Episode 03
The timer ticked down—
And the game came to an end.
[Ah, time’s up! The Saseong High School Class Tournament Quarterfinals are over! GG! Class 2 takes another victory and advances to the semifinals!]
Score: 2–0.
Thanks to the sniper, Siu, the match ended in overwhelming fashion.
- Came to watch a clown fight, found a monster insteadㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- The sniper is literally solo carryingㅋㅋ
- That guy does NOT belong in a school event;;
- Chill, they’re just Diamond–Master players
- His aim is on another level thoㅋㅋ
The viewers couldn’t contain their excitement at the unexpected performance of a substitute player.
“Holy shit, we crushed them! SIUUUU!!”
“Lee Siwoo! Lee Siwoo! Lee Siwoo!”
“Siwoo just hard-carried everything!”
“This is insane—INSANE!”
His teammates were no different.
“I didn’t think we’d beat Class 1 this easily.”
“We wouldn’t have, without Siu.”
“Exactly. Their average tier was higher than ours.”
“And they had Park Jongsoo—the Grandmaster.”
Class 2 had originally been intimidated.
Class 1 was known for its strength, and their average tier was higher.
But—
“Grandmaster? So what? He got destroyed by our Siu.”
“For real, Park Jongsoo couldn’t do anything.”
“As expected of SIUU—the GOAT of primates.”
SIU had shattered their strategy from the very beginning.
Tier differences became meaningless.
Without him—
They wouldn’t have won.
“Siu, you could hit Challenger at this rate?!”
Han Jiyeon shouted, her face flushed with excitement.
“No, forget Challenger—you were beyond pro level! How the hell did you land a headshot mid-air after grappling?! I thought I was watching performance art!”
“…Haha.”
“I’ve watched pro matches with my dad, okay? I’ve seen real players! Maybe not everything—but mechanics like aim tracking? You’re way better!”
“R-Really?”
“I’m not exaggerating—I mean it. You should seriously become a pro gamer!”
Siwoo smiled awkwardly.
He had never seen Jiyeon this fired up before.
She was always composed.
“…She’s right.”
He realized it then.
He might actually have talent.
Wasn’t it obvious?
Even in ranked games—
He had entered the top 0.4% almost immediately.
And now he was playing with them.
Toying with them.
Then—
A memory surfaced.
‘Your talent is real. You should try for a pro gamer entrance test.’
Han Cheolmin’s words echoed in his mind.
He couldn’t deny it—
He was tempted.
A chance to prove his talent.
If he succeeded—
A salary worth hundreds of thousands.
Recognition.
Fame.
Just imagining it—
Sent chills through his body.
Thousands… tens of thousands of people chanting his name.
But then—
Reality crushed the dream.
The white lights of a hospital room.
His exhausted older sister’s back.
He wasn’t someone who could chase dreams so freely.
His family was too heavy a burden.
His eyelids trembled as he shook his head.
‘I should go to university.’
The pro gaming world—
Was a battlefield of geniuses among geniuses.
People who had crushed everything from the very start.
Reaching Diamond in 32 games?
An 87% headshot rate?
An 11.7 KDA?
For them—
That was nothing.
Just the basics.
Of course—
The prestigious universities he aimed for were no different.
They were also filled with geniuses.
Demanding relentless effort.
But—
At least they were stable.
Being a pro gamer wasn’t something you could just choose.
Opportunities were limited.
‘I need to ease the burden on my mom and my sister.’
That was why—
He chose university.
Nothing more.
“Siu?”
“Huh?”
Jiyeon called out to him with a smile.
He looked up blankly.
“We won because of you… so I want to keep playing together. Will you join us again next match?”
“….”
“Ah, no pressure! You don’t have to if you don’t want to. We just… want to play with you.”
She smiled gently.
Before answering—
His chest tightened.
Was he allowed to be here?
To be trusted like this?
To be wanted?
It felt sweet—
But also terrifying.
“Yeah… let’s play together again. Just call me.”
“Really? Thank you!”
In the end—
He gave in to that sweetness.
Like someone starving, tasting honey for the first time.
Just for a while… it should be fine.
It wasn’t like this would last forever.
Just a passing event.
*
The next day—
Saseong High School buzzed with rumors.
“Hey, is it true Class 2 crushed Class 1 yesterday?”
“Yeah. They couldn’t even breathe.”
“How? They had Park Jongsoo!”
“No clue. Some guy named Lee Siwoo just destroyed everyone.”
A student blinked in shock.
“Lee Siwoo? The rank 2 student? He plays Overland too?”
“Yeah—and his stats are insane. 90% win rate in Diamond. High headshot rate, crazy KDA.”
“…90%? What the hell?”
“He solo carried with forward sniping. They couldn’t even leave spawn.”
“How is that even possible…?”
Class 1 was known for its strong players.
And yet—
They had been completely shut down by a single sniper.
Unbelievable.
The class tournament had become the hottest topic in school.
With prize money on the line—
And finals just before vacation—
Everyone was talking.
“Everywhere I go, it’s ‘Lee Siwoo’ this, ‘Lee Siwoo’ that… Damn it, SIUUUUUUU!!”
During break time—
Han Cheolmin spouted nonsense again.
Siwoo frowned.
“What are you even talking about?”
Cheolmin smirked.
“Are you seriously clueless? Or pretending to be?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Everyone’s talking about you! Forward sniper carry!”
He mimicked holding a sniper rifle—
A ridiculous sight.
“Even Park Jongsoo couldn’t do anything! You should go pro!”
“…You’re exaggerating.”
Siu sighed.
Everywhere—
His name echoed.
Hallways, cafeteria, playground.
Cheers mixed with jokes.
It felt strange.
Proud—
Yet uneasy.
Like a secret had been exposed.
But Cheolmin kept going.
“No, seriously—you’re insanely talented!”
And then—
“Siwoo!”
A familiar voice.
He flinched and turned.
Jiyeon was looking at him.
“…Yeah?”
“You didn’t forget, right? Today’s match!”
“Ah, yeah.”
He smiled awkwardly.
“Do it like yesterday! We’re counting on your carry!”
“With Siu, we can’t lose!”
“Ready to get carried again!”
They waved energetically.
It was a lot—
But not unpleasant.
“Yeah.”
He waved back.
Cheolmin grinned.
“Yesterday was the beginning of a legend.”
“…What nonsense now?”
“Your debut will go down in history.”
He smirked.
“When you become the greatest pro ever, you’ll remember me. After all, I got you into this!”
“….”
Well—
He wasn’t entirely wrong.
It was thanks to Cheolmin that he even met Jiyeon properly.
“Anyway, go win it all!”
“You just want free pizza from the prize money, don’t you?”
“You got me.”
Siu chuckled.
*
Streaming channel—Jijijik.
The Saseong High School Class Tournament continued.
The semifinals had already ended in another overwhelming victory—
And now—
The finals.
But—
[Sniper Lee Siwoo goes for another forward sniper play! Class 5 tries to push out with shields—but he launches himself with grapple recoil! He’s got the angle—HEADSHOT!]
- That’s insaneㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- Shield? Just go above itㅋㅋ
- This guy’s nutsㅋㅋ
- Mid-air accuracy is ridiculous
[They try to pressure him with rifles—but he has shield support and a healer! Without consecutive headshots, they can’t bring him down!]
- This is unwinnableㅋㅋ
- Landing headshots there is impossible
- This gameplay is disgusting
It was hardly a “final.”
It was a massacre.
With Siwoo at the center—
And his team supporting—
Class 5 couldn’t even attempt a proper offense.
Every time he aimed—
Someone fell.
Too easily.
Was I always this good…?
His fingers felt lighter.
The momentum carried him—
His chest burned.
But—
A chilling sensation crept in.
Like he wasn’t human—
But a machine.
[At that moment! The payload is active! But Class 5 still can’t catch Siwoo! He escapes again—what is this movement?!]
- He’s toying with themㅋㅋ
- Best grapple usage I’ve ever seen
- SIUUUUUU!!!
- We finally found the national sniper…
Even shields were useless.
He simply soared above them—
Forced an angle—
And killed.
Trying to catch him?
Pointless.
He slipped away like a ghost.
“Are you kidding me?!”
“This guy’s insane!!”
“How do we even deal with this…?”
Class 5 lost all will to fight.
Against Siu’s forward sniping—
They had no answer.
[They’ve lost the payload! Time is running out! Their attacker and healer are still respawning! Is this how the finals end?!]
Time ticked down.
No resistance.
Siwoo kept picking them off—
Relentlessly.
[Class 5 contests—but they’re outnumbered! They try to fight—but get wiped! ACE! Total annihilation!]
Pajukjuk shouted, spittle flying.
[What is Lee Siwoo?! A substitute player—yet he’s solo carrying! This isn’t a bus—it’s a jet!]
- Is this hidden boss type?
- Must feel insaneㅋㅋ
- Masters getting destroyedㅋㅋ
And finally—
[5 seconds! 4! 3! 2! 1! It’s over! Class 2 crushes Class 5 and takes the championship! GG!!]
- Join Redforce
- Nah go Hanha Life
- They already preparing his signingㅋㅋ
- No weakness at all
- SIUUUUUUㅋㅋㅋㅋ
The game ended.
*
Right after—
“Nice!! Siu, that was insane!”
“All hail Daesiu!”
“Dashu! Dashu!”
His friends screamed in excitement.
“That wasn’t normal—you’re not even human level! You dominated all the way through finals!”
Jiyeon was the happiest.
Siu’s mind went blank.
The cheers—
His name—
It took seconds to register.
His heart dropped.
Thrilling.
Being cheered.
Jiyeon looking at him with shining eyes.
Even the chat going wild.
His chest swelled.
He wanted to feel this again.
No—he wanted to live in this feeling.
“Praise Jiyeon for bringing Siwoo!!”
“No, praise Daesiu himself!”
They laughed.
Still riding the high.
Then Jiyeon spoke.
“Good job, everyone! There’s an interview soon—I’ll go first! Let’s eat together after!”
Even for a school event—
A broadcast meant interviews.
But instead of preparing—
She grabbed Siwoo’s hand.
“Siu!”
“H-Huh?”
His heart dropped again.
“Have you thought about other tournaments?”
“…Other tournaments?”
He tilted his head.
She smiled.
“Yeah! There’s one during vacation—hosted by the game company. It’s called the Series Cup. A national tournament.”
Then—
“So… what do you think?”
“Want to enter it together?”
