Chapter 32: “You are more suited to be a support than an ADC”

“Did you say I should fold?”

“Fold” is a phrase that can bring immense shame to gamers.

Although it consists of just three syllables, it naturally carries the implication of “you can’t play well.”

Despite being only in bronze, Ririyang, who has enjoyed gaming since childhood and currently plays Abyss diligently, naturally possessed the spirit of a gamer.

Thus, she was thrown into great shock right after hearing Kayak’s words.

“Did I really play that badly…?”

For Ririyang, there was no other way to think.

It was a natural flow of thought, and she unconsciously began to pout.

It had been a while since her expression had become so glum, and her demeanor was captured perfectly through the camera.

Viewers watching both Kayak and Ririyang’s broadcasts via Twitch’s multi-view feature quickly conveyed the news to Kayak through the chat.

[Ririyang is crying]

[Teacher, Ririyang is crying!]

[This is tragic]

[It’s a scientific phenomenon]

[Even so, telling her to fold?]

[Me]

[Are you telling someone participating in a tournament to quit the game? lol, that’s low]

[Telling her to fold Heiven is just wrong]

[Seriously]

[How can you tell someone who only played Heiven and Miriam to fold?]

A woman’s tears have always been a powerful means of communication, so it wasn’t surprising that public opinion quickly turned against Kayak.

Moreover, given the scale of the tournament, many people had already taken aim at Kayak, harboring baseless hostility after spending all day in the community forums.

In fact, Ririyang didn’t shed a single tear; she only wore a slightly pitiful expression for a moment.

However, that detail mattered little to the viewers.

Fortunately, loyal viewers remained in Kayak’s stream, and the fact that she and Ririyang were both women somewhat mitigated the backlash.

If that hadn’t been the case, the chat would have been in complete chaos.

“Um…”

Despite that, Kayak remained calm.

Even as the chat rapidly filled with comments, she seemed unaffected, merely licking her lips, while Ririyang, who had been pouting, quickly assessed the situation and tried to manage the viewers.

“I’m not crying, why would I cry? There are so many people here. Please don’t type weird comments.”

“Ririyang.”

“Y-yes…?”

Gulp.

As soon as Ririyang heard her name called, her face tensed like a mouse in front of a cat.

Kayak could tell from Ririyang’s quivering voice that she was nervous and felt curious about why she was so anxious but continued to speak.

“First of all, I want to let you know that I’ve been watching you closely since before I started this stream today.”

“You, you were watching me?”

“Yes.”

[I’ve been watching you for a long time]

[What is this?]

[Is this a confession?]

[Yandere Kayak, lol]

[Stalker, lolololol]

By the time Ririyang’s ears turned red with embarrassment at Kayak’s unexpected words,

“I’ve been watching your gameplay videos, Vtuber streams, and replays continuously.

And I had one thought in my mind.”

“Yes…”

It was about the game.

Ririyang, who had awakened from her vain delusions and returned to reality, nodded with a somewhat gloomy expression.

“After watching your recent gameplay, I’ve reached a clear conclusion.

So what I mean is, I’m not just making this suggestion based solely on today’s results.”

Kayak continued speaking in her characteristic melodic voice.

“Ririyang, you don’t fit as a damage dealer.

More specifically, the ADC role itself doesn’t suit you at all.”

Even upon hearing it again, it was painful to hear.

This felt like a denial of all the time Ririyang had spent trying hard.

Nevertheless, she held back her rising emotions and asked Kayak, “Then, what should I do…?”

“You should.”

Kayak spoke with newfound confidence, as if telling Ririyang to listen carefully.

“You should play support.”

Support, or in other words, a support role.

Just like in any typical AOS game, the support’s position in Abyss wasn’t particularly esteemed.

Heroes specialized in assisting others, whose very purpose was to provide support.

Such heroes were fundamentally uninteresting.

So why would anyone play them?

Because they can’t play any other role.

They lack the skills to be a damage dealer or even a tank, so they settle for support.

This was the common mindset of most players.

[??? : You’re so bad, just stop and play support.]

[Oh, lol, what even is Heiven? Go practice with Theodora.]

[As expected, it’s Kayak—solid performance.]

[She resolves all the viewers’ frustrations in one go.]

[Just a ‘tool.’]

[Hehe, hehe…]

[Actually, this is the right choice to win the tournament, lol…]

[In lower tiers, just give heals and buffs, lol.]

[It’s better to have Ririyang give AoE buffs than give the ADC role to a Bronze player.]

[Her name fits perfectly, lolololol.]

[It’s destiny.]

[Ririyang, go play Ririyang, lol.]

I knew this reaction would come, but it was still infuriating.

“Did I really play that badly…?”

Ririyang shared the same perception as most average players.

Just because I suggested support doesn’t mean she should think of herself as inadequate or a poor player.

In reality, she did play like that.

“Yes.”

“Uuuh…”

Uuuh? It’s surprising to hear someone make such sounds.

I added a comment to Ririyang, who let out a weary sigh.

“That’s only considering the ADC role.”

When it comes to ADC, Ririyang is exactly at the Bronze level.

She is a player suited for that tier.

But.

“I think you have a talent for support, Ririyang.”

If my eyes aren’t deceiving me, Ririyang would soar even higher if she transitioned to playing support.

I wouldn’t be surprised if her tier jumped significantly.

As long as she plays normally, she’d escape from the Bronze-Silver line.

At that point, Ririyang began to react differently.

“Re-really…? You’re not just saying that to make me feel good…?”

“Yes. You can ignore the chat. They’re all worse than me anyway.”

[Wow]

[So cool, lol]

[Instantly suppresses the uprising]

[Is the fundamental challenger Kayak showing as Joth?]

To summarize it in one line:

Ririyang, you fit better as a support than an ADC.

“Hehe.”

Maybe feeling relieved, Ririyang let out a silly laugh.

Hearing that laugh, I let out a quick sigh before diving into the main topic.

“Aren’t you curious why I’m recommending you to play support?”

“Ah, I’m curious…!”

“Could you watch my stream for a moment?”

Ririyang nodded and immediately pulled out what she had prepared.

It was footage of her gameplay that she had even timestamped on purpose.

“Is this me?”

“I picked out a few clips from the replays and Vtuber streams.

But the other ones I didn’t bring are similar in context.”

[So what?]

[Show it already!]

[Just packaging a Bronze player; what reason could there be?]

The attention of both Ririyang and the viewers was entirely focused on me.

Their gazes were filled with curiosity and skepticism.

I needed to present evidence to back up my claims.

“Why did you get hit by Renek’s ultimate instead of Cassia here, Ririyang?”

“Um… because Cassia is more important than me?”

“Okay, then for the next scene, why did you give the credit to Nox?”

“Uh, because Nox said he was short on gold for his core item…”

“Didn’t you have enough gold for your core item too?”

“Hehe, I’m fine…”

[Hmm…]

[Looking at it all together, it’s legendary.]

[Why are you so accommodating?]

[I think I’m starting to understand why Kayak said that; upvote, lol.]

I continued to point out several more scenes, asking Ririyang for her reasoning in each case.

Each time, her responses indicated that it seemed better, that someone else could do it better, and that team members are important, among other things.

A truly, truly excellent support mindset was naturally flowing from her mouth.

This is a mindset you rarely see these days in Abyss.

Even the top-tier supports don’t always play with this mentality.

“Do you understand?”

Anyway, I had revealed all the reasons I said Ririyang was better suited for support.

Ririyang fundamentally had an innate quality for supporting her teammates, assisting them, and syncing with them.

“What do you mean by ‘innate quality’…?”

Ririyang trailed off, appearing shy, but I shook my head firmly.

“This is more about player tendencies; those who can’t do it just can’t, no matter what.”

It’s what you call aptitude.

Those born with the aptitude for damage dealers are like protagonists who can never learn to sacrifice for others.

In fact, they shouldn’t have to sacrifice at all.

If a damage dealer only gives up resources and willingly faces death for their teammates without benefiting themselves, it would be strange for that game not to lose.

“So, my aptitude is for support, which is why I keep losing even while playing ADC.”

“That’s about right.”

By showing her own gameplay in the replay, Ririyang seemed to understand fully.

In fact, she seemed to show more enthusiasm than before.

She wasn’t trailing off anymore and even asked questions about what I was saying.

[Born to be a tool, lol]

[Ririyang is meant to be a support]

[Playing support is just nature’s way, lol.]

However, despite convincing Ririyang to switch to support, the mocking chats from others didn’t stop.

It must be due to that perception.

The belief that support has less difficulty and lacks importance and influence compared to other roles.

“In reality, that’s not true at all.”

There is no unimportant position in Abyss.

Every role is crucial, and if they don’t perform their duties, winning becomes impossible.

This has been the design from the very beginning, a fact that has persisted since the early days of the game.

I couldn’t understand why those rigid perceptions existed.

I felt the need to break those prejudices.

“Ririyang.”

“Yes?”

Thus, my next action was somewhat impulsive.

“Aren’t you curious about how to carry as a support?”