Chapter 10

June arrived as May came to an end.

It was a time when the temperature rose enough to feel like the clear start of early summer.

A certain post on the Universe Arena community was flooded with countless comments.

-Seriously, who is this girl, and why are people manipulating the recommendations for her?

-FR, where is this campaign coming from?

-No lie, I’ve seen this girl’s face at least five times in the last few days.

-I see her more often than my own mom.

-What a devoted son;;

-The viral marketing is insane.

「The Prettiest Female Pro Gamer in Korea, Today’s Visual」

A title clearly intended to draw aggro.

Clicking on the post revealed photos of a female player poking her cheek with her index finger or winking.

And in posts like these, there were always people who, as if by magic, had already claimed the top comments, all with similar reactions.

-The-Great-Da-mi!!!

-I love you, Seo Dami!

-Cosmic Goddess Seo.Da.mi!

Since the comments were consistently spammed with praise alongside the player’s name, a significant number of the forum’s users now knew the name Seo Dami.

Of course, it was hard to say that the people who learned of her this way had developed a favorable impression of Seo Dami.

-Ah, fuck, why are they hyping up some Third Division League scrub like this?

-She’s pretty, though, right?

-Jung Eunseo is prettier!

-She’s just average lol;;

-Average my ass. Are your eyes just for decoration?

-She’s pretty, but not pretty enough to warrant this “prettiest in Korea” aggro;;

-Universe Cat’s Seo Dami. Memorize it.

-If you don’t know her, you’re missing out on half of life, for real;;

-Okay, whatever, we get it, so stop manipulating the posts!

Perhaps because her active appeals to the spectators after every match were effective, a fair number of posts with videos, not just photos, were being uploaded.

The excessive aggro did provoke some backlash, but these posts actually brought about an immediate effect.

The final game of the third week of Seo Dami’s awakening.

A large crowd of spectators came to the Third Division League arena to watch the match between Universe Cat and Super Miracle.

The number was a staggering 3,100.

Considering the average live audience for a Third Division League match was a thousand, this was truly incredible ticket power.

Of these, 2,500 spectators were seated in the Universe Cat cheering section.

It was a massive change, considering that just two weeks ago, there were barely 200 people in the spectator seats.

Of course, not all of them were warm-hearted people cheering for Universe Cat.

-Is that Seo Dami?

-Yeah. Let’s see just how good she is.

-If she’s even half as good as she is in the videos, this chick doesn’t belong in the Third Division League lol

-A lot of people came because they were drawn in by the aggro.

-Wow. Did 2,000 people really come to watch a Third Division match?

-This is legendary;;

-Not 2,000. It’s over 2,500.

-Come on. What are you guys expecting? Don’t you know that with video editing, any Tom, Dick, or Harry can look like a genius?

-If you know that, why’d you come?

-She is pretty, though~.

Let’s see just how good she is.

If I confirm this is all just viral marketing, I’ll write a post myself and expose your true nature for all to see.

Quite a few people had come to watch the match with such thoughts.

A situation where many spectators had their eyes peeled, trying to find fault with Seo Dami.

But the reactions of the die-hard fans who had been watching Universe Cat’s matches for a long time were extremely calm.

-Yep. A truckload of people have been converted that way~.

-Aren’t we going to break the Third Division League attendance record before June ends?

-We might actually break it.

-Once you see our Dami play, you can’t help but fall for her.

-Seo Dami’s gala show: ON.

The opponent was Super Miracle, currently 10th in the League Standings.

Given their rank, no one doubted the victory.

The key was how much of a one-woman show Seo Dami would put on.

With everyone’s eyes focused on the player, the game began.

“Dami! Just play like you always do! No, do whatever you want!”

“Yes.”

Director Hong’s face was flushed with excitement at the team’s dramatic change.

It was understandable.

Sponsor representatives, who had never shown their faces before, had started visiting the team house.

They would ask to take a picture with me or offer words of encouragement along with a bonus in cash.

Anyone could see it was a very positive sign.

Judging by the atmosphere, if the season ended like this, Director Hong could very well aim for re-signing with an evaluation that he had successfully managed the team.

That was why he trusted and believed in me completely.

While guaranteeing me ample freedom.

“Charge!”

At my command, the players started running onto the Battlefield.

Kim Yujeong no longer questioned my lead.

After the match against Echo Highway, Kim Yujeong’s words and actions had become a hot topic among the fans.

The reason was that she had let her petty pride get in the way and obstructed Seo Dami’s carry.

-Does it make sense for Kim Yujeong to act like that when she has no skill?

-And you call yourself a Leader?

-She’s just jealous because the youngest is rising through the ranks.

-If you don’t like it, then you get good! Stop pulling rank with your age when it doesn’t even work!

-What’s the Director doing? Not enforcing discipline?

-First, tell her to hand over the Leader position to Seo Dami.

-Since when was the game played by age order? It’s by skill order.

After seeing the fans’ reactions, Director Hong had exploded in a fiery rage.

He had asked her what the hell she thought she was doing.

The threat to leave the team if she was going to act like that was an added bonus.

Faced with the Director’s fury, Kim Yujeong finally burst into tears.

She had reaped what she sowed.

That’s why you should have a kind heart in your daily life.

Anyway, Kim Yujeong, along with Lee Seyeon and Song Yuri, followed me and Kim Harim with their spirits completely crushed.

The hierarchy had been completely reversed.

Thanks to that, our team’s Game Performance had improved even more.

I used the Kim Yujeong clique as bait, throwing them around.

With Kim Harim behind me, I entered cleanup mode.

‘Acceleration!’

I was about to put on a refreshing gala show for the new fans who had come to the arena today.

Third week of awakening, wrap-up.

A total of 15 games, 11 wins, 4 losses, for a 73 percent Win Rate.

It was an achievement that was hard to believe for a team that had been on the verge of disbandment.

Universe Cat was putting on a great performance, one that only a team in the upper bracket of the league could display.

Even in the games we lost, my performance stood out, and the number of times Seo Dami’s name was mentioned on the Universe Arena community was increasing in real time.

Thanks to the excellent Win Rate, the team’s ranking finally reached 6th place.

The reason we were still only in 6th place despite such an achievement was the result of accumulating consecutive losses at the beginning of the season.

‘If we can maintain this Win Rate in the Second Half… How far can we go? If we do well, could we maybe make it to the Promotion-Relegation Match?’

In truth, there was no guarantee we could maintain this Win Rate in the Second Half League.

Other teams were gradually starting to get used to our team’s style.

-No matter what, Seo Dami is a Defender! If you focus on defense, you can block her scoring ability by that much!

-If you just tie up Seo Dami, Universe Cat is nothing!

There was a clear limit to a Defender’s Attack Power.

On top of that, as opponents started paying more attention to their Defense Power, my scoring ability was gradually decreasing.

Other teams had started to actively use protective gear with high Defense Power.

Of course, to increase Defense Power, the weight of the protective gear had to increase, so the opponents were under more Stamina pressure than before.

However, it seemed they had decided that it was better to block the points I was earning, even if it put a strain on their Stamina.

Of course, I had anticipated that this change would happen to some extent, which was why I decided to nurture Kim Harim, but Kim Harim was not yet at a level where she could produce results that satisfied me.

She had gone from non-recyclable trash to a recyclable item, maybe?

It wasn’t like I had some grand cause to get the team promoted, so I was just thinking of continuing as I had been—when it happened.

‘My body feels a bit heavy today.’

It was Saturday, so I was doing Muscular Strength training with Kim Harim, but my head seemed to hurt, and my Condition was not good at all.

As I muttered, wondering if it was a cold, Dami spoke in a barely audible voice.

<…It’s that time of the month.>

“Huh?”

Seo Dami clamped her mouth shut as if she wouldn’t say it a second time.

Of course, Dami must have been embarrassed, but I was just as flustered.

Now I had to sit down to use the bathroom.

I shouldn’t habitually open the door when someone comes to visit.

Just as I was getting used to life with Seo Dami one thing at a time, another barrier had been added.

‘This isn’t easy…’

I was careful not to let my thoughts reach Dami.

If I showed that I was flustered or uncomfortable, that alone could hurt her, couldn’t it?

“Unni.”

“Huh?”

“I’m a bit tired, so I’m going to go rest first today.”

“Okay! I’ll train on my own.”

“If those bastards come and give you shit while you’re alone, let me know.”

“Uh-huh.”

Right. Well, some people say it hurts so much they could die, so being at this level is something.

And it wasn’t a match day, either.

If it was something I had to go through anyway, I even thought that today was a lucky day.

‘It’ll probably get better if I take a nap.’

Evening.

As only the sound of snoring filled the room, Seo Dami’s consciousness quietly awoke.

Her body was still immobile.

But it didn’t feel suffocating.

She just couldn’t move her own body; her consciousness remained in an extremely comfortable state within it.

<Oppa. Are you still sleeping…?>

Wondering if he was in a deep sleep, she called out quietly, but still, only the sound of breathing could be heard.

It seemed he was fast asleep.

If she called out loudly, she could probably wake him, but Seo Dami didn’t bother.

Today was a day when her condition wasn’t good.

Seo Dami knew that Han Youngin had been considerate and deliberately avoided mentioning the topic.

Feeling grateful for his consideration, she recalled the day she first met him.

How flustered she had been.

When an unknown being entered her body and pressed down on her chest, her heart had truly almost stopped.

After calming her startled heart and talking with him, she learned that he wasn’t such a bad person.

And he was also a bit of a pitiful person.

Han Youngin.

Unlike her, he was a successful First Division League Pro Gamer.

He would sometimes show her what he looked like and how well he played the game.

In the videos, he was a cool player who received the support of countless spectators and led his team to victory.

Of course, even if she hadn’t seen the videos, she would have quickly realized what an amazing player he was.

Whenever Han Youngin moved her body to play the game, she was always amazed at how such movements were possible.

A player like that.

Was now spending his time in the body of a woman, a nobody from the insignificant Third Division League.

What he must be feeling right now.

It was difficult for Seo Dami to easily fathom.

But she had a feeling that it was definitely not a good feeling.

An unfortunate accident that happened to a player skilled enough to be selected for the national team Entry.

Although he wasn’t dead yet, the fact that the news articles had gone quiet since then suggested that the situation was not good.

But.

Even in the midst of this misfortune, he did not lose his Energy.

That wasn’t all.

After grasping the situation he was in, Han Youngin had first…

‘He beat them up.’

The memory was still vivid.

How Han Youngin had given the clique, including Kim Yujeong, who had been tormenting her, a satisfying beating.

That wasn’t all.

Afterward, Han Youngin had patiently taught her how to succeed as a player.

Training methods to build Stamina.

How to fight in a match.

How to move when encountering an enemy.

When there were no matches, she could also learn about analyzing the opponent team and players’ strengths, or how to do Fan Service.

Considering his skill, career, and position, these were things that money couldn’t buy.

Yet Han Youngin offered such teachings without asking for anything in return. Nothing at all.

For Seo Dami, who had been busy struggling to create a space for herself to survive after starting her pro life against her parents’ opposition, it was truly difficult to understand.

‘Why does Oppa help me without wanting anything in return?’

Seo Dami was lost in thought, silent.

What if their positions were reversed?

At the very least, things would not have worked out as well as they were now.

Even if her own gaming skills were superior to his.

‘I should ask him in detail if there’s anything he wants to do during his free time…’

Soon, the First-Half Season would end, and they would enter a month-long Break Period.

If she got permission from the Director, she could probably go out for a few days, and she wanted him to do what he wanted to do.

Although he hadn’t said anything, she was sure he must be curious about what had happened to his own body and how his family was doing.

Having organized her thoughts along with her gratitude for Youngin, she quietly began to practice alone until he woke up.

The practice consisted of repeatedly mastering everything about the UA Play that Han Youngin had shown her.

Although her body couldn’t move, the sensations remained clearly in her consciousness, in her Soul, so there was no problem in reliving them.

‘From now on, we aim to become a Superstar who dominates the League.’

Seo Dami focused on her training, recalling what Han Youngin had said a while ago.

If that was all he wanted for now.

Then for now, she would just do her best to improve her skills.

‘From here, I go into a Skill Chain Attack like this…’

It was then.

Seo Dami, who had been moving in her consciousness, let out a small “Huh?” and stopped.

‘I think my fingertip just moved…’

She had felt it for a moment, so she checked again, but as expected, it didn’t budge.

‘I must have imagined it.’

It wasn’t particularly strange.

The world and experiences Han Youngin showed her in every match were so vivid, weren’t they?

As she took in his sensations and experiences all day, she sometimes felt as if she had truly become one with him.

She had never said it out loud, though, as she thought it would be very embarrassing to talk about it.

‘I should thank him when he wakes up.’

If he asks what for, I’ll just say ‘just because.’

Thinking that, she unknowingly smiled faintly and immersed herself in training again.