Just One-on-One Today
Team SnowWitch was a fresh face, currently in its second year in the league.
In the long history of the Infinity Realm esports scene, they were the new kids on the block.
A mid-tier team had gone up for sale due to its parent company's financial difficulties, and a media conglomerate had acquired it. That acquisition was how the current SnowWitch came to be.
Well, calling it an acquisition was a bit of a stretch; they had essentially built a completely new team from the ground up.
As soon as the acquisition was finalized, SnowWitch wiped away every trace of the old team.
They replaced the front office, the players, the coaching staff, and the director. Nothing was left behind.
Then, pouring in massive amounts of capital, they rebuilt themselves into a championship contender.
The first signal of this aggressive restructuring was the appointment of the director and the head coach.
They hired two legendary players who had once dictated the meta of the North American league.
Phantom took the director's seat, and Hero became the head coach.
Names that had faded from the spotlight after their marriage announcement had returned to lead this new Korean team.
Thanks to the sheer weight of their names, recruiting active players went smoothly.
Since its founding, the team had steadily grown in size and strength.
And now, inside the headquarters of that very team...
A woman with a ponytail greeted me warmly.
"Welcome. You're quite early. There's still plenty of time before our appointment."
"I-I thought it would be better than being l-l-late! More importantly... are you really Hero? I-I'm a huge... massive fan! Could I get an autograph before I leave...?"
"Sure. You're much cuter in person, Nabi. Let's take a photo together before you go, too."
"T-Thank you so much! Ah..."
"No need to be so nervous. Follow me."
Ah, I'm going to die of embarrassment.
I didn't just stutter; my voice actually cracked at the end.
My face was already burning a bright, explosive red, and my heart refused to calm down, pounding wildly against my ribs.
But really, I couldn't help it.
How could anyone stay calm when their role model was standing right in front of them?
Strictly speaking, there were players with greater careers than Hero. But she was the ultimate dream for every bruiser player.
She was the one who proved just how high the ceiling of the bruiser class could go.
When I chose to main a bruiser, the videos I analyzed the most were Hero's matches...
Actually, forget all that.
At the end of the day, I was an aspiring pro gamer, but I was also a fan. To me, this was the equivalent of meeting my favorite idol in the flesh.
"We can tour the headquarters another time if there's a chance... Let's head straight to the test today. Is that okay?"
"Y-Yes...!"
"Your tier is still Master, right? I checked this morning."
"Yes. But I think I can climb higher."
"Good. I consider ranked games and tournament matches to be completely different beasts, but in the end, all your fundamentals come from ranked play. Work hard."
Honestly, my heart was so full that it was hard to squeeze out a voice. Instead, I nodded vigorously, reacting almost to an exaggerated degree.
Hero didn't say much more, as if she already knew how nervous I was.
"But... are you sure you're okay with someone like me?"
"In what sense? Hmm, actually, let me guess."
Hero smirked. Perhaps because it was an official setting, she was still speaking to me politely. But the Hero I knew was a very easygoing person. Even though it had been a while since her active player days, her personality seemed exactly the same. A mischievous smile briefly crossed her lips.
"You aren't high-tiered yet, Nabi, and you haven't really proven anything. Strictly speaking, you're just an ordinary person who got a little famous."
"..."
"Of course, winning the Challengers Cup was quite impressive. But in the end, it's just an amateur tournament. And it's not like you completely dominated everyone with raw skill there, either. I'm not trying to be mean; it's just the truth. So you're probably wondering why we called you, right?"
"Yes. Honestly, I still don't really understand. Why a team like SnowWitch would reach out to me..."
"That's where you're mistaken. In fact, if it weren't for a team like ours, who else would snatch up someone like you first?"
Pro gaming teams want different players depending on their circumstances. For example, even Hero in her prime wouldn't have received offers from every single team. A team's resources are limited, after all.
If a team empties its pockets to recruit a star player but has no money left for anyone else, the entire team will have a miserable year.
The same goes even without mentioning salaries.
Teams lacking time and scale prefer players who can perform immediately. On the other hand, teams like SnowWitch, which can afford to look to the future, steadily nurture players with high potential.
This is especially true for teams universally recognized as prestigious powerhouses. Aspiring pros are desperate to appeal to those teams. A truly prestigious team—one that shines for a long time rather than flashing briefly and fading—never neglects nurturing prospects.
"Honestly, we aren't a prestigious powerhouse like Blue Serpent yet, are we?"
"I-I think SnowWitch is... a great team too."
"Ah, you're that type. You can't lie, so you beat around the bush instead."
"..."
"Anyway, if we just sit still, other teams will sweep up all the good prospects. If we want to grow players and use them, we have to do the legwork ourselves."
Only now did I understand why this opportunity had come to me.
The highest rank in Infinity Realm, Infinity, is reserved for only 500 players. At that level, you run into pro gamers just by queuing up. Naturally, team scouts keep a hawk-like eye on that bracket.
Therefore, to properly start a career as a pro gamer, one must first aim for the Infinity rank. The standard route is to enter a prestigious team as a trainee, compete for a spot, and eventually debut or transfer to another team.
But not every pro gaming team is a top-tier powerhouse. And by the time a player reaches Infinity, they already have a good grasp of their own potential. Deciding which team to start a pro career with is a critical issue. It's easy to go from a top team to a lower one, but the reverse is incredibly difficult. Every aspiring pro wants to start in the best team possible.
A team like SnowWitch would find it hard to snatch up those 'proven' prospects. Thus, they have to move much faster than the standard route.
They scout when the prospect themselves isn't even sure of their own potential. A legend like Hero personally evaluates and selects them.
That fact... sounded incredibly sweet to me. It was as if I had already passed one of Hero's tests just by being invited.
"But don't count your chickens before they hatch. This is just a test; you haven't passed yet."
"Ah... Y-Yes, ma'am!"
"We recruit trainees based on potential. We look at the big picture, but that means the test is even stricter. And we don't just look at the results."
Just as our brief conversation ended, Hero and I arrived at a room containing two VR capsules. Seeing the sign that read 'Practice Room 6,' there were likely several other practice rooms. Since Infinity Realm is a game with diverse scenarios, they probably coach everything from team play to simple one-on-ones and small-scale skirmishes.
Seeing such a professional setup made my heart flutter. I felt like a child on their very first field trip.
This was the destination my dream had to reach. The place where people living the life I yearned for spent their intense hours. If my heart didn't flutter at this sight, I wouldn't even dare to say I had a dream.
"By the way, I heard the test would be in a combat format... Who will I be facing?"
"Me, of course. I originally wanted to see a three-on-three as well, but I couldn't recruit enough players to my liking. Let's just do a one-on-one today."
"Excuse me?"