Chapter 54: Observation and spying are a fine line apart

STK Gaming Team.

The most prestigious esports team in South Korea, carrying decades of history and tradition.

With numerous championship titles across leagues that include Stellar Craft, Legendary Battle, and other genres, STK boasts an unrivaled record.

Especially remarkable is its legacy of producing legendary pro gamers consecutively—a feat unmatched by any other team worldwide.

Through continuous expansion, many new game categories have joined STK as esports titles.

Among them, the current rising star team is undoubtedly the STK Soul Warfare Pro Team.

***

A woman with tousled hair scratched her head as she emerged from her room.

“Looks like I’m first again. Well, as usual.”

Cha Eunha, one of STK’s star players alongside Warden, flopped onto the sofa and gazed blankly out the window.

The sun was still shining brightly.

It was 4 PM.

The schedules of pro players typically started later than those of the average person.

To prepare for evening matches, their biological clocks were optimized accordingly.

It felt like a transformation of the body to suit the job…

Eunha had found it tough to adjust when she first joined the pro team.

Swallowing a small grumble about waking up earlier than usual, she closed her eyes to take a light nap, hoping to calm her groggy mind.

Short naps like this often helped refresh her if she still felt drowsy after waking up.

“Ugh, what a hassle.”

Life feels like ashes—burnt out, insignificant fragments of gray.

‘Is this what the life of a pro is always like?’

As she soothed her languid exhaustion, her unspoken thoughts slipped out unintentionally.

‘But why was no one else showing up today? What about scrims or practice? Why was everyone being so sluggish?’

Just as annoyance started to bubble within her, Eunha realized an important fact.

‘Ah, the season’s over.’

Everyone, except for the manager and coaching staff, must have gone on vacation.

Realizing she was the only one in the dorm, Eunha let out a hollow laugh.

“Well, a space to myself without anyone around. Might as well enjoy the freedom.”

Her drowsy eyes brightened as she got up and stretched.

The stiffness in her muscles and joints cracked noisily, emitting satisfying sounds.

The stretching brought some vitality back to her body and mind.

Too lazy for a full shower, she settled for washing her face.

Emerging from the bathroom, she relished the unusually quiet atmosphere of the dorm.

It was a rare sight.

She grabbed a leftover salad from the fridge to quickly satisfy her hunger.

“What now?”

During the season, she would plan her rest days meticulously, but now that her break had arrived, her mind felt blank.

After thinking for a minute, she decided on one thing: to sit in front of her computer.

“I’ll just surf some links for now. Inspiration will come eventually.”

***

The site she accessed was Soul Warfare Outven’s event category.

If her manager or coach had been around, they would have scolded her to change the design.

The event banner, plastered in dark red, was glaringly eye-catching.

At the top of the category, the massive banner read: “STK Soul Warfare Brawl Tournament.”

This was the reason she had to stay at the dorm despite the vacation season.

Sure, it was all for money, but working while everyone else was on break stirred a subtle irritation in her heart.

“Alright, let’s see what our cute bronze, silver, gold, and platinum-tier participants have been chatting about.”

Even though it was an event, it was hosted by her team.

She was the “final boss” of the event.

The team had advertised heavily that players could face STK’s Yeon-ggot (her alias) in a one-on-one match.

‘Self-searching is mandatory, isn’t it?’

As she entered the discussion board for the event, something caught Eunha’s eye.

***

[Title: Is the Friede VS Yeon-ggot match real? My heart is pounding.]

[Title: With Friede’s skills, wouldn’t Yeon-ggot struggle? Just my cautious guess.]

[Title: Conclusion: Friede farming hype is all nonsense.]

[Title: Yeon-ggot—recent form observations.]

[Title: Let’s fight with something other than swords.]

***

“Heh…”

Friede…

She had heard that name often.

Apparently, Friede had taken down someone known as the “gatekeeper of Challenger tier.”

‘I wasn’t interested since it happened during the league season.’

The controversy stemmed from accusations of cheating.

By the time Eunha had enough free time to stream, her viewers were already spreading the story, so she couldn’t avoid hearing about it.

‘Let’s see… the buzz.’

A flamboyant custom avatar dripping with money.

Insane physical skills reminiscent of cheating.

A beautiful voice.

‘That’s about it, right?’

Seeing her name in a trending post, Friede had probably joined the event too.

‘I’ve heard she’s a streamer, but…’

“Alright, let’s check the public sentiment.”

[Is the Friede VS Yeon-ggot Match Real? My Heart Is Pounding]

“Isn’t this basically the ultimate showdown for Korea’s top female Soul Warfare players?”

“If Friede beats Yeon-ggot, is she looking at a pro debut?”

[SeowitIlNam: “Streamers make more money. Why go pro?]

[fate722: Why? Pros have honor too.]

[GreatSword: The idea that pros are worse off than streamers is outdated. Nowadays, top-tier pros rival or surpass streamers.]

[ToothpickGeneral: Fact: Same goes for streamers.]

***

[With Friede’s Skills, Could Yeon-ggot Struggle? A Cautious Prediction]

“My sister is the strongest in Korea. She’s going global!”

[ToothpickGeneral: Yeah, right. Think she can even make it to the finals?]

[StreetBeggarGirl: A bunch of amateur elites aiming to go pro will be there. Think it’s possible?]

[SeowitIlNam: Don’t forget top-tier streamers joining for self-promotion. Let’s stop speculating and just watch.]

***

[Let’s Not Fight with Swords—Do Something Else]

“How about Friede takes off her mask, and she and Yeon-ggot have a swimsuit contest? No fighting needed, and we can cheer for both sides happily.”

[EggLookalike: Fact: This is the truth.]

[ApibellNo: LMAO agreed.]

[GarlicKnight: Let’s reveal Friede’s face while we’re at it. I’m in favor of this.]

[SunlightSaber: Friede, Yeon-ggot… don’t fight. Let’s just watch.]

[StreetBeggarGirl: You idiot, write that in your diary instead.]

***

Despite the chaotic wording here and there, the enthusiasm was undeniable.

A swimsuit contest, though?

Eunha glanced down at her own body.

‘I mean, I’m pretty confident about it.’

It could be fun, after all.

Of course, the team would never approve, but it was still an amusing thought.

Among the many reasons for Yeon-ggot’s top-tier popularity, the most cited were her skill and appearance.

Her Challenger-level skills, often competing for the top rank, combined with her unexpectedly pretty looks for a “game nerd,” had secured her a massive fanbase.

In many ways, Yeon-ggot shared similar traits with Friede.

Friede… Whether she could win the event or not remained uncertain.

‘If we do meet…’

It would make for an intriguing match-up.

A “rivalry,” so to speak.

Eunha had always dominated her fellow female pro gamers.

The arrival of a strong new contender stoked her competitive spirit.

The more, the merrier.

Of course, it wasn’t just about Friede.

Whoever came her way, Eunha had no intention of taking them lightly.

When a pro exposes themselves to amateur matches, it can tarnish their team and personal image if they lose.

That’s why pro gamers approached such matches as a mix of fun events and lighthearted gimmicks.

The only exceptions were Warden—Kim Chanhyuk—and herself.

No matter the opponent, she always gave it her all to win.

That was her motto as a professional.

“Alright!”

The thought fired her up.

With time to spare during her break, she decided to lay down her strategy a new.

Whoever came her way didn’t matter, but the expectations for this user named Friede were high.

‘In that case…’

Some reconnaissance was necessary.

It was time to check out the much-discussed Friede’s stream.

Eunha’s wandering mouse finally found a clear target and sped up.

She logged in using her secret account.

As a pro, she was under constant scrutiny, but no one could recognize her second account—known only to herself.

She set the category to Soul Warfare and entered the channel list.

Sorted by viewer count, the familiar name appeared at the very top:

Friede777.

“Wow, already at the top.”

Most pro gamers also doubled as team-affiliated streamers, so Eunha was somewhat familiar with the streaming ecosystem.

With over 20,000 viewers, Friede was already a top predator in the hierarchy.

“Twenty thousand viewers already?”

For a streamer less than ten days old, the growth seemed excessive.

‘Was there a display error on the app?’

Various thoughts crossed her mind, including a faint hint of envy she didn’t care to admit.

She clicked the stream title.

As ads flashed by, Friede’s broadcast began.

What greeted Eunha’s eyes was…

“Huh?”

A bizarre figure wrapped in black cloth like a mummy, wearing an odd ninja outfit.

Her chubby, egg-shaped frame was a far cry from the sleek image Friede’s nickname, “Warrior of Light,” evoked.

In one hand, she held a katana, and in the other, a throwing weapon.

“I’m going for a ninja warrior theme today.”

[Hey, bring back the beach warrior!]

[Sensei, what did we do to deserve this?]

[You jerks must’ve made her mad again. This is your fault.]

The contrast was hilarious.

Friede’s nimble moves in her “egg roll” ninja attire didn’t align with her reputation at all.

“‘Warrior of Light,’ they said?”

Eunha smirked as she leaned closer to watch.