Chapter 40: A Game of Betrayal

Memories from the past come rushing back.

The joy of hard-fought victories.

The frustration of giving your all yet still tasting defeat.

And the unrelenting determination to fight again, no matter the odds.

Those days when everything about gaming felt pure and genuinely fun.

I miss them.

“I missed you, Legendary.”

At the beginning, they were part of the same clan.

But every game was too easy—there was no one to truly challenge them.

If they were on the same team, there was no story to tell.

So, Victory decided to form a new clan.

Clan Legendary
vs
Clan Winner.

He gathered teammates and challenged Legendary.

It was then that the balance felt right.

Winning some, losing others, and enjoying every moment in between.

Those times were so dear to him.

Even after climbing to the pinnacle of professional gaming, earning fame and fortune, when asked which moment in life was better…

Considering life, family, and various responsibilities, anyone would naturally choose fame and fortune.

But if asked which was more fun? The answer changes.

Undoubtedly, the days of pure gaming, playing solely for the love of the game, were far more enjoyable.

And having someone like you, Legendary, as an equal rival, made everything infinitely thrilling.

When you suddenly disappeared, it left me at a loss.

It made me realize how fleeting and fragile the bonds of a thin internet cable and distant screens truly are.

When Teamfight Arena launched, I left the old game without hesitation—because you weren’t there.

But I wondered, over and over, if maybe, just maybe, you’d show up here.

Keeping my old username was part of that hope.

If you came, you’d recognize me.

And now, finally.

“Finally, we’re back at the starting line.”

The time to race again had arrived.

As soon as Legendary Streamer began queuing, Victory followed suit.

And in no time, a game was found.

The showdown between Legend and Victory was about to begin!

Or so he thought.

[TP Wild]

“Why are you here?”

Instead of matching with Legendary, Victory found himself in a game with Wild.

It turned out Wild had also queued to snipe Legendary.

Victory –
“Jun-ah, we can’t keep getting matched in low queues like this.”

Victory –
“One of us needs to stop.”

Victory –
“You’re going to let me have this, right?”

Victory –
“You already did a collab with Legendary before, didn’t you?”

TP Wild –
“That was as teammates.”

TP Wild –
“But I can’t back down from this.”

TP Wild –
“I have to be the one to hand her her first loss. No exceptions.”

TP Wild –
“^^”

“Low queue” referred to games where players with lower matchmaking ratings (MMR) were grouped into matches.

Victory and Wild were ranked #1 and #2, respectively.

If they both queued simultaneously, matchmaking would inevitably pair them together, making it nearly impossible for either of them to match with Legendary.

Thus, Wild and Victory ended up facing each other… five matches in a row.

Professional gamers avoid chatting during matches to steer clear of controversies. Team coaches even enforce this as policy.

But private messages? That was a different story.

TP Wild –
“What about respecting your elders?”

TP Wild –
“Can’t you yield to your senior for once?”

Wild, born in 1999, was four years older than Victory, born in 2003.

Back in the days of Magical Fight, age had never mattered—they were simply gamers.

But reality had caught up.

Victory and Wild had faced each other countless times in tournaments, becoming all too familiar.

They even knew their exact age difference.

Victory –
“Jun-ah.”

Victory –
“You know the better player is the elder, don’t you?”

Victory –
“Don’t you remember?”

So what if that’s true?

That’s the rule of reality.

In gaming, it’s the better player who leads.

‘This guy, seriously?’

Victory rarely displayed this side of himself—a taunting provocateur.

One of the reasons for Victory’s immense popularity was his spotless reputation.

This teasing, cocky attitude was reserved solely for the few friends who had once played Magical Fight with him.

Wild made a counteroffer.

TP Wild –
“Loser of the next match stops queuing.”

TP Wild –
“Deal?”

Victory –
“Deal.”

Thus began the grand battle for the right to face Legendary.

[Forum Post: “Two Massive Events on Lunar New Year”]
“Legendary’s Challenger Marathon and the Victory vs. Wild saga… What’s happening?”

“So both Victory and Wild are clearly queuing to snipe Legendary. Why haven’t they matched yet?”

[Comment Section Highlights]

“This is hilarious. They’re stuck fighting each other while Legendary just climbs higher!”

“At this point, they’re playing tug-of-war over who gets to lose to Legendary first.”

“If they keep this up, Legendary’s MMR will get too high for either of them.”

“I can’t stop watching this drama unfold.”

Meanwhile, Legendary remained undefeated.

And then, at long last…

“Match found.”

Legendary had finally matched with one of them.

One rival. One game.

The time for retribution had arrived.

“Let’s end this.”

To Be Continued…