His very first computer, built with meticulous care, boasted top-tier specifications based on standards from two years prior.
After work, playing a few rounds on this computer was one of his greatest joys in life.
Yes, games.
It was a given that operating a keyboard required the use of all five fingers.
Therefore, by growing accustomed to gaming, he would naturally master the art of using his fingers with fluidity!
With games, he could immerse himself completely, losing all track of time.
He knew, even without having experienced an injury himself, that rehabilitation was far more arduous than one might imagine.
If there was a way to make it enjoyable, that would be ideal.
Conveniently, he also had a game he frequently enjoyed.
His mood soared, tracing a sharp upward curve, at this brilliant idea—one he never would have imagined springing from his own mind.
He swiftly approached the computer and powered it on.
“Ugh.”
To his horror, a male idol group was set as the wallpaper, prompting him to retch as he hastily reverted to the default screen.
‘Fearing, ‘Surely not this too?’ he checked the computer’s specifications and was relieved to find they matched what he remembered.
Had even this been retrograded, he would have been deeply disappointed.
He then began installing a game that, quite naturally, wasn’t present, all while manipulating the mouse and keyboard.
Consciously employing all five fingers took a little longer, yet the installation proceeded without a hitch.
He could confidently assert that operating a keyboard was several times easier than using chopsticks.
Though perhaps that was merely because he was still fumbling with the keys.
Soon after, he launched the game, now successfully installed.
The familiar logo and login screen welcomed him.
‘Everything for rehabilitation.’
‘He was absolutely not touching games to escape reality.’
He created a new account and logged into the game.
****
Nothing brilliant endures forever.
The ‘eternity’ people so casually utter holds no true substance; it merely ascends and descends within the grand currents of existence.
Perhaps this is because an individual’s ‘everything’ comprises but a minute fraction of the world.
Humans mistake that momentary brilliance for permanence, then nonchalantly give it a name.
Nevertheless, the overarching principle of the world remains immutable.
What flourishes will wane, and what wanes will be forgotten.
Here lies a game set upon the path of decline.
Once, it flourished greatly, hailed as a national game, but now it is treated as an artifact of the past, akin to a folk game (TL Note: A traditional game, often implying something outdated or played out of nostalgia).
For gamers in their early twenties and student demographic, it falls into the category of a classic.
Triachia.
This masterpiece of a real-time strategy (RTS) game presents the tale of three races vying for supremacy in a fantasy world.
Its primary content revolves around one-on-one battles where players test their strategies against each other.
This was his favorite game.
He, too, had once mistakenly believed Triachia would thrive eternally.
However, now that many users had relegated this game to the category of ‘memories’…
…they might well ask him, ‘Why are you still playing this old-timer game (TL Note: A derogatory slang term for an outdated game, implying only older, out-of-touch players still enjoy it)?’
‘He had so much to say.’
Setting aside the fact that it was far from a shallow game, despite being dismissed as a mere ‘old-timer game,’…
…there were two primary reasons.
Firstly, as a disabled person with only three fingers, games with strategic elements were the only ones he could reasonably play.
He had dabbled in RPGs a few times before giving up, as they offered no ‘victor’s right’ to exercise over defeated opponents.
He had readily abandoned newer games where individual control heavily influenced the outcome.
This was especially true for the recently popular AOS (TL Note: Arena of Solo or Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, a genre of strategy video games) genre, where four or five players formed a team.
How on earth did those players know he was an orphan, had grown up unloved, and was a disabled person with limited fingers?
Those particular users were nothing short of psychics who ought to set up shop immediately.
Secondly, his past life, marked by a impoverished childhood typical of someone from an orphanage, had a significant impact.
During his elementary and middle school years, his classmates (whom it was hard to call friends, as they would beat him whenever they had the chance) would gather in small groups during breaks, boasting about their best plays from the previous night as if they were Hitler on a podium.
Naturally, Triachia, popular at the time, was frequently mentioned.
However, owning his own computer like others was an unattainable dream, and installing games on the orphanage’s shared computer would inevitably lead to a beating from the high schoolers (TL Note: ‘Hyungnim’ is a respectful term for an older male, here used by younger children referring to older boys in the orphanage) —a harsh reality.
For his younger self, without even money for a PC bang (TL Note: An internet cafe where people play computer games), it was more than enough to become an object of longing.
For these reasons, he loved Triachia.
Whether it was an act of rebellion against his twisted childhood or an expression of the inferiority complex that even a disabled person could be on par with ordinary people through gaming, it no longer mattered.
Regardless of its origin, he was now completely engrossed in this game.
“Humans, Undead, Dragonkin… Thankfully, they’re the same.”
Even though she had changed, the world had not.
This brought a sense of relief to her now smaller body.
Although her body had transformed into that of a woman, she, still harboring chivalry in her heart, had not the slightest intention of shirking that responsibility.
‘It was absolutely not because she found the sight of her defeated opponents fuming with rage so utterly delightful.’
[I’ll stomp anyone. Come on in, Humans only. Host: Dragonkin.]
‘This was it.’
She smiled, then entered the room.
****
“Welcome, everyone. It’s good to see you.”
[Hi]
[StreamON]
[Siri hi]
[Did you watch the STL semi-finals yesterday?]
[Sung-jin, you should participate too]
[It went to a full 7 games]
[The gameplay was insane]
“STL (SOFT Triachia League)? Of course I watched it. Joon-oh played well, didn’t he? As expected of the previous season’s champion.”
Kim Sung-jin was a popular streamer (TL Note: BJ, or Broadcast Jockey, is a term for a live streamer in Korea) broadcasting on SOFT, one of South Korea’s two major streaming platforms.
A former Triachia pro, she had achieved the feat of lifting the championship cup at STL during her prime.
Moreover, her specialty was a mechanical, textbook style of play, which earned her the nickname ‘Siri,’ after the AI assistant on A-brand phones.
[Challenge in the next STL ㄱㄱ (TL Note: A Korean internet slang term meaning ‘go go’ or ‘let’s go’)]
[Honestly, you could probably make it to the quarterfinals?]
[Nah, Siri hasn’t touched ranked games in ages, so honestly, even qualifiers would be tough]
[If you practiced a bit, you’d quickly regain your skill]
[Watching recent plays, Siri’s form hasn’t declined much]
[IDK (TL Note: Korean internet slang for ‘I don’t know’)]
– Anonymous sponsored 1,000 won!
[Do you guys see the champion from four seasons ago, the one who sighs all the time, as a joke (TL Note: ‘Jot’ is a Korean slang term, a vulgar expression for ‘penis’ or ‘d*ck,’ used here to mean ‘a joke’ or ‘insignificant’)?]
[LOLOLOLOLOL]
[The one who sighs, you bastard LOLOLOLOL]
[You’re the worst LOLOLOL]
– UndeadBuffPlease sponsored 1,000 won!
[Siri, are you perhaps thinking of participating in the next STL season?]
“Anonymous, UndeadBuffPlease, thank you for the 1,000 won. Me? Hmm… Honestly, watching such brilliant matches makes my blood boil, but… I’ve retired, haven’t I? I need to focus on broadcasting.”
After her retirement, Kim Sung-jin’s main content was not ranked games.
Instead, her primary content was coolly toying with opponents in custom rooms using all sorts of outlandish strategies.
She particularly enjoyed utilizing units that were half-forgotten in professional leagues due to their poor cost-effectiveness.
These strategies were only possible because Kim Sung-jin’s unique stable macro play allowed her to create an immense resource gap with opposing players.
“Shall we enter a custom room today? Since it’s the first game, something light…”
[Meteor ㄱㄱㄱ (TL Note: ‘Go go go’)]
[Show us only Dragons]
[Let’s go for 3 expansions as Undead without teching]
[Lightly, Meteor first, you scrub (TL Note: ‘Jjob’ or ‘jjop’ is a Korean internet slang term referring to a noob or someone unskilled).]
Kim Sung-jin scanned the titles of dozens of custom rooms.
Playing against someone too unskilled wouldn’t be enjoyable for viewers, so she was looking for a player ranging from intermediate to expert.
Then, one particular room caught her eye.
[Polite game, no swearing ^^. Host: Humanity / Experts only]
Having been immersed in the Triachia scene for over a decade, Kim Sung-jin could confidently assert one thing.
In the current Triachia landscape, where new players had vanished and only veterans (TL Note: ‘Goinmul’ is a Korean slang term referring to highly experienced and skilled players who have played a game for a very long time) remained, a truly ‘polite’ user simply did not exist.
This tendency was especially pronounced in custom games, as opposed to ranked matches.
Therefore, the true meaning behind that title was this: ‘I will infuriate you with my calm, measured tone, without uttering a single curse word.’
Such a player’s disposition was, in essence, a mirror image of Kim Sung-jin’s own.
Kim Sung-jin, well aware that turning the tables on such individuals provided immense entertainment, found this particularly appealing.
“This room looks good.”
‘And they even claimed to be an expert?’
‘If played well, she might even create a situation good enough to upload to YouTube (TL Note: ‘Neotube’ is a common Korean transliteration/play on ‘YouTube’).’
Without hesitation, she entered the room.
