After Tako's declaration, Sang-Hyeon surpassed Level 30 and began playing ranked games. He was able to quickly climb up to Silver. Today, five days later, the day of the match against StrawberryShooter had arrived. Sang-Hyeon was doing push-ups and breathing heavily.
At that moment, Ju-Hyeok subtly asked him, "Hey, you're working out a lot these days. Did something change?"
"If I work out, I just blank out."
"Yeah, so..." Ju-Hyeok scratched his head and couldn't understand him. "More than usual?"
"... Shut up. Don't talk to me."
Ju-Hyeok giggled at Sang-Hyeon's reaction.
Sang-Hyeon bit his lips, frustrated. He did eighty push-ups in total and finally collapsed.
Thankfully, his right arm could endure these workouts. Doing push-ups using his left arm alone would be a difficult task.
"You have a lot of money. You should get some home gym equipment."
"Archers don't need that. We just need to work out a lot," Sang-Hyeon said to him while lying down.
The sunlight warmed up his wet t-shirt.
'Four hours left now?'
His match with StrawberryShooter was at 6 P.M. The peaceful sunlight at 2 P.M. seemed like it wasn't aware of the intense match that was bound to happen, just like Sang-Hyeon's blank mind.
"... Has Manager Oh said anything since last time?"
"You said he wants you to be Miho's manager."
"Hmm. I still haven't decided on that."
"... Still? Then what's Miho going to do?"
Ju-Hyeok unnecessarily scrolled his mouse even faster.
"They'll be fine. I bet Bubblegum's company will have some backups."
Sang-Hyeon was surprised to see Ju-Hyeok talk that way.
'Is he not going to grab this opportunity?'
He wasn't sure what Ju-Hyeok was thinking. For Sang-Hyeon, it was a no-brainer to be Miho's manager.
'He'll be fine since he's smarter than I am.'
However, Sang-Hyeon wasn't the type to pester either and left the matter alone.
As Sang-Hyeon went silent, Ju-Hyeok asked him. "Hey, aren't you nervous at all? The 1 vs. 1 is today."
To someone like Ju-Hyeok who would tense up and practice endlessly when there was something important, Sang-Hyeon seemed like a fascinating person. One might think that the phrase, ‘Peace under heaven,' was coined for him.
"What's the point of getting nervous? It's just the ADC position."
"StrawberryShooter will be upset if he hears that. Just give it to him then."
"I can't do that. I'm better than him."
“Pfft!” Ju-Hyeok burst into laughter.
Sang-Hyeon was truly a witty guy. Just because he finally reached the Silver rank... How could he confidently claim to be better than a Master rank with such pride?
"I need to upload this on YouTube."
"We'll probably get good views for it."
Sang-Hyeon responded with a calm tone and took out a bag of almonds.
He crunched on them, focusing on chewing one at a time. It was a kind of meditative routine for him. As an archer, he had to polish his mental management skills by repeating certain actions to find inner peace. This tranquillity showed that it wasn't just a natural disposition or talent, but a result of his constant efforts to manage his mind.
'I know it's an important match.'
The 1 vs. 1 battle was a match where there would be no excuses. Who wouldn't be nervous?
If he lost, Sang-Hyeon would feel a blow to his pride. It would only be amusing to others if he lost to a Master player as a Silver player, but it was still a matter of personal pride for him. It didn't mean he didn't care about the match's outcome. On the contrary, he belonged to the group more obsessed with winning and losing. He only knew how to win, which was the difference.
'You have to focus on the arrow, not the score.'
When falling behind in an archery match, inexperienced players often found themselves glancing at the scoreboard frequently. This only further uneased them. Nothing would change no matter how much they stared at the scoreboard.
That was when they should focus solely on the bow and arrow. The same applied to LIL. Instead of fixating on the outcome of victory or defeat, players should concentrate on a simpler truth. Avoid the opponent's attacks and land their own. In a one-on-one duel, this principle held true in LIL. It doesn't matter if the opponent was StrawberryShooter or anyone else. Regardless of the match's increased attention, Sang-Hyeon's task remained the same.
He repeated it as if he was brainwashing himself.
A Silver player was playing against a Master tier player. Every community user would be intrigued by that title.
[Kya, silver vs. master today. Isn't that crazy?]
[What's StrawberryShooter going to do if he loses?]
[Tako is so brutal...]
[Almond Milk vs. Strawberry Milk!]
Posts about Almond and StrawberryShooter started pouring in early in the morning and grew steadily as the afternoon approached. Even a hashtag, #MilkBattle, was created.
[I mean, isn't it obvious Strawberry will win it all?]
[I met a master tier player when the ranks reset last season. They're seriously on another level]
[But since it's a 1 vs. 1, we can't say for sure. Purely by mechanics, Almond might have the upper hand.]
[A 1 vs. 1 match makes it a little iffy. Mechanics are the most important for an ADC, so it might be a fair fight.]
[Didn't Tako plan this tournament to shut up Almond? He never listens to him, lol]
[It's true. Almond doesn't listen at all]
Everyone expected Almond to completely lose. Of course, who would bet on a Silver player facing off against a Master tier player?
"Tsk, tsk. These guys don't know anything."
Ju-Hyeok shook his head as he browsed the community forums.
"Since it's , should we try to get something out of them?"
Sang-Hyeon was curious. What could they get out of them?
"... What are you talking about."
"I'm thinking of setting up a betting system."
"Betting? Like sports gambling?"
Points gambling was a system of placing bets with accumulated points while watching and was supported by Treevy. Although the chat window often became messy and it wasn’t widely used, it received a positive response when occasionally used during broadcasts with a competitive format.
"If we don't use it now, when else would we be able to use it? Let's use all this attention and blow it up."
"... That's not a bad idea. Sounds fun."
This was Sang-Hyeon's strength.
'It might be overwhelming for other players...'
It seemed like Sang-Hyeon was immune to pressure and nervousness. What about his opponent?
'Obviously, StrawberryShooter is going to feel pressured.'
If the mental battle was drawn out, it was obvious that StrawberryShooter, who lacked professional experience, wouldn’t be able to compete.
Ju-Hyeok knew that Sang-Hyeon was in good shape and everyone already expected Sang-Hyeon's defeat. He decided to raise the stakes and create an explosion. This way, Sang-Hyeon's win rate would increase along with the viewership ratings.
Ju-Hyeok would probably earn a lot of points as well. Of course, these Treevy points were just currency with no real value and only usable for buying emoticons or virtual goods. Still, having a lot of them made one feel good. Losing a lot would probably feel bad too.
"We're going to use this as an opportunity to shut the mouths of your haters."
"... By taking their points?" Sang-Hyeon asked him dumbfoundedly.
What was the big deal with losing points? Sang-Hyeon couldn't understand.
Ju-Hyeok frowned. Did Sang-Hyeon not understand how much these points meant to viewers?
"It'll do the trick. They'll face utter defeat from this."
Even until the end, Sang-Hyeon couldn't understand as Ju-Hyeok immediately went to work. Sang-Hyeon agreed and thought it'd be fun anyways.
[Announcement. Almond vs. StrawberryShooter will have a points betting event. Make sure to bring lots of points!]
The announcement came out thirty minutes before the match began.
— Almond's pure channel is going to do points gambling?!