NOVEL NEXT Chapter 53
The morning broke.
Of course, calling it morning was a stretch since the sun was already high in the sky, but isn’t the center of the universe oneself?
No need to sweat the small stuff.
After hastily filling my belly with cereal and milk, I plopped down in front of my computer.
– Welcome!
As always, I launched the Legends of League client and felt a twinge of curiosity.
‘Huh?’
[SY Rainbow]
Connecting.
Rainbow was online.
It was a rare occurrence at this hour.
‘What’s up with that?’
Since Rainbow turned pro, aside from the off-season holiday, this was practically the first time he had logged on.
‘Hmm.’
Of course, he could just be idle, but something inside me tugged at the need to check.
No greetings were necessary.
The words to replace them had already been predetermined.
[Searching for a game…….].
Not long after I queued up, as if on cue, Rainbow’s status changed.
[SY Rainbow]
Searching for a game…….
‘As expected.’
Rainbow was waiting for me.
The reason wasn’t hard to guess.
‘He must know that I hit 1940 points.’
Right, it felt strange to say it myself, but right now, Prisoner’s score was one of the biggest talking points in Legends of League.
It was impossible for Rainbow, who had directly announced he was targeting me, to be unaware of that fact.
‘Being online at this hour means… no plans for today?’
Today was Wednesday.
A weekday.
Well, I could hardly be expected to know the internal affairs of pro teams, so I brushed it off.
Still, it was a bit odd that all the other pros on my friends list were offline.
Anyway, what this clearly meant was:
‘Right now, Rainbow is in peak condition.’
Every pro I had faced until now had typically met me in less-than-optimal states.
For them, solo queue was usually treated as a sort of practice or casual wrap-up after completing all team schedules.
Not to mention, Rainbow, who could be regarded as a star in the Legends of League, had an incredibly demanding personal schedule.
And yet, here he was waiting for me in top form.
My heart raced uncontrollably.
‘Right, today’s the day.’
I instinctively felt what kind of day it would be.
I had thought this day would come eventually, but it arrived a bit sooner than I expected.
[Game found!]
[Accept / Decline]
There was no need to hesitate.
‘Let’s do this.’
Come at me, try to stop me.
*
After all the picks were done, Ryu Jin-hyeok sat in silent meditation, quietly checking his own status.
Current condition: optimal.
His team members were all recognized experts by Ryu Jin-hyeok.
Everything pointed towards victory.
However, there was one variable: the opposing team had Prisoner.
[Prisoner]
Choosing champion.
“Phew….”
Despite being in a vastly different state than during his usual solo queue, Ryu Jin-hyeok couldn’t hide his nervousness.
He had felt this tension many times before.
The first time he stood on the finals stage.
The first time he stepped onto the Red Cup stage.
The first time he won the Red Cup.
Each one memorable enough to be etched in the history of Legends of League, and yet, absurdly, here he was feeling the same way just before a single solo queue match.
‘But I’m the one who’s going to win.’
Just like always.
– Welcome to Summoner’s Rift!
The game officially began.
Ryu Jin-hyeok, or Rainbow, aggressively pushed the opposing mid from the get-go.
He wanted to choke out the enemy jungler, Prisoner, while maintaining mid control.
– First Blood!
Not even three minutes into the game, the first kill occurred in mid.
The opposing mid was known as a skilled amateur mid laner, but he stood no chance against the now-focused Rainbow.
And…
If the mid gets solo killed, the immediate effect is, of course, felt most by the jungler.
As his jungler pinged an impending gank, Rainbow went to back him up.
And he was shocked.
There was only one small monster left in the opposing jungle.
This clearly indicated:
‘…Self-gank?’
What kind of foresight had he developed to make such an absurd judgment this early on?
‘Did he know I was going to get a solo kill?’
No, it wasn’t necessarily like that.
Even if it wasn’t a solo kill, Prisoner was absolutely confident Rainbow could dominate the lane.
In fact, he trusted the enemy Rainbow more than his own mid.
‘…Haha.’
Rainbow let out a hollow laugh.
Legends of League was a game that even longtime teammates could hardly believe in.
And yet, Prisoner unconditionally believed in his rival.
That fact struck Rainbow with a strange feeling, which soon erupted into competitive spirit.
‘…Prisoner!’
The fierce exchanges continued.
When Rainbow killed two enemy champions, Prisoner swiftly took down three of Rainbow’s allies.
It was a razor-edge battle.
Success kept shifting between them, but in the end, it was Prisoner who stood at the last moment.
And…
By the time he regained his composure, Prisoner had already grown monstrous.
‘…No, not yet.’
No matter how strong Prisoner was, he was still just one person.
If he has grown strong, all that’s needed is to create a situation that bypasses that strong opponent.
However,
Prisoner seemed to read that and appeared unpredictably.
It was impossible to shake him off.
Prisoner was everywhere, blocking the retreat at every turn.
– Our ally has fallen!
– The enemy is the embodiment of the battlefield!
After a fierce contest, our side successfully secured the fourth dragon, but unfortunately, that was all they could do.
In the end, the enemy team, buffed by both Baron and Elder, advanced upon our Nexus.
[Defeat]
Like anyone else, in Legends of League, defeat was something one could hardly get used to.
In fact, for Ryu Jin-hyeok, who had always stood on the winning side, it was a profoundly unfamiliar scene.
“…….”
Just as Ryu Jin-hyeok was momentarily in a daze, one of the status windows on his friends list changed.
[Prisoner]
Searching for a game…….
Prisoner had instantly queued up.
‘…Right, I shouldn’t be sitting here.’
He had only just lost the first match.
Despite how much importance people place on the first game in a best-of series, this wasn’t a best-of series.
In the end, what mattered was who stood victorious at the last moment.
[Game found!]
[Accept / Decline]
Ryu Jin-hyeok clicked accept again.
And then was stunned.
───────────────
Prisoner has joined the lobby.
.
.
.
SY Rainbow has joined the lobby.
Ryu Jin-hyeok was currently playing pure solo queue.
No duo nonsense here.
He had of course expected such a situation, but meeting the opponent who had just led him to defeat as an ally was a rather bizarre feeling.
Especially if that opponent was Prisoner.
‘Should I dodge?’
Ryu Jin-hyeok shook his head.
Know thy enemy and know thyself to avoid a hundred battles.
Only by understanding both can he find ways to respond.
And…….
[Victory]
Game time: a total of 13 minutes and 11 seconds.
This wasn’t a case of the enemy surrendering, but purely a matter of smashing the Nexus.
“…….”
He had crushed all lanes from the beginning.
Among them, Prisoner shone the brightest.
Just like how ordinary gamers shine in advantageous games, Prisoner was no different.
‘What the hell… who are you?’
Amidst confusion, Ryu Jin-hyeok promptly queued up to match Prisoner again.
As a result, he ran into him thrice as allies and about four times as enemies.
Of those, both candidates met once that resulted in a dodge each.
He faced Prisoner as an ally twice and as an enemy three times.
[Victory]
[Defeat]
[Defeat]
[Victory]
[Defeat]
And in every one of those games, Prisoner seized victory without fail.
Even the fully-powered Rainbow couldn’t manage to block Prisoner’s path.
“…….”
Ryu Jin-hyeok hung his head in newfound helplessness and powerlessness.
He lost.
Absolutely lost.
This was drastically different from before.
Every defeat he had faced until now had had its share of small excuses.
He hadn’t been in good condition,
Was drained from scrims,
Or it was just solo queue, after all.
But not this time.
Ryu Jin-hyeok had put everything on the table to face Prisoner.
The solid had ultimately cracked; he realized his own steadfastness had shattered against the wall that was Prisoner.
“…….”
And Ryu Jin-hyeok understood.
He finally saw how far Prisoner had arrived.
[Prisoner]
Ranking #1
Solo Queue
– Challenger
– 2000 LP / 271 Wins 172 Losses
– Win Rate 61%
Solo Queue at 2000 points.
Once you surpass 1800, it’s only reasonable to be called a new legend, and he finally made a myth when the leading digit of his solo queue score changed.
“……Prisoner.”
When faced with the incomprehensible, humans often exhibit two reactions.
They fear or they revere.
Ironically, Ryu Jin-hyeok was feeling both emotions simultaneously.
He feared Prisoner.
He revered Prisoner.
He felt Prisoner……
“Prisoner……”
Just as Ryu Jin-hyeok began to half-lost in his thoughts, continually murmuring that name, he suddenly received a message.
[2]
[Prisoner: SY Rainbow]
[Prisoner: I have something to say]
A direct message arrived from Prisoner.