[IKL Regular League - Match 102]
[Sigma eSports vs Q Prime]
[Score: 1:0]

[Battlefield: Bamboo Grove]
[Rules: Annihilation]

《What on earth is happening here, Sigma eSports!》
《For a long time, the domestic league has been dominated by two giants: Sigma and Q Prime. There’s been consistent criticism that this dual dominance has brought a sense of stagnation to the league.》
《But today, I can confidently say that this duopoly is over. Sigma’s dominance has begun, and Q Prime has taken a step back.》
《Traveler is putting up a fight, but... this isn’t going to be easy.》

Luce and Traveler clashed.
The gunlance spewed fire at point-blank range, and a brilliant radiance swept away the explosion.
Their heavy weapons and shields collided repeatedly, exchanging a heavy, metallic conversation.

Paladin vs. Lancer.
In a one-on-one scenario, the lancer is usually favored.

In fact, Traveler had a better one-on-one win rate overall.
However, Infinity Black’s pro league was centered around team battles.
When looking at the team’s overall win rate, Luce held the advantage.

The nature of the two teams was revealed right from the class choices of their captains.
Knight classes had more flexibility in terms of class changes.
Despite this, Luce had chosen the paladin, a class that supported her teammates, while Traveler chose the lancer, a class known for its raw combat power.

《Who would’ve thought the matchup between these two teams would be so one-sided?》
《Sigma’s skills have skyrocketed. Camellia is tearing through the enemy base!》
《I have to tread carefully here, but... in the past, Camellia relied heavily on her physical abilities. She received a lot of criticism for lacking finesse.》
《But now, she’s different. There’s a stability to her play. An unshakable Camellia. Fans who know her understand just how frightening this statement is.》

Sigma’s Luce was the team’s shield, a leader who supported her teammates.
She was a tank who raised the performance of her team based on her own consistent reliability.
She stood at the forefront, protecting her allies.

On the other hand, Traveler was a leader who led his team from the front.
The lancer’s brutal combat power and his excellent judgment in battle formations made him a spearhead.
He pushed forward with his own strength.

"If you can’t block the warrior, Swallow, you’d better flank them! Are you just going to let their ADC get free hits?"

"What about our ADC…?"

"I’m not even asking for good damage, just don’t die! Fall back behind me, please!"

Traveler shouted in desperation.
The battle had already tipped heavily in Sigma’s favor.
Still, Traveler’s lance didn’t stop as he continued his fierce onslaught.

Recently, the balance between the two teams had collapsed dramatically.

It was true that Sigma’s players had improved significantly.
It was as if they had been hit by something, and their combat abilities had skyrocketed.
It felt like the entire team was growing based on the influence of some monstrous figure.

It wasn’t hard to guess whose influence it was.
Who else in this country could cause such a sudden shift?

An amateur who had never appeared in the pro league before.
But a woman who could create a storm just by showing up.
It wasn’t a mere coincidence that Sigma’s growth had begun at the same time as her break.

Although it was still being kept secret, the truth would come out sooner or later.
But that wasn’t the important part right now.

"This is frustrating. This season… I really wanted to win."

"I know. You did your best."

"No. We didn’t work as hard as Sigma did."

Traveler clenched his teeth, barely holding back his frustration.
His opponent was Luce, a worthy rival.
Showing too much emotion here wouldn’t be professional.

While Sigma was growing, Q Prime wasn’t.
Or rather, couldn’t.

Traveler couldn’t help but wonder if this team had any real desire to improve.
It wasn’t that the individual players were bad.
If they had been lacking in skill, they wouldn’t have been able to compete against Sigma for so long.
But the fact that they seemed satisfied—that was what Traveler hated more than anything.

Being second place is still an achievement. It’s a valid point.
A runner-up finish is not a failed career by any means.
There are many pro players who retire without ever reaching the finals.

But knowing that doesn’t make it any less frustrating, does it?
The anger comes from the fact that they could have won.

"We’ll see you again in the playoffs. We’ll be better prepared next time."

"Yes."

Camellia’s spear tore through the body of our priest.
Our assassin failed to kill their ADC, and no matter how skilled Traveler was, he couldn’t defeat both Luce and Camellia at the same time.

As he collapsed on the battlefield alone, Traveler closed his eyes.

There was no need to check the obvious.
The eSports reporters would write about how Traveler had fought valiantly today.
That was just a polite way of saying he hadn’t been able to win.

But nothing would change.

Ah, I can’t take this anymore.
I want to win, too.

I hadn’t originally planned on appearing on any broadcasts for a while.
I thought I’d be busy practicing with Sigma, whether it was with the first or second team.
At least, that was the case until Luce came to see me after reviewing my play logs.

"Da-eun? Didn’t I tell you not to overdo it?"

"I wasn’t overdoing it. This is just… what I normally do."

"Do you know why there’s a four-hour death penalty in Infinity Black?"

"…"

"It’s a safeguard left over from the old days, to prevent players from dying repeatedly. It’s a relic of that time."

I was thoroughly scolded.
What if something really went wrong from pushing too hard? She warned me that it could backfire, and the thought made me shudder.

The grueling pace from the first day wouldn’t be allowed again.

I was told to rest for at least a day, and it just so happened that I received a broadcast invitation from Elderen.
Luce told me that as long as I kept the specifics of the contract confidential, it would be fine.

In fact, she encouraged me to get more involved.
The more influence I had, the more careful the game company would be.
I even had permission to drop a few hints here and there.

In a way, this was just another part of the ongoing battle.
Riding in the car, I quickly arrived at Elderen’s studio.

"Welcome! Is it hot outside? Was the trip here difficult?"

"It was fine. It was a little hot, though."

"Yeah, it’s getting warmer quickly. I don’t know how it happens so fast. Want some water?"

"Oh, yes please."

Summer was approaching.
Soon, the playoffs would begin in the pro league, and the spring season champion would be decided.
This time, the title would probably go to Sigma.

After drinking the cool water, I felt a bit refreshed.
Elderen seemed to be adjusting the settings for the broadcast, while I watched and let one of the staff members brush my hair.

"So, what are we doing today?"

"Hmm, I was planning to just have a casual chat and then play some games, but since you’re here, I thought maybe we’d do a food broadcast."

"A food broadcast is still just chatting, isn’t it?"

"Yeah, I’ve already prepared a few topics. Pro league news and… romance talk—"

"Let’s stick to pro league news."

Good. I blocked that one before things got dangerous.
Looks like my reaction speed hasn’t dulled yet.

But casual chatting… I still didn’t really know what I should do to please the viewers.
Last time… I think I ended up showing my armpit or something.
I still didn’t understand why people liked that.

"Just so you know, I’m going to ignore any requests for me to show something this time. Even if you ask, it’s not happening."

"…I didn’t ask for that last time, did I? I actually tried to stop you."

"Oh."

That incident had been caused by alcohol.
At the time, I needed something to numb my fear, and alcohol just happened to be in sight.
The human brain is prone to irrational decisions when alcohol is involved.

So, I wasn’t to blame.
It was the fault of the people who took advantage of my drunken state to make me do something embarrassing.

After the staff finished preparing, I sat in my chair.
I didn’t want the camera to catch my left leg, so I adjusted my angle carefully.
The air conditioner wasn’t cooling enough, so I fanned myself with my hand.

"Oh, I almost forgot. There’s ice cream in the freezer. Want one?"

"Oh, yes please."

"What flavor?"

"Do you have vanilla?"

"I’ll get it for you."

What I received was a pure white candy bar.
But when I put it in my mouth, it was so cold that I couldn’t bite it or even suck on it.
It was frozen so solid that it stuck to my tongue.

Well, it’ll melt if I wait a bit.

"Should we wait until you finish before starting the stream?"

"Hmm? No, you can start now. It’s fine."

"Alright."

As the stream started, the viewer count quickly climbed.
While Elderen cheerfully opened with the usual greetings, I browsed the chat.
People were occasionally talking about me, so it was interesting to watch.

As time passed, the ice cream bar began to melt.
I tested it with my tongue.
It seemed ready to eat now.

To keep it from dripping, I licked it a few times.
Tasting the vanilla ice cream, I pressed it against my lips.
It was still a bit hard to bite, but at least I could keep it in my mouth now.

A person’s body temperature is around 36.5 degrees Celsius.
As I gently swirled the ice around with my tongue, the ice cream quickly melted.
When the bar was soft enough to bite, I took a small piece.

Elderen was staring at me with a blank expression.

"Huh? What’s wrong?"

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