Chapter 95: “Why are you coming out from there?”

By the time Abyss had risen to the ranks of a god-tier game and was no longer confined to Korea but played by people worldwide, the Abyss Pro League, held every season, had become nothing short of an ever-growing festival.

Not just the domestic league, but overseas leagues as well—wherever there were games, there were always people who preferred watching over playing.

Many even followed the matches closely despite not playing the game themselves.

Needless to say, streamer Lilyang—or Dahui—was one of those who found enjoyment in watching the matches.

However, unlike die-hard fans, she didn’t watch every match of the season.

She only kept up with major or important games.

In that sense, securing the broadcasting rights for the league was a huge advantage for her.

Now, she wouldn’t have to watch the matches alone—she could stream them and watch together with her viewers.

As a content creator, this was practically free content.

All she had to do was watch the games attentively.

She could easily fill her streaming hours, and if donations came in for game-related discussions, it would be a goldmine of engagement.

But obtaining broadcasting rights wasn’t easy.

It was a privilege granted only to a select few streamers.

On Twissy, only Abyss Partner Streamers—officially recognized by Eonix—were allowed to broadcast league matches on their streams.

From the very start of her streaming career, Lilyang had vowed to secure those rights one day.

Recently, she had become a Partner Streamer—and ultimately, she had achieved her goal.

This was largely thanks to the continuous growth of her stream over the past few months.

Her overall channel standing, VTuber subscriber count, and even her monthly earnings had all seen an explosive rise.

In fact, the revenue she had earned in the past three months was almost equal to everything she had made since she started streaming.

Hard to believe, but it was true.

The catalyst for this surge had undoubtedly been the tournament she participated in not long ago.

Winning a major competition had caused a massive snowball effect.

‘It’s all thanks to Teacher Da.’

With a silly grin, Lilyang thought of Kayak.

Whether Kayak had intended it or not, the fact remained that her channel was thriving because of him.

There was no reason not to feel a growing fondness toward him.

That was why she had planned to treat him to a meal and drinks today as a gesture of gratitude.

But since he already had plans, she had no choice but to spend the evening streaming a match with her viewers instead.

Considering that her first official broadcast would be the opening match of the season—and that a large audience was expected—it wasn’t such a bad alternative to meeting Kayak.

— Lilyang is live!

“Opening Match—First Broadcast!”

Viewers flooded in rapidly, a testament to the excitement surrounding the season opener.

[Riha, riha!]

[You’re finally doing match broadcasts!]

[Congrats on becoming a Partner Streamer!]

“Welcome, everyone!

Thank you!

Yes, today we’ll be watching FG vs. Optimum.”

After an introduction to the players, their preferred heroes, and their win rates, the ban-pick phase began.

“Wow!”

Watching the process with anticipation, Lilyang couldn’t hold back her admiration.

— Ah, Camilla has been picked!

— *This is a first in league history.

No one has chosen this hero in years.*

— *I never thought I’d see this in a tournament…

The skin design is fantastic!*

— *Ranked players should be careful today.

Maybe avoid playing ranked at all.*

“Camilla’s been picked, guys!”

Lilyang shouted in excitement.

By now, Camilla had become a very familiar hero to her—one of her top three most-used characters.

However, Camilla was not exactly a hero suited for the league.

There was a reason Lilyang had no prior knowledge about Camilla.

Even though she had only recently started playing Abyss and wasn’t particularly skilled, she had consistently kept up with the league.

Yet, Camilla had never once appeared in professional matches, making it difficult to learn about her skill set or characteristics.

Eonix’s abandoned child, a pretty piece of trash—that was the public perception Camilla had carried until now.

But now that she had made her debut in the league, things were different.

Pro players never made reckless picks.

If Camilla had been chosen in a professional match, it meant her performance was, to some extent, guaranteed.

And that meant her status was about to rise.

[Wow, s***, Camilla actually got picked?]

[I never thought I’d see Camilla in the league in my lifetime.]

[This is Fusion Gaming for you. Look at them even preparing a joker pick.]

[Camilla got picked? That means Optimum wins, lmao. Fusion fans, good luck.]

[Hey, gbgb12, what do you mean? Are you saying Fusion will lose just because they picked Camilla…?]

[If Teacher Da were here, they’d be thrilled.]

[I thought they’d go for a standard pick, but Camilla?]

[Kayak, are you watching?]

[Kayak must be dying of happiness.]

The viewers were just as shocked as Lilyang.

Many even mentioned Kayak in the chat.

It was natural since Lilyang’s stream shared a significant portion of its audience with Kayak’s channel.

‘I wish we were watching this together…’

Seeing Kayak’s name pop up in chat, Lilyang found herself thinking about her again.

If they had watched this match together, how would she have reacted?

She couldn’t help but feel a little regretful.

But there was nothing she could do about it now.

Instead, she hoped that Camilla would shine in the match.

And finally, the game began.

It turned out to be a one-sided affair.

The two teams had a clear difference in skill level.

Fusion Gaming was undeniably the number one team in Korea, a powerhouse even on the global stage.

Meanwhile, their opponent, Optimum Gaming, was barely climbing out of the lower ranks.

Sure, Optimum had earned the nickname “Big Game Hunter” by occasionally pulling off major upsets.

But today, that strategy wasn’t working.

To put it bluntly, Fusion Gaming was just playing the game far better.

— Ah! Minhyeong catches River in the lane! He capitalizes on a tiny opening in the standoff with perfect timing!

— His form has been incredible lately. He’s making plays only the best of the best can pull off without hesitation!

— Meanwhile, on the side lane, a 2v1! Hajun isn’t backing down either!

One after another, the players delivered impressive plays.

It was the hallmark of a top-tier team.

As the game progressed, Fusion Gaming’s victory became more and more certain.

Yet, even in such a decisive match, one thing stood out.

— Camilla! They just can’t stop Junhyeok’s Camilla!

— He’s roaming the battlefield like it’s his own backyard!

— And what’s even more infuriating is that he’s dancing the entire time. Watching him strut around while dancing must be absolutely maddening for Optimum right now.

It was Camilla.

More precisely, Lee Junhyeok’s Camilla.

Camilla’s play in the hands of the nation’s top player was nothing short of an art form.

With precise yet bold controls, the opposing team, Optimum, was utterly overwhelmed.

Even the viewers could sense how much they were struggling.

[Wow, Lee Jun-hyuk is good at Camilla too.]

[Did Camilla actually get better? I didn’t really feel it.]

[Only a few top players can use her, lol. She’s tough to handle but strong if played well.]

[Nobody can stop him, damn.]

However, Riri felt that Jun-hyuk’s Camilla seemed oddly familiar.

To be exact, his Camilla resembled Kayak’s Camilla.

The build, the playstyle—something about the overall feel was similar.

But Riri said nothing.

She was well aware of how ruthless and aggressive professional league fandoms could be.

If she had voiced her thoughts as they were, both she and Kayak would have been bombarded with hate.

[Isn’t that the build that teacher used often in solo queue?]

[Yeah, it looks a lot like Kayak’s style.]

[No way you’re comparing a pro to an amateur, lol.]

[If you say this in a public chat, Kayak will get flamed.]

[Somebody is already getting attacked for worshiping Kayak too much.]

The chat confirmed her concerns.

Riri nodded, relieved that she had kept her thoughts to herself.

“The match is over! Fusion Gaming secures the victory!”

“The MVP of the first set is Lee Jun-hyuk, who played Camilla.”

“What an impressive performance.

Not just from a single player but from the team as a whole—it was flawless.”

As the replay of the first set played, a short break was given to the players.

Meanwhile, the broadcast screen cycled through various shots: a short animated clip, behind-the-scenes footage of the players, and finally, the audience watching the game in real time.

There were fans holding banners for their teams, groups in cosplay, and even a young child holding up a sign.

The camera lingered on the child for quite some time.

Perhaps it was because she looked particularly adorable for her age—around elementary school—or maybe because of the message on her sign.

The sign she held read, “Camilla is the best!” in neatly written letters.

It seemed too well-written for a child.

Someone must have helped her write it.

“She’s adorable, don’t you think?”

[The kid looks so excited, lol.]

[Her handwriting is so good, damn.]

[A kid who likes Camilla… This is interesting.]

[Did she come with her parents?]

[Why is she alone?]

The child, thrilled to be at the stadium, was energetically waving her sign.

The heartwarming sight brought a smile to the faces of those watching.

Then, suddenly, the child stopped waving.

Someone had taken the previously empty seat beside her.

It was a woman who gently patted the child’s head and took the sign, placing it on her own lap.

Her snow-white hair, her slightly pale complexion.

Her sapphire-blue eyes held a quiet affection for the child.

Everyone held their breath at the sight.

Even the casters stopped speaking, and the audience collectively fell silent.

A hush fell over the once-bustling stadium.

Yet, the woman seemed unaware of the oddity of the situation, simply continuing to stroke the child’s hair.

Then, she turned to look directly at the camera.

Riri, who had been watching with growing unease, gasped.

‘Why… Why is she there?’

It was a miracle she didn’t scream.