I Have Reasons to Hate Streamers

Each league has players who represent their region.

This was true even without specifically mentioning the top players from Europe or North America.

There was always at least one famous player in East Asia including Korea, West Asia, South America, and other regions.

However, Europe and North America are mentioned the most.

It’s not just because of their good performance in international competitions, but because the influence of their players is different.

Representing a league meant defining the style of that league.

For instance, Europe was a league where ranged dealers were particularly obsessed with firepower.

This was due to Cerberus, who had unparalleled long-term capabilities, and Reaper, who specialized in rear disruption.

Taking the game long against Cerberus meant certain defeat.

And since there were no players who could beat him in close combat, they had to rely on ranged dealers.

A dedicated escort position even became common to prevent being caught by Reaper.

And in the case of the North American league.

It was a league dominated by two “evil friends.”

“Haven’t you gained some weight?”

“Shut up, you jerk. You never fail to say something rude as soon as we meet.”

“I was just joking. Did you really gain weight?”

“You better be careful when walking at night. I’ll definitely come for you one day.”

“That’s why I never go out at night. There are too many people targeting me.”

At a cafe in Los Angeles, California, USA.

A small-built woman frowned.

The man opposite her sipped his coffee with a smirk.

The woman with the rough way of speaking was a pro gamer with the nickname ‘Hero’.

And the man was ‘Phantom’.

Due to these two’s influence, North America became a league of survival and mobility.

Players had to survive Phantom’s grasp, the assassin with the highest kill determination, and face off against Hero with her overwhelming offensive power.

As a result, North American matches featured many flashy and stylish classes.

“This cafe is nice. Not too remote, not too crowded. The coffee tastes good too.”

“Our coach recommended it. I like it too, so I come here often.”

America is a land far from their homeland.

Although they belonged to different teams, the two started their life abroad at the same time, and this created a sense of kinship between them.

This is why their chance meetings have continued for several years now.

Hero’s fork cut into the cheesecake.

A piece of bread stuck to the fork. A clear smile appeared on her lips.

Phantom stared at her for a while and then asked.

“Is that cheesecake good?”

“Yeah. I always buy it when I come here.”

“Let me have a bite, I want to taste it too.”

“Are you crazy? Why should I give you mine?”

“You won the last match. If I like it, I’ll buy one too. Just give me one bite first.”

“Tsk……”

As their pro gamer careers lengthened, an unwritten rule developed between them.

In the league, their matches were always neck and neck, with victories alternating between them.

Familiarity alone wasn’t enough to soothe the bitterness of defeat.

They decided to settle their emotions by having the winner pay for the meal when they met.

And in the recent 2nd round of the North American league, Hero had claimed victory.

In the end, her trembling hand shared a small piece of the cake.

In short, even after years, defeat still hurt for both of them.

Despite accumulating championship titles and numerous victories, they remained obsessed with winning.

Top pro gamers are all such peculiar people.

With nothing but competition and games in their heads, the topics of conversation between the two weren’t particularly special.

“It seems like the teams going to the World Championship are starting to show.”

“Well, it’s about that time.”

“Do you have any teams you’re watching?”

“The usual suspects, plus Japan.”

“I think that necromancer looks interesting too.”

Quite some time had passed since the 2nd round started with a new patch.

It was the period when rankings were solidifying in leagues of almost all regions.

Although specific results would be known after a bit more progress, the outline of teams advancing to the World Championship was taking shape.

While some teams had fallen, others had newly risen.

Naturally, new promising candidates were emerging in this year’s World Championship as well.

Falcon, who had shown presence in the Prelude, easily dominated the Japanese league.

Crow’s team, Team CP, which had demonstrated corpse bombing in the Arena, was attracting attention with its unique tactics.

And finally, one more.

“Are you really not going to talk about the Korean league?”

“That country is messed up.”

“Didn’t you watch any matches at all?”

“…I did. Just because of one team.”

Hero smiled broadly.

Phantom’s hatred for his home country – now it should be called hatred for Korea since he had naturalized as an American – was quite long-standing.

During the heyday of IKL.

Phantom experienced things in Korea that could not be simply described as ‘unfair’.

Starting with his expose, one team imploded. An exodus occurred in the league, and Hero also escaped to the US at that time.

After that, IKL became completely weakened and lost its power.

But recently, one team had started to irritate him.

Hero, who didn’t have much ill feelings towards her homeland, could easily mention that team’s name.

“Sigma seems quite scary. Didn’t I lose a one-on-one when I went to Korea?”

“I saw that. That’s why I’m even more confused. How did someone like that come out of Korea?”

“He must have done something other than gaming before. This is clear. When I faced him directly, his movements were those of someone who had professionally trained in combat techniques. And he must have been a genuine elite at that.”

“It must be. Otherwise, it’s completely incomprehensible.”

Sigma eSports had become the leader of the Korean league.

They were on an undefeated streak in the current 2nd round.

They had completely crushed competing teams without even losing a single match.

Even though IKL’s status had hit rock bottom, the birth of such an exceptional team was unprecedented.

Word was already spreading in various parts of the world.

Objectively… they weren’t yet at the level of World Championship winners.

But reaching the quarterfinals, or even the semifinals if circumstances were favorable, was considered possible by general opinion.

They were evaluated as a team that could cause an upset at least once.

Phantom was particularly concerned about the changes in IKL.

It was the emergence of an unapproachable predator.

All teams were beginning to adapt and go through trial and error to somehow survive.

Once the research is complete, the results would settle as IKL’s ‘style’.

Wasn’t this─ a familiar picture seen somewhere before?

It matched eerily well with how Europe and North America had grown.

“Forget it. We don’t know yet. It’s not like there haven’t been teams with perfect records in regular leagues before. After all, it’s just the Korean league.”

Phantom didn’t disagree that Sigma was a strong team.

But they still had a lot to prove.

E-sports is a field where upsets are frequent.

Unlike other sports with fixed rules, it can bring about radical tactics.

Enough data has been accumulated from the regular league, so it’s about time for something to emerge.

Phantom said with a frown.

Somehow, his speech seemed to have gotten a bit faster.

“There will be many variables in the playoffs. Once the momentum is broken, weaknesses will start to show…”

“You know you’re being really ugly right now? Just admit what needs to be admitted.”

“……”

“Sigh, you jerk.”

Hero’s lips curled up into a grin. 

It had been a long time since she had made Phantom shut his mouth.

* * *

《 It’s not easy, really not easy. It seems like we need a super play now, don’t you think? 》

《 The situation has become too unfavorable to win normally. We just managed to shake Hecate player a bit, but it didn’t lead to a kill. 》

《 Luche has been a player who has consistently grown since his debut, but his recent performance is truly remarkable. 》

《 As we speak, Gawol player is entering enemy territory! 》

An assassin using stealth aimed for the gunslinger’s neck.

It was a dealer who had already used up their survival skill.

As if it was inevitable, their breath was cut off without even being able to resist.

The gunslinger is the class that uses the most firearms in Inbul.

It might be difficult to receive their unique bonus damage, but gunfire coming from the rear is a big threat to supporters.

Gawol picked up a sniper rifle and loaded it. With a ‘click’ sound, he pulled the bolt.

《 But… isn’t Gawol player really unique? 》

《 Yes. In many ways, indeed. 》

《 Weapon looting itself is a play we see often. But usually, since there’s no correction, they only focus on the shooting itself. However, Gawol player’s shouldering is serious from the start. 》

The game was already heavily tilted anyway.

It had reached the point of wrapping up an already finished game, so all that was left was to loosen up the play.

Having judged so, Hoeun started some casual chat.

Bang. Bang.

Gunshots close to explosions rang out several times.

《 Ah, indeed it is. Commentator Hwang Yul was from UDT, right? What do you think of Gawol player’s shooting skills? 》

《 It’s a truly exemplary kneeling position. This player has a proper stance for handling firearms. We could even adopt him as a demonstration instructor. 》

《 Even the weapon change is perfect. At this level, didn’t he really learn it somewhere? 》

《 There’s a joke that three high school girls can take on a tank… 》

A few minutes later, the game ended with Luche eliminating the last enemy.

It was the moment when the record of a perfect score in IKL’s 2nd round Summer regular league was set.