Chapter 54: I Fell in Love

Although I said I was going to practice for the Finding Cup, it didn’t mean I was going to neglect the game.

My goal was simply to understand the champions I randomly selected more thoroughly.

‘I feel like there are hidden combos I could discover.’

While my understanding of League of Legends (LoL) was considerably high, that didn’t mean I knew every combo in the game.

There are many skill interactions in LoL, and some combos exist due to bugs that the game developers haven’t fixed, so I couldn’t just discover them all on my own.

[Zhinjotong: There are a lot of hidden combos for each champ haha]

[But even without those combos, I feel like I’ll win the Finding Cup.]

[Don’t be too nervous about the Finding Cup, haha it’s not that hard.]

[This time the prize pool for the Finding Cup is higher, so it might be a little tougher.]

[How high can the prize pool be, really?]

[Surprisingly, the prize for winning is 10 million won…]

[That is pretty high.]

It seemed easier to just search for those hidden combos online later.

For now, I only needed to figure out the combos I could on my own.

With that thought, I randomly selected a champion.

And a champion appeared.

“Wait, why did I get this champion while trying to study combos?”

There are many champions in the game, and some are so simple that they only have one or two combos.

For example, there’s Nasus.

[Zhinjotong: Nasus combos are ridiculously simple haha]

[Is there even a combo?]

[There’s not really a combo.]

[Just apply Wither and start auto-attacking, and the game is basically over.]

[The game is over (you lose).]

[You can lose the game easily, though.]

[Hwanhee: Isn’t Nasus really weak nowadays?]

It was a champion I knew by its skill set, but didn’t really understand deeply.

The champion seemed too simple.

It was hard to create variables with such a straightforward champion.

“I’ll just do a little bit and move on.”

For champions like this, the ability to control the game is key, but my current practice wasn’t about winning in the Rift.

It was for the Finding Cup.

That was the reason I was practicing, not for the usual competitive matches.

With that thought, I started the game—

“What? This is actually pretty fun.”

I started enjoying playing Nasus.

Two days later.

Before starting the broadcast, I was playing solo rank.

I was playing Nasus today, as I rarely got the chance to play him during the broadcast since I pick champions randomly.

So, I played Nasus before the broadcast started.

“Ugh.”

While farming and mimicking in-game lines, Ye-ram opened the door and entered.

“Yawn, oppa, what’s for dinner today? I’m hungry.”

“Yeah… what should we eat today?”

We weren’t struggling financially.

Of course, we were trying to save on food costs, but it wasn’t like we didn’t have money in the bank, and I was also earning money through my broadcasts, so it wasn’t like we couldn’t afford expensive meals. It just wasn’t necessary.

“Then, how about we have some stir-fried bean sprouts and rice? I suddenly crave it.”

“Oh, that sounds good.”

If you’re not interested in ingredients, you might not know, but bean sprouts are very cheap.

About 3400 won for 1kg.

It was the perfect side dish to eat with rice.

It’s cheap, plentiful, and filling, and it’s also healthy.

It’s like killing two birds with one stone.

‘Or I could just eat human feed…’

Human feed isn’t very healthy.

It costs 7500 won for 2kg, which is a bargain, but it gets so bland that you don’t want to eat it often.

Of course, there was a time when I lived off of that for a week when I couldn’t even find a house.

So, I always make sure to eat enough rice.

‘Then, I’ll rest for a bit.’

[Forfeit]

I clicked the forfeit button and watched as my team’s Nexus was destroyed before getting up and heading to the kitchen.

Although the kitchen was very close by.

At least it wasn’t right next to me, so that was a relief.

‘If the kitchen were right in front of me, it would make my body reek of oil and all kinds of smells.’

Back when I couldn’t even find a house, I used to sleep in restaurants and such.

Looking back, I wouldn’t call it a memory.

While I was thinking about that, I was stir-frying the bean sprouts when a message popped up.

[Jeong Gyeo-ul: Hey hey]

[Jeong Gyeo-ul: Why are you playing solo rank alone?]

[Jeong Gyeo-ul: And with Nasus too?]

[Jeong Gyeo-ul: Why not stream it?]

I received a message from Jeong Gyeo-ul.

Usually, we didn’t contact each other unless it was during or after a broadcast, but recently, Jeong Gyeo-ul had been contacting me first.

It seemed like she was lonely and bored.

I felt sorry for her and replied.

[Me: When I stream,]

[Me: I play random champions, so]

[Me: Is it really necessary?]

[Jeong Gyeo-ul: Haha]

[Jeong Gyeo-ul: You have principles.]

Although I had only started streaming recently, I did have some principles.

It was annoying, but when I did something, I had to do it properly so that there were no complaints later.

I thought this while I was stir-frying the bean sprouts, arranging them nicely on a plate, and serving the rice on the table.

“Oppa, by the way, you’re using this dining table well. You didn’t know how to use it before.”

“That’s because the durability is really good.”

This was a temporary desk I had bought when a teacher came to visit for home learning, and I was still using it now.

The durability was really good.

Although there was a map drawn on the desk, it wasn’t too inconvenient when eating.

I could study while eating, which was nice.

While I was eating, she suddenly said:

“Ah, oppa.”

“Ugh.”

“I heard you’re entering the Finding Cup.”

“That’s old news, but you’re definitely studying, huh.”

“I haven’t been watching much live broadcasting lately. I usually binge-watch all at once.”

“Mm, I see, I see. Well done.”

Though it’s Yeeram’s life, it’s still really important to gently guide her along the way.

Saying “It’s your life, do whatever you want,” and leaving her to fend for herself would be the most irresponsible thing to do.

Personally, I really dislike people who do that, so I make sure to look after Yeeram as much as I can.

“I heard the prize for winning is 10 million won. If I win, could you give me 20,000 won?”

“Why 20,000 won all of a sudden?”

“Ah, there’s a new chicken flavor out. It looks really good.”

Hmm.

20,000 won for chicken.

Considering the current prices, it doesn’t seem like a bad deal.

If 20,000 won is enough to motivate her, then it doesn’t seem like a bad offer.

“Okay. Get ready to receive your 20,000 won soon. Winning is guaranteed.”

“I think Harin will win.”

“Since I’m not on the broadcast, I can say it honestly: honestly, with someone like Harin, I could win even if I played with one hand.”

“Oh, I recorded that.”

If it were back when I first started playing Leore, I wouldn’t have known.

But now, I could easily beat Harin even with one hand.

Harin isn’t even that high of a tier.

I thought this as I finished my meal and sat down in front of my computer.

“The Finding Cup schedule…”

Just to be sure, I decided to check again.

And a little while later…

“The tournament is really long, huh.”

The tournament is indeed long.

Maybe because there are so many participants.

It will take two days to complete.

There are a total of 128 participants.

At this point, you could say that all the top Leore streamers on Twitch have been gathered for this tournament.

Definitely, the name “Finding Cup” carries weight.

If I were hosting such a tournament, maybe only around six people would have joined.

I thought this as I started my stream.

[Broadcast has started!]

“Hi.”

[Omniscient Cthulhu: Heh heh]

[Caught secretly playing Nasus in solo rank, hahaha]

[Not just anything, but secretly playing Nasus? That’s just pathetic…]

[That’s pretty lame, hahaha]

[You’ve been temporarily kicked out!]

[The annoying person keeps coming.]

[Can we just permanently ban them already? Please.]

“How do you permanently ban someone for that? What would the reason be if someone asked? ‘The reason is because they’re pathetic’—that’s just embarrassing to say.”

It’s awkward to say it out loud.

[Omniscient Cthulhu: That’s true, hahaha]

[No, explain why you were secretly playing Nasus in solo rank, you idiot.]

[Is it okay to play Nasus three games in a row? Seriously?]

[Hwanhee: What’s going on?]

I was going to ignore it, but since people kept bringing up Nasus, I decided to say something.

“I’ve gotten better at Nasus. That’s why I’m playing him.”

It was a straightforward answer.

I play Nasus because it’s fun.

Would I play it if I didn’t enjoy it?

After saying that—

[Omniscient Cthulhu: Oh.]

[I also like getting hit by dogs, so I guess we’re comrades, hahaha.]

[Hahaha] Fur

[It really feels like Fur has become major now.]

[Hwanhee: Wow, the chat is crazy, hahaha.]

[Ah, the perverts can’t be stopped.]

With that playful conversation, I started the broadcast again today.

For tomorrow’s Finding Cup tournament.