Chapter 219. Almond Steam Bun (1)
"Ahhhh~~~ GG~~~!!"
Boom......!
ForeverAlone silently watched the explosive scene in the third match.
'... Ah.'
They lost in the end.
Balloon Stars broke their winning streak in the tournament.
"Wow, Balloon Stars stormed through the third match even quicker than the second one, right?"
"Yes! It felt as if they knew all of the opponent's weaknesses! It was like Balloon Stars declared that they would already win the game!"
"In the third match, the Frost Archer pick..."
The casters started discussing the match. For the players, hearing these voices meant the game was over.
ForeverAlone tightly clenched his fists.
***
In Solo Is Back's waiting room, ForeverAlone let out a sigh and buried his face in his knees.
"Sorry... guys."
His teammates patted his back.
"Hey, ForeverAlone. It's okay. We wouldn't have made it this far without you."
"Yeah, we're still in the tournament. You did your best carrying us this far."
"We'll have another chance in the playoffs."
They were right. They still had plenty of opportunities. One loss in the league didn't mean much anyway. Their overall record was good up to this point. ForeverAlone knew that as well.
'But.. can we win next time?'
ForeverAlone wasn't sure if they could win against Balloon Stars the next time they played.
He looked down at his arms. They were trembling. Not only his arms, but his legs felt strange too. His heart raced as if he just finished a marathon. His eyes started getting hot.
ForeverAlone subconsciously wiped his eyes with his sleeves, but he didn't need to. Fortunately, this was This World, and no one could see him crying.
"Phew."
He gathered his thoughts one last time and stood up.
'Yeah, this is the truth. I should admit it.'
ForeverAlone admitted that he couldn't beat Miho. He admitted that Almond was not an easy opponent to fight. He also admitted that Tako understood the game better than him.
'I need to admit it first so I can plan for the next step.'
Despite his young age, this was a lesson he already learned from countless solo-ranked games. He could see the situation objectively once he acknowledged the opponent first.
ForeverAlone had to fight without looking directly at Miho. He also needed to shut down Almond's roaming.
"... Huh?"
Something came to mind. The league match had ended, but the next match with Balloon Stars could turn out differently.
***
Chiiik—
The capsule's hydraulic system continued to echo around 10 P.M. It was later than usual because they had played three matches today.
"We did great today."
Ju-Hyeok was resting on the sofa and rushed over with a cheer.
"The reactions in the community are crazy… huh?"
However, Ju-Hyeok fell silent when he saw Sang-Hyeon coming out of the capsule.
"Whew."
Sang-Hyeon got up as if it was no big deal and headed to the bathroom.
'What is this? He's sweating so much?'
Ju-Hyeok already knew that Sang-Hyeon sweated a lot in the capsule, but it was his first time seeing Sang-Hyeon sweat so much.
'This guy… he was really focusing.'
Sang-Hyeon played well with only one hand in the first set as Ran. When he switched to the Frost Archer, it was naturally impossible to play with one hand. Drawing a bow with precision required both arms.
'But it was just two games.'
It wasn't a big deal to use both arms. The doctor had also mentioned that there wouldn't be any issues if it wasn't for too long.
Sang-Hyeon only played two games using both hands today, yet he seemed exhausted.
'Tournaments are a lot different from what I expected.'
The pressure from a tournament was something else. Even individuals who usually appeared composed could find themselves drenched in cold sweat due to the intense tension of the competition.
Sang-Hyeon was no exception, although his relaxed demeanor often masked any signs of nervousness.
'You.. also get nervous, huh?'
Ju-Hyeok finally understood that Sang-Hyeon was human too.
'He... wasn't a nut.'
After this whimsical thought, Ju-Hyeok picked up his phone and left a message.
***
Sang-Hyeon felt much better after taking a hot shower.
'Today's match was a bit challenging.'
After an initial loss, they convincingly secured victory in the second and third games by stepping up their performance. They were determined to prove themselves and erase the blemish on their egos.
It was quite amusing to witness a newcomer to the competitive scene facing off against a team of seasoned players that included a challenger, all the while striving to assert his own pride and skills among them.
'I wonder what others think.'
Sang-Hyeon lay on the bed while enjoying the feeling of his smooth skin after a shower. Then he picked up his phone and scrolled through the community posts. He couldn't help but open his mouth in shock.
'Wow...'
Just as Ju-Hyeok had said, the community was buzzing with news and discussions about Almond. Countless posts were dedicated to him, and the majority of these posts were full of praise for his exceptional gameplay during the recent matches.
'They make me feel like I’m a genius.'
All the clips of his performance throughout the day made him seem like the best player in the world, especially when he fought against ForeverAlone.
[Almond ForeverAlone Clash.gif]
The showdown between Almond's Ran and ForeverAlone's Blind Monk was the number one trending topic in the community.
— Crazy kid…
— ForeverAlone survived from there?
— Wow, what's with Almond attacking with a feint twice!!
The match showcased Almond's feinting skills and ForeverAlone's momentary brilliance.
— This is a real fight between the two best solos.
— The combo didn't work even after he kicked that far? If ForeverAlone was just three years older, Almond would've lost.
— Isn't Almond in diamond rank? How can he do that to a challenger?
Facing a Challenger garnered even more praise for Almond than when he competed against Masters. No one thought ForeverAlone was bad or made a mistake in today's matches.
Almond could only make these incredible plays because ForeverAlone wasn't an easy opponent.
— Honestly, send Almond to the challenger rank!
— He's not in diamond, that’s for sure.
— It's astonishing that the guy was silver just a while ago…
— Silver is impressive!
Sang-Hyeon wasn't expecting this much praise because they lost the first game, but it wasn't as bad as he thought.
He scrolled through the posts, surprised at how many people loved his plays today.
[Wow, they lost, but good play!]
[ForeverAlone gave up his vision to win this. You can't beat that.]
[Even Balloon Stars did really well.]
[Almond missing that mid catch earlier was a real bummer.]
[OMG, I want to buy a ticket for This World... It was amazing.]
[It was a visually satisfying match, for real.]
[This is the TRUE FUCKING LIL]
The majority of the posts focused on the game's entertainment value and expressed satisfaction with the match's visuals.
Honestly, Sang-Hyeon had been concerned that they would face a fair amount of ridicule for losing the first game. He had seen how other Masters and Grandmasters were treated after losing.
'I guess I was wrong.'
Could it be because some of the opponents had lower ranks and less experience than him? People focused more on their growth than their results.
[If Almond managed to beat ForeverAlone, then they can win the tournament too, right?]
[I'm genuinely impressed with Almond improving every day.]
[Our Bubblegum has improved a lot too, guys.]
Sometimes, players wouldn’t even receive any acknowledgment after winning. Still, Almond felt gratified to share his journey with viewers. That was the in-house tournament’s charm. Even the practice matches were all a form of content.
People would always mock when someone lost, especially if they were popular to begin with. Winning was the best outcome in the end.
[Why did ForeverAlone read Miho's magazine when he was going to end up like this anyway?! Lol]
— Literally
— Maybe Miho was his type.
— It's useless if you don't play Blind Monk, lol
[It's not Balloon Stars who's crushing ForeverAlone, lol. It's OrangeKing.]
— True
— My ForeverAlone...
— Did ForeverAlone destroy OrangeKing in solo queue? LOL
[LIL NEWS: ForeverAlone has completed training after reading Miho's magazine! Sets out today to reclaim the title of the ultimate prodigy!]
— This article was posted decades ago.
— Damn, double-kill to ForeverAlone.
— Hahaha, that's hilarious.
— No way, Almond is just all luck. The true player is ForeverAlone. Don't you guys agree?
— Seriously, how can a 30 year old beat a 19 year old~~
The community was often mocked for digging up past articles like this. Fortunately, there were fewer of these posts than usual. This suggested that viewers were content with today's match.
[The play that led to today's victory.]
A post praising the second match caught Sang-Hyeon's eyes. It contained a GIF of Almond riding the ice board and shooting a curved ice arrow.
— That curved shot was awesome. I've never seen anything like it.
└ So many people came to watch Almond's specialty.
└ Of course, Almond has already surpassed 20,000 viewers.
— Does that really work?
└ I can't believe Almond thought of shooting a curved shot at that moment, lol.
└ Seriously, he's fearless.
└ If that had missed, the roaming would've ended. If I were in that situation, I'd probably get closer and end up being attacked by ForeverAlone.
— OrangeKing was making some impressive dinosaur sounds over there, lol
└ Dino sounds LMAO
Sang-Hyeon chuckled and enjoyed reading the community posts. Then he suddenly thought of his fans.
'Maybe… I should do something like a fan meeting.'
He hadn’t interacted much with his fans after winning the tough match. He had immediately left the stream afterward due to exhaustion.
[Did Almond just leave right after the game?]
[Is he dead after competing with ForeverAlone?]
[Almond's sudden end, lol]
[Hey, Manager Lee! Open the door! Wait, no, close it slowly!]
[Hey, Almond.. at least share your thoughts...]
He also realized it after finding a few comments like these.
'Hmmm...'
Sang-Hyeon decided to close the community page and checked his Runestagram.
How did other players manage their fans? Sang-Hyeon checked out his followers’ posts.
Miho's post appeared first.
[Great Job, everyone!
Almond oppa and I carried as the couple champion!
@Almond_Arrow
#PoolParty #MidWin #NantBattle #TheSancuaryExplodes]
Sang-Hyeon recalled allowing Miho to post this on Runestagram.
'So this was what she wanted to post.'
She took a screenshot of when the opponent's base exploded after the second game using one of the features in LIL where players could take selfies. Players usually did this to mock their opponents.
Miho used it differently, and her fans loved it.
— OMG Miho, you're so pretty!
— Damn, cool kids only...
— LOL Look at that ForeverAlone, haha.
— There's no room between them.
— They're such a good looking couple;
└ They're not dating
└ They're not dating
└ Okay, I get it.
— How can you focus on the game with this beauty?
— Miho is cheating! Miho is cheating!
— But who's that arrogant nut next to her?
— Almond! I love you!
— Why didn't Almond wear a pool party skin? Haha.
└ OMG, please...
└ Hell yeah... I would love that so much.
— You got this tomorrow too, Almond!
— I only see you Almond nut ><
It was Miho's post, but almost half of the comments mentioned Almond.
'It's like my fans have nowhere to go...'
They should’ve hosted an after-party after the match. Today's game was a big event, especially for Almond's fans because everyone was talking about his performance. However, his fans had nowhere to share all their excitement.
Fans could chat in the community, but most didn't use that feature. Players needed to create such a space on their SNS.
'It seems necessary.'
Sang-Hyeon finally understood. The SNS accounts of celebrities were a space where fans could commune.
Miho took advantage of her SNS accounts, and so did Bubblegum. Meanwhile, Sang-Hyeon's Runestagram had nothing but ads. He only had two posts in total.
[74K followers]
Sang-Hyeon had stopped gaining followers after around 74,000 followers.
'Hmmm...'
He felt the need to post something while lying down and picked up his phone again.
He had never done this before, but it didn't seem too difficult. The phone camera automatically adjusted to focus on the center and clicked.
[I logged off right after because I felt dead after playing.
It was really fun!]
His phone started vibrating with notifications, but it wasn't what he expected. He thought the comments would praise his gameplay again, but they were different.
'... What the hell?'
— A selfie..?
— Almond... was that your first time taking a selfie?
— Is this Almond?
— WTF LOL
— It's okay. Just keep posting your ads.
— Oh! I get it now! This isn't Almond! This is an almond steam bun!
— Why is there a bun in this picture? Is this a bakery ad?
Sang-Hyeon was bewildered and checked the photo again.
'... Hmmm...'
It didn't look that bad.
'I’m gonna go to sleep.'
Sang-Hyeon simply closed his eyes and thought he had no talent for such things. While he slept that night, his Runestagram became flooded with notifications.
— Is this the place with super duper cute selfies?!
— Wow, the Almond steam bun.
— I followed you, my Almond.
— I came to check out the new bakery opening.
[Follower 84K]
[Follower 91K]
Sang-Hyeon's follower count rapidly rose.
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