Season 5: Chapter 55: Solo Leveling (2) |
Cry, and the whole world would laugh at you. Laugh, and the whole world would also laugh with you.
Zelo clutched his stomach and burst into deliberately loud laughter as if he wanted the entire world to hear him. “Uh! Uh! Uahahahahahaha!”
Just like that, all the chat messages that had been mocking him moments ago began laughing along with him.
— LOOOOOOL
— HAHAHAHAHA holy shit
— LOL what is he doing
— Ahahaha Bubblegum
Public opinion instantly flipped for a simple reason. Bubblegum was flailing uselessly against the ice wall.
“W-wait! Gum! What are you doing right now!? Why are you rubbing yourself against the ice like that!?”
Zelo grinned widely, but his eyes trembled behind his sunglasses.
‘I have to stop this narrative at all costs…’
A swan swimming across a lake looked elegant, but its legs flailed awkwardly beneath the water. Streamers were the same. They looked carefree on the surface, but anxiety and fear tormented them inside. Zelo, in particular, felt like he was facing the biggest crisis of his career.
Still, he was Zelo, the man who had once debuted as a pro gamer despite his team disbanding the very next season. He had known glory, and viewers still loved clinging to that past.
‘I must stop Gum-over-Zelo no matter what!’
Being worse than Bubblegum? That was too cruel to bear. No matter how much of a clown he’d become, no former warrior could accept such humiliation. In the Joseon era, hadn’t bloodshed erupted just because civil officials touched the beards of military officers the wrong way?
This was a LIL player’s pride. This was the backbone of Zelo, once a warrior-god. However, Bubblegum had just touched his beard. Zelo had no choice but to laugh. He needed to laugh louder!
“Uahahahahahahahaha!”
He laughed until his jaw nearly dislocated, clapping every time Bubblegum got stuck against the ice wall and flailed about. He cheered so hard his Adam’s apple showed.
‘Huh?’
— ?
— …?
— Uh?
— Wait what?
— LOL… huh?
Countless hooks stabbed into the chat window. To Zelo, they looked like the gallows. It felt like his neck would be caught on one of them, but why?
“W-wait… how did he get up there?”
Bubblegum had climbed onto the ice wall. The play he had mocked now carried meaning.
“See? I told you. Bro, I can do it.” Bubblegum confidently activated his skill.
[Rolling Time!]
With overwhelming destructive force, he slammed straight into the center of the enemy formation. This perfect single blow truly changed the course of the game.
“…!?”
— Damn
— Gasp
— Gum-over-Zelo LMAOOOO
— Zelo’s face LOL
— HAHAHAHAHAHA
— HE DID THAT???
— Why is he good today of all days
— The world is really out to get Zelo
Zelo’s smiling face froze solid. He desperately tried to maintain the smile, but the result was grotesque beyond words.
Ba-bam!
[Narration donated 50,000 won.]
[That day, Zelo’s world collapsed.]
— HAHAHAHAHAHA
— LOL
— This is real
— Is he lagging? His face isn’t moving at all
— Did this guy freeze?
Zelo rolled his eyes, frantically scanning the situation. “N-no. This isn’t even a big play. Look, okay? Look right now…”
‘There.’
It was his savior.
“L-look at this!”
He pointed sharply at something. Almond was moving in a completely different direction from the rest of the team.
“This play by Bubblegum just now! It’s a textbook case of failed initiation where he goes in alone! Initiation isn’t about the enemy’s position. It’s about your allies’ positions, isn’t it!?”
The ally’s position, Almond’s position, was terrible.
“Look at this! With no communication, he’s just charging in to show off some bug exploit! Trying to play the game with bugs! That’s what this guy is doing!”
— LOL “this guy” is back
— Hard coping
— Your position is under Gum, Zelo
— LOL but isn’t Almond trolling though?
— Going back to this guy LOL
— Zelo really hates Bubblegum…
“I’ll make a prophecy. This team fight will be lost in the end because of Bubblegum’s play just now.”
— Not because of Almond?
— Nah, they’re losing because of Almond
— Almond looks like the troll here
— LOL this is wild
“‘N-nooo~ it’s because of Almond’s play~?” Zelo leaned close to the screen, reading a chat message in a mocking tone. “So what?”
— HAHAHAHAHA
— LOL
— Holy shit
— For real
“They’re losing because of Raina’s current boyfriend? Even better! Raina married wrong! She dumped a solid man like Zelo and ran off with some useless freeloader! It’s a ruined marriage! Totally ruined!”
Zelo wanted Almond and Bubblegum’s entire team to lose. Somehow, the flow of the game seemed to be going exactly the way he wanted.
“She gets married, and the husband abandons the household to go level up alone!? Legendary judgment! Huh!? Solo leveling!? Reawakening!? You think that’s even possible, Mr. Almond!!”
— LOL for real
— Ahahahahaha
— Who do you think you are?
— Solo leveling LMAOOOO
— True
— LOL
Even if Almond hit level six on his own, he had already shoved the team into an impossibly dire situation.
Bang!
[OdenSoup → Bubblegum]
[BabyDumpling → BornToB]
Bubblegum, who had shown a brilliant team fight, and BornToB, the team’s damage dealer, both turned into rune spirits.
— Why did Bubblegum die twice? I genuinely don’t know
— LOL BornToB and Bubblegum
— Two stars of trolling fall…
— Is BornToB famous too? First time seeing him
— Ah… we’re screwed LOL
Almond couldn’t solve this by coming back at level six.
“Even if Almond returns right now, it’s basically four-versus-one. No, if the other team revives, he’ll have to deal with five-versus-one. At this point, Mr. Almond has essentially abandoned his team. He’s aiming for the Sanctuary of Resurrection, right? From one angle, it’s a smart decision. As expected of a lord, it’s a bit cold-blooded. Yes.”
— LOL true
— It really is solo leveling
— Huh?
— The lord’s decision, damn
— The courage to be hated?
— This was straight-up trolling
Ding.
[Almondoooyle has donated 10,000 won.]
[No, Mr. Zelo. If Mr. Almond just hits Level 6 on Flashy Blade, won’t he come back and go pew pew and kill everyone?]
Zelo clicked his tongue at the naive donation message. “What are you even saying! Hey! Do you think this is a joke? Huh? You think the placement match is a bot match?”
— HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
— But the game is a joke though, isn’t it?
— LOL for real
— You think so? LOL
— HAHAHA holy shit
“This game is a joke? Hey, you still think this looks like a game to you? Get a grip.”
— Holy shit LOL
— LIL isn’t really a game though
— What kind of game kills parents and births demons
— HAHAHA fuck
— Is this a horror movie or what
While Zelo ranted passionately, Almond hit level six.
[Level Up!]
[Lv. 5 → Lv. 6]
“Now~ our Lord seems to be leisurely heading toward the Sanctuary of Resurrection. It’s unfortunate for his teammates, but it’s enough if he revives them. Right?”
— True
— That’s fair LOL
— It’s a survival match, as long as you live, it’s fine
— Gotta save the tank farm
“Huh? But… wait a second?”
Almond’s team hadn’t been wiped yet.
“Why… are Choco Shroom and LetMeTank still alive?”
One tank and one damage dealer remained, struggling desperately.
“No, these clueless people! You need to die quickly so the Lord can save you!”
— HAHAHAHAHAHA
— LOL
— This is insane LOL
— Seriously LOL
“This puts the Lord in an awkward spot, doesn’t it? I mean, he went off to level up alone, thinking everyone would die quickly. Suddenly, they’re doing way too well. Normally, they’re terrible. Then… huh?” At that moment, Zelo doubted his own eyes. “No way. Don’t tell me…?”
***
“Fuck this! It’s disgusting! I’ll do it myself!”
LetMeTank managed to survive for two reasons.
— HAHAHAHAHAHA
— LOL
— HAHAHAHAHAHA
— Here comes the big explosion
— Instant swearing LOL
First, she was a Master-rank Hammer Paladin specialist. Her rage had surpassed one hundred percent, and she broke through into a kind of awakened state.
“Uaaaaaah!”
“Kill her! Kill her already!”
“That movement isn’t normal!”
She deflected attacks with terrifying skill and hammered nails down as if possessed. This was no longer a physical performance that the local placement match players could handle.
Once specialists grabbed their main champion, their movement, situational awareness, and reaction speed all improved. The angles and battles they saw were completely different from what ordinary players perceived.
Thung!
“Die, you bastards!”
[Health Recovered!]
LetMeTank successfully hammered another nail in and restored her health.
“I’m not dying! I won’t die! You die instead!”
[Scatter Nails]
She retreated while scattering nails again.
“Uh… h-heal! A-and, ma-magic missile!!”
They had also survived because Choco Shroom had grown accustomed to her staff. Despite terrible handling, this weapon could cast multiple spells. Instead of juggling many options, Choco Shroom decided to use only two: Heal and Magic Missile. This worked remarkably well.
[Magic Missile]
Bang! Bang!
Once she started firing three Magic Missiles, at least one would reliably hit.
Bang!
If the rest were handled by the awakened LetMeTank, the Hammer Paladin’s survival rate skyrocketed.
[HP: 15%]
Thung!
[HP: 18%]
Her health recovered like this.
Thuk!
[HP: 12%]
When it dropped again, Choco Shroom’s Heal followed.
“Heal!”
[HP: 17%]
— Ooooh
— She’s possessed LOL
— Wow LOL
— Is this really the Choco Shroom who used to heal monsters?
— This is insane LOL
— Did she get possessed for real?
— Chok chok chok chok!!
Even Choco Shroom seemed shocked. “Everyone… has one shining moment in their life.”
— HAHAHAHAHAHA
— That moment is now? LOL
— And it’s a LIL survival placement match?
— Holy shit LOL
— Why now of all times
“I think… this might be mine!” Choco Shroom fought like she was possessed, alternating between Heal and Magic Missile.
In front of her, LetMeTank, awakened by rage, began displaying her true skills. The problem came in the next moment.
“Huh!?”
It was the enemy magic assassin, Kaizad of Lightning.
[Current Shift]
Bzzzt!
The one who had cut down BornToB now appeared before Choco Shroom.
“A-ahhh!”
For a staff user, Kaizad was far too fast to evade.
Bzzt!
[Thunder Blade]
Crackle!
A lightning-forged blade tore through the air in every direction.
[BabyDumpling → ChocoShroom]
This would’ve happened eventually.
“N-no!” LetMeTank screamed as she turned around. “The heal… was solid, though.”
Now, it really was over.
— Oh man…
— They fought like that and still lost?
— Are we losing?
— We lost this??
— Wow, I’m becoming an anti-fan of Almond now
“Where the hell did Almond go!?”
“Are you still looking for that teammate?”
The enemy team snickered.
“He’s not coming! He abandoned you, idiot!”
— HAHAHAHAHAHA
— LOL
— Why are they talking like that? LOL
— Holy shit LOL
— Tea bagging time!
Thinking they had completely secured victory, they started mocking LetMeTank.
“Let’s give this kill to Kaizad. We need to feed him.”
“Yeah. If Kaizad grows, no one can stop him.”
Bzzzt!
Electric current spread across the ground, slowing LetMeTank’s movement.
[Current Shift]
Bzzzt!
Kaizad appeared with a flash of lightning, raising his blade.
LetMeTank could no longer contain her frustration. “Even after all this… we still lose!? Fuck!”
The enemies only laughed harder.
“Are those your last words?”
“You thought your boyfriend would save you~?”
“Looks like you duo with your boyfriend?”
LetMeTank had been reduced to a player riding on her boyfriend’s skills.
‘I’m Master rank, you fucking bastards!’
She wanted to scream it out loud, but the loser had no voice. Instead, she swallowed her rage.
— HAHAHAHAHAHA
— LOL
— Ahahaha
— They hit her trigger button
— Holy shit LOL
— That’s so unfair, honestly LOL
“Ha. Fine. Kill me.”
The thunder blade swung toward her neck. She let go of her hammer.
[Flash]
Kaaang!
The thunder blade was knocked aside.
LetMeTank’s eyes went wide. She saw the back of a man holding two daggers.
— Damn
— Holy shit
— What the fuck
— “Are we losing?” → “We win.”
— It really looks like the boyfriend came to save her LOL
As blood scattered, someone said, “Fulfill the contract bound by blood.”
With his ultimate activated, his hair burned white.
Ssssss…!
Four daggers rose into the air.
— Holy shit
— Kyaa
— That divine skill is insane
— Wow LOL
— Level six!!
— He really is level six LOL
LetMeTank was almost in tears. “Ah… Mr. Almond…”
Before using Flash again, Almond grinned and asked, “Your orders?”
“Just use Flash…”
Bzzzt!
Almond’s divine form instantly vanished.
— HAHAHAHAHAHA
— Ahahaha
— This is insane
— Even now, seriously
— Holy shit LOL
— Smart young man! Smart young man! Smart young man!