Flashback—Last Night
Zeno stared at the screen as the system blinked its message back at him.
[Skill Integration Initiated: ETA – 100 Hours]
A hundred hours.
That meant he wouldn’t have full access to his booster until the Star Collision Finals.
So that’s how it was going to be.
That meant one thing—he would have to grind.
And grind, he did.
He was awful. Embarrassingly bad. He didn’t think so, though. Zeno was actually having fun. No wonder this game became so famous.
In every tutorial match, Zeno died at least four times. He walked into towers like they were friendly coffee shops, he mistook healing items for bombs, and his aim sucked.
But he kept playing.
By the time the sun rose the next day, his kill count was twelve.
Twelve.
Across twelve games.
He even consumed his last stamina booster just so he could practice longer.
And now… here they were. The day of the death match.
Roles had been assigned after a lengthy discussion that felt more like a group therapy session.
“I wanna be close-ranged,” Hyunbin declared proudly. “I served in the military as a combatant.”
“What does that have to do with the game?” Sangwon asked.
“I could punch fast when I was young,” he said.
Sangwon shrugged and tapped his screen. “I’ll be support.”
“Oh? Did you practice?” Jace excitedly asked.
“I supported my whole family financially even after my divorce.”
Mimi giggled, covering her mouth. Jace, on the other hand, pursed his lips.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I’ll take mid!” Mimi excitedly chimed. “It’s what I typically use on my channel.”
Zeno merely nodded. He didn’t care where he was put; he just wanted to be Lacta Lynx.
Finally, after a while, they were called up to the gaming chairs. The entire livestream was watched as their accounts were revealed to the world.
[mimikawaii] for Mimi.
[UnsungHero] for Hyunbin.
[BreadWinner] for Sangwon.
[TheDestroyer] for Jace.
And of course, [LactaLynx] for Zeno.
– WHO IS LACTA LYNX
– Zeno is a lactation lynx lover confirmed
– Who puts a character name as a gamer name?
– Oh, I have a bad feeling about this. Is he a complete beginner?
Jace glanced at Zeno. “You didn’t change your username?”
“I told you—it’s expensive,” Zeno muttered.
Jace merely shook his head. “Alright, let’s just play. I can do this.”
It was time for them to choose the heroes. Fortunately, Zeno’s team had the first pick, so he quickly picked Lacta Lynx.
– LMAO he locked a beginner hero.
– Goodness, he really is a beginner.
– We don’t know yet!
– I have good intuition. I can feel it in my bones.
Phoenix narrowed his eyes at the name. “He’s trolling.”
Risa giggled into her sleeve. “Oh, he’s so cute.”
Oska turned to her with raised eyebrows.
Ian, despite their loss, was laughing loudly.
Faze raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? Lacta Lynx? This’ll be quick.”
But Zeno, ever composed, stared at his monitor.
The announcer’s voice was heard through the livestream.
“Players, ready up! Game start in five… four… three…”
Zeno’s hand tightened around his mouse.
The lights dimmed slightly, casting a focused spotlight on the digital battlefield unfolding on screen. The game had started.
Zeno’s eyes didn’t blink as he stared at the glowing map. This time, he knew the rules. He knew the map. He knew not to charge into the enemy jungle. Most of all, he knew not to stand under the tower as if it were a place of healing.
The team moved.
Mimi headed straight for mid-lane, confidently taking control of the area. Her movements were clean despite claiming she was a bad player.
Hyunbin claimed he had learned from his grandson, and it seemed like he actually did because he knew the rules of the games. Sangwon, too, was taught by his manager because his wife and child had left him already.
Sangwon kept trailing after Zeno, throwing heals every few seconds. He wasn’t half bad either.
Jace, however, was in another league. It was apparent that he had played for a long time. He was as good as Bleach, who was a semi-known GoG streamer.
“That guy’s decent,” Faze said, nodding at the screen when Jace’s character was shown.
“TheDestroyer is actually really good,” one of the livestream commentators said.
– JACE THE DESTROYER IS REAL
– Wait, why is Mimi so good, too??
– Hyunbin isn’t bad for an old guy omg
– Don’t be fooled, guys! They’re just going against noobs too. It’s a noob vs. noob so both sides look decent.
Seeing how everything appeared even, Bleach started to rack up his own kills, challenging Jace directly in a battle for map control. The two were neck and neck, chasing one another through the fog, baiting traps, rotating fast. It was a clash of pride.
Meanwhile, Zeno… well, Zeno wandered into their OWN jungle.
“Hey, uh, Sangwon,” he said, “Help me kill this monster.”
Sangwon followed. “We don’t kill the plants, Zeno. We’re guardians of nature.”
“They give you gold.”
“Oh?”
They both attacked. The jungle monster shrieked, clawed back, and—
They both died.
The moment was caught on camera. The casters couldn’t help but laugh.
– I can’t watch this. Zeno doesn’t know what he’s doing!
– He can’t be good at everything.
– This makes him cuter in my eyes, though.
“What was that?” Jace asked between breaths while slashing through an enemy lane.
Sangwon added, “I thought we were gardening for gold. Why did it kill us?”
“You’re right,” Zeno muttered.
After respawning, they tried again. This time, they managed to kill the jungle monster. Victory!
Only to be jumped by Bleach moments later.
Bleach’s laugh echoed through their side. “Bro. You really thought I wouldn’t check the bush?”
“Good instincts,” Zeno admitted, dusting off his respawn.
The game continued at a strange pace. Bleach’s team wasn’t bad. But Zeno’s group of misfits was better than expected. Mimi held her lane and even baited a gank or two. Hyunbin, in his chaotic way, kept disrupting the enemy’s backline despite lacking kills. Sangwon threw out accidental support moves that ended up saving lives.
Zeno had also gotten a kill.
Just one.
But hey, it still counted!
Someone had been chasing Jace, and Jace managed to push the enemy into the tower just as Zeno fired a basic attack.
Last hit. Kill secured.
“Hmm, that’s good,” Zeno said.
– Lucky hit.
– He looks so happy, though!
– Yeah, that’s the happiest I’ve seen him, I think!
Both teams were already out of towers. That was when Zeno remembered the main objective of the game.
Destroy the Nexus and win the game.
So, while the others fought, he simply walked around the side and attacked the Nexus.
Ping. Ping. Ping.
“Zeno, what are you doing?” Jace asked as Bleach’s team dove into them again. “We’re going to lose this team fight!”
“I’m taking down the Nexus,” he said calmly.
“You’re—what?”
“They’re distracted. It’s working.”
Zeno stood at the backlines, eyes narrowed, hands steady. He had only one goal: chip away.
Again and again. The tower’s health dropped to 30%. Then 20%.
The others were too preoccupied with fighting to even realize what he was doing.
ENEMY NEXUS DESTROYED.
VICTORY.