Academy League's Victor (6)
Essentially a battle for first place, the match between our Shining Star and Team Brilliant ended in a 1:1 draw without a decisive winner.
Before the game, both teams were tied at 7 wins and 0 losses for first place. After the match, they remained tied at 7 wins and 1 draw. Talk about two teams that just couldn't settle the score.
"Yay! We won the second set!"
The players rushed over to me, whooping and hollering as they high-fived me. Even though they were the ones playing, they seemed blown away by the strategy—their faces were lit up with excitement that wouldn't fade.
"How'd you know they'd pick the standard comp? I got chills when it actually came out just like that."
"The Rosie Fit bait too. How do you calculate all that? Are you a prophet or something?"
"Killing the Sweeper with Blade Armor reflect damage! Coach, that was the second coolest thing you've done since I met you!"
"Second? What's number one?"
"Hmm... when you bought me chicken and beer last time?"
I lightly flicked Seon-ah on the forehead and praised the players' performance.
"It was your first time trying that strategy, so it must've been tough to execute on the fly, but you all pulled it off perfectly. Great job. There's plenty of feedback, but we'll go over that back at the practice room. The game dragged on a bit, so you might've forgotten some of my calls, but Sera remembered them spot-on. Ha-young gave solid orders too, and everyone else nailed their roles."
"Because it was you, Coach."
"Hm?"
"I won't miss a single word. I'll remember everything."
"Oh, Sera's got the right mindset. Yeah, keep everything I teach you in mind during games and always remind yourselves. That's how you improve."
Since it was a draw, there was no group broadcast interview—just one rep from each team for media spots.
Ha-young, our captain, handled the interview for us, while the rest of the players headed back to the waiting room to pack up.
As the players chattered away about the match, my phone buzzed.
It was Manager Kim. He never called right after a match—what was up?
"Yes, Manager."
"Coach Kang! Check our team's social media! It's blowing up!"
His voice came through the phone, brimming with excitement.
I immediately opened the Facesnote app, and sure enough, the latest post on our team page was flooded with comments pouring in real-time.
"Yeah, comments are definitely spiking."
"It's not just comments. InstaKill and Twitter are exploding too! Every Eternal Combat community is talking about us. I had no idea we put on such a show..."
He played Eternal Combat himself, but his knowledge was pretty surface-level, so he probably didn't grasp just how impressive our play was.
"If I may brag a bit, it was the kind of play that'll go down in Eternal Combat league history."
"Hahaha, incredible, Coach Kang. I couldn't be prouder of the choice to bring you on board. I'll report this to the director right away. I'll push for some rewards for the players too. Oh, and for you, of course."
"I was just doing my job as coach. Thanks for looking out."
"When you deliver like this, rewards are a must. Any requests from the players? As manager, I gotta hook them up now."
"Hmm... I'll ask them and text you."
"Sounds good. Let me know. Oh, and I have a few questions, so swing by the office tomorrow when you're free."
"Got it. Take care."
After hanging up, I asked the players, who were still buzzing with chatter.
"Hey, anything you guys wanna eat?"
"You buying?"
"Yeah, the team's giving the okay. Dinner's on us tonight!"
"Beef!"
"Sushi."
"Gopchang, daechang, makkoli!"
"Chicken and beer!"
"No chicken and beer! We had that last time 'cause Yuna unnie wanted it!"
BlackWings, one of the Division 1 men's teams.
Director Kim Seung-mok, who oversaw the team, spotted a real-time trending post on the Eternal Combat community.
'What's this?'
Curious, Director Kim clicked it. After watching the short GIF, he immediately hunted down the match VOD and rewatched from the start.
He kept gasping in admiration, replaying two key moments—especially the early-game scene at Rosie Fit—over and over.
"How the hell..."
For a mere Academy League team—and a women's one at that—the strategy was too polished. No matter how many times he rewatched, it wasn't something you could improvise on the spot.
The players' execution was sloppy by his standards, but stripping that away, the strategy's perfection was something even Division 1 men's teams rarely saw.
Sloppy mechanics, flawless macro. That could only mean one thing.
"The coaching staff is on another level. Who's the director here?"
He pulled up the Academy League site and scanned Shining Star's profile.
"Director position vacant? Coach... Kang Yuseong... wait, Kang Yuseong?"
The familiar name jumped out, so he clicked the profile. The photo was definitely that guy he knew.
About half a year ago, he'd blazed through the open tryouts like a comet, hard-carrying every game and even getting invited to internal scrims—then ghosted them.
Rumor was he'd done the same at top teams like Fanatics, Centurion, and Nostalgia: showed up, dominated tryouts, then declined offers. Word around Division 1 was some weird guy kept crashing tryouts and wrecking house.
Things had gone quiet, so they'd figured he started school or something. What was he doing here?
"With that talent, why isn't he playing pro? Why coach—and a women's Academy team, no less?"
This was criminal-level talent waste. That guy didn't belong there.
Director Kim picked up the phone to his team's front office.
"Hello, this is Director Kim Seung-mok. Yeah. Uh, about that Shining Star team in the women's Academy League? Yeah, that one. I'd like to set up a meeting with their front office. Just give me their contact—I'll handle it. Thanks. Take care."
Around the same time, countless teams from Division 3 and up—men's and women's alike—were making similar moves.
A week after the Brilliant match.
We racked up wins through our ninth game, finishing the first round at 8 wins, 1 draw, +17 map differential—tied for first.
Manager Kim kept his pre-season promise too. Once first place was locked, he collected the players' wishes through me and handed out bonuses.
Yuna scored a spare electric guitar from The Shine practice room. Eunjae ordered the flashy clothes she'd been eyeing. Ha-young humbly asked for a Netflix Premium sub. Seon-ah's gold day-one envelope went to the whole team, me included.
Seon-ah pouted about her wishlist getting shared, but the other four shut her down quick once they saw the gold.
Sera had wanted samgyetang for her aunt, but she put it on hold, saying she'd think about it again.
Round 2 skipped a week, giving all teams a breather. I gave the players three full days off.
"Woo! Time to head home for once!"
"Ughhh, gonna nap all afternoon stretching out."
"Ahh, body's all stiff—perfect. Time to hit a club."
"What club? You're still in high school."
"Won't get caught if I go with my practice unnies."
Everyone except Sera, who was still mid-solol queue, cheered the break, packed light, and headed home. The once-noisy practice room fell silent, all capsules dark except hers.
Before leaving myself, I tidied up the last of the analysis data in the empty room.
Just as I finished and headed out, someone knocked on the meeting room door.
"Come in."
It was Manager Kim Ki-hyeon.
"Manager? What brings you to the practice room..."
"Ah, got something to discuss. Mind if I sit?"
"You're the team manager—of course. Water?"
"No, won't take long. It's about you, Coach Kang."
"Me? What's going on?"
"Nostalgia, Fanatics Esports, Centurion Club, BlackWings. You know these teams?"
Out of nowhere, he rattled off Division 1 men's team names. Not just them—other D1 teams, women's D1, even some D2 and barely-known D3 squads.
"Yeah, I know 'em. Some just by name... but why?"
"They've contacted us wanting a meeting with you."
"...What?"
"After the Brilliant match. Nonstop calls to our front office. They all asked if that strategy was the players' on-the-fly call or coaching instructions. But those four teams? Straight-up asked for a meeting with you."
"Did they say why?"
I asked, already suspecting the answer.
"No one said outright, but they all grilled us on when you joined, how much time left on your contract. From my entertainment industry days, that means one thing: transfer interest. The meeting request? Probably to gauge if you're worth poaching."
Yup, called it.
Nostalgia, Fanatics, Centurion, and my old team BlackWings—the dream destinations for every player and coach, top of D1.
Them suddenly wanting to meet me? They saw through that Brilliant strategy as my brainchild.
Other teams lacked the insight to pin it on me right away and just asked whose idea it was. Those four? Different caliber.
The meetings were to test my Eternal Combat knowledge, leadership—see if I met their bar for recruitment. Or maybe push me to play again?
They weren't salty I bailed on internal tryouts and planning sabotage, right?
"What'd you tell them?"
"Asked your preference first. If you don't want it, we can't help further."
"Upper management's in the loop?"
"Reported to the director already. Asked about transfer fees if possible—thinks we should consider positively."
Made sense—fees would be juicy. But my market value wasn't sky-high yet; wouldn't fetch much.
"What do you think? They're D1 teams, so if you want, we can schedule—"
Knock knock knock.
The manager's words cut off at the knock.
He paused, glanced at me with a nod, and I finally opened the door.
Sera stood there, fresh out of her capsule after solol queue. She blinked at Manager Kim inside, greeted him, then looked at me.
"...I'm heading out on break."
Maybe it was my imagination, but her voice sounded more subdued than usual.
"Yeah, have a safe trip. Say hi to your aunt. Rest up—we'll be busy after vacation."
"Okay."
But she lingered, fiddling with her fingers, eyes on me.
For a split second, I thought I saw moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes. Before I could check, she turned and slipped out of the practice room.
'Did I imagine that?'