Chapter 73

“Rozon? Who’s that?”

“Even if you don’t know others, shouldn’t you at least know Malangmapang? We played a game together before, remember?”

“Before…? Ah. That guy who sniped you and me?”

After my explanation, Mos finally seemed to remember and snapped his fingers.

Then, he asked with a puzzled look.

“That guy doesn’t do live streams, right? Does he even meet the tournament participation criteria?”

“After that incident, he started live streaming, and his average viewership has been steadily increasing. Now, he gets around 40 viewers on average, and a mysterious top-tier player gives him feedback through donations. His <Eternal World> tier has skyrocketed.”

“How on earth do you know all this, Yoorim?”

In response to Mos’s question, I smiled kindly.

Placing my index finger on my lips was just an extra touch.

“That’s classified.”

“Are you a cosplay-addicted time traveler from the future?”

“More like a psychic.”

“An alien, then.”

Scratching his head, Mos checked the members of ‘Invincible Rampage Potato.’

“The balance is good?”

“I used my head well.”

There’s only one Challenger on the team, but the rest are filled with high-tier players.

Challenger, Grandmaster, Grandmaster, Diamond.

At a glance, our team composition is similar.

However, that team has two holes—Gold and Silver.

Balance-wise, they can’t compare to our team.

“Looking at it now, our team has quite a few point-draining hippos, huh?”

“Says the hippo?”

“I was talking about Malangmapang.”

“My skill level is Grandmaster, so I’m a cost-effective pick.”

“I’m also a cost-effective pick in terms of skill.”

I pulled up the strategy I had prepared for ‘Invincible Rampage Potato’ in the VR room.

Seeing this, Pape was shocked.

“You prepared this in advance?”

“It’s basic for tournaments.”

“No, I mean, yeah, but usually, you do this after advancing in the tournament. The group stage matchups are announced on the same day. When did you have time to analyze all 64 teams?”

“Alright. The key to defeating ‘Invincible Rampage Potato’ is simple.”

Tap. I highlighted the person of interest on the screen.

A white-haired, silver-eyed VTuber with monstrous physical skills.

It was Rozon.

“Rozon has been getting advice from a mysterious top-tier player and has become stronger. The moment he awakens, our team is in danger.”

After my friendly briefing, Pape and Mos nodded at each other.

“Malangmapang, do you know who that Challenger, Invincible Rampage Potato, is in the City Core?”

“He’s a former trainee. Good at team games. But if it’s the City Core, Han Yoorim will crush him. No need to worry.”

“Then it’s an easy win.”

“Everyone? Rozon is a Diamond Main Carry. He’s not the City Core or a Challenger.”

Ignoring my words, Mos and Pape left the VR room.

They were heading to log into <Eternal World> for the group stage.

Similarly, the Korean duo and Bunny Run also left the VR room.

In the now-empty VR room, I blinked and organized the materials.

It’s hard to understand everything at once.

I’ll have to go back and explain again.

*

Rozon took a deep breath.

His teammates were chatting away on the voice messenger.

“Wow, we’re up against a big company in the first round.”

“Pape, Han Yoorim, and Bunny Run are here too?”

“If we carry here, we might hit 1,000 viewers, right?”

Rozon frowned.

Even though the stream was on, they were being too careless with their words.

It was a trait of rookies.

Thinking that since no one was watching, it didn’t matter, they mistakenly believed their words weren’t problematic.

Rozon quietly thought to himself.

He had been like that too.

He had thought like that too.

If only someone noticed, if only he got a chance, if only he could strike gold, he thought he could hit thousands of live viewers and a million subscribers on MTube.

It was the same with his <Eternal World> tier.

If only his team was lucky, if only he played well, if only he got the right opportunity.

He thought he could reach Master. No, even Challenger.

Really, there was no frog in the well quite like him.

It’s true that without opportunities, no one succeeds.

But in the end, only those who are prepared can seize the opportunity.

Seeking opportunities without building a solid foundation is not much different from being a gambling addict.

Rozon glanced at the viewer list.

One regular viewer who always came to his streams was missing today.

‘Guess they’re not coming today.’

The viewer Rozon was looking for was like a chairman, someone who had donated during a time when his live stream had zero viewers, encouraging him not to give up.

What did that person say back then?

Ah, right.

<InfinityZero's 1000 Won Nugget>

– Rozon, your game understanding is too weak. Your physical skills in chaotic situations aren’t good either. You should wait in the back and only move after your team sets up the table for you. That’s your strength right now.

Stop playing support and go main carry.

At first, he didn’t think much of it. It felt a bit rude to ignore the donation, so he tried playing main carry.

The effect was dramatic.

<InfinityZero's 1000 Won Nugget>

– Did you not understand what I said? If your physical skills in chaotic situations are weak, you should pick a ranged dealer, not a melee one.

<InfinityZero's 1000 Won Nugget>

– You don’t have the game understanding to make plays. Why are you trying to force team fights?

Donations poured in immediately.

At first, he was furious. Who are you to keep giving me advice?

But with the mindset of ‘they paid, so I’ll listen,’ he kept hearing them out, and it started to make sense.

So, he began applying the advice one by one.

This time, the effect wasn’t as dramatic.

But he was slowly improving.

<InfinityZero's 1000 Won Nugget>

– Your reaction speed isn’t bad, but it’s not reflected in-game because of your game understanding. You don’t organize what’s right, so you make decisions on the spot when situations arise, causing delays. This applies not just to macro play but also to team fights.

<InfinityZero's 1000 Won Nugget>

– Melee dealer? You can do it, but you need to improve your game understanding first. Your reaction speed isn’t bad, but as I said, the delays make it hard right now.

With each piece of advice he accepted, his tier gradually rose, eventually reaching Diamond.

It was the highest tier Rozon had ever achieved.

‘InfinityZero’s’ advice wasn’t just limited to the game.

<InfinityZero's 1000 Won Nugget>

– Your editing skills are good, but your upload frequency is slow. Do you have a real-life job?

<InfinityZero's 1000 Won Nugget>

–

Working part-time at a convenience store while also gaming and editing is tough, but it’s something I have to do. Uploading videos once every two weeks is just a waste of time. Let’s try to consistently upload highlights, even if they’re under 5 minutes.

<InfinityZero's 1000 Won Jackpot>

– And about the donation messages, the word “jackpot” is kind of annoying. Maybe we should remove it. I don’t mind, but others might lose the motivation to donate.

From various broadcasting tips to MTube advice.

Even.

“Given the same opportunity, Han Yoorim has over 10,000 regular viewers, and I only have one. So lately, I’ve been wondering, ‘Should someone like me even be broadcasting? Shouldn’t broadcasting be for someone as dazzling as Han Yoorim?'”

—

†InfinityZero: People naturally need time to mature. Let’s keep trying a bit more. From what I see, Rozon’s talent is also shining.

—

Life advice was also given.

Absorbing advice diligently, Rozon gradually changed his way of thinking and living.

It was around that time that the number of viewers started to increase.

The most memorable thing InfinityZero said was this.

What makes people grow is intense contemplation, not the passage of time.

Since then, Rozon has pondered a lot and thought deeply.

Thanks to that, compared to half a year ago, he’s become a completely different person, but InfinityZero dismissed it with a single statement.

People don’t change.

Only those who were meant to change do.

That’s it.

“Hey! The ban/pick phase is starting.”

“What should we ban? ‘Thierry’?”

“Do we really need to ban that? Shouldn’t we just snipe-ban the enemy team’s main carry?”

“The enemy team changed their position, and they haven’t played a single solo queue game since, so we have no info.”

Amidst the noisy chatter of his teammates, Rozon slowly opened his mouth.

“Let’s ban ‘Thierry.'”

“Really?”

“It might not mean much, but there’s no reason to leave the enemy’s main carry’s most confident character open.”

Rozon’s teammates responded with a dissatisfied tone.

“Is Han Yoorim really that good? It’s just Thierry. Eunsoo, you’re a Challenger too. You can handle Thierry, right?”

“Of course.”

“The enemy main carry’s picks are obvious. A ranged dealer whose ultimate alone is worth half a player. Let’s just cut three of those.”

“Definitely, Thierry.”

Under Rozon’s strong insistence, the teammates reluctantly agreed.

The first ban was Thierry. The enemy’s response ban was…

…Isahyang?

Rozon scratched his cheek, feeling awkward.

They still remember that incident.

He had occasionally watched Han Yoorim’s broadcasts since then but never noticed any signs of that.

Recalling the embarrassing memory, Rozon took a deep breath and continued.

“Let’s also ban ‘Ormal.'”

“Ormal too?”

“We’ll use the rest of the bans to snipe Han Yoorim. Ban ‘Kakeyama Ryo’ as well.”

“Huh… From our perspective, Kakeyama Ryo, with his good mobility as a former scout, would be tricky, but do we really need to go this far against Han Yoorim? She’s just an amateur who climbed tiers by leeching off Noah Weber.”

We have to.

They really had no idea about Han Yoorim’s skills.

Maybe it was because InfinityZero sent so many of Han Yoorim’s MTube videos as reference donations. Rozon’s ability to analyze the game had improved, and he had come to accurately understand Han Yoorim’s skills.

Leeching off Noah Weber?

Even if it’s leeching, if you reach first place, you have to acknowledge it. Moreover, that wasn’t even Han Yoorim’s strength.

Her wide character pool was her greatest advantage.

So, snipe bans didn’t mean much to Han Yoorim, but they couldn’t just leave those picks open either.

Han Yoorim handled those characters exceptionally well, especially Thierry, whose proficiency was beyond common sense.

“Instead of Thierry, she picked ‘Han Chanhyuk.'”

“She thinks she’s a pro or something.”

Rozon didn’t bother saying that someone who could handle Thierry like her own body could easily handle Han Chanhyuk.

Instead, he focused his mind.

Just concentrate on my play.

Don’t leave any regrets.

That was Rozon’s ultimate goal.

*

[Defeat]

Rozon let out a small sigh as the base crumbled.

Staying focused until the end was exhausting.

The voice chat was quiet. Ever since the team’s Challenger, City Core, and the undefeated Eunsoo got solo-killed three times by Han Yoorim, it had been like this.

Rozon had to step in and give orders since the Challenger had gone silent, but now that the game was over, there was no need.

So, this time, as the team leader, he lightly shifted the mood.

“Let’s prepare for the next match.”

“…Got it.”

“…I’m going to the restroom.”

The group stage isn’t over with just one loss.

In a group of four teams, each team plays once in a league format, and the top two teams from the group advance to the finals.

So, if they won all the remaining matches, there was still a chance.

Rozon rubbed his stiff neck.

Then.

<Thank you, Han Yoorim, for the 100,000 won!>

– Your skills have improved a lot. It was fun playing with you.

A donation came in.

…Han Yoorim?

—

It’s really Han Yoorim.

Wow. Such a distinguished person in this humble place.

Do Han Yoorim and the streamer know each other?

—

Know each other?

Well, they do, but…

Feeling too embarrassed to explain, Rozon scratched his head.

—

Han Yoorim: I’m a fan.

—

Han Yoorim said that and disappeared.

Rozon shook his head.

Really.

She was a hard person to figure out.

*

“Rozon, that guy, he really hit the core, huh?”

“Yeah. He was the most troublesome.”

“I told you he’d be dangerous if he awakened.”

Sigh. I let out a deep breath.

It’s always so hard to convey my true feelings.