The Mysterious Double Peace
Should I say what was bound to happen had finally happened?
Or should I say it came much faster than expected?
Out of the blue, a phone call from Hero brought the news of my call-up to the second division.
"What's this? Your reaction is a bit underwhelming. Aren't you happy?"
"I-I am happy, of course! It's just... it doesn't feel real yet."
"You must have had some idea. None of our other trainees play quite like you, Nabi."
"I wasn't completely clueless... but still."
"Anyway, congratulations. Now you can actually call yourself a pro wherever you go."
To be fair, saying I had no idea would be a lie.
Even I knew that I was starting to run out of rivals in our internal scrims.
Unless a first-string player joined in, the matches ended up being pretty one-sided.
Feigning ignorance at this point would only make me look obnoxious.
So, my call-up was practically a done deal.
The only question left was when.
Since the team was taking longer than expected to call me up, I had wondered if they were waiting for the next league entirely.
But now, with the second division league racing toward its final stretch,
SnowWitch caught the very last train for roster changes.
If they wanted us to build synergy before the playoffs started, they couldn't delay any longer.
"Since I let you know early, go eat something delicious with your family today. It's a happy day, so you should celebrate."
"Ah, yes...!"
"I'll buy you a meal sometime later, too. It feels like just yesterday you came in for your tryouts, but you made it here so fast. Right?"
"You're right. Time... seems to have flown by in an instant."
Thinking back, it was truly strange.
When I was in the hospital room, time crawled at a snail's pace.
Even though I didn't have to do anything, those tedious hours had felt agonizingly long.
On the contrary, after becoming a trainee, I was incredibly busy.
To the point where twenty-four hours a day felt insufficient.
It felt like I was always running out of time, making me wish a day had twenty-six hours instead.
I had spent my days in such a whirlwind.
Yet, looking back, time had flown like an arrow.
It seemed I had been living so fiercely that I had temporarily forgotten about time itself.
Squeeze. My hands clenched into tight fists.
It was because I had nowhere else to direct the sudden surge of energy bubbling up inside me.
"Well then, let's grab a bite together later. My treat. Congratulations once again."
"Um... Coach!"
"Yes?"
"T-thank you! I... I'll keep working hard!"
"Good. Making your debut isn't the end, it's just the beginning. I'll hang up now."
With that, the call disconnected.
I hopped up and down on my bed.
Unable to contain my excitement, I flailed my limbs wildly.
Naturally, a cloud of dust kicked up.
After my joyful jumping session, I ended up coughing and had to air out the room.
But no matter how much I coughed, nothing could bring down my mood.
"Welcome, viewers!"
"The next match prepared by IKL Next is between SnowWitch and ACL."
"A lot is riding on this match. While both teams are highly likely to make the playoffs, simply qualifying isn't the end of the story."
"ACL, in particular, is desperate. Whether they get to choose their group or be chosen hangs in the balance."
"For SnowWitch, a loss today would deal a heavy blow to maintaining their current standing."
The IKL Stadium, a place I had previously visited only as a spectator.
The voices of the casters echoed from the speakers.
Standing in the very place I had only ever watched from afar felt surreal.
On the display, SnowWitch was barely holding onto third place.
And the two teams below were snapping at our heels.
In short, our team's position at the top was highly precarious.
Was the defeat suffered at the hands of Drizzle that painful?
The performance of the existing second-string roster had ultimately taken a gradual downward turn.
Slowly chipping away at the wins they had secured in the early rounds, they had now reached the point of almost being overtaken.
"To be frank, it feels like SnowWitch has lost some of their edge lately, doesn't it?"
"Exactly. When you think of SnowWitch, you think of their bold aggressiveness and their ability to resolve difficult situations through sheer combat."
"But with their recent loss of momentum, they've been struggling significantly in their matches."
"They won against ACL with a great performance in the early rounds, but in the previous round, they unfortunately crumbled."
"And so! Gritting their teeth and rallying their forces, SnowWitch has come prepared to make a fierce comeback!"
Therefore, the intention behind this call-up was to act as a firefighter of sorts.
I had to turn the tide for a sinking team.
Retired players unanimously agreed that momentum plays a surprisingly significant role in competition, even if it sounds like superstition.
"For this match, there is a roster change for SnowWitch."
"Nabi, Yu Nabi, and Endure, Jeong In-hu, will be joining the fray."
"While Endure is also a rookie drawing quite a bit of attention from insiders, we simply cannot move on without mentioning this player."
Flinch.
My body shuddered as if pricked by a needle.
My face was plastered across that giant screen.
Even though it was my own face, it looked stiff and tense.
The mysterious double peace sign I had hastily struck when told to strike a pose kept catching my eye.
I must have been crazy. Truly out of my mind.
I have to play with that photo displayed until the end of this league?
My face burned with embarrassment, making me want to crawl into a hole and hide.
No, but still.
I really had no choice.
How many times had I actually taken photos in my life?
My concept of taking a photo was incredibly simple and crude.
Saying "kimchi" or "cheese" while forcing a smile and making a V-sign was the extent of it.
So when they said, "Please strike a pose~" my hands had naturally shot up.
"Nabi. Her main class is the Berserker. Even before her debut, she made waves with her gorgeous looks."
"But you mustn't be fooled by that innocent face. She is an extremely aggressive player, to a degree rarely seen before."
"Why else would her signature nickname be 'The Beast'?"
"Some are even saying she will restore SnowWitch's team identity to its former glory."
"Personally, I'm highly anticipating the exciting match she'll bring us."
A relentless storm of embarrassment!
My head drooped lower and lower every time the casters mentioned me.
Given how hot my face felt, I didn't even need to look to know what color it was.
Even my teammates were struggling to hold back their laughter.
Not to mention Endure, who rarely showed any expression, Hero looked ready to tease me, snickering openly.
Please. Please don't do this, Coach.
It's hard enough for me just standing here right now, okay?
I thought that if I struggled in a real match, it would be due to my social anxiety, not because of sheer embarrassment.
Honestly, it was unfair.
People called it instinct-driven play, but I only did it because I thought it would work.
I had my reasons, but nobody believed me.
— "I mean, uh... I absolutely wouldn't die in that situation. That's why I did it."
— "That was worth a shot, too. If I block their skill just once, my next attack is guaranteed..."
— "What if I die? Uh, I haven't really thought about that."
— "But I didn't die. I figured I'd have a sliver of health left, so I just went in. I really calculated it."
— "If my calculations are wrong and I die... well. That would be unfortunate. Nothing can be done about that."
Was my explanation a bit lacking?
No, that should have been plenty.
Besides, I didn't have the confidence to explain it any better than that anyway.
In any case, the casters talked about me for quite a while.
Lacking the courage to listen, I began counting prime numbers in my head.
Prime numbers are beautiful.
Having no divisors other than 1 and themselves... how could they be so beautiful?
2003, 2011, 2017, 2027, 2029... As I counted them one by one, my introduction segment finally ended.
Now, it was time to head up to the stage.
The staff entered and began guiding us.
Hero, still grinning, followed me and offered some encouragement.
"Go out there and win. If you lose your debut match, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth until you retire."
"I-if we win, buy me beef..."
"Where did you learn to ask for things like that?"
"From Zia-eonni."
"She's 'eonni,' but I'm always 'Coach'? Call me 'eonni' too if we win. I'll buy it for you then."
"Okay... I'll make sure we win and get that beef."
This match.
A lot was riding on it for me as well.
My first debut match as a pro gamer. And beef.
For whatever reason, I absolutely did not want to lose.
I prayed that I could properly show everything I had practiced.
And that I wouldn't shake.