Peninsula: I'm being supported by a top idol.

Cui Shi'an rested the baseball bat against his leg, took a deep breath, and reached out to press the power button on the main unit.

hum-

The host's operating light comes on, the screen flashes, and then the system boots up.

everything is normal.

But what happened next made Cui Shi'an frown beneath his helmet.

After the computer boots up to the desktop, it doesn't stay on the familiar wallpaper screen.

The mouse pointer seemed to be controlled by an invisible hand, automatically moving to the League of Legends icon. Double-clicking it launched the game client instantly.

Even more strangely, the client did not display a login screen, but instead took me directly to the game lobby—an ID named "Seoul Invincible" was already logged in!

Immediately afterwards, without any user intervention, the game automatically started matchmaking for ranked matches, and I was instantly matched!

It's as if this account is always in the queue.

"As expected..." Cui Shi'an muttered to himself.

This repetitive and persistent behavioral pattern perfectly matches the description of earthbound spirits in the manual.

Its obsession seems to be locked on this game and this ID.

Even in the reflection of the computer screen, Cui Shi'an could vaguely see a silhouette.

An outline that doesn't belong to his face.

Black-rimmed glasses, round face, full beard…

And a little chubby.

This discovery startled him so much that he broke out in a cold sweat and jumped up from his chair.

But nothing strange happened. The computer case still made a slight buzzing sound, and the screen displayed the same content as a normal game lobby.

Cui Shi'an rubbed his eyes, trying to see more clearly, but he always felt that something was missing.

He tried to reach out and turn off the monitor, but perhaps because it had been used by so many people, the switch wasn't very responsive, and it was even covered in dirt.

With just a light touch, the screen immediately went out.

But the screen suddenly lit up again the next second.

The content remains the same: the game lobby.

This scene suddenly brought a term to Cui Shi'an's mind: the cyber ghost of the new era.

"Looks like the only way to defeat you is in-game."

He immediately got up and turned on a machine at the B14 machine next to him.

The female internet cafe manager watched his actions with a look that went from initial awe to deep confusion—what exactly was this "wizard" oppa up to?

Choi Si-an logged into his account and searched for "Seoul Invincible" from memory. Sure enough, he was online. He sent a friend request, which was rejected instantly as expected.

"Quite aloof..."

He immediately changed his strategy and kept inviting opponents to fight.

However, the other party kept refusing, and he could even see the mouse click automatically on the monitor next to him.

At this moment, Cui Shi'an had a sudden inspiration and sent a message to the other party while extending the invitation.

"You idiot, you don't deserve that name!"

The next second, a system notification sounded – the other party had accepted the battle invitation.

The battle thus began.

Cui Shi'an has a clear understanding of his own gaming skills—average casual player level.

"Undefeated Seoul" lived up to his name, with sharp skills, advanced awareness, and a completely superior understanding of the game.

In the first game, Cui Shi'an was completely overwhelmed, and his screen remained dark for more time than it was lit.

"Damn it..." The game ended, and he leaned back in his chair, feeling more tired than when he was tracking animal tracks in the wild.

The next second, he sat bolt upright, his face full of defiance, and forcefully pushed up his bicycle helmet: "I didn't choose the right hero just now, let's try again!"

In the second game, he changed his strategy and tried to play a more conservative defense. However, in less than 15 minutes, his opponent found a weakness and pushed the score to a draw.

"What?! How is this possible?!"

In the third game, he tried an aggressive attack, but died even faster.

……

Time passed with each "Defeat" sound effect.

Late at night, Cui Shi'an was so hungry that his stomach was sticking to his back, so he had no choice but to go to the bar and buy a bowl of instant noodles.

He carried the steaming hot instant noodles back to his seat, slurping them while staring intently at the "Seoul Undefeated" ID on the screen, his eyes darting around as if he were conducting an academic research project.

The network administrator passed by several times, watching him sometimes clutch his head in frustration, sometimes grit his teeth and furiously type on the keyboard, and finally couldn't help but mutter under his breath:

"What is he even here for... why is he just playing video games?"

As dawn broke outside the internet cafe, only a handful of customers remained – a few iron poles that had stayed up all night.

After what felt like the umpteenth round, Choi Si-an slumped in his chair, feeling his soul and fingers twitching.

Just then, on the screen of machine B13, the ID "Seoul Invincible" actually replied to him with a message:

"Loser!"

boom--!

Cui Shi'an felt his rationality snap completely.

To be mercilessly crushed and mocked by a bound spirit in its most cherished domain—this sense of humiliation is simply unprecedented!

Shake it! Fine, you just wait! See you tomorrow night!

After making those harsh remarks, Cui Shi'an stood up sheepishly, picked up his useless baseball bat and helmet, and walked out of the internet cafe.

A gust of cold morning wind blew, and he immediately shivered.

I pulled out my phone's calculator and checked: overnight internet fee + three bowls of instant noodles + two bottles of energy drinks...

"Damn it... I didn't even earn my hourly wage, and I even lost nearly 20,000 won!"

Having lost the game all night, Cui Shi'an was inevitably a little tired when he went to class the next day. He yawned with his mouth wide open like a hippo.

But this drowsiness doesn't feel like a physical one; it feels more like mental fatigue. After all, who can guarantee a good mood after losing all night?

"What did you do last night? Didn't you sleep?"

Tian Ming, who was standing next to him, was very curious. Since he had known him, he had rarely seen him stay out all night.

"Ugh, don't even mention it... I was treated like a loser..." Cui Shi'an said listlessly.

Upon hearing this, Tian Ming subconsciously glanced at Song Zhiya's back in front of him and teased, "I told you to watch less porn, but you wouldn't listen..."

"Damn it... When did I start watching porn all the time? It was when I got wrecked playing League of Legends."

"What?!" Tian Ming slammed his fist on the table, furious. "Who did this?!"

"Hey... keep your voice down..." Choi Si-an looked around nervously at the strange looks they were getting, and even Song Ji-ah turned around and stared at them suspiciously.

Tian Ming realized he had lost his composure, chuckled sheepishly, and sat back down, asking in a low voice, "So you actually played games outside all night?"

"Um…"

"Didn't win a single game all night?"

"Um."

"Okay, I got it. I'll go with you tonight! I want to see just how good they really are!"

Just as Cui Shi'an was saying no, his eyes suddenly lit up. "That's right, it didn't say we couldn't ask for help?"

Tian Ming spends half of his 24 hours playing games. He's a master among masters. I think he even said before that he almost joined a professional club.

"Sigh, don't even mention it. If my dad hadn't thought gaming was a waste of time and wouldn't have let me play professionally, there wouldn't be a Faker in the future."

"Bro, that's too much."

"Haha, anyway, taking care of this petty scum will be no problem for you. Just you wait and see!"

"Shh, don't say anything yet, your senior is coming."

The two were whispering, which naturally caught Song Zhiya's attention. She walked forward and saw that Cui Shi'an looked listless, which made her a little strange.

"Shi'an, are you feeling unwell?"

Choi Si-an was about to say no when his roommate nudged him with an elbow, implying that Choi Si-an was playing the victim for Song Ji-ah.

"Oh, senior, you don't know, Shi'an has had an upset stomach since last night. He must have eaten something bad. Why don't you take him to the infirmary?"

"Oh? How did you get an upset stomach?" Song Zhiya immediately asked with concern. "Does your stomach still hurt?"

"Uh..." Cui Shi'an glared fiercely at Tian Ming, then quickly made an excuse, "It's much better now..."

"You should be extra careful then, or maybe you should go to the infirmary?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Tian Ming immediately stood up and made way for them, urging them on, "Hurry up and go to the infirmary with your senior, maybe she has some serious illness."

Since her roommates were already going to such lengths to help her, and the senior's worried eyes were truly heartwarming.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, senior..."