It’s not that kind of malicious broadcast

Swan Song.

It was a term I first heard from a friend I met around Season 5. Well, met… I guess you could say that even though it was on the internet.

Anyway.

Back then, the true world for both him and me was this virtual one, so we managed to bond without much awkwardness. What did it matter if our nationalities were different? Internet speed and game skills were what truly counted.

That friend was exceptionally skilled, and for someone living in Europe, he had excellent internet speed. Language could be a bit of a problem, but who cared? Clumsy English often facilitated better mutual understanding.

Just as it’s easier to communicate in English with another Korean than with an American—without using complex expressions, we surprisingly didn’t face many communication problems.

After all, the things we said to each other were usually, “Run”,

“Evade”,

“Breach”,

“Retreat”,

“You suck at this game”,

“If you don’t like it, let’s duel”,

“That’s not how you play a rogue”, and “Just go farm.”

True conversation was conveyed through our actions in the game.

Language didn’t really matter then.

The first time he used an unfamiliar expression was with “Swan Song.”

If there were any completely alien words, we would joke, saying, “Neither of us is good at English; try running it through the translator again.”

But this time, it comprised two knowable words.

Above all, we had listened to “Swan Lake” during infrequent moments in music classes.

So casually, I asked him if he misspoke “Swan Lake.”

It was probably no big deal, maybe a new song title or something.

Giggling, he told me that this game was his “Swan Song”, and after that day, he never logged in again. He left with words of gratitude for our time together.

It wasn’t particularly unusual. The dramatic drop in the player base around Season 7 was a global phenomenon. If anything, those who stayed were the abnormal ones.

Still, having rolled through that doomed game together for almost two years, you’d think he could have parted with a more grandiose farewell. It left a small twinge of regret. Though, if you asked me what kind of farewell I had expected, I wouldn’t have a clear answer.

Later, when I looked it up, “Swan Song” roughly meant an accomplishment worthy of being played at a funeral. I sent a message telling him he didn’t carry us that much and to come back.

But there was no reply. Even the slightly provoking message I sent, jeering that he ran away because his skills were starting to fade went unread.

– Thud!

The sound resonated from the speaker, which was turned up as high as it could go.

… Was I being too leisurely?

The queue’s pace was faster than during my Master days. At least fifty people must have been queuing consistently at this speed.

It was probably because we were approaching peak time.

There was no time to be lost in thought. Hastily, I threw aside the towel I was slowly using to dry myself and returned to my room—where the picks were already underway.

Clothes—ah, clothes. The sweat-drenched ones lying on the floor were… not something I wanted to put back on. Time was short to look for fresh clothes.

After a moment’s hesitation, I decided to wear just my underwear and started putting on my VR gear first.

I should probably give them a heads-up…

『GetDevoured: Can we pick a bit slower?』

『GP Orthodox: Sure』

『GP Orthodox: Where are you going?』

『Galaxy HP: Can I go to the top lane？」

『X Heresy: I’ll go as a mage』

『GP Rewin: Then I’ll go as a bot support』

Seeing the prefixes before each ID, I guessed they were all professional gamers. Some of the names were familiar, while others were new to me. Skimming through the chat, it seemed my guess was correct—they were all professional gamers.

Not a bad situation.

It almost felt easier to play with a predominance of pros in the queue. They tried hard, but more importantly, they moved exactly as expected. The win rate had even improved because they quickly synchronized with the overall strategy.

As expected of pros. While they might not have known certain concepts initially, once they caught on, their ability to sync up was impressive.

It felt like being a not-so-smart person from the future. It was like quoting formulas learned in school while thinking everyone would be amazed by my future knowledge, only to be analyzed by the scholars of that time within a couple of hours…

Still, the feeling wasn’t bad.

Maybe I should start paying attention to the pro leagues from the next season. Finding traces of my influence in their strategies and plays would bring some joy.

『GP Orthodox: GetDevoured』

『GP Orthodox: Would you like to go Rogue?』

『GP Orthodox: I’ll adjust accordingly』

Ah, a pick.

『GetDevoured: Sure』

『GP Orthodox: But even if you win this game and get first place, don’t log off just yet—play one more game with me』

『GP Orthodox: Let’s be on the opposing team once』

『GP Rewin: How shameless, hyung…』

『GP Rewin: Clinging guys are not attractive』

『GP Orthodox: No』

『GP Orthodox: You stop saying nonsense』

『X Heresy: Is this a love quarrel?』

『Orthodox is getting rejected…』

『I can see why he’d want a rematch』

『Especially since he always loses whenever he’s on the opposing team LOL』

『Where’s that champion flair of yours?』

『A broadcaster being obsessed over by a pro』

『A love quarrel?? Dammit Heresy, you bastard』

『Our “GetDevoured” noona only plays “Ark.”

Don’t associate her with old-school cRPGs.』

The chaotic chat aside… if it were like this, only roamers and farmers would remain. Since I even got an offer to yield my position, I might as well go for the rogue.

『GetDevoured: I’ll go rogue.』

It might end up being a game where I achieve first place.

Watching the rogue with the hood on brought back many feelings. Despite picking a rogue, the broadcast chat was ecstatic, and in-game, strategies were being exchanged without any issues.

Just the shadow of that hood used to cause a ruckus only a few days ago, it seemed.

After this rank climb, the Rogue Revival Movement might no longer be necessary. Now, many were vying to pick rogues. Once blatant proof and results were shown, who would dare say anything?

On the contrary, a Warrior Revival Movement might emerge. If Revan were to harbor such dangerous thoughts… no, it couldn’t be.

Now that we have the upper hand, it may be time to think about how to suppress others. As they say, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

… Tomorrow… Anyway, that’s for later. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about it.

She confirmed that all parts were showing green lights and put on the headgear.

“Ah. So then… shall we go?”

To conclude the Rogue Revival Movement.

To the summit.

* * * *

-Bang!

A dagger, aimed sharply at a vital spot, collided with a shield. Again, the knight barely managed to block the attack with an awkward move, panting heavily. A sign that his stamina was depleting.

There was no time to think over various possibilities. The knight, moving almost instinctively, raised his sword held in his right hand. Even if he were to become a sandbag, he needed to become a spiked sandbag to survive.

Raising his hand to be level with his head, his sword pointed at the rogue’s neck at eye level.

Should he aim for the head? No, considering the movements seen just moments ago – an attack easy to evade would be as good as handing over his life.

The rogue started moving lightly from side to side. A sign of an impending attack. He had to take control of the flow. Thrusting forward the tip of his sword, aimed at the rogue’s chest – but there was no satisfying impact.

-Creak.

The narrowly missed sword brushed past the rogue’s armor. He could’ve dodged backward, but he purposely evaded sideways, likely planning a counterattack. To tackle the knight as a rogue, aiming for vital spots with counterattacks was essential.

Finishing his quick read of the rogue’s move, the knight retracted his sword and hid behind his shield. One second of eerie silence. The absence of the expected collision sound signified a missed opportunity.

There was no room for thought. The knight lowered his stance, half-crouching while pulling down his sword. He could see the end of a dagger charging toward his lower body.

-Clang!

Had he been a bit slower, the dagger would’ve pierced his thigh, but he managed to deflect it with his sword at the last moment. However, whether this could be called a success was uncertain.

Another exchange at a loss. Moving predictably with every forceful maneuver… like a puppet on a string, moving as the opponent whimsically dictated.

The price was the stamina that was running on empty.

The knight’s eyes quickly scanned the top right corner. Just how many more actions could he perform? Accumulated experience dictated a retreat.

By now, he must have bought enough time for the allied rogue. The opposing knight would also have been on guard, but even in the worst-case scenario, she would have opened at least one more chest.

‘Swing hard once, and then retreat.’

-BOOM!

The sword, which he thought would cut through the air, halted with a resounding impact.

A shield.

Where on earth did it come from? A knight holding a giant shield appeared, as if passing a baton to the rogue.

When he had been subtly pressuring and advancing the battlefield little by little, he thought it was to approach the chest. It seemed the intention had been to join forces with the knight.

Even a one-on-one was tough. He had no confidence in lasting even a minute against the two. He would have to brace for at least one death.

Even if he were to die, he needed to accumulate damage on the rogue. With this in mind, he quickly scanned his surroundings through gritted teeth—

But the rogue was nowhere to be found.

‘Stealth…?’

When on earth and where did she go into stealth? In any case, their dirty play was top-notch.

“GetDevoured.”

Should he have avoided getting involved after all? Squeezing into the scene of the festival because it looked secretly entertaining might have been a blunder, a thought that flashed through his mind.

How different could this rogue be, he had thought.

Though the combat itself made sense, the rogue had mastered their peculiarities to an extreme… cutting off the flow and irritating the opponent to a degree that was on a different level from other rogues.

Even now, where on earth could they be.

While exchanging light attacks with the knight, Orthodox, his thoughts kept drifting back to the rogue.

Logically, she would have run towards the chest, or attempted a two-on-one kill. But the rogue specialized in striking from an unexpected angle. Considering all possibilities made it difficult to retreat. Should he even contemplate that she might be blocking his escape route?

‘No, come to think of it, neither the chest nor the knight—’

Was the path leading to the surface this close? At some point, amidst the fierce exchanges, he had lost the meaning of the battlefield.

『Be careful on the surface—』

『X Soulless (Priest) has been killed!』

『GetDevoured (Rogue) → X Soulless (Priest)』

《Damn it, why is the rogue here!》

《Center! Please join the center!》

Even before the words were fully spoken, the knight’s ears were bombarded by noises. The information contained within these sounds combined in his mind to a simple thought.

‘Ah, I should have skipped this queue.’

TL’s Corner:
Having met a friend on the internet, the mention of Swan Song and the sudden departure…
I felt a bit sad.