Chapter 84

Kato Mikane explained the Power of the Ley Line.

The story of an Onmyoji’s inner power and other unfamiliar tales and explanations were a bit long, but to summarize, it was about accepting the power flowing through this land into one’s own body.

If Mana was a virtual power that existed only within the game, then the Power of the Ley Line was that kind of Mana existing in reality.

They said that once you could handle this power, you could draw out human strength to its limits, but hearing that explanation, I couldn’t help but tilt my head.

‘Isn’t this just completely legal doping?’

<Hmph. More useless talk.>

Doping refers to an athlete using drugs like muscle enhancers to improve their performance.

It was an act strictly forbidden not only for Pro Gamers but in most sports Leagues.

I said it because I thought this “Power of the Ley Line” was, in a way, close to an undetectable drug, but Kato Mikane suddenly scoffed.

<Tell me why sports are against doping.>

‘Well…’

An athlete who relies on drugs can gain greater athletic ability than others without putting in much effort.

When an athlete who has practiced all day and dedicated themselves to training to push their own limits is defeated by a doped athlete who has barely tried, how many fans in the world would call that a good thing?

And crucially, doping often left irreversible Damage on the athlete’s body.

It was a fact that sports athletes who had engaged in illegal activities, accepting the side effects in exchange for their health to achieve results, were still scattered throughout various fields, known through word of mouth.

‘Doping leaves side effects on the athlete and also harms fair play.’

<Fair play, you say. Who decides that?>

‘Pardon?’

<It’s true, isn’t it? UA doesn’t divide by weight class, so have you ever thought the expression ‘fair’ is ambiguous?>

Kato said.

Although UA’s main focus is shooting, if you look at how the game progresses, you can often find the rough aspects of a combat sport.

Clashing with swords or, when necessary, striking the opponent with hands and feet—it was a valid point.

I agreed with this opinion, and as I nodded, Kato retorted, asking how it could be fair for athletes to fight without weight class restrictions.

<Shall we use an example of when Defenders fight? In UA, an athlete’s Physical affects their In-Game Stats, right?>

‘Yes.’

<But when pushing an opponent with a Shield, it’s natural for taller and bigger athletes to have an advantage, right?>

‘…That’s right.’

<Do you think it’s fair for an athlete who was born small to have to engage in a physical brawl against such athletes?>

Smaller athletes were often no match when it came to physical brawls.

For example, if Yunseuli were to body-check the tall Defender players abundant on overseas teams, she would be overpowered and find it extremely difficult to face them.

<Combat sports like boxing or karate add a semblance of fairness by subdividing weight classes, but UA doesn’t have anything like that. From the very beginning. Everyone is born with unfair conditions. So to argue about fairness, isn’t it kind of ridiculous?>

Kato Mikane said.

An athlete without Talent can’t even stand on this stage, no matter how hard they try.

Even at this very moment, many kids attend academies or immerse themselves in practice with the dream of becoming a UA Pro Gamer, but only a tiny fraction of them succeed in debuting.

Even that Talent is largely determined from birth, so her point was, even if you discuss fairness, how would you even measure it?

“And it doesn’t put any strain on my body.”

Most athletes who seized victory through illegal doping with drugs often spent their later years in misery.

It could cause heart strain, various physical disabilities, and in severe cases, even mental problems.

But Kato Mikane said she suffered no harm from the Power of the Ley Line.

On the contrary, she said she would live a long, healthy life through this power.

<There will still be people who complain that this isn’t fair. But what can I do? I was born this way. If they feel it’s unfair, shouldn’t they just learn to wield the Power of the Ley Line too? I’ve never stopped them.>

Should I call this shameless?

Or what should I call it…

There were parts I could partially agree with, but the fact that she was playing the game with a cheat-like ability all by herself still felt a little cheap.

‘I have a question, may I ask something?’

<Go ahead.>

‘Didn’t you say that if you can handle this power, you can draw out human abilities to their limits?’

<That’s right.>

‘Then could other athletes possibly have this kind of power? World-class players, for instance.’

<They might be vaguely aware of it. But if you’re asking if there’s anyone who can properly wield it, as of this year, there haven’t been any. At least not on the women’s side.>

Throughout the whole world, there were a few other players besides Kato Mikane who possessed skills of the so-called “celestial tier,” hailed as monsters.

Like Nina Cruz from team Saturn V.

Or Rachel Dust from Nebula GC.

If you expanded to the men’s League, there were also players like Stephenson from team Blackfield.

Of course, whether these players were on the Level of single-handedly destroying a game like Kato Mikane was a matter that needed more consideration, but in any case, everyone agreed that they were a class apart from other Pro Gamers.

That’s why I had a suspicion that maybe all world-class players used this kind of ability, but Kato Mikane’s answer was that it was probably not the case.

<You know that the World Championship is the only tournament where players get a chance to meet face-to-face offline, right? There are the Asian Games too, but.>

‘Yes.’

Global tournaments held for teams from all over the world are usually conducted offline.

In the end, the fact that you Log In to the game and compete is the same, but the difference was that the Access Devices were set up at the local offline tournament venue.

<When I looked at the players who made it to the World Championship Main Round, there was no one who gave off a peculiar feeling. Ah, there is one person. Though she wasn’t a player who competed in the World Championship.>

‘Who is it?’

Then, with a “who else could it be” expression, Kato answered.

<Seo Dami. Well, it was revealed that the power she had wasn’t the same as mine, but was simply an effect caused by an ‘Evil Spirit.’>

‘I am not an Evil Spirit.’

She keeps trying to treat me like an Evil Spirit, but I was clearly a person with a living body in a hospital.

And if I taught the kids well and got them to the First Division League, shouldn’t I be thanked instead?

If all Evil Spirits went around doing things like this, everyone in the world would be dying to meet one.

<I was just answering because you asked. Someone like Seo Dami could have become a pretty interesting player.>

‘Are you saying she isn’t now?’

<Of course. Look at Super Sylph’s current state. Their game is a mess, and their fans are all furious right now, aren’t they?>

‘How on earth do you know that in such detail?’

Kato Mikane made an “oops” expression.

This person must have been consistently watching Super Sylph’s matches.

‘But it is strange. How many days has it been since I came here?’

<It’s been a week.>

A week.

That was by no means a short amount of time.

Especially since Dami and Yunseul used to visit me in the hospital every week.

Since Dami had brought me here for treatment, I should have heard from her by now, so it was a little strange that there was still no news.

Kato Mikane answered my question.

<I told them not to contact you.>

‘Why?’

<Why ask something so obvious? I absolutely hate wasting time answering someone else’s calls or passing on news.>

Kato had told Dami not to contact me at all until the promised time, as she would keep me alive until then.

And that promised time meant the World Championship.

Kato Mikane promised to heal me completely if they beat her at the World Championship.

If they lost… that promise would be null and void, and I would probably be fated to die.

No, even before that, if our bodies were to switch back, there was a high chance Kato wouldn’t leave me alone.

<Then let’s get back to practice.>

I focused again on practicing how to wield the Power of the Ley Line.

I also thought that if I knew how to handle this power, it might be helpful later on.

It wasn’t that I was thinking of using it in the League, but rather that if I could use this ability, I might be able to heal my own illness, just as Kato Mikane had sustained my life.

But it wasn’t easy.

No matter how much I practiced, I couldn’t get a feel for this Energy of the Ley Line.

Watching this, Kato didn’t seem particularly disappointed, saying it was as she had expected.

<I learned to use this power without much effort, but it’s not something just anyone can do. You know that I’m originally an Onmyoji, right?>

Kato Mikane said that in her family alone, countless people had tried to use this power, but not only were there very few who could use it properly, but the number of people who had even approached its true nature was ridiculously small.

So, no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn’t be strange if I ultimately failed to grasp the principle of the power, was her explanation.

‘Then what happens if I can’t learn how to use it in the end?’

If I couldn’t use the Power of the Ley Line, it seemed impossible for me to replicate the Performance Kato Mikane had shown so far.

Then, of course, the Kamui fans who had placed their hopes in her would be greatly disappointed.

<Well, that’s the more likely possibility, so it’s not like I haven’t thought about it. First, I’ll say I’m sick.>

Using poor Condition as an excuse to put a team trainee in her place.

This was Kato’s solution for buying time.

She also said that since she had done it once before after the Jeju Island Challenge, the team wouldn’t find it too strange.

But then a thought occurred to me.

Can’t I just play?

Wouldn’t that be more fun than just being cooped up in a room, watching others play games to pass the time?

When I said I could just play the game, Kato Mikane flinched in surprise and said it was out of the question.

<Don’t even dream of it.>

At best, all you have is slightly good Swordsmanship.

If you went into a game with just that, you’d get a taste of the Japanese League’s ferocity, Kato said, negating my potential.

<And, if you play poorly, I’ll be the one taking all the flak. Who does that benefit?>

Her words about not being able to trust a Korean sparked my competitive spirit.

‘Hey. I get that you have some cheat-like ability called the Power of the Ley Line or whatever. But even without that crap, I’m plenty good at the game, you know?’

<Pfft!>

‘If you keep this up, I’ll prove it.’

<By what means?>

When Kato sneered, asking if I wasn’t a player who had never even won a championship in the Korean League, I immediately looked up information on the Kamui team members.

It was only information gathered from the internet, so it wasn’t very detailed, but it was enough to check the players’ careers and Annual Salary.

‘The players on this team. Their Annual Salaries are all high.’

<Of course. We’re the world’s strongest team.>

‘But I don’t think there’s a single player I couldn’t take down in a one-on-one fight?’

I was confident I wouldn’t lose in a one-on-one fight.

I had already gotten a rough idea of their movements while watching the game.

<Are you getting cocky just because you can win a one-on-one? I told you. When I train, I don’t lose even in a 1-on-4.>

Kato Mikane said that gaining a one-on-one advantage wasn’t what was important.

The problem was that the reputation and face she had built up would be tarnished.

<Fine, I’ll admit it. Someone at your level could probably pull their own weight anywhere. But that’s not enough to fill my shoes.>

I had no comeback for that.

Even in my body before I got hurt, it would have been hard to win against Kato in a one-on-one.

But that was because Kato Mikane was such a monstrous player, not because I was bad.

A player who could cast a powerful presence on the Battlefield without even needing to distinguish by gender.

That was the status Kato Mikane currently held.

In the end, I had no choice but to accept Kato’s proposal.

I would try my best, and if it didn’t work, I would do as she suggested, say I was sick, and have a trainee take my place.

I fully understood my own situation.

I couldn’t ruin her reputation just because I wanted to play the game.

After all, one way or another, the fact remained that she was the benefactor who had saved me when I was on the verge of death.

So I practiced for a long time, and in my spare time before bed, I also checked on Super Sylph’s situation by searching the internet.

Fortunately, it seemed they had gotten a grip, and Super Sylph was gradually regaining their form.

The main reason their ranking had collapsed was the slump of Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul.

Seo Dami’s poor performance, in particular, had been a major factor, but it seemed she had come to her senses to some extent after leaving me in Japan.

‘They’re doing well.’

The thought that since the kids were working hard, I should too, came to mind.

When I asked Kato Mikane if it would be okay to write and send a letter, her reaction was “you’re doing all sorts of things,” but she said I could go ahead and write the letter.

Even if not often, if I sent news of myself occasionally, the kids would be happy.

And so, I spent the entire weekend engrossed in training the Power of the Ley Line.

But I couldn’t feel any change.

Since she had said that countless people had challenged this power and failed, it would be stranger if I managed to grasp it in just a few days.

It was to the point where even Kato Mikane told me not to worry about it, as she wasn’t expecting much.

And so, at midnight, as Sunday turned into Monday.

I was sitting cross-legged in my room, quietly lost in meditation.

Kato Mikane, after making such a fuss, was snoring away in my head as if nothing had happened.

It was hard to tell if this person was sensitive or dull.

The reason I was clinging to meditation when everyone else was asleep was because of Kato’s explanation that this was the best time to feel energy.

<Night is a good time to capture the movement of ki. Because your sensitivity to it becomes sharper.>

Kato had said.

She said that since this Power of the Ley Line was also used to keep me alive and was something that originally overflowed in her own body, my conditions were better than others.

In other words, her explanation was that Kato’s body was now filled to the brim with the Energy of the Ley Line, making it easier for me to realize the existence of the power than for others.

Just as I was about to continue meditating until morning, my eyes flew open at a feeling different from usual.

How could I have overlooked something like this?

Amazingly, at this moment, I could feel a colossal Energy contained within my body.

It felt like looking at a vast ocean.

It was the moment I, shattering Kato’s expectations, grasped a clue to the power.