NOVEL NEXT Chapter 59
Choosing a Nickname.
For every gamer, this is a crucial rite of passage and one of the biggest time sinks out there.
You can imagine the countless users who rush to secure a so-called rare nickname when a new game drops.
Of course, some might say, “A nickname? Who cares, just slap something on and play the game.”
They have no idea.
In gaming, a nickname is one of the most important first impressions, representing you as a player.
Take, for example, “3 Min Top School Honorary Member.” You can easily see how crucial a nickname is.
From a jungler’s perspective, having a top laner with a name like that on your team can feel like a statistically significant 10% drop in win rate.
Not a metaphor—it’s real.
On the other hand, what about a top laner with a name like “MYE LaLaLa,” who plays for League’s top-tier MYE team?
MYE LaLaLa’s solo rank nickname is “Jungler’s Slave.”
Statistically speaking, that nickname can boost the win rate by a solid 11%.
So, naturally, my concerns grew.
‘…What should I go with?’
Back then, I snagged the relatively clean nickname “Prisoner” simply because I was one of the earliest users of Legends of League.
It was literally the time when anything could be made.
But what about now?
Legends of League has become one of the most successful games globally, boasting 5 million concurrent users and over 12 million daily players, with monthly users (DAU) nearing 100 million.
Even if we just consider the Korean server, how many meaningful names could possibly be left out there?
“Uuumm.”
Initially, I thought about something simple like “Liberator,” the opposite of “Prisoner.”
Or maybe something like “Escape.”
Or “FreeMan” or even “Bittern” sounded decent.
‘I even considered something like “Ex-convict” if it came to that…’
But as mentioned, Legends of League isn’t the same as it used to be; it’s a stagnant game now.
There’s no way such names could still be available.
[The summoner name is already registered!]
[The summoner name is already registered!]
[The summoner name is already registered!]
I checked just in case, and yep, as expected.
‘Let’s give up.’
If I wanted to get a good name, I would have thought of some way to claim one, but it was easy for me to walk away from those names.
What if someone appears with a related name shortly after “Prisoner” disappears?
That’s just a juicy piece of bait for all those conspiracy-lovers out there.
I felt a need to be as careful as possible since any clue I accidentally dropped could point back to “Prisoner.”
No more messing around.
This is a hard-earned opportunity.
[The summoner name is already registered!]
[The summoner name is already registered!]
[The summoner name is already registered!]
Right after that, I tried several names I thought were pretty cool, only to find they were all taken.
‘…This is infuriating.’
Ah, whatever.
[PleaseNo]
[The summoner name is already registered!]
“……”
These guys, aren’t they just being too much?
‘This won’t do.’
At this point, I have no choice but to use the forbidden ultimate technique…
[Yujin]
[The summoner name is already registered!]
[The summoner name is already registered!]
[The summoner name is already registered!]
Time flew by, and before I knew it, over an hour passed.
Never thought picking a nickname would take this long, but it’s even worse that I still hadn’t picked one.
“……”
I was exhausted.
In resignation, I just scribbled down a random nickname.
[GameWell4148]
[Name is available.]
Now completely drained, I pressed the nickname creation button.
I couldn’t keep holding onto this forever, could I?
‘After all, I can always change it to a real nickname once I start playing ranked games.’
Or even later when I officially debut as a pro.
‘It’d be nice to have some sort of reputation before debuting as a pro, but…’
What can I do?
My naming sense has reached its limit here.
In the end, my decision was to hold off.
It was more of a conclusion based on baseless hope that a good nickname would strike me one day.
[Welcome!]
“Phew.”
As I looked at the lobby screen for the first time in ages, I felt a strange nostalgia and immediately hit the game start button.
+
[PVP]
[5v5] [Summoner’s Rift]
<◆> Private Selection
[5v5] [Random Showdown]
<◆> Random Showdown
─────────
[AI Battle]
<◆> Beginner
< > Novice
< > Intermediate
─────────
[Training]
<Tutorial>
<Practice Mode>
─────────
+
‘Alright.’
Without hesitation, I clicked on Summoner’s Rift.
[5v5] [Summoner’s Rift]
<◆> Private Selection
Originally, leveling up a low-level account to 30 for ranked games was best done with AI bot matches.
But, I didn’t want to do that.
This is a hard-earned new life.
Each game is incredibly precious to me, and I have no intention of wasting those sacred moments on a mere bot.
‘Absolutely no macros or proxies either.’
I am going to be a pro.
Even at the growing stage, I wouldn’t leave any small blemish by resorting to bots or macros.
That’s why I was determined to play normal games myself starting from level 1.
‘Oh right.’
I just realized I hadn’t bought that.
[Shop]
I entered the shop to purchase IP and experience boosters.
If I was thinking of leveling up through normal games instead of AI, I’d need exp boosters; otherwise, it would take forever to level up.
‘Can’t be doing normal games forever.’
Once in the shop, a thought crossed my mind.
‘Hmm, but I need champions if I’m going to play the game, right?’
Unlike normal games where you can use rotation champions, for ranked games, you basically need a minimum number of champions.
Most users just buy the cheapest champions to fill the numbers, but that doesn’t work for effective ban/pick strategies.
It’d mean starting the game with a disadvantage before it even begins due to external factors tied to the number of champions.
‘That won’t do.’
So, I immediately spent about a million won on points and completed the purchase of all champions, including experience boosters.
I couldn’t exactly play without champions and skins.
‘Let’s see…’
As the previously empty champion window filled up, I felt a strange sense of relief.
‘Now this is what you need to play the game.’
I looked over my info with satisfaction and launched directly into a game.
[Searching for a game…….]
And 2 minutes passed.
‘…Why is it taking so long to queue?’
Then I remembered one important fact I had forgotten.
It’s been nearly a decade since Legends of League started its service.
Not just a decade—globally, it has reigned supreme during that time.
So, it’s hardly an exaggeration to say there’s almost no influx of new users in Legends of League.
The game is stagnant.
As a result, the normal queue that used to pop quickly when leveling up has become as hard to get into as the challenger queue.
“This game sucks.”
But even in stagnant waters, rain can still trickle in.
[Game found!]
[Accept / Reject]
Here comes the official low-rank sortie.
───────────────
Hororororoll rolling in the lobby.
GameWell4148 joins the lobby.
YankYankYourMouth joins the lobby.
I Am Kim Suho joins the lobby.
y3op3i53fgk joins the lobby.
───────────────
Even with a level 1 normal queue, it was clear none of the IDs belonged to players experiencing Legends of League for the first time.
‘Nice.’
I immediately began hammering out the chat as the pick phase started, just as I had simulated in my head a thousand times.
[GameWell4148: gg]
[GameWell4148: gg]
[Hororororoll: I’ll go mid]
[I Am Kim Suho: 45 pick bot duo]
As expected, my steady simulation paid off, and I managed to grab the jungler role.
‘What should I pick?’
Just as I was slowly selecting my champion…
[Lee Sin]
Our ally, the 3rd pick, YankYankYourMouth, picked Lee Sin without a word.
At first, I thought he might be going top or mid, but sadly, he had Smite as his spell.
[GameWell4148: ?]
[GameWell4148: Jungler priority.]
And then I heard his response.
[YankYankYourMouth: fuck you]
[YankYankYourMouth: just ride the bus in unrated]
What’s this guy’s problem?