Chapter 15

As the bell signaling a team wipe rang out across the field, the spectators rose like a swarm of bees and let out a cheer.

In a Deathmatch, it takes less than 10 seconds for a player to Respawn.

In other words, Universe Cat had annihilated the strong team Floris in under 10 seconds.

And if one looked closer at the Kill Log, it was clear that Seo Dami had dealt most of the damage all by herself.

“Seo Dami! Your performance just now was truly astounding.”

“Just changing her position to Attacker was surprising enough, but her ability to Carry now is a picture that surpasses what she showed as a Defender.”

“This isn’t a miracle that can only happen because it’s the Third Division League. Seo Dami, I’m truly excited to see just how far she’ll grow!”

The Broadcast Team unanimously praised Seo Dami’s skills.

She was already considered good enough to compete in the upper leagues as a Defender.

But to come out in a position she had never shown before and deliver an even greater performance?

Any attempt to explain this phenomenon felt like it would only diminish the player’s value.

-Does this make any sense? Suddenly changing positions and getting even better?

-It doesn’t. But it’s a fact;;

-Seo Dami! Just how good are you going to get!

The Universe Cat fans were ecstatic.

However, some fans seemed saddened by her incredible performance.

-Dami, don’t be too good….

-Am I the only one who’s sad?

-Why are these bastards crying when their team is winning?

-No, but think about it. How long is an S-class player like her going to stay on a shitty team like this?

-Huh?

-Guys. Does anyone know when Dami’s contract is up?

-It’s until this year, fuck;

-So this is the last year of Dami’s launchpad…?

The match wasn’t even over yet.

While the fans were debating Seo Dami’s future, Universe Cat continued their assault.

The Defender, Kim Harim, raised her Shield and set up camp right in front of Floris’s Respawn area.

And the Dealers spread their wings.

A scene unfolded where Universe Cat was trapping Floris, not even letting them out, and beating them down.

Upon reviving in a Deathmatch, players are granted 5 seconds of Invincibility, so an Encirclement near the base was often pushed back before long.

But this time was different.

Universe Cat’s sharp attacks relentlessly clung to Floris’s ankles.

Every time a gleaming Laser round exploded, the Floris players screamed.

“Set up the Shield properly!”

“I am setting it up!”

The Floris Defender, who had suddenly become a player who couldn’t even hold a Shield properly, pleaded his case in frustration.

In the first place, a Tactical Shield wasn’t something that could cover all 360 degrees.

It was designed to block only frontal attacks, and any other attacks had to be blocked by using Mana to activate a Skill.

But since Universe Cat was shaking the Encirclement by splitting it left and right, it was only natural for blind spots to appear in their defense.

“Then break through one side!”

“Where!”

“Obviously…”

Floris’s Leader, Kang Nayeon, was about to say, Obviously the side with fewer enemies!

If the opponent arrogantly surrounded their base and tried to squeeze them, the standard procedure was to break through the side with fewer people.

But…

This time, the situation was a bit different.

Universe Cat’s personnel were deployed as four, and one.

One side was a group clustered around the Defender, Kim Harim.

And the other side was Seo Dami, running wild on her own.

‘Crazy bitch…’

Kang Nayeon thought.

They had to take down Seo Dami first.

No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t make sense that five people, even using their Invincibility time, couldn’t handle one person.

But the fact that their opponent was Seo Dami kept putting the brakes on her thoughts.

That bitch Seo Dami is a monster.

Can we break through?

What if we can’t?

Wouldn’t it be better to just break through those four weaklings over there?

But… if we do that, we’ll be showing our backs to Seo Dami.

Showing your back to that monster is suicide!

After wavering back and forth several times, Kang Nayeon grit her teeth and ordered them to strike Seo Dami first.

“If we just take down Seo Dami, Universe Cat is nothing!”

It wasn’t an incorrect statement.

Anyone could see that the biggest reason Universe Cat, a team that was near the bottom, had climbed this far was because of Seo Dami.

If they took down Seo Dami, a path would open.

Thinking so, Floris attempted a bold Breakthrough.

And that was Floris’s fatal mistake.

“Seo Dami, fighting back using the corner!”

“She’s strong! This player is just too strong!”

Using the wall as Cover, Seo Dami began to face the charging enemies, rampaging as if she had no limits.

Her marksmanship was, in a word, impeccable.

On top of that, she was using one of the more powerful Rifles, so its Penetration Power was immense.

Usually, such high power would be balanced with strong Recoil, but Seo Dami, by some means, cleanly controlled the Recoil and laid into the Floris players.

“Shield!”

In response, Floris decided to trust their Defender and charge in.

If they closed the distance and fired a Point-Blank Shot, they could kill her, no matter how much of a monster she was.

With their Defender leading the way with a deployed Shield, the Floris players activated their Acceleration.

Their speed was at a level that transcended the limits of a normal human.

The moment several of them rushed in like arrows, Seo Dami also charged toward the enemy.

Using the opposing Defender as a wall, Seo Dami stuck to the Shield, shot the enemy who popped out first, and then displayed the art of slicing the enemy who popped out from the opposite side with her Lightsaber.

Since Seo Dami had also used Counter-Acceleration, it created a scene where it looked like two people fell at the same time, and at that moment, the Roar in the Arena reached its peak.

She was clearly a player on a different level even as a Defender, but now she was something that transcended even that dimension.

-Holy shit….

-You Third Division guys have been watching this awesome fun all by yourselves?

-I came in during the Asian Games wondering what some nobody was doing, but I’m so glad I watched back then.

-What is it to not cheer for Seo Dami while watching UA live? A life half wasted-.

-Dami. I think the Third Division League is too small for you. You’ve worked hard…!

-No! Don’t go! This team is doomed without you!

And once again, the bell of annihilation rang out.

Floris lost the will to resist and began to crumble helplessly.

Seo Dami.

It was the moment the strongest Third Division League player in history was born.

「Third Division League, The Appearance of an All-Time Genius Monster.」

「Universe Cat’s Seo Dami. Proves Her Caliber as the Next National Representative.」

「A Time to Shine a Light on Seo Dami, a Player Whose Skills Are as Outstanding as Her Looks.」

「Seo Dami, the Hottest Prospect in Next Year’s Transfer Market, Succeeds in a Position Change to Attacker!」

After the match with Floris ended.

Reporters covering the Third Division League scrambled to publish articles.

Even for them, who had watched Third Division matches for a long time, today’s game was that shocking and intense.

As they poured the emotions they felt directly into their articles, the headlines naturally came out provocative, and UA fans who saw them reacted with anger, asking what the hell this was all about.

-Why are these fucking Third Division bastards acting up so much lately.

-What in the Third Division? An all-time genius monster? Makes me wanna slap them, for real;

-Isn’t that the one who said the National Representative team was a joke?

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I can only laugh.

-The media play these days is seriously insane, I’m telling you.

-Who do you think you are?

-You want us to teach you a lesson?

The backlash from fans who primarily watched the First and Second Division Leagues flared up as if on fire.

However, their displeasure was not enough to quell the festive atmosphere of the Third Division League.

The unexpected appearance of a supernova in the Third Division League.

Countless Third Division fans began to immerse themselves in the story of a hero who had saved a team on the verge of collapse.

-Will our team ever get a player like that?

-I’m jealous of Universe Cat.

-Do you think General Seo can get the team a Promotion?

-She tore Floris apart in a Deathmatch, so I think they’ll definitely make it to the Promotion-Relegation Match?

-Nymph Gaming is so screwed….

With the exception of fans of the top-tier teams who had the Promotion-Relegation Match in mind, everyone was paying attention to Seo Dami’s performance and Universe Cat’s leap forward.

And then came October.

Universe Cat, having played their 12th match, finally saw their rank change to 3rd.

They had dragged down Nymph Gaming, who had been desperately defending their spot for the Promotion-Relegation Match, and finally earned the right to challenge the upper league.

“Third place! We’re in third place!!!”

Right after the match ended, Director Hong jumped up and down and ran to the players.

To be precise, he was heading for Seo Dami.

In a situation where it looked like he might hug her, Seo Dami grew quite tense and pushed Director Hong away.

“Coach, please calm down.”

“Sorry. I was just so happy…”

Even as he said that, Director Hong couldn’t hide his joyful expression.

Coach Kim Hakseong was the same.

Soon the Second-Half Season would end, and if they just won the Promotion-Relegation Match against the Second Division League team, Universe Cat’s advancement to the upper league would be confirmed.

“Starting today, we begin our Scouting Report.”

Director Hong said, having calmed his excitement.

“The team we’re likely to face in the Promotion-Relegation Match is Soul Gaming.”

Soul Gaming.

Currently 9th in the Second Division League Standings, they were struggling to avoid the Promotion-Relegation Match, but since all their remaining matches were against strong teams, the prevailing opinion was that they would drop to 10th.

“Soul Gaming’s favorite Battlefields, tactics, Patterns, even the individual habits of their players. Let’s prepare perfectly and get ready for the Promotion-Relegation Match!”

“Yes!”

Everyone was so full of enthusiasm that even the trio of trash answered promptly for once.

Han Youngin inwardly thought, Do I really have to Carry guys like them? but he didn’t voice the thought.

No matter who the opponent was, once the match started, he would simply do his best.

“This is a dream!”

Finally, the Second-Half Season came to an end.

Cosmos Gaming took first place in the Third Division League, and Universe Cat’s rank was 3rd.

Director Hong, who had painstakingly secured a spot in the Promotion-Relegation Match, tore at his hair and screamed in despair.

It wasn’t because they failed to secure 2nd place.

After all, it was impossible to catch 2nd place due to the massive number of losses they had suffered at the beginning of the Season.

The reason for his sorrow was the Second Division League Standings.

Soul Gaming.

Playing with a desperate resolve that they would absolutely not go to the Promotion-Relegation Match, they showed a remarkable performance against the top teams and managed to defend their 9th place spot.

It was a major upset that even the experts hadn’t predicted.

Thanks to that, all the data that Director Hong and Coach Kim Hakseong had spent days and nights analyzing became useless.

Soul Gaming’s upset meant that Universe Cat’s opponent in the Promotion-Relegation Match was decided to be JYS, Jinyang Stars.

“Damn it!”

Lamenting his terrible luck, Director Hong instructed the Coach to gather materials on Jinyang Stars.

The Promotion-Relegation Match would start right after the weekend.

It was a hard-won opportunity, so they had to come up with a plan, even if it meant staying up all night for the remaining 48 hours.

“Hmm.”

About a day into being engrossed in the Scouting Report.

Director Hong let out a groan and said to Coach Kim Hakseong.

“Hakseong. Go and get Dami.”

I was adjusting my Condition for the upcoming Promotion-Relegation Match when I headed to the Director’s office.

“You called for me?”

“Have a seat.”

As I sat in the chair, Director Hong got straight to the point.

“Our opponent changed to Jinyang Stars, right?”

“Yes.”

“Have you seen any of their matches?”

“I watched some while I was resting.”

“As expected. There’s no one but you, Dami.”

Director Hong seemed very pleased, as if he liked my answer.

If I were on team Magnus, there would have been no need for this.

In the First Division League, the Scouting Report team compiles and hands over all the necessary materials, so just reviewing that was enough.

But Universe Cat’s entire staff consisted of the players, the Director, and the Coach, so we had to figure everything out ourselves.

Though, I was the only player on this team who actually did that.

<Harim Unni at least watched the matches with me.>

‘Whether you can call that watching, I’m not so sure…’

Kim Harim did sit next to me to help and watched all of Jinyang Stars’ matches from this year.

She literally just ‘watched.’

You need a discerning eye to analyze anything.

To expect something from Kim Harim, her skills were still lacking.

“Dami, what did you think? About Jinyang Stars.”

“They were good.”

“Anything more specific that comes to mind? They’re a Second Division team, so of course they’d be better than us.”

“Hmm…”

In fact, there were elements I had grasped from rewatching their matches a few times.

First, Jinyang Stars.

The individual abilities of their players far surpassed those of Universe Cat.

The fact that a team like this was 10th in the league showed that the skill gap between the Third and Second Division Leagues was larger than I thought.

Excluding myself, there wasn’t a single player on Universe Cat who could gain an advantage in a one-on-one position battle.

Moreover, Jinyang Stars was a team that moved with an understanding of what Teamwork was.

When I replayed their Engagement scenes, the Jinyang players were constantly counting numbers out loud.

“25!”

“15!”

“10!”

While exchanging Offense and Defense, the moment their Magazines ran empty, they would constantly signal each other to cover the gap while they Reload.

It was a simple and tedious method, but it was the most reliable way to patch up openings in their attack.

There was another impressive part.

Jinyang Stars was a team that managed their Stamina very well.

Usually, in a Prolonged Battle, the first position to get tired is the Defender.

This is because they have to constantly hold a heavy Shield.

But when Jinyang got into a Prolonged Battle, they would minimize the Defender’s movements and have the Attacker run more, helping to conserve Stamina among the players.

Considering how often they were seen caring about their teammates’ conditions even in tense Engagement situations, Jinyang’s strength could be said to be their superior Teamwork compared to other teams.

I relayed these thoughts to Director Hong.

Jinyang Stars, although their rank is 10th, they are not as easy an opponent as the number suggests.

I said that an unexpected result might occur.

“I’m begging you, Dami! Who else can I trust on this team but you!”

Director Hong pleaded with me, practically collapsing onto his desk.

Not that this would change anything.

This entire Season with Dami.

I always did my best.

The upcoming Promotion-Relegation Match would be no different.

Just as I had always done, I would simply throw my full strength at the opponent.

However, I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be the one to determine the success of this Promotion-Relegation Match.

Universe Arena is a team game.

The word ‘team’ kept circling in my mind.