Chapter 48: Showdown

“When your perspective changes, so does the scenery.”

This saying has become increasingly meaningful to me in recent times.

In the past, I took everything I had for granted.

Why wouldn’t I? That’s how I had always lived.

My mother was always considerate of me, my father always provided everything for me, and my sibling was always cautious around me.

But recently, I’ve realized that all of these things I thought were natural were actually a result of my arrogance and ignorance.

I assumed everything just came to me on its own.

I believed all the privileges I enjoyed were simply my right.

Unbeknownst to me, my family had been quietly sacrificing for me all along.

One clear example of this was our home.

I hadn’t known it before, but looking back, I realized that our family could have lived in a much bigger, better home.

But my parents, considering what might be best for me, chose a home that suited my environment.

They did it all for me.

“I’ll have to repay them, little by little.”

Maybe I’ve just encountered too many negative stories online, but from what I’ve seen, it’s not uncommon for parents to abandon their children nowadays.

I don’t think parents inherently owe their children anything just because they are parents.

“I’ll succeed.”

The best way I can repay my parents for their dedication and love is by succeeding. After all, nothing makes parents prouder than their child’s success.

That’s why…

I will succeed.

As the professional gamer I’ve always dreamed of becoming.

“Shall we head out?”

“Yeah.”

I quite liked the new house.

Not only was it much larger than my previous room, but the open view and the freedom to arrange the room exactly how I wanted were also big pluses.

Then again, not liking the penthouse of a luxury apartment would be a whole other problem in itself.

“Get in.”

“Okay.”

On the way back, I stared blankly at the passing scenery before eventually turning on my smartphone.

Normally, I avoided looking at my phone in the car because of motion sickness, but curiosity got the better of me.

As always, I logged into the Legend of League community, where one of the recently uploaded posts caught my eye.

“Introverts’ special move: Going outside but only looking at their phone.”

I flinched momentarily but brushed it off and continued scrolling through the list of posts.

• [Data Warning] Prisoner achieves 1900 LP
• Pro and amateur players who got destroyed by Prisoner today.txt
• Prisoner vs. JooSim death montage.avi
• Prisoner: Is he a god? Prisoner: Is he a god? Prisoner: Is he a god?
• Prisoner Gallery Announcement
• Rainbow’s recent broadcast highlights.avi
• Rainbow’s statement: Yoon-gi is better than Prisoner
• Opinion post: Honestly, if you think Prisoner posts are bad, give this a like LOL
• Mods, stop spamming about Prisoner. How many posts on this page are about him? Just make a separate board already!

The buzz surrounding Prisoner had become so intense that it was now sparking backlash from the community.

‘Hmm.’

Unfazed, I clicked on the posts one by one.

Prisoner’s Current Status.jpg

[Win] 13 minutes 41 seconds
[Win] 19 minutes 12 seconds
[Win] 15 minutes 06 seconds
[Win] 15 minutes 14 seconds
[Win] 34 minutes 33 seconds
[Win] 29 minutes 54 seconds
[Win] 14 minutes 34 seconds

“After hitting 1800 LP and taking a short break, he came back and scored seven more wins in a single day LOL.”

• “Did he really gain 100 LP in a single day? This is insane. Prisoner is a true legend.”
• “Where are all those people who mocked him as an amateur? They’re all gone now, huh?”

The posts were filled with admiration and awe, a testament to the legendary status I had begun to build.

– [Info] Recently defeated by Prisoner: Hao Ran, Nightmare, Yoon-gi, Rainbow, and JooSim—all Red Cup champions or runners-up.

– “There’s something odd mixed in there.”
– “Does that matchmaking even happen naturally?”
– “It’s because BJs and streamers are mindlessly sniping. LOL, just for attention.”
– “Is it real that they’re sniping him and still losing? JooSim is truly a legend…”
– “Gold-tier Lee Sin! Gold-tier Lee Sin!”

– “Go back to your forums.”
– “Is this what they call ‘Hui-gwang-ban-jo’? His recent form is insane.”

Solo queue 1900 LP.

An amateur, not even a professional player, achieving this unprecedented feat in Legend of League history—how could it not create a buzz?

Among all the discussions, what stood out the most were the comparisons with professional players.

– Yoon-gi vs. Prisoner
– “Honestly, I think Prisoner is better than Yoon-gi. Like if you agree, dislike if you don’t.”
– “Fine, Yoon-gi’s a champion, but isn’t Prisoner definitely better than Hao Ran, who’s just a runner-up?”
– “Can people stop hyping an amateur who hasn’t even debuted yet?”
– “If he’s an amateur, then why hasn’t a Red Cup champion or runner-up hit 1900 LP? Some haven’t even reached 1800 LP, LOL.”
– [Fact Check] Both Yoon-gi and Hao Ran, Red Cup champions and runners-up, were crushed by Prisoner.
– [Fact] Prisoner hasn’t won any official tournaments.
– “He hasn’t debuted, and you’re mocking him for having no titles? LOL. Are you brainless?”
– “Is that something to brag about? He hasn’t even debuted.”

‘Hmm…’

To be honest, if I faced them in solo queue now, I’d win eight out of ten times. I’ve improved drastically, and the flaws I had before have practically disappeared.

But in a tournament setting?

I have no idea.

It’s common knowledge that team games and solo queue are entirely different. Plus, I have almost no experience with team games.

In the past, when pro or semi-pro teams weren’t as organized as they are now, I occasionally joined scrims as a mercenary. But those opportunities have completely dried up in recent years.

“Stop staring at your phone. You’ll get car sick,” my mom warned.

“I’m fine.”

It didn’t take long for her warning to prove true.

“…I feel like throwing up.”

“See? I told you not to look at your phone. Let’s get inside quickly.”

Honestly, ever since I became a woman, I had been surprisingly healthy, which might have made me overly confident.

I figured I’d outgrown motion sickness—but car sickness wasn’t something to underestimate.

“Open the window and drink some water,” my mom said.

“Okay.”

The cool water from the thermos spread a refreshing sensation through my body, slightly easing the queasiness.

“Phew…”

I looked out the window, feeling the breeze on my face.

People. People. People.

Though not as crowded as a department store, there were still swarms of people everywhere.

Thankfully, watching from inside the car, I could see the crowd as just part of the scenery, so it didn’t trigger my past anxiety.

‘Huh?’

My attention was drawn to a massive billboard outside.

[Legend Park]

It was the Legend of League stadium.

‘So this is what it looks like.’

In tournament videos, I’d only ever seen the interior of the stadium. This was my first glimpse of its exterior.

‘One day…’

I made a promise to myself.

Even if it’s a promise without a guarantee, one day, I will return here.

After arriving home, I took a shower and went straight to bed.

I needed to sleep now if I wanted to be awake when Rainbow started his solo queue grind later tonight.

“Aren’t you eating dinner?”

“No, I’m just going to sleep.”

“Alright.”

My chaotic sleep schedule was nothing new, so my mom didn’t say much about it.

“Rest well.”

After she left the room, I stared at my phone for a bit before drifting off to sleep.

Today had been intense, and it left me feeling particularly drained.

“Mmm…”

When I woke up, I instinctively reached for my phone beside my bed.

1:12 AM.

I had lain down around 7:30 PM, which meant I had slept for just under six hours.

It wasn’t enough sleep by my usual standards, but I got out of bed anyway.

From the moment I woke up, my heart started racing like it was about to burst.

“Phew…”

I pressed the power button on my PC and did a light stretch while waiting for it to boot up.

Now that I had a healthier body, I figured I should at least take basic care of it.

When the computer finally turned on, I immediately logged into Legend of League.

‘As expected.’

I smirked as I spotted a familiar ID on my friends list.

[SY Rainbow]

Online.

As I thought, Rainbow was online.

There was no need for greetings anymore.

From this moment on, we were enemies.

[Searching for a game…]

As soon as I queued up, Rainbow’s status changed as well.

Almost as if he had been waiting for me.

[SY Rainbow]

Searching for a game…

‘As expected.’

Rainbow and Yoon-gi’s duo had an average rank in the 1700s.

Naturally, when they queued as a duo, the matchmaking system would pair them with higher MMR players, and there weren’t many mid-jungle duos at that level.

Except for me, of course.

In the high-elo solo queue scene, where sniping was already easy, the chances of a successful snipe were almost guaranteed.

[Game Found!]

[Accept / Decline]

The game was found quickly.

[SY Rainbow]

Champion Selection…

I banned Zoe.