"With the information that my tier mark won't change immediately, I stared blankly at the game results screen for a while. Then, with a deep sigh, I spoke to my viewers.
"Well, I won, so that's what matters, right?"
Honestly, I don't feel particularly moved or proud right now. Just an unfamiliar sense of surprise that this actually worked, and rather than achievement or emotion about accomplishing this, I feel somewhat empty.
...No, maybe it just hasn't sunk in yet. Only my points increased while my tier hasn't changed. Nothing's different right now, so perhaps that's why I'm not feeling much.
And there's a slight uneasiness. What if the minimum threshold for Grandmaster has actually increased? My viewers gave voice to this concern.
- TierRipperZ: Yeah, but you're not in the safe zone yet, so who knows what'll happen when rankings update tomorrow
- IfIHadCrossedTheWall: True, other players could climb up too
- SilverPanthea: Right, GM and Challenger use a ranking system, so you need to stay in the top 1000
"That's right. There's no guarantee other people will stay at this score. Of course, some will drop, but others will climb up."
I searched for the Grandmaster tier cutoff point and found that my score was just barely making it.
The lowest Grandmaster user currently has 402 points. Of course, there might be people whose stats haven't been updated yet, but anyone serious enough about the game to reach this score would typically check their record. If not themselves, then people they play with would check. Or their fans or anti-fans.
Fans would naturally want to see how far their favorite player has climbed. Anti-fans would be more like, "Let's see how far this jerk who ruined my game has gotten!"
Hmm, not much difference there. Though the latter would hope for a drop, so they're definitely different. Anyway, this information seems reliable.
And as my viewers mentioned, Grandmaster and above use a ranking system. If I fall below that score, I'll be demoted to Master tier. And if more people climb up than fall down, or if current Grandmaster users increase their scores, I'll slide back down to Master.
"Hmm, the higher you go, the fewer points you gain for winning and the more you lose when defeated, so a 50% win rate won't maintain your score..."
Looking optimistically, competitive games always have winners and losers. If five out of ten people gain points and five lose points, you might think on average more people would lose points.
But reality doesn't work that way. Even though this is my first time reaching this score, I know that the minimum threshold—commonly called the "Grandmaster cut"—rises as the season progresses.
People who reached this tier with high win rates are already racing ahead. And behind me are others who've reached the threshold with high win rates too. I'm not at the front or middle of this race—I'm at the very edge. If I hesitate here, those sprinting behind me will grab me by the hair and throw me out of the arena.
If I were still the same old Noel, I'd just be amazed I reached this score and continue playing mindlessly. As someone who plays League of Champions all day, I can't really call myself an ordinary person, but objectively speaking, reaching this score as an amateur is quite an achievement.
But now I have a goal to become a professional gamer. I can't be satisfied with this. Not only do I need to maintain this score, I need to increase it. That will raise my market value.
It's like riding a tiger—once you're on, you can't get off.
"Grandmasters will mostly be matched with other Grandmasters. Sometimes Masters get pulled into those matches, but generally that's how matchmaking works. So among themselves, there will be five winners and five losers, making scores fluctuate and possibly maintaining the GM cutoff... but that's probably too optimistic, right?"
- SilverPanthea: Yeah, by the end of some seasons, the GM cutoff rises to 700 points
- TierRipperZ: Too many crazy players, it's exhausting lol
- FarmingPromotionThief: Never been there so I have no idea what you're talking about
- RealIsTracie: 222
- BigBangBoom: Seriously, this is a tier where going 1-1 loses you points, but somehow people keep gaining points, it's so damn tiring to maintain
[Donation message from user 623326]
I'm enjoying your stream! Congratulations on your GM promotion!
[Donation message from user BecameABlueStar]
You've passed the minimum GM cutoff, congratulations! I hope everything goes well for you and you can get your eyes fixed!
[Donation message from user SpearLover]
Congrats on GM! Now keep going, maintain your score and climb higher!
[Donation message from user Ctys]
Congratulations! To celebrate, how about treating yourself to something delicious with the donation money?
Was my lack of confidence that obvious? My viewers are encouraging me with donations too.
Thanks to them, my heavy heart feels a bit lighter. Right, I've done well so far. If I keep going like this, I'll manage somehow.
However, it's difficult to follow through on one of the donation suggestions.
"Um, thanks for the donation, but I already had breakfast so I'm still full... Can I have something delicious tomorrow instead?"
- Benjamin: ?? It's lunchtime now, what are you talking about
- SilverPanthea: Streamer can only eat once a day...
- HateAndLove: What's that... Are you on a diet? Even then, you could have a cheat day
"Ah, I have a small stomach. If I eat too much, I feel like I might throw up. I can eat more than before, but still can't manage two meals."
I already had breakfast. And I ate more than usual—a bowl of rice, fried eggs, and other side dishes.
If something has high calories but small volume, it's fine. But this food takes up a lot of space, and rice gives you that special feeling of fullness, so I'm still stuffed.
I feel most comfortable when I'm slightly hungry. Honestly, I feel a bit uncomfortable right now. I wish I had some cola, but I finished it after eating pizza and chicken before.
- TierRipperZ: Noel's portions have increased a lot
- QueenLexia: From one cup ramen a day to half a chicken? Wow, that's progress
- Usone: lol I remember being shocked when you said you eat one slice of pizza per day for 8 days
- SoSleepy: What happened then? Did you really eat it for 8 days? Didn't the pizza go bad?
- TierRipperZ: Celesti came over, ate a few slices, and promised to buy a new one
- Pgone: ?? Wasn't Celesti a guy? Is it okay for a guy to visit a girl's place like that?
- QueenLexia: lolol right, Celesti was a guy lolol
- TierRipperZ: They kept the stream on so nothing inappropriate could happen
- TierRipperZ: Why did they come over again?
- SilverPanthea: I remember they came to clean
Maybe because of that, viewers started talking about Celesti. While I was happy to hear about Jaemin since we're friends, having another streamer mentioned during my broadcast might not be entirely good. To prevent any potential drama, I subtly changed the subject.
The world isn't kind to men visiting women who live alone. Even though viewers know Jaemin is female but joke about her being male, someone who doesn't know might think it's true.
"Anyway, I'll postpone eating something special until tomorrow... But my health checkup is next week. How about having just one drink tomorrow? You can allow me that much, right?"
- TierRipperZ: I would've said no, but since it's your first GM, my heart softens lol
- SilverPanthea: How about this? If you get your GM badge when you log in at update time tomorrow, you can have a drink
- VegetableTunaBibimbap: Yeah, sounds good
- NoelAlcoholThief: So to keep Noel from drinking, we need to raise the GM cutoff...?
- Voltec: Genius
"Ah, that's a bit harsh."
Do they dislike me drinking that much? Well, alcohol certainly isn't good for health. I'm sure they're making these jokes with good intentions.
But this kind of thing makes me a bit stubborn.
So I immediately queued up for the next game.
- TierRipperZ: Huh? Why next game?
- SilverPanthea: Streamer, wouldn't it be better to wait for the tier update tomorrow...?
- Crental: Noel is hungry for blood... She's a beast thirsty for points...
"You all said I can't drink if the GM cutoff rises. Then shouldn't I just get into the safe zone so I can definitely have a drink?"
The worry I've been having was about other Master users chasing right behind me. The solution? Simple. Just make sure I'm not at the cutoff point.
Of course, my hands are still shaking. I'm worried about losing a game, dropping points, and falling out of Grandmaster.
But if I want to become a professional gamer, should I really be satisfied with barely making Grandmaster? Shouldn't I aim beyond this, toward Challenger? Don't I need that level of skill to compete in tournaments?
Thinking that way made me feel better. And this is probably better for my viewers too. They came to watch me play, not to see me sitting around doing nothing.