Chapter 32: Eviction Order

Checking the list of IDs in the friends list to deliberately snipe someone… it’s certainly behavior deserving of criticism as a professional.

Ryu Jinhyuk didn’t have a grand reason to snipe Prisoner.

He simply wanted to see.

To see what exactly he had witnessed from Prisoner before.

To understand what had driven YoonGi into such a corner.

And, perhaps, to understand why he himself was acting this way now.

And so, he queued up.

Amid countless reasons he couldn’t even fully comprehend himself, he sought to meet Prisoner again.

[Game Found!]

[Accept/Decline]

As expected, he was matched in the same queue as Prisoner.

This time, however, they were opponents.

Even when facing the same player, the feeling of having them as an ally versus as an enemy is entirely different.

At some point, Ryu Jinhyuk noticed his heart pounding wildly.

“Now, show me.”

Show me what I saw.

Show me what you’re trying to convey.

When the game started, Prisoner’s early-game strategy was as sharp as ever, just as he remembered.

“He forced Ellison to path downward. As expected of Prisoner.”

The unexpected variable occurred right after that.

“You’re really going in on this?”

At the level 1 timing, disregarding the inherent disadvantage of a melee champion against a ranged champion, the opposing Karma recklessly forced a trade.

To make matters worse, the opponent didn’t even have Flash.

For a moment, Ryu Jinhyuk wondered if it was a trap. However, the opposing jungler was Diana.

There was no way she could be there at this timing.

– First Blood!

As expected, it wasn’t a trap or anything of the sort. The opponent had simply overextended, and that was all there was to it.

Even after securing the kill, Ryu Jinhyuk felt more disappointment than joy.

As he already knew from the loading screen, the opposing mid-laner, 3-Min Top Church Honor Disciple, was originally a top-laner.

Whether it was because they were forced into an undesired lane or for some other reason, they didn’t seem interested in playing the game properly.

That’s why it was disappointing.

So very disappointing.

If only Prisoner had slightly more capable teammates, this could have been a much better game.

Shortly after, Prisoner appeared in the upper jungle, targeting Ryu Jinhyuk, but this too was something he had anticipated.

“Your reactions are impressive.”

Dodging an incoming skill with a forward Flash…

It’s not something you often see, even in professional games, due to the inherent risk of wasting a summoner spell. Yet, Prisoner had executed it as if it were second nature.

Of course, even with such a move, he couldn’t kill Ryu Jinhyuk.

[Karma – Level 1]

As expected, Karma was still only level 1.

If Prisoner had slightly better teammates, this could have been a much better game.

And once again, Ryu Jinhyuk witnessed Prisoner moving precisely and deliberately.

“Your reactions are truly remarkable.”

Even though he knew Karma couldn’t secure a kill, the seamless execution of these micro-movements spoke volumes about Prisoner’s skill.

It was the type of precision that could dominate any game—if only the teammates had been able to keep up.

[Karma – Level 1]

Karma remained at level 1, incapable of leveraging the same momentum.

If only Prisoner had a better team, perhaps this game wouldn’t feel so lacking in challenge.

In the midst of the chaotic interactions, Ryu Jinhyuk couldn’t help but feel both admiration for Prisoner’s mechanics and frustration at the wasted potential of the match.

“Show me more,” he thought.

Not just what Prisoner could do, but what he truly wanted to convey through this game.

[Karma – Level 1]

As expected, Karma was still only level 1.

If Prisoner had slightly better teammates, this could have been a much better game.

Shortly after, Prisoner emerged in the upper jungle, aiming at Ryu Jinhyuk, but this too was within his expectations.

“Your reactions are impressive.”

Dodging a skill with a forward Flash…

It’s not something commonly seen even in professional games due to the risk of wasting a summoner spell. Yet, Prisoner pulled it off as if it were second nature.

Of course, even with such precision, he couldn’t kill Ryu Jinhyuk.

[Karma – Level 1]

As expected, Karma was still only level 1.

If Prisoner had slightly better teammates, this could have been a much better game.

Shortly after, Prisoner emerged in the upper jungle, aiming at Ryu Jinhyuk, but this too was within his expectations.

“Your reactions are impressive.”

Dodging a skill with a forward Flash…

It’s not something commonly seen even in professional games due to the risk of wasting a summoner spell. Yet, Prisoner pulled it off as if it were second nature.

Of course, even with such precision, he couldn’t kill Ryu Jinhyuk.

[+16 LP]

[1715 LP]

After the grueling game ended, I had a brief conversation with 3-Min Top Church Honor Disciple.

[3-Min Top Church Honor Disciple: Carry]

[3-Min Top Church Honor Disciple: This is just ridiculous. Can’t believe we won this.]

[Me: Haha.]

[3-Min Top Church Honor Disciple: I’ll head out for now. I swear I’ll hard-carry next time!]

[Me: Sure.]

[3-Min Top Church Honor Disciple: Bye-bye.]

Though I wasn’t particularly hopeful about that promise, it was still an amusing exchange.

After 3-Min Top Church Honor Disciple left, I instinctively logged onto a stat-tracking site.

[Prisoner]

Rank: 1

Solo Queue

• Challenger
• 1715 LP / 247 Wins, 172 Losses
• Win Rate: 59%

Finally.

I had reclaimed the throne.

A quick glance at the community revealed that it was becoming quite the hot topic.

Breaking News: Prisoner Retakes Rank 1

[Prisoner]

Rank: 1

Solo Queue

• Challenger
• 1715 LP / 247 Wins, 172 Losses
• Win Rate: 59%

The post was a profile screenshot of my account taken from the stat-tracking site.

With so many eyes watching each game, I scanned the comments out of curiosity.

“Still a legend, rotten to the core lol.”

“How many seasons has this guy hit Rank 1? Even pros can’t keep this up!”

“Well, pros have schedules, you know. They can’t play nonstop like this guy.”

“Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner!”

“So the final boss for Rank 1 was Rainbow? Lol, how did that go?”

Most of the comments praised me, but some bashed the pro players who had been in my matches.

“Rainbow’s washed up lol.”

“Wasn’t the jungler GRS? They lost even with Rainbow mid? Guess bot lane hard-carried as usual.”

“FYI, YoonGi also got crushed by Prisoner in the previous match.”

“Rainbow and YoonGi both getting destroyed by Prisoner, even with 3-Min Top Church Honor Disciple mid. Lol.”

I closed the community page with a smirk.

Having reclaimed Rank 1, I decided to call it a day.

The last game had been that exhausting.

Of course, I wasn’t planning to stop here.

For me, reaching Rank 1 in solo queue was just the starting line.

My true goal was elsewhere.

A place no one had ever reached before.

A place no one could reach in the future.

That’s where I intended to leave my mark as Prisoner.

Ding!

Just then, a message popped up in the lower-right corner of my monitor.

[Mom]

It was my mother.

Since I rarely answered my phone, she had resorted to using a messenger app synced with my computer.

[Mom: Yujin, we’re coming home with a guest soon. Just letting you know.]

A guest? Out of nowhere?

[Me: What do you mean, a guest?]

[Mom: Someone’s coming to look at the house.]

[Me: Why would anyone look at the house?]

[Mom: Seriously, don’t you remember? I told you a few days ago that we’re moving soon. The house is up for sale.]

Now that she mentioned it, I vaguely recalled something like that.

“Yujin, we’re moving soon. Where would you like to go?”

“Oh, okay. Got it.”

“…Are you even listening?”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever works. I’m fine with anywhere.”

…The problem was, I’d been in the middle of an intense game at the time.

Still, the reason behind the sudden move wasn’t hard to guess.

“It must be because of me.”

So I could start fresh.

Leaving behind a house and neighborhood we had lived in for so long showed just how much my family was sacrificing for me.

As I worked to calm the emotions welling up inside, another message came through.

[Mom: By the way, since your situation isn’t fully resolved yet, could you step out for a bit while they’re here?]

Just like that, I was handed an eviction order.

See you in the next chapter.