It’s not that kind of malicious broadcast

I knew.

The reason why it was difficult to climb the rank ladder at the end of the world wasn’t just because of trolls and quick surrenders. The real problem that arose from the top echelons was different.

For those who already reached their target tier, there was no reason to queue up. Queuing up would present a huge possibility of dropping down, and there was no reason to take such a risk.

Moreover, at this rating level, it took a long time to start a game, and some people even played other games while waiting for the queue. The absolute lack of players was a chronic issue for high-rating queues.

In the Season 8 of KoK, the population shortage became apparent even at the Master queue. They solved it by generously matching Platinum and Master tiers together.

Most people agreed it wasn’t a big deal since the Platinum players were likely hovering around Master tier with their main accounts anyways. But in hindsight, everyone seemed to be somewhat broken, mentally.

Anyways, KoK nowadays wasn’t that kind of a doomed game. It patiently waited until it gathered 12 players with similar MMR. Hence, my queue time had already surpassed 19 minutes.

What was the allowable MMR range, anyway?

Queueing aside, was it even possible to have 12 players online right now? I couldn’t tell.

With less than 10 hours remaining—

At this rate, getting 1st place seemed impossible. I had gotten too used to the games where queues popped rapidly because of ample player counts, so I underestimated the queue time too much.

Of course… blaming or resenting people who weren’t queuing now wouldn’t be fair. I knew I should have started ranking up earlier if I really cared.

Still, I had to do what I could.

“What does ‘scaredy-cat’ mean… that’s a good question. Is it possible that the reason challengers don’t queue up towards the end of the season is because they get scared stiff? This is a scholarly question, not intended as an insult. Just academic curiosity.”

Along with some broad taunts,

『Author: GetDevoured』

『Title: What’s with the rank score rollback notice???』

『Fortunately, that didn’t happen.

But it certainly could have.

Scores can appear and disappear just like that.

How about we all just play the game for fun instead of worrying about scores.

Games are meant to be fun.

Unless you’re a NOOB terrified because you’re accidentally in a rank higher than your skill level and think you’ll drop down once you queue… Oh.

Ah, is that it? Is that what it was…?』

—”No way, you damn clickbait”

—”Reached Platinum today, and even knowing it was clickbait, my hands were shaking”

—”This crazy girl hasn’t changed even after becoming a major player”

—”Can anyone handle her karma…?”

– I really hope the rogue gets nerfed. I’d love to see them whining.

– Better than being a coward… Right… That’s good enough…

– No, everyone above you would switch to being a pro except one guy.

– Shouldn’t a pro play even more? Yeah, a pro avoiding queues because they’re afraid of female broadcasters is just…

– Nah, they should be doing scrims during that time instead of solo queues.

I promoted on the forum too.

Maybe my efforts paid off.

-Thud

A familiar sound echoed.

The world hasn’t lost its spirit yet. As expected, until the very end, the atmosphere was one of giving it their all—

…The username looked a bit odd. Is it just our team?

Feels like it’s not.

* * * *

『Finally got a game, heck』

『Wow』

『?? The other 5 are all pros LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOL』

『Is this just a GP scrim? LOLOLOL LOLOLOL』

『Easy win』

『The opponents must be pros too』

『Wow, the top Challengers always meet only pros』

『Wow, it’s top Rewin』

The chat was filled with cheers. The anticipation for the game that finally came after a long wait, and the curiosity for the queue filled with pros.

Pros appearing by chance on solo rank broadcasts had a different charm from those seen in tournament matches. A player usually a mage wielding an axe wildly on the front line, for instance.

Of course, Orthodox had no such thoughts.

“What is this, only you are on the opposing team, hyung? Let me show you something. Follow me to the top lane. I will show you the essence of the top.”

“…What top lane. I’m going to the Underground.”

“No way, facing you in the Underground is too much. You’re a world champion rogue.”

“Whatever… Anyway, our team doesn’t have an Underground player, so I’m heading there. Let’s meet in the top lane if we get split up in the next game.”

“Man, making us solo queue in the middle of the day and not even giving me a top lane fight… It’s disappointing, disappointing. Your fans who admire you for being a brave veteran should see this.”

Next to him, GP’s top knight, Rewin, kept complaining endlessly.

Well, he had a point. After the World Series ended and before the season started, there was a short vacation. Gathering people who would otherwise enjoy everything except the tiresome KoK and forcing them into solo queue made sense.

“Honestly, hyung… You just joined the queue because of GetDevoured. If you admit it now, I’ll support you fully. I’m a master of women’s psychology, you know. I’ve helped many friends start relationships.”

Should he say no or yes?

Setting aside petty talk about romance, it was hard to confidently deny the motivations behind queuing up.

After a moment of hesitation, Orthodox’s eyes shifted to the corner of the screen, where the recent chat logs were displayed.

『Revan: hyung』

『Revan: Are you busy?』

『GP Orthodox: No, just relaxing』

『GP Orthodox: Logged in to check if the patch was up』

『GP Orthodox: What’s up?』

『Revan: If you have time』

『Revan: Do you want to solo queue?』

『GP Orthodox: Duo?』

『GP Orthodox: Sounds good』

『GP Orthodox: Streaming?』

『Revan: Ah, no. I’m sorry, but our ratings don’t match for duo…』

『Revan: Actually, I didn’t start the broadcast』

『Revan: My broadcaster friend can’t find a queue because her rating is too high. There aren’t many top-tier users in Challenger』

『Revan: I sent the message hoping you could help with a couple of matches to keep her broadcast from failing』

『GP Orthodox: Streamer friend? Who’s that in the rankings?』

『GP Orthodox: Oh』

『GP Orthodox: Is it that person』

『GP Orthodox: GetDevoured?』

『Revan: Yes, that’s right』

『Revan: I haven’t talked to her』

『Revan: I’m just worried that if left alone, she’d go off the rails, and the broadcast and controversies would explode』

『Revan: Please don’t say I asked this…』

『Revan: Sorry for the hassle ㅠㅠ』

『GP Orthodox: No problem, I’ve received so much』

『GP Orthodox: Helping with a few games isn’t hard』

『GP Orthodox: I’ll grab some of the guys lounging around the dorm and queue with them』

『Revan: Thank you so much!!』

It was a curious favor, making one wonder about the nature of their relationship.

There was no need to be so cautious; he would have agreed to a few games readily. Not just for Revan but for GetDevoured…he had received so much help from her too.

Although he drew a bit of aggro, it didn’t seem like enough of a repayment. Teaching him about rogues was one thing, but preemptively smashing the coach’s head… that was something else.

Orthodox suddenly recalled a former coach who had been bragging about a planned rogue pick immediately after the World Series Finals concluded. In official interviews, the coach had humbly attributed the success to the players while praising their efforts.

However, on his personal broadcast filled with fans, he subtly insinuated that the pick was his idea, making his behavior even more despicable.

The release of off-the-record voices by the Faraday Games, which they initially announced would not be disclosed, swiftly led to the debacle.

The impactful comments directed at Orthodox, who had been celebrated as the hero of this World Series, included phrases like “What a crazy bastard””,That lunatic finally made a mess””,These idiots who just get cocky should be retired quickly”, and “What, is he planning a rogue show-off ceremony for his girlfriend?”

The combination of these comments had a significant impact.

There was a heated debate over whether Faraday Games intentionally released the audio to spite the coach or if the company, due to its smaller stature, failed to detect the Korean swear words before uploading the video.

Although the video was removed within an hour, it was too late. It had already become a hot topic across various communities.

It was unclear if the rapidly deteriorated public opinion directly led to the coach’s dismissal. Officially, it was a voluntary resignation – honestly, Orthodox didn’t really care about the deeper reasons.

Regardless, what mattered to Orthodox was that the coach, who increasingly meddled in the game despite knowing little about it, had finally left the team.

It was a conclusion that made him want to postpone his retirement for at least one more season.

And considering that all these events started with GetDevoured, playing solo rank matches as gratitude seemed trivial, although he was not actually considering doing so.

“Rogue… would be nice.”

He just wanted to show that he was no longer the one receiving personal lessons.

Even though he had gotten older, his identity as a pro-gamer who staked his life on the game remained intact. The competitive spirit and desire to win that burned in his chest hadn’t diminished at all since he first debuted.

That was the biggest advantage Orthodox believed he had, something that even the passage of time could not erode.

And that flame was now being fueled by the memories of the training sessions with GetDevoured, where he had been defeated repeatedly.

Though striking down a revered master was absurd, outshining the mentor is a pupil’s ultimate joy. Thinking this, Orthodox took deep breaths repeatedly, inhaling for eight seconds and exhaling slowly over sixteen seconds.

This was a pre-match routine he’d practiced for years to focus and control his breathing.

He aimed to do his best.

He had no intention of taking a solo rank game lightly.

.

.

.

Twenty minutes later.

“Alright. If you’re frustrated, let’s meet in the next game. If you start quickly, we can face each other again.”

“Wow, what? Did you lose to GetDevoured one-on-one, hyung? I think you should stay away from the forums for a while.”

“Hey, it’s not hyung’s fault. I played so well at the top that all the blame flowed down to the bottom.”

“Ah, looks like our Knight can’t keep up with hyung’s moves. You see the value of a farmer now, right? Treat me better from now on.”

Orthodox endured his dongsaengs’ teasing silently, eyes tightly shut.

The next game.

In the next game…

Thinking this, Orthodox’s hand naturally moved toward the start game button.

GP Orthodox, top-ranking 7th.

Current ranking, 8th.