"Such tiny soldiers," I muttered.

So, as Yeram Lee and her friends would call them—

“Minions.”

They were eating up the minions. Usually, in any game, there’s some way to earn resources, but in this game, Leore, it seemed like consuming minions to obtain “gold” was a primary objective. Otherwise, there’d be no reason to keep repeating this action in other areas as well.

“Hup-cha.”

“No, oppa, why are you like this? Why are you so good at last-hitting with Sorica?”

“I just right-clicked, and it happened.”

“I told you not to right-click! Ugh.”

“Aka.”

“Aka, seriously? You wanna die?”

“No, I don’t.”

It seemed that Yeram's friends, being young and full of life, were heavily involved in gaming communities. Not that I thought it was bad. It’s everyone’s personal choice whether to be part of a community or not. As long as they weren’t leaning too much into one side, I didn’t see any reason to comment.

“Yeram, are you sure we’re just supposed to keep eating minions like this?”

When you browse YouTube, there’s this “Shorts” feature where you can watch videos under 60 seconds. Sometimes, Leore would show up in them. From what I’d seen, the players were actively taking out enemies while dodging around here and there. I wanted to try that.

“You can’t do that with Sorica. Just stay back and give me heals.”

“Isn’t that a bit of a stereotype?”

“It’s not a stereotype; it’s a fact. If you want, try pulling off a super play.”

“Hm.”

It seemed that since this was my first time playing Leore, Yeram probably thought of me as some grandpa in his 80s, struggling along at the senior center, and handed me a champion that just sat around quietly. Even so, the champion wasn’t exactly boring.

“Yap.”

“Yap, my foot. Why are you eating minions?”

“Are you seriously disrespecting your big brother right now?”

“Ugh, whatever. Why are you eating minions?”

“Because I want to.”

“Fine, just eat them.”

“I was already doing that.”

Time passed—

Ding-! Ding-! Ding-!

A repeated sound echoed. Checking the screen, it showed our allies were heading toward our location.

“What are they coming for?”

“In Leore, usually the ‘jungler’ roams around, taking out enemies. It’s the main way to secure victory.”

Honestly, I didn’t fully understand what that meant, but Yeram’s urgent tone made me move toward the enemy. Then a goofy-looking champion threw an anchor at me and bound me tightly.

“Oh, that looks fun.”

The champion I was using didn’t seem to have any skills like that. I thought it wouldn’t be bad to try something like that next time, if I got the chance.

At that moment—

“Nice shot, oppa.”

As Yeram’s friend said that, she whittled down the enemies’ health with a chain-wielding champion. And shortly after, the opposing team’s champions collapsed on the spot, and a message appeared on the screen.

[ Double Kill! ]

“How was that, oppa? Cool, right?”

“I admit, it’s impressive.”

To be honest, I didn’t really understand Leore, but taking down opponents seemed like a good thing.

“Why are you fishing for compliments in a casual match?”

“Look who’s talking, losing CS to Sorica.”

“Excuse me? If you think you can do it better, go ahead.”

“No thanks.”

It was mostly Yeram and her friend in the jungle position who were chatting. Friends in other positions weren’t saying much.

“I got mid.”

A little while later—

[ An ally has been slain. ]

“Didn’t you say you got it?”

“Got slain, actually.”

“Ah, got it.”

‘What’s that about?’

I wondered why they were so calm about losing and decided I’d ask later as I continued playing.

“So, let’s call it a day here. Oppa, how was it today?”

“…It was more fun than I expected.”

It was surprisingly enjoyable. I’d heard rumors about Leore being pretty rough, but it wasn’t that bad. Sure, there was some swearing, but it was mostly friendly banter among friends. It seemed the rumors I’d heard were a bit exaggerated.

‘People love to dramatize things.’

With that thought, I took a quick sip of water, and Yeram approached me—

“You thought Leore would be boring, so why are you having so much fun?”

She hit the nail on the head. I had once said something like that.

‘What’s so fun about people swearing at each other? Might as well play Worm Farm instead.’

Looking back now, I kind of regretted saying that. Actually playing Leore had shown me how entertaining it was. Enough that I regretted my previous comments for sounding so ignorant.

“Oppa, I’m going to bed now. I’m tired from playing Leore so much.”

With that, Yeram turned off the lights and lay down. She usually followed a routine of napping after school, so it seemed she was worn out from playing instead of resting.

“Oh, what time should I wake you up tomorrow?”

“Same as always.”

“Alright.”

Though I hadn’t been able to wake her up today, I usually did. Yeram was the type who liked to sleep a lot. She put her earphones in, closed her eyes, and the only light in the room was coming from my monitor.

“…Maybe just a little longer.”

I’d planned not to play much since I didn’t have the best opinion of Leore. Just a little more, then I’d sleep. With that thought, I clicked “Create Account.”

Chirp-chirp.

“Wow, damn.”

It had been night just a moment ago. But before I knew it, dawn had broken. Dawn! I’d been so absorbed in the game that I hadn’t even noticed time passing.

I had work at nine. Even if I went to sleep now, I’d only get around three hours.

“Sigh…”

As much as I enjoyed games and online communities, I usually tried to keep a regular schedule. But here I was.

‘Well…’

At least it had been fun. I wasn’t angry. With that thought, I shook the sleeping Yeram, like shaking off a freshly washed spoon.

“Ugh… I’m awake… I said I’m awake…”

“Waking up only counts if you open your eyes and do some stretches.”

“Oh, come on…”

Yeram scowled but then started a quick stretch.

“You need to do this if you’re planning on joining the army. I’m just getting you ready in advance.”

“You’re so annoying first thing in the morning…”

“Ahh.”

After delivering a few light taps to Yeram’s backside for her backtalk, she calmed down. It’s said that some discipline works wonders for those who don’t listen.

“My hand is so sore, for real.”

“Yeah, yeah. Go on, shower and get ready.”

We still had time before she had to leave for school, but I’d woken her up early so she could study before class. Self-study could be tough. Thinking of it suddenly brought back memories of my own school days.

It was freshman year of high school, right? I went to an all-boys’ school that was known for strong college admissions. Maybe that’s why they made everyone head to the library after classes. I think we’d start school at six in the morning and get out at eleven at night.

‘Just thinking about it feels brutal.’

Even in that strict environment, there were always kids who found ways to skip night study. Some climbed out windows, and others would change into casual clothes and pretend to be alumni visiting the school, just strolling right out. Some of my friends would do it too, bragging about “breaking the speed limit” as they bolted down the hall, until one time the head teacher opened the door and accidentally tackled one of them. That was the first time I saw someone do a mid-air flip.

‘I wonder what they’re up to now.’

One of them had a real knack for taking out ankles. Maybe they’d make a decent soccer player. I was lost in these random thoughts when—

“Can you turn on the hairdryer?”

“Got it.”

I’d gotten it secondhand, and the handle had signs of wear, but it still worked fine, so I was satisfied.

“Sit, I’ll dry your hair.”

“Oh, thanks.”

As I was drying Yeram’s hair—

“Hm? What’s this? When did you play Leore?”

Seeing my computer screen, Yeram asked, and I answered casually.

“Oh, just out of boredom.”

If I reacted, it would seem like I enjoyed Leore or something. That’s not how I wanted to come across. I had my reputation to maintain. But then—

“What’s your record? Did you play all night?”

By now, she’d apparently checked my stats because she was looking at me with a smug grin. I felt my face heat up but calmly replied with my prepared excuse.

“I might play with you guys sometime.”

“We could just lend you an account then.”

“Just in case. It’s good to be prepared.”

“Pfft.”

“My dear sister, could you kindly keep your mouth shut?”

“Yup!”

It seemed I’d need to teach Yeram some manners soon. I didn’t raise her to be like this.