Chapter 66: The First Step to Returning to Society

[Author: ㅇㅇ] [Title: The Reason Pros Have Been Grinding Solo Queue Recently… Fact]

[(Screenshot from a match record website)
Selen: 42 ranked games two weeks ago, 145 games this week
(Screenshot of match history)
Scary: 50 ranked games two weeks ago, 121 games this week
(Another screenshot of match history)
Skull: 57 ranked games two weeks ago, 99 games this week]

If you check the records, you’ll see that most pro players have significantly increased their ranked game count lately.

Why have they suddenly been grinding solo queue like racehorses injected with stimulants?

The secret is…

[(Screenshot of a virtual jellyfish model)]

The Legendary Legend.

[(Screenshot of the in-game spectator lobby)]

This was taken during Legend’s stream yesterday at 5:30 PM.

Normally, it’s hard to even get one high-rank In 150 queue to pop, but here, three lobbies are running simultaneously.

In my opinion, because Legend is a woman, she has put pressure on the previously lax solo queue scene.

Still, it’s only a matter of time before she gets put in her place, so I don’t get why they’re all working so hard.

Anyway, Legend is going to be #1.

• [I worship. GOAT.]
• [Anyone would think she already hit #1.]
• [She will soon.]
• [Scary story: Even at rank 70, Legend still maintains an 80% win rate.]
• [If you’re a challenger, you’re a challenger—what’s with the “In 150 true top-rank queue” nonsense?]
• [Is OP ranked 151?]
• [Wouldn’t be surprised, LOL.]
• [Wait, does this mean 30 out of 150 top players were queuing at the same time? Legend is really something.]
• [If you’re at the top, you live and breathe the game, so it’s not that surprising…]
• [Yeah, but does she make more money than them?]
• [Why are you suddenly so triggered?]
• [Legendary Legend.]
• [They’re just practicing more because spring season is coming. Why is everyone blaming Legend?]
• [Solo queue doesn’t help practice at all.]
• [Then why do pros play it?]
• [How do they feel knowing a girl is about to outrank them? LOL.]
• [You lose to regular women too, though.]
• [I’m quitting Teamfight Arena!]
• [Ugh, another clueless idiot spouting nonsense.]
• [Why are you in the Teamfight Arena forum if you don’t even play?]
• [If you don’t play, technically, you can’t lose to Victory either. You’re undefeated! LOL.]
• [Genius?]
• [Are the pros sexist for not wanting to be outranked by a girl?]
• [Trapped in the misogyny vs. simp paradox, LOL.]
• [Who told them to queue at the same time?]
• [They queue together to avoid low-ranked matches, not to snipe her.]
• [I never said “sniping,” dumbass.]
• [If following her queue times isn’t sniping, then what is?]
• [LMAO, these guys are living vicariously through the pros again… Reality is, they’re just Bronze-Silver-Gold trash.]
• [Take Gold out of that. Don’t lump them together.]
• [Plat is also garbage, though.]
• [I bet you’re a Silver pretending to be Plat.]
• [I’m a Bronze, so give me 500 won.]

At first glance, this post might seem like another clueless rant.

But in reality, it cuts right to the core of the situation.

Rankers are all game-obsessed freaks, the very embodiment of competitive drive.

Every ranker except Victory has someone sitting above them.

But having a woman above them? That hits differently.

It stirs something inside them, making their competitive spirit boil.

Even those who haven’t been outranked yet—just the thought of being surpassed by a woman has put them on edge.

It’s like dropping not just a pinch of tension into solo queue but sinking an entire oil tanker into it.

A storm suddenly began raging at the highest level of play.

• [Still, it’s nice to have something to watch in the off-season. Spectating alone is entertainment.]

For those who aren’t caught in the storm, this is pure fun.

Legend’s reputation continues to rise, and her stream naturally gains popularity.

[Author: ㅇㅇ] [Title: Why Is Legend Climbing the Ranks So Slowly? This Is Teasing.]

[Just go for #1 already, like a real man.]

• [She’s a woman, though? LOL.]
• [Faked a male voice once before. Her ideology is impure.]
• [That was just to filter out annoying simps.]
• [The ‘병’ in 병가청.]
• [What does that mean? 병신 (idiot)?]
• [It’s from 병약 (sickly), you dumbass.]
• [Well, both words use 병, so technically the same thing.]
• [Dumbass.]
• [You guys know she got hospitalized last time she tried grinding for Challenger, right? Let’s not push her too hard.]
• [Who said she’s the board’s favorite?]
• [Is she actually that frail?]
• [That makes her even hotter, though.]
• [Whoa, stop right there.]
• [Open the notepad.]

“Ah, another peaceful day on the forums.”

There’s an unspoken rule among pros and streamers.

Never browse the community forums.

The internet is full of demons overflowing with malice.

There’s nothing good to see, only posts that will mess with your head.

So it’s best not to look at all.

But humans are genetically wired to egosearch.

And resisting the urge to search your own name on the internet?

Yeah, that’s a battle no one can win.

I feel like I might die if I don’t check what people are saying!

Legend was no exception.

Sometimes, explicit posts appear that seem like they’re about to burst with pent-up lust.

But as long as it’s just words on a screen with no real threat, there’s nothing to be afraid of.

What’s truly terrifying is…

‘Going out into the world is scary.’

Infinity Games kept insisting on meeting in person.

Whatever they were planning, they wouldn’t force a face reveal, right?

Then why were they insisting that a contract could only be signed in person?

Of course, it’s not unreasonable to be suspicious of someone who never shows their face, but…

“Why am I so damn pretty?”

Switching my phone to camera mode, I spent some time admiring my reflection.

I do this far more often than I ego-search.

Because a pretty face is always satisfying to look at.

Why do I keep my hair long?

Because it looks better.

It’s not like I wanted to become a woman.

Even after becoming one, life has been nothing but a series of nightmares.

But if I have to live like this, then naturally, I’d choose what’s beautiful.

That’s just the sad instinct of all living creatures.

“Something this good should be for my eyes only.”

Kidding.

The real reason I don’t show my face is, obviously, to avoid stalkers and being caught up in some crime of passion.

There was a time when I seriously considered destroying my own face with plastic surgery just to avoid the worst-case scenario.

But luckily, I managed to hold onto a shred of rationality before making such a stupid decision.

And so, this face remains untouched.

“Goddamn, I’m pretty. F*ck.”

It’s not narcissism.

It’s not delusion.

This face almost got me shot.

It turned me into a witness to a mass shooting.

Even if I swear like a thug, my beauty doesn’t fade.

In fact… I kind of like it.

This level of beauty is a reward in itself.

Even if I were ranting alone like a lunatic, it would still look like a scene out of a movie.

So, if given a choice to go back in time—would I live with this face or just a normal one?

Correct answer: Drop out of school and become a shut-in with this face.

Oh? Wait… isn’t that exactly what I’m doing now?

…Even I get captivated by this bewitching face.

There are actually a ton of easy jobs out there.

But why do regular people never seem to find them?

Because jobs like that never get posted.

They’re always given to someone within the circle, someone who just happens to meet the right conditions.

If not for Seol-Ah and her father’s unique circumstances, a job this cushy would’ve never been listed.

The work is minimal, but the pay is high.

Some call that a waste of life.

But when surviving today is already hard enough, who the hell has time to plan for the future?

There are 500,000 young people in this country who are just sitting at home doing nothing.

And when someone hands you a job that’s easy, well-paid, and even gives you a CEO title, what kind of idiot would turn it down?

Sure, maybe the future looks uncertain…

…Wait. Why the hell am I getting a CEO title?

Even I thought that part was weird.

Who the hell is this ‘Legend’ person that they need a puppet CEO to hide their identity?

Of course, I was curious.

But curiosity was explicitly forbidden in my contract.

Yeah, I know. It’s shady.

But the pay’s good. The job’s easy. Game over.

‘Today marks the end of my curiosity.’

For some reason, the boss has finally decided to show her face.

Of course, the real boss—the chairman—is a fifty-something named Jeon Dae-In.

But since the heart of this business is Legend, isn’t it fair to call her the boss?

I arrived at the restaurant where we were supposed to meet and gave the reservation name: “Legend Seol-Ah.”

The staff led me to a private room.

It seemed I was the first to arrive.

After a short wait, the next guest arrived with the staff’s guidance.

“Huh?!”

Talking to yourself is weird.

Making noises alone is weird.

But I couldn’t stop myself from gasping.

Because the person who walked in was too beautiful.

An exceptionally stunning and uniquely striking woman.

Tall.

A figure so well-proportioned that her clothes almost seemed oppressed by her curves.

Ash-gray hair, streaked with violet highlights, an unnatural color for a person.

And beneath that—a beauty beyond words.

Her outfit was stylish, but it was overshadowed by her face.

“Hello.”

“Hhhhk—!”

Hearing her voice made me let out a second weird noise.

I think… I’m about to become a fan.