Chapter 60: Chapter 60

Kelberos’s character collapsed, drained of all strength. For a moment, there was silence. The message before my eyes somehow didn’t feel real. The bamboo forest rustled slightly in the breeze.

I won. So, I actually won the championship. Really?

It still didn’t feel real, so I closed the system message. With an absent-minded gesture, I swiped it away. The notification disappeared from my sight, but without it there, a sudden fear gripped me. Maybe I shouldn’t have closed it—what if something went wrong?

My hands went limp from the anxiety. The sword slipped from my grip and fell to the ground. I didn’t bother picking it up; after all, there was no one left to fight. Besides, I couldn’t have bent down to retrieve it even if I wanted to, as my body froze in an awkward stance while the metallic clang echoed loudly.

Relief, or perhaps inevitability—it didn’t matter. None of my dumb worries had materialized. When my view returned, the stage reappeared.

The first thing that caught my eye was the giant central monitor. There, in bold letters on the largest screen, was my username.

[1st Infinity Arena]

[Champion: Gawol]

Finally, the confusion clouding my mind cleared. Thump. Thump. I could feel my heart pounding, echoing in my head. As I stared at the screen, the dark stage suddenly brightened.

A white light mixed with red beams shone down, the colors seemingly chosen to match my hair and eyes. It felt as though they had picked these colors to symbolize me. The beams extended like pillars, and petals fell gently with the celebratory fireworks.

It seemed like there was a slight audio mishap.

Static briefly filled the air, then music I’d never heard before started playing. It had probably been going for a while, as by the time I noticed, it was already halfway through. The fast-paced, upbeat melody suited my taste well. Soon after, the voices of the announcers filled the air, charged with excitement.

"…And so, we can now proudly declare."

"If anyone asks, ‘Who’s the strongest assassin in this game? And who’s the most powerful swordsman?’—today’s match will serve as proof."

"It certainly wasn’t an easy journey. Those who followed the path to victory would know. In the qualifiers…"

It’s always nice to receive praise. The chat on the official broadcast scrolled so quickly that I couldn’t read anything. Not that I would have understood anything besides Korean anyway.

All the overlapping sounds and information made it a bit noisy. Chaotic. Loud. But I didn’t mind.

Not even my national tournament win had felt quite like this. The staff approached and draped a large cloth over my shoulders. It was the sort of cape they often call a "champion’s robe."

Approaching from the side of the stage were the announcer Hoeun, whom I’d seen at the draw ceremony, and a female anchor conducting the winner’s interview. Her name was… Lee Yeon-bit, I think?

As they congratulated me, I responded like a broken robot.

“Congratulations on your victory.”

“Congratulations on winning!”

“Oh, uh… yeah, thank, no, thank you. Ow, that hurt.”

Huh? I feel like I’m stuttering more than usual.

For some reason, my mouth wouldn’t cooperate. Even though I’d already organized my thoughts, the words coming from my mouth sounded far different from what I’d intended. My pronunciation was off, and my voice wavered.

I even bit my tongue while speaking, and it hurt... a lot.

The anchor looked at me with a bright, smiling expression. Does she find this funny? That’s too much.

“Gawol, you’ve bested countless adventurers to become the champion of the Infinity Arena. How do you feel?”

“Uh… well, I’m happy, I guess. And, um, I’m just really happy. It doesn’t feel real yet.”

“Yes, you seem very happy. That’s quite a cute response.”

“Cute? No, I’m not… I’m not cute at all…”

“Hehe, if you say so.”

Now that I think about it, didn’t she call me cute last time, too? I know she doesn’t mean anything bad by it; there wasn’t a hint of malice in her eyes.

But isn’t it kind of weird? That word is usually meant for little girls, right? I’m a grown adult. I’m legally old enough to buy alcohol and cigarettes. Besides, I wasn’t originally a girl.

But I’ve always been awkward around women.

I guess I’m just not used to it. I’ve never been very sociable, and my school life was entirely in all-boys’ environments, from middle school to high school and even into a sports-specialized university. I never had much of a chance to speak casually with women.

So I had no idea how to argue back. I could only focus on answering the questions.

“Looking back, Gawol, you seemed very confident from the start of the tournament. Did you expect to win it all?”

“I thought… maybe. Not necessarily that I’d win, but I knew I could get far if I gave it my all.”

“It sounds like you had a strong sense that you’d achieve good results.”

Though my responses were rambling, Lee Yeon-bit’s follow-up turned them into coherent answers, helping the interview flow despite my scattered words.

That is, until I made a slip-up.

“So, about Match 3—losing two sets in a row to Kelberos must’ve been tough. How did you feel at that moment?”

“Oh, I was like, ‘Sh—cough, uh, this sucks. What now?’ Definitely felt like I was on the edge of a cliff.”@@novelbin@@

I almost let a curse slip and barely managed to cover it up. The announcer, quick on their feet, chimed in immediately.

“Wow, that’s some assassin-level skill right there. The broadcast was almost on the brink, but Gawol’s quick reflexes saved it! Truly impressive!”

“Pfft, cough, cough! Hah!”

Oops, couldn’t hold back the laughter.

When I think about it, they’re the one with quick reflexes, not me. Their quick wit covered my mistake. I guess that’s the mark of a seasoned announcer.

They kept asking more questions—details about the fights, my thoughts on the decisive moments. I knew a question about the swordsman class was coming.

“I didn’t avoid using the swordsman class to disrespect my opponents or anything. I just… have some bad memories with swords. Uh, well, let’s just say it’s personal.”

After finally winning the championship I’d wanted so much, I thought I’d feel better. Turns out that was just my misconception.

Just a few words, and my stomach was already churning. Thankfully, they seemed to pick up on my state and avoided further questions about the swordsman class. They phrased things carefully, showing their consideration.

But they didn’t foresee this question. Neither did I. It was just as things were wrapping up.

“Here’s a lighthearted question from the viewers. What did you have for your pre-match meal?”

“Salmon… grilled. I always seem to eat it on important days.”

“Salmon! One of my favorites too. Do you eat it often?”

“Not really. I don’t eat it because I like it, actually. It’s just, back then… hic!”

I was holding it in, but why? Why am I tearing up over something so trivial?

A sob escaped into my voice. Human emotions are like a dam; once it breaks, it’s hard to stop until everything pours out. My quiet sobs and hiccups went out live.

It was a disaster. The first champion of the Infinity Arena… a girl who ended up crying over salmon.

[Streamer ‘Elderin’s Lounge]

[Author: Elderin]

[Title: No Stream on Friday~]

Hello, it’s Elderin!

As the title says, no stream on Sunday (♡'ㅅ')♡

The reason?

I’m meeting up with Gawol for dinner to celebrate their win!

It’s not just the two of us. We’re inviting some of the hunting party members, including Sulbbang. I’ll introduce everyone if I get the chance, and there will be lots of photos!

I wanted to avoid streaming days, but our schedules didn’t align. Please bear with me!

[Comments]

Will Gawol be a guest on your stream later?

└ Not confirmed, but I’ll try to arrange it!

How did you two become friends after that PK encounter?

└ Who knows… just happened, I guess?

(Comment hidden: Salmon meal incoming?)

[Author: Elderin]

[Title: I met Gawol]

OMG

Wow

Whoa

This is crazy

[Comments]

Speak in full sentences, please.

What’s going on?

Why do you get to meet them?

At least show us a picture!

Talk to people, talk to people.

Why are you suddenly like this?

Why are you looking at me?

If you’re going to act this way, at least show me.