Free Web NovelSeason 5: Chapter 43. The Legend of Zela (2)
Before the team fight began, Almond’s team had been actively hunting Zelo’s team first. Thanks to that, they had relatively more time.
Then, Almond made a strange request. “If we get the upper hand in the team fight and Bubblegum is a rune spirit... please stop dealing damage.”
“What?”
The teammates were taken aback. They had followed all kinds of bizarre orders before like running four tanks, but this felt like taking a step too far from victory itself.
“No, why?”
‘Because of the mission.’
No matter how shameless Almond was, he couldn’t say, “Just shut up and follow it for the mission.” Funneling all the runes into himself and even running four tanks had been framed under the grand cause of winning. Keeping Bubblegum alive to the very end risked undermining that cause entirely.
‘Hmm... What do I do?’
Worse still, this was a placement match. In placement matches, what else mattered besides winning? Judging by their voices and impressions, most of them were probably in their mid-to-late twenties. At that age, LIL fiends were at their peak. So much so that these placement matches probably mattered more than real life itself.
Having already experienced the behavior of LIL fiends on LIL Pro more than once, Almond knew this well. Even he couldn’t easily provoke players suppressing their true nature under the banner of victory.
‘Let’s think, Almondoyle.’
Surprisingly, Almond chose to rely on his brain here. Ironically, it looked like an incredibly stupid decision.
“Marketing, you see, isn’t about knowing what someone wants. It’s about knowing what situation they fear the most.”
Suddenly, Almond recalled something a section chief at Ah-Sung once said. This man, an obvious elite, had come from the marketing department. Trying to use that advice, Almond recalled more of that old memory.
“First, make them aware that the situation they fear could happen. Then, when they’re scared, tell them you’re the one who has the solution. Go on. Try it on me.”
It had been during a seminar for new hires, a kind of event presentation where everyone had to try selling something. That section chief had stepped in to help a clueless high-school graduate rookie.
Almond had tried his best.
“Uh... Chief, actually, I overheard something in the director’s office.”
“Oh? You’re doing it now?”
“They said you’d be transferred to a regional branch... That your line got cut... Something like that.”
The section chief’s eyes had gone wide. This kid, was he serious?
“Oh... not bad. So? What’s the solution?”
“Pardon?”
“The solution.”
“...”
“You... was that actually real?”
Almond never saw that chief again. Later, he was replaced by someone Ju-Hyeok and Sang-Hyeon knew.
‘That’s not a good memory.’
Pulling himself back to the present, Almond shook his head. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
‘But still...’
Life lessons always came from bitterness.
Almond gathered them close and whispered, “You guys will get matched with Bubblegum again in the next game.”
“What!?”
“What kind of trash talk is that, boss!?”
“Take that back! Almondoyle!”
“Hey, what the hell are you saying, Almond?”
— LOL are you crazy
— What is this LMAO
— Suddenly cursing them LOL
— Trash talk mode: on
— Bubblegum getting absolutely disrespected LMAO
— Their reactions are brutal...
“If you queue up after a game where a teammate died, you get matched with them again. They designed the algorithm that way, so we have to keep Gum bro alive till the end.”
— ?
— ...?
— What?
“What is this, a horror movie? Like a vengeful spirit latching on?”
“It’s real.”
“Hey, why are you guys whispering among yourselves?”
Everyone knew it was probably fake.
‘What if?’
‘Damn it. What if that’s actually a thing?’
‘No way...’
Fear scrambled people’s minds and made them instinctively grab the rope dangling down,
even if it was rotten.
“Pfft, I don’t believe in that superstition crap.”
“Exactly. What nonsense. You probably just got a mission to keep Gum alive~.”
“Only weak-minded guys believe stuff like that. Tsk.”
“What? Why are you all looking at me?”
***
They talked confidently, but their bodies told a different story.
“Stop the DPS!”
Snap!
The tanks froze in place at attention like soldiers standing at ease.
— LOL
— HAHAHA
— They’re insane
— Look at that formation lmao
[Frost Arrow]
Even when Almond’s Frost arrow flew in and froze Zelo, they didn’t move a finger.
“Hey, big bro is stepping out for a smoke. Wait here.”
The viewers lost it.
— LOL they’re out of their minds
— Lord Almond’s people handling skills need to be studied
— Smart Young Man! Smart Young Man! Smart Young Man!
— Didn’t these guys say earlier they wouldn’t believe it? LOL
— Is Bubblegum really that scary!?
— What kind of discipline is this?!
— I thought the Knights’ crew was scary, but this tanker squad is on another level;
Zelo... no, Zelu... no, Zela, felt wronged. “Just kill me already, you bastards!”
Losing was bad enough, but being toyed with like this? For what? He didn’t know about Almond’s mission, so it made no sense to him.
Zela shouted the name at the top of his lungs, “Loooord! Were my grandfather and father not enough!?”
— LMAO
— Is this a historical drama? LOL
— Holy shit
— Treason always punishes three generations
— LOL
Even as Zela screamed, practically spitting blood, Almond’s tank squad didn’t budge. They just whispered among themselves.
“So... this guy is Zelo?”
“They said Zelu.”
“He mentioned his grandfather and father. It’s Zela.”
— Are they crazy
— These guys LOL
— LMAO
— Ah~ tanking is fun~!
A moment later, Almond reappeared.
“Oh? You didn’t run?” Almond had expected Zelo to flee.
“The Shadow has completely closed in! Where would I even go!?”
— For real!
— LOL
— LMAO
“Oh. Right.”
The area they could still move in had shrunk continuously until it was barely about 700 sq ft. Running now would accomplish nothing.
“Anyway, you’re admitting you’re below Gum bro now, right?”
“No, why would you put it like that?”
“Well, because...”
[Flying Punch]
Thud!
Bubblegum’s iron fist suddenly shot out, snapping Zelo’s head sideways.
[Enemy defeated!]
[Bubblegum → Zelo]
— LMAO
— Holy shit
— LMAO NO WAY
— LOL
— Where did he come from!?
— Zelo’s face lmao
“Damn, this game is dirty as hell!” the cute wobbling rune spirit complained.
Pop. Pop!
— That’s the highest praise
— Damn
— Almondoyle’s detective novel receives critical acclaim!
— This is it!
— Ahh, that was refreshing~
— Don’t underestimate Gum~
— And so, the Lord ultimately wiped out the rebel bloodline...
***
Ba-bam~!
[Mission Success!]
Clink!
[Congratulations!]
[You have received an incredible 1,150,000 won in donations!]
“Miss. RubySword! Thank you for the generous donation!”
In the end, Almond shamelessly claimed the mission reward.
— He really took it
— That’s a fat payout
— Damn
— Insane
— Honestly, he earned this
— Wow
As Almond thanked RubySword, another donation came in.
Ding.
[RubySword has donated 10,000 won.]
[I only gave 300k won, though...]
— Oh wait, that’s true
— 300k is still a lot
— LMAO then who made up the rest of the 1.15 million?
The mission fund had started at 300k won and snowballed into 1.15 million won.
‘Ah. So that’s it.’
Almond realized something new.
‘Gum bro’s power... is ridiculous.’
What kind of conviction had Bubblegum’s appearance given them? Almond knew it himself.
Based on his skill, the chance of placing first in his very first placement match was extremely high. Missions like this usually didn’t appear. With Bubblegum added to the mix, the reward inflated into an amount that made no sense for a single game.
Tiriririri...
Just then, a video call came through on This World.
— Oh?
— Is it Gum bro?
— Nice
— He’s calling!
“He’s not asking to duo, right?” Almond blurted out reflexively. “I’m just kidding~.”
— LOL
— Are you sure that was a joke?
— Funny young man...
Whoosh!
He went into the virtual space prepared in the This World channel.
“Oh! Man, Almond! Thanks so much! Seriously, you’re the only little bro who really looks out for me! Wahaha!”
Bubblegum was clearly thrilled, saying Zelo’s spirit had been completely crushed thanks to this.
“No, seriously. Zelo kept messing with me from the start. Huh? But still, I’ve got seniority, you know.”
After venting his grievances for a while, Bubblegum finally said, “But Almond, when are you queuing up again?”
— LOL
— HAHAHA
— Straight to the point LOL
— Ah... freewebnøvel.com
“Oh, no. I’m not asking to duo. I’m just asking when you’re queuing up~. You’re going right back in, yeah? Huh? Didn’t you say you’ve got a five games in a row first-place mission today?”
“Ah... Yes.”
“No, no, everyone. What’s wrong? It’s not like I’m asking to be on the same team. If I end up on the enemy team, you’ll just climb smoothly again, right?”
— LMAO
— He even knows about the mission LOL
— Manager Gum is ruthless
— The pressure is insane...
Almond politely suggested that Bubblegum stop for the day. “If you keep queuing today, won’t you run into Zelo again, hyung? You just barely beat him.”
— Classic Ah-Sung rhetoric
— Ah! Almond attempts to escape pressure!
— Is this guy actually smart? Running into the wall that is Bubblegum makes his brain spin like crazy LOL
— I’ve heard this kind of talk somewhere before...
“Uh... but Zelo left the game.”
“Pardon?”
“Huh? That’s weird. He said he was finishing all his placements today.”
— Damn
— Why did Zelo leave?
— Wait a second...
— Did he end his stream??
— Rage quit?!
Zelo had left.
Bubblegum asked again, “Almond, when are you queuing?”
“...”
“Almond?”
— LOL
— You’ve only played one placement, isn’t this too much?~
— You’re not about to end the stream suddenly, right? Haha
— Escape attempt failed! Bubblegum with the tackle~!
— Silence? Almondoyle.
— Honestly, from Almond’s perspective, it’s a huge loss. Winning with Bubblegum on the enemy team is easy, but winning with him on your team is insanely hard LOL
— The deduction demon Almondoyle suddenly went quiet?
***
[Beginner’s Tip]
[Did you know? To protect contractors, LIL is equipped with an emergency shutdown option in case of excessive overheating.]
