TATGHC 09

Episode 09

The day of the tournament.

Siu and his friends boarded a bus and arrived at the Overland Championship Park, where the event was being held.

“Wow… this place is huge.”

“Well, Overland tournaments are on a massive scale.”

“We’re really playing here? That’s scary.”

“Don’t tell me you’re getting nervous now.”

The group wandered inside, looking around in awe.

Originally, this venue was used for the second division—the academy league of franchise teams—but since it was the off-season, it was now hosting this tournament.

“Overland really invested a lot into its competitive scene.”

Even Siu, glancing around, couldn’t help but comment.

It was hard to believe this was just for the second division. The venue could apparently hold up to 3,000 people.

For a place meant for academy teams, it was enormous.

“People say a game’s lifespan is tied to its tournaments, right? It needs to become more like a sport for more people to enjoy it. It creates a sense of belonging too.”

Han Jiyeon explained.

E-sports.

The evolution of a game beyond simple consumption—into a competitive ecosystem driven by spectatorship and fan culture.

The formation of fandoms and communities.

The creation of continuous events like leagues and tournaments.

The emergence of secondary content creators—players, streamers, and more.

In short—

A shift from something merely consumed, into something competed in and supported.

And that shift was what extended a game’s lifespan.

“Oh… I thought they just made tournaments because the game was popular.”

“That’s partly true, but it’s more like they made tournaments to increase popularity.”

“As expected of you. You really know your stuff.”

“Haha. My dad runs an e-sports team. Though things haven’t been great lately.”

Siu nodded.

As expected, there was nothing Han Jiyeon didn’t know about e-sports.

“Anyway, let’s go check in. Considering our opponent, we need to be fully prepared.”

Their first opponent was Team Rising.

“Rising is made up of top prospects from various teams, so it won’t be easy. Especially their defender, Kim Dohyun—he’s really good. A well-known prospect in the scene.”

Han Jiyeon added.

“…There’s quite a gap between us. When a defender is strong, the game becomes incredibly suffocating.”

Kim Jungin, the team’s support, said.

“What gap? Our defender is Jongsoo. He almost hit Challenger and even got a pro offer. You think he’ll fall behind?”

“Yeah, just trust me. I’ll handle the entire front line.”

Park Jongsoo, their defender, was brimming with confidence.

And it made sense—after all, he had climbed a lot through five-man ranked games.

Click.

They entered the capsule booths.

Inside, referees were checking the equipment.

“Players, please check your settings after logging into the capsule. If there are any issues, report them via Rescode. We’ll address them immediately.”

“Got it.”

Siu logged into Overland. Rescode connected automatically, and the team voice chat resumed naturally.

“Warm up, everyone. Don’t get too nervous.”

“You sound more nervous than anyone.”

“…I’m not nervous.”

Perhaps because the tournament was so close—even Han Jiyeon, usually composed, seemed tense.

“We’ve got Siu as our sniper. What’s there to worry about?”

“Exactly. He’s gonna destroy them all.”

“Even Lee Jeonghyuk, that mad-movie maker, couldn’t do anything.”

Meanwhile, Siu entered the shooting range and raised his rifle.

He held his breath.

Focused every nerve.

Locked onto the target—

and pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang—Bang!

Each shot rang out sharply.

Every bullet struck only the heads of the targets.

Perfect accuracy.

Not a single deviation.

“Siu, how’s your condition today?”

Han Jiyeon asked.

Siu stared at the targets and smiled faintly.

“I couldn’t feel any better.”

“Alright. Then we’ve already won.”

“Let’s go, SIU—time to massacre some trainees.”

Siu’s condition was Team Sasung’s condition.

Calling him the “core” wasn’t enough.

He was the main body of the team.

As long as he didn’t falter, Sasung wouldn’t fall.

And that alone was enough to ignite the team’s morale.

Siu clenched his fist.

He almost felt sorry for Team Rising—

because today, there was no way they would win.

The Overland Series Cup was streamed on the platform “Jijijik,” complete with official casters and analysts.

At first glance, it might seem odd to broadcast a cup tournament featuring amateurs.

But—

“Alright, let’s see how the prospects are doing~”
“Who’s playing today?”
“Kim Dohyun. GZ’s top prospect.”
“Oh, Dohyun? That’s worth watching lol”
“Come to Red Force please, our tank line is weakㅠㅠㅠ”
“Does Red Force even have a strong lane? lol”
“You bastard”

Surprisingly—

people were watching.

Overland was currently the most popular game, and ever since the release of its VR version, it had been soaring in success.

And for e-sports fans, watching prospects from their favorite teams was an essential event.

[Today’s match is the fifth qualifier of the Overland Series Cup! Team Sasung versus Team Rising! Who should we keep an eye on?]

The caster turned to the analyst.

[Team Rising’s defender, Kim Dohyun! A highly talked-about prospect! Many viewers are probably here just to watch him. He’s been making waves even among industry professionals!]

The analyst continued.

[Despite being a defender, Kim Dohyun boasts a DPS—damage per second—of 800! That’s comparable to attackers! It shows how solid he is on the front line!]

[Exactly! While defenders do deal damage, they usually fall far behind attackers! But reaching that level? That’s something to look forward to!]

Generally, defenders couldn’t match attackers in DPS.

Their role was fundamentally focused on protecting the team.

“Wait, Kim Dohyun is that strong?”
“A defender matching attacker damage? lol”
“Aggressive but high return”
“Would he work in the first division?”
“We’ll have to see.”

Kim Dohyun.

A future spearhead of GZ.

A player with high expectations—and a well-known name among fans.

[But! I think there’s another player we should watch!]

[Who is it?!]

[Lee Siwoo from Team Sasung!]

“SIU? That name already sounds cool lol”
“Name alone is solid lol”
“Isn’t he that guy from the class battle stream?”

The analyst continued.

[With fewer than 100 matches, he’s reached high Grandmaster! His stats are unbelievable—97% headshot rate, 17.8 KDA, and an average DPS of 2,100!]

“Is that even possible?”
“At that level???”
“Is he from another game?”
“That’s the sniper who destroyed the class match lol”
“Didn’t he say he wouldn’t go pro? Why’s he here?”

[For comparison, the average Overland attacker has a KDA of 3.4, around 60% headshots, and 1,100 DPS! But Lee Siwoo far exceeds all of that! Definitely someone to watch!]

“Those stats are insane lol”
“Still, pros are different.”
“They’re not pros yet—just trainees lol”

As the commentary ended, the screen shifted.

[All preparations are complete! Team Sasung versus Team Rising! Let’s see who comes out on top!]

The game began.

The selection phase.

A crucial stage where players locked in their weapons and traits.

“Siu, which sniper are you taking?”

Park Jongsoo asked.

There were four types of sniper weapons, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. But generally, two were commonly used.

The Operator—capable of one-shot kills, but with slow fire rate and long reload time.

And the Martial—faster firing and quicker reload, but lower damage.

The rest were classified as DMRs and rarely used.

Siu asked,

“What are you picking for defender?”

“I’ll start with a shield, test the waters.”

“Then I’ll go Operator. Safe choice.”

“Got it.”

Sasung locked in Siu’s signature weapon—the Operator.

But—

“Wait, they picked Operator too?”

Team Rising’s attacker had made the same choice.

“Looks like they want a mirror match.”

“Against Siu?”

“They’ve lost their minds.”

His friends chuckled.

Even Lee Jeonghyuk couldn’t handle Siwoo’s sniping—and now they wanted to face it head-on?

It was laughable.

“Guess they’re confident.”

Siu grinned.

He was excited.

On a stage like this—what would it feel like to defeat a trainee recognized by the pro scene?

He was about to find out.

“Let’s go with what we practiced. Since Siu’s on Operator and we have a shield defender, we’ll take a shield support and sniper healer. Attacker goes rifle.”

Han Jiyeon said.

“Got it.”

“No objections.”

Since it was their first tournament, they needed to confirm whether their practiced composition would work.

Amateur teams didn’t have the connections to arrange scrims, after all.

“Same strategy?”

Siwoo asked.

Han Jiyeon nodded.

“Yeah. We win the early fight through Siu, take the objective immediately, then play defense.”

The battlefield was Eternal Base—

A map filled with structures and key points, perfect for snipers.

The selection phase ended.

Team Sasung: [Shield Defender – Rifle Attacker – Sniper – Sniper Healer – Shield Support]
Team Rising: [Diving Defender – Rifle Attacker – Sniper – Standard Healer – Shield Support]

A matchup where the better team would win.

“Phew… I’m nervous.”

“Man, this is tense.”

“…Guys, stay calm.”

“You look the most nervous.”

Tension filled the team.

Even Siu’s fingertips began to tremble.

His heart raced.

But it wasn’t the tension of a gladiator before battle.

Nor the fear of an actor before stepping on stage.

It was something else.

Something overflowing—