Chapter 6: Outing, Opening Match

When you have a goal you wish to achieve, it breathes new life into your body and mind.

Perhaps it’s because of this sense of purpose that your motivation greatly increases.

If I had returned and simply repeated a life of eating, sleeping, and doing nothing purposeful, who knows—maybe poison would have slowly seeped into my mind.

The human body and mind are such annoyingly delicate things.

Excessive overwork is a problem, but so is excessive rest—it becomes toxic.

Either way, life needs stimulation.

That’s why the goal I have now, which others may find trivial, is a small yet precious blessing to me.

Three weeks have passed since I returned to Earth.

From the marathon that began with the goal of reaching the Master Tier, the fruits of my efforts are finally starting to take shape after a long journey.

Looking at my ranked match history displayed on the scoreboard, a satisfied smile naturally spread across my face.

The elegant golden wings and crowned emblem on the screen stood as undeniable proof of my achievements thus far.

‘This is the Master Rank.’

If I could just advance to Grand Master and then the final stage of Challenger, I would have accomplished this goal to a significant degree.

A sense of fulfillment filled my heart, and I stretched with all my might to loosen the tension in my muscles caused by gaming.

“Ahh, oof!”

A strange exclamation slipped through my lips, a mix of comfort and grogginess that reverberated through my frontal lobe.

A rush of blood coursing through my body brought a sense of elation as the blockages seemed to clear.

‘Wow, even virtual reality can evoke this kind of feeling. This is addictive.’

‘If I stayed cooped up at home, wouldn’t the energy within me stagnate and rot?’

Checking the corner of the screen, I noted the time—1:00 PM.

It wasn’t too late to step outside and do something.

Disconnecting from the game, I climbed out of the capsule device, took a quick shower, and opened my wardrobe.

Although I didn’t exactly know how to coordinate outfits for a woman’s body…

Well, what’s the big deal about dressing up? If it looks good, you wear it.

After picking a few items that seemed decent, I roughly pieced together an outfit.

Adding a pair of glasses with tinted lenses, I stood briefly in front of the mirror.

“Yeah, looks fine.”

Thus began my aimless outing without a specific destination in mind.

Ten minutes after confidently stepping outside, I found myself slightly panicked.

‘Where do I go?’

I wasn’t an elderly person taking a walk around the neighborhood, so where exactly was I supposed to head?

Naturally, I pulled out my smartphone and checked my friends’ list—but alas.

I had no friends to contact.

Well, it made sense.

Spending a decade in another world meant losing touch with people.

Even if I did meet them, with my identity and appearance now different, there was no way they would recognize me.

Before being summoned to another world, I had friends I kept in touch with and hung out with.

“Too bad.”

The completely empty friends’ list was a stark reminder of just how poor my current social connections were.

There are countless ways to enjoy life, and human relationships are a significant part of that.

By this measure, it was clear I wasn’t prepared to enjoy life at all.

Perhaps this was like starting a new childhood.

So, here’s the conclusion:

‘Wah, I’m a baby hero. Where should I go?’

***

The building was overflowing with people.

Packed to the brim, it was as if a shaken soda bottle had its cap popped open and was now spilling everywhere.

This crowded place clearly had a good reason to be this bustling.

Warfare Mark.

This was none other than the e-sports arena dedicated to Soul Warfare Champions League Korea (SCK), built by Trom Games at Grand Seoul in Jongno.

In the world of Soul Warfare e-sports, South Korea’s prestige was as strong as ever.

It was essentially the number one league—the premier league, you could say.

After all, it held the record for the most Terra Cup wins, attracting the world’s best teams.

To maintain its reputation as the next-generation e-sports powerhouse and premier league, Korea had made a series of bold investments, including this stadium.

Why did I come here? Well, let’s just say Soul Warfare is the closest thing I have to this world right now.

Although calling it a “connection” might be an exaggeration.

I came here aimlessly, but it turned out today’s match was a big one.

‘STK and TK, huh…’

Judging by the lineup and the massive crowd, it seemed their rivalry was alive and well in this game too.

From their legendary matches in Stellar Craft and beyond, this was a rivalry etched in history.

Of course, it being the opening match also played a role.

If it were a lower-tier team, there wouldn’t have been this kind of turnout.

‘Glad I bought the ticket in advance.’

Watching the crowd fight tooth and nail for tickets, I sipped my coffee leisurely.

The café, perfectly aligned with the gaming theme, had an old-fashioned charm that left a strong impression—like the lingering scent of crayons in the coffee’s aftertaste.

At the same time, I was curious about how much e-sports had evolved during my ten-year absence.

Ah, it’s about time.

I should head inside.

Suppressing my growing excitement, I stepped into the arena.

The view of the stadium left me momentarily stunned with its overwhelming grandeur.

‘They said they built the entire arena across four floors…’

‘Was it really this massive?’

If someone I knew were here, I’d ask if this wasn’t a bit of an overinvestment.

To avoid blocking the flood of people behind me, I quickly found my designated seat.

Once seated, I had the leisure to take in the stadium.

My heart was pounding like a pump as I admired the view.

At the center of the arena was the stage where the players would compete.

The thick glass booths stood out, and the virtual reality devices were slightly different from the one I used.

My capsule is designed like a bed where you lie down inside, but the devices in the arena seem to be more like chairs for seated access.

Well, having players lie down to game during a match might break the immersion a bit.

The circular seating area surrounding the stage was elevated, making it easier to watch the games.

The highlight was undoubtedly the 270-degree covered screen spanning the entire seating zone, along with a massive overhead screen dominating my entire field of view.

‘Each seating zone has one of these, making it a total of three colossal screens. What a waste of space.’

Or maybe this level of extravagance was only possible because they used a four-story building exclusively for the arena.

Efficiency aside, for the visitors, this spectacle was worth every bit of extravagance.

‘Even the e-sports arena I visited ten years ago wasn’t this grand.’

It was a stark reminder of just how much the world had changed.

Finally, the league’s opening ceremony began.

Decades of experience and advanced technology made for an impressive display of visuals and effects.

What surprised me most was how the sound reverberated throughout the entire arena, resonating with the players’ actions.

The wind and vibrations made me feel as if I were a part of the opening sequence.

‘Is this like 4DX? Immersive content?’

Wow!

As the players appeared during the opening, the crowd erupted into cheers with each introduction.

It was even more impactful than a movie theater.

Virtual reality is remarkable, but this level of immersive presentation in real life was on a whole new level.

‘This makes watching games in person so worthwhile.’

Once the team introductions were over, the players began entering the stage.

I didn’t recognize them, but the crowd’s enthusiastic cheers made it clear they were top-tier players in the SCK league.

STK, in particular, seemed to draw the loudest roars, akin to the cry of a fierce pterodactyl.

Of course, it wasn’t without reason.

STK.

A legendary team with an unparalleled career, the best salaries and benefits in the pro-gaming industry.

And…

“Warden! Warden! Warden!”

“Carry us hard in this match!”

From past e-sports hits like Stellar Craft and Legendary Arena to the current Soul Warfare, this franchise team consistently produced world-class stars.

The thunderous cheers from the mixed-gender crowd filling the arena were well deserved.

Even I, with my limited interest in the league, had heard of Warden countless times.

The current star player of STK, following in the footsteps of past legends like Bukseo and Baker from the same franchise.

Nicknamed “The Catalyst of Chaos” by analysts and “The Incarnation of Kings” by fans.

With growing excitement over how the pros would play, I focused on the screen.

The match began shortly after.

***

Since Da-young was taking a break from streaming, she decided to watch the SCK opening match on Switch Channel.

If anyone asked why she scheduled a break, the reason was somewhat sad.

Broadcasts of this scale are better handled by high-tier streamers; there’s no point in a small-time streamer trying.

This was the SCK opening match, a rivalry game between STK and TK.

With all the audience attention already directed here, no one would tune into her stream anyway.

Even as a small-time streamer, she wanted to avoid the disaster of streaming with zero viewers.

[Soul Warfare fans across the nation, welcome!]

[The SCK Spring Season Opening Match is about to begin!]

Cheers erupted again from the audience at the league’s opening announcement by the industry’s top caster of 30 years.

[How do you see the new Spring Season shaping up?]

[The biggest topic for this season will likely be the patch changes.]

[Soul Warfare’s strategic depth will see even more unexpected plays, I think.]

With the patch and match themes discussed, and the player introductions complete, the game’s pick-and-ban phase began.

[STK’s Warden selects Katana, countered by TK’s Schneider choosing Scimitar.]

[Both weapons were key to some amazing highlight reels last season.]

[However, this patch nerfed both weapon classes.]

[The question is, ‘will they stick to their signature picks or explore other options?’ This will be the match’s key point.]

The casters’ analysis was accompanied by non-stop cheers from the fans.

For some reason, STK seemed to receive louder support.

Well, they were the reigning champions from last season, winning every league and boasting a world-class player lineup.

‘Ah, I’d love to stream an STK match.’

Da-young, a typical fan of powerhouse teams, watched every STK game religiously.

Supporting your favorite team’s matches always feels more special than watching others.

She got up to grab some snacks.

Bringing cola and chips back to her seat, she thought, ‘Sports are best enjoyed with food.’

As if mocking her sentiment, her smartphone buzzed with a notification from a famous streamer she subscribed to.

It must’ve been a live broadcast for this SCK opening match.

Before being summoned to another world, she had also streamed matches like this.

It was a dream that couldn’t be realized now, but maybe someday.

Still…it felt bittersweet.

“Hah…”

A deep sigh escaped, like a heavy brew steeping in her heart.

‘If I’m a hero, can’t my story end happily? Why does it have to be one of those depressing, post-apocalyptic tales?’

As she was lamenting her situation, a mischievous, eerie voice pierced her ears.

“What are you doing, nerd?”

‘What the—’

“You’re just lounging around with the door wide open because your family’s not home. What if you get caught?”

The frog plushie, wearing a filthy grin on its otherwise cute face, ignored her scolding and continued.

“An assassin shouldn’t be worried about being caught. If there’s a witness, you just deal with the witness. Heh heh—Ack!”

“You little—who are you assassinating, huh?! Trying to get yourself killed?”

Grabbing the plushie with the intent to wring it dry, she tossed it straight into the trash bin.