Chapter 28: Against All Odds

The good news was that the PC café hosting the tournament wasn’t far.

After a short 10-minute ride on the rickety bus, I arrived at the venue.

An offline squad match just thinking about it made me sigh, but giving up wasn’t an option.

Like last time, I wore a cap and mask to conceal my face.

The last thing I wanted was to lose my quiet daily life to unnecessary attention.

The PC café was bustling, likely due to the tournament.

With a prize pool similar to my first tournament, it was no surprise that this event had garnered significant attention.

Lately, amateur tournaments seemed to be gaining traction, and I might’ve had something to do with that.

After sweeping through several amateur tournaments, my name had become well-known.

These days, even in solo ranked games, someone would always recognize me and try to strike up a conversation.

The attention was more than I bargained for.

Honestly, I just wanted to secure the surgery money and disappear from the scene.

If the participants had seen the team roster, they probably knew I was here.

That meant I had to be extra cautious to avoid targeted interference.

“Let’s see…”

I scanned the area, looking for my assigned seat.

Soon, I spotted my number tucked into a corner.

Perfect.

Hopefully, I’d remain unnoticed.

Seated next to my spot was a man, likely one of my teammates.

Since teams were seated together, it made sense.

As I sat down, he turned his gaze from the screen to me, his eyes widening in surprise.

It was a reaction I’d grown used to.

“Hello,” I greeted quietly.

The man, still taken aback, gave a hesitant nod in return. “Uh, hi. Wait… Your nickname, by any chance?”

“JjamppongLover.”

“No way…”

So much for flying under the radar.

I gave a faint smile, nodding. “Yes, it’s me.”

His eyes darted around as if trying to process the revelation. “So, you’re really… wow…”

I could almost read his thoughts: The mysterious tournament crusher turns out to be… a girl?

He finally gathered himself enough to respond. “I’m SkyBean.”

“Got it.”

SkyBean, ranked Bronze 2, was the highest-tiered teammate on our roster.

While that wasn’t saying much, it meant the third member of our team was still missing.

Just then, a whirlwind of energy barreled toward us.

Though indoors, it felt like a cloud of dust trailed behind her as she sprinted into view.

“Phew… just made it!”

She skidded to a stop in front of us, hands on her knees as she caught her breath.

Despite her flustered appearance, her voice was bright and cheery.

“Oh, here you are! Hi, everyone!”

Her caSuahl, bubbly demeanor made an immediate impression.

“Are you two from Team 14?”

“Yes,” SkyBean and I replied in unison.

“Wow! Nice to meet you both! Let’s do our best!”

It was now clear she was our final teammate.

But something nagged at me.

Pulling out my phone, I checked the roster again.

Bronze 5.

I knew that already, but something about her energy made me double-check.

Her username was…

“Pink Apex?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She laughed nervously, scratching her head. “Haha… Hearing someone else say it out loud feels a bit embarrassing.”

No kidding. That name was beyond awkward, no matter who said it. Honestly, it was surprising she hadn’t been forced to change it.

For someone with such a peculiar nickname, she looked perfectly normal actually, she was quite pretty.

She grinned sheepishly and added, “You can just call me ‘Pinkie.’ It’s shorter and less awkward!”

“…Not by much,” I muttered under my breath, though it was marginally better than the full name.

Introductions naturally followed.

“I’m SkyBean. Nice to meet you,” said the guy beside me.

“That’s such a cute name!” Pinkie responded enthusiastically.

“I’m JjamppongLover,” I said plainly.

“Ooh! I love jjamppong, too! How about we grab a bowl after the tournament?” she suggested brightly.

Her friendliness was overwhelming.

I’d never met anyone this outgoing, not even Suah, who was the most social person I knew.

Judging by the way she interacted, it seemed she had no idea who I was. That was a small relief, at least.

“The tournament will begin shortly!”

The referee’s announcement broke the flow of our introductions.

We quickly took our seats and began setting up.

I powered on the computer, logged into e-Bae, and entered the tournament code to join the designated room.

Our seating arrangement had Pinkie in the center, with SkyBean and me at opposite ends.

Even during the short setup period, Pinkie didn’t stop chatting.

“SkyBean, you’ve hit the jackpot! Playing with gorgeous teammates like us!”

“Haha… I guess so,” SkyBean responded, slightly flustered.

“But we probably shouldn’t expect great results, right? I mean, all our tiers are pretty low. But hey, games are meant to be fun!”

As she spoke, SkyBean’s face lit up, and he seemed ready to spill a secret.

“Oh, Pinkie, you don’t know, do you? JjamppongLover is actually—”

“Ahem! Ahem!” I interrupted with an exaggerated cough to stop him.

Thankfully, SkyBean picked up on the hint and immediately shut his mouth, glancing at me apologetically.

There was no need to reveal anything unnecessary.

“Well, since we’re here, let’s aim for the win,” I said, steering the conversation back on track.

“Of course! Let’s make history as the ultimate underdog trio in e-Bae!” Pinkie exclaimed, her enthusiasm boundless.

Her determination was oddly reassuring, and SkyBean seemed equally eager.

While the odds weren’t in our favor, perhaps we could pull off something remarkable.

Still, I knew this would be the toughest tournament I’d ever faced.

“Let the match begin!”

With the referee’s signal, the game started.

Meanwhile, online forums buzzed with activity as uSuahl.

The amateur PC café tournament had become a hot topic, drawing significant attention.

In the past, amateur tournaments didn’t attract this level of interest.

Discussions were typically dominated by the professional e-Bae league, known as ELK, its players, or random tips for climbing ranked games.

But today, the spotlight was firmly on this event.

Discussions about livestreams were strictly avoided in the forums.

Users who dared to mention such topics were often met with harsh comments, telling them to take it elsewhere.

However, in just a week, the tone of the forums had changed significantly, thanks largely to JjamppongLover, affectionately known as Samville.

[Do you think Samville will win again today?]

I’m living for Samville matches these days. Who needs pro leagues?

[Comments:]

• Ox
• Wish they’d stream this.
  I’d watch every single one if they did.
• Ugh, here come the Samville fans again.

Not everyone welcomed this new vibe on the forums.

In fact, some regulars were growing increasingly irritated with the sudden influx of Samville supporters,

whom they dismissively referred to as SamEopChung (a derogatory term akin to “Samville fanatics”).

Despite the division in opinion, one fact was universally acknowledged: Samville had exceptional skills.

Her performances in tournaments were nothing short of mesmerizing.

Criticisms about her being a one-trick pony only good with parrying or tridents had vanished.

When she clinched a victory using nothing but traps and ambushes, public opinion shifted dramatically.

Some even began comparing her to professional players, suggesting her skills were on par with the pros.

Of course, these were minority opinions, and debates continued over whether she was truly elite-tier material or just an anomaly in the amateur scene.

[Today’s tournament is squads, right?]

And Samville’s team has two Bronze players, lol. No way she’s winning this time.

[Comments:]

• Didn’t she carry a duo to victory last time?
  That partner was at least Platinum, though. Decent enough.
  Bronze and Platinum aren’t remotely the same.
• The roster this time looks brutal. She might not make it.
  One team has two Grandmasters, for crying out loud.

[Why would Samville team up with two Bronze players?]

Is this some kind of challenge? Like, “handicapping myself and still winning”?

[Comments:]

• Maybe it’s just random matchmaking?
  Doesn’t seem like it. Some teams have matching nicknames.
  ? Then was it intentional? Like a penalty for fairness or something?
• Even Samville can’t beat a team with two Grandmasters.
  This tournament is probably her hardest challenge yet.

The tournament format allowed players to form teams with whomever they wanted, with unselected participants placed into random squads.

Yet, many speculated that even this was part of Samville’s strategy.

To the public, she had become a “mad genius,” someone who constantly defied expectations by pulling off insane, unprecedented stunts to claim victory.

To be fair, that wasn’t entirely inaccurate.

Looking back at her tournament history, such speculation made perfect sense.

With that in mind, the audience eagerly focused on the match, anticipating the next unpredictable spectacle she would deliver.