Chapter 39: Challenger Marathon, is the big one coming?

To summarize in one sentence: “That’s not me,” and to quote directly from the clarification stream:

“There’s a weird photo going around claiming to be me, but that’s not me.”

As expected, the gallery was set ablaze.

[Author: Anonymous] [Title: Isn’t she completely insane?]

“Shouldn’t she at least explain the context of the incident?

How does she just drop a ‘That’s not me’ and run away?”

—[She said it’s not her, so what’s the problem?]

“Do you honestly think this is an acceptable way to communicate?”

—[You’re just upset because you didn’t get the drama you wanted.]

“Wow, really?”

[Author: LegendaryFan] [Title: Why does everyone assume Legend Noona knows everything?]

“Maybe she genuinely doesn’t know and just said it’s not her.

Why does everyone assume she’s the mastermind behind everything? Stop the witch hunt!”

—[Judging by her past actions, it’s 100% intentional.]

—[Come on, she’s got a history of scamming people.]

—[She’s definitely on the list of prime suspects.]

—[You’d probably fall for any romance scam out there.]

“Walking ATM.”

[Author: LegendaryFan] [Title: Think about it—she never claimed the SNS was hers.]

“You all accused her just because the usernames matched. Why are you mad when she denies it?”

—[Is this person a fan or a hater?]

“Fans pretending to be haters pretending to be fans pretending to be haters.”

“Even the viewers are starting to resemble the streamer.”

“The Law of Grasping at Straws.”

—[She never said it was her photo. So what’s your argument?]

“Then why did she say she’s ugly?”

“She said she’s ugly, not that the photo was hers.”

“Now that you mention it, this actually makes sense.”

“Stop presenting facts and let’s stick to our narrative, please.”

[Author: Anonymous] [Title: So, do you think Legend Noona is pretty?]

“What’s the percentage chance that she’s an ogre pretending to be a beauty pretending to be ugly?”

—[Even college entrance exams don’t come with questions this twisted.]

“What if all of this was part of her plan? What if even getting caught was part of her scheme?”

“How does she control the reactions from the game company, then?”

“What if Infinity is in on it, too?”

“Are you a conspiracy theorist?”

“A conspiracy? Sounds kinky.”

“The government is controlling your brainwaves through Wi-Fi! Destroy your smartphone now!”

“Thanks to this post, I smashed my phone and escaped mind control. Thank you!”

[Author: Anonymous] [Title: Just try streaming again, you crazy woman.]

“I’ll make your chat a living hell. The locust swarm from the gallery is coming.

Are you ready to pay the price for toying with Team Gallery?”

—[What if she quits streaming because of this? Will you take responsibility?]

—[Do you seriously have some sense of belonging to the gallery? Gross.]

“Who are we? The best Teamfight Arena players in the world.

Who are we? The most elite gaming community in Korea—Team Gallery.”

“Ugh, this pretentiousness is disgusting.”

“Ever since joining Team Gallery, my life has changed for the better.”

“Legend Noona, start your stream already.”

People were lying in wait.

The moment Legend Noona started streaming, they planned to cause absolute chaos, lighting fires everywhere they could.

And then, on the afternoon of Lunar New Year’s Day…

Her stream went live.

[Author: Anonymous] [Title: Legend Noona’s stream is ON.]

“Recruiting a protest team to demand the truth from Legend Noona.

Requirements: Loud voices and ASCII art. Torches are a bonus.”

—[What’s the reward for success?]

“The truth and glory.”

—[But all we can do is spam chat. What good is a loud voice?]

“Obviously, it means how well you can spam! Stop living just in reality and step up your online life!”

Protesters armed with torches (spamming) and signs (ASCII art) began gathering in her stream.

But when they arrived to set the festival ablaze, they found it wasn’t some shabby local fair—it was a grand futuristic hologram showcase.

[Author: LegendaryFan] [Title: Legend Noona’s broadcast is HUGE.]

“Challenger marathon! I knew she’d deliver. Damn it!”

—[Wait, what’s her current rank?]

“Gold 1.”

—[Gold 1 to Challenger marathon? Is that even possible?]

“Her MMR is so high, she’s already matched with Diamond and Master players.”

“Two-rank promotions and skipped promo matches are possible.”

“Wow. This is insane.”

“It’s because her normal game MMR affects placement matches now.”

“So, with her unbeaten 30-level streak, she’s essentially starting at Diamond.”

It was a rare event: a Gold-to-Challenger marathon.

And if successful, it would also be the first-ever by a female player.

If successful.

“There’s no way I won’t succeed.”

People believed it, too.

A woman acknowledged by Victory and capable of defeating Wild.

What kind of spectacle would she show them?

[Author: Anonymous] [Title: Are we witnessing the first female Challenger?]

“If it’s Legend Noona, she’ll pull it off effortlessly.”

—[Wouldn’t it be weird if she didn’t? She’s not just any player; even Victory acknowledges her as a rival.]

“When did Victory’s rival switch from Lee Joon to Legend Noona?”

—[Why are you picking on Lee Joon?]

The protestors, armed and ready to spam chaos, ended up enchanted by the show and quietly joined the audience instead.

Nobody wanted to ruin what might become a historic moment.

At the peak of her stream, Legend Noona’s viewership hit 22,000 and was still climbing.

Her climb to Challenger became a communal spectacle, and whispers of a potential dream match against Victory added to the excitement.

The chat buzzed with anticipation.

Was today the day their rivalry would finally be resolved?