Yorumi (2)
It wasn't simply that she wanted to confirm she hadn't misheard that voice. The first match of the spectator feedback session, which she'd started with a plausible excuse, was an absolute bloodbath. It only took one game for Yorumi to think, 'Looks like showing off anything cool today is out of the question. Might as well satisfy my own selfish desires a bit.'
The sharp feedback from that long first match actually became entertaining when delivered in Han Seol's soft, charming voice. So at least there was some value in it. That's what Yorumi had been thinking when—
Should we set the shared screen to first-person view and run one more game?
"First-person view?"
"Yes. Your control is already excellent, so I'll only give simple orders like 'wait in this position' or 'engage now.' Aside from that, just play however you normally would."
"Hold on!"
It seemed today wasn't her best day condition-wise. Besides, this wasn't a low tier where skill could change overnight. She could aim for a cool performance next time. She'd DM later asking for a review of the feedback.
Yorumi wasn't the type to hold onto negative feelings. It had been a rough start, but there were still plenty of positives if she chose to see them that way. She dismissed the notification icon signaling her rank drop and familiarly adjusted the settings. The semi-transparent drone that had been following beside her the whole time vanished.
"Can you see clearly?"
[...Yes.]
"Huh? Your voice is trembling a little."
[That... the outfit you're wearing is a bit revealing when looking down, so if possible, um...]
"Eek! I paid a fortune for this because it's a popular assassin skin!"
What was with that reaction? It was adorable.
[Please just start the queue already...]
"Okaaaay~"
It wasn't like her cleavage was on display or anything. Just a slight glimpse of side boob where it connected to her exposed underarm. She added a mental note—'zero resistance to that sort of thing'—and pressed the matchmaking button once more.
Honestly, she wasn't feeling confident. The day already felt like one where everything would go wrong.
Map: Ruined Royal Capital
Format: 6v6 Annihilation
The familiar sound effect signaled a successful match. She exchanged brief greetings with the few fans who recognized her—
[Assassin again.]
After her teammates said it was fine, she picked her most comfortable class. She was serious about climbing the ranks and winning the tournament, but starting a game on a day that felt doomed somehow weighed on her mood without her even realizing it.
She mentally filed away her team's classes and the opponents' that were revealed next. She'd only just received feedback about 'paying attention to what the enemy classes do,' so she was still recalling which jobs and skills could hinder an assassin when the countdown hit zero.
She honestly didn't have the confidence to fully digest everything she'd been taught. That was the thought in Yorumi's mind as she adjusted her grip on her daggers.
[Run to the church at nine o'clock.]
"Huh?"
[You don't need to reply. Just get there as fast as you can.]
At Han Seol's incomprehensible order, Yorumi's body obeyed and sprinted forward. The Ruined Royal Capital was exactly what the name implied—a PvP map that had taken the royal capital, destroyed by a cultist faction during the story quest, and turned its ruins into a battlefield. The entire area inside the circular walls served as the arena.
Asterisk-shaped main roads and a web of back alleys. Teams spawning at six and twelve o'clock respectively made it a rather plain map. Its only real feature was that, depending on team compositions, it could lead to localized skirmishes or all-out brawls.
[The enemy doesn't have any class with better mobility than assassin, so make sure you arrive first. Once there, wait.]
Naturally, the 'nine o'clock church' was just a minor landmark attached to the outer wall at that position with nothing particularly special about it, but...
[Want to climb to the top of the bell tower?]
"What will I see?"
[What wouldn't you see?]
How could she sound so certain? Yorumi carefully checked between the sporadically collapsed walls in case anyone was visible, then reached the top of the bell tower shortly after.
"Ah."
[See?]
Five enemy main force members advancing down the main road toward the center. Separated from them, a berserker with a greatsword cutting through the alleyways. From her high vantage point, Yorumi could see them perfectly. From the opponents' perspective, however, the irregularly tilted and crumbling buildings made it nearly impossible to spot her hiding in the distant shadows.
[Among the thief classes, scouts have the highest mobility, but they're not very popular. In most cases, if an assassin sprints at full power from the start, they can check the enemy's position without burning stealth.]
"Did you used to play assassin too? How do you know all this...?"
[...A friend played it a bit. For now, shall we punish that berserker who's planning to run off alone even after seeing the enemy has an assassin? It's pretty cheeky of him.]
Hearing the slight laughter in Han Seol's voice, Yorumi made a silent vow. For the rest of the day, she wouldn't question a single one of those orders.
After that, several more games passed. Her proficiency with her own class was already more than sufficient, so the only things I—who turned on my mic from time to time—could offer were general pointers. Watch out for these skills given the enemy composition and map. Run to this point and wait until they use that skill. Things like that.
Yorumi was a player who relied heavily on mechanical skill. Regardless of standard formations or mind games, she created variables with her own play and used those variables to tilt the game in her favor. An extremely aggressive style. An egoistic player who lacked patience and trusted her own sightlines far more than her team's situation.
"Not yet."
Her wildly fluctuating rank records clearly reflected this personality. On days when she was in top form, she ignored the mind games, punched holes in the opponent's strategy as an asymmetric force, and snowballed to victory. On bad days, she couldn't create a single variable against a solidly built standard formation and simply burned out.
What she ultimately wanted was to win the streamer tournament. If she aimed for an even bigger goal, she couldn't abandon either side. Still, from my experience of beating quite a few well-known streamers, I could say with confidence that for someone of her level, simply sharpening her strengths a little more would be enough.
On the screen set to share Yorumi's view at my request, I watched the enemy caster activate detection magic. The intangible wave sweeping across the ruined kingdom came to a stop just short of the outer wall of the building where Yorumi was hiding.
"Now."
Instead of answering, the red-haired assassin crouched in the debris sprang forward silently across the burned-out building. The opponent, reassured that 'there are no enemies within a 25-meter radius,' had been pushing the frontline forward. He noticed the anomaly the moment black flames flickered to life along the dagger that came hurtling down from the slanted, half-collapsed rooftop.
Yorumi (Assassin) has slain VibraniumWheelchair (Priest)!
"It'll probably end before stealth comes off cooldown. The kill feed is up, so let's watch our team fight for a bit and then wrap things up."
[Yesss!!!]
Though it wasn't visible on screen, I could easily imagine the bright smile on her face.
[When are you going to do an artisan invitation or something like that?]
"...Me?"
The lengthy spectator session and feedback that had lasted roughly two hours finally came to an end. Giving feedback this nutritious without even checking replays—I felt a little proud of myself.
[I'm getting this overwhelming feeling that everything's going to work out perfectly right now!]
Even after hearing so much harsh criticism, Yorumi was still smiling brightly. Her sudden, context-less remark slammed the brakes on my thoughts about future practice plans.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
[Eek, why?!]
I was stunned for a moment, but it didn't take long to answer. Actually, wasn't it stranger that she'd said something like that to me and expected I wouldn't refuse?
"I've accumulated quite a lot of bad karma. I'm not exactly the kind of person who should be out there hearing nice things about myself. And honestly, it wouldn't be good for your image either, Yorumi."
I was aware that I'd become quite an attractive person on the outside. But separate from that, my self-awareness was painfully clear. I was a toxic user whose community mentions were seventy percent curses. Using jealousy and stress relief as excuses, I'd interfered with countless people's healthy livelihoods—including some of Yorumi's acquaintances and coworkers.
Setting aside how ill-suited I was for such a position, it was obvious that accepting would cause her unnecessary harm. Only an idiot would jump at the offer after hearing all that.
[...I don't think it would necessarily turn out that way?]
"I've done way more bad things than you realize, Yorumi. I've received a ton of hate. I'm genuinely not a good person."
Once again, I found myself wondering why she was being so friendly toward me—a complete stranger, or rather, a tiresome figure from her bad past. I'd implied that renewing her top rating this season would be difficult. After hearing that, she'd mentioned having a goal she absolutely wanted to achieve this year and approached me with, 'Then you teach me.'
Honestly, when I'd first received her message, I'd assumed it was some kind of challenge. But after our short conversations and today—after hearing plenty of harsh feedback without showing the slightest displeasure...
"...Gasp."
[Did something happen?!]
"Ah, no. It's just—"
[Oh, do you need the bathroom? You can speak freely.]
Wasn't this person being way too casual for someone she'd just met?
"...Just a moment."
[Take your time!]
I stared blankly at Yorumi waving at the camera with that beaming smile, then quietly muted my mic. I didn't actually need the bathroom, but I needed time to organize my thoughts, so I took the chance to slip away.
Maybe it was just that I didn't understand, but were women naturally less distant than men? The dazed thought floated up in my foggy mind.