I Have a Reason to Hate Streamers

Something feels off.

What is this… why does it taste so good?

The flavor of cheese that seems to melt in my mouth.

A finish that seems a bit salty yet cleanly wraps up the meal.

The chewy texture when I bite into it was nothing short of satisfying.

I knew my body was changing and so were my food preferences, but I never expected it to be this extreme.

I never knew cheese could be such a high-class food.

Looking back, the pasta I had with Luce was also quite rich.

I just hadn’t been in my right mind.

Had my preconceived notions been blocking me from such happiness all along?

To think I only realized how good this was now?

This taste made me reflect on myself.

“…You were acting like you wouldn’t eat it, but look at you chow down.”

“Gah!”

“Let’s eat first; if it’s not enough, we can just order more. If there’s leftovers, we can stick them in the fridge and reheat them later.”

“Thank you…”

I felt a sudden wave of embarrassment wash over me.

Still, my mouth didn’t stop savoring the pizza.

Every time the white cheese touched my tongue, a strange sense of satisfaction washed over me.

I didn’t even watch any game footage during the meal.

Rest when it’s time to rest, work when it’s time to work. That had been my rule since my athlete days.

By chance, I had something to consult about.

“Teacher, I’ve been having some concerns lately,”

“Huh? What is it? Just tell me. I’ll help with anything I can.”

“Well… I’ve received some help from a few people in this tournament.”

I was talking about Sulbbang and Elderin.

Traveler is a part of it too, but that was strictly business.

I figured they’d need their alone time and contacting them right now seemed difficult for various reasons.

So what I was thinking about was Elderin’s offer.

The one where she said let’s meet up if I get good results in the tournament.

I was told it would be fine to refuse, but… Maybe it’s because I’ve spent too long in loneliness?

I was starting to feel that I want to create new connections.

Thanks to the income I received back then, I could focus on the tournament now, so it’s true I benefited from their help.

These days, maybe it’s because I’m participating in the tournament, but work hasn’t been coming in much.

It’s like I’m going through a lean period, and if Elderin hadn’t been around, I would’ve had to dip into my emergency funds.

“When you play games, you can end up with enemies… Helping out someone can be quite a risky move.”

“You were the one who bravely reached out first.”

“Yeah. There’s this person I want to meet in real life, but to be honest, I’m a bit worried.”

“What kind of worry?”

“In the game I play, a lot of money is involved. There are also a lot of people like me who make a living from it. So far, I’ve avoided any situation where my personal information could get out. Because with money involved, anything could happen, right?”

Of course, it could be a baseless worry.

Even if Infinity Black Community’s siege board is filthy, it might be too much to think it leads to real crime.

But I’ve become weaker.

It wouldn’t even take a fully grown man; anyone with functioning limbs could physically overpower me.

The fears I didn’t have during my athletic days were now overwhelming me.

Still, the reason I’m straightening my back after all this time is that – loneliness is just too painful.

The addictive warmth I encountered just once has scrambled my brain like a drug.

I needed people.

“So, you lack confidence? Since they’re strangers, it could be dangerous.”

“…Yeah.”

“I understand. Don’t feel too down. You’ve gathered enough courage. You’ve done well.”

My teacher patted my shoulder.

His hands felt much larger and sturdier than before.

I guess it’s a relief to know I wasn’t being too strange after all.

Hearing that from him made me want to muster a bit more courage.

When I logged in later, I would have to arrange to meet up after the tournament.

Well, what’s the worst that could happen?

“I hear you haven’t actually set a date yet, but where do you think you’ll meet?”

“Probably in Seoul. That’s where we agreed to meet.”

“Really? That’s close then. Send me the place and time as soon as you set it up.”

“That’s easy enough… but why?”

Are you planning to come along?

That could be a bit troublesome.

You wouldn’t have much to talk about… it would just be me taking advantage of my teacher.

Am I already taking advantage of him with the tournament stuff?

I don’t know. My head’s getting a bit hazy.

“If it’s not at a very weird time, I could bring a few of the kids I teach and have a little gathering nearby. That way, I won’t be interfering with the young ones having fun, and you’ll feel safe too, right?”

“Re-really?”

“What’s the problem? I was planning to treat you to some meat soon anyway. So, it’s not hard for me to just match the time and place.”

His casual tone brought tears to my eyes.

I hadn’t planned on crying. But after reeling back to reality, I found my eyes were moistening.

This must be due to my weakened condition.

So, it wasn’t my fault.

Not wanting to show my tears, I took a tissue and pressed it against my eyelids.

Fortunately, my teacher turned his head away.

*

Even after he passed away, my teacher kept sending me his thoughts.

Thanks to this precious support, I gave my all to what I could.

Crow may have felt a lack of data in the end, but that was the same for the other side facing me.

From now on, it was an area I had to explore on my own.

But if I thought what I had shown so far was all of me, I would end up like Muse.

That guy’s butt was currently suffering from memes from abroad.

Well, he seemed to be enjoying it coolly enough.

I had no choice but to acknowledge that sturdy human toughness.

Anyway, the semi-finals that seemed like they’d never come finally found me.

The tournament’s timing really was unpredictable.

When you’re waiting desperately, time seems to stand still, but when you think it’s still far off, it rushes in and shoves you forward.

Where I was pushed to was a new battlefield.

[Infinity Arena Semi Final – Match 1]

[Battlefield: Juklim]

[vs Team CP Crow (Necromancer)]

Juklim (Bamboo Forest) is a battlefield inspired by the bamboo groves of East Asia.

While there aren’t any special gimmicks, the bamboo here is quite sturdy even in relation to the players.

In the case of long swords, they can get stuck if the sword path wavers, but that doesn’t apply to Crow as a Mage or me with my daggers.

The visibility is bright, but it’s a place littered with obstacles.

Rather than strolling down the path, I moved between the bamboo to locate my opponent.

In this match, I invested quite a bit of points in my exploration ability.

Since there was little prior information, I needed to expand my bases for judgment on site.

The flowing mana between the bamboo looked like a dark blue fog.

‘Mana detection is focusing on upper areas. In that case, it’s better to lower my posture while entering. Well, I did use aerial ambushes a lot in this arena.’

I quietly approached, avoiding the thick mana.

Along the way, a few creepy undead figures appeared.

Zombies reeking of decay and skeletons with white bones that were weathered.

While they weren’t immediate threats, they would be the ones harassing me until this match ended.

I made note of their positions and moved on.

In this game, Necromancers are specialized in handling corporeal undead.

It’s the kind of class that would come to mind when you think of a necromancer.

The difference is that they’ve completely given up on ghost-type undead like banshees or ghosts.

As I moved to the center where mana was surging, I spotted an odd sphere made of twisted bones.

That’s definitely where Crow was located.

There’s no point in dragging it out, so I drew my dagger and headed straight for the sphere with full power.

Following the trajectory I threw, one side of the sphere was neatly sliced off.

I couldn’t cut through all of it, but I could see some blood flowing inside.

[The dead are watching you.]

[All undead controlled by the Necromancer hate you fiercely.]

I shouldn’t get greedy just because my first attack hit.

The ground of Juklim consists of easily dug-up dirt, and Crow’s strategy he favored in the last matches was to lay traps in unseen spots.

As expected, a giant bone rose from the ground.

What appeared after revealing itself was a hand bone that looked like it belonged to a giant.

Had I gotten greedy, I might have been caught by that hand or pierced by its sharp edge.

As the shattered sphere dissolved, Crow’s figure was revealed.

For professional gamers, in-game avatars are a kind of self-promotion.

An eye-catching avatar makes it easy to create an image and thus stick in the minds of fans.

The reason Muse’s Muse is popular for her revealing outfit falls into that context.

That might just be her personal preference, but anyway, Crow’s chosen concept was relatively solid.

A mask resembling a crow’s beak, fitting his nickname, adorned his all-black attire.

At first glance, he looked like a man imitating a medieval plague doctor as he thudded his staff on the ground.

From below, something began approaching me at a rapid pace.

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