Chapter 8: Placement Match of Chaos
1.
“You’ve worked hard all this time.”
As I returned to the kitchen after serving the last kimchi fried rice, the boss greeted me with a smile.
“Thank you.”
“Really, no thoughts about staying? I can raise your pay as much as you want.”
He tried to hold onto me, but my resolve didn’t waver.
“I’d love to keep working, but I’m quitting to prepare for going back to school. I’m really sorry.”
Of course, that was a lie. I had no intention of returning to school.
After everything I’d been through, studying again? Nothing could be worse.
“Don’t worry too much. I’m just saying it because I’ll miss you.”
The boss pulled a paper envelope from his pocket and handed it to me.
“Thanks to you, we got a lot more customers. This is a token of appreciation.”
“You already helped me find a capsule, so I’d feel shameless taking this. Please keep it.”
“No, no. The capsule was just a used one from a friend whose capsule room went bust. Don’t feel burdened.”
“…Alright.”
Refusing further would be ruder. I hadn’t expected such kindness.
“If you ever think about coming back, give me a call, okay?”
“Yes. Thank you so much.”
I gave the boss a light hug and stepped outside.
“So, I really quit.”
I’d planned to quit soon, but not this fast.
Still, I had no choice if I wanted to meet my sister sooner.
My absence might dip the capsule room’s sales briefly, but it’d be fine.
The place had been packed lately, and I’d shared the Spam kimchi fried rice recipe.
‘It’s not even that special.’
Adding mayonnaise was a bit unique, but you could probably find similar recipes on cooking channels.
It all came down to the chef’s touch. I
wasn’t sure how well the boss would pull it off.
‘Not my problem anymore.’
Feeling lighter, I returned home.
Opening the door, I saw the capsule—delivered this morning after I asked the boss yesterday.
Going to the capsule room every time was a hassle, so I bought one.
A new one was too expensive, so I got a used one, but it still wasn’t cheap.
‘Over 10 million won for a machine?’
Thanks to the boss’s connections, I got it for 5.5 million. It wasn’t the latest model, but I was grateful.
I grabbed a triangle kimbap from the fridge.
Without heating it, I tore it open and ate.
Chew, chew—
My old body needed three of these to feel full, but now, one was enough.
‘Is this what they call a cost-efficient body?’
Was this the legendary “small eater”? I chuckled, tossing the wrapper in the trash. With food done, it was time to game.
Yesterday, I went with the flow. From today, I needed a plan.
Getting Diamond right off the bat would be troublesome.
‘Placement matches are five games, right?’
Even with a perfect win streak, the chances of placing in Diamond were slim. But I couldn’t let my guard down.
‘Overconfidence kills.’
I chugged some water and climbed into the capsule. It smelled like a new car. They must’ve cleaned it thoroughly.
Taking a deep breath, I pressed the button. The lid closed, and a hologram appeared.
『Biometric ID verified.』
『Nice to see you again, Kang Hayul.』
『Connecting to a new world.』
『Turn imagination into reality.』
My vision flashed, and I felt like my soul was being sucked in. A mix of falling and floating hit me.
It wasn’t my first time, but the sensation was still jarring. It’d probably take a while to get used to.
“Phew.”
As my senses sharpened, a green plain spread before me.
I moved my fingers to enter The Legendary Arena.
『Entering The Legendary Arena.』
『Would you like to skip the intro?』
“Yes.”
The looming castle wall dissolved like dust. The screen brightened, revealing a holographic battlefield.
“Honored to meet you again, Carrier!”
Melena greeted me with a bright smile. I smiled back and exchanged greetings.
“What brings you to The Legendary Arena today?”
“I want to play ranked. Is that possible?”
“You’ve completed 20 quick matches, so you can start ranked right away! Twenty matches in one day—that’s amazing!”
“Ahem.”
I coughed and looked away.
It sounded like sarcasm, but it was probably my cynicism talking.
“Let’s start ranked.”
“Alright, starting matchmaking!”
『Game found!』
A match was found in less than five seconds. Popular game, indeed.
『Assigned position: Top Lane.』
“Nice.”
No issues with the position. I started thinking about which heroes to ban.
‘Honestly, I don’t know much.’
I hadn’t studied The Legendary Arena enough to know which heroes were overpowered.
Better to let my teammates decide.
[Game Lobby]
[HallelujahElena: Oh, fck. Finally caught you lololol]
[OnlyFacts: ???]
[ImElena: Ugh…]
“Huh?”
I glanced at the chat, and it felt off. It was obvious a streamer was being sniped.
“Tch.”
‘No need to care.’
The train keeps moving even if dogs bark. Sniper or not, I’d just play my game.
2.
“Ugh, I hid my matchmaking, so how the hell did they snipe me!”
A character with white hair shouted. Despite her icy appearance, her speech was rough.
– lololololololol
– They actually pulled it off lol
– Fact: It’s easy to snipe in Silver ㅇㅇ
– Mad? You know what to do.
“Ugh, guys, please, let’s get to Gold. I’m tired of fighting with teammates in Silver every game, aren’t I?”
– Nope lololol
– Not at all. It’s fun every time, a new vibe…
– Elena’s perfect for Silver ㅇㅇ
– Whoa~~~~ You’re too heated. Time to chill…!
“You think I can stay calm? After all this nonsense, and now a sniper?”
[Carrier: Anyone need a ban card?]
“What’s with this guy?”
As Elena fumed, a chat popped up in-game. She frowned.
“What? The top laner doesn’t need a ban? When we have first pick? How confident is this guy?”
– Top lane bros got that vibe bb
– Got a top lane tryhard too lolol
– But what if they’re actually good?
“Right. I’m thinking there’s a chance. It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone this confident in this tier.”
She opened a match history site and searched the top laner’s name.
『Carrier』
『Unranked』
“Ugh…”
No match history at all. Not even from past seasons.
A total newbie in their first placement match.
– lolololololol
– Nope~~~~ Not confidence, just clueless about matchups~~~~
– Ignorance is bold lolol
– Baseless confidence lolololol
Showing the search on stream, the viewers had a field day. The one hope was a newbie.
“Should I dodge? But I’ve dodged twice already. One more, and I’m locked out for 12 hours…”
She’d only been streaming for two hours. Dodging now would set the chat ablaze.
“No choice.”
[ImElena: Anyone willing to dodge?]
[Carrier: Why?]
The newbie responded instantly. They didn’t seem to know Elena was a streamer.
“How do I even explain this? ‘I’m a streamer named Elena, and HallelujahElena is sniping me…’ That’s so lame.”
– Ugh~~~ Lame lame lame fck
– Honestly, it’s embarrassing to say I watch Elena’s streams…
– For real lol
[ImElena: …Forget it. Let’s just play.]
Sighing, she picked her usual ranged dealer hero, one that shot ice arrows, strong in lane.
[ImElena: Yo, play properly, okay?]
[HallelujahElena: Of course ㅇㅇ I’m not throwing just ‘cause I’m sniping ㅇㅇ;]
“Yeah, right…”
She said she’d play, but her heart wasn’t in it.
The allied team was a mess, but the enemy sniper was the real problem.
Malicious snipers who dropped to Silver.
They’d throw blatantly as allies but tryhard as enemies.
Against someone like that, surrendering at 15 minutes was the move.
‘Please.’
But if that wasn’t the case, there was a chance.
“Chiron?”
The team picked their heroes one by one. The top laner’s pick was unexpected.
Chiron.
A hero wielding a massive two-handed greatsword, themed as a fallen paladin.
His basic attacks and skills were strong but hard to land, making him a “troll pick” in low tiers.
“This is bad, right?”
A newbie in their first placement match picking that hero.
She sensed defeat, but dodging was no longer an option.
[ImElena: Top, can you dodge?]
[Carrier: Why?]
“…Because we’re gonna lose ‘cause of you.”
– Wow, trash;
– Boo~~~ Trash~~~
– That’s what you say to a newbie in placements????
“I know! I know! That’s why I didn’t type it!”
[Carrier: No special reason? Let’s just play. I’ll carry.]
[ImElena: Uh, sure…]
“Carry, my ass…”
– Look at that confidence lololol
– So cute lololol
All she could hope for was the enemy team dodging.
“Please!”
She clasped her hands, praying, but the gods didn’t answer.
『Entering The Legendary Arena!』
The game began, and the loading screen appeared. A familiar name stood out on the enemy team.
『ElenaPotSmasher』
“Ugh…”
The enemy top was a notorious sniper. A former Master in a previous season. In Silver, they were practically a god.
– It’s over.
– Game Over. Lock ‘em all up!!!
– A~~~~~~ Elena’s done for~~~~~
“God, this sucks…”
Playing a game doomed to fail. Was this how livestock felt being led to slaughter?
💸 [Nickname: Anonymous] donated
🪙 1,000G!
💬 Yo, but ‘Carrier’s match history is kinda crazy? 20 wins in normals;;;
A donation chimed in as she bit her lip.
– For real?
– 20 wins as a newbie is legit talent
– Smurf?
– VR games don’t have smurfs, dumbass
– Yo, is there hope?
“…Hope? Even if they’re talented, how are they beating a Master top laner?”
– True…
– Experience is absolute ㅇㅇ
– Can’t help it
“I’ll let this one go cleanly. Not saying I won’t try, but…”
The loading ended, and the game began.
No expectations, no hope—just a tragic end awaiting.
The top laner, oblivious to their fate, boldly charged to the top lane. Elena sighed, watching their back.
“…I kinda feel bad.”
That confident newbie was about to get crushed by a Master top laner.
Elena worried she’d caused a newbie to quit. But her guilt didn’t last a minute.
『First Blood』
“Ugh…”
The defeat chime rang before minions even spawned. As she covered her face—
– Huh?
– What?
– What’s that???
– ??????????????
The chat flooded with question marks. Puzzled, Elena checked the scoreboard and froze.
“…We won?”
The first blood was theirs.
The winds… had shifted.