Chapter 99: Chapter 99

It’s a well-known fact that tteokbokki is one of the least nutritious foods out there.

It’s loaded with carbs, smothered in spicy seasoning, and full of sugar.

If you’re aiming to maintain your body’s optimal condition, it’s wise to avoid it.

Of course, during my professional gaming days, I wouldn’t have even glanced at such food.

But the more unhealthy the food, the more people seem to crave it.

In food broadcasts, tteokbokki is a staple.

And, to be honest, it’s delicious.

The problem is… my body really can’t handle spicy food.

“Ugh… Huh-uek. Hoo, hoo… Hiccup...”

LOLLOLOLOL

How spicy did she order it?

Oh, that tongue!

Why do I feel like I just want to tease her more when I watch this?

No, no, don’t give the poor girl more spicy food!

Her neck is white, but her face is turning red LOL

It all started when I took a few bites and thought, “Wow, this is really good!”

I hadn’t even finished a few pieces when the aftershock hit.

The devil hiding behind the sweet taste had found me.

And the devil’s attack was relentless.

“Water... no, milk? Juice? Is there nothing?”

“Is it really that spicy? I didn’t order something that spicy.”

“Ahhh... Ugh... haaaah.”

“Wait, I’ll get you something.”

This was torture.

I felt like I was about to cry.

Saliva kept pooling in my mouth, and my head was spinning.

I panted like a dog, desperate to cool my tongue in the cold air.

Barely stopping the drool from escaping, I wiped my chin with my wrist.@@novelbin@@

“Here, drink this milk first.”

“T-Thank you.”

Even after drinking the milk Elderen handed me, my tongue still hurt.

I fanned my mouth, drank some apricot juice, and finally started to calm down.

The red sauce on the tteokbokki now looked like poison to me.

“I’ll just have some fried food instead.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“This is delicious too...”

Why did this greasy food taste so good?

I thought my hypersensitive taste buds wouldn’t handle it well, but it went down easily.

Not that I could eat much, though.

I’ll only challenge tteokbokki occasionally.

Once the spiciness fades, I’ll allow myself just one bite.

It would be a waste not to have any at all.

Maybe this is the true fear of spicy food.

Even after suffering like this, it’s hard to resist the addiction.

“Ah, what were we talking about again?”

Oh, the white tongue!

You were asked about the upcoming international match.

Was the tteokbokki really that spicy?

It looked brutal LOL

Thanks for giving us a good show, though!

“Oh, right, the international match.”

I had gotten so distracted by the tteokbokki that I’d forgotten what we were discussing.

Sigma is very likely to win this playoff.

Traveler is still strong, but the skill gap between his teammates and the rest of the team has widened too much.

So, predicting anything in the domestic league is pointless.

The important part comes after the postseason,

with the international competition that the winner will advance to.

Given the timing, it was about time to start drawing attention.

“I guess everyone’s curious about how Korea will perform, huh?”

Traditionally, three regions have dominated the international scene:

Europe, China, and North America. These are the usual contenders for the championship.

Japan, India, and West Asia were often considered mid-tier contenders.

There was a time when Korea was also a contender.

In fact, Korea’s league had even reached runner-up in the international competition at one point.

But after witnessing the power of larger populations and international funding, they naturally declined.

Nowadays, Korea isn’t even seen as a top-tier contender among mid-tier nations.

They’ve developed a rivalry with Japan, as they’ve been neck and neck for a while.

It’s a long-standing tradition in the sports world, I guess.

“I think... you can expect a bit more this time. At least better than previous years.”

Because I’m here.

I still don’t know if I’ll officially enter the pro league or not.

First, I need to get approval for the neural connection method. After that, I’ll need to get permission to use it in the pro league.

There’s a lot to go through, so it’s not something I can be certain about right now.

But Sigma is growing based on me.

When they engage in combat, they’ll naturally recall their experiences fighting against me.

In a way, this has helped fill Korea’s chronic weakness in the assassin line.

It’s possible that Sigma could still be criticized for lacking assassin power in the international league.

But their ability to handle assassins has definitely improved.

At the very least, they won’t collapse helplessly like last year.

The Reaper from the UK, the Phantom from North America, and the Hashashin from West Asia—

None of them will find it easy unless they’re truly world-class assassins.

How are you so sure?

???: Look forward to this international tournament.

Ahaha, was the rumor true?

“I don’t have much to say for now. I’m just taking a break from gaming for health reasons.”

Okay, we believe you.

So you’re going to play for Sigma as Gawol, right? Holding my breath here.

Isn’t this AT Gawol?

If it were you, would you stay in Korea when foreign teams offer better deals? LOL

Gawol: Declares she’s going to wipe everyone out.

“It’s all speculation. But Sigma’s performance this year is already different from last year.”

To be fair, Sigma is in their best form yet.

Sigma started improving as soon as that Tenryeon went on break.

Now that you mention it, it does make sense.

Adding Camellia to the team really brought them to life.

Some of them were sharp enough to notice.

But unless I confirm it, this is all just speculation.

Naturally, I had no intention of saying anything.

If, for any reason, I couldn’t return to the game, the contract would be void.

Luce seems to want me to join the coaching staff if nothing else, but…

I don’t think that’s the direction I want to go.

Not something I need to decide now.

Anyway—it’s time for the broadcast.

A smile crept across my face.

“Speaking of Camellia, why don’t we review that last match?”

One of the most entertaining things in the world is backseat gaming.

Especially in situations like this, where the person you’re critiquing is probably watching you.

And yet, they can’t do anything about it.

“There’s no way Camellia is watching, right? No way.”

If I know your personality, you’re probably here, pretending not to be.

[Author: Buldaengdaeng]

[Title: Gawol is such a spice wimp LOL]

(Attached video: Gawol suffering from spicy food)

(Attached photo: Gawol’s white tongue after drinking milk)

(Attached video: Gawol panting)

Thank you.

[Comments]

LOLLOLLOLOL

[Author: SigmaFighting]

[Title: Does Gawol have something against Camellia?]

(Attached video: Gawol reviewing Camellia’s gameplay)

It’s not wrong, but why is it so annoying?

Is this payback for the siege match?

[Comments]

Gawol: It’s not like that.

└ WTF LOL

└ Why is this so true?

└ Why does she only show up in moments like these?

I feel like I’m doing everything I can.

I’ve been constantly practicing against active pros, accumulating combat data.

Sigma has been steadily improving the equipment, and my synchronization rate has been decreasing bit by bit.

The first device I used at Sigma had a synchronization rate of 65.8%.

It only drops by about 0.1% every few weeks.

Still, it was much better than when I was stuck at 70% on the research device.

[Current synchronization rate: 65.42%]

Building my presence through broadcasts is going well too.

It’s slow, but more and more people are recognizing me.

Elderen has even suggested that I create my own streaming account.

Yeah, I should do that.

But I’ve gotten so comfortable piggybacking on other people’s streams that I’ve been procrastinating.

At the same time, I’ve been steadily gaining experience in professional team battles.

The only team battles I’ve really been involved in were competitive or siege battles.

There’s a significant difference compared to pro-level team games.

The more money a game has invested in it, the more tactical research gets done.

Naturally, the gap between playing with random teammates in competitive matches and playing in a pro league is vast.

Siege battles are practically a different game, so there’s no point in comparing them.

Yes, I’ve been sharpening my skills steadily.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve fought without shame.

And I’ve received a lot of help along the way.

But there’s still one challenge that no one else can help me with.

[Training Mode – Free Practice]

[Battlefield: Bamboo Grove]

[Participant: Gawol (Swordsman)]

The sword.

It’s still the thorn in my side that I haven’t been able to overcome.

It holds all my regrets and pain—and now, I can no longer bring myself to wield my beloved weapon.

It’s time to finally face what I’ve been avoiding.

[Six top-tier training dummies have been generated.]

The sword in my hand hummed faintly.

The grip was disturbingly familiar.

The hilt, snug between my fingers, felt lighter than ever, and the black uniform was more comfortable than any other clothing.

The wind that slipped through the V-shaped opening felt particularly cold.

“Haa…”

I needed to grip it a little tighter than before.

My physical condition had changed.

With this woman’s body, I had to firmly lock my forearms to avoid losing hold of the sword.

And… what was it again?

Before I could even recall, my body reacted on its own.

As the dummies approached, a slimy discomfort began to creep up from my right hand.

I closed my eyes for a moment—

And when I opened them,

the training dummies were all sprawled on the ground.

I caught a glimpse of the blade below my kneeling body.

The sword was pressed against my throat, my hand pushing down on the blade.

Before I could do anything, a sharp pain cut through, and my vision went black.

[You have been killed by Gawol.]

[No death penalty applied due to ‘Training Mode’.]

[Reviving in the ‘Player Waiting Room’.]

...Not yet, it seems.

But I’ll keep fighting.