Chapter 94

Set Score 2:0, an overwhelming victory.

A single player had ended the game.

Seeing Japan win the game even after bringing out the exact same tactics as last year sent a considerable shock through the players from every country.

‘Was Japan this good?’

Of course, they felt that way because they were only seeing the result, completely unaware of the strategic battles or psychological warfare exchanged between Japan and Egypt. But even so, the fact that Japan was an incredibly strong team remained unchanged.

Right after the match ended, the interview began.

A staff member handed a microphone to Kato, who had logged out and come outside, and the broadcast team relayed their questions.

How could she be so strong?

To a question that sounded like it came from a fan, Kato answered with a smile.

“It’s the love from our fans, of course.”

That one sentence was enough.

The Japanese viewers watching the match melted into puddles.

The effect was even more spectacular because Kato wasn’t the type of player to say such things.

The Japanese fans who had flown all the way to Los Angeles to watch the match in person were so captivated by the interview that they stood up from their seats and applauded.

After a formal conversation about the key moments during the match, the caster asked her for her resolution for the upcoming Olympics as a closing remark.

“My resolution.”

“You can just say a few casual words.”

“Hmm.”

Kato hesitated for a moment.

What’s wrong with her? Is the pressure getting to her? Just as the fans were thinking this, she opened her mouth as if she had finished her deliberation.

“From being selected as a National Representative to coming to this place, I have never once taken a single day lightly. I came here as a National Representative of Japan. So instead of a few casual words, I would like to state my sincere resolution.”

“Ah, yes.”

“For my homeland, I will, without fail, bring home the Gold Medal.”

At her declaration of victory, the fans filling the seats chanted Kato’s name in unison.

After waving her hand flutteringly at the fans, Kato exclaimed, “Ah!” and asked the caster, “What time is it now?”

When the caster replied that it was a little past six-thirty, Kato said.

“It must be ten-thirty in the morning in Japan right now. I’d like to thank the many people who must have been cheering for us since the morning. I hope our victory has made for a pleasant Wednesday for everyone! We’ll do even better from now on, so please continue to give us your support!”

“Yes! That was the Captain of the Japanese national team, Kato Mikane!”

The victory interview concluded with the caster’s declaration.

Exactly five minutes later, articles celebrating the national team’s victory decorated every Japanese community site.

Everyone who saw the articles and watched the match on TV mentioned Kato’s name as they discussed the Olympics.

It was, in a word, a grand success.

It was a smooth start to elevating Kato Mikane’s standing even further.

<Did you prepare for the interview separately?>

‘Why? Was I too good?’

<Yes.>

‘……?’

Strange.

The Kato I knew would have definitely made a tackle here.

But not this time.

She was even going so far as to say ‘thank you’ for doing the interview well in her stead.

At her reaction, I gave an awkward laugh and replied that this was the only way she could continue being a Pro Gamer.

What if she was worried about losing her job due to pressure from the Kato family?

Then she just had to become such a mega-star player that they couldn’t pressure her.

Today’s interview had probably solidified her standing within Japan even more.

Japan would abandon a player like this?

A player who attributed the glory of victory to her fans and promised to bring back the Gold Medal for her homeland?

If anyone, be it a person or an official, really made such a remark…

I figured they’d probably be stoned to death or have their house go up in flames that very day.

<Are you going to do all the remaining interviews like this?>

‘Nah. It’s no fun if it’s like this every time.’

One intense interview during the Group Stage, the one for the Egypt match, was enough.

Since there was zero chance of losing the other games anyway, I planned to take it easy.

‘Are you feeling a bit better?’

<No. I’m not.>

I had felt that her condition was still poor even while playing the game.

Although she had gotten up for a moment during the game to spectate my play, Kato’s energy was still feeble.

<To recover completely, I think I’ll have to take it easy for this month. In that case, the Olympics will be…>

‘Over.’

<Well, it’s a shame I can’t play through my first Olympics with my own hands, but it’s still a relief.>

Even if she left it to me, there would be no problem in producing the result of a championship, Kato told me.

<Since you’re good at interviews, the fans will like it even more. I’m satisfied with that. So please, take good care of things until the tournament is over.>

‘Okay.’

She must be really sick…

Seeing a Kato who seemed like a different person, I meekly replied, “Okay.”

If I had said something like, ‘Kato-ssi. You seem so much nicer now that you’re sick, how about you get sick every now and then?’ I had no idea what might happen.

<…Thank you. Once this is over, I’ll repay you, too. Let’s do a good job.>

The subsequent Group Stage matches went smoothly.

It was a little annoying that the number of Japanese reporters loitering around the team’s lodgings increased after the Egypt match interview, but it wasn’t a major problem.

The real problem was Korea.

Unlike Japan, which was grouped with relatively easy countries, Korea was treading on thin ice, going through a difficult schedule.

Korea, Belgium, Mexico, Spain.

If this had been the Soccer World Cup, Korea would have been eliminated in a flash, but in UA, they at least had a fighting chance.

‘Well done… Seo Dami!’

Whenever Kato was sleeping soundly, I would review the Korean team’s matches.

Why was I watching the matches so furtively?

Because she kept nagging me, asking why I was watching the matches of such a mediocre team…

Although I was helping Kato for now, I had never forgotten the fact that I was, strictly speaking, Korean.

Currently, Korea was barely holding onto its chance to advance thanks to the performance of Kim Seunga and Seo Dami.

A hard-fought victory against Belgium.

A disappointing loss against Mexico.

With only the match against Spain left, the Korean team could still secure a spot on their own if they just got one more win.

I separately analyzed the matches Spain had played, figured out their weaknesses, and passed my opinions on to Dami.

With my interest a little more piqued than usual, the match between Korea and Spain began.

The reason for my heightened interest was that this was the very last match of the UA Group Stage in the Olympics.

As soon as this match was over, the Main Round group draw would immediately follow, so people seemed to be watching the Korean match as well while they were at it.

The match wasn’t easy.

Spain was a powerful team that ranked high even in Europe, and they were by no means an opponent that Korea, classified as a lower-bracket team even in Asia, could handle.

However.

All such evaluations of Korea were stories from before this Olympics began.

Having already shown their potential in the previous matches against Belgium and Mexico, the word on the street was that Korea’s national team, at least, was a team with considerable competitiveness.

And the synergy of the Kim Seunga and Seo Dami duo, the primary contributors to that evaluation, was shining again today.

‘She’s doing well.’

Seo Dami, receiving a double acceleration buff, fiercely struck the enemy.

Thanks to Dami’s performance, the Spanish team’s main Attacker, Maria Flores, was battered and her gauge burst.

Naturally, the Spanish team also aimed for this opening to take down Seo Dami, but Kim Seunga wouldn’t let them.

Kim Seunga skillfully parried an attack coming from a blind spot to protect Seo Dami, and Dami in turn covered the opening created when Kim Seunga went on the attack, the two of them continuing their assault indefinitely.

What was particularly noteworthy was Dami’s Double Acceleration.

The explosive power of unleashing two consecutive accelerations after receiving a Supporter’s acceleration buff was like a special move for an Attacker.

Its power was so great that it had become the new meta, a skill that every player in the First Division League now used. The problem was that players who could handle it ‘properly’ were still rare.

It was only natural. Just a single acceleration already far surpassed the cognitive speed of a normal human, so it wasn’t easy to control one’s own body completely.

Of course, one’s perceptive abilities were also enhanced to some extent, but Double Acceleration seemed to demand a level of control that surpassed that limit.

You could think of it as your body being so fast that it doesn’t go where you want it to, instead crashing thump! into a wall.

For this reason, not to mention regular users, even among the pros in the First Division League, many opined that perfectly mastering Double Acceleration was extremely difficult. But right now, Seo Dami was showing that she could perfectly execute that difficult feat.

“Seo Dami! She’s driving the Spanish team to the brink!”

“An all-out attack from Korea! Spain! Is in a crisis!”

The perfection of one’s acceleration was practically the fundamental base of an Attacker.

Knowing that well, Kim Seunga had also pushed Seo Dami to the forefront, giving her the leading role.

Simultaneously felling the opposing Attacker, Seo Dami got behind the enemy and unleashed a burst fire with her Arclight Rifle.

That movement was certainly on par with the Dealers of the world’s top-ranking teams.

<You taught her well.>

I flinched in surprise.

Kato, who must have woken up at some point, was watching the match with me.

Since the group draw and our own schedule would follow after the Korean match, we were watching it on TV in our room, but for some reason, I still felt self-conscious whenever I watched the Korean team’s matches.

<Did you teach her yourself?>

To Kato’s question, I answered no.

Double Acceleration was a skill that players had started equipping this year as the new meta progressed. At that time, I was stuck with Yunseuli and my health wasn’t good, so I hadn’t had a chance to teach Seo Dami the skill directly.

In other words, the current perfection of her skill was the result of Dami’s own hard work, contemplation, and countless hours of practice.

When I said it was the result of Dami’s solo practice, Kato went “Hmm-” and said, “Her talent isn’t bad.”

<Still, she’s no match for me.>

What are you saying about my Dami!

You’re just riding the Earth Vein’s coattails! The words almost escaped my lips, but I hastily held them back.

Of course, it was true that Kato displayed a more broken performance because of the Earth Vein, but if I really thought about it, would she be unable to beat Seo Dami even without the Power of the Ley Line? A doubt arose.

I, who shared senses with Kato, knew this better than anyone.

Judging coolly, even without the Power of the Ley Line, the probability of Dami beating Kato was slim.

It was just that a player who was already at the top had acquired a broken ability, making her even more broken.

Kato Mikane wouldn’t become an ordinary player just because she didn’t have the Earth Vein.

While I was lost in thought, Seo Dami and Kim Seunga, unleashing their full power, finally brought down Spain.

End of the first set.

Korea in the lead.

The final match of the Olympic Group Stage was heading towards its end.

Set Score 2:0 victory.

Korea had made it to the Olympics Main Round, successfully advancing.

Watching the Korean national team members hug each other and jump up and down, I almost teared up without realizing it.

I couldn’t explain exactly why, but the sight was incredibly moving to me.

As a former player myself, I knew well how much effort it took to get to that spot, so maybe I was just empathizing.

I glanced at Kato and sent Dami a text.

You did great. Congratulations.

Korea making it to the Olympics Main Round was no ordinary cause for celebration, was it?

It was such a joyous occasion that if I had been with Dami, I would have wanted to dance with her.

But that was short-lived. During the Main Round tournament bracket draw that followed, I let out a “Huh?” and stared at the screen.

“Here is the next matchup. Korea! And… Japan! It’s Japan. We have an East Asian matchup!”

It was a shocking result.

Why did it have to be them, of all teams?

The team members, the scouting report team, and even the director were all watching the Main Round Group Draw Ceremony together when suddenly, a match between Japan and Korea was set.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was practically a festival.

Great.

The next game will be easy~* A string of such reactions followed.

Only I… was at a loss for words, hesitating amidst them.

<Oh dear. How pitiful…>

Kato’s remark was in a tone that was clearly teasing.

My gloominess doubled, and I hung my head.

And that evening, I got a call from Dami.

When I cautiously answered the phone, Dami asked.

-Hello. Is this Oppa?

To call and the first thing she does is confirm if it’s me.

I held back a laugh and said yes.

-Oppa. You saw the schedule draw, right?

“Yeah.”

-We’ll be able to meet in a few days.

“I guess so…”

Seo Dami chattered on.

But she didn’t seem as depressed as I thought she would be.

Was she satisfied just by making it to the Main Round?

If that was the case, I felt like I would be a little disappointed in Dami.

-It would have been better if we met in the finals.

“Tell me about it.”

<Can Korea even make it to the finals?>

‘Please be quiet. I’m on the phone right now…’

<Oh my. Who’s the one using my body to make a phone call?>

After asking her to keep it down since I’d be quick, I continued my call with Dami.

Now that things had turned out this way, it was impossible for me to help the Korean team with their tactics.

Since the match was set, I had to do my best on this side.

“You might think this is strange, but I’m going to do my best.”

-So that Japan can win?

“Yeah.”

-Uh, um… Then are you going to be playing instead of Kato on that day, too?

“Probably.”

I explained.

Why I was planning to play the match seriously.

Of course, there was the ulterior motive of further raising Kato’s value and recognition, but the bigger reason was that me doing my best was the greatest gift I could give to Dami.

Clashing with her with all my strength.

In that day’s match, Dami would surely feel and learn something.

-I’m fine with playing against you and learning, Oppa. But…

“Hm? But what?”

-I have a promise with Kato.

“A promise?”

-Yes. The promise that she’d spare you if I beat her before the end of this year. I was wondering if that’s still valid for the Olympics…

Dami said.

If I played as the player instead of Kato, wouldn’t the promise itself be void for this match?

In other words, Dami had been planning to settle the score with Kato at this Olympics, without needing to wait until the World Championship.

At Dami’s words, Kato, who had been listening in on the call, smirked and showed her displeasure, saying, “Hey, listen to her talk.”

-For me, playing a game with you is great, Oppa, but I was thinking it would have been even better if I could have clashed with Kato directly…

<Tell her. It doesn’t matter.>

“What doesn’t matter?”

-Huh?

As Kato interjected again, a brief confusion arose in the conversation.

<You’ll play in the Olympics as planned, and the promise is still valid. That whatever the result, I will honor the contract.>

‘Really?’

<There’s no reason for me to lie about something like this, is there?>

Kato said.

If I was a Pro Gamer, I would have pride in my game, so it wasn’t like I would go easy just because the opponent was Korea.

That was true.

Losing a match that should have been won by playing half-heartedly, or changing the win-loss result, was in a way match-fixing, so it wasn’t something I could do.

So, even if my life depended on Dami winning, as long as I was the one playing, my position of doing my best would not change.

I relayed Kato’s words to Dami, and upon hearing the story, she clenched her fist, saying that was great.

-Please tell her she can’t go back on her word later.

“I doubt that’ll happen.”

-Hoo.

Seo Dami took a deep breath.

Then, in a voice full of fighting spirit, she said.

-Oppa, just wait a little longer. I’ll definitely come and get you!

A declaration of victory for Korea.

South Korea’s Ace, Seo Dami, had declared war on Japan.