Chapter 80

A miracle did not happen.

No matter how many days I waited, my Energy didn’t recover, and my body showed no signs of moving.

And when I didn’t return, Dami and Yunseuli came to visit me in the hospital.

My mom had stepped out for a bit that day, which was probably for the best.

Because Dami threw herself on top of me and bawled her eyes out.

I couldn’t quite make out what she was saying, but if I had to guess, it was something like, “Where did my Oppa go?”

“Maybe he went somewhere else?”

Yunseul, who was managing to keep her composure, thought of several possibilities.

The possibility that I had attached myself to someone else.

What would have happened if I had gone to someone other than Yunseul and Dami?

Just imagining it made me dizzy.

“Then again, if Oppa had gone to the other Unnis, it would’ve been obvious right away.”

Jung Yunseul said that if I were with Shin Aram, Kim Dain, or Hwang Jua, there was no way she wouldn’t have noticed.

“Oppa. If you’re in there, listen carefully. Don’t give up. Got it?”

Yunseul told me not to give up.

She said she would work hard just as she always had, even without Oppa, and bring back the championship trophy, so I shouldn’t give up either.

She said that with time, medical technology might advance enough to cure my illness, and that while rare, there were cases of people waking up from a vegetative state.

“So absolutely! Don’t give up. I’ll come visit you regularly, too. Ah, Unni, stop crying! Anyone would think Oppa is dead.”

“Uwaaah…. But.”

“No buts, just wipe your tears before Mom gets back. She’s going to think something’s really weird, I’m telling you.”

After that chaotic hospital visit ended, I was once again left alone in the hospital.

I continued to check my body’s condition.

The Charge no longer worked, and in fact, it felt like my energy was slowly but surely fading away.

I could no longer perform the Out-of-Body Experience that had been possible before.

I could still exit my body, but the moment I did, I felt a pressure crushing me from all sides.

It felt like if I spent even a little time outside, my body would scatter like smoke.

So, I had no choice but to stay as still and quiet as possible inside my body.

If I died like this, the vital graph would probably flatline with a long beep.

Wouldn’t that deeply hurt the many people who remembered me?

I decided that even if I had to go, I would try to hold on until the end of the year.

That way, before I died, I might be able to see Super Sylph win the championship, to see the kids lift the trophy.

“Super Sylph! Barely fends off Blaze’s Counter-Offensive!”

“Seo Dami! She defends the final Control Point defensive Line once more, protecting the gauge again!”

The heat of the arena filled the quiet hospital room.

My mom had turned on the TV and was watching the Super Sylph match.

The start of the 2076 League Opening Match.

Our team’s opponent for the opening was Blaze.

Blaze was a strong team that had finished as the runner-up last year.

Led by the national team Sniper, Lee Arin (24), Blaze primarily used aggressive tactics and was a team that showed great strength in Domination Battles.

To fill the gauge, you had to hold your ground on the Control Point, and in doing so, you would naturally be exposed to the Sniper’s line of sight.

“Seo Dami! Attempting an Attack with Jung Yunseul! It’s the Slope Shield Operation!”

I couldn’t see the TV screen, but just from the sounds, I could vividly picture how the match was unfolding.

The Slope Operation was still a valid Strategy against a skilled Sniper.

Especially in the First Division League, there were so many snipers with incredible aim that we had put a lot of effort into practicing the Slope Operation during the Off-Season.

The Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul pair.

Compared to the synergy Kim Seunga and Seo Dami had shown during the Jeju Island event, it might be somewhat lacking, but considering the Level of First Division League players, their Teamwork was definitely in the Upper Bracket.

“Lee Arin. Preparing to snipe again. She’s receiving Buffs from her teammates and is loading a powerful shot…!”

To break Super Sylph’s Slope Operation, Blaze chose to pour all their resources into their Sniper.

Their plan was to greatly increase the Firepower of the shot with the help of teammates and shatter the Shield entirely.

But this was a development we had also practiced countless times.

We already knew from experience that when the power of a sniper shot was increased through stacked Buffs, a Slope Shield alone would not be enough to block it.

As Lee Arin’s shot exploded with a bang, our players split to the left and right.

Splitting at a speed that looked like they were using Blink, the kids charged toward the Blaze team simultaneously.

“Super Sylph! They narrowly evade Lee Arin’s snipe!”

“Look at that! Hwang Jua has successfully landed a long-range Buff!”

This, too, was a formation we had practiced.

The practice of hitting fast-moving allies with long-range Skills like Heal Shot to give them Buffs.

The Skill Hwang Jua just used was one that momentarily amplified Stamina regeneration, allowing them to continue fighting for the next few seconds as long as they weren’t hit in a vital spot.

Dodging the onslaught of the Attackers’ attacks, Seo Dami closed in and ambushed the left flank of the Blaze team.

Smoke Screen with Acceleration Activation.

In an instant, Seo Dami took down one of Blaze’s Attackers and one Supporter.

But a national player is a national player.

Lee Arin’s brilliant shot flashed once more, and she finally succeeded in taking down Seo Dami.

The Commentary Team was shouting their lungs out, describing the situation.

But the moment I heard that Blaze’s Attacker and Supporter were down, I was certain that we had won this Set.

“Seo Dami is down, but Super Sylph’s assault doesn’t stop!”

“Jung Yunseul’s follow-up Attack! It’s incredibly sharp!”

When facing an exceptional Sniper, Dami and Yunseul were supposed to split left and right and Ambush at the same Timing.

In other words, Blaze had to choose whether to take down Seo Dami or Jung Yunseul first, and they chose Seo Dami.

In fact, any other team would have done the same.

Seo Dami was the kind of player who had the power to turn a losing game around if left unchecked.

Blaze probably judged that if they just took down Seo Dami, they could naturally block Jung Yunseul.

That’s why their Attacker and Lee Arin all targeted Seo Dami.

However, that was Blaze’s miscalculation.

Before we parted, I had been able to switch places freely, and I used that time to further refine Yunseul’s play.

In other words, the current Jung Yunseul was not a player you could feel safe against just by placing a single Defender in her way.

Blaze’s Defender, who was protecting their team’s Ace, Lee Arin.

She raised her Shield straight up to block the charging Jung Yunseul.

It was right when Seo Dami was launching her Attack from the opposite side.

But Jung Yunseul shattered the Defender’s expectations and cast a Flying Skill.

Jung Yunseul soared into the sky as if she were a bird taking flight.

Floating in the air, she pulled the Trigger without hesitation.

An attack raining down from a high place.

A blind spot was created in the area Blaze’s Defender could cover, and Jung Yunseul’s shots swept through Blaze’s Dealers from the sky.

“Jung Yunseul! Raining down attacks from the sky!”

“But they’re holding on! The Blaze players! They survived!”

The Rifle Jung Yunseul used, the Laser Burst, was a weapon focused on Rapid Fire, so its Single Shot power was inevitably a bit weaker.

The Blaze players resisted the attack Yunseul poured down from the sky, deploying their Shields.

But this itself was the bait.

A Rapid Fire imbued with the Thunder of Purification.

The Blaze players realized their bodies weren’t moving properly, but it was already too late.

Jung Yunseul, still in the air, activated Blink.

She leaped into the middle of the Blaze players, drew her pistols, and unleashed Gun Kata.

A trick shot, spinning 360 degrees to strike the enemy.

Along with the flames that Jung Yunseul unleashed, the Portraits of the Blaze players turned gray.

“Team Wipe!!! Super Sylph gets a Team Wipe against Blaze!”

-Waaaaah!!!

A Team Wipe Performance against last year’s runner-up team.

I smiled as I listened to the Caster’s shout.

It was a start that couldn’t have been better.

Super Sylph secured their first win by defeating Blaze in the Opening Match.

But that Momentum didn’t last long.

By the end of May, Super Sylph was completely collapsing.

Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul’s slump.

With both Dealers slumping at the same time, the team’s atmosphere fell apart uncontrollably.

And the cause was none other than me.

A few days ago, the doctor who came to the hospital room spoke to my mom in a heavy tone.

“I think you need to prepare yourself.”

I was dying.

As if the world was out to get me, I was now in a state where I couldn’t even continue living as a person in a vegetative state.

Ever since I became trapped in my body, my physical Condition had been on a steady decline.

I couldn’t see it, but the fact that Dami burst into tears every time she came to visit must have meant my external appearance was pretty bad.

And for the past few days, the doctor had rushed over several times, making every effort to save my dying body.

But now, that was over too.

My life was no different from a candle in the wind.

A state where it wouldn’t be strange if it was snuffed out at any moment.

And so the weekend arrived.

The hospital room was just quiet.

I could barely hear anything now.

Before, I could even tell how many people were passing by in the hallway, but now I could barely tell if someone was talking right next to me.

Sounds I couldn’t hear well.

Normally, I would have enjoyed the silence and gone to sleep, but I couldn’t do that today.

Because the only way to know when the kids were coming was by sound.

‘Are they not here yet….’

I was waiting for Yunseul and Dami to come.

Before I truly left, I wanted to say one last goodbye.

In truth, the chances of me not being able to say goodbye were higher.

The only way for me, unable to speak, to say goodbye to them was to somehow perform an Out-of-Body Experience and achieve Possession, but there was no guarantee of success.

Perhaps the attempt would end in failure, and it would only hasten my remaining lifespan.

Hadn’t I already experienced feeling like I would die the moment I pushed my Soul out of my body?

My power was so weak now.

So weak that I couldn’t even wander around the hospital in my Soul State.

So, if I had to guess the odds, the probability of failure was higher than that of success.

But I wasn’t particularly worried or regretful.

Even if I did nothing, I was fated to die in a few days anyway.

I felt that if I could say a word of goodbye to the kids with this attempt, it would be a worthwhile trade.

“■■■ ■■■■■■.”

It was then.

I heard someone speaking nearby.

I couldn’t tell what they were saying, but judging by the tone of voice, it was clearly Seo Dami.

And so, I took a deep breath and slipped out of my body.

It was just as I expected.

Seo Dami, with a gloomy expression, was holding my hand tightly and praying.

My last chance.

I focused my mind and moved, crashing my Soul into Dami’s forehead.

Honestly, the probability of being bounced right off was high.

But, a miracle happened.

I had somehow succeeded in entering Dami’s mind.

The price, however, was that even the last of my remaining strength had almost completely scattered.

“Huh?”

Dami, who had been praying, suddenly widened her eyes and touched her forehead.

‘Oppa? Is that you, Oppa?’

The kid spoke to me in her mind, just like when we were together before.

I lay sprawled out inside Dami’s head and replied with difficulty.

<Hey. Who told you to play the game so shittily…>

Was it because it was completely unexpected?

Dami couldn’t say anything back and just burst into tears.

“Unni. We said we wouldn’t cry…!”

Yunseul whispered in a flustered, meek voice, patting Dami’s shoulder.

The hospital room had the atmosphere of a funeral home.

She probably didn’t want to worry my already struggling mom any more than necessary.

I asked Dami to pass on my thanks to Yunseul as well.

<Tell Yunseuli I’m sorry I couldn’t teach her more.>

‘……?’

<Thank you for everything. Thanks to you, Dami, I had a really fun time….>

‘Oppa?’

<Work hard even without me…. Got it? Don’t be lazy….>

‘Oppa? No! Don’t go!’

I told her to stop crying, but instead, she started wailing.

I wanted to soothe her and tell her to stop, but my lips wouldn’t move.

Amidst the overwhelming drowsiness, I could only close my eyes quietly.

I’m sorry I couldn’t watch you win the championship.

Unable to convey those words, I fell into a deep slumber.

“Onesama! Good work today!”

“Good work!”

“Mhm. You too, you too.”

At a pro-gaming team’s Team House, located in Tomigaya 1-chome, Shibuya, Tokyo.

Kato Mikane, having finished her match, took a towel from a Hubae and wiped her sweat.

It was another Dominant Victory today.

39 matches, 39 wins since the opening of the Season.

Team Kamui, boasting overwhelming skill, was on a winning streak through the League under Kato Mikane’s command.

Wiping her sweat, she ran to the window and glanced at the sky.

Sure enough, a heavy rain was pouring down.

How did she know it was raining? Because it had suddenly started pouring during the match.

The unexpected rain had made the game a bit rough, but their Performance was still flawless.

“That’s a lot of rain for a spring shower~.”

As she was about to wash up and rest, a Hubae came running up and called to her.

“Unnii~.”

“What is it?”

“You have a visitor.”

“For me?”

Eight in the evening.

Kato Mikane thought that there shouldn’t be any visitors at this hour.

Regular fans were strictly forbidden from entering the Team House, so there was no reason for word of a visitor to reach her in the first place.

Curious, she was about to ask who the visitor was but decided against it and headed for the entrance.

She would find out when she got there anyway.

Opening the door, she could tell the wind and rain had gotten even stronger.

Letting out a small yelp, Kato Mikane opened her umbrella and headed toward the dark main gate.

The security guard who had come out to check the visitor’s identity was also holding an umbrella, but the visitor themselves, not having expected rain, looked like a drowned rat.

“Who…”

Kato Mikane, who was about to ask who it was, soon realized the person’s identity and blinked.

A completely unexpected visitor was standing there with their head bowed low.

“Seo Dami…?”

With a gloomy complexion, she looked so wretched that one would believe she was a ghost who had risen from the water.

In that state, Seo Dami lifted her head and promptly dropped to her knees.

“Eh?”

Kneeling with a thud, Seo Dami made a request to Kato Mikane in a small but clear voice.

And it was in Japanese, not Korean, as if she had prepared it in advance.

“I’m begging you, Kato Mikane-ssi. My Oppa. Please save him, just this once.”

“Eeh? What Oppa?”

Kato Mikane didn’t understand the situation at all, but she decided to help Seo Dami up first.

It was a night where the rain was pouring down too hard to just leave her there.