Chapter 39: The First Gateway

A week had passed.

That evening, after returning home, we had a family dinner together for the first time in a while, chatting about this and that.

“See, I told you that’s what happened.”

“Why did you have to say that…”

Of course, most of the conversation revolved around my younger sibling teasing me, but it was still an enjoyable time overall.

However, it wasn’t entirely pleasant. My mother said something that left me utterly shocked.

“…What did you just say?”

“You heard me.”

Apparently, on the day she had practically kicked me out of the house, plainclothes security guards had been secretly following me.

The fact that she had assigned plainclothes guards without my knowledge was unimaginable to me.

To make matters worse, my sibling had found out about it after a phone call with our mother.

No wonder something felt suspicious…

Not that I was particularly upset with my sibling.

I still remember the beads of sweat on their forehead when they found me.

Even with security guards secretly trailing me, they must have been worried.

For a moment, I thought that plainclothes security was overkill. But considering how protective my mother had always been, it wasn’t entirely surprising.

‘Come to think of it…’

It occurred to me that her sudden decision to push me toward independence was uncharacteristically abrupt.

‘Wait, does that mean she knows about the pathetic state I was in back then?’

While my sibling had already seen my embarrassing behavior after we reunited, that was after the fact.

The thought that my mother knew about the time I sulked alone in the park before running off…

‘…Maybe I should just die.’

Memories of embarrassment came flooding back, chipping away at my dignity as a human being.

Although I understood my mother’s intentions weren’t malicious, wasn’t this a bit too much?

‘I’ll get my revenge.’

Maybe I’d start by being picky about side dishes or staying up all night drinking too much coffee.

…Actually, I was already doing those things.

Anyway, that wasn’t the main point.

Beyond the events of that evening, so much had happened over the past week.

We started preparing for the move, and various steps were taken to finalize my identity.

…To be honest, I didn’t do much.

At best, I vaguely answered questions like, “Which house or room do you prefer?”

So what did I do instead?

Obviously, I played games.

In that time, I achieved a five-game winning streak.

Counting only the games I played since becoming a girl, I had racked up an impressive 13-game winning streak.

[Prisoner]

Rank 1

Solo Queue

• Challenger
• 1792 LP / 252 wins, 172 losses
• Win rate: 59%

The current highest solo queue score was set last season by Rainbow at 1789 LP.

Not only had I surpassed that record, but I was also on the verge of breaking through 1800 LP—the first true barrier that no one had ever surpassed.

I was about to set one of the most historic records in solo queue.

Naturally, the community was in an uproar.

– Recent Matches: Prisoner.jpg

[Win] 34:44

[Win] 15:11

[Win] 13:03

[Win] 25:41

[Win] 39:01

[Win] 9:31

Currently on a 16-game solo queue win streak, lol.

Even at the highest ranks, this was practically unheard of.

The comment section was just as explosive.

• “Prisoner, is he a god? Prisoner, is he a god? Prisoner, is he a god? Prisoner, is he a god?”
• “16 wins in a row at the highest ranks of Challenger, lol. Insane.”
• “Rainbow’s record has been broken. What a legend.”
• “Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner! Prisoner!”
• “Is this the solo queue warrior who crushed the Red Cup champions?”
• “No, he didn’t ‘crush’ them. It’s solo queue. Rainbow and YunGi weren’t trying that hard. Lol, these casuals don’t understand.”
• “Alright, next apologist. A loss is a loss—why the long tongue?”
• “Prisoner, is he a god? Prisoner, is he a god? Prisoner, is he a god?”

The buzz surrounding the streak was overwhelming. I didn’t mind, though—it was all part of the journey to greatness.

Is Prisoner a God? Is Prisoner a God? Is Prisoner a God?

• Fact: Rainbow, a two-time Red Cup champion, and YunGi, a one-time champion, have both been thoroughly crushed by Prisoner.
• Reply: “Fact, my foot, lol. Please stop comparing amateur players to Red Cup champions. ^_^”
• “Wait, is this guy really someone with a rare illness? And he’s playing at this level?”
• Reply: “Probably. Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense for him not to debut as a pro.”
• “Illness or not, if he can play like this, any team would want to recruit him.”
• “What’s up with Prisoner lately? Did he unlock his potential or something? This is insane. He’s seriously going to hit 1800 points.”

The posts didn’t stop there.

• Breaking News: Prisoner Sets New All-Time Record for Solo Queue Points in League of Legends.
• Highlight Reel: Today’s Super Plays by Prisoner.GIF.
• Calling it Now: Prisoner Will Hit 1800 Points.
• Live Poll: Prisoner vs. YunGi.

Even from a glance, this was the volume of posts being created.

And as more posts flooded in in real-time, it was clear that discussions about Prisoner were dominating the League of Legends community.

The biggest debate revolved around whether Prisoner could become the first player in history to break the 1800-point barrier.

While I was scrolling through the community posts, my phone buzzed.

Bzzzz…

‘Hmm.’

It was an unknown number.

Since I’d been getting calls like this frequently over the past few days, I instinctively set my phone to silent and flipped it over.

‘Another one.’

I didn’t need to think hard about where the call was coming from.

When I didn’t answer, a text followed shortly after.

“Hello, this is James Lee, a scout for the North American professional League of Legends team TTU. Are you Prisoner?”

The rumor that I had a rare illness was so widespread that even casual community members knew about it.

The fact that I was still receiving scouting offers indicated that my value was now seen as worth the risk.

‘The influence of the pros I’ve played with must have played a big role.’

Most of the offers came from overseas teams.

Foreign teams seemed to be much more flexible about these things compared to the more rigid Korean teams.

“Yes, this is me. However, if this is a recruitment offer, I’m sorry, but I’m not in a position to debut as a professional right now.”

“Could we still have a conversation? Would it be possible to talk over the phone?”

“I’m sorry, but no.”

Even if I appreciated the offers, joining a team in my current situation was impossible, so I declined all of them.

It was a little disappointing, but it couldn’t be helped.

‘Maybe it’s time to change my phone number.’

Since my identity issues hadn’t been fully resolved, I hadn’t been able to do so yet, but that would soon be sorted out.

After politely declining, I launched the League of Legends client, as usual.

This was how I started my routine.

[1v1 Message Alert: SCV KING]

SCV KING: “Do you have a moment to talk?”

SCV KING.

He was one of the top laners on my friends list.

His unusually formal tone made it clear what this conversation was about.

SCV KING: “Oh, I was wondering if you’re currently affiliated with any team or planning to join one?”

Of course.

Not that it was unpleasant—it was actually flattering.

Being recognized for my skills was a good thing, after all.

Moreover, SCV KING was part of a prestigious team that had made it to the Red Cup semifinals.

Even though I’d also been contacted by last season’s runner-up team, GRS, this was the first time a team of this caliber from Korea had reached out.

It was tempting, but…

Me: “I’m sorry. I’m not in a position to join a team right now.”

SCV KING: “Oh… If you ever change your mind, please let me know!”

Me: “Will do.”

After ending the conversation, I queued up for a match.

It was time to aim for 1800 points.

‘Though, my body feels a little off today.’

Admittedly, it was odd for me to say that.

I’d lived my entire life without a single day of perfect health.

For me, “feeling good” was more about whether I felt less pain or more pain—it was never a matter of being truly fine.

‘It should be okay.’

If I mentioned it to my mother, she’d overreact, insisting I go to the hospital or even check into the ICU.

So I just hit the queue button.

It wasn’t like feeling a bit under the weather was a big deal. My head was a little heavy, but that was it.

Nothing could stop me from reaching the 1800-point milestone.

[Match Found!]

[Accept/Decline]

I clicked Accept.