“Oouhhh…”
It was 2 PM.
Feeling as if the whole world was tormenting her, StarPork woke up and tried to soothe her upset stomach with a bowl of ramen filled with bean sprouts.
After spending about an hour sending apology texts here and there, she finally managed to start eating.
Unfortunately, she almost didn’t lose any of her memories. From demonstrating various styles on Lee Yena’s head to pretending to be a photographer until she used up all 40 Polaroid films, and even marching on the street demanding to go to a karaoke bar…
‘Didn’t someone else suggest the karaoke bar…? Or did they not?’
Regardless of who suggested what, it didn’t matter. The burden of the embarrassing actions she committed rested solely on her shoulders.
Everyone was so forgiving and told her it was not a big deal, which only deepened StarPork’s feelings of guilt and shame. She wished at least someone had gotten angry. That would have been easier to bear.
『Lee Yena: It was fun.』
One person even sent her a cryptic response, but anyway. Instead of noodles, StarPork chewed on bean sprouts while logging into the ‘Rogue Revival Movement’ WeTogether board.
Checking if there were any broadcast announcements and skimming through a few top posts had become her post-wake-up habit. But more than that, she was hoping for a broadcast to distract her from her racing thoughts.
She knew it was selfish considering they had just drunk together, but she craved a narcotic that could help her forget her current woes.
If Lee Yena knew, she would probably say, without hesitation, ‘It’s a potion that gives happiness as a side effect due to its courage-giving properties. It enhances friendship too when shared.’
StarPork let out a slight chuckle imagining Lee Yena saying that next to her, and then she continued checking the top posts sorted by comments.
『Author: CravingWarmAmericano (👑)』
『Title: No Broadcast Notice』
『Hello everyone,
How are you all doing? I came back from an afterparty with my team. The food was delicious.
Looking over recent broadcasts, I noticed that I’ve been streaming too much lately. They say moderation in all things is important, right? Even something as harmless as dihydrogen monoxide can be deadly if consumed excessively.
So, I’ll be taking a little broadcast diet.
I’m not sure when the next broadcast will be. But it won’t be until at least next Tuesday.
I’ll post an announcement once the schedule is set.
Thank you.』
– I thought nothing could surprise me anymore, but damn, she pulled this off
– Just tell us about the afterparty, please
– So you went to the afterparty?? Is that what you’re saying?? So you went to the afterparty?? Is that what you’re saying?? So you went to the afterparty?? Is that what you’re saying?? So you went to the afterparty?? Is that what you’re saying??
– Why isn’t anyone from the afterparty streaming, goddammit
– ㄴ “It’s 4 AM right now, teacher…”
– ㄴㄴ “What the…”
– ㄴㄴ “True, you posted the announcement on the day of the after-party LOLOLOL. It’s unusual how diligent you are, which makes it even more annoying.”
– ㄴㄴ “GetDevoured… consistently posting announcements… don’t know why she bothers… such a bad person…”
– ㄴㄴ “No, if you’re going to be that diligent, you should post an announcement saying you’re leaving before you go, dammit.”
– “Somebody turn on the broadcast, seriously.”
– “What? Three men saw our teacher’s face? Unbelievable…”
– ㄴ “She’s been ‘observed’… time for the noble unicorn to depart.”
– ㄴㄴ “’Kill yourself,’ please.”
– “What, she actually left?”
– “If she really left, you should check when Revan or StarPork start streaming. If you ask them casually if she’s pretty, their responses will give it away.”
『Author: DevouredCCTV』
『Title: What’s she doing here…?』
『Honestly, what is she doing…?』
『『Manager』 Hmm, objectively speaking, if there was a rogue next to her, she would’ve won. Should I show you a sketch, teacher?』
『???』
『Teacher’s long message??』
『?? Isn’t that GetDevoured?』
『??』
『『Manager』 (ASCII art of a rogue’s face)』
『No way LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOL』
『It wasn’t in the teaching seat; it was in the intense monitoring seat LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOL』
『LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOL can’t stop laughing honestly LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL 』
『What’s with the ASCII art LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL 』
『Seriously, so crazy LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL』
『GetDevoured Devoured…』
『『Manager』 Oh』
It’s hard to tell what’s worse, the fact that they’re wildly chatting without knowing the manager is watching, or that they are always like this…
– ???LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL LOLOLOL no way
– The biggest problem was Dodat’s broadcast being overrun by the female audience….. It used to be a real macho show……
– No, why is he doing that there, damn it. Just share some after-party stories.
– Information) That crazy woman was doing that same crap on all potential rogue broadcasts even before her debut.
– AFTER-PARTY!!!!! Tell us!!!!!!!!!! The stories!!!!!!!!!!
– LOL. No way.
– Whose broadcast is this?
– Dodat.
– Why is the teacher getting good feedback there?
– You wouldn’t want to know.
Ahri clutched her head that throbbed painfully and let out a faint sigh. In any case, at least her disgrace had become an afterthought, which was something to be thankful for, she supposed.
* * * *
『Revan: Yena-nim』
『Revan: Manager-nim?』
『CravingWarmAmericano: Don’t talk to me』
『Revan: Ah, you’re here』
『Revan: Huh, why doesn’t ‘Manager’ appear next to you』
『Revan: Discourse is really acting up now』
『Revan: Shall we discuss this on Dodat-hyung’s broadcast? 🙂』
I knew it very well. The blunder had occurred due to my own inexperience…. I knew it all too well.
Getting attention when chatting in a manager-assigned room was inevitable. Of course, apart from the obvious standout icon, there were viewers using programs that compiled manager chats. I knew this and was cautious about it.
What I didn’t know was that they could bestow such a title upon me without my consent. Having never appointed a manager or been appointed as one, I was subject to this cunning…
Dodat, Dodat, Dodat.
Setting such a trap. He might be smarter than he looks. Perhaps that calm and peaceful face was merely hiding his cunning strategies. Come to think of it, he seemed quite close with that Revan.
I wondered if he was holding a grudge from our previous negotiation results, preparing a connected attack. Upon further reflection, it was quite suspicious how the chat coincided immediately after I fell into the intelligent trap.
Targeting the timing swaying between hangover and intoxication… thinking about it, Revan, who had confirmed I was drinking, could’ve been leading this.
『Revan: Anyway』
『Revan: I have a favor to ask. Do you have a moment?』
Even this chat… must be part of that plan.
Dodat… Revan…
I would never forget—
『Revan: There’s a pro gamer named Orthodox who is currently running underground builds in GP. He’s a hyung I brainstorm builds with often. Recently, he saw a tournament and asked me who came up with the 2-Underground Rogue meta.』
『Revan: I told him it wasn’t me.』
『Revan: Then he asked if you could spare some time to talk.』
『Revan: He wants to use Rogue as a surprise card in pro matches.』
『Revan: I thought you might be interested, but feel free to decline. I haven’t responded yet, and if you’re uncomfortable, I’ll turn him down appropriately. Don’t worry.』
This was a plan, no doubt about it.
They dug a trap, launched an attack, and then presented an irresistible offer right in front of me…
This time, I had no choice but to acknowledge it.
* * * *
『Orthodox: Can’t you do it?』
『Orthodox: Sorry to pressure you.』
『Revan: Ah, no, hyung. I’m sorry.』
『Revan: Let me check in with them for a moment.』
When was the last time his heart raced this much?
Was it the moment he saw the berserk dual-axe warrior Revan created? No, that was definitely a build that shifted the Warrior meta, but it didn’t have the impact to change KoK’s landscape.
‘2-Underground is different.’
Orthodox was certain of this.
Initially, he thought it was just a common hype. Unique ideas often cropped up in amateur levels that weren’t worth studying, only to fade quickly.
Unconventional strategies often yielded high win rates against standard strategies, but not because they were superior. They were prepared for standard strategies, but standard strategies couldn’t prepare for the unconventional.
The less skilled and less practiced each side was, the more powerful the unconventional strategy became. If you had faced something 100 times versus 101 times, even with less experience, you could somehow cope. But if it was 0 versus 1, it was nearly impossible for 0 to win.
This was the difference between pros and amateurs.
In amateur games, ‘clever strategies’ often relied on opponents’ ignorance, lucking out with how novel the approach was. Even if it wasn’t an entirely nonsensical strategy, it was still a risky, unconventional move that might catch a lucky break against an unsuspecting opponent.
But what if both sides had ample time to prepare and matched skills, and the unconventional strategy still overwhelmed the standard one?
‘Then it’s no longer unconventional. It’s the new standard.’
To Orthodox, the 2-Underground Rogue could very well become a new standard, even in the professional scene.
‘The creator, though… well, they’re a bit—or rather, a lot—peculiar.’
TL’s Corner:
dihydrogen monoxide -> H20 -> Water -_-
She didn’t lie, if you have too much water, it could be dangerous