Chapter 95: Pro Gamer

[Aeor War League Gallery]

<Just uploaded: December Gaming’s official apology jpg.>

We sincerely apologize.

One of our players from December Gaming used inappropriate language during a live broadcast, causing distress to the esports community and fans.

We deeply regret this incident and sincerely apologize once again.

In particular, we extend our apologies to streamer Molru and her fans, who were suddenly subjected to such offensive remarks.

Our players and club officials are also deeply shocked and disappointed by this unexpected situation.

We can only imagine how unsettling this must have been for Molru and her viewers.

As of now, December Jimin has been officially released from our team.

Moving forward, we will ensure that all player streams are continuously monitored by a dedicated broadcast supervision team.

Additionally, we will reinforce player conduct training to prevent such incidents in the future.

December Gaming is committed to taking strict preventive measures to ensure that such incidents never happen again.

Although this situation is unfortunate, please know that our club officials are working tirelessly for the fans who support December Gaming.

Once again, we ask for your trust and understanding.

We sincerely apologize to everyone affected by this incident.

Thank you.

[Comments]

[User A]: I bet the PR manager was sweating bullets writing this.

[User B]: Why is this apology actually well-written? Did they hire someone to draft it? LOL.

[User C]: Coach Kang graduated from a top university. His writing skills are solid.

[User D]: Wait, he’s an elite university graduate? Then why is he coaching a pro gaming team?

[User E]: Guess he really loves games.

[User F]: LOL, Jimin actually got kicked out.

[User G]: She should have been released a long time ago. She’s the reason they got relegated to Division 2.

[User H]: Exactly. Her contract was already ending, and her performance had declined—time for a rebuild.

[User I]: Bro, I was watching live, and I thought I misheard—she randomly swore out of nowhere.

[User J]: How much must Molru have pissed her off for that to happen…?

[User K]: Nah, if you watch the clip, she swore before the 1v1 even started. She just straight-up hated Molru.

[User L]: Jimin was insane, actually.

[User M]: Imagine being a pro, losing a 1v1 to a streamer, and then getting kicked—this is legendary esports history.

[User N]: Honestly, I didn’t think she’d lose.

[User O]: At least she rage quit before the match ended, so she got a somewhat honorable exit.

[User P]: But seriously, why isn’t Molru a pro?

Even if Jimin’s mechanics are Division 1 low-tier at best, Molru was just toying with her.

[User Q]: 1v1 isn’t the same as team play.

[User R]: But even in team games, she consistently outplays pros in solo queue.

She’s ranked 17th in Challenger.

[User S]: At first, I thought pros just weren’t trying in solo queue,

But she’s actually outplaying them.

[User T]: Yeah, some pros do slack off,

But even top-tier male Division 1 players have acknowledged that Molru is insanely good.

Even Ranger admitted it.

[User U]: Calling her Division 1 male level is a stretch.

But in the women’s league? She’d completely dominate.

Lately, every time I wake up and start streaming, it feels like something insane happens.

I feel like Detective Conan, constantly surrounded by mystery and chaos.

Even when I do nothing,

I somehow end up at the center of everything.

“Ah… So that’s what happened.”

I turned on my stream and had my viewers fill me in on the drama.

[That player got kicked.]

[A so-called pro had zero sense of fair play.]

[Molru, the Pro Crusher—single-handedly forcing pro players into retirement LOL.]

“I seriously did nothing this time. All I did was log off and play some games.”

[That’s why you should have streamed it.]

[If you’re playing, just turn on the stream.]

[No mic, no cam—we don’t care.]

Apparently, the person I dueled yesterday was a Division 2 female pro player.

And during her stream, she raged and swore at me.

When I first heard about it, I thought,

“Is this really that big of a deal?”

I mean, people get frustrated when they lose.

Gamers rage and curse all the time.

It’s normal.

Her competitiveness must have been off the charts.

She lost control because she couldn’t accept defeat.

There’s even a saying—“If someone says you play like sht, it’s basically a compliment.”*

But the thing is, pro gamers are public figures.

And a public figure swearing unprovoked on a public stream?

That’s where the problem lies.

Still… getting kicked for this?

It felt a bit extreme.

But after listening to my viewers, it seemed like this wasn’t her first offense.

She had a history of issues.

I didn’t even realize I was involved in another scandal until my viewers told me.

Apparently, December Gaming had also released an official apology.

When I checked my emails, I saw that they had even sent me a personal apology letter.

But besides that,

Something else caught my eye in my inbox.

It wasn’t the usual backseat gaming advice,

Or invasive personal questions,

Or sponsorship offers.

<TurkishAngora has donated 10,000 KRW!>

“Molru, have you ever thought about going pro?”

[Forget that. Just keep streaming.]

[If she goes pro, we won’t get as many streams.]

[But honestly, it’d be interesting to see her as a pro.]

“Huh… A lot of people are asking if I’d ever consider going pro.”

Maybe it was because of yesterday’s events,

But my inbox was suddenly flooded with emails asking if I’d be interested in joining a pro team.

And there were a lot of them.

“Can I read these out loud on stream?”

“They’re not actual contracts—just informal inquiries—so it should be fine, right?”

“Let’s see… December Gaming, KH, Win.D, Seoul Esports, and Philips.”

“Five teams have reached out.”

[DDD Molru Going Pro]

[So many offers were sent.]

[Wow, even Division 1 teams reached out.]

[Philips sent an offer despite not changing their roster LOL.]

[They probably just want to secure a backup player.]

[Molru’s playstyle suits KH—they’re an aggressive team.]

[Wait… are you actually considering going pro?]

[Honestly, there’s no reason not to. If she does, she’ll instantly be top-tier in the women’s league.]

I never completely ruled out the idea of going pro.

Back then, I had dreamed of becoming a pro.

But I had hit the wall of reality, realized the difference in talent, and gave up.

After ending up in this body, I thought—

“Maybe I really could go pro.”

Ji-eun’s severe panic disorder was practically gone.

Which meant I could probably face crowds and fans without any major issues.

And yet, despite all these emails, I felt nothing.

“There’s not a single offer from the men’s league.”

Every inquiry I received was strictly from women’s league teams.

[Because you’re a woman now, duh.]

[Of course women’s teams would reach out, not men’s.]

[Mol-King’s skill level is Division 1 male-tier, though.]

[Yeah, but it’s still not easy to get into the men’s league.]

[Technically, women can play in the men’s league, though.]

[The split between men’s and women’s leagues wasn’t intentional—it just happened because the skill gap was too big.]

Since arriving in this world, I had watched a few matches.

Not intentionally—just whatever was on TV.

Some of those broadcasts were women’s league games.

I couldn’t remember which teams were playing.

I hadn’t watched closely enough for that.

But one thing stuck with me.

It didn’t feel like a real league match.

It felt more like a PC café tournament or a casual event match.

At least, that’s how it felt to me.

Still, I wasn’t stupid enough to say that out loud.

Imagine the headlines:

“Streamer Molru: ‘Aeor War Women’s League is too low-tier for me.'”

Even just hinting that I wanted to join the men’s league would be enough for the smart ones to figure it out.

And sure enough—

“Oh? I just got another email.”

“Titan Underrock.”

[Wait, Titan?]

[Titan doesn’t even have a women’s team.]

[Where’s Titan from?]

[They do—they’re a Division 2 men’s team.]

[Wait… so a men’s league team actually reached out?]

A Division 2 team, sure.

But still far stronger than any Division 1 women’s team.

I grinned as I spoke.

“Should I take the tryout? Titan Underrock.”

“Did you actually send the offer, Coach?”

“Of course. You think I’d joke about this?”

“Wow… Are you really considering signing her?”

“Why wouldn’t I? If she’s skilled and not a problem, she joins. Same way I recruited you.”

Coach Kim Kwang-chul responded calmly, as if it were no big deal.

Titan Underrock was currently pursuing Molru,

one of the hottest names in the esports world.

Or, more accurately—

It was Coach Kim’s decision alone.

“Even if her skill checks out, team synergy matters. How do you plan to handle that?”

“That’s something we’ll work on over time. No team starts with perfect synergy. Team rebuilding always works like this.”

“Yeah, but still—”

“Or are you saying it’s because she’s a girl?”

“What? No!”

“What, does a girl sitting next to you mess up your gameplay?”

“Damn, didn’t think you were such a nervous wreck, lol.”

“Hey, don’t lump me in with Ji-woong!”

Kang Min-hyuk, Titan Underrock’s main tank,

shook his head in exasperation.

“I think she’d be a solid pick.”

“I ran into her in solo queue—she played well.”

“She’s got a clear winning formula and understands how to secure victories.”

“Feels like she has a really strong game sense.”

Unlike Min-hyuk,

Lee Jong-wook, the team captain, seemed very open to the idea.

“Yeah. Since Han-sol’s contract ended, we needed a new player anyway.”

“And let’s be real—the front office screwed up recruitment.”

“All the decent players already signed with other teams.”

“This is the best move we’ve got.”

“Ugh, whatever. If you and Coach want to recruit her, do whatever you want.”

“It’s not even finalized yet.

She still has to take the tryout, and she could turn us down too.”

Everything depended on meeting Molru in person.

Kang Min-hyuk rubbed his head and walked out of the conference room—

wanting to clear his mind.

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