Chapter 1: Reverse world former pro gamer

In the previous world, I was a professional gamer.

It wasn’t just a casual hobby.

I was recognized as having the greatest talent in history, the kind of professional gamer who stood out.

To put it in terms of League of Legends, I swept every tournament in my debut season.

A 92% win rate for the entire season.

With overwhelming skill, I earned the title of ‘The Best’.

Over my 7-year career as a pro gamer, I won the World League Championship (WLC) five times and the national league CK eleven times.

I left a legacy no one could follow.

How about other games?

After training at the dorm, I would play StarCraft in my free time and reached the number one rank on the ladder.

It was a shame I didn’t have an official Star League (SL) title due to my schedule, but I was confident that I could beat anyone.

The same went for PUBG.

Whatever game I played, I became a top-tier ranked player.

I was born to be a pro gamer—that’s me.

The only regret I had was that I started my pro career too early and couldn’t create the everyday memories that my peers did.

Gradually, I grew disillusioned with the dorm life, and so, at the relatively young age of 25, still at my peak, I announced my retirement.

Yeah, from now on, I should live enjoying life.

I’ll become a streamer.

I can play various games I love and interact with my fans.

But first, I’ll go to the military.

Then, I’ll plan my life slowly.

Just as I was thinking about my new future… suddenly, the world changed, and my plans were fast-tracked.

The process was simple.

It wasn’t like in the movies or comics, where supernatural events occurred.

After the season ended, I came home, slept, and woke up to find the world had changed.

Bzzzt-! I heard a sound and opened my eyes.

I squinted from just waking up and checked the message.

[Son, even if Yuseongi doesn’t get a job, I’ll still be happy. If it gets tough, you can always come home. Understand?]

Hmm… I’m not sure what she’s saying.

Still half asleep, I sat up in bed.

As I looked around, I realized this was a place I had never seen before.

A small room filled with a bed, a computer desk, and a mini-fridge, with an attached bathroom.

It wasn’t quite a studio apartment, but it was bigger than a goshiwon, so I guess it could be called a “goshitel”?

What is this? Is it a dream? I wondered, but no—it was definitely reality.

Could it be a kidnapping? It didn’t seem likely. I had been sleeping at home, after all.

In a panic, I searched through my phone.

The names of everyone, except for my parents, seemed unfamiliar.

Even my parents’ numbers weren’t the ones I knew.

The apps installed were completely different.

This isn’t my phone, is it? I searched my pocket and found another phone of the same model.

In a hurry, I pressed the power button.

[Unregistered device. Failed to register data location.]

Why… does this feel so weird?

I stood up from my seat and approached the desk.

A book caught my eye.

’12th Grade Civil Servant Assistant Study Guide (Male Version)’.

What is this nonsense book? I pushed it aside and pulled the keyboard closer as I sat down.

I figured I’d search the internet to figure out what was going on, and where I was.

About two hours later, I had learned some things about this world.

This place—or rather, this world—was one where the roles of men and women had reversed.

Yes, I was sure.

The world I had lived in had somehow transformed into a genre of a novel that I once thought, “What a weird setting,” but I didn’t like it and dismissed it.

What am I talking about? To put it simply, men had been severely nerfed.

I couldn’t believe it. What patch notes are these?

It made me want to curse. All stats had dropped drastically.

First, physical abilities and intelligence were reduced.

Not to the level of pet animals, of course.

But it was enough that men were now seen as inferior compared to women.

Fields like the humanities, science, and even the arts were dominated by women.

The gender ratio had changed dramatically, with a 25% to 75% imbalance, a three-to-one difference.

This gender imbalance led to a decrease in population, and the government, unable to handle it, even passed a law for polygamy.

You might think this is a cushy situation for men, but the reality was far from it.

Men’s appearances had become overall less attractive.

I read an internet article titled, “Overwhelming Charms, New Actor Seong Hojun.”

[Great acting, hahaha, I heard he’s cast for the next show. Can’t wait.]

[Finally, a chance to enjoy watching a drama, haha. Why aren’t there guys like that around me?]

[LOL, for real, no good-looking guys like this anywhere.]

[Why’s his nose so sharp?]

[I know him, haha, total loser. Our school’s bullies all hooked up with him.]

[Seong Hojun went to high school overseas.]

The comments were full of praise for his looks.

Based on the reactions, it seemed like a beauty icon had manifested.

But when I looked at him… he was just average.

A decent-looking guy, sure.

Honestly, he looked like he’d had some plastic surgery, and it felt unnatural.

Looks like the technology for men’s plastic surgery had been nerfed in this world too.

If a top-tier actor looked like that, what about the other men?

Regular guys became ugly, and ugly guys… well, that’s the end of it.

No matter how rare they might be, there’s a limit to how much someone can tolerate, especially when it comes to attraction.

Even in this reversed world, women are still people, and they’re drawn to attractive individuals.

I do indulge sometimes, but only with those rare ‘average guys’ by my standards.

However, the majority of men are actually rejected by women.

This is why, due to the gender ratio, polygamy isn’t implemented as a partial system but as a full one.

Given the situation, men have no place to stand.

The unemployment rate is a staggering 83%.

Most men just die while wasting away at home.

It was only then that I realized why I was staying in this goshitel.

I also understood the meaning behind my mother’s message, “You’ll still be happy even if you don’t get a job.”

And so, I ended up living in this bewildering world where my mind constantly spins.

Conforming or not, my state of mind doesn’t matter.

What’s important is finding the answer to the question: How should I live? What should I do to survive?

But, is it even worth thinking about?

Back in school, I wasn’t interested in studying, and I wasn’t good at sports either.

I liked singing and dancing, but not to the extent of making it a profession.

Have I worked part-time before? No. I have no skills at all.

I should be a gamer, that’s what I’m naturally good at.

I’m tired of being a professional gamer, so I’ll try streaming instead.

I’ve done internet broadcasts before, thanks to sponsor contracts. It’s not a completely foreign or unfamiliar territory.

Maybe I should warm up first? I wonder if my abilities have declined after coming into this world. I need to test my skills.

LoL… oh! It’s installed.

I opened the client, and feeling a bit off, went to the bathroom.

After washing my hands, I looked into the mirror.

Nothing had changed; I still looked the same.

I had been preparing myself, thinking I’d probably look uglier, so it was a relief.

I’m embarrassed to say this, but I think I’m quite good-looking.

After every match, female fans would line up, and I received many DMs on Twister.

Even a CK female reporter confessed to me.

Should I just switch to a male cam model? With the average looks of male celebrities, I could probably succeed… Nah.

Gamers should stick to gaming. I’ll see how things go and decide later if I want to.

I returned to my room and sat in front of the computer.

Just in case, I entered my ID and password.

Ding—! With a cheerful sound, I logged in. My account was linked at level 30.

Curious about my record, I searched for my nickname on GG.kr.

15 games played, 3 wins, 12 losses, win rate 20%. KDA 0.76. Champions played: Yu, Sonaka, Sonya… What games had I been playing before the world changed?

Considering my level, the number of games played was quite low, so I assumed I mostly played AI matches.

I didn’t even touch ranked games.

Should I play a normal game first?

Without hesitation, I started a game.

After a pretty long wait, the match was found. As soon as the ban/pick screen appeared, my teammates picked champions—Aso, Yona, Paola, Vayne…

It was a composition I’d seen before. Right. In normal games, people often pick champions without thinking.

Well, I understand; they’re probably just trying to enjoy the game seriously.

[Dodge, please. Our team is so ridiculous.]

[Yeah, whatever.]

[I’ll report for verbal abuse.]

[Lol.]

[I said I’m mid. I told you, I need to test my item build.]

But the chat was crazy.

Should I dodge?

The messages kept coming, making my head spin.

There’s no way this could be a proper game.

Still, MMR… it’s probably bronze level. I’ll just play. Let’s finish quickly.

The comp can deal damage if we play it well.

I didn’t want to get involved with these bugs for too long.

I decided to play jungle, someone who could affect all lanes and explode the game early on.

Looking at the picks and chat, it didn’t seem like anyone else was planning to play jungle.

At least there was that.

I immediately picked Lee Sin, a jungler with strong ganks.

[Victory]

15 minutes 57 seconds.

Considering the average game time is about 35 minutes, this was a very fast win.

From the beginning, I invaded the enemy jungler, killed him, and ganked all lanes to break their game.

By the 10-minute mark, the kill score was 14:1. I had created such a huge gap that the enemy was almost done.

The fact that they didn’t surrender at 15 minutes was honestly surprising.

Playing this game confirmed it: My gaming skills hadn’t declined.

In a world where men are powerless, only I had maintained my original abilities.

Contrary to my worries… maybe this world is even better for me?

[How’s my AP Asuo, unnie? Does it look good?]

[You’re crazy. Get lost.]

[No, no, it’s really good. With Liandry’s, Rylai’s, and Rabadon 4th core, you’ll deal tons of damage.]

[Carry.]

[Lee Sin did it, but thanks.]

After the game, my teammates were chatting in the post-game screen.

Asuo, who did 2k damage, recommended an AP build, and Paola, who had been watching webtoons, shouted “carry” in the middle of the game.

It was truly chaos.

Yeah, we won, so whatever. Let them talk all they want. It’s not like I’m going to play another game anytime soon.

[But why is this Xin so good?] [The win feel is crazy. By the way, what’s your main account tier?] [Is it boosted?]

The conversation shifted to me.

“What’s your main account tier? Are you boosting? Want to duo in ranked?”

The usual questions and demands I get whenever I play on a sub-account.

Instead of answering, I decided to ask the question I had been wondering.

[Is there even a male pro gamer in LoL right now?]

The chat exploded with responses.

[Ha, LOL]

[Do you think there are any? Men can only be Gold at best, right? Isn’t WheelNine Gold?]

[Oh, I hit Gold as a support. Hye-dol plays the same champ as Jn.]

So, there are no male pro gamers.

The opportunity to break through and monopolize the achievements, along with the natural fame that comes with it, is tempting.

But then I think about living in a dorm again and feel suffocated.

Nah, I’m not going pro.

Then, what about streaming?

[If you’re a male player with Challenger skills, would you stream?]

[LOL, a guy with Challenger? Impossible.]

[Why even ask that? Of course, you’d do it.]

[If you’re Challenger, money is basically guaranteed. You’ll dominate the streaming scene.]

Everyone agrees with the comment about male streamers.

Good-looking guys can make it without having to be great at gaming.

It’s the same everywhere, even in the world I used to live in.

Appearance is a huge advantage.

But still… are looks more important than skill when you’re a gaming streamer?

[Doesn’t really matter. If a guy’s good-looking, he can be bad at the game and still make it.]

[Haven’t you heard? Good-looking guys don’t need skill in games.]

It’s a bit hard for me to fully grasp, but I guess it makes sense.

I need to check it out firsthand on TwiKa TV.

Since I’ve decided to stream, I should research and see what it’s like.

I closed LoL and sat blankly, staring at the ceiling.

My stomach growled.

I realized I hadn’t eaten anything all day.

My wallet was the same as my phone—two of them.

One was on the desk, the other in my pocket.

Yesterday, I had withdrawn cash to give my parents some allowance, and it turned out to be a good decision.

I took out 40 ten-thousand-won bills and put them into the wallet on my desk.

I put on a hat and mask and headed out.

As I walked through the hallway on the first floor, I noticed four girls coming my way.

What’s going on? Why are they walking in a line down the narrow hall? I pressed myself against the wall, waiting for them to pass.

But… they were spread out like a football defense, taking up all the space.

How was I supposed to get by? I brushed shoulders with the girl on the edge.

Luckily, I managed to pull back a little, or I would’ve fallen.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. But, are you okay?”

“Are you really worrying about me? You must be hurt, it looked like it hurt so much…”

Huh?

“Ah, yeah… then I’ll just go now.”

That was the first conversation I’ve had with anyone in this world.

Hearing those words, I felt a strange dissonance.

It was a little disorienting, but I guess I’ll just have to adjust.

After all, this is something I’ll have to deal with over and over. I’ll get used to it.

“Hey, wait!”

Just as I was about to open the front door to go outside, I heard a girl’s voice calling out behind me.