Chapter 20: The Trident Villain’s Rising Controversy

The lights are off.

Is it already time for the shop to close?

No, it’s not even 6 PM yet.

Besides, didn’t we close early yesterday too?

Of course, that was because of me.

Anyway, there’s no way Suah, who’s serious about her business,

would close the shop before the working hours end.

“Suah?”

I went inside and turned on the lights, but Suah wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

For a moment, the scene from yesterday flashed in my mind.

She didn’t leave the shop even when she heard that Grandpa was in critical condition.

So where could she have gone?

“Suah!”

I called out anxiously, but there was no answer.

“Huh? Are you back, unnie?”

“…Huh?”

For a moment, I wondered if I had heard her voice due to desperation.

But I’m sure it came from upstairs.

I stood frozen for a moment,

and soon, Suah came down the stairs with a clatter, looking perfectly fine.

“You’re back earlier than I expected.”

“…What are you doing upstairs?”

I asked in disbelief.

Suah tilted her head and answered.

“What do you mean? I was just in my room…”

“The shop? What about it?”

When I pressed her further, Suah scratched her cheek awkwardly and muttered.

“There were no customers, and I wasn’t feeling great, so I decided to close early.”

“……”

Well, there’s nothing strange about what she said.

In fact, it makes sense.

Especially with our only family member in a precarious state, how could anyone focus on work?

I was relieved, thinking nothing was wrong after all, but…

Somehow, I felt drained.

After a long sigh, I mumbled.

“I was worried because I couldn’t see you. You really scared me.”

“Hehe, sorry…”

Suah, with a sheepish smile, hesitated before speaking.

“Oh, and I watched the broadcast.”

“Huh? The broadcast?”

“The tournament you were in today. I looked it up and saw they were streaming it.”

“Ah…”

I didn’t expect her to watch the tournament.

She has no interest in IBAE or games in general.

The only reason I even told her about it was because she was so worried yesterday, so I explained it.

She probably thought I would do something strange to make money.

Well, realistically, if you wanted to make a quick buck, that would be one way to think of it.

“What was the name again? Aebi?”

“IBAE.”

Also, Aebi? That’s dangerous.

“I don’t know much about IBAE, but surprisingly, it was fun.”

“The commentary was helpful. Though, it got a little dizzying the longer I watched.”

It’s true that IBAE has a certain appeal.

Maybe it’s because of the fantasy elements mixed in, unlike other battle royales?

It’s somewhat unrealistic, but the extravagance makes it viSuahlly enjoyable.

Anyway, I was curious since she watched the tournament.

I couldn’t help but ask, fighting my curiosity and embarrassment.

“So, how was it?”

“Huh? How was what?”

“My play.”

To my surprise, the answer didn’t come easily.

Suah seemed to have a rather complex impression.

She glanced at me with a slightly awkward look.

Then, she tried to cheer me up with a bright tone.

“Well, I think you did your best! So, don’t be too disappointed about not winning the prize. Got it?”

“…Huh?”

I thought I had misheard her.

I doubted my ears first, then my brain.

Was my mind, damaged after five years of living in another world, finally starting to show its effects?

Unaware of my thoughts, Suah kept on talking.

“Yeah. It’s just bad luck! Who would’ve expected there’d be someone who could handle the trident so well?”

I see. I more or less understood now.

“Do you remember the name of the person who won?”

“Name? Hmm… I don’t know.”

“Jjamppong Aehoga.”

“Aha. Aha?”

Finally, Suah seemed to notice something odd, as her head tilted.

“So, does that mean it was Gaeul unnie?”

“Wow. Then who did you think I was watching?”

“Well… I just thought one out of 66 would be you…”

Fantastic.

Then, Suah’s mumbling put the finishing touch on everything.

“No wonder the character looked like you…”

“What am I going to do with you, Suah? Why are you so naive?”

At this point, it’s getting concerning.

Is she really this innocent for someone so outdated?

Actually, “naive” might be a better description than “pure.”

Once the misunderstanding was cleared, Suah immediately asked with sparkling eyes.

“So, did you win the prize too?”

“Heh heh. Of course!”

I pulled the check from my pocket and handed it to her.

After slowly counting the zeros on the paper, Suah jumped up and down excitedly.

“Wow! Unnie, that’s amazing!”

“It’s nothing like that.”

“I thought you just liked games, but you were this good? ”

“I always thought you were wasting your time sitting in front of the computer!”

“Hey, you really thought that?”

That’s a bit too much.

I may be good at games, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like them.

It’s just a hobby, so calling it a waste of time is unfair. She owes an apology to gamers.

As I watched Suah celebrating, I suddenly realized.

She seemed a bit down earlier, probably because she thought I didn’t do well in the tournament.

After I confidently entered, saying I’d make money,

it must have been a blow for her when she realized I hadn’t performed as well as expected.

That’s why she probably closed the shop early too.

She’s just so kindly and nosy.

Holding the check and dancing around, Suah came up to me with a serious look.

“Unnie!”

“What?”

“How about debuting as a pro gamer?”

“Forget it. It’s not that easy.”

“No, I’m serious! The commentators and even the chat were all praising you as pro-level!”

“Hm…”

Well.

I do pride myself on being at least pro-level.

But objectively, based only on today’s performance, it’d be hard to call it professional-level gameplay.

Not that I did badly.

On the contrary, I played too well.

If we evaluate the tournament today, the consensus would probably be that I did well,

but the level of competition wasn’t high.

In fact, the highest tier among the participants seemed to be around Diamond to Master.

In the end, skill is relative, and if I were to play in a higher-tier ranking, there’s no way I’d perform as I did today.

People would believe that.