Chapter 170

[Last week, I saw someone who looked exactly like No Name at the hospital.]

I know everyone hates it when I write such embarrassing posts here, but since this is the only community I have, please understand.

It was someone who was hospitalized due to leukemia. I’m not here to wallow in self-pity, just confirming quickly.

(Hb, RBC Count, Platelet Count.jpg)

Since I’m in long-term hospitalization, there isn’t much I can do, and watching streams every day has become the highlight of my life.

Anyway, I was on my way for a detailed blood test when I saw a little kid, maybe 6 or 7 years old, sitting alone in the waiting room.

Honestly, the patients getting tested here were all people with serious issues, so I just thought, “Oh, that’s a bit sad.”

The kid stood up, looking my way briefly as it was their turn for the next test, and what the hell? They looked exactly like No Name.

After watching No Name’s streams for 10 hours a day, I thought I had finally lost my mind; I felt a sense of self-loathing, but no matter how much I thought about it, it really seemed like No Name.

Oh, and I also remembered the nurses passing by keep saying how cute the kid was, not even glancing my way…

[Comments]

– No Name is 14, what are you talking about?

– Didn’t they say they were in 2nd grade?

└ Yeah, they must be in middle school, right?

– Is that their sibling?

– Oh my gosh, there are two No Names? Is this heaven?

– The last line was the key point, lol.

– Were they pretty?

└ Yikes, you creep.

└ (Author): No, it was seriously a kid about 1st grade level, I mean, they looked just like No Name’s main avatar!

└ I’m reporting you, bye.

└ No, I’m talking about the nurses, not the kid!

– Little kids all kind of look the same, you might have misjudged.

└ (Author): I have face blindness, so I’ll give you that, but I remember their hair being really long too.

– Maybe their parents dressed them up as No Name?

└ Imagine finding out your parents are streamers, lol. That’s already bleak.

[Since we’re throwing out theories, here’s my No Name sighting story.]

I didn’t see it myself; it’s my friend’s story, but I think it was at Dogok Station? Anyway, somewhere along Line 3, they said they saw No Name.

But they claimed it looked just like the avatar, lmao.

If they looked like the avatar, they’re supposed to be a European model with blonde hair and blue eyes who speaks fluent Korean, right? I told them to stop being ridiculous.

Then they said it was more like the main avatar or something?

So, I told them not to be ridiculous again. But the way the sighting stories keep coming up makes me think maybe there is another kid who looks similar?

[Comments]

– I’m the one who posted right below and I definitely saw it! It was so unfair; I saw them wearing an elementary school academy uniform on the way to school!

└ Really? What school was it?

└ I didn’t ask that.

└ But how do you know they were in elementary school?

└ Just looking at them, I could tell they were elementary-aged.

– That’s interesting.

– But No Name confirmed they were fourteen.

Rumors don’t spread linearly.

They always wait below the surface, holding their breath, and then suddenly jump up like flying fish.

And the reporters were fishermen who specialized in catching these flying fish.

If they didn’t catch the fish before it became visible to others, they couldn’t make a living, and that was the fate of the reporters.

“Seong Moon, the editor-in-chief is looking for you.”

“For me? Why?”

“I don’t know? Maybe it’s because you got caught playing AR games during work hours?”

“How did you know? Am I really getting fired today…?”

QBS game magazine reporter Jang Seong Moon took a deep breath and faced his boss.

There weren’t many opportunities to meet with higher-ups, and in reality, he was very satisfied with his job.

“Ah, Jang reporter. I brought something that really only you could handle while organizing viewer report data in this morning’s meeting.”

It wasn’t a mention to submit his resignation, so he discreetly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Yes, chief.”

“Everyone says you’re the expert when it comes to personal investigations.”

“Personal investigation…?”

The request for personal investigation meant it was only regarding internet personalities.

And he recalled the bad memory when the entertainment department head publicly rejected the order to interview Yoonseul last year and received significant disadvantages during performance evaluations.

“Chief, actually, my main job is reviewing games, not investigating personal matters…”

Personal investigations had always been a sideline.

“Really? I heard from your seniors that you recently investigated that ‘No Name.’”

“Oh, No Name?”

But why?

Jang Moon’s curiosity was met with an explanation from the editorial chief regarding the contents from the morning meeting.

“I heard that kid is fourteen.”

“Yes.”

“And a genius too.”

“Oh yes, definitely a genius.”

“I heard they posted something incredible on VTube? Did you see it?”

“No, chief, I’ve been busy with work lately. What was it about?”

That was a lie. Jang was pulling all-nighters for a quest related to resonance scenarios.

“I wouldn’t know! I’m from the humanities, after all! Ha ha! Anyway, if the writing is good enough, I’ll put it on the news talk program as well. You can check with your manager for details. Work hard, you got it?”

“Yes, I will…! But chief!”

“Yeah?”

“Isn’t it an industry unwritten rule to not feature young talents on TV?”

Since the ‘Ham Chohong murder incident,’ all news networks in South Korea had been hesitant to feature young children as the main subject of articles.

It wasn’t enforced by law, but the public threw stones at broadcasting stations every time young kids were showcased like that, creating an unspoken rule.

In fact, even before that incident, only the long-standing talent discovery program had the privilege of covering those sacred grounds.

“Ah, ha ha ha. That incident was thirty years ago! Those who left negative comments back then can’t even see properly now! This whole thing is based on numerous viewer reports, so it has enough justification. Understand?”

“Yes, I’ll work hard!”

“Good attitude. Have a good day!”

Returning to his seat, Jang Seong Moon pulled his hair out, watching No Name’s VTube.

[#1 Brocard’s problem (1876)]

[#2 Erdős–Straus conjecture (1948)]

[#3 Weaire–Phelan structure optimization (1993)]

[#4 Collatz conjecture bound further to n^0.737 (1937)]

[#5 Moving sofa problem upper bound improvement (1966)]

[#6 Twin prime conjecture (1849)]

[#7 Strong Goldbach conjecture (1742)]

“Ugh, I’m from the humanities too, damn it…”

If No Name’s proof is true, it would definitely be breaking news material; her subscribers have been consistently reporting it to the station.

Jang Seong Moon would have to use all his connections to find someone who could verify it.

* * *

Contrasting the struggling team of Name at Woeoa, the team formed with five challengers in LoL was already considered a strong favorite to win even before the tournament began.

The LoL Regression Battle started five days earlier than the normal practice sessions due to the pre-qualifications.

With the top 32 and top 16 qualifiers nearing their conclusion, only one step remained before heading to the finals.

“Waaaaah! Is this even real?!”

“No Name! No Name! No Name won’t stop! No Name is hammering away at Oren until he literally dies!”

“Earlier in the game, there was an 8,000 gold difference! Now there’s only a 1,000 gold difference! They’ve practically turned the game around from a losing position!”

“You’re a tank? What are you going to do? I’m a dealer! The dealer is the best in the late game! Who would have thought the once-mighty Oren would fall so helplessly like this after taking 10 kills?!”

Cheers filled the stadium.

The excited crowd, along with the hoarse announcers, was focused on the match that determined the final qualifiers for the finals.

35 minutes in, there were already 50 kills.

Every time eye contact was made, both teams were unable to hold back from fighting, and the fate of the match fell deeper into uncertainty.

One side was made up of three former professionals.

Like experienced pros, they harshly pressured the top and mid, cornering Name’s team.

However, even if the top split-pushing champion’s limbs were severed, and their jungle starved for 15 minutes, the team members focused solely on supporting Name’s growth as the ADC.

Even in a situation where the team was overwhelmingly behind, the ADC was only just keeping up with the gold.

And with a single team fight, the previously unfavorable game was turned on its head.

“If you watch No Name right now, I get a feeling they’re like a machine. Did our top solo die three times? It’s fine; our ADC earned 12 kills per minute. Did our mid die again on the side? It’s fine; the support who was trying to gain vision also died. I don’t know how many times they’ve saved the team from critical moments with their best judgment!”

“Indeed! It’s terrifying. There’s no fear. The opposing team ‘Trident’ is definitely showing signs of intimidation. Even when No Name merely gestures forward, they flinch and waste their flash!”

“Really seems like they have an exceptional ability to measure the distance between champions. No Name is a master of Arsteria, right? A long-range ADC is incredibly difficult to handle!”

“Yes! They’ve never played in any competition until now because of the mandatory ban, but even though they’re currently considered a tier 2 champ, once No Name gets hold of them, the situation could change drastically, so they can’t just let them play.”

“It might be too late to say this, but I think we shouldn’t let long-range ADCs near No Name!”

“Oh, oh, it seems like another team fight is about to start! They’re starting to growl at each other as soon as they make eye contact!”

The battle unfolded with a total of ten players.

The ground shook, and smoke billowed.

No Name, shouldering a cannon, emerged from the flames.

They had baited their opponents into focusing all their attacks on them just at the right moment.

“Ahhhhh! If they don’t catch No Name here!”

“If they mess this up, it might end! They can’t die anymore. Just as I said, No Name ruthlessly pulls in the kills! Quadra kill!”

“This team is strong… especially No Name. I think the teams they face in the finals need to prepare thoroughly. They’ve come back even stronger recently.”

“We’re off to the quarter-finals! The long game finally ends after 41 minutes and 30 seconds!”

“GG!”

The electrifying sensation didn’t allow them the luxury to savor victory.

With adrenaline soaring, Name’s team members were momentarily dazed as they gazed at the crumbling enemy castle.

As the cheers from the crowd reverberated through their skin, they finally shared the joy of reaching the finals.

“Whoa, we did it!”

“Oh man, that was so exhausting this match… I never want to play top again…”

“Hey, Minjun oppa, you had 8 deaths! Is that what you have to say? …Huh.”

“You did great, Name. Our slow start due to the bans definitely hurt us.”

“What matters is that we won.”

The opponent they met in the preliminaries was also a strong contender for the championship.

In terms of team synergy alone, you could argue that the opposing team was even better.

However, Name’s team gradually increased their synergy as time passed and managed to claim a perfect victory in the last team fight.

[Time – 41:34]

[NoName(Kaluya) – 16/1/7]

[Total Damage Dealt – 43.8K]

“We’ll prepare for the interview!”

Although they had to choose someone for the winner’s interview, Name had to excuse themselves.

“Wait, do I have to go straight to the Woeoa scrim practice again?”

“Yeah. The match took longer than expected, so I have to rush over.”

“You really live a hectic life.”

“Hey, Name, what would you have done if we had one more set? Where’s your confidence?”

“It’s only the prelims; losing doesn’t make sense. I’ll see you later.”

Without even a moment’s respite to enter the private room, Name launched into Woeoa.

[NoName: Sorry for the tournament running a bit late; I’ll jump right in.]

[NoName: Kariri?]

[Kariri: Oh, okay! Hurry up; everyone’s waiting!]