Season 5: Chapter 81. All In (2)

The LIL Champions Simulator was a Siege mode simulation tool that became famous after professional teams in the LIL Champions League started using it. It had originally been built for pros before niche enthusiasts started playing it for fun. It developed something of a name for itself. Rumors circulated that it would eventually become a standalone game.

The premise was simple. They literally ran LIL Champion League matches as a simulation. Five players would be chosen per team for Siege mode. Each player would be assigned an appropriate champion and position. Then, the teams would automatically fight it out.

During this process, the player could configure bans and picks, positions, early ten-minute strategies, jungle pathing, and so on. Most people could manage the bans, picks, and position setup reasonably well. The wall they hit was constructing an appropriate jungle path, early ten-minute strategies, and figuring out which lanes to invest in. The variables were simply enormous.

Sweet Radish murmured to Almond, "Almond hyung, this... Even most players have a really hard time with it."

"Oh. Right."

Short of genuinely dedicated enthusiasts, most players couldn't handle this simulator. Even mechanically gifted players who had climbed to Challenger often had no idea how to use it.

Even if Best Yi Sun-Shin had actually played LIL for years, the idea of her beating a pro like BokChoy was simply unreasonable.

Ching.

Sweet Potato confidently made the first bet.

"Thirty chips on BokChoy. All in."

— Oh

— ???

— All in on the first match?

— lmaooo

— Isn't that a bit much?

Sweet Radish couldn't help but say something. "You have no decency."

— lmaooooo

— lmaooo

— You're not worried about the Lord, Potato Servant~

— Potato Servant lmao

Truthfully, everyone expected BokChoy to win. They just held back from going all-in out of basic respect for the person Almond had brought.

Sweet Potato went brazenly on the offensive. "What does decency have to do with competition, Radish? Are you sure you're from Ah-Sung?"

— lmaooo Ah-Sung

— These guys are also Ah-Sung alumni lmao

— Almond's Ah-Sung alumni lmao

— Fr

— You clearly haven't seen the Mixed Nuts clips~

“Ahem.” That comment made Sweet Radish clear his throat and bet twenty chips. "Twenty chips on BokChoy."

— lmaooooo

— LOL

— What's even the difference?

— Twenty at least

— Sweet Radish is doing it just in case, it's not a matter of being polite

"Then, me too~!" Lemon put twenty chips on BokChoy as well.

Black Tea looked at them, exasperated. "What's the point of even having a bet like this? I'll put ten on Choi Sa-Rang."

Ching!

The first bet on Choi Sa-Rang's side came in.

— Oh

— Underdog gambler lmao

— She always does this

— Maximum underdog gambler.

Black Tea typically enjoyed the riskier play even though it tended to be a bit much, and the risk usually blew up in her face. Of course, she would never acknowledge this.

"Honestly, have you people never been in the military? Don't you know military service hardens the brain?"

— ?

— ...?

— Have YOU been in the military?? lmao

— lmaooo

— lmao

— A hardened brain means you die, Black Tea...

— lmaooo

— A veteran high school girl

— Given Black Tea's usual behavior, I'd believe it if she said she served

— Military does make the brain inflexible tbf

Sweet Radish, Lemon, and Sweet Potato had all bet bon BokChoy. Only Black Tea had bet on Choi Sa-Rang. All eyes turned to Almond. Black Tea felt something was off.

‘He's not the type to drag things out with something like this...’

Almond wasn't a strategic thinker or the type to play things agonizingly slow. If he had already decided, he'd just bet. That was his way. Something about him not betting yet felt strange.

"Hmm..."

Almond rubbed his chin while looking at the payout odds.

‘No way...’

A wave of unease hit Black Tea.

‘Is he going the other way?’

She had used the military excuse, but actually bet on Choi Sa-Rang because Almond had pushed so hard to recruit her. That single instinct drove her bet. Now, watching Almond deliberate, she couldn't help but feel nervous. What if he switched and bet against her instead?

— That guy can't be lmao

— lmaooo why is he hesitating lmao

— Is he betting on BokChoy?? lmao

— He brought her and now he's thinking about it?

Even viewers found Almond's hesitation strange. They had no idea that his eyes were fixed on the penalty column instead of the payout odds.

Almond finally opened his mouth. "Oh, one thing..."

Everyone swallowed and focused.

"Yeah?"

"Isn't the penalty kind of boring? Just paying for dinner."

"... It, it is kind of?"

Suddenly, everyone's gaze shifted to Black Tea. This whole bet seemed likely to tip the balance significantly. Almond bringing up the penalty seemed to signal that he was planning to bring someone down. Circumstantially, Black Tea was the only one who had bet on Choi Sa-Rang.

Black Tea grew unsettled. "Wh... what?"

What came next made it worse.

"Then, let's do this. Whoever comes last does errands for us throughout all our practice sessions. They become the servant."

"Almond hyung, wasn't Potato Servant an honorable title?" Sweet Potato asked, a little hurt.

"Huh? No. That's just because you owed debt, so you became Potato Servant."

— lmaooooooo

— lmaooo

— lmao fr

— ??? You lot became Servants because you couldn't pay your debts, you little Potato Servant

— What honor lmaooo

— lmaooo

— Zeloo wins again today

"Ugh..." Sweet Potato was disappointed that his previous concept wasn't being honored.

"Servant? Not errand boy?" Black Tea asked as if she couldn't believe it. "Oppa, what did I ever do to you?!"

Almond looked at her with genuinely puzzled eyes. This only made Black Tea more anxious.

"You're setting me up right now!"

— lmaooooooo

— Setting you up?? lmao

— The word choices in this group are something else lmao

— Stop complaining and just get fertile already jeez

Then, it happened.

Crackle.

A voice came through.

“How long are you going to take with the bets?”

It was Choi Sa-Rang.

— lmaooo fr

— You'd think their lives were on the line lmao

— lmaooo

— Can they hear everything over there?? lmao

Sweet Radish, the server owner, answered, "Oh, sorry. We'll wrap it up within five minutes."

With that, he accepted Almond's proposal.

"Alright. The penalty should be more entertaining. In keeping with the streamer spirit, let's go with the loser becoming the team’s servant."

"Servant Black Tea incoming~!" Sweet Potato threw in a comment from the side.

Black Tea's expression looked significantly worse. Even if she voted and Lemon backed her, the penalty would still be three-to-two.

Sweet Radish was already updating it.

Ding.

[Penalty: Being the team servant for the entire Platform War]

Black Tea pressed her forehead. "Hah... Here we go again... This reminds me of when I joined the Knight Order."

— lmaooooooo

— LOL

— lmao fr

— You poor thing...

Back in Cheese Village, when she had joined the Knight Order, she hadn't even known that they were the ones who had burned down her house. She thought they were her saviors and recalled the experience.

‘Because I'm dense, I always get caught like this.’

She began to wonder if her inability to hold grudges was precisely why others kept taking advantage of her.

Ching!

"All in on Choi Sa-Rang." Almond suddenly went all-in on Choi Sa-Rang.

"Pardon?"

"...?"

The other three immediately sensed something had gone wrong.

"LORD...!" Black Tea instantly reversed her energy and leaped to her feet.

— lmaooooooo

— LOL

— lmaooooo

— What is happening lmao

— Why is Black Tea happy? lmao

— Wait, isn't this actually worse for her? It's not an underdog bet anymore

— No, no, if Almond loses, he's dead last. Zero chips.

Black Tea was ecstatic for one reason. If they lost this bet, Almond would be dead last with zero chips instead of her.

If they somehow won, Sweet Potato would be last. With this single bet, last place was already locked in before things even got started.

Sweet Potato was in grave danger.

"Hmm? Bwahaha! You're going all-in on THAT side?!"

However, he laughed at Almond's decision.

"What's your strategy, Almondoyle?"

Pure mockery flowed out.

— LOOOL

— lmaooooo

— Sweet Potato has grown bold lmao

— The fact that Almond isn't reacting at all is what's scary lmao

— Is there something going on?

— Almond is just loyal and bet on her out of loyalty.

Sweet Potato had every right to mock him. Even viewers thought the outcome was obvious.

"The penalty is updated, right?"

"Yes." Almond confirmed the new penalty. "Should we add a clause where first place gets to call the shots?"

Sweet Radish refused like a blade. "No. Absolutely not."

— lmaooooooo

— lmaooo

— Sweet Radish sensing something lmao

— The Smart Young Man is always looking for a takeover opportunity lmao

"Then, let's begin! Everyone, please select your players! Duplicates are fine."

***

With the This World channel connected, Sa-Rang could hear everything from inside.

‘Honestly...’

Despite them not knowing her true identity, listening to everything was starting to get under her skin. That was why she had cut in and asked how long the bets would take. Even after that, the ongoing discussion kept her expression rigid.

“All in on Choi Sa-Rang.”

The moment she heard those words...

“Pfft.” The corners of her mouth lifted.

Of course, only Almond knew who she was. Going all-in without sparing a single chip, that was so like him.

‘What's he planning to do if I lose?’

She was the eldest here. Acting as the team’s servant would be genuinely humiliating. A funny thought crossed her mind as the game began.

Ding.

[Select players to build your roster.]

The message appeared, and an enormous spread of cards unfolded before her. Without a moment's hesitation, she picked one player first.

[JeonJaPa]

==== ====

Position: Mid

Laning win rate: 89.3%

First blood rate: 73.7%

.

.

.

Overall rating: S+

==== ===

She selected herself.