Chapter 183: Late Change (2)
Would Almond be able to revolutionize the scene? It was a big statement.
'What's he thinking?'
From the analyst's perspective, OrangeKing's statement was too farfetched.
"If you're talking about the scene, you're including the pro scene as well. Isn't that a bit of an overstatement?"
"Of course, it's difficult in the pro scene, but LIL goes beyond the pro scene, right? Even the streaming scene is immense."
"We're talking about skill here."
"I'm talking about showmanship."
"Hmph..."
The analyst fixed their red glasses and made an uncomfortable look.
[Comment 3: Flashy as always, but he needs to prove himself more.]
The comments were anonymous, but the viewers could tell who made that comment.
"We're talking about skills here. Why are you including showmanship as one of the factors?"
OrangeKing looked confident.
"Showmanship is part of reality as well. It's important. And skill is factored there as well."
"Skill is factored in? You're rating him too highly."
"Are you scared of rating him highly right now because you're afraid of the aftermath? I think what you're doing right now will bite back at you in the future."
"Sorry?"
"I think my rating of Almond and the ranking given to his team is much lower than I want. I lowered it because I respect your opinions, but I can see the future."
"What are you..."
"We're probably going to get comments that criticize us saying things like: What are the three of you doing? Ranking the teams just by looking at the players. If it's something like that, we can do that ourselves. If they're going to get the ranking wrong all the time, what's the point of their jobs?"
— For real
— OrangeKing is self-aware
— A prophet!
— So this is why they call him OrangeKing
— KING!
The analyst turned red.
"Hmph..."
"Of course, you have some merit to your opinion as well in the logical sense, at least."
— Don't try to make amends now, LOL
— You're just acting nice!
— You already beat him up!
"It's true that Almond still needs more analysis. It's impossible to rate someone after they’ve played against only one team."
OrangeKing was trying to explain on the analyst's behalf, but no one listened.
— What's he building up to?
— Are you going to swear or something?
— Poor red glasses
"But I have a feeling. A strong feeling. And I want something beyond comprehension to happen. Isn't that why sports are fun? Something unexpected always happens."
It was a surprisingly boring statement. The viewers were a little disappointed. However, that disappointment didn't last long.
"Something unexpected always happens in sports and only a person who properly understands that can control it. That's why I was able to win a championship while the person beside me... ahem."
The analyst wearing the red sunglasses grabbed his chest, feeling embarrassed.
"... Urgh."
— LOL
— Hahahaha
— Red glasses...
— Shit... the buildup is crazy
— OrangeKing you meanie...
— Go back to the farm, orange!
OrangeKing smiled and finished his statement.
"So that's why I think this team can be a little higher. I'm stating it now as an insurance for the future."
"Insurance for the future? I'm the one holding the insurance."
"I think you're holding Bitcoin."
"Oh, man. Then let's take a look at today's matches."
"Oh? Then do you want to watch today's matches together?"
"Sounds good."
"But the team they're against today is lower than team Solo is Back. Is that okay with you? It'll be easier for Almond to do well."
"They're against Green Tea Bagging, right? Since it'll be mostly analyzing Almond, it won't matter."
"Wow, everyone! Look! Content on the spot! Let's..."
Ping.
Sang-Hyeon turned off the screen.
"Hm."
‘Why are they fighting over me?’ He was receiving more attention than he expected. The stupid VNS…
'No, it's not because of the VNS...'
VNS rankings themselves weren't a big issue. It was because he had a similar ranking to that woman. They probably had similar rankings because they experienced the same pain.
Sang-Hyeon's eyes turned to his phone screen. It displayed the profile of JeonJaPa. With 6 million followers, there hadn't been any posts in the past two years, yet the number of followers had increased compared to yesterday. That was the kind of value the name JeonJaPa held in this industry.
He could feel it even when he went to Bubblegum's This World channel. It was 5 P.M. and time to start practicing, so Almond entered This World and immediately received a barrage of coverage from reporters.
"Oppa! What's your relationship with JeonJaPa?"
"Almond! Have you seen JeonJaPa in person?"
"Wow... I'm jealous."
Miho, Bubblegum, and even StrawberryShooter started asking Almond about the JeonJaPa situation. Surprisingly, only Tako was calm.
"Hey! Don't ask him about his personal life!"
Tako even held back the others. He also met JeonJaPa during his pro days. Wasn't he also curious? Why did JeonJaPa only follow Sang-Hyeon?
"Haha... It's nothing... I just got lucky."
"Huhhh?"
Bubblegum made a shriek like a surprised girl and rolled over.
"Hey! Hey! Almond! Those lies won't go through here!"
"Kyahaha! Oppa, stop rolling around!"
Bubblegum was always in streamer mode 24/7. He was acting like that even though they weren't streaming.
"I'm not lying. It's true..."
Since Almond insisted, everyone let it slide.
"Ah, I want to be followed by JeonJaPa too. Oppa, are we following each other?"
"... Each other?"
Were they following each other? Usually, acquaintances followed each other, but...
'I forgot.'
Almond completely forgot about that. He shook his head.
"Ah, I forgot."
"Wow... I followed you..."
‘Did she?’
Almond couldn't tell because he received so many followers at once. Was there another way to separate them? Since he had never used social media, he was unfamiliar with all of this.
'Social media doesn't do any good for the less fortunate anyways.'
While social media had its entertainment value and functional aspects, there was also a downside to it. It exposed the lives of the upper class in unfavorable ways. Their efforts and processes didn't get showcased on the Runesta feed. Only the luxurious outcomes were highlighted. If someone in a poor situation were to see that, they wouldn't feel motivated to work hard themselves. They would feel more distant from those living in a completely different world or end up blaming their own unfortunate circumstances.
"Ah!"
Clap.
Miho tried to change the topic, seeing Almond's face darken.
"Did you see our power ranking go up? Thanks to you oppa!"
She tried to continue the conversation.
Tako interrupted her because he had something to say, "Since we're talking about Almond."
He had something planned.
"The reason we won last time was thanks to the last team having a terrible banning phase."
"It was that bad?"
"Of course, it was thanks to Almond, but it was still terrible. Also!"
Tako clapped his hands to indicate that this was important.
"This is a practice match."
That was right. It was the practice stage.
The outcomes of practice matches and power rankings seemed important, but they were all ultimately meaningless. The real significance lay in performing well in real matches.
The opponents also considered this and devised strategies accordingly. Perhaps they took some risks to practice and benefited from it.
"Yesterday, we were fortunate because they stumbled. Don't assume we'll have the same luck during our real match. Since our rank rose by three ranks, everyone will be more cautious of us."
"But Tako, the team we're against today has a lower power rank than us. Should we even be worried?" Bubblegum rolled in and asked him.
"Of course. We beat someone higher than us in the power ranking, right? And winning or losing isn't important right now. It's what we learn from the game."
"Hm. That's right."
"What did we gain from the last game? Absolutely nothing."
That was the reality.
They were happy that they won the practice match, but the purpose of practice matches wasn't to win. They were playing to gain something, but they hadn't gained anything.
"The only thing we learned was that Almond could play the Frost Archer, but he was too inexperienced. He didn't even use the Ice Riding skill once. Of course, it's still impressive that we were able to win regardless."
'There was something like that?'
Almond scratched his head, learning that there was a skill he hadn't known about. He didn't know because it was his first time playing that champion.
"So today, we're going to use a different strategy."
"A different strategy?"
"Yes. We need to try it out in the practice matches. We need to have other carries practice as well."
Every match had an ace in the game. They were also called the carry. It indicated the player who would carry and lead the game. The ideal situation was for all five players to carry the game, but that was unlikely. Maybe if it was JeonJaPa's old team, CK Entus.
“If two or three players can carry, that's a success."
If three players could carry, the strategies they could use would be greatly varied. That was why they were trying to have a different carry practice other than Almond.
"Today, we're going to invest in you."
Tako pointed at Miho.
"... Sorry?"
Miho looked around, unsure if he was really pointing at her. She was the only one he pointed at.
"You did quite well against ForeverAlone, who's a Challenger. Today, we will strategize around you, so try your best."
"That's because ForeverAlone is weak against the Succubus!"
"What are you talking about? Anyways, we're going to strategize around you today, so just remember that."
"Wow."
Miho felt pressured, but had no choice.
'Today's not a bad chance.'
Today's practice match was against a team called Green Tea Bagging, which currently held 15th place in the rankings. They didn't have any Challengers, and their highest-scoring players were in the Master tier. No former professional players were on their team, but they could be considered quite manageable.
“Even with a few sandbags, we can still defeat them. In fact, it doesn't matter if we lose. After all, it's just a practice match.”
Tako was considering adding one more sandbag to the mix here.
"Almond."
"Yes?"
"Come over here for a moment."
Tako privately invited Almond to chat on their own.
"Do you still have to play with one hand to extend your playtime?"
"Yes."
"Then play using one hand today."
***
At 5:50 P.M., OrangeKing's followers received a notification.
[OrangeKing has started streaming.]
— Woah, he's streaming twice today?
— Was he serious about streaming with the analyst earlier?
— This petty guy actually came back.
— So shallow!
His viewers didn't expect him to actually stream with the analyst.
"Did you guys have a nice meal?"
OrangeKing adjusted his camera angle. He moved his camera closer to focus on him instead of the wider view that fit three people earlier.
— OrangeKing, you're really here!
— OrangeKing! OrangeKing! OrangeKing!
"Ah, of course. Have you seen me lie?"
— Yes! Yes! Yes!
— Empty orange!
"I told you we're going to watch Almond's stream today. I keep my promises."
— OrangeKing's changed!
— He's different this year!?
His viewers laughed and started watching OrangeKing spectate the match.
'Today's bottom lane is strong...'
Almond was directly facing off against a Master-tier ADC today. It wasn't a one-on-one, but an actual LIL match.
'I wonder if it'll go the way I think.'
Even OrangeKing, who praised Almond, couldn't confidently predict the outcome.