Chapter 226 – 226. Guest Commentary (1)

Thump thump…

The stage resonates with a mighty sound.

Where I am is the main stadium in San Francisco.
Normally, it was a place where general sports events were held and relayed, but now, a simple stage was installed there and seats were added to prepare for e-sports events.

I took my eyes off the wide and splendid stage and looked around.

There were four people in the relay box made in the shape of a gentle curve.
Songkae, a living legend in the caster world and a history book.
Commentator Kim Nam-jin, who is known for analyzing bans and picks, who is praised for his cool and analytical appearance.
Commentator Park Jin-woo, who is in charge of young blood with creative dripping and a tense voice.

And for the first time in my life, I was doing a commentary.

‘Why am I here?’

After I was bruising with a confused expression for a while, the monster hyung who was sitting next to me started talking to me with a smile.

“It’s starting soon, what if it’s frozen like that? Just relax Because no one expects from you anyway.”
“That is very fortunate.”

I knew you were expecting me again.

Still, thanks to that, the tension eased a little.
I sat down more naturally than before, so the World Championship Finals broadcast started shortly thereafter.

Songkae’s cheerful voice opened the curtain first.

“Hello! Esports fans across the country! Greetings from the 2054 Arena World Championship Finals!”

And the following commentary introduction.

“We have commentators Kim Nam-jin, Monster, and Park Jin-woo. Hello!”
“Hello!”
“Yes, how are you!”
“And today we have a special guest commentary. Former Mad Tiger one-dealer and supporter! You are now the coach of Battle Angels, the only women’s team in the first division in Korea, right? We have a battle coach!”
“Ah… Yes hello It is a battle.”

Countless staff and cameras in the front, wide-open view of the final stage and fans swaying like waves on the side.

If you lose your mind even a little bit, it’s a sight that will make you suffer from panic disorder.

In the meantime, I opened my mouth in a very awkward tone.

The broadcasters laughed a little.

“Battle players! No, now you’re a coach?! In the past, when I relayed a battle coach’s game, I kept thinking about it, so I said I was a player without even realizing it. But as I said, you went to the World Championship a lot in the past, so why are you so nervous?”
“When I play as a player and when I come as a guest commentator, the feeling is very different.”
“Ah… So, are you more nervous now than when you went to the World Championship as a player?”
“When I was a player, I was doing what I was doing every day, so I wasn’t that nervous. I’m a bit nervous now.”

It seemed that the faces of the players who were watching the broadcast came to mind in my head.
Maybe you can’t stop laughing.
Because he always showed a strict appearance in front of them.

“More than that, it’s really great. How did you get the women’s team from the 3rd division to the 1st division?”
“It is unprecedented. It’s the first time to be promoted to the first division, and even a women’s team… Will you continue to maintain the identity of a women’s team in the future?”

It was usually difficult to interview, so questions about me came one after another.
I answered lightly without worrying too much.

“Perhaps it will. It hasn’t been decided that we will keep the women’s team, but unless the current players leave, I don’t think there will be any separate male players.”
“Also. That’s how it should be. It’s the first women’s team in the first division, and I hope it lasts a long time.”
“I think a lot of people would agree. Now, the greetings end here. Now, let me introduce you to the two teams that will face off in the finals!”

On the screen for monitoring placed in front of the relay box, the biography and characteristics of the two teams appeared.

“First of all, I was the champion last year. Mad Tiger Gaming from Korea!”
“This is the best team. This time, I am challenging myself to win the World Championship twice.”
“Next is the challenger’s position, Tintin Chimera.”
“It is a team that has full support from China.”
“It’s a really scary challenger. Did you ever feel a sense of crisis while going up to the final?”

As the commentators said, it was true that Tintin was ahead of them when looking at their records so far.
If Mad Tiger’s game was a series of insecurities, Tintin’s is because they truly have walked on a solid road.

“You should expect Mad Tiger Gaming to show a different side of yourself.”

The screen then moves to the profile of each player.
First, five players familiar to me come out.

Team Mad Tiger Gaming
Top: MTG Carryman
Jungle: MTG Beyond
MID: MTG Wizard
AD Carry: MTG Phychic
Support : MTG KID

‘These are names I miss.’

On the outside, he looks blunt, but when you get to know him, he has a unique personality.
Beyond is good at fighting and has a smirk personality, so you don’t know what he’s thinking.
My old friend and younger brother, 4-year veteran pro gamer, Wizard.
Psychic who has a childish personality, but is genuine in one skill.
Even Kid, who had a soft personality at a young age and followed my words very well.

‘I hope I win.’

Although they became their own team now, they did not have any ill feelings.
It was a team I once stayed on, and I just want it to win as a team representing Korea.

Afterwards, we talk about Tintin Chimera and various observation points.
And we talked lightly about the match predictions for the two teams.

“Ah… It seems like the opening stage is finally starting at the moment I speak… Let’s see it together.”

Then the opening stage unfolds.
I was not a singer, but a celebrity appeared and sang and danced.
Looking at the screen dotted with splendid graphics and stage effects, I knew that I had spent some money.

‘By the way, is Jiyeon doing well?’

As I was idly organizing the script while watching the stage, I suddenly thought of Hwang Ji-yeon.
She is a supporter who stood on the same bottom line as me in the past, and now she is the manager of Mad Tiger Gaming.
She knew her personality her well, so I was n’t too worried about her, but for some reason I felt uneasy, perhaps because she was thinking about the old days her.

‘Come to think of it, the team we met in the finals back then was Tintin Chimera, right?’

The time was 4 years ago from today.
It was the first Arena World Championship, and it was the tournament that decided my destiny.
In the final match, Mad Tiger Gaming and Tintin Chimera faced off just like today.

‘And on that day, my physical condition was the worst.’

It certainly wasn’t that he was nervous.
At that time, I was confident, and even Tintin Chimera wasn’t a very good team.

‘But from the first set, my body started getting worse and worse, and in the end it got to the point where I couldn’t show my skills.’

At that time, no action could be taken.
Condition management was also a virtue of a pro, so I couldn’t blame anyone.

‘Though something like that won’t happen today.’

Thanks to that, the best career I ever achieved by running as a player became runner-up in the World Championship.
He was a black history that he regrets to this day, so I just hoped that such a thing would not happen to Ji-yeon today.

###

‘Whoa… I’m nervous.’

It was already the third world championship.
The first time was to win runner-up with Battle in 2050, and the second time was to win with new team members hand-picked in 2053, the year of last year.

And today, with the same members as last year, we reached the final stage for the third time.
I don’t know how much longer Arena will maintain its position as the world’s No. 1 esports, but no one can deny that it is renewing its heyday every day.

‘If we win again today, we will need at least three years to catch up in our careers.’

If that were the case, the popularity of the Arena might have cooled faster than a team capable of surpassing the stronghold of Mad Tiger Gaming.
It’s literally building the best career that can’t be broken.

‘This team will definitely make it happen.’

Hwang Ji-yeon turned her eyes and looked at the players in the waiting room.

Her former teammates who took her from her playing days her, her arguably weakest her, and carried her to the world championships.

It was a tower she built back up after dropping her own hand or two.
It would make no sense to her to be angry with her for having picked someone better than her self her in her cold professional world of course, but the fact that she had retired her friend and colleague her by her own hand. Had always bothered her.

‘So I have to prove it.’

Maybe it was the price of abandoning the friends who could go to her grave her with her her world championship runner-up her as her her life’s complacency her.
By winning, she had no choice but to show that she was not wrong.

She gritted her teeth and turned to her players.

“Are you all ready?”

Players nodding their heads.
Some players had anxiety in their eyes, while others showed confidence.

“Don’t be nervous, just think about what you are good at.”

She hated words like ‘do your best and come’ or ‘come after a game with no regrets’.

‘That’s just an excuse for those who didn’t win.’

What do you mean by playing a game without regret after coming all the way here to win, to win?

‘Do you think there will be a runner-up with no regrets?’

I hated the self-suggestive escapism she instinctively jumped into just to not burden her players, or because she wanted to play a good manager.
A true coach should be able to tell his players that right now is the most important moment in his life his, and he should be able to win even if he fights ugly and desperate.

“Definitely win. You guys are my best picks.”

So she never said anything that could dampen the confidence of the players.
I don’t think in the slightest about losing.
She picked the best players, got the best training, and had the best gamco jeans attached.

Although the process to get here has been difficult, I have overcome it all in the end.

“Let’s go, to win.”

As she got up from her seat first, her players also stood up one by one.