LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 53
[Author: ㅇㅇ(341.223)]
[Title: Current Situation of Gawol]
(Attached photo: Composite of Gawol being pushed by anticipation)
Gawol! Gawol! Gawol! Gawol!
Show us your armpits!
Beat Kelberos!
(Attached photo: Composite of Gawol sweating from pressure)
How did it come to this? I’m scared. It’s scary!
The expectations are too high! The opponent is last year’s mid-season champion.
But I just came here for fun while taking a penalty kick on the field.
(Attached photo: Composite of Gawol trembling in fear)
What do you mean, the last hope of Korea? Are you crazy?
Leave stuff like that to the pros!
[Comments]
– F*ck, LOL
– But is it right to call her an ordinary person when she beat the Ripper?
└ You laughed honestly, didn’t you?
– The situation is f*cking funny.
└ All the ace players of the domestic pro team are wiped out, and all that’s left is Gawol, LOL
—
[Author: I believed it, damn it]
[Title: Recent Updates from the Domestic Infinity Black Community]
(Attached photo: Search results for Gawol in the community a month ago)
What abilities do snipers have, huh?
(Attached photo: Recent search results for Gawol in the community)
Now they’re seriously saying they can win, f*cking trash!
—
[Comments]
– You’re our hero, Gawol!
– I believed it!
– Welcome! Great job!
—
[Author: Pero Pero]
[Title: Interview Translation with the Semifinal Winner, Kelberos]
Q. Congratulations on your victory. Could you share your thoughts?
A. Victory is always delightful. However, I was hit by an unexpected strike. I think my opponent prepared well, but there seems to be a lot to improve.
Q. Your streak of perfect wins has been broken for the first time.
A. It’s disappointing in terms of records. However, I’m not thinking about it negatively. I’ll prepare well for the next match and show an even better performance.
Q. Luce mentioned that she looks forward to meeting you again in international matches.
A. That’s a pleasant thing. I’ll be waiting with joy.
……
Q. Coincidentally, you met Gawol as your opponent in the finals. Do you still stand by your initial evaluation from the group selection?
A. Absolutely not. At that time, she was a player who hadn’t proven anything, but now she has shown proper skills, hasn’t she?
Q. How would you evaluate your opponent’s weaknesses?
A. I won’t answer that for the sake of finals strategy.
Q. Then, can you tell us about Gawol’s strengths or what you’re wary of?
A. Sure. Her basic physicality is remarkably outstanding. I’d like to give high marks for her psychological warfare and tactics as well. She’s thorough and cunning. However, there are parts that I find hard to accept.
Q. That was an unusually lengthy response for Kelberos. Exactly what part is hard to accept?
A. I’m careful with such expressions, but her playing style doesn’t fit. She is very cautious compared to her physical power. It feels like a lion acting like a fox? This is typically a trait seen in players who’ve fought against stronger opponents. But who has she fought?
Q. That’s an interesting analysis. Is there a player you expect?
A. I searched for pro players from other games but couldn’t figure it out at all. So, I’m quite curious about her growth background.
……
Q. Any aspirations you would like to leave behind?
A. No. The person leaving aspirations should be the challenger.
—
*
I woke up to find the room filled with deep darkness.
It was the color of the night. When I checked the time with a groggy mind, it was close to midnight.
So I woke up a little earlier than the alarm I had set.
Well, I’ll probably catch up someday.
As long as I’m okay when it’s important, it’s all good.
It’s a good thing. It means my body has recovered enough.
The time difference between Iceland, the original venue of the tournament, and Korea is nine hours.
It might be dark night in Korea, but for Europeans, it’s a beautifully flourishing day now.
I should adjust my condition ahead of time.
[Chat with Lee Ga-yoon]
– Thank you for comforting me!
– Although I couldn’t finish this time, something good will come someday, right?
– I’ll do my best next season 
The phone screen displayed the messages I confirmed the day before.
The message itself was received a few days ago, but the hearts of fans are like those of children.
Even small thanks can brighten my mood quickly.
If I could use my legs properly, I’d probably be stronger and healthier than ordinary people.
One proof of that is how I remain strong despite using my body like this.
After waking up, I splashed my face with cold water once and gulped down cool water. Instantly, my mind became clear.
It was like my consciousness was starting my day.
As for breakfast… since it’s an important day, I decided to skip ramen.
It might be night for people, but it’s morning for me right now.
“Ugh. Salmon is really a long time coming. I couldn’t afford it until now.”
I took the salmon out from the refrigerator, a treasure that had been hibernating.
It was something I had ordered and cherished for today.
The perfect starter for the final match morning.
On days with important tests or competitions, my mom would always choose salmon and marinate it the night before.
She had seen something on a TV program about the ‘effects of salmon’ and all.
The doctors who were panelists said it helps with strength and concentration.
I heard they mentioned such things.
So, the morning before the competition always featured grilled salmon.
I didn’t particularly like it, but I didn’t hate it either.
As for me, I’ve been good at eating anything.
Unfortunately, there’s no one left to grill salmon for me.
So it doesn’t make sense for me to struggle in the early morning to cook something I’ve never truly done before.
But I desperately wanted to eat that salmon.
– Always start cooking with the skin side down. That way, the flesh won’t dry out and tear.
– If you overcook it here, it can become dry.
I must have stared at the pan for too long out of anxiety.
My legs, which had been supporting my weight, slowly began to complain in pain.
I reluctantly sat in the computer chair, but the fish was hard to see, so I had to rely on my phone camera.
This is way more difficult than I thought.
I thought it would just be a matter of oiling it and grilling it.
Why are there so many things to pay attention to?
It’s not good to have overly greasy food for breakfast before the competition.
How did my mom do it? I definitely saw her do it many times, but I couldn’t remember properly.
I remembered seeing her sprinkle something while grilling.
But I had no idea if it was salt, pepper, or something else.
In the end, I couldn’t figure it out, so I decided to follow what famous chefs say.
What a time to be able to learn to cook from a chef in my own room.
That’s just great.
[Message from Elderin]
– Good luck in the finals today ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)
– If you win, I’ll buy you Hanwoo! The expensive kind!
– I’ll treat you to anything delicious, so make sure to win and come back~
– Smash Kelberos or the neighborhood scruffy dog!
As I was going along, I found some leisure time to check messages in the game too.
Quite a few messages had arrived.
Elderin, Sulbbang, even Travelers, and Dongjak Station Agents, all sent their own ways of encouraging me to win. I felt too shy to respond with thanks.
As soon as I said that, it felt like my emotions would become something uncontrollable.
Anyway, the grueling cooking time came to an end.
I gathered what seemed to be a good meal and steaming white rice too.
There was still some kimchi left from my coach.
Good. Setup complete.
Eat well, fill my stomach, do a final check, and then head to the tournament.
The unique scent of salmon rose up, making me hungry.
As I sat at the table and took my first spoonful, the taste was quite satisfying, probably due to the good ingredients.
It seems like if you just follow the recipe, cooking can turn out decent.
It was delicious, just like a chef’s recipe… but still felt like something was missing.
The emptiness called forth memories and tortured me.
– Wouldn’t you feel better eating a bit more? Won’t you be hungry going in there?
– It’s better to be a bit hungry, Mom.
– But… are you really okay?
– I’m fine! I’ll just eat this.
No, Mom.
I’m not okay anymore.
Honestly, this rice doesn’t taste great.
It’s greasier than what I used to eat and overcooked, dry.
So I want to eat that grilled salmon from the past.
Cheering is nice, but I also want to hear some nagging.
It’s selfish, I know. Back then, I sometimes thought it was annoying.
Now, I can hardly recall that voice that used to urge me not to be late, even with plenty of time left.
“Ah, sh*t… it got dirtied.”
For no good reason, the precious rice was ruined.
It felt too wasteful to throw it away, so I just ate it.
I didn’t know tears could pack such a bitter taste.
The quiet house annoyed me, so I played some music.
I hated loud music, but my house was always noisy the night before a tournament.
I feared silence more than the noise.
Once I finish eating, I’ll wash up in warm water.
Feeling the warmth should make me feel a bit better.
An hour later, I entered the connection device to prepare for the match.