Chapter 40
Old memories resurface.
The joy of victory earned after a fierce battle.
The regret of putting all your strength into a fight and losing.
Even so, the spirit to fight again.
Those days of the past when all of that felt enjoyable…
I miss them.
“I’ve missed you, Legend.”
Originally, the two were from the same clan.
However, every game was too easy, with no rivals to challenge them.
When the two were on the same team, the story didn’t even begin to unfold.
So, Victory created a new clan.
CLAN LEGENDARY
VS
CLAN WINNER.
They gathered teammates and challenged Legend, finally balancing the competition. Enjoyable times were spent winning and losing.
Those memories were deeply missed.
When compared to the time of rising to the top as a professional gamer and gaining wealth and fame, which was better?
Considering life, family, and other factors, the choice would naturally be wealth and fame.
But if you ask which was more fun, the story changes.
Clearly, those pure times of playing the game for the love of it were more enjoyable.
And having you, with such an evenly matched skill level, as an opponent, brought indescribable joy.
When you suddenly disappeared, that was quite unsettling. The fragility of relationships built solely through screens and thin internet connections became clear. When Teamfight Arena was released, I left the previous game without hesitation because you weren’t there anymore.
Maybe you wouldn’t come here either.
That thought crossed my mind hundreds of times.
That’s why I kept the same ID — hoping you’d recognize it.
And now, finally…
“It’s about time you reached the starting line.”
It’s time to race again.
Victory began queuing as Sole began finding matches.
Their games matched each other’s timing.
The long-awaited battle between Legend and Victory began once again.
I knew it would happen.
[TP WILD]
Why are you here, brother?
The game that matched Sniper Victory wasn’t with Sole but with Wild.
Wild too had put in a sniper queue for Sole.
Victory – [Jun-ah]
Victory – [If one of us stops trying to queue for a lower rank, it’ll work]
Victory – [Shall we let the other have it?]
Victory – [You even teamed up with Legend the other day]
TP WILD – [That was a team, not now]
TP WILD – [The rival doesn’t back down]
TP WILD – [I have to give you your first defeat, right?]
TP WILD – <^^>
Lower rank games refer to matches paired with gamers who have a significantly lower score.
Victory and Wild ranked 1st and 2nd respectively. When both queue simultaneously, the system pairs them, making the odds of matching with Sole, who has a lower ranking, nearly impossible.
…And so Wild and Victory met for five consecutive games.
Pro gamers, to avoid controversy, rarely chat during in-game matches. Team coaches also emphasize this.
For that reason, Victory and Wild engaged in relentless whispers.
TP WILD – [Don’t you know ‘Let the elder benefit’?]
TP WILD – [Bro, let’s give it a chance]
Wild Jun is from ’99, and Victory Woosung is from ’03—four years apart.
Back in the Magical Fight days, everyone played regardless of age.
Reality has now caught up with the gaming world. Victory and Wild have met several times in tournaments and know each other’s faces well. They also know the age difference.
Victory – [Jun-ah]
Victory – [The one who plays the game well is the brother, right?]
Victory – [Don’t you remember?]
Then what?
That’s the reality rule, not the game one. In games, the game rules apply.
The one who plays better is called the elder.
‘Look at this kid?’
A sight rarely seen by normal people.
This wasn’t like the usual Victory, known for impeccable sportsmanship and ethics. This was the face only the friends from the Magical Fight days could witness.
Wild proposed a compromise.
TP WILD – [The person who loses this round stops queuing]
TP WILD – [Do we agree?]
Victory – [Agreed]
And so began one of the fiercest battles to gain the right to match with Sole…
[Author: HappyBappy] [Title: Two Major Events on New Year’s Day — What’s Happening?]
[Both Sole Challenger Crown and Victory vs Wild Rank Matches — What’s happening?]
-[It’s common knowledge that both Victory and Wild are trying to match with Sole]
-[Why aren’t they catching him at all?]
-[Sole’s MMR is still a bit low, so one of them should quit, but they’re queueing together. Haha]
-[Why is this situation so funny? lol]
-[Where can we watch the Victory vs Wild match?]
-[Link]
-[Someone in the gallery is broadcasting live]
-[Is this a copyright issue?]
-[This isn’t a tournament. TeamA is a game that allows broadcasting]
-[Okay]
[Author: Anonymous] [Title: Sole’s Rank Still 0 Losses??]
[0 losses in both normal games and rank matches? Is it just the account with 0 losses???
Isn’t he insane?
How is that possible? How is he doing this?]
-[Victory isn’t his rival for nothing. He crushes everyone every time we watch]
-[The God of Games]
-[Victory isn’t 0-loss but still dominates]
-[Don’t compare. Sole is starting Challenger and Victory is rank 1. Are you stupid???]
-[We were just stating the fact. Why are you mad? Are you Victory’s fan?]
-[It’s immature to get so heated over a joke]
-[Let’s catch Victory fans like crazy lol]
-[The whole world is Victory fans now…]
-[Who will take her first experience?]
-[Great snack]
-[Why is this considered scandalous? Just curiosity about who’ll win her first loss?]
-[You’d say that in court, right?]
-[Let’s not call it ‘first experience’ so vulgarly. Please be polite and say ‘learning’]
-[Is Sole a virgin?]
-[Anonymous agrees. Virgin]
-[Of course]
-[Unicorn excited]
-[You guys need it too]
[Author: Anonymous] [Title: Thoughts After Watching Sole’s Rank Climbing]
[(Victory’s photo after winning the 2022 World Cup)
Suddenly, Victory feels even more incredible.
To recognize Sole as a rival…]
-[Wow, what a layered joke lol]
-[Worshiping too much ㄷㄷ]
-[Is this praising or trolling? So confusing]
-[How does calling him impressive count as trolling? Are you dumb?]
-[Praising Sole is clear]
The appearance of the first female Challenger Crown King was a huge event in itself.
But add to that the world’s most popular pro-gamer, Victory, appearing and even his rival (from back when), Wild, starting to play.
With people unable to game due to family visits during the New Year holiday and boredom, this was a massive feast to chew on.
The attention just kept climbing and climbing.
[Author: Anonymous] [Title: What’s Up With the Magical Fight Alumni Association?]
[Isn’t Magical Fight the Game of the Gods?
Didn’t it give us Victory and Wild and even Sole?]
-[Our team’s Magical Fight Alumni Association takes charge!]
-[With sharp insight: Sole also left Magical Fight for TeamA]
-[Not a voluntary leave. User base disappeared]
-[Still a leave though]
-[Victory and Wild not even playing a single game together is pretty bad lol]
-[Why would people playing TeamA promote a competitive game?]
-[What competition? Like a huge department store competing with a local store?]
-[TeamA hit 950k concurrent users vs Magical Fight under 95 users now]
-[95 users is quite overestimated. Last check, it was under 10]
-[hahaha]
-[Our shop runs successfully!]
-[Still enjoying Magical Fight?]
-[Come on appropriate timing – weekday evenings or weekends, we see 2-3 games running simultaneously]
-[Concurrent users 30? Game of the Gods!]
-[I’m logging in! ^_^]
Of course, being skilled is vital in e-sports and for pro gamers.
However, personality, backstory, star power, and even drama are all crucial elements.
Victory’s unbeaten streak is one of the reasons he is the most popular globally.
Moreover, the relationship between the ‘Magical Fight Alumni Association’ and Sole provided enough gossip for everyone.
Of course, this didn’t necessarily mean that people would play Magical Fight again,
but Sole’s first heart-breaking loss would soon come.
And finally, the moment had arrived.
I’ve heard through the chat for a while now.
Wild and Victory were meeting in rank games over and over again.
Given the timing they began, it’s clear both were trying to find me.
Even though the news was out there, they seemed unable to catch me.
Was I still too low?
[Oh, Master Promotions are being skipped now?????]
[Never seen it before]
[Not even in pro streams?]
[Normal 0 loss and Rank 0 loss calls for this?]
[Last match Challenger 9, Sole 1 lol. How high does the MMR go?]
[Rocket! Pi-oooosh!]
[Finally, we will meet Victory and Wild soon?]
…90k viewers.
No matter the Lunar New Year special, that’s insane.
Is this a bug?
‘Victory and Wild must be that famous, huh.’
Makes sense.
Probably people eager to watch them fight me have gathered here.
Whatever the case, my mission since I started this game was set from the start.
Crush the heads of Victory and Wild who wouldn’t even play a single game with me on Magical Fight.
And I’ll climb to be rank 1.
That’s all I’ve thought from the beginning.
Finally, one of them matched a game.
As I expected, the opposing team.
Judgment time.
Traitors.