Chapter 80

Before the Leore server merge, my attempt to reach Challenger ended in failure.

Originally, I only had a week, and even that week was extremely tight.

But then, something happened.

It was a seizure.

While drinking water in the bathtub, I had a seizure, and Hyeseon and Anna were worried about me.

Although I’ve merged with Arang, I haven’t merged with her sealed memories, so I’m almost like a completely different person.

Because of that, Arang’s sealed memories don’t affect me.

So once the seizure ends, I’m perfectly fine. But since others don’t know that, they all look at me with worried eyes after my seizure incident.

Especially Anna, who refuses to let me go.

Honestly, I just wanted to go play Leore, but since Anna was worried, I stayed in her arms and let her comfort me.

And so, my plan to reach Challenger before the server merge failed.

I tried, but as the players’ skills gradually improved, I couldn’t just mindlessly grind ranked games.

Except for my first loss to Jeong Jin, the strongest player last year, I won all my matches. But as my opponents got stronger, my fatigue increased, and I couldn’t play many ranked games in a day.

I did climb to the upper ranks, but I couldn’t make it to Challenger.

The server will be closed for a whole week for the merge.

Meaning, I can’t play Leore for a week. I originally planned to have a guild gathering during this time, but the schedule didn’t work out, so it got pushed to next week.

“I should look for another game to play during this week. I’m really looking forward to finding a fun virtual game.”

==

“Is this really a 15-year-old girl? The girl in this video?”

Kim Gi-hyung, Jeong Jin’s friend and rival, replayed the video in front of him several times.

He slowed it down, paused it, zoomed in, and analyzed it meticulously.

Every time he watched it, it was beyond belief.

Her understanding of skills, her timing with skill delays, her unexpected skill usage, and the overwhelming physical ability to execute it all.

A small body that looks under 150 cm. Thin and short limbs. And the short dagger used by the Assassin class.

A fight that should’ve been disadvantageous. But the girl pushed Jeong Jin to the limit.

“You’re lying, right? This is just CG made to mess with me, right?”

At Gi-hyung’s words, Jeong Jin shook his head.

“Of course not. Would I go this far just to mess with you?”

“Well, if that girl had the same height and arm length as you, you would’ve lost, right?”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

Gi-hyung’s words made Jeong Jin nod.

It’s an unbelievable talent.

In reality, as you build muscle and get healthier through exercise, your physical ability in the virtual world also increases.

But in the end, physical ability in the virtual world is closer to a matter of talent.

The young girl in the video had talent far beyond anyone else.

“In the video, there are still some shortcomings, but if she really improves her understanding of PvP, she could easily beat most pros, right?”

“Right. That’s why I contacted her to see if she’s interested in going pro.”

“Really? With that skill, she could debut as a pro right now.”

The two wondered just how strong the girl in the video could become if she got more familiar with PvP and studied it.

==

The video of Arang and pro player Jeong Jin’s duel spread quickly.

Jeong Jin is already famous, but the video spread quickly because of Arang.

She formed her first raid party as the party leader and achieved a World First Kill (WFK) on her first raid.

Especially the 1v1 Makkora mechanic video, which is still one of the most popular videos on Ryutube.

Moreover, no one has cleared it as a DPS yet.

Arang said she’d create a cafe for communication, but she got so absorbed in the arena that she forgot about it.

People who were thirsty for news about Arang spread the video after hearing that Jeong Jin had faced her in the arena.

The news reached pro teams and Leore arena tournament organizers.

“How about inviting this player to the event?”

The manager in charge of the Leore arena event tournament showed the video of Arang and Jeong Jin’s duel during a meeting.

“Wow… A girl like that can fight that well? Amazing.”

“You mean Arang? She’s definitely very popular in Leore and has great skills. I think a lot of people would love her.”

“Right? If Arang participates in the tournament, I think more people will get interested in the arena.”

“I’ll contact her right away.”

“Great.”

The Leore arena event tournament isn’t a global or national competition but a small event where all players can enjoy and cheer.

It’s not just for pros; anyone with a Master rank or higher can participate.

Players have debuted as pros through this tournament. And before the tournament starts, there’s always an exhibition match, and they wanted to invite Arang to that.

==

I was shocked when Uncle Kang Hangeul contacted me.

“You want to invite me to the event tournament’s exhibition match?”

[Yeah. I’ll give you the contact info of the person in charge. And please, can you make a cafe and contact info? It’s exhausting.]

“Ah, sorry. I keep forgetting to do it after the game ends. I just fall asleep.”

[You better do it. I’m out.]

“Okay. Thanks, Uncle.”

[I’m not an uncle—!]

Click.

They want to invite me to a match at the Leore tournament? What’s going on?

I went online and searched for the Leore event tournament.

Turns out, it’s not just a casual event. It’s a place where skilled players get scouted by pro teams, like a draft or semi-pro certification.

They always have an exhibition match before the tournament starts, and they want to invite me.

Why…?

Usually, famous pros participate to show off, but I’m not a pro.

Sure, in terms of popularity, I’m on par with pros, but…

I don’t know. I’ll have to ask directly.

I called the contact info Uncle Kang gave me.

[This is Ucheol, manager of the Legacy of Raid tournament team. How can I help you?]

A clean and authoritative voice. This guy’s definitely an ace at the company.

“Hello, this is Arang. I wanted to ask about the exhibition match at the tournament.”

[Ah, is this Arang herself?]

“Yes, it’s me.”

[Uh… Ah, sorry. For a moment, I thought it was your mom calling.]

“It’s fine. I was just wondering why I was invited.”

Well, it’s not exactly a line a 15-year-old girl would say. But since I was a situation soldier in the military, I’m perfectly familiar with phone etiquette.

Ucheol kindly explained why I was invited to the tournament.

[That’s how it happened.]

“Hmm…”

The biggest issue with this tournament is that it’s offline.

It’s not like a collab where you get keychains or merch. It’s just for popularity and money, and I have no interest in going through the hassle of attending offline.

I shared my thoughts with Ucheol.

[Ah, I see. Arang, you’re not interested in money. Well, did you know this?]

“What?”

[If you participate in our tournament, you can get a 2-seater mount and an exclusive costume.]

“W-what!? Even if it’s just an exhibition match, I can still get that!?”

[Yes! Of course! Hahaha, now you sound like a 15-year-old.]

Definitely…

Even in the world before I died, there were things like that.

Costumes, titles, and pets that only tournament participants could get.

Back then, I wasn’t skilled enough to get those, so I often looked at those players with envy.

But now, just by participating in an exhibition match, I can get that.

I have to do this.

“I’ll do it.”

[Really!? Ah, but since you’re 15, we’ll need your guardian’s consent as well.]

“Don’t worry about that.”

[Is that so? Then can you and one of your parents meet with us beforehand?]

“I’ll ask and get back to you.”

[Got it. If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me anytime.]

“Okay. Thank you.”

Click.

I have to do this.

I immediately opened the screen and looked at the hospital room.

As expected, Anna and Dr. Hyeseon had been listening to the whole conversation and were looking at me.

“Anna, I want to do it!”

I thought Anna would nod and agree immediately, but she bit her lip and started hesitating.

‘Ah, right. The seizure.’

Anna’s reaction reminded me of the recent seizure.

While I’m recovering, the seizure incident happened, and Anna seems to be worried about whether it’s safe to let me go out.

Even I think my seizures look pretty dangerous.

My whole body shakes like a convulsion, with tears, snot, drool, and even vomiting. It must’ve been shocking to see.

If I were in their shoes, I’d probably stop a family member from going out in this condition.

There’s no way they’ll let me go.

‘I’m in trouble.’