Chapter 21

The South Korean branch of Infinity Games, the developer and operator of the world’s most successful online game, Teamfight Arena.

The marketing team had to be well-versed in all kinds of gaming industry issues.

And without a doubt, anything related to Teamfight Arena.

“An incredible new player that Victory declared as a rival?”

Park Gwangan’s eyes lit up at this news.

He sensed a major opportunity on the horizon.

A single superstar can create immense economic value. Victory, the idol of all gamers and the bearer of an undefeated legend, was such a superstar.

Not a goose laying golden eggs, but a phoenix whose egg was so massive it fed the entire industry—and still had leftovers.

And associated with this Victory, the name kept popping up—Sol.

Judging by the rumors, Sol seemed to be the chick of a phoenix who would grow into a giant bird capable of feeding many, if nurtured well.

“Manager Choi, investigate thoroughly.”

The marketing team quickly moved to make contact with the elusive Sol.

After gathering information on Sol, it was noted:

“The account is indeed a new one. There’s no prior registration record, it’s a clean slate. But… it’s registered as female?”

“Could it just be a mistake?”

“The structure of mobile phone authentication doesn’t allow for those kinds of mistakes. You can’t confirm the wrong gender.”

“But in broadcasts, the voice is unmistakably male.”

“They also have a preference for larger breasts.”

“Hmm.”

“No matter how we think about it, it seems like there’s identity fraud going on.”

“I’m out. What if it’s a transgender issue? Things are sensitive with that now.”

“Actually, there’s a growing trend towards accepting gender correction applications. It’s rare but possible for someone officially male but registered as female.”

The underlying issue was obscured by secrecy. The mysterious illness—Sex Reversal Syndrome—that affected So Ah and Seol Yun was well-hidden for patient protection, and even many doctors were unaware of its existence. Occasionally someone would try to expose the truth, but it was generally dismissed as urban legend or dismissed outright.

Unaware of this rare condition, the marketing team assumed transgenderness, more common and thus more likely.

Given that, they wondered what the probabilities were: was it more likely that the account was registered using a mother’s phone, or was it caught in the complexities of gender identity?

Naturally, the former would be far more common.

But Park Gwangan wasn’t willing to touch even the slimmest possibility.

“Games must be fair. That’s a principle that must be upheld.”

“I’m bowing out. You figure it out with the GM team.”

Manager Choi couldn’t avoid the low chance; fairness in gaming dictated he couldn’t.

You should fight under your real name, holding your banner high, fair and square.

Manager Choi headed to the GM team to address any potential wrongdoings—like if an unknown male was using a female’s account for broadcasting, which would result in an account suspension, after thorough consideration.

*

[Current Viewers: 4,196]

Was the problem that there were just too many viewers?

Had I been too complacent?

The initial plan had greatly changed. I never imagined the game company would be watching me so closely.

Probably because of being associated with Victory and Wild. They were famous, and the attention trickled down to me.

Thus comes the suspension, right? They judged the account not to be mine.

‘This is such a hassle.’

[Proxy! Proxy! Proxy! Proxy!]

[With these skills, how much did they charge? I’m jealous af lol]

[Still, compared to a pro’s salary, it’s probably just a drop in the bucket lol]

[Infinity is doing a great job~ Infinity is doing a great job~]

[Why did you rise from the shadows to the light?]

[It’s clear you envied Victory]

<lol yep>

Nothing was confirmed about me, but according to the public perception, I was revealed as a proxy gamer trying to legitimize my identity for fame.

Though there were some reasonable voices of [Let’s hear him out] or [Why doesn’t someone investigate first?] among the chaos of trolling comments, they were drowned out by the trolls.

‘I just want this to be over.’

The reason I pretended to be a man was simple.

I was just fed up with the kind of women who always complicate things in real life.

I didn’t want to meet them in games.

I wanted to have some clean living even online.

The reason I had registered as a woman was equally straightforward.

I never expected to gain attention this quickly or become famous so soon.

Initially, I wanted to be an aspiring broadcaster, not an actual one.

Would any of this have happened if I had only had 2 or 3 viewers?

Probably not with 20-30 and maybe not with 200-300 either?

I think so.

Infinity was a giant gaming company. They wouldn’t waste their resources monitoring everyone unless necessary.

But Wild and Victory were bigger figures than I’d thought, drawing the crowd my way.

And that’s how the game company noticed me too.

[My]

[Defeat]

[Gone]

[Name]

[Gone]

[Gone]

[Name]

[Defeat]

The comments were now spamming ‘Explain’ or ‘Defeat’ in single characters, a new pattern.

I really didn’t want to explain, but then I thought—this wasn’t just about me.

I already told them I was friends with Wild and Victory.

‘They don’t deserve this inconvenience.’

There’d be less controversy if I were just a friend of someone pretending to be a man rather than being accused of being a proxy cheat.

At this point, most people have probably guessed that Victory and Wild are just regular internet gaming friends.

But they’re the only connections I have now that my real-life relationships have crumbled.

Initially, the only numbers in my phone were my family’s and the hospital’s.

They’re literally the only friends I have, and losing them would leave me completely isolated.

“I can explain.”

“…”

“And I also get why I was suspended.”

[Let’s see what you say then]

[Let’s watch this pathetic excuse]

[Nadir]

[Kekekekekekeke]

I moved the game client off the screen and pulled forward a voice modifier I’d had hidden on the other monitor.

[What?]

[What are you trying to do?]

[What’s this?]

“This setting is to manipulate my current voice.”

I increased the pitch, then returned it to normal.

“Ah, Ah, Ah.”

Raising the pitch does not change a woman’s voice to a man’s. The vocal techniques are entirely different for both genders.

I relaxed my strained throat and emitted a much more natural, comfortable tone.

“It’s not a proxy, I’m actually a woman. Is there anyone monitoring? Are there any operators listening?”

[Huh]

[WTFF This isn’t real]

[What the hell]

[Is Sol a girl?]

[Crazy don’t say that like how is it possible?]

[Well-played girls must be proxies]

[Voice mod what?]

[Victory’s rival, revealed to be top-tier S-Rank cutie?]

[How does a girl play Teama well kekekekeke?]

[Kreeeek]

[Is this real?]

“Isn’t that bizarre? You’re saying you’re a girl?”

“I told you to call me ‘older brother’, didn’t I?”

[Did Wild not know?]

[Kekekekekeke]

[Cutie hid herself]

[We don’t know what you look like, though, so why call her cutie?]

[Because her voice is cutie]

[Call me ‘older brother’… toooo sexy…]

[Why pretend to be a man at all?]

[Not believing it before a face reveal]

“You’d better leave, man.”

And this is why I didn’t want to reveal I’m a woman.

I never would’ve if I hadn’t been suspended.

Actually, even if I was suspended, if I wasn’t associated with Wild and Victory, I’d have just disappeared without explanation.

“Voice manipulation or not, you won’t believe me based on sound alone.”

[Camera?]

[Face reveal?]

[I believe just by listening ㅠㅠ]

[A well-performing, beautiful voice sister is crazy]

[Victory’s only recognized rival being a woman????]

[How do we trust you played?]

Would I go insane and show my face?

I don’t even have any cameras, and I didn’t want to use one even if I had it.

Instead, I turned on a phone-based broadcast and held it towards my hand and a measuring tape.

“The distance from my palm to the tip of my middle finger is about 13 cm.”

[Short?]

[Wow that’s baby hand]

[My hand is 22cm]

[Average for females is 15cm?]

[Hand’s so cute lol]

[Right now, I know I was born to marry Sol]

[Take me, Sol]

[You mad just by seeing the hand?]

“I’ll now play the game with this hand.”

[Wow]

[I can’t believe this broadcast]

[But, your account was suspended, right?]

“Of course, I’ll play Magical Fight.”

[Oh]

<kekekeke>

[Magic devil]

[What does ‘Mafa’ even mean?]

[Now thinking about it, you’re into ‘giant boobs,’ right?]

[What?]

[BiSexual…]

[Now thinking about it, isn’t magical girl anime something made for girls?]

[What?! Girls watch magical girl anime?]

[(Shocked)(Terrified)(Confused)]

[I go to an all-girls middle school and all my friends like Magical Girls Chronik]

“I genuinely love Venus and I like the bigger busts.”

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