Chapter 354 – 354. World Championship Group Stage (2)

For some, the Arena World Championship was a war in which they risked their national honor and career as a professional gamer, while for others, it was nothing more than a game.

Just before the final stage begins in earnest.
There was a time when the players and officials gathered lightly and had a drink or meal and strengthened friendship.

Because pro gamers have a lot of introverted personalities and are not very sociable, there were many people who were reluctant about group gatherings.
However, after participating in a gathering with an insider who has at least one person on the team, those thoughts completely change.

Since they are also men, they have no choice but to fall in love with the opposite sex who is passionate about the same hobby.
Unfortunately, since there are more men in the industry, most of the male pros started to make friends with each other, but it was not a bad meeting either.

It was when the atmosphere was quite ripe that a chilly atmosphere descended on the meeting place.

“And…”

Players of various nationalities exclaimed in their own way.

Battle Angels.

The team I had only heard of was right in front of my eyes.
When I first heard that they had conquered ACK, my first thought was that the Korean league was out of date.

It was once the most hated country in an international competition, but it wasn’t scary at all if an all-female team fell to the level of winning first place.

There is still a prevailing perception that women can’t play games compared to men.
What’s more, a team made up of 7 girls in their 20s with outstanding looks!

According to the existing common sense, it is a very natural judgment to see that the level of the Korean league has fallen a lot.

However, that perception was gradually shattered as the World Championship qualifiers progressed.

Undefeated streak until the group stage.
In addition, it was because Mad Tiger Gaming and Extreme Korea Telecom, which had been fighting with them, were doing well and gaining momentum.

Unfortunately, those two teams lost one each, but considering the performance they showed in-game and the level of their opponents, it was by no means a pleasant surprise.

At this point, one question arises for the officials.

‘Then, how strong were the Battle Angels who fought these two teams?’

The answer to that question was to watch the group stage.
Or take on the Battle Angels, who came in first place in Group A, on the tournament stage!

“I’m here?”

The first person to talk to the Battle Angels who participated in the party was Han Ah-reum, a reporter from Korea.

“What are you doing here quietly?”
“Uh… That is… “
“I have someone I want to introduce to you. Would you like to go with me?”

She is a journalist, so she has some connections with people in the industry.
So, their first meeting started with a light greeting with those introduced by reporter Han Ah-reum, but it was only natural that countless people who were interested in them approached little by little and formed a crowd.

“Uh… Michael here is a fan of you guys! He said he wants to be friends with you?”

“This is the coach of Play the Game… They said they would introduce their players. But if I get introduced like this, it seems like there will be no end, so I’ll say it’s okay!”

“Occasionally, there will be players who suggest that we go out for a drink, but we have to firmly refuse. If you accept one or two, there is no end.”

Fortunately, under the guidance of Ah-reum Han, who speaks English and has a lot of experience, I was able to avoid various tricks.

Han Ah-reum also had the benefit of taking care of herself.
As the players of her Battle Angels depended on her, she changed as if she had to go through reporter Han Ah-reum to open her face with the Battle Angels.

Just being able to arrange her celebrity encounters was a huge boost to her growing solid connections.

But she alone cannot control every opponent approaching her seven players.

There was a person who approached White Baek, who had been away from the group for a while, taking advantage of her busyness.

“Are you Battle Angels?”

Turning her head at the sudden sound of her unusual pronunciation of English, a player of her Southeast Asian descent was talking to her.

Translation technology has developed a lot, so it was possible to communicate to some extent through a cell phone, but Baek Ha-yan did not have to do that.
Because of her early education when she was young, she was in a state where she could speak English at least briefly.

“That’s right.”

Then the man took a step closer.

It was an act that felt out of place.
He also didn’t want to get close to him.

A bald head with no hair at all.
And black and white tattoos all over her face.

He was short and on the small side, but the miasma in his eyes and the playful and grotesque tattoos on his body made me feel uncomfortable.

After making a mockery, he continued.

“Since the tournament became famous, there have been guys like you all along.”
“…”
“Some people are risking their lives in the game, but they attack with a light heart like a joke.”
“…Me?”
“That’s right. Look at you guys You’re messing with the eyes of the players here by dressing up to get some attention.”
“I never did.”
“All the women’s teams I met were busy weeping after the game. Then, just because I’m a woman, the fans who cheer for me talk pretentiously. ‘The opponent was just bad.'”
“…”
“Can you be different?”

During the conversation, rather than his one-sided quarrel, he realized that his team was in the same group as the Battle Angels.

It was Han Ah-reum who stopped him from mocking him again with a cynical expression.

“Wait. I don’t know what the purpose is, but let’s do it here.”
“Joy.”

A man twisting his lips.

Thanks to this, Han Ah-reum spoke to Baek Ha-yan, whose face was gradually hardening.

“This is Bang Bang, a supporter of Taiwan Esports. Originally, he is famous for his psycho-like performances, so don’t worry too much about him.”
“Yes… “

As you can see from his eccentric appearance, he was notorious for dragging all kinds of aggro in his home league.
Whether it’s shaking his butt proudly at his opponent after winning a game, or pretending to be strong while taking off his shirt to show off his upper body full of tattoos, he wasn’t an ordinary player who would do eccentricities on a regular basis.

There were fans who cheered for its stimulating taste, but most fans hated it.

Bangbang grinned and held out his hand.

“I’ll see you at the game in a few days, so let’s shake hands.”

Looking at his hands with tendons, it seemed that something not very good would happen the moment they held each other.

It was at that time that Han Ah-reum tried to stop it.
Someone suddenly appeared from the side and grabbed his hand instead.

Bang Bang’s expression is drenched in wonder, but when he confirms who it is, a cold sneer strikes him again.

“Okay. Was that the team leader? Please do your best not to cry after the competition.”

Kang Yul was a bit oversized for a woman.
Bang Bang flinched slightly, but without hesitation, he tightened his grip.

He was not a big weight class, but he was confident in his grip against women.
However, her hands, which had become rugged due to countless metals, did not budge.

“…?”

When Bang Bang made a puzzled expression, Kang Yul, on the contrary, tried to put strength on his hand, but then slowly released it.
It was because he had no intention of setting the tone for this childish prank.

“Let’s go.”

After Kang Yul finished shaking her hand, Baek Ha-yeon smiled at her and crossed her arms with her.
It was quite pleasant to see him standing in a daze because his plans had gone awry.

Even if it wasn’t him, there were countless people to say hello to.

Even after that, the players of Battle Angels melted among people after a long time and slowly enjoyed popularity.

Of course, it was only natural that there were men who seduced them along the way.
But each time, the reactions of the seven girls were similar.

“I have to play with my teammates. I can’t go anywhere else!”

As they took such a determined attitude, the number of players who seriously wanted to talk about the game increased considerably by their side before they knew it.

It was around the end of the party when I heard a familiar voice.

“Hey guys.”

###

I attended the party late because I was worried about the players while dealing with the piled-up work.

I’ve participated in several world championships so far, but I forgot because I didn’t participate well in parties.
No matter how much a club advances to the world championship, there are players who like to hang out with people, and there were also male and female players who were formed because of them.

I don’t think our players have anything to do with other male players, so I wasn’t worried about that, but maybe I could get drunk and do something weird.
Foreign countries often have different mindsets from us, so there is nothing wrong with worrying.

However, when I arrived at the party, I saw the players playing so wholesomely.

Not a little relieved, I naturally intervened among them and picked up a glass of wine.

“Are you worried about us?”

Baek Ha-yeon clung to her and asked, and I slowly nodded her head.
What kind of man wouldn’t worry about his girlfriend drinking with men?

Baekhyun smiled and looked around.
Before I knew it, I saw girls who had stopped what they were doing and were gathering.

“Then how far is today?”

The girls nodded at her words.
After a while, he followed me out of the party.
“Are you going to have another drink at the accommodation?!”

Seoyoon Ryu asked as he raised the bottle in his hand before he knew it.
The one who answered her question was Heo Sook-hee, who got along well with her.

“Of course! Because of the director, I came out of a fun party, so he said he would make it even more fun!”

I?
It was the first time I had heard of it, but I couldn’t say no when I saw the girls looking at me with a look of anticipation.

I nodded.

“Everybody take off their clothes when they enter the dorm.”