Chapter 56

Korea, which had been treated as insignificant among all the Asian countries that ran the League.

That same Korea defeated Russia in a practice match and now, after beating China, a great deal of attention was focused on Jeju Island.

PD Kim Seungha, fueled by the blazing interest, stayed up all night creating an edited version.

It was a chance for a huge ratings hit after a long time, so he couldn’t help but feel energized.

And so, the practice that the Korean team had conducted to prepare for the match against China was revealed to everyone.

When the scene of Seo Dami proposing a position change and training with Kim Seunga aired, the fans’ reactions were incredible.

-General Seo. You again?

-Just like with the Slope Operation, Seo Dami proposed the strategy this time too.

-Just how big is her bag of tricks?

-It doesn’t make sense considering her age.

-Considering her veteran experience, she’s the kind of talent who could be a Leader even if she were promoted to the first division right now.

A master of going viral.

Their own star.

The evaluation of Seo Dami, who was often ridiculed by fans of the lower leagues for constantly being overhyped, completely changed with this Event Match as the turning point.

It was a natural result, as she was continuously proving her skills in actual combat, along with the behind-the-scenes story.

Now, Seo Dami was no longer just a star of the Second Division League, but was drawing attention as a talent who would lead the next generation of the Korean national team.

Even first division fans began to take an interest in Seo Dami, and the number of people watching her every move increased significantly.

The fact that her contract with Super Sylph had one year left was also a topic of interest.

Her skills had already been sufficiently proven, and the point of interest had become which team she would Transfer to and for what Annual Salary.

With the situation being as it was, the number of global officials who remembered Seo Dami’s name also increased.

Age nineteen.

The fact that she could handle two positions at a high level, at a time when she still had plenty of potential for growth, was a huge merit.

-She’s definitely a good player.

-Changing positions at key points is a definite advantage.

-For a team considering expanding its entry into the Asian market, she would be a very attractive recruitment.

-An annual salary of just a million dollars would be enough? We could just cut back on the staff’s snack budget. Get on it right away.

The European continent, long called the powerhouse of FPS.

And even the American continent, with its competitive edge from a solid market size.

Teams considering making an Offer for Seo Dami next year began to appear one by one.

Of course, it was still just interest from Lower Bracket teams, but for a Korean player who had been treated as a weakling even in Asia, this level of attention was incredibly encouraging.

While the Community was abuzz all day with talk of Seo Dami’s contract, the player herself was holed up in her room, engrossed in strategy discussions.

There was a day’s break because of the match between Japan and Russia tomorrow, but the day after that, Korea had to play their second Event Match against Russia.

The main strategy would be the same—pushing forward with the Slope Operation—but the plan was to refine the details for Han Chaei, Kim Soyoung, and Lee Seulgi to increase their Win Rate.

The next day, after focusing solely on the game and paying as little attention as possible to outside news.

Today was the match between Japan and Russia, and just as they were discussing watching the two teams’ game to check for weaknesses and devise strategies, a visitor arrived.

A guest who came to the Korean team’s room quite early in the morning.

It was the Leader of the Japanese team, Kato Mikane.

Han Chaei, who opened the door, looked at a loss, and Kim Seunga, who checked to see who it was, scowled.

“Why are you here?”

Kato Mikane, who understood Kim Seunga’s words through a translator, replied.

“I have no business with you. I’d like to have a private word. Ms. Seo Dami.”

“What do you want to do? If you don’t want to talk, I can kick her out.”

Kim Seunga asked for Seo Dami’s opinion, and Dami asked for mine.

‘What should I do?’

<Hmm.>

Kato Mikane stood at the doorway.

She had been so frightening when I first saw her, but now, the red energy that had been enveloping her body had diminished quite a bit.

Thanks to that, the sense of pressure and fear I had felt at our first meeting had greatly diluted.

She even coughed up blood, so I doubted she would try anything, and I suggested we at least hear her out.

<I’m curious what she has to say, so it might not be a bad idea to listen?>

And so, we moved to the table and chairs set up at the end of the Floor.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kato Mikane.”

“…I’m Seo Dami.”

Although she looked a little drained, a smile remained on Kato Mikane’s face, while Dami maintained a poker face from start to finish.

She even looked somewhat angry.

“What did you come here to talk about?”

“I’m sorry about what happened last time.”

Kato Mikane apologized for the incident at the barbecue.

“The proper order would have been to explain first and then handle it separately, but when I saw the ghost attached to a person, my hands moved first.”

<A ghost?>

“I’ll get straight to the point. That thing attached to you, Ms. Seo Dami, I can remove it for you.”

Kato Mikane said.

That it was no good to have a Miscellaneous Ghost clinging to a person for a long time.

That for your own sake, it would be better for your well-being to get rid of it quickly.

What’s with this person?

Who are you calling an Evil Spirit?

Me?

It’s true I controlled Dami’s body, but!

It was a win-win life for both of us!

As if she understood my indignation, Dami cut off her proposal flatly.

“I don’t need it.”

“You don’t need it? Are you saying you’ll continue to live with a ghost…?”

“I’ll take care of my own body. If you’re done talking, I’ll be going back.”

As Dami stood up, pushing her chair back first, Kato Mikane said urgently.

“Please reconsider. Continuing in this state is no good for you, or for that ghost.”

“Why?”

“You might be fine now, but if this state continues for a long time, it won’t be able to pass on and will become an even more severe Evil Spirit.”

“It can’t pass on…?”

At that moment, I felt a powerful thought rise up in Dami’s mind.

What? Then that’s even better?

Dami! What are you saying!

As if she knew her thoughts had been read, Dami hastily changed the subject.

‘It’s a misunderstanding.’

<Right? It’s a misunderstanding, right?>

‘Of course. I want Oppa’s recovery more than anyone.’

Right? There’s no way our Dami would think that, right?

But why do I feel so uneasy…?

“Then let me ask you just one thing.”

“Anything.”

“What are you?”

“Ah, my introduction was late.”

Kato Mikane.

She said she was a skilled Onmyoji who had received orthodox training and had a knack for solving ghost problems and fortune-telling.

“If you’re an Onmyoji, aren’t you people who exorcise ghosts and stuff? Like a shaman?”

“Similar. Though I do more fortune-telling than Exorcism.”

“But why are you a Pro Gamer…?”

“Because I can make a lot of money.”

She rambled on about things I couldn’t understand, like how it costs a lot of money to rebuild the Onmyo Fee.

“Normally, I rarely perform Exorcism without compensation. But as a special professional courtesy to someone in the same industry, I can solve it for you for free, Ms. Seo Dami.”

“I told you, I don’t need it.”

“Don’t just keep refusing, think about it carefully. It’s not good for the living and the dead to be together.”

Hey, I’m not dead yet, but she keeps treating me like a dead person.

After that, Kato Mikane persistently clung to the idea of solving the problem, and Dami got up from her seat, saying she didn’t need it.

When her persuasion finally failed to work, Kato Mikane, who had been clinging to her, took a step back as if nothing had happened.

Then she stared at Dami in silence, her gaze extremely venomous.

It felt a little creepy, as if she were shouting, ‘I’ll exorcise you, no matter what it takes!’

‘Why on earth is she acting like that?’

<I don’t know. Maybe someone in her family died because of a ghost.>

Thinking we should avoid her as much as possible, we returned to our room.

“What did she say? Why did she hit you?”

“I don’t know. She said she hates me.”

“Really? Isn’t she a total psycho!”

How dare she lay a hand on another team’s player for such a ridiculous reason.

Dami stopped Kim Seunga, who was fuming and saying she wouldn’t let it go.

“Unni, don’t worry about her. Let’s focus on our analysis.”

By carefully observing the match between Japan and Russia, they could extract useful data from both teams.

And both of those teams were opponents we had to face once.

At the words to not worry about trivial matters, Kim Seunga regained her composure and said, “You really are different. You have experience,” sending me another suspicious glance.

This time, it was purely Dami speaking of her own will, so it was a bit unfair to me.

The match between Japan and Russia.

As it was a match between popular teams with solid fanbases, the tickets had naturally been sold out for a long time.

However, since the players of the participating countries were allocated tickets for live viewing, we were able to get to the Arena without any trouble.

Watching a UA Match live wasn’t about going to a real-world stadium, but rather a concept of logging into the game and entering a virtual Arena.

One might wonder why people would pay expensive money to watch it, but it had a sense of presence that was on a different level from watching on a screen at home.

After all, VR Games started from recreating the five senses of reality.

And it also offered various functions.

Real-time scene Replay, or Slow mode.

You could also separately listen to which Skill was used by which player and the In-Game Voice shared by the team members.

If you got engrossed in watching the game with such detailed information, you could understand why a fanbase of enthusiasts who consistently seek out paid matches exists.

We went and sat in the section reserved for participating countries, which was filled with the Cheers of fans from both countries who had already filled the seats and started their cheering battle.

There were many people shouting Kato Mikane’s name, and many shouting Svetlana’s name.

“Their popularity is amazing.”

Our teammates just rolled their eyes, wondering when we would ever enjoy such popularity.

“Focus on the game. It’s a game of a level where you can improve your skills just by watching.”

“Yes…”

Not long after Kim Seunga’s advice, the match began.

I was curious what strategy the Japanese team would come up with to counter Russia.

The Slope Operation we used was actually a trick that was only possible because I was wearing the guise of a second-division player.

If I had been an ordinary second-division player, it would have been impossible to finish that practice in one day, let alone coordinate with Kim Seunga.

The 1st Set Battlefield was Nicaea Research Lab.

It was my favorite Battlefield.

‘This is your favorite place, Oppa.’

<It is.>

The reason I’m strong in Nicaea Research Lab is because I’m quick to adapt to the constantly changing gravity.

<To beat a team like Japan, you need luck on your side too.>

There is no game where luck doesn’t apply at all.

All games have big and small elements of luck.

It was a clear fact that to win against a stronger team, you needed luck to be on your side.

As I was thinking that I hoped the research lab would come up when we faced Japan, the Russian team moved.

The first Right of Attack went to the Russian team.

Nicaea Research Lab had a circular donut-shaped passage on the outside, but the cross-shaped passage connecting the center was a straight line, making it decent for a Sniper to be active.

If you didn’t advance carefully using the uneven parts in the middle, you were likely to get your head blown off by a sniper.

<Hmm?>

But the Japanese team’s response was a bit strange.

Aren’t they moving too leisurely?

With a movement that could be called a light patter, Kato Mikane led her teammates slowly toward the center.

Usually, the common picture was to meet quickly in the center, exchange checks, and then head to the changing Data Repository, but doing it this way could completely hand over the initiative to the opponent.

-What are they doing?

-At that snail’s pace, they won’t even reach the center after 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

The Russian fans laughed watching Kato Mikane’s walk.

Their tone suggested she must be terrified of the sniper to be moving like that.

But the Japanese fans, who had watched her for many years, clapped quietly as if they had no doubts.

Compared to Russia, it was a rather static cheer.

The time it took for Kato Mikane to reach the center was when there were 10 seconds left of the 2 minutes and 30 seconds before the Data Repository moved.

‘The Russian team has already secured their positions, how will they break through?’

<I don’t know. Maybe they’re trying to get their Rear.>

When the Data Repository location changes, the Russian team also has to move.

I thought Kato Mikane was probably trying to catch them from behind, but at that moment, her body disappeared and she ambushed the Russian team’s Rear.

Blink.

This Skill, which appeared by avoiding the pre-set defensive firing Line, had appeared tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of times in League matches until now, so it wasn’t particularly surprising, but the problem was what came next.

Kato Mikane, who had used Blink, activated Acceleration and then pulled out a gun in each hand.

My god, pistols.

They were weapons with a short effective Range and poor accuracy even at close distances, so they were never used unless it was for a stylish pose.

Of course, quite a few players used pistols as a sub-weapon.

They were players who insisted on pistols when they ran out of ammo and had to fight with only a Lightsaber, saying the sword just didn’t feel right in their hands.

But now, Kato Mikane had clearly brought out pistols as her main weapon to take down the Russian team.

A huge gun barrel.

As the Muzzle of the pistol, which looked like it could make an elephant cry with one shot, spewed fire, she began to dance.

Gun Kata.

A fictional gun martial art originating from a classic movie.

Receiving the power of Acceleration, Kato Mikane, who recreated its destructive force, began to blow away the Russian team.