The day my temporary contract ended, and I officially became a pro.

There was one person who reached out to me first.

It was my instructor.

[Message from Jung Seok-won]

• Congratulations. You really made it.
• With your skills, there’s nothing to worry about.
• Just keep doing what you’ve been doing, and good results will come.
• You are still my most cherished student.
• Let’s grab a meal together after this tournament wraps up.

He was the one who stood by my side during my hardest times.
When I was dedicated to kendo, he was my teacher; when I could no longer continue, he tried to fill the void left by my parents.
And again, he celebrated my success as if it were his own.

Now that I’m earning a decent income, I’d like to treat him to a meal.
But he’s always been stubborn, refusing to let his students pay.

Well, if that’s the case, there’s only one way around it.
I’ll bring a gift so he can’t refuse.
Since he’s busy now, I plan to find a day to visit him soon.

Even during the season, there should be a free day at some point.
So, until then, let’s wrap up the goals I haven’t yet achieved.

[Welcome to the Streamer ‘Sigma Ga-wol’ Lounge]

[Posted by: Sigma Ga-wol]
[Title: Wrapping up the Rank Climb Stream Today]

I’m sure everyone’s curious about a lot of things, right?
But there’s no need to rush; I plan to stream regularly from now on.

Only a few games remain before reaching Rank 1, right?
I’ll work through things as I hit that goal. And I should also think about what to do to celebrate once I reach it.

By the way, did you notice?
I changed my streaming nickname! From now on, even in-game, I’ll appear as Sigma Ga-wol.

[Comments]

• So, when’s the stream starting?
• What are we supposed to do if you don’t tell us the time?
  └ Oops… I’ll start at 3 PM.
• So, will you stop killing streamers now?
  └ I talked with management, and there aren’t any restrictions.
  └ Though I won’t be spending as much time out in the field, which is a bit disappointing.
  └ ?

Originally, I wanted to reach Rank 1 before going pro.
I’d come so close, but unfortunately, the timing just didn’t line up.

It does feel a bit anticlimactic.

Still, I’d already made promises to viewers, so just giving up didn’t sit well.
As a celebratory event for the viewers, it wasn’t a bad idea.
It’s not without its perks, either.

In a pinch, I could use this as a way to brag to my instructor.
To tell him that his student is still the best.
He’d definitely be pleased.

[Title: 83 RP to Rank 1]
[‘Sigma Ga-wol’ is now live.]
[ON AIR | 00:01:17 | Lobby]

“Mic check, mic check. Can you hear me? Thanks for joining me today.”

Prelude is nearing its end.
The teams that survived are familiar faces.
It’s down to the final match-ups, where any team could take the championship.

Once Prelude ends, it’ll be time for the league to start again.
There’s usually about a month’s gap.
My debut match is scheduled for the summer league.

Sigma decided to start training camps and scrims two weeks before the league opener.
Until then, we’re free to take some time off, though I doubt any player would waste all that time doing nothing.

Infinity Black is a full-dive VR MMORPG where players control their characters directly.
The physical abilities of characters far surpass human limits, and they wield skills that don’t exist in reality.
It’s only natural that a break from the game requires a warm-up period.

So, if I queue now, there should be someone.

Strong players who got knocked out of Prelude and are out for revenge.
Pro-gamers with time on their hands.
Since this is my debut stream, it wouldn’t be strange if I drew some attention.

I could expect a much higher level of competition than usual.

“Thanks for the donation, ‘WeOurTeaBack.’ A cam stream… There’ll be a chance soon. I owe my sister one, so I’ll pay her back in a few days.”

Roughly 20 minutes after starting the stream, I spent the time answering viewer questions.
It was to give people who’d heard the news a chance to join the game.

“I think I’ve shared most of the news. Shall we queue up now?”

From my very first stream, I never hid when I started queueing.
The window for sniping me has long passed.
Unless you’re a top-tier player, you won’t match with me, and even in a serious game, I don’t fear sniping.

Though, the results were underwhelming.

I had hoped to draw a major opponent, but the first match ended quickly and anticlimactically.

The second and third were much the same.
One of the map mechanics turned unfavorable at one point, nearly putting me in danger, but I still managed one-sided victories.
I frowned slightly.

I’d gone to all this effort to reach Rank 1.
Is it really going to end this easily?

“…Maybe I pushed myself up too high alone. What’s Luche’s score right now?”

I opened the interface and checked the ranking board.
At the very top was a familiar name.

The competitors for Rank 1 were always the same.
In Korea, it was usually Luche, Donghae, a few other pros, and some amateurs.
Traveler used to be in the mix, but he’s over in the UK now.

After much climbing, I was currently sitting at Rank 2.
Only 15 points separated me from Luche.
A win in the next match would likely switch our ranks.

I wasn’t pleased.
I wanted this moment to be special.
Maybe life just doesn’t go the way you want it to.

[Match Found.]
[Do you accept the match? Y/N]
[…You will be transferred to the battlefield in 20 seconds.]

After a moment of hesitation, I queued up.
Fortunately, the last game looked promising in terms of lineup.

[Rank Match – Infinity 2,739 RP]
[Battlefield: Hall of Duels]
[Rule: 5-man Winner Stays]

[Round 2]
[Loss]
[vs. NYX (Poison Master)]

The regions that once ruled the eSports scene were Northeast Asia,
Korea and China, two countries that once dominated, sweeping all the awards.

But China suffered from strict regulations on virtual reality games.
In Korea, a massive talent drain started with the Phantom unfair treatment scandal.
The golden age that had lasted for so long eventually came to an end.

Meanwhile, the West absorbed the talent that Northeast Asia lost.
With its powerful capital and accumulated expertise, they closed the gap and gained ground, with Korean players contributing significantly.
The stars of that era are still thriving today.

Phantom and Hero.
Two players representing the North American league… were Korean pro-gamers from the generation before Luche.
Phantom even took American citizenship, so calling him a Korean “native” might be more accurate.

[Victory]
[Prepare for the next match. Your next opponent will be introduced without a waiting time.]
[Remaining health: 91.4%]

When I drew my dagger, blood trickled from my opponent’s wounds.
He was an amateur Poison Master. He fought better than expected, but he was inexperienced.
If all five of my opponents were like him, I could potentially achieve a full sweep.

But if a real heavyweight showed up, I’d need to put everything on the line.

[Round 3]
[Loss/Win]
[vs. W Titans Hero (Knight)]

With a burst of light signaling the start of the next round, a monochrome knight appeared.
Clad in old-fashioned gray armor, wielding a massive greatsword.

However, the knight herself was short.
From what I could tell, she was only slightly taller than me.

I’d heard she’d increased her height slightly in-game.
In real life, we’d probably be eye level.
She was quite a bit older than me, but she’s famous for looking young.
We might even look like friends standing side by side.

Anyway, as soon as the light faded, the duel began.

Hero shouted, “Haaap!”
It was a surprisingly delicate voice for someone wielding such a massive sword.
Her voice reminded me of a petite girl.

[You are affected by ‘Warrior’s Roar.’]
[Strength reduced by 8%, enemy’s strength increases by half the reduced amount.]

But I couldn’t be fooled.
Among the top players, she had one of the roughest play styles.

Her greatsword immediately targeted my lower body.
It wasn’t something I could afford to get hit by, but the real problem came next.
When her sword struck the ground, it didn’t just lodge itself—it shattered the stone floor with a small crater.

Knight classes generally excel in derived class specialties.

Paladins boast high defense and stamina. Lancers, overwhelming strength. Dark Knights, debuffs and high damage output.
Hero chose the basic “Knight” class for one reason: to maintain her overwhelming strength stat.

She’d maximized her strength stat to its theoretical limit.
Her greatsword, wedged in the ground, tore through the floor as it shot upward.

“Nice to meet you, junior. I’ve been hearing rumors all over, so I just had to see you for myself.”

Crossing swords with this maniac would be suicidal.
Dodging to the left, I looked for an opening to counterattack.
With my dagger leading, I moved in, raising my shadow on the other side like a thorn.

It’s only polite to respond to a greeting with a greeting, right?
Smiling as I pressed my blade to her philtrum, I replied.

“Yes, senior. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you as well.”