Please Let Me Join

The day that had brought me so much confusion finally came to an end.

It seemed the fatigue from going out several days in a row had caught up to me.

As soon as I returned home, I fell asleep as if I had literally passed out.

A few days passed after that.

My days were spent chatting with Lee Seul-bi occasionally, and sometimes playing games with Hanul or Na Jia.

Just as I was living my life without any particular incidents, two emails arrived.

I had received trainee offers from two different teams.

One was from SnowWitch, where I had recently taken a test directly with Hero.

The other was an offer to join Team Aegis from that suspicious man... no, the scout I had briefly run into during Seul-bi's debut match.

According to them, my name had been on their candidate list from the beginning.

He had said he would push it through even though their internal review wasn't fully finished, and it seemed he had gotten an answer quickly.

At any rate, it meant I had one more option.

The worst-case scenario I had initially worried about—not receiving any offers at all—didn't happen.

Now, what I had to do was ponder which of the two offers to accept.

I could wait for a third option, but Blue Serpent had recently called up Lee Seul-bi to their secondary roster.

Considering the competition for a starting spot, it wasn't a very good option.

And excluding Blue Serpent, it was hard to find any place better than Team Aegis or SnowWitch.

'In the end, I don't think either choice would be bad...'

Currently, the landscape of the first and second divisions wasn't all that different.

To be precise, we would have to see how the league progressed to know for sure, but the objective difference in power was quite clear.

The league was currently running under a three-way dominance led by Blue Serpent, Team Aegis, and SnowWitch.

If I had to look at it in more detail, SnowWitch felt a tiny bit behind the other two.

It was a picture where Blue Serpent and Team Aegis fought for the top spot while SnowWitch fiercely chased behind them.

Though since Lee Seul-bi had recently crushed Team Aegis 2-0, the evaluation might have changed a bit.

Either way, Team Aegis's offer was not something I could easily ignore.

While SnowWitch had Hero and Phantom, Team Aegis's first-division team had Outlaw and Rika as head coach and coach.

Both were World Championship-winning AD carries. Their ability to read the flow of the game would be second to none.

In that case, I should compare the contract terms...

The one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that seemed to have a clear advantage in terms of starting competition was Team Aegis's proposal.

It sounded as if I could step into a starting position virtually without any competition.

'But is this really okay?'

It was definitely a good offer.

No matter what team sent an offer in the future, it probably wouldn't be more attractive than this.

And that was exactly why this offer felt strangely unsettling to me.

I was a socially anxious misfit.

Forget work experience, I didn't even have any experience properly learning anything.

However, because my parents worked in the legal field... I had a subtle wariness when it came to contracts.

Whenever I saw an offer that was too sweet, suspicion naturally arose first.

You know that famous saying about scams.

If there really is an opportunity for a high salary or a fortune, why on earth would they give something so good to you of all people?

I might not know much about society, but I knew esports quite well.

Team Aegis was a team prestigious enough to headline the opening match of IKL Next.

A starting pro gamer position on the secondary roster of such a Team Aegis.

Why would they suddenly give such an important spot to me?

Even Hero had sat down and showered me with questions for over two hours.

And only after conducting an internal evaluation did she deliver the passing result. Yet a team that had only seen me through streams or spectating was suddenly offering a starting spot?

Moreover, there were words Hero had casually mentioned in passing.

'You're very unique, Nabi. Or should I say, anomalous?'

'I wasn't sure when I just spectated your games. There was clearly something there, but how could I know what someone else is thinking in their head?'

'People who are bad at games are bad in incredibly diverse ways. But people who are good all play similarly.'

'There are many ways to be good at a game, but in the end, they all converge to a certain point.'

'But your convergence point is a bit different, Nabi. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Naturally, your process is different too. I've never seen a case like this.'

'Thanks to you coming today, I think I understand how you play. But I still don't fully get it. Like I said, someone like you is a first for me too.'

'Give me some time to think about it as well.'

I hadn't whined to Lee Seul-bi for no reason.

I was somehow different from other gamers.

Hero's words weighed on my mind, making me even more anxious about the outcome.

Hero was a legendary player who had played the exact same role as me.

If even Hero lacked confidence in me and asked for time to think, how could a scout I had just randomly run into offer even more radical terms?

And it wasn't even a big shot like Rika or Outlaw who led Team Aegis's first division, but a scout who was likely external personnel.

Did that person really evaluate my skills highly to make this offer?

Or did they see something other than my gaming ability?

My reflection in the mirror felt a little hateful today.

And so, my choice was...

In terms of actual time, it hadn't been that long.

Yet, the person standing in front of me felt like someone I hadn't seen in ages.

Hero. The Greatsword Knight stared at me with a sullen expression.

"I did ask for an answer, but you're the first person to respond like this, Nabi."

"I-I'm sorry. It's just... I wanted to... be sure."

"You got an offer from somewhere else too, didn't you?"

"Yes..."

"Wherever it is, they're quick on the uptake. Well, fine. I don't usually agree to requests like this, but I happen to have some free time today. Let's just say you got lucky."

In the end, my heart leaned toward SnowWitch.

But I didn't just say I would join right away.

I had contacted Hero separately and asked if she could oversee my training just once, as if I were already a trainee.

And Hero's response was to tell me to turn on the game and log in immediately.

She spoke in a firm voice.

"Now, let me make this clear. I'm only giving you feedback for this one match."

"Yes."

"And I don't know if you know this, but I hold a pretty bad grudge. I'm not a very mature adult, so if you don't join our team after I do this for you, I'll resent you a lot."

"...Yes."

"If you understand, then no more talk. Let's begin. As requested, I'm going all out."

And so, the practice match began.

The flow of the game was so disastrous it barely needed explaining.

It seemed she had held back a lot during the tryout because she wanted to see my skills.

I had lost quite miserably back then too, but this time, I was beaten so badly I couldn't even make a sound.

It was a complete defeat in every aspect—strength, speed, and technique—to the point where I wondered if such a thing was even possible.

The moment my gaze drifted downward, a fist slammed into my face.

If my eyes were drawn upward, my ankle was struck, breaking my balance. The weapon I thought would clash against mine simply grazed my wrist and slipped away.

It was the first time I realized a weapon as large as a greatsword could be used so technically.

"You know the things I mentioned as your strengths, Nabi? None of them were lies," Hero said.

"Yes...!"

"But everything else is a weakness. Especially your technique—it's dreadfully lacking. It's like someone who has never moved their body in their entire life is trying to copy things after only learning the theory."

Sometimes, her words hit a bit too close to home in subtle ways.

"The importance of the lower body becomes even greater when using a large weapon compared to a small one. It's good that you're trying to put power into it, but why are you always going all out? If you fail, there's no backup plan."

Hero kicked my shin.

Since I had allowed the opponent's attack, my posture should have collapsed.

Or so I thought, but my movement to slip away actually felt more stable than usual.

"Always pay attention to the distance between your feet. What's the point of your body being fast? Your legs give away your next move completely. If you play like this, the initiative will be taken away the moment they parry you once."

A counterattack came in response to my heavy strike.

The trajectory of my blade was deflected by her diagonally incoming sword, and Hero's weapon slipped through the gap.

Just as the tip of the greatsword seemed to point toward my foot, she roughly shoved my body with the flat of her blade.

Having lost my balance, I could no longer resist.

In that brief moment, I was completely neutralized and forced to take a fatal blow from Hero's vertical slash.

My body collapsed, instantly reduced to a tattered mess. Hero looked down at me as I lay there.

"That ended quickly. Well, how was it? Are you satisfied?"

At her question, I... just smiled.

Even though it was the first time in my life I had lost so miserably, I smiled brightly.

I hadn't really known until now, but I felt like I had finally discovered a desire hidden deep in my subconscious.

It seemed I wanted a wall like this.

I wanted to keep a wall that felt absolutely insurmountable close by, and constantly challenge it.

To catch up to my friend who was running ahead of me... to catch up to Lee Seul-bi, I needed a wall like this.

There was no need to hesitate from the very beginning.

"Yes. I... I want to join. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Please let me join. I want to learn from you, Coach."