The Emperor Has Returned

After we hung up, I headed over to Rake's house—and it was beyond anything I had imagined.

"Whoa..."

Just looking at the floor space, the place had to be at least eighteen hundred square feet, and the floors were done in lavish marble. In Seoul, a home like this would easily be worth tens of millions of dollars.

"I'm sorry. I really should have been the one to go to you," Rake said, holding out a canned drink.

"Not at all. I made you come all that way for nothing last time. It's only right that I come to you this time."

I held out the box I'd been carrying, the one with the X348 inside.

"Is this... the replica?"

"It is. Take a look. I think you'll be satisfied."

He opened the box with careful hands, his eyes bright with anticipation. And then—

"N-no... is this really a replica?"

"Yes. A replica in the truest sense of the word. I made it with the same parts, the same materials, even the same sensor as the original."

Rake turned the mouse over in his hands, his face a picture of disbelief.

"That doesn't make any sense... wait. So you didn't actually find a brand-new X348? You replicated it yourself?"

I smiled.

"How was I supposed to find in a few days what you couldn't find in over a year of searching? But this isn't some cheap knockoff. It's a replica identical to the original X348 in every respect."

Well. That tracked.

He had gone everywhere there was to go, hunting for an X348. And still, there hadn't been one to be found anywhere in the world. Getting his hands on one in a matter of days would have been impossible.

"Sir. I'm sorry to ask this when you've come all this way, but could I try a game with it? Just one?"

"Of course. That's why I came all the way out here."

Rake picked up the mouse and headed for the room with the computers. There were five machines in a single room, set up like a miniature internet café.

"This is incredible," I said, watching him boot one up. "Do you practice here too?"

"Sometimes. I made this room so teammates and friends can come over and play together."

The moment the computer finished booting, he yanked out the mouse that had been connected to it, tossed it aside, and plugged in the X348 replica. Without a word, he launched Legend of Valhalla and queued into a game.

It hadn't been long after the match started before Rake took a solo kill. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

It feels just like back then...!

The feel was astonishingly identical to the original X348. Everything was the same, in fact—except that when he used this mouse, his concentration was even sharper than it had been with the real thing. And more than anything, the way he was playing right now was nothing like the slump that had swallowed the last year of his career. This was the feel of his prime.

His phone started buzzing on the desk. He didn't hear it. He didn't see it. For Rake, nothing existed in the world except the game in front of him.

In the quiet room, the only sounds were the soft click of the mouse and the tap of keys. Minutes slipped by. And then, at last, the match ended.

The word on the screen was Victory. Rake's score: thirteen kills, one death, fifteen assists. A perfect carry.

The instant the game ended, he queued again without a word. He ran two more matches, and those two were carry victories as well. After three games in total, he seemed satisfied with the test and closed the client.

I asked him carefully, once it was over.

"How was it?"

He tore off his headset, stood up, clasped my hand in both of his, and bowed at a full ninety degrees.

"I take it it fits your hand."

Tears were welling in Rake's eyes as he looked at me.

"It's exactly the same feeling as when I first used the X348! How did you even make it this identical...? Even after thirty minutes my focus doesn't drop, and my skill shots are landing like they used to! And strangely, while I'm using this mouse, my concentration is even better than it was with the original X348!"

Concentration?

I couldn't be certain, but it seemed this time the Soul had manifested as a boost to the user's focus while they were playing.

"I'm glad. Looks like I didn't fail this time."

He was fighting back a sob as he spoke.

"Honestly... I went to the front office yesterday and told them ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I thought I should retire. I figured if I kept going like this, I'd just keep being a burden on the team. But..."

He closed his fingers around the replica mouse.

"With this mouse, I think I can keep ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠playing as a pro."

I let a small smile touch my mouth.

"You've made up your mind, then."

"Yes. I still want to keep competing. I still love this game so much."

He loves the game he plays.

It was the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠most basic mindset a competitor could have, and the most essential. The organization, the fans, the teammates—all of that mattered. But in any sport, the one condition you could not do without was this: you had to love the game.

Well. I'm the same. A hundred years in the workshop, and I still love making things.

"Sir. How am I supposed to repay you for this? It's a little embarrassing, but to the same account as last time..."

I refused on the spot.

"That's all right. I already received payment when I made the previous mouse. This one is a remake because that one was a failure. You've already paid."

I wasn't a robber. I had been the one who offered to remake it. I couldn't very well take his money. But Rake was just as stubborn as I was.

"No. Thanks to you, I don't have to retire. How could I just let this go? Please. Take it."

"Hmm..."

This was a problem. If I didn't accept, he looked fully prepared to not let me leave at all.

But taking money for this still feels wrong...

If I took payment this time, I would be getting paid twice. Which would mean I had taken money for the previous failure, too. My blacksmith's soul would not allow that.

In that case...

"Rake. Then would it be all right if I asked a different favor instead?"

"Yes! Ask me anything. Anything that's within my power—I'll do it!"

"Then..."

Rake listened to the request, then smiled as if it were nothing at all.

"Of course I can! What's so hard about that?"

After Cheolwoo left, Hyun-woo checked his phone and found a string of missed calls from the front office. He slipped the phone into his pocket and headed straight for the team dorm.

The moment he arrived, the GM came rushing toward him.

"Hyun-woo! Why on earth weren't you picking up? I called you so many times."

"I'm sorry. I had something important to take care of."

The GM looked like he wanted to lay into him further, but he held it in and led Hyun-woo to his office. He sat down and got straight to the point.

"So you're retiring at the end of this season?"

Apparently the conversation Hyun-woo had had with the staff yesterday had already made it all the way to the GM. When Hyun-woo didn't answer, the GM took the silence as a yes and pressed on.

"Good thinking. You can't play professionally forever. First we'll hold a retirement ceremony, and then—"

"GM."

Hyun-woo cut him off, his voice even.

"I'm not retiring."

"What...? But just yesterday you said you were going to retire..."

They had already drawn up plans to bring in another player. If Hyun-woo didn't retire, it put the GM in an awkward position in more ways than one. He tried again.

"I get that your feelings are going back and forth, but speaking frankly, Hyun-woo, your current skill level..."

The only reason the GM was pushing this hard was the state of Hyun-woo's play. If that weren't the case, why would anyone try to talk the biggest star in Legend of Valhalla into hanging it up?

But Hyun-woo's eyes were more resolved than they had ever been.

"Please just watch one match—the one the day after tomorrow. If I look pathetic in that game too, I'll retire without a fuss."

The GM was silent for a long moment. Then he nodded.

"All right. Hah... we'll talk about this again after the next match."

Hyun-woo bowed and stepped out.

"Thank you."

Watching Hyun-woo's back as he left, the GM felt a flicker of déjà vu.

What is that...?

It was like looking at Rake's back from years ago—from the days when he was becoming a legend.

"Nah... no way. I'm just imagining things..."

Two days later, the Legend of Valhalla league was back in session. Today's opening match: Samjeong Esports versus NEW Games, the team currently sitting at number one in the league.

The game began. Nobody expected anything from Rake anymore. The opponent was the hottest team in the league, which only made people expect even less.

And then—

At first, everyone called it a fluke.

Six minutes later, it happened again.

Now people were starting to feel that something was off.

After two solo kills in a row, Shine caught on that something was wrong and started playing safe, and the solo kills stopped coming. But in a late-game teamfight, Rake showed them all over again that he was back.

That teamfight destroyed NEW Games' nexus and ended the match. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠And the caster's GG call that followed was enough to set every gamer watching on fire.

It was only a single match. But people knew.

In that game, the emperor of Legend of Valhalla—the player called Rake—had returned.

And behind the emperor's return stood a single man in a modest little workshop.