After the Victory (3)
Two weeks after decorating our debut match with a victory.
In that time, we played four more games, winning every single one.
Our total record: 5 wins, 0 losses. Incredibly, this rookie team was tied for first place in the Academy League with the hegemonic Team Brilliant, both at +10 game differential.
Of course, this was all according to plan.
These were kids I'd personally raised—me, the world's top Eternal Combat pro. There was no way they'd flounder in the Academy League.
But there was one thing that massively exceeded my expectations...
"Shining Star!"
"I love you, noona!"
"Yuna, you're killing me!"
"Kim Seona! Kim Seona! Kim Seona!"
"Sera, take off the hat!"
"Ha-young, let me hold your hand just once!"
"Eunjae, wink at us please!"
It was our team's popularity.
It started with a clip from the debut match where Yuna landed a clean five-man ult.
Even if the level was lower than Division 1, a five-man ult wasn't something you saw every day—it was cathartic enough for anyone watching.
Once it spread under titles like "Academy League Wave Sorcerer Five-Man Ult.gif," people started checking out the team's social media.
Then the assorted B-roll photos posted there went viral, spreading our team's faces across communities again.
With the girls' stunning looks highlighted in those pics, word of mouth started building.
Seona's overwhelming figure.
Yuna and Sera's cool-girl charms.
Ha-young's innocent vibe, like she'd never even held a guy's hand.
Eunjae's otherworldly quirkiness, standing out with her pink hair.
Since each girl had her own distinct character, even guys who knew nothing about Academy League teams had at least heard of Shining Star.
And when we arrived at the venue for our sixth match, I witnessed something utterly impossible.
There was an audience. A whopping 30 people.
Excluding players' families, spectators only showed up for Academy League promotion/relegation matches against the bottom Division 3 teams.
The league was so low-tier that no one bothered coming to watch. Even during my pro days, I'd never heard of non-family spectators at Academy League games mid-season.
'Wearing masks was the right call after all?'
At first, when I said auditions would prioritize looks, I thought it was crazy. But seeing this, it made a bit of sense.
If the girls weren't this pretty, we wouldn't be getting this reaction.
"Whoa! Who's all those people? Fans for us?"
"Annyeong~ Eunjae-ya~"
"They came to watch our game? Ha-young, wave or something."
"N-no way. It's embarrassing."
"......"
Over half the players seemed thrilled that fans had come for them, waving and greeting on the way to the waiting room.
The 30 or so fans cheered wildly at the responses, shouting encouragement.
First fans ever—perfect timing.
After five games, the players had gotten used to the venue, no longer freaking out like newbies. They even shoved makeup turns at each other, whining it was a hassle.
Seona and Eunjae, who used to endlessly selfie during makeup, now just fiddled with their phones.
Luckily, with fans showing up today, it seemed to give the players a fresh spark.
"We already have fans. If we climb higher, we'll get fan clubs and gifts, right?"
"Wanna hit Division 3 ASAP. Sounds fun."
"Division 3? I wanna go Division 1."
"Me too."
"You lot, we've barely passed the first third of the season. Aim high, sure—but focus on the game right in front of you. Win, and the rest follows."
"Players, time to prep for the match!"
At the staff announcement, the girls stretched and stood.
"Alright! Fans are here—gotta show killer plays today!"
"Don't play like the first day. I'll kill you."
"No worries, no worries. Unnie's too negative."
As the game started, Seona ignored Yuna's warning and pulled off another death-defying tightrope act.
But unlike the debut, where she'd constantly fall off the line, now she barely clung to it.
'Still learns fast.'
After two weeks of every-other-day training—plus back-to-back weekends of brutal sessions with Ha-young—Seona's skills had skyrocketed, just like Ha-young's.
Her physicals were solid to begin with, but endless skillshot drills with me, drilling in when to dodge in and out, had slashed her dumb deaths.
And the most encouraging part...
Kim Seona (18)
Physical: A
Mental: B
Judgment: D
Competitive Spirit: C
Teamwork: C
"Seona, enemy support's missing... Oh, good job."
Seona used to die whenever the enemy support roamed. Now, she backed off on her own before Ha-young even called it.
The highlight of the special training results.
Seona's biggest weakness was judgment. If she couldn't grasp it mentally, I'd hammer it into her body—drilling her mercilessly.
I'd pit her against a mid-Master bot duo that was somewhat manageable, then lurk in the fog as the roamer.
Without me, she'd push confidently—only to get flank-ganked by me every time.
Each death extended her training. Desperate to escape hell, she learned to dodge ganks, like it or not.
Survival from 0% to 10%, 10% to 20%, finally hitting 30%—that's when I let her puke her guts out and go free.
The brutal payoff...
"Haha! Die, die! I'm Kim Seona, closest thing to a god...!?"
Kim Seona was gleefully smashing the enemy mid when a chill ran down her spine. She'd never sensed it before, but instinct screamed danger.
- Don't think in-game! From the moment they cross mid-lane, assume you're always in kill range!
- This is a 5v5, not 1v1! Know that? Check the minimap! No enemy support? They're gunning for you!
- Wrong move! If vision's only on one side, move that way! That's why you eat every blind skillshot!
Kang Yuseong's roars that chilled her to the bone just from memory!
Days grinding blood, sweat, and tears, with no results meaning no release back to the dorm!
Seona shoved the enemy mid under tower, beating them senseless—then phantom yells echoed in her ears.
- Always in kill range! No minimap!?
'No!'
For botching gank dodges, training dragged on—even holding her till 5 a.m. weekends. Terror-struck, Seona frantically checked the minimap.
Only three enemies visible.
In such spots, Yuseong always ambushed from nowhere, punishing with extended sessions.
Seona ditched kill greed and bolted back.
"Seona, enemy support's missing... Oh, good job."
Ha-young called it, then faltered at Seona's proactive dodge.
Sure enough, as she retreated, enemy support skills whiffed where she'd stood.
Two more seconds, and she'd be dead.
Perfect-timed gank dodge—but Seona sweated cold bullets.
Yuseong's wrath still phantom-echoed.
"Ooh, Seona's actually thinking now? Dodged before Ha-young's call."
"Seona, I'll counter-gank. Let's dive 'em together."
Seona sidestepped the gank, so Eunjae counter-hunted. Their combo dropped the enemy mid, snowballing the game our way.
No crises, clean Set 1 win. Back in the waiting room...
Seona saw me and shuddered.
"Why're you trembling at the sight of me?"
"Coach, you know that gave me chills? Mid 1v1, enemy crosses river—and boom, your voice in my head yelling 'Kim Seona!!!' I think the training broke me. At this point, I'm—"
"Perfect symptom. You'll hear the real thing more often, so play like today—no, better. Got it?"
"Nooo!"
But that fired up the others.
The trio minus Ha-young raised eyebrows at me.
"Special training? First I've heard."
"Coach, explain."
"...Favoritism."
Somehow, I was certain my personal time would vanish as the season wore on.