LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 42
Incheon Airport.
Finally setting foot on Korean soil, Li Zhi-Xuan quickened his pace, inhaling the cold air deeply.
“Ugh, it’s been a while.”
Coach Jang Seok-Hwan, bundled up in a long padded coat like a silkworm, sniffed.
Li Zhi-Xuan respected Jang Seok-Hwan as a senior professional gamer and recognized his coaching abilities, but every time he saw such a sight, he seriously doubted his own judgement.
“What about the dormitory? To the company headquarters?”
“Yeah. I think that would be best. After all, we’re here for a training camp.”
“Right.”
Like most Chinese teams, GRS was one of the well-funded teams, unmatched in financial power.
Thus, considering the internet speed and average solo rank level, Korea was deemed an appropriate place for their training and had a dedicated company headquarters set up.
Having a separate headquarters overseas…
If Korean teams saw it, they would click their tongues at such extravagance, but GRS’s robust sponsors made it possible.
“You know well by now, but we’re here for a training camp. If any unnecessary trouble arises, it could affect the season. Stay calm, got it?”
“Of course.”
Li Zhi-Xuan replied with a smile, but Coach Jang Seok-Hwan couldn’t shake off his uneasy expression.
That was because he was well aware of why Li Zhi-Xuan had come to Korea with such a reckless schedule.
‘It better not be anything serious.’
Despite the season being so close, Li Zhi-Xuan had insisted on stepping onto the distant land of Korea.
On the surface, it was for training before the season kicked off, but it was undoubtedly related to the Prisoner.
‘Why on earth is he so fixated on that amateur jungler…’
Of course, saying something like that in front of Li Zhi-Xuan would surely make him explode in anger, so Coach Jang Seok-Hwan refrained from meddling.
Anyway, it was thanks to Li Zhi-Xuan’s whims that they were here on what could be considered a rare vacation back home.
Coach Jang Seok-Hwan hailed a taxi.
“Please take us to Jongno 3-ga Station.”
Using Korean after so long felt quite awkward.
Most other coaches would use an interpreter for coaching, but Jang Seok-Hwan believed that could stray from the original intent, so he diligently learned Chinese.
While it was still far from perfect, at least when providing feedback about the game, he was as fluent as a native speaker.
The GRS headquarters was purposefully located as close to the Legends of League Korean venue as possible.
There were various reasons for that.
The first was that if the opportunity arose during their break, they could watch Korean teams compete live.
The second was, of course, to interact with other Korean teams.
Although, due to their schedule, they hadn’t fully utilized the headquarters for that purpose yet, there would be opportunities someday.
‘Honestly, when else would I use that expensive headquarters if not now?’
As Coach Jang Seok-Hwan pondered this and that, they soon arrived at their destination.
“Want to unpack first? Or should we get some food?”
“Let’s unpack first. We can eat at the dorm.”
“Well, okay.”
The GRS headquarters was spacious enough to occupy an entire building, with no shortage of facilities.
Naturally, it was expected since it was a place for GRS team members and staff to stay.
It felt oddly liberating to think that such a large space was shared by just the two of them…
“It’s clean.”
“Isn’t it?”
Thanks to regular maintenance by a cleaning company.
After unpacking, Li Zhi-Xuan immediately searched for a computer.
“Already planning to practice?”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Well… If you’re going to work hard, I’m all for it. After all, we’re here for a training camp.”
Even if it was just one player and one coach who came for training while leaving all the teammates behind.
“Is there something you want to eat? The meal’s probably not ready yet, so we might need to order delivery.”
“Just give me some cup noodles.”
“Is that okay?”
“Yeah.”
Li Zhi-Xuan thought this wasn’t the time to be worrying about lunch menus.
The Prisoner.
He had to find him.
‘I will definitely find you.’
And regardless of whether it cost 5 million yuan or 10 million yuan, he would somehow secure him.
The Prisoner was worth that much.
However…
Even after days of utilizing all the connections and funds Li Zhi-Xuan had, he couldn’t locate the Prisoner.
“…Does that even make sense? If he took the professional test, there should obviously be some personal details left somewhere, right?”
His secretary, who was investigating the Prisoner, said.
Of course, it was all happening without Coach Jang Seok-Hwan’s knowledge.
“The Korean pro team refused to provide information due to personal privacy issues, so we had to bribe the coaching staff, but… Since he didn’t sign a formal contract, there are no personal details aside from his name or phone number.”
“Surely you must have used other methods as well?”
“Of course. After that, I spared no effort, legal or illegal… but strangely, there has been no trace. It’s as if he doesn’t exist at all. Unless the Korean government is erasing traces, this shouldn’t be possible… but that doesn’t make sense, does it?”
“Ha! So you’re saying that I’m looking for a ghost right now, Mr. Hwang?”
“I-I’m sorry!”
Li Zhi-Xuan bit his lips.
He thought he’d easily find the Prisoner once he came to Korea.
But it was proving more difficult than he imagined.
“So, what’s his name?”
Finally noticing Li Zhi-Xuan’s mood, his secretary quickly said.
“Yujin Lee.”
“Yujin Lee…”
Li Zhi-Xuan mulled over the name.
Yujin Lee.
And the Prisoner.
I will definitely find you.
During his stay in Korea, Li Zhi-Xuan repeatedly watched the Prisoner’s replays.
And each time, he was filled with admiration.
‘How on earth did he make such judgments here? Did he have that confidence he could win?’
Even in situations that the notoriously aggressive Yoon-ki would’ve stumbled at least once, the Prisoner never backed down.
And the result was a resounding victory.
It was a miracle created by the Prisoner’s super plays.
‘My judgement was right. The Prisoner is beyond Yoon-ki.’
When Li Zhi-Xuan faced the Rainbow Yoon-ki duo in the last Red Cup, he tasted true despair.
People hailed it as a legendary match, but in reality, it was only thanks to GRS’s destructive bottom duo that they barely held on until the late game. Mid jungle had essentially been an absolute defeat.
Perhaps that’s why.
He was so obsessed with finding the Prisoner.
‘Prisoner, if you’re with me, we can win the Red Cup.’
In fact, the Prisoner ruthlessly trampled even Yoon-ki.
Even though it was still a solo rank, the gap between junglers was glaringly clear.
While scrutinizing the Prisoner’s replay, Li Zhi-Xuan repeatedly played games to find a way to meet him again.
But due to the irregular times he played, it wasn’t easy to encounter him.
And…
Li Zhi-Xuan researched the time frames when the Prisoner played games, and finally succeeded in joining the same game as him.
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Dayou TV 015745 has joined the lobby.
Prisoner has joined the lobby.
qq7785dd55 has joined the lobby.
ChanSikChanSikChanSik has joined the lobby.
Let’sGoThatPlace has joined the lobby.
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Prisoner.
How long have I searched for you to meet you…
I want nothing more than to greet you familiarly right now.
To tell you how much I’ve missed you and ask you to join our team.
But since I’ve already failed in my recruitment proposal once, Li Zhi-Xuan decided to approach cautiously.
‘First, let’s carry this game.’
When players select teams, the importance of team members is considered as equally critical as salary.
Good team members directly correlate with success.
In other words, it’s quite common to state that if certain players are brought in, they’d be willing to join that team.
Thus, Li Zhi-Xuan decided to showcase his value in this game first.
‘Let’s make him want to team up.’
The game started.
‘The opposing top is… EZ?’
The reason why Li Zhi-Xuan knew EZ, who had never entered an international tournament, was simple.
EZ was the top priority for recruitment.
‘He’s not lacking against the likes of the Prisoner and me.’
A smile formed on Li Zhi-Xuan’s lips.
However, that smile didn’t last long.
-Our ally has been defeated!
-The enemy has a double kill!
‘…Did we just lose the top skirmish?’
The allied top jungler lost in a 2:2 skirmish.
Was the allied top underperforming? No. Even without a high relative expectation, he did his part just fine.
The one who actually made the mistake was Rek’Sai, that is, the Prisoner.
Such a mistake was something Li Zhi-Xuan would never expect from the Prisoner.
‘…Is this a coincidence?’
Something felt off.
And the more they played, the more the unease grew.
‘This isn’t the usual Prisoner.’
Mistakes were cropping up that the usual Prisoner would never make.
His judgment wasn’t sharp either.
Of course, he was still very rational in major judgments, but… compared to before, his decision-making speed was slower.
If it were someone else, they might simply think, ‘Maybe he’s hitting a rough patch today,’ but Li Zhi-Xuan, having reviewed the Prisoner’s plays countless times, was convinced.
Today’s Prisoner was indeed acting strangely.
‘…Wait a second.’
At that moment, a significant memory flashed across Li Zhi-Xuan’s mind.
A critical fact about the Prisoner that should never be forgotten.
「“…I had no choice. How could I when my days are numbered?”」
A time limit.
The Prisoner was living on borrowed time.