Chapter 105: A Wild Hero Has Appeared

The STK practice room is as busy as ever.

The coaching staff is preoccupied with analyzing data from the latest scrim, and feedback among the players is actively exchanged.

“Alright, the scrim schedule is done, right? Let’s quickly move on to the next practice.”

The coach’s loud declaration, meant to refresh the atmosphere, drew everyone’s attention.

The scrim ended in a 2:1 victory for STK.

The team was riding high in their prime, dominating opponents like emperors in both official matches and scrims.

Yet, at this moment, none of them showed any trace of a victor’s joy.

Eunha felt a strange atmosphere lingering over the entire team.

Of course, she knew why.

After all, she was the source of it.

To adapt faster than anyone else to the upcoming preseason, everyone had sacrificed part of their vacation and returned to the dorms.

But that was just the surface reason; the real cause lay elsewhere.

Everyone here knew the catalyst had been the brawl tournament from last time.

Yet, none of the team members brought it up.

It had become an unspoken taboo.

Eunha understood why.

They were professionals, after all.

‘Their pride took a serious hit.’

Losing to amateurs in solo rank is possible.

It’s a team game, not designed for one-on-one combat.

Even if one suffered a fluke during a match, most would simply shrug it off as bad luck and review lightly.

Of course, occasionally, even amateurs could pull off something remarkable.

But usually, it felt like it happened within the bounds of the game.

The problem erupted during the last brawl tournament.

Without external interference, purely through individual skills, Renkot lost.

And it wasn’t just a simple loss.

Everyone who watched the battle between Friede and Renkot felt the same.

No matter how much they analyzed it afterward, the same question would gnaw at them:

‘Can I even beat that person?’

It planted a seed of doubt about their own skills.

Even though the last vlog had wrapped things up warmly, there was no denying that such a demoralizing observation had scratched their pride.

The funny thing was that Eunha, one of the people directly involved, wasn’t particularly affected.

The joy of meeting her sister outweighed any regret over losing to Friede in their duel.

Perhaps because of this, Eunha felt slightly baffled by the subdued mood of her team compared to her own carefree state.

‘They’re all too tense just because they lost once.’

She wondered, if someone else on the team had faced her sister instead, would they also be struggling to soothe their wounded pride and throwing themselves into practice with fiery determination?

Eunha shook her head.

There was no way to know.

But one thing was clear: to Eunha, the match had been a beginning of good fortune.

Facing her sister in battle had led to this new connection.

As Friede’s face, and her sister Sehee’s, came to mind, Eunha’s thoughts began to spiral into vivid imaginings.

‘When should she visit again?’

‘If only she had known sooner, she could’ve gone on a trip during this holiday season.’

‘Now, with her teammates back and preparing intensely for the next season, there was no way she could leave, and that realization filled her with regret.’

‘Calm down. It’s not like this is my only chance.’

Opportunities always come.

Maybe next time, she could visit Jeju Island or a distant seaside.

They could grill meat together, stroll along the beach, and enjoy the sea breeze.

As Eunha immersed herself in these comforting thoughts, a warm smile unknowingly spread across her face.

***

“Hey, Renkot, who got thrashed like a ragdoll by a solo ranker. Want to duo with me?”

The teasing voice snapped Eunha out of her thoughts.

She frowned as she turned toward the source.

“Huh? Go die.”

“Come on, even Chan-hyuk is doing solo rank. I want to duo, and you’re the only one left.”

“And what’s with the ‘thrashed like a ragdoll’ comment? Why are you picking a fight? Do you think you’d have done any better?”

“Nah, I probably would’ve lost too.”

Eunha momentarily lost her words at his carefree laugh, then shook her head in disbelief.

This guy, Yoonsoo, was one of the most annoying people for Eunha to deal with, alongside Chan-hyuk.

While Chan-hyuk was intimidating because he was a named user known as Warden, Yoonsoo was simply a mischievous clown who loved to tease.

The personality often sets the team’s atmosphere, but when it goes too far, it can easily turn awkward.

“I heard something about the event. Among the things I heard, there’s a jackpot piece of info. If you duo with me, I’ll tell you. Hehe.”

His laugh, far from sounding sinister, resembled that of a typical internet troll. Eunha was dumbfounded.

“What? What is it?”

“Ah, ah, do you think you’ll get it for free? Duo with me for ten matches.”

“Ugh, fine. Five matches.”

“Ugh, stingy.”

‘A grown man pouting, really?’

“So, what’s this jackpot info? If it’s nothing, you’ll regret it.”

“Get ready to be amazed. Apparently…”

Yoonsoo’s usually half-closed eyes opened slightly as he whispered to Eunha.

“They’re inviting streamers to this event, and Friede might be one of them.”

“My sister?”

“Huh? Your sister? Wait, you’re already close with her?”

Oh no.

Eunha realized she’d let that slip without thinking.

“Wow, incredible. Eunha, you know Friede ? Was it because of that vlog? Did you meet her in person? Was that the reason for the duo match plan?”

“Wait, stop.”

“No, no, we need to tell the whole team about this. I even subscribed to Friede’s stream. Do you think she’d collab with me? What about becoming a franchise streamer for STK? After seeing her face reveal, I became a fan instantly—subscription, notifications, the whole package!”

So noisy.

Yoonsoo’s endless chatter was almost dizzying for Eunha.

But more than that—was her sister really participating in the event?

A small smile crept across Eunha’s lips.

***

The comfort of soaking her feet while eating was incredibly effective.

When your body is warm and your stomach is full, it’s only natural to feel relaxed.

It took a long time to finish, but the cold breeze outside the restaurant now felt refreshing.

“Ahh, I’m so sleepy.”

“Yeah, it’s because you’ve been warm for so long. Want to rest a bit before we go?”

“Sure.”

The small nod was so cute.

Now, where should they go? Was there a nearby place to rest? It would be great if there was a nap room.

A comic café came to mind—it had everything: books, snacks, and even nap rooms.

While searching online for options, Eunha felt a soft hand rest on hers.

“Sister, what about my place?”

“Your place?”

“Yeah. Compared to your house, it’s not much, but you can rest comfortably.”

It was a bold suggestion from Ajin, but it seemed reasonable.

Letting her go home alone felt worrisome, and wandering around would only be tiring.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Yay!”

Ajin jumped up and down with excitement.

That enthusiasm—Eunha understood it well.

When she was younger, she felt the same joy when inviting friends over.

Gathering in her room, chatting and playing games, was always fun.

And when her mom brought snacks, it became even better.

Switching between PC games and sharing laughs—those memories stayed with her, even though they faded after elementary school.

It wasn’t because she lacked friends, but because meetups shifted to PC cafés.

Honestly, even before being summoned to this world, Eunha hadn’t visited someone else’s house much.

That’s why her first visit to Dayoung’s place was so memorable.

Now, she was heading to Ajin’s place instead.

‘How would it be?’

Ajin described it as a modest studio apartment, but stepping into a new space always carried a mix of unfamiliarity and excitement.

Without realizing it, Eunha found herself leading the way, holding Ajin’s hand as they hurried along.

“Do you only work on editing at home? What about your family?”

“Yeah, my family lives in the countryside. I came to the city alone. I used to freelance as an editor, but it was tough.”

It was a relief she moved after coming back.

If Ajin had moved to Seoul before the summoning, returning would’ve been much more complicated.

This moment gave Eunha a chance to hear more about Ajin’s life.

If they hadn’t met, Ajin might have returned to her hometown, unable to lift her curse, and spent her life that way.

Eunha couldn’t help but feel grateful for their timely meeting.

It was then that she noticed something ahead.

In the distance, a zombie—or rather, a student—was staggering along.

Judging by the uniform and physique, it seemed to be a high schooler.

The uniform was ill-fitting, the hair was matted, and dark circles hung heavy under their eyes.

The sunken cheeks suggested they hadn’t eaten properly.

Honestly, if not for the uniform, one might mistake them for a homeless person.

“Sister, what’s wrong?”

Ajin’s voice pulled Eunha out of her thoughts, but she didn’t respond, her focus fixed on the boy ahead.

Noticing Eunha’s silence, Ajin followed her gaze and exclaimed in surprise.

“Oh, I know that guy. I saw him earlier.”

“…What?”

It seemed this connection ran deeper than she expected.