Chapter 77

Not everyone who is good at games becomes a professional.

Sometimes, even people who think of making games their career end up that way.

Instead of going pro, what else can someone do?

The first thing that comes to mind would be becoming a broadcaster.

Once was content with the career choice he had made.

He was objectively a very successful broadcaster, no matter who you asked.

While it might seem odd that people playing games don’t vent their anger, it’s even stranger considering the WHO’s classification of gaming as a disease, which seems to continuously make players win or lose in a predictable manner.

The most globally successful game, Teamfight Arena, carried such infamy shadowing it.

The structure of the game and human nature both played their parts.

It’s hard to recognize one’s own faults, but it’s so easy to blame others.

People who have played this game without ever getting angry are called Living Buddhas, the highest title one could achieve.

Even watching streams of players using Teama showcases how common it is to lose one’s temper, with nine out of ten, or ninety-nine out of a hundred people exhibiting such reactions.

Of course, there are some who don’t get angry, but these individuals are usually at a lower Tier, lack attachment to scores, or have given up outright.

After all, how many people can stay calm when doing everything possible to climb the ranks, only to be held back by their team? Isn’t it rare in both games and real life?

This made Once unique.

A top-tier player who held the number one rank for quite some time, he was also a broadcasting star renowned for never blaming others or using foul language—a Living Buddha.

His style of broadcasting, coupled with his impressive average viewership of 20,000, made him exceptionally successful.

His channel often topped the Korean stream charts.

Lately, though, his view count is frequently second to someone even more special.

A prodigy who never had a period where they could be called a novice, Sol has caused a stir since their debut.

All living things must die, and all that prospers must eventually decline—it’s a Buddhist teaching.

So, did the Living Buddha broadcasting style of Once gracefully accept its own decline?

“Is it that guy again?”

Transforming his anger into strength…

“Victoryyyyyy!!!”

At the gym, he was pumping iron.

Periodically venting his stress this way was vital; otherwise, he might explode on stream.

Where’s the Living Buddha? It’s not like he’ll ascend to the ranks of the five legendary figures.

Even after heavy strength training, his anger not fully spent, he ran twelve laps around the neighborhood, showered, and collapsed into bed.

Why didn’t Once become a pro?

That requires a look back to his past.

To a time before his debut when he felt an insurmountable wall.

Once never placed above Victory before Victory went pro.

The despair he must have felt would have been immense, especially because no one could surpass Victory.

Didn’t Once hold the number one rank for a long time, you ask?

But everyone in the know understood.

That was during the period when Victory was preparing for professional matches and had abandoned ranked play.

A high rank is great, even in professional gaming.

But tournaments always come first.

If one must prioritize, then the tournament takes all.

Some hardcore Once fans argued that even if Victory had been fully committed, Once would have still been number one.

However, Once himself didn’t believe that.

He felt the wall of impossibility.

But he succeeded.

He became the best in the field of streaming.

Did he really need to go pro?

It’s like weight categories in combat sports.

If you can’t win at unlimited weight, it’s not bad to be the best in middleweight, is it?

By excelling as a broadcaster, Once had already achieved what he needed to.

Every time he saw Wild, the thought became even more firmly cemented.

Who is Wild?

Possibly the second-best Teama player in the world.

Yet, they are constantly mocked.

Why? Because they’re perpetually second place.

Research shows that silver medalists are less satisfied than bronze medalists. So, imagine what it’s like to always be second place, blocked by a single genius from ever achieving gold?

Once had always been comfortable with his lot, finding contentment by reassuring himself over time.

But now another wall loomed before him—Sol.

At first, he thought it was a temporary hype.

But Sol had layers upon layers of strange tricks up her sleeve, like an onion.

Her broadcasts soon became firmly established, consistently grabbing the top spot whenever she went live.

It was fine, at first.

Just five days a week.

A mere four-hour broadcast every day.

A brief drop in viewership during the overlapping broadcast times was tolerable since everyone returned to Once’s channel like salmon once Sol’s stream ended.

However, that changed.

Now it’s five days a week.

Eight hours a day.

A double-time stream event? What’s the meaning of this?

Is she trying to ruin all small broadcasters?

It got even worse.

She wasn’t just stealing a piece of the broadcasting pie but was also meeting him in Teamfight Arena.

Once ranked seventh, still considered a skillful player.

They hadn’t crossed paths often as Sol’s rank was lower, until…

She announced her bid for the top rank and entered the top fifty. From there, they continuously faced each other.

And in their confrontations, Once felt that same wall again, the one that reminded him of Victory.

Doesn’t the saying “there’s no paradise in escape” mean something like this?

[Anonymous donated 1000 won]

—”How can someone have an 80% win rate in a 5v5 game? Everyone else around here is rank-focused, but you’re simply on a completely different level.”

Sol inflicted three consecutive losses on Once.

A devastating blow, sending his rank from seventh to ninth.

When a donation praising the enemy showed up, Once nearly lost his facade, the mask of the Living Buddha he had maintained through sheer effort.

But he had to keep it on.

Why are viewers here anyway?

Isn’t it for the clean, skill-based broadcasts?

“Indeed, something is different. It seems the declaration of the rank run wasn’t made lightly.”

[Once is just outdated, huh? Let’s switch to Sol’s broadcast.]

And then, a chat message hit him hard.

It felt like his sanity might slip.

Sure, fans switching to a more entertaining broadcast is natural and understandable.

But why write that in the chat?

Are you calling me trash?

What did I do wrong?

[Anonymous donated 100,000 won]

—”Not blaming the team and recognizing opponent’s skills is truly admirable, Once. I’ve always enjoyed your broadcasts.”

[Real respect for those who show respect.]

[Does he really not blame the team? Haha]

[From his expression, it looks like it must’ve been hard to contain, right?]

[But he did contain it, didn’t he?]

[Tuna mayo]

Appropriate financial treatment and chat reassurance helped him avert a mental collapse.

Right, with fans cheering, there’s no need to fall to mere rowdiness.

Gripping his composure tightly, Once began to approach the situation from a different angle.

“But if two people can do it, can others as well?”

Once had hit a wall before.

He believed Victory was, and still is, a genius.

And again, he felt a wall.

This time, Sol.

Victory’s recognized rival.

But something feels different between the two.

A single genius and two geniuses feel different, right?

Maybe there’s an answer somewhere, and he had just prematurely given up out of fear.

“Ten people, playing 5v5. One teammate can only do so much. What makes these two so special to dominate with such high win rates?”

Physical prowess?

Of course, they’re monstrous.

Both Victory and Sol.

Of course, when you dodge everything and hit everything, you win.

But that’s in one-on-one games.

In a 5v5, there are limits to what physical superiority alone can achieve.

Just one out of ten, one among five teammates—there’s no way that alone can account for such a dominance.

Not all other players are foolish.

Everyone is extremely close to the peak of the ranking system.

So is it strategic intelligence?

What must they be doing to achieve such results?

What makes them different?

The mystery was partly resolved when he was teamed up with Sol in the next match.

[Support request from Sol]

Sol: [Coldman, get out here quick, then back off.]

Once rarely watched Sol’s stream on purpose, afraid he would feel ugly jealousy and similar emotions.

Victory is okay because they’re a pro.

I’m a streamer, so it’s fine that I’m in a different field, right?

But what if someone of an entirely different caliber appears in my field?

What if they don’t just go pro and disappear?

But that thinking was the mindset of a loser.

If you don’t face the person, how will you know who they are?

If you want to be better than yesterday.

If you want to move forward instead of running away.

Then you need to look ahead, no matter how terrifying and painful it might be.

[Support request from Sol.]

[On her way.]

[Support request.]

[Support request.]

[Retreat request.]

“Wow, she’s constantly issuing orders. And the accuracy? It seems impossible, like she has some kind of map hack.”

It’s as though she’s seeing a completely different screen from everyone else.

That’s the feeling Once got.

———— Bonus ————

Recently, So Ah has been subject to defamation regarding claims about her childlike body shape, a nickname referring to immaturity or regression (“do-ma”), and having an AAA-cup size.

(Please refer to the images provided in the original article showing the character’s design and realistic body proportions, which contradict these claims.)

The cover art merely shows her without underwear, a stylistic choice.

When people invest considerable effort, it results in a body with defined curves, proving the accusations false.

She is not of a childlike physique.

Now you should understand sufficiently.

We deeply appreciate Leutte_37 for preparing this clarification material.

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