League Debut Nerves
The next day.
Siwoo arrived at the stadium with his teammates in a car prepared by the organization. It was a van.
As they entered the stadium, his breath fogged the air and a faint tremble ran through his body.
It was peak winter chill, making it colder than even the bite of an air-conditioned room. But it wouldn't stay that way for long. The stands would soon fill with spectators, warming the place up.
"Hoo, our first match."
Kim Ho-jong took a deep breath, white vapor billowing from his mouth.
"You nervous too, hyung?"
Siwoo asked.
"Of course I am."
"Even with all your experience, the first game's different, huh."
"It's not the match itself—it's meeting the Kaiserst fans for the first time."
Kim Ho-jong chuckled lightly. Despite his words, his demeanor was relaxed. Is this the composure of a veteran pro gamer?
"What about you, Chan-seong?"
"M-me?"
Park Chan-seong jumped, eyes widening.
"I-I'm fine? Not nervous at all! I've got streamer experience. Haha…."
"You look pretty shaky for someone who's fine. Relax, man. It's no different from scrims."
"With 30,000 people in the stands? How's that the same as scrims?"
"Scrims get that many viewers too, right? Finals can hit 50,000."
"Ugh, viewers watching from their rooms are totally different from a live crowd."
Park Chan-seong shook his head vigorously.
"True. My hands are shaking too—I can't calm down."
Siwoo agreed. A stadium with direct cheers and reactions was worlds apart from streaming. That was the live atmosphere.
Overlant Championship Park seated a whopping 30,000. It dwarfed past esports venues.
Hearing the fans' roars here was an honor, but the pressure was real. No choice but to be tense.
"What? You nervous too, Siwoo?"
"Can't help it. It's my debut."
"Didn't expect you to shake. You crushed Series Cup."
"This is on a whole other level."
He said that, but Siwoo's tremor wasn't the usual nerves.
His heart ached, blood raced, chest chilled with each breath.
It was less tension, more excitement.
"What, nervous for an opener, not even finals? Just play your game."
Lee Soo-hyuk said. He'd just been listening to an anime OP. Don't ask.
"You've got experience, hyung. Chan-seong hyung and I are new."
"Hear, hear! And our scrim results sucked…."
Park Chan-seong slumped.
"Hey, scrims don't predict tournaments. Back in China, I had 100% scrim win rate—still finished third."
Kim Ho-jong smirked, consoling him. It was true. High-stakes real matches differed from practice.
"So, let's do a team cheer. Yong-taek! Quit the YouTube Shorts and join."
"Ugh, a cheer now…."
Kim Yong-taek grumbled but stood by Kim Ho-jong. Not the most honest hyung.
"I'll yell Kaiserst, you say fighting?"
"Yep."
"Ready."
Kim Ho-jong gathered hands in the center.
"Kaiserst!"
—Fighting!
"Okay, let's go!"
The players entered the capsule booths.
As Siwoo connected, a message pinged.
From Jiyeon.
Siwoo smirked and replied.
The long-awaited opener drew massive viewers to the broadcast.
Stove league hype played a part, but it was mainly Siwoo vs. "Gatekeeper" Kim Hyun-su.
[Yes, it's Overlant Champions League—OCK opener! Kaiserst vs. EG. Commentary, what do you think of today's match?]
The caster turned to ask.
[Ah, huge expectations! Kaiserst nailed a massive rebuild. Success or failure TBD, but the hype is real!]
[Right! New faces on Kaiserst this season. Who stands out?]
The commentator answered without hesitation.
[Obviously Lee Siwoo! Series Cup buzz has fans hyped. His performances were insane. Can't wait to see what he does today!]
Lee Siwoo.
The prodigy who dragged high schoolers to Series Cup quarters.
Everyone pinned hopes on him.
Chats had backlash, but they were just scared to be disappointed—deep down, hyped.
[Yes! Spotlight player Lee Siwoo's Series Cup stats are up!]
The main screen showed Siwoo's profile.
[Series Cup DPS over 3,000! KDA 21.5, 100% headshots! No wonder the hype!]
[Exactly! Way above averages. Fun watching if he repeats it today!]
Screen switched.
[Next, EG's ace, Kim Hyun-su! KDA 11.2, 67% headshots! High for a rifle attacker!]
[Yes. Rifle attackers struggle with those stats structurally. This is elite!]
Siwoo's stats dominated, but Kim Hyun-su's OCK record was solid. Numbers favored Hyun-su slightly.
The center screen shifted to game select.
[Pick phase! Kaiserst first-picks sniper rifle, Operator! Siwoo's signature?]
Chats flew; crowd noise swelled. Operator carried huge expectations.
[EG grabs smoke supporter right away! Countering sniper?]
[Yes! Smoke blinds high ground, neuters snipers!]
Kaiserst and EG alternated picks.
[All set! Kaiserst vs. EG opener. Which team takes momentum? Cheer and watch!]
—One, two, three!
—Kaiserst fighting!
—One, two, three!
—EG fighting!
Game on.
Picks complete.
Comps:
Standard matchup. Both maximized strengths over counters.
Map: Universal Center.
Structure-heavy, attacker-unfriendly. Defenders block lanes.
Mode: Point capture.
Defender's stage. Win hinged on defender skill.
"Chan-seong hyung, you okay?"
Siwoo checked. Heavy breathing from Park Chan-seong—he looked rough.
"F-fine. Hoo, I got this. Got this."
First tourney jitters hit hard. Recent streamer, not surprising.
Scrims he'd lost tempo, self-doubt lingered. Defender-critical map? Brutal.
Siwoo smiled.
"Don't overtense. I'll carry."
"R-right…."
Park Chan-seong deep-breathed, still shaky.
"Siwoo, that confidence?"
"Carry on debut? Tough."
"Mindset tho, yeah."
Kim Ho-jong, Lee Soo-hyuk, Kim Yong-taek teased laughing. Maknae bold on debut? Amusing.
"Feeling good today. Peak condition."
Siwoo shrugged. Slept well, ate well—body light.
"Weren't you nervous earlier? Lying?"
"Siwoo, off the record, right?"
"Transforms in real matches…."
Hyungs giggled relentlessly.
Guys, all set?
Players replied instantly.
"Ready."
Good. Briefing now.
Remember: We win fights. Minimize objective paths, max peak fights.
"Got it."
Each poke, fight aggressively. Our edge is mechanics in engages.
"Got it."
Chan-seong, relax. No specials needed. Just play normal.
"Y-yes…!"
Okay, go time! Win and meet after!
Then—
Bzzz—!
Match begins!
The blue barrier blocking the path vanished.
Debut match. Go.