Provocation

"Nikang, Nikang is going down after all! Nikang!"

"Ah, Nikang finally falls! What a valiant fight against Kayack's Alec! Still, he held out longer than expected!"

"Even with every teammate already down, the way he kept battling alone at the spire was truly impressive—and against Camilla's master, Kayack, no less!"

"For a Platinum player who only started Abyss not long ago, that was the best he could do. Kayack seems to know it too; he gives a thumbs-up emote in acknowledgment as he claims the spire."

"The relationship between these two is another fun point. Surprisingly, the one who taught Nikang how to play Camilla was none other than the opposing team's Kayack."

"A master-disciple pair, then. Not quite 'the student surpassing the master,' but Kayack really did raise a tiger cub."

"Exactly. When Kayack was teaching Nikang, he never imagined Camilla would get stolen from him like this."

"That aside, Kayack's Alec is looking vicious. Wasn't this player supposed to only know how to play Camilla?"

"Chat is full of shocked reactions. Kayack had the strong image of a so-called one-trick—someone who only plays a single character—but this game has completely shattered that image."

"Is this him proving that fundamentals and class are eternal? Kayack is handling the Holy Knight Alec quite competently too. Though his playstyle feels closer to Camilla than Alec…"

"That's not a Holy Knight—that's a berserker! What kind of Holy Knight is that? Covered head to toe in blood; if he walked around looking like that, the order would excommunicate him without a second thought!"

"Anyway, with Kayack's Alec performing far better than expected, Yu-hye's team's gambit—banning Camilla away from Kayack—has turned into a meaningless move."

"And their base is getting pushed hard too. Even the momentum they had managed to hold has swung completely to the other side thanks to Kayack's super plays."

"Crisis! How is Yu-hye going to overcome this mess?"

Streamer Yu-hye, real name Woo Hae-gwang.

Unlike most gamers, he never once doubted that he was the best.

What set Yu-hye apart from the countless ordinary gamers, though, was that he actually possessed genuine talent others lacked.

In the exact same situation, he saw things no one else did and played accordingly.

We call people who perform extraordinary actions beyond the ordinary geniuses, and Yu-hye had lived his whole life believing he was one.

In truth, he was. He had proudly entered a prestigious organization as a trainee—something most pro hopefuls only dreamed of—and had even been selected as a substitute player right up to the final stages.

But that was as far as he got. Yu-hye could go no further.

The pro scene was overflowing with talent of that caliber. Every single one of them, just like him, had been the absolute best of the best who had dominated their local leagues.

He hit a wall at the substitute level.

The team's problem child, the benchwarmer the fans called second-string, even the washed-up has-beens who couldn't let go of past glory—

People Yu-hye had quietly looked down on still sat higher than him. For him, those days were unbearable.

So what choice did he ultimately make?

He ran. He fled from that place where real geniuses—not fake ones like him—gathered.

He called it running, but it was a rational decision.

In Yu-hye's mind, the pro scene simply wasn't the stage where he could shine.

One step back for two steps forward.

Better to be the head of a snake than the tail of a dragon. With that mindset, he became an Abyss specialist streamer. At least here, he could be the main character.

And indeed, Abyss skill-based streams had a solid core audience thanks to the game's boom, so Yu-hye managed to operate as a streamer with decent viewership.

"Former pro who plays Lenox well."

That was one of the phrases used to describe him, and that image was only going to solidify further through this tournament. The reason he had entered a somewhat mismatched event was exactly that.

Victory was already in the bag anyway. Among the participants in this tournament, no one could match Yu-hye's skill.

After all, setting foot in the pro world wasn't easy. In that sense, he had at least dipped a toe in and pulled it out, so these amateurs could never be a real threat.

In any case, Yu-hye's viewer count would keep climbing, his streaming standing would rise day by day, and the income would naturally follow.

Yes. A smooth highway awaited him ahead.

This tournament was nothing more than the starting point. A kind of signal flare, you could say—a device that would loudly announce the grand opening of "Yu-hye is here."

That was what this tournament was supposed to be. It really should have been.

"I—I'm dead…! Alec is taking the spire!"

"Ah, Alec is way too strong. Is this even okay?"

"Respawn in 10, 9, 8, 7…"

How had it come to this?

Listening to his teammates' frantic briefings—clear signals that the situation was turning decisively against them—Yu-hye felt a slight dizziness.

The gears weren't meshing properly.

Something was going wrong.

What was the cause, the variable? Why had his predictions gone so far off?

"Ah, fuck! Why is this bastard here… A-ah. Sorry. I'm dead. Alec is in our swamp ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠area."

The ADC who had just respawned got cut down.

Hearing her curse-laced call, Yu-hye realized it.

Yeah. That was it. That was the problem.

The enemy team's carry role. CamillaIsWeak. Kayack or whatever that user was called.

His allies were getting shredded by that user, and defeat reports kept pouring in one after another.

Yu-hye clenched his teeth just out of view of the cam.

Fuck, why is some rootless bastard running wild like this.

Rage at an opponent who wasn't even a former pro, who was worse than him, yet still stood in his way. And a faint irritation at teammates who collapsed without putting up any resistance against that opponent.

But he couldn't show those emotions.

What was Yu-hye's streaming motto? Gentle, well-mannered skill streaming. That was the image he pushed publicly.

He had held it together through the semifinals and practice; if he snapped here, everything he had built would crumble.

Besides, most of his teammates were streamers with far larger broadcast clout than him. No need to poke a hornet's nest for nothing.

Yeah. As long as I don't lose, it's fine.

Yu-hye decided to give himself a little more mental breathing room.

The match against Kayack's team was the finals. That meant best of five. He could afford to drop a few rounds.

Originally the goal was to go undefeated from the semis all the way to the championship, but…

That was looking difficult now. The opponent wasn't a player he could simply dismiss.

This game had just been a bit unlucky. If he had to pick the causes of defeat, there were two main ones.

First, that Kayack could handle other heroes at a high level besides Camilla.

Second, that his teammates had been swept away far too helplessly by Kayack.

From the next game on, I'll just tell them to avoid him completely.

He had thought that if they all piled on together they could handle him, but he never expected to get wrecked like this.

In a way it was a team difference; in another way it was Yu-hye's own fault for overestimating his teammates.

From the next game, Yu-hye would personally mark Kayack. Once he held the advantage in fights against Kayack, everything would be solved.

"Mid! Mid is getting pushed…!"

"Yu-hye-nim, what do we do? What do we do!"

"Ack, fuck! Alec keeps turning around and only killing me—look at me for once!"

I'll give up this round.

No choice. The battlefield was already painted in defeat. Better to preserve mental energy than waste strength for nothing.

"Everyone, don't get too down. Let's just prepare for the next game."

Among the somewhat dejected teammates, Yu-hye soothed them with a smiling face.

"And so, Round 1 goes to Kayack's team."

"Wow, Kayack's super plays really stood out in so many ways, didn't they?"

"The 3v1 dribble at the spire was decisive. Surrounded, he solo-killed two, escaped, then cleaned up the last one—it was like watching a mad movie."

"We never expected a scene like that in a tournament… but when it happens in a tournament, that's exactly what makes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it fun."

"MVP for Game 1 naturally goes to Kayack."

"Game 2. The ban-pick looks a bit different this time."

"The biggest difference is that Yu-hye's team has given up on Camilla. Looks like they learned a lot from the previous game. They thought taking Camilla would suppress Kayack, but they found out that wasn't the case."

"Might as well just free Camilla and say 'you take it!' kind of vibe."

"Then Camilla naturally gets pushed to last pick. Since Yu-hye's team isn't taking it anyway, grabbing it as the final pick is fine."

"Huh, is this… Lenox? Is Kayack's team taking Lenox? Ah, the moment the enemy team's picks finish, Kayack's team snatches Lenox!"

"We don't know who will play it yet, but the symbolic meaning is strong. It really feels like they stole Yu-hye's signature pick."

"It's like watching the previous ban-pick in reverse. Last time Kayack's team lost Camilla; this time Yu-hye's team lost Lenox. Yu-hye's face has stiffened a little—looks like an unexpected situation. He needs to lock in his mental!"

"Uh… Kayack's team. Isn't this the moment to pick Camilla? This way they have no ADC. Are they really going no-ADC?"

"The legendary all-melee all-melee all-melee composition might actually appear. Or wait… are they not playing Camilla?"

"That's possible too… They say even herbivores can't go back once they taste meat. Kayack already tasted a different hero besides Camilla. No reason he can't play others!"

"Ah. In the end the final pick is decided as Cassia. That's probably going to Hak-chu. Then who gets Lenox? I heard Cheon-hun can handle Lenox to some degree."

"Swaps keep coming. Swap, swap, another ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠swap…. The swaps stop. Lenox… Lenox goes into Kayack's hands!"

"Something unusual just showed up on Kayack's Hand Cam. Is that… a V-sign?"

"A bit early for a celebration when they've only won one round. This looks more like teabagging—or straight-up provocation."

"If it's a taunt, it's definitely aimed at the enemy team's captain, Yu-hye, right?"

"Probably. At the same time, you could also call it a kind of revenge."

"Revenge?"

"Last game Kayack had his main character Camilla stolen, didn't he? This time Yu-hye lost Lenox. Feels like Kayack is saying, 'Feel what that was like.'"

"Chat is getting a little heated. Please refrain from excessive personal attacks on the players. This is an event match, after all. As the organizer, I actually like that kind of pre-game trash talk and provocation."

"This game already feels intense from the ban-pick. Kayack's Lenox pick! Followed by the taunt! Yu-hye really needs to lock down his mental."

"What kind of performance will Kayack's Lenox show us! Something to look forward to in many ways."

"It's undeniable that Kayack is the key player again this game. Ah, the moment I say that, Game 2 is ready. From here on, let's enjoy it with the in-game play!"