It’s not that kind of malicious broadcast

“Okay, let’s call it a day here. We’ve got a scrim with BETH tomorrow at 1 PM, so everyone, don’t stay up too late. You’re all doing great. Stay focused! Keep your condition in check. Rest!”

It was the long-awaited declaration from the coach, signaling the end of practice.

“Yes!”

The reply from GP Hustler players resonated with an undeniable tone of weariness. It was only natural. They had just finished a grueling two-hour marathon scrim.

It had been two weeks since they left their familiar Korean practice room and arrived in the outskirts of London.

Their new dwelling was the basement of a house, generously offered by a kind Korean businessman, about an hour away from the city center.

It wasn’t an ideal environment, to say the least. The space was not designed for a gaming team. After practice, when they sat in their seats, they could feel the basement’s distinctive chill seeping through the walls.

Moreover, there were no suitable places to eat nearby, given that the area was primarily residential.

Technically, there were three or four eateries within a 10-minute walk, but all of them served equally unpalatable food. Even the French fries, which they ordered out of desperate hope, turned out to be needlessly salty and dry, prompting an ironic sense of admiration.

It almost felt like racial prejudice.

Yet, none of them voiced any complaints.

A slightly uncomfortable bed and a poorly ventilated practice area? Those were trivial matters. As for the food…it wasn’t trivial, but they could manage by cooking for themselves.

Such issues were insignificant.

Over the last two weeks, they had broken through the group stage of their first World Series and were the only Korean team to advance to the quarterfinals.

Choosing a space where the six of them could practice efficiently over a hotel in central London was worth it.

At least, Orthodox thought so.

“Phew.”

The cold practice room was now empty. The rest of the team had long since moved on to rest. Some were probably lying down in their beds, while others might have gone to the nearby pub.

That pub served the most decent food in the vicinity, oddly better than the eateries. The fact that a pub’s snacks were closer to actual food than those served in dedicated restaurants remained a mystery.

Perhaps, it allowed many married men to claim they went to the pub for food rather than for drinking. Just as his teammates might be doing.

‘Still, given the atmosphere, they’ll likely have a beer or two. Meanwhile, I could sharpen my skills further by playing some ranked games…’

Orthodox let the fleeting thought pass by. GP Hustler was a young team composed of players aged 19 to 21. Except for Orthodox, the eldest and ace of the team, who was closer in age to the coach.

In such a team, enforcing discipline from one to many had its limits. Pushing them relentlessly did not lead to more diligent practice, nor did such a rigid atmosphere support performance in actual matches…

Orthodox, more than anyone else, understood this from his diverse professional experiences. Thus, he continued his personal practice.

‘Rogue… Maybe I should hone it a bit more. I need more absolute game time. I did practice though.’

As he steeled his resolve and prepared to put on his headset again,

“Hey, hyung! Are you going to practice more?”

A youthful voice called out. It was the youngest member of the team, Bio, who had gained popularity for his bold and aggressive Holy Knight playstyle.

**New Elements and Characters**:

– 바이오 = Bio(he/him)

He was the one who most passionately declared himself a fan of GetDevoured and even promoted it to Orthodox.

“Yeah. I figured I should move around a bit to sleep well later. What about you? If you’re going to practice, should we do a duo?”

“Well… actually, I was planning to practice a bit later. Right now, I’m just…”

Bio glanced at the phone in his hand. A first-person view of KoK. It wasn’t the tournament interface, so it was certainly—

“…streaming?”

“Hehe, yes. Just wanted to check it out briefly. They’ve been sticking to keyboards, but now that they’re finally doing VR, I had to see this. I saw some snippets earlier, it was crazy. Wow. You want to watch with me, hyung?”

“… It’s okay. Enjoy, and if you feel like it later, let’s do a duo. I think we could use a bit more practice in the 2-Underground.”

Orthodox smiled and shook his head at the youngest player’s added explanations before putting the headgear back on. Within the peculiar silence of noise cancelation, he could hear his heart beating prominently.

‘Streaming…’

Even in a world where the lines between pro gamers and broadcasters had blurred, Orthodox had never enjoyed watching online streams.

Rather than watching others play games, he wanted to showcase games that others would want to see. That’s what he had dedicated his life to.

There wasn’t a single championship trophy to show proudly when someone asked about his achievements.

And so, he had to work even harder. With so many scrims and broadcast matches to analyze, there wasn’t time to spend on watching online streams.

Of course, there were exceptions. Orthodox stared blankly at the “Looking for game” status on a friend list ID.

GetDevoured. CravingWarmAmericano.

His rogue mentor. Of course, it was a self-appointed title in his mind… One didn’t need a formal initiation to become a mentor.

‘Wonder if she’s watching the game. No doubt, she’d be. A broadcaster who fronts KoK wouldn’t miss the World Series.’

If so, she might be disappointed to see him not playing 2-Underground or even as a rogue, despite taking the time to teach him her strategies.

It wasn’t Orthodox’s fault.

A conservative coach questioned, “Do other teams do that? If there’s no reference, isn’t it risky?”

And a bitter coach responded, “No team does that. It barely comes up in solo queue as a troll pick, and it has a low win rate.”

Attempting it in a few scrims was the best he could do. Even that was managed by swallowing his pride and relying on his reputation to withstand the disapproving looks from the coach and head coach.

The team endured three consecutive defeats in initial scrims, as they struggled to grasp the strategy. However, through this process, Orthodox gained immense confidence.

This needed to be mastered. At the latest, toward the end of next season. If early, from the pre-season itself, the 2-Underground strategy centered around a rogue would become standard.

Of course, the latter depended on showcasing the 2-Underground in this World Series. Though it was barely making its appearance in scrims—

『GP Orthodox: Hello!』

『GP Orthodox: How have you been? Thank you so much for your last lecture. It’s still a secret weapon.』

Especially with all Korean teams except GP having been eliminated.

『GP Orthodox: Could I ask for a practice match?』

It seemed like the perfect timing to ask for help without worrying about strategy leaks.

Over there, as Bio was watching the broadcast through VR, he suddenly widened his eyes. It was precisely when he wanted to practice. But that was purely an unexpected side effec.

* * * *

『CravingWarmAmericano: Hello, Revan. I’m broadcasting right now. The broadcast isn’t live. Do you have a moment?』

(Revan is typing a message…)

(Revan is typing a message…)

『Revan: Don’t be creepy』

『Revan: What are you plotting now?』

(CravingWarmAmericano is typing a message…)

『CravingWarmAmericano: No, I’ve reflected on my actions』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Seriously』

(Revan is typing a message…)

『CravingWarmAmericano: Ah』

(CravingWarmAmericano is typing a message…)

『CravingWarmAmericano: I’m not saying this out of frustration, but I do need to ask a favor』

(Revan is typing a message…)

『Revan: Okay』

『Revan: So, what is it?』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Wouldn’t you like to make a name for yourself in KoK history?』

『CravingWarmAmericano: This is a really good opportunity』

『CravingWarmAmericano: I don’t offer this to just anyone』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Just try, just try』

What on earth was she talking about?

She claimed to have improved, but the direction of the change seemed a bit off… that sort of feeling. Did she want to prove that change isn’t always good?

With a strange sense of déjà vu, Revan suddenly recalled their last meeting.

Everyone seemed moderately intoxicated – Revan himself maintained just enough of a buzz to avoid any mistakes – and the atmosphere had loosened up.

It all started with a question that Lee Yena threw out unexpectedly: “How did you both start broadcasting?”

They talked about broadcasting, debating what would be fun if they were to go live today…

‘She suddenly proposed doing a real-time coaching broadcast.’

Actually, it would have been fun if they had broadcasted without breaks and seatbelts. Even though it would be fun, there was a reason why they didn’t do that kind of content.

Disassembling line-by-line comments from the broadcast to see what viewers might misunderstand. Especially when Ark, the only Diamond player, would coach the two Challenger players.

It seemed ludicrous, but did they really forget Ark’s rank? Come to think of it, Revan couldn’t remember the last time Lee Yena had mentioned the word “rank”.

Revan had no way of knowing that Lee Yena, who was once a strict tier fundamentalist, had changed while raising StarPork.

If one were to blame someone, it was entirely due to Lee Yena’s excessive overprotectiveness towards her disciple. Fearful that StarPork might revert to being a Warrior charmed by the blond-tanned woodsman, she had thoroughly cut off all contact between StarPork and Revan.

『Revan: Generally speaking, it’s something I’ll do』

『Revan: But first, be specific about what’s going on』

『Revan: Follow the six principles and explain』

『CravingWarmAmericano: 😥』

『CravingWarmAmericano: 😭』

A wave of crying emojis continued for a few more moments.

However, surely, no change in expression was conveyed through those messages.

With a blank expression.

Just like the moment she had said she had something to ask.

‘I don’t know much about streaming…well, not a lot. Is this “virtual marriage” thing significant? Or is it something we can do lightly as just another piece of content? It seems to have both sides on G-tube… I’m not sure what it’s like backstage.’

Upon hearing those words, Revan immediately replied that it was something people did lightly without any real significance.

Even as he responded, he couldn’t understand why he was replying so urgently. Perhaps he could have dragged out his response a bit more… watched Lee Yena’s reaction a bit longer, teased her a little.

Surely, he could have done that.

He even considered correcting himself later.

Ark had put a final period on it, mentioning that it’s not something broadcasters think heavily about. Although, she added that while it might attract attention and increase popularity, there’s the downside of losing fans who dislike the potential for romantic involvement between male and female broadcasters.

『CravingWarmAmericano: The logger』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Right now』

『CravingWarmAmericano: At KoK』

(CravingWarmAmericano is typing a message…)

『CravingWarmAmericano: Practice?』

(CravingWarmAmericano is typing a message…)

『CravingWarmAmericano: If you don’t want to do it, just say so』

『CravingWarmAmericano: That front line you helped with because Revan asked you to』

(CravingWarmAmericano is typing a message…)

『CravingWarmAmericano: Do you really hate it?』

『CravingWarmAmericano: I don’t think so』

『CravingWarmAmericano: If you come now, you’ll get the broadcast manager position too』

“…… Ha.”

Entering a fight that was already lost was not his style.

『Revan: You already gave me the manager position』

『Revan: You appointed me yourself without asking』

『CravingWarmAmericano: I just fired you』

『CravingWarmAmericano: Now, if you want to be a manager again, you have to be reappointed』

Indeed, it was so.