LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 5
SY Professional Gaming Team Dormitory.
After the Red Cup, despite it being the prime time for a vacation, the dormitory was heated with the passion of players practicing.
It was all for the colossal goal of achieving a three-time victory in the Red Cup.
When asked who was the hardest-working player among them, all the SY players would point to one person.
Rainbow.
If anyone were to name the protagonist of this year’s Legends of League without hesitation, it would be him.
Right now, Rainbow was staring blankly at his monitor screen, anxiously chewing on his lips.
“…So we meet like this.”
The moment he saw the nickname of Prisoner in the pick window, Rainbow seriously contemplated dodging.
Not because he didn’t want to play with Prisoner.
It was just that after the last interview, it seemed like Prisoner was in an awkward situation, and being around him felt uncomfortable.
‘Should I just say I’m sorry?’
It had already been a few years since Rainbow first met Prisoner.
He didn’t know his face or even his name, but they must have played hundreds of games together.
Naturally, they had built a solid relationship that wouldn’t be easily shaken by trivial matters, but isn’t it true that the closer you are to someone, the more you need to maintain etiquette?
‘Why did I say that back then…’
He regretted it too late, but all that accumulated was self-reproach.
In the Red Cup victory interview, there were various reasons why Rainbow mentioned Prisoner, but the main one was simple.
He was frustrated.
In Rainbow’s opinion, Prisoner had the capability to hold his own among professionals.
Of course, he wasn’t without weaknesses, especially when it came to basic skirmishing mechanics, but considering Prisoner’s position as a jungler, those weren’t major flaws.
To be honest… he thought that Prisoner was doing even better overall than “Yoon-ki,” the jungler he’d won the Red Cup with.
That’s why he mentioned Prisoner on the huge stage of the Red Cup victory interview.
“Honestly, I think my win this year is mostly due to luck. If Prisoner had debuted as a pro, I can’t say what the result would have been.”
Still not coming out?
I acknowledged you, after all.
Let’s meet on the big stage now.
Looking back, it was an extremely arrogant thought.
He didn’t know the circumstances Prisoner was in.
No, he didn’t even bother to find out.
He simply couldn’t understand why someone with such skills wasn’t streaming, let alone being a pro, due to his own stubbornness and assumptions.
How much time had passed since that interview?
He heard from his coach that Prisoner’s side had requested a test.
“Really?”
The moment Rainbow heard that, he couldn’t hide his joy.
He finally got the chance to play with Prisoner.
It didn’t even matter if they weren’t on the same team. If he could meet him in a pro game, that would be enough.
But…….
He received a shocking piece of news from his coach.
“Anyway, it’s become difficult. I’m sorry. You must have been looking forward to it.”
The news that Prisoner had a rare disease.
The moment he heard that, Rainbow realized the mistake he had made.
What have I done?
For Prisoner, the fact that he had a rare disease was something he likely wanted to keep hidden.
Rainbow had dragged it into the open due to his own stubbornness and arrogance.
It was clearly a presumptuous act, and he had to apologize.
‘…….’
Rainbow opened a 1:1 chat window with Prisoner and typed and deleted various sentences repeatedly.
“I’m sorry… no, that doesn’t sound right. Would that mean I’m apologizing? This doesn’t feel right either…”
As he was pondering this, the ban/pick phase completed before he knew it.
He had chosen Jui, and Prisoner had picked Lee Sin.
The combination between the two champions could be seen as quite good, but for Rainbow, it was somewhat surprising.
‘Did Prisoner know how to play Lee Sin?’
He quickly shrugged it off.
After all, Lee Sin had recently been labeled as an unconventional OP champion.
It wasn’t surprising for an old user like Prisoner, who had been around since the history of Legends of League, to handle another classic champion like Lee Sin.
And then… the game began.
Looking at Prisoner’s ID on the loading screen, Rainbow’s complicated feelings remained, but he was a pro.
Moreover, a pro who had reached the top.
Before the game started, it might not have been true, but once it did, this place became a battlefield.
-Welcome to Summoner’s Rift.
In high-tier games, the moment you leave the fountain, the game begins.
Proving that fact, he quickly placed a ping and moved through the upper bush to invade the enemy’s red side.
The instant a ward was placed in the enemy red bush, the presence of all five enemies was revealed.
‘Of course.’
This was something he had already anticipated.
His teammates must have thought so too because no sooner had the vision been cleared than their Nautilus successfully grabbed the enemy.
In other words, this was a winning fight.
Without hesitating, Rainbow poured his unspent skill point into W.
-First Blood!
-Double Kill!
-Triple Kill!
-Massacre is happening!
At this point, it was safe to say the game had exploded within two minutes.
Of course, he had experienced turning the tide of the game due to carelessness, so Rainbow didn’t let off his concentration.
The game continued.
As expected, it was a one-sided game, but since the opponents were also high-tier users, there would still be that final blow.
-Our ally has fallen!
-Executed!
When their top lane died to a 5-man dive from the enemy team, Prisoner’s ping was heard.
And then a 2:5 skirmish unfolded.
-Dominator of the Battlefield!
-Incarnation of War!
-Legend Emerges!
-Finished!
The result was a resounding victory.
“Ah….”
Finally capturing the last enemy champion and finishing the game, Rainbow felt a strange emotion that he couldn’t express in words.
It wasn’t just because he had annihilated the enemies by himself, but because he saw something in his synergy with Prisoner.
‘…What is this?’
The dissonance Rainbow was feeling was unmistakable.
‘Did Prisoner play Lee Sin this well?’
No, it seemed like it was the first time he was seeing Prisoner play Lee Sin.
Considering this teamfighting ability, he was at a level that was not lacking at all compared to Yoon-ki, who he had lifted the trophy with.
‘Is he just growing up well? No… it wasn’t just that.’
Rainbow’s evaluation of Prisoner had remained constant until now.
Relatively lacking physical skills, but compensating with calm judgment and godlike operations.
But what Rainbow saw in Prisoner now was nothing short of a complete jungler.
Having debuted when Legends of League launched in Korea, Prisoner was among the old users one could count on one hand.
To think an old user like that was not only holding his own but growing stronger…
‘…To think that someone like him isn’t a pro.’
Rainbow felt the same frustration he had felt before.
It was annoying, and it was a pity.
No, perhaps that situation was precisely why Prisoner had grown even more.
After all, pain tends to make people grow.
‘Let’s apologize.’
Genuinely sorry for casually mentioning him without permission. That it wasn’t meant with bad intentions. To be honest.
Rainbow steeled his resolve.
*
The game ended.
-The enemy has agreed to surrender with 5 votes for and 0 against.
The result was, of course, a 15-minute quick surrender.
After the game, my KDA was 11/0/8.
There was a 4-level difference from the opposing jungler.
And in the lower right corner, the number display popped up.
[2]
A 1:1 chat from Rainbow appeared.
[SY Rainbow: Good job.]
[SY Rainbow: Oh, and I have something to say to Prisoner.]
Just as I was about to reply.
Knock knock—
My mother walked in with a piece of paper in her right hand, looking at me.
“Yujin.”
Only then did I see the piece of paper she was holding.
It seemed… it was exactly what I thought.
Given the seriousness of the situation and my mother’s expression, this was no time to be gaming.
I hurriedly typed.
[Me: Something came up suddenly. I’ll see you next time.]
Since waiting for a reply was out of the question, I exited the Legends of League client immediately.
It wasn’t like my muscles were tense like before, but it was so hard to turn my head.
Slowly, I faced my mother.
“…….”
A moment of silence passed.
Eventually, I was the first to lose my patience.
“So… what happened?”
Without a word, my mother looked at me.
What? Did she get bad news? Then what happens to me now?
Amidst various thoughts, my mother’s lips moved.
“Yujin….”
She quietly called my name and hugged me.
“I’m so relieved, so relieved…”
Along with that, the content of the paper scattered on the floor caught my eye.
+
[DNA Test Result Report]
.
.
.
(omission)
.
.
.
Probability of paternity: 99.9997%
+
“Ah.”
Only then did I let out a sigh of relief.
So much had changed, but I was still my mother’s child.
*
In a way, after overcoming the biggest hurdle, a second one remained.
“…You still haven’t told him?”
“How do I even say this?”
That was true.
“Ha….”
Slowly, I stood in front of the door.
It was time to go meet my family.