LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 190 - End of the First Day
Chapter 190 – End of the First Day
“Wow, the sun is setting.”
As the first day of the Asia Preliminary Round drew to a close, the sky transitioned from a deep yellow to a light crimson hue. As the sun met the horizon over the Han River, the world gradually darkened, but artificial lights took over as if handed the baton. Neon signs and billboards on buildings, streetlights, and skyscrapers all lit up.
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered at the Yongsan Exhibition Hall, the e-sports arena, and the outdoor spectator stands. The light from artificial lighting and flexible hologram plates dispelled the encroaching darkness.
However, the outside world was oblivious to the situation inside the arena, and the reverse was also true.
Since arriving in Yongsan at 12 PM, Harmony had not stepped outside the arena even once, unaware of the current weather and the color of the sky outside. To be precise, she didn’t care.
Six of the eight selected maps. Users from five countries roamed through cities, forests, mountains, volcanic islands, and deserted research facilities. The ballet of metal and fire between them delivered direct and peripheral pleasure to the retina and brain.
How could anyone care about the outside world?
“Ugh, I’m so tired…”
I got up from my seat and walked towards the lounge.
When you sit in one place for a long time, your body naturally gets stiff. Although I occasionally stepped out of the main arena for various reasons, it wasn’t enough to relieve the discomfort.
But, it was almost over now. After surpassing the fifth match, we had finally completed the sixth match – in other words, after the last match on Saturday was successfully concluded, there would be a brief break followed by a short interview and a summary of the day’s events.
About 15 minutes remained until the start. Soon, I would have to bid farewell to this e-sports arena. While disposing of the wrappers of snacks and drinks I had consumed during the matches in the trash, I pondered what to eat during the remaining games to keep things tidy.
But then, an auditory hallucination whispered in my ear.
“If you don’t work out diligently, I’ll come after you.”
“Gah!”
Automatically, my hand went to my belly. Fortunately, the once doughy belly fat was much less noticeable.
I had lost 6kg in the past two months.
But since Teacher Yoo Jin had spent all her time either preparing for the Asia Preliminary Round or overseeing training sessions, and I had my own responsibilities, our communication had naturally been less frequent lately.
Although we exchanged greetings and chatted once a day, merely talking didn’t seem enough to convey this delightful and significant news.
…And having lost this much, a cheat day should be fine today.
-[Notification: You have several new messages.]
“Huh?”
As I walked towards the lounge where the convenience store and cafe were located, contemplating buying just a simple chocolate milk, my phone vibrated in my pocket. Simultaneously, a popup message appeared before my eyes.
The nickname was familiar.
-[Kim Stone: Harmony, where did you go!!!!]
-[Limit: Wow, so noisy, haha]
-[Limit: (Replying to Harmony) -> Harmony, come out quickly and calm Kim Stone down; he’s going wild.]
-[Kim Stone: Let’s meet up and have dinner together!!!!!!!!!!!]
-[Hotteok: Ugh, that crazy girl.]
They’ve lost their minds.
But I couldn’t help but smile. If only Teacher Yoo Jin were here, we could have gone to eat together; that’s a pity – muttering to myself, I checked the members in the chat.
Coincidentally, and serendipitously. It was the four people I had collaborated with the last time. Kim Stone, Limit, and Hotteok. After scanning the three, I immediately initiated a group call.
Noise erupted.
“Harmony───!!!!!!!”
“Whoa, who started a group call!”
“Wow, this is louder than a military bugle. Are you crazy?”
Is someone threatening us with a knife to eat dinner together? – A string of unnecessary comments followed. But thinking about it, it was almost dinner time. It was nearly 6 PM. After the interview and ranking tally were done, it would be just the right time for dinner.
Thus, the ensuing conversation.
“Hey, we definitely got invited, but we haven’t seen you at all. Where are you?”
“Me? I’m…here. I shared my location; can you see it?”
“Oh wow. You’re on the complete opposite side. No wonder we couldn’t find you. Anyway, we’re planning to have dinner together; are you in? Unless you have plans afterward.”
“No, I’m free.”
───Beep!
In the meantime, the sound of a barcode scanner and a single chocolate milk being purchased.
Hearing this, the others started commenting again.
“What’s that, Harmony? Stop eating!”
“Hey, I’ve lost more weight than you.”
“Where are you? A convenience store? I was too scared to go out with so many people, but you managed.”
But I couldn’t resist something sweet.
I carefully tucked the large chocolate milk into the front pocket of my hoodie and retraced my steps. The crowd was dense, almost filling the hallway. There were people who recognized me along the way, so it took a bit longer to return to my original seat than I had anticipated.
I sank into my chair. As every match took place, the holographic projections on the ceiling were completely gone, revealing the view I saw when I first entered this place.
Before long, the countdown on the ceiling reached zero, and the host walked to the center of the stage.
As the host grabbed the microphone, the central stage opened up, and all the participants of today’s matches came out one by one. Their expressions varied. Some looked quite unhappy, while others couldn’t hide their joy. But what was certain was that there were far too many expressions to simply categorize into just these two types.
As everyone took their seats, the host began to speak.
“We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to everyone gathered here and to the players who performed wonderfully in the six matches today.”
It was Teacher Yoo Jin.
Even as everyone applauded and cheered, she stood out like a light in the dark, sitting on the stage without a significant change in expression despite having gone through six intense matches.
That composure was what shone the most, I thought. I wondered if she would respond if I sent a message now, but my own conscience worked just fine. In short, I dismissed the idea.
The rankings for each country, converted into numbers from today’s match data, floated in the air. Korea, Russia, Japan, Taiwan, and China. Although I didn’t know the detailed dynamics, it was clear who was in the lead.
Cheers erupted.
“Waaaaaaa──!”
“Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin!”
“Is she a god! Is she the god of Apex Predators!!”
I automatically felt a surge of pride. After all, when your own country’s player performs well, it’s hard not to feel a swelling in your chest unless it’s a special case.
As the cheers subsided, the support teams from each country, prepared within the stadium, took turns cheering for their respective teams. Though fewer in number, the voices booming through the hologram plates and speakers were no less loud than the previous cheers.
After each country had received a round of cheers, the host continued.
“Next, we’ll conduct a random interview with one of the players who came from afar – Ah, MKVS from Russia. He suddenly raised his hand. Volunteering before the random draw, this is a first. Does anyone have any objections?”
Silence.
In the strangely quiet atmosphere, he alone waved his hand. His expression indicated he had a lot to say. Yet, his smile didn’t completely disappear.
Soon, he took the microphone and started conversing with the host. The topic was about his impressions of spending the first night of the 3rd Asia Preliminary Round.
After taking a deep breath, he began to speak.
“It was rough and challenging beyond imagination. During the breaks between matches, all of us from Russia devoted ourselves to tactical analysis, forgoing rest. Since the Korean players were a formidable wall, we will strive to climb over that wall tomorrow.”
It was an arrogant remark.
However, Russia, as well as all 100 players including them, and everyone in the stadium watching, erupted into applause.
I thought, perhaps, that might be the motto of the Asian preliminary rounds. Not one side’s unilateral push, but something where everyone grows together, despite the competition. I couldn’t know for sure, but anyhow, it was like that.
Afterwards, more ordinary questions followed. Questions like how the facilities in Korea were, whether they enjoyed themselves—easy topics. But maybe because they were gamers, they responded without a hint of pretense.
“What was the first thing you ate when you came to Korea?”
“A packet of noodles that looked incredibly spicy at first glance. Sure enough, I nearly died. I had to use half a tub of mayonnaise from the store just to eat it. Later, we used it for punishment games.”
Laughter erupted.
Meanwhile, from where the Russian users were gathered, someone declared, “He just can’t handle spicy food!” making the atmosphere lighten up considerably. It seemed like a good sign.
The interview proceeded in earnest. Unfortunately, none of the Korean users could take the microphone here because all twenty of them had individual interviews scheduled later.
The interview continued, and eventually moved to a user named Keith, whom I had seen on the internet before. Or rather, should I say user? He felt more like a director. With his mature and masculine appearance, low voice, and solid build, he seemed like someone who had gone through some rough times in society.
“…It is an honor to be here. My words are not much different from others, but… I have truly realized the strength of Korea through this match. Additionally, I had been looking forward to competing against Yoo Jin since before the Asian preliminary rounds, and it exceeded my expectations. It was really amazing.”
At the same time, he glanced sideways.
I wondered who he made eye contact with as he continued speaking.
“And Dice, I don’t know if it’s appropriate to say this, but your progress has been remarkable. I hope we can have a good competition in the finals.”
“Who wouldn’t agree? This time will be very different from last year, so you better be prepared.”
So that’s Dice.
It felt like their competitive spirit ignited at the end. Anyway, with the ensuing cheers, the first day of the Asian preliminary rounds came to a brilliant close.
As the ten thousand spectators moved towards the exits and the players on stage exited through the central stage, three figures approached from afar. Two men and one woman, they were none other than the streamer colleagues I had talked to earlier.
Kim Stone—Kim Hyun-ah—was the first to approach and naturally linked arms.
“I’m starving. You didn’t have dinner yet, did you, Min-ah? If you already had a snack, that’d be a problem.”
“No way. Have you decided what to eat, everyone?”
“We’ve decided on the food, but it’s not around here. With nearly 300,000 people gathered here, the nearby restaurants will be packed. We need to get out of Yongsan first. I brought my car, so let’s head down to Gangnam. If we delay, we might end up eating dinner past 8 PM.”
“Ugh.”
Now that I think about it, she’s right.
Even though it has improved a lot, Seoul’s traffic is still troublesome, and the subway, which runs every minute, might still get crowded with so many people.
We need to leave Yongsan as quickly as possible, just like Hotteok said. Once we cross the bridge to Gangnam, it should be a bit easier.
We started to move—but only started.
Before we could, the unique melody assigned to Yoo Jin’s number rang.
───~♪
“Ah, Yoo Jin! I enjoyed the game today!”
– Ah. I’m glad you answered. Are you leaving now? Did you have dinner?
“Uh, we’re about to. But we’re struggling with how to get out of Yongsan first… There are just too many people here.”
– Haha, I can imagine.
And then, a shocking suggestion followed.
– There’s a large dining hall in the basement of the stadium building. If it’s okay, would you like to have dinner here?
“…What?”
Kim Stone, Limit, and Hotteok’s expressions turned strange at my stupid answer, but I tried to process the words that had just hit me.
Within seconds, I could only respond reflexively.
“…You were here?”
“What did they say?”
“They sounded a bit flustered, but it’s fine. There are more people than expected, but since we have permission, there shouldn’t be any big issues.”
The VR session ended, and the neat interior of the room was reflected in my retina. It was a private space for Yoo Jin and Dice, the only participants among the 100 whose real identities were not revealed.
Carefully moving her body, Yoo Jin sat on the bed, and Dice, who sat behind her, began to groom her hair. Her hair, passing through the grooming tool, became soft and fluffy.
Dice, who muttered that even her hair was a cheat, added.
“Right. Since it’s a buffet. By the way, why does it seem like Min-ah and I, whenever we meet, always end up at a buffet?”
“True. But this time, there’s no choice. It’s impossible for all the 100 players, coaching staff, and building employees to have meals nearby.”
In simple terms, it wasn’t possible for everyone here to go back to their accommodations immediately after the first day of the Asian preliminary rounds. Perhaps it was more appropriate to say it was impossible. Nearly 300,000 people who began returning home were all fans of the professional gamers here.
If we tried to leave right after the game, it could cause chaos.
Meanwhile, the most urgent issue was the meal. This was easily resolved by arranging a buffet in the dining hall with numerous famous chefs.
Interestingly, Yoo Jin had asked if Harmony and her group could also dine there, which was readily approved—not simply because they were acquaintances, but because they were all partners in the Dark Zone and streamers.
Moreover, there was an important consideration.
“If you eat there, many people will learn about Yoo Jin’s identity. Is that okay?”
“I was going to reveal it later anyway. They’ll all behave themselves. If not… Well, the backlash won’t be on me.”
“People might lose their minds even before eating.”
Yoo Jin responded with a mysterious smile.
Seeing this, Dice added.
“Yoo Jin, you really are a piece of work.”
“Maybe so.”
After some light preparation, the two stood up.
Saturday night was just beginning.