studiobondurri Chapter 7
Chapter 7
After devouring the meal like a starving person, the meal was soon over.
A little ahead of me, I could hear a soft slicing sound.
Coach was peeling the skin off an apple with a knife.
Judging by the disposable plastic bags in front of him, he seemed to be cutting it into small, easy-to-eat pieces.
Unable to resist, I grabbed one of the cut pieces and popped it into my mouth.
Not long ago, I felt like my stomach couldn’t hold anything more, but the thought of the sweet and sour taste of the apple was too tempting.
The juicy sweetness filled my mouth. Delicious. Is this what happiness feels like?
As a small smile crept onto my lips, Coach quietly asked,
“So, how’ve you been these days?”
“The same. Earning money, going to the hospital. Just living.”
“Is your leg getting any better?”
“They say at least it’s not getting worse.”
He was referring to my left foot.
Knowing how much money I was pouring into the hospital, he was understandably concerned.
I wonder how much I’ve spent on it so far.
I couldn’t give an exact number, but it was certainly a considerable sum.
This rotting leg of mine—if I had just cut it off, I wouldn’t be living on the floor of this one-room apartment.
But... I just couldn’t let go of the hope.
If I cut it off, I felt like I’d never be able to return to how I once was.
“I know you might think I’m nagging, but you’ve got to take care of your health. The body is all connected. If you keep at it... something good will happen eventually.”
Coach’s voice trailed off a little.
I understood now why he hesitated.
He was worried about giving me false hope.
Sports, after all, is a world as cold and harsh as it is filled with passion.
In competition, there is no middle ground. If you’re not the winner, you’re the loser.
And talent—well, it can trample all over you without mercy.
Having been in that industry for so long, both as an athlete and an educator,
How many failures had Coach witnessed? How many times had hope turned into poison and devoured his students?
Hope, despite what people think, isn’t always such a beautiful word.
Even so, Coach chose words of comfort for me.
I nodded, not at his words, but at his courage in offering them.
“I’ll be heading to Japan for a trip soon. I’ll stop by a few hospitals there and ask around. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
“Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Is this trip for a training camp?”
“Yeah. There’s supposed to be a friendly competition, but it’s not that big of a deal.”
“Well, since you’re doing it, you’ve got to win. Best of luck.”
“Yeah. I’ll bring back a win.”
Even though I wasn’t an athlete anymore, Coach was still my teacher.
I wanted to at least watch the match if I could.
If it wasn’t being broadcast, maybe I could ask for a video.
A competition... that word still had a nice ring to it, even now.
But it would be hard for me to return to kendo.
Not just because of TS Syndrome.
In kendo, there’s no such thing as weight classes.
Since it involves handling weapons, the difference in weight can be overcome, and I’ve faced plenty of opponents taller than me.
I’ve heard people say it’s designed with real-life scenarios in mind, but... I’m not sure about that.
“Hey, Da... Da-eun. What’s this?”
“Which one?”
It seemed like my vision had gotten narrow.
Maybe because I hadn’t slept in a while.
It wasn’t because I was emotionally shaken, of course.
Coach was pointing to a notice that had just been posted an hour or two ago, labeled as the “next post.”
And it had a title I couldn’t ignore.
[Notice: Schedule Change for Infinity Arena]
Due to a recent volcanic eruption in Iceland, air travel across much of Europe has been suspended.Experts predict that the ash clouds will continue to affect flights for an extended period...Some fear the possibility of additional eruptions...As a result, even if air travel resumes, it will be difficult to hold the event in Reykjavik as planned.
I vaguely remembered reading about this when I was browsing the community at the convenience store.
It was just a fleeting mention.
A volcanic eruption, huh?
Unfortunate, yes, but I hadn’t thought it had anything to do with me.
So, I hadn’t paid much attention to it.
You really never know what the future holds.
Just as misfortune had come to me without warning, it seemed that luck, too, could arrive without any sign.
I kept scrolling, almost in a trance.
Infinity Arena is an event open to players from all around the world.We cannot let our lack of preparation prevent finalists from participating in the event.Therefore, the Infinity Arena will be held online, on dedicated servers, and will be streamed live.
I reread the announcement several times, thinking I must have misunderstood it.
I scrolled back up and then back down, carefully reading every word with wide eyes.
I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn’t imagining things, and I even scoured the community, hoping to find news articles about it.
With a notice like this, there should be at least one or two reports on it.
I just hoped I was reading it right.
[The event will be held online! Infinity Inc. announces Arena schedule changes.]
[What impact will the changes in the Arena schedule have?]
[We’ve gathered the names of pro gamers participating in the Infinity Arena!]
They all said the same thing.
This time, I could participate.
Would I ever get another opportunity like this?
I didn’t know. It didn’t feel real, and my head was spinning.
I think Coach said something to me, but I wasn’t sure if I answered properly.
The one thing I knew for sure was that my hand moved as if it had a mind of its own.
Back on the event page, I scrolled to the bottom.
I remembered the last time I had clicked the participation button, only to hit “Cancel” in anguish.
Funny how this time, the button looked exactly the same.
[Adventurer Gawol, your Arena rank is ‘Black.’]
[Are you sure you want to participate? Yes/No]
With my heart racing, I clicked “Yes.”
[Your application to participate in the Infinity Arena has been successfully submitted.]
[Good luck in your challenge.]@@@@