had I just been looking to enjoy the game, it would have been different, but trying hard to win made me feel extraordinarily exhausted.
The mental energy expended felt almost heavier than in ranked games, believe it or not.
[Practice Mode]
Of course, even so, I wasn’t planning to jump straight into ranked, so I set up a dummy in practice mode and used various skill combos for about twenty minutes.
‘Hmm, this should be fine.’
Nothing was particularly hindering my skill combos, and it wasn’t sticky at all.
Satisfied based on my own standards, I queued up.
[Searching for a game…….]
It was 11 AM.
Not too early, not too late—a sort of awkward time, so it wasn’t the best time for a queue.
I habitually scrolled through the Legends of League community while queuing.
Unfortunately, there weren’t many interesting posts, possibly because the professional league season hadn’t started yet.
Just some weird memes about bees or something?
‘What’s so funny about this?’
After reading some things that felt way too over the top, I thought they’d be disappearing soon.
Just as I was about to close the community, something with a peculiar title caught my eye.
-(Data Warning) Smiling Normal Game.jpg
Come on, no way.
Just a normal game, right?
Yet, I still clicked on the post as if something was compelling me.
───────────────
(Gone for over a minute, the bot’s already dipping out.JPG)
(Scene of the game falling apart early due to a diving snowball.GIF)
(Prisoner’s shenanigans tormenting the laughing Dattak.GIF)
(Another bottom lane death.GIF)
(Scene with a jungler’s level 2 lead.JPG)
(Diamonds talking big, thinking they’ve won.JPG)
(Angry Prisoner. Diamonds diving mid immediately.GIF)
.
.
.
(And they turn this around.GIF)
(Jungler level 3 lead.JPG)
(Your ult was solid. Sylas’s Baron kick.JPG)
(GG.JPG)
───────────────
Well, I guess it’s true to say that the same old same old is still true.
Or maybe I’ve finally developed some sort of supernatural foresight.
The protagonists of this post were none other than my Diamond friends I’d encountered in a normal game.
Honestly, I found it a bit absurd.
‘…Did they start tracking my normal games too?’
It’s not surprising for replays to be saved in the Challenger bracket.
Actually, it’s rare not to have replays saved while playing in that tier.
Players use them for feedback or amateurs watch to learn.
But this was just a normal game.
It’s not like a famous streamer was in it or anything.
In other words, they had deliberately recorded my gameplay just to watch a player named Prisoner.
‘…That’s kind of creepy.’
I mean, I never thought ordinary games would get recorded, so it felt a bit unsettling.
Lost in these thoughts, I checked out the comments.
-Challenger is a challenger, how did they turn that around?
-RL, anyone coming now needs to bury their heads in shame.
-Isn’t Diamond top 1% too? But really, Challenger is just on another level, haha.
-No, it’s not that challengers are unbeatable, they’re ranked 2nd. Considering the momentum, they’ll likely be back to 1st in a day or two.
-Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner!
-No spam, please.
-Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner!
Well, it’s nice to have fans, I suppose.
Though they might be gone soon, it feels good to know someone supports and likes me.
[Game Found!]
[Accept / Decline]
Having perused through hundreds of comments, the queue finally matched me up.
───────────────
qwdkmqwojfte joined the lobby.
IIIIlIIIlIlIII joined the lobby.
Prisoner joined the lobby.
Let’s go there joined the lobby.
1q2w3e4r1234 joined the lobby.
───────────────
It seems like, given the time, there were more unknown IDs than professional ones.
Those unknown IDs might be amateur or pro players from China.
[Ban List]
Lee Sin / Rumble
Sylas / Senna
Shaco / Morgana
Morgana / Kai’Sa
Kai’Sa / Lee Sin
Since it was still early, whether for that reason or another, the ban/pick phase proceeded quite simply without any demands for first picks.
[Allies / Enemies]
Top : Renekton / Sion
Jungle : Elise / Karthus
Mid : Galion / Akali
Bot : Ezreal / Jinx
Support : Maokai / Ruler
‘We’ll definitely lose late game.’
This so-called time attack composition wasn’t really my preferred setup for bans and picks, but that didn’t mean I lacked confidence.
‘It’s not like it’s the first time or anything.’
I figured my teammates felt the same way, as the game began without any dodging.
[Starting Game!]
As the loading screen revealed the enemy IDs, I couldn’t shake off a slight discomfort.
───────────────
3 Min Top School Honorary Member – Sion
SY YunGi – Karthus
meiuvanfairer – Akali
SCV BlackDog – Jinx
SY GuineaPig – Ruler
───────────────
‘…Almost all pros.’
Among them, I especially focused on the enemy jungler’s name.
[SY YunGi]
Red Cup winning jungler.
The wild horse of the Rift.
Partner of Rainbow.
And…
The world’s top jungler.
The man who held all those titles.
He was right in front of me as my opponent.