NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 37
The male peer glanced over my face with a puzzled expression, then started looking around.
“…Was it not?”
Then, as if doubting his own hearing, he shifted his gaze back to the screen.
Considering how critical the situation was, he had no luxury to focus elsewhere.
‘Did I miss something?’
Well, logically, he wouldn’t have thought I’d give guidance.
In a way, it was the power of my distinct appearance.
Phew…
Only then did I let out a sigh of relief internally.
I had nearly gotten into serious trouble.
‘I need to be careful.’
Somehow, I was lucky that he was deeply engaged in the game and didn’t press further; had he probed, it would have become very awkward.
‘People get sensitive when they’re losing a game.’
No matter how frustrated I was, to say it out loud… I think I’m something else.
And….
‘Ah.’
I suddenly realized something significant and hurriedly shifted my gaze to the left.
If my younger sister had witnessed this scene, I’d better brace myself for a tormenting day.
“No, I told you to use a smoke screen to revive, not to pop a grenade!”
Should I call it luck?
Or was it divine intervention?
My sister was currently fully immersed in Survival Ground, wearing her headset.
‘If she had caught this sight…’
I would have been subjected to relentless teasing with a scheming grin on her face all day long.
Putting that horrifying thought aside, I barely tore my gaze from my male peer’s screen and shifted to mine.
A bunch of irrelevant news articles that I had opened earlier for a kind of smoke screen appeared.
– A man in his 50s claims “diminished capacity” after murdering an acquaintance.
– In the era of low interest rates, is the coin craze okay?
– A high school student missing. Currently under intensive investigation.
The world really is a strange place.
… Well, I’m not in a position to pass judgment.
‘Should I check some community posts?’
However, I quickly abandoned that thought too.
I feared that if my male peer saw me browsing League-related communities, he might connect it with what happened earlier.
‘…Why did I say something so unnecessary?’
Stuck in a situation where I couldn’t do anything, all I could do was skim through internet articles that didn’t interest me much.
Of course, I changed categories.
To esports.
Though the articles primarily focused on League of Legends, it felt reasonable enough to glance at them without raising suspicion.
– MAX signs ‘KingGodEmperor,’ the new ADC to lead the bot lane.
‘Ah, he joined that team, huh?’
Currently, the League of Legends pro scene was in the middle of the global stove league.
While I do enjoy watching pro matches, I don’t pay much attention during the stove league, so there were plenty of interesting articles around.
– MYE LaLaLa extends contract by two years. From a rookie to a solid pillar of the team.
It was an article about Jungler’s Slave, whom I encountered quite often in solo rank.
A two-year contract extension… He seems to be planning to bury his bones with the current team, MYE.
‘Well, it’s not a bad team, after all.’
I browsed through other articles as well.
‘Oh, this player is retiring, huh? I thought their form declined recently.’
Professional gamers tend to have relatively short careers.
While some players enjoy fame and popularity for a long time, they are, after all, just a minority.
Pros must prove themselves with results, and those who fail to deliver inevitably meet a lonely end.
Of course, retirement isn’t the end of life.
These days, many former professional players transition to streaming and succeed, so there’s no need to be gloomy.
I casually checked other articles.
‘This team seems solid this year too. They’ve got good members. They might even reach the Red Cup if things go well?’
In the Korean league, known as the best in the world, there are only three tickets to the Red Cup.
Naturally, the competition is beyond imagination.
If teams still dream of reaching the Red Cup, especially those that didn’t perform well last season, a massive rebuild or acquiring new players during the stove league is not just a choice but a necessity.
Meaning, the desire for outstanding players and talented rookies will be hotter than ever.
Let alone, even I, who was just a newbie, received preposterous offers with an initial salary of 800 million and various conditions not long ago.
‘There aren’t many confirmed deals yet.’
I skimmed through several articles, but aside from a few players, it seemed like the overall team configurations hadn’t been revealed yet.
It likely meant some were not confirmed yet, or perhaps there were embargoes.
Having scanned all the relevant articles in a flash, I found myself back at the peak of boredom.
Had I been outside, I might have taken a stroll to enjoy the scenery, but here, all there was to see were the screens in front of me and beside me.
‘I can’t even play a game with a computer in front of me… What is this.’
I hoped my identity issues would be resolved soon and turned my gaze back to my sister’s screen.
“Behind the tree at 240! Ah, this is a crossfire. Let’s back off for now.”
Is it fun, or not? If asked, I’d say it is.
Still, my gaze kept wandering to the League of Legends screen on the right.
The situation didn’t look too good.
‘That earlier decision had a big impact.’
Had we moved as I had suggested, we wouldn’t have fallen into the opponent’s strategy, and things would’ve been different.
That was a significant blunder.
[Defeat]
Eventually, not long after, the male peer faced defeat.
“Sigh…”
Even after losing in solo rank, he merely sighed lightly, showing no further reaction.
Well, even though League of Legends is infamous for ruining personalities, normally, it wouldn’t destroy a person’s character in just one match.
Of course, there are rare instances where the first match can ruin a person’s character, but those are exceptions.
On average, it takes about three matches to see the trigger for a rage quit.
“…So you watch League of Legends tournaments?”
“Uh?”
As the game ended, the male peer, who had been glancing around, showed interest when he saw the articles I had opened.
It seemed he thought we shared common interests.
I didn’t expect him to engage in conversation, so I was momentarily dumbfounded before responding late.
“Ah… yeah. Sometimes.”
Considering the mistake I had just made, it would’ve been better to say I had ‘accidentally opened it.’ But perhaps I was just flustered, and my mind didn’t work.
Regret always comes too late.
“Ah.”
The male peer made a strange expression for a moment.
Did he catch on? Was he suspicious?
…That wasn’t how I intended to respond.
I should’ve just played dumb.
While a flurry of thoughts raced through my mind, the male peer spoke up.
“So you don’t play games separately?”
What does he mean by that?
Is he suspecting me?
Well, to be precise, I did play, but…
My mind felt blank.
But they say you can survive even in a tiger’s den if you stay sharp.
“Ah, I usually do, but not at the moment.”
“What games do you mainly play?”
“Well… various ones.”
And then silence fell.
I realized, not just me, but he didn’t seem to have much of a social nature either.
‘Is this normal?’
I don’t know.
I have no idea.
[Game Found!]
[Accept / Decline]
As we engaged in trivial conversations, a queue popped up on the male peer’s screen.
For me, it was a stroke of luck.
‘I hope this passes without a hitch.’
Of course, given the situation, being suspicious would be normal, but I hoped he’d just let it go.
“Hmm, what should I do?”
“What should we do?”
“Is this good?”
During the ban/pick phase, the male peer seriously contemplated his pick.
Almost as if he wanted someone to hear him.
“I wish someone would tell me…”
His words meandered oddly.
Only then did I understand where his gaze was directed.
‘What’s this?’
This was a clear attempt to fish for opinions.
I could see that.
But.
“I think Sylas would be a good choice.”
Currently a challenger tier.
And ranked number one.
The urge to provide unsolicited advice surged within me.
“Uh?”
He seemed genuinely surprised, not expecting someone would bite when he threw out the bait.
“Uh… I noticed that a lot of people use Sylas in situations like this during tournaments. Is that not the case?”
Sometimes, it’s better to be straightforward.
As I casually mentioned it, his expression turned quite peculiar.
“…Now that I think about it, that does seem to be the case.”