Chapter 10 - Seunghoon's Life (3)
Couldn't bear the silence, Seunghoon ate his late lunch quickly.
The food, though it was delicious, felt heavy in his mouth. He barely chewed through his last bite before placing the bowl in the sink, rinsing it quickly under cold water and soap.
Throughout, his parents said nothing. His mother didn't glance back at him while his father simply turned another page.
Sunghoon silently sighed. He decided that staying there would be pointless for now. So instead of wasting time, he went back to his room.
That was the only time that Seunghoon saw his room more closely and with focus.
His room wasn't small, but it also wasn't big. It was just enough for him.
To his right stood a single bed pressed against the wall, the navy sheets were crumpled and unmade. In the middle of the room was his desk, the true heart of his space.
On top of his desk sat 2 monitors that glowed faintly in sleep mode. One screen was horizontally inclined, while the other was vertically inclined. Below the desk was his tower case, which had flickering RGB fans.
Wires snaked across the table and trailed behind the desk, a chaotic tangle only he understood.
His mechanical keyboard was also worn, while his mouse sat on the side, the mousepad underneath had already frayed near the corners.
To the left of the desk sat a narrow bookshelf. It was filled with books: histories, philosophy, English, and math. Anything you could think of. They used to be used every day, but now, they just sat there, left untouched for months.
"Today is so confusing, isn't it?" Seunghoon sat on his gaming chair. He sighed and shook his head. The events of today briefly flashed on his mind.
He died, he woke up, and now he was here.
What baffled him the most, though, was how he was able to adjust to this life at the speed of light. It felt as if nothing had changed, except that he got a second chance now.
A chance that he wouldn't waste.
Seunghoon stared at his reflection on the blackout monitors.
Seunghoon was seventeen. With his young age, his face hadn't fully sharpened yet. His jawline was still soft, and his cheeks still held a trace of baby fat that gave him a younger look.
His hair was brown, thick, and slightly wavy, the bangs falling unevenly over his forehead. It looked like it hadn't been trimmed for months, now overgrown just enough to be annoying.
Seunghoon's skin was fair, almost too fair from staying indoors all the time. There was a faint acne scar near his left temple and a few blemishes along his jaw.
He used to have good skin, but it's now ruined because of teenage stress and bad sleeping habits.
Seunghoon's shoulders were narrow, his frame was still on the slim side. He wasn't weak, just untrained — like how most teenagers who spend more time in front of a screen than out on a field look.
"So what should I do now?"
Shower?
Going out?
A walk around the block?
Those were 3 things that he surely won't do.
Forget that.
'Alright, time for me to accomplish my mission and rank up.' As soon as he said those words, he pressed his computer's power button.
A second after, his screen flickered on. Rise of Legend's game client opened automatically afterward.
'What time is it?'
It's 4:02 PM.
'It's still early,' He cracked his knuckles and did a basic hand stretching to ready his hands.
He needed 10 more wins to hit Flare to succeed on his new mission.
And today, he was determined to reach Arc I
Seunghoon opened the game and pressed the
button in an instant.
Queueing for Ascension Mode...
Estimated Time: 1:30 seconds
The familiar jingle of the matchmaker played softly through his headphones.
It sent a wave of comfort through him.
Ascension Mode.
This was the mode of the game for players who wanted to rank up.
There was no casual picking, no trolling, and no mercy for the two teams.
Though the second was... not sure.
Ascension Mode was the game's official ranked system. It's similar to Classic Match, but also different in a way, especially at the start of every match.
At the start of every match, both teams would enter a ban phase, where each player took turns banning a single hero from the hero pool. There would be ten bans in total, five per team.
It was a game of strategy before the match even started.
This phase lets you ban overpowered meta heroes, eliminate heroes you personally found irritating, or, in custom matches and tournaments, target-ban specific picks if you know your opponents' preferences and playstyles.
Once the bans were done, the pick phase began.
Players would take turns drafting their drafts, based on role priority. There will be top, Jungle, Mid, Bottom, Support— a classic five-man team composition.
Every choice counted and one mistake in the draft could cost you the entire match.
Once the picks were locked in, a one-minute Loadout Phase followed wherein everyone could adjust their battle spells, item presets, and even skins.
Seunghoon hovered his mouse over his current badge.
Arch III
'It will be my last time seeing you,' he muttered with a confident smile on his face.
[1:03]
[1:04]
'This is so long.'
The time kept on going.
While waiting for the matchmaker to do its thing, he clicked open another tab: the official Rise of Legends forum.
[PATCH 19.14 – META SHIFT]
His eyes darted over the notes.
"Zaryn reworked. Passive now scales off attack speed. Slight nerf to burst combos."
"New item: Prism Edge – grants true sight for 1.5s on spell cast."
"Support champions get mana regen buff across the board."
He nodded slightly, absorbing every detail on it. He even scrolled to the bottom for the pro players' reactions and tier list adjustments.
His own role—mid lane—looked fairly untouched.
'Good.'
That meant he could play at ease.
When Seunghoon went back to the game, the timer continued to tick upward.
[3:56...]
[3:57...]
Then—
[Match Found..]