When CN•HOOK2 fought his way into the Top 5 on the Korean Challenger Ladder, it caused an uproar in the Chinese League of Legends community. But that uproar wasn’t limited to just China. It also sent waves of shock that reverberated through Korea’s League of Legends scene. 

The fact that a Chinese player made it all the way to the Top 5 on the Korean server was only mildly newsworthy. And that was only because it had not happened in a very, very long time. But CN•HOOK2 legendary climb through the night had so many things happening that compounded that single accomplishment into something greater. It wasn’t just that a Chinese player made it to the Top 5 on the Korean server, it was that a Chinese player played so many games in the Challenger queue in one night and pulled off multiple multi-game win streaks. And then to top it all off, CN•HOOK2’s final game of the night and climb was against the 3rd best Midlaner in all of Korea, Orion. Then, in that game, CN•HOOK2 had defeated Orion. 

All in all, the events of that night forced the League fans in Korea to collectively gasp. It was all they could talk about since it happened. And yet, despite all the discussion, there were still many of them who found all the rumors of what transpired that night difficult to believe. Most of their scepticism revolved around the fact that a nobody from China managed to beat one of the best Midlaners in the OGN. As far as they were concerned, that was impossible. And since that was impossible, there was no way the rest of the rumors could be true. 

But all the rumblings from the sceptics were quickly quashed. Recordings and clips of CN•HOOK2’s games found their way to the Korean League forums, completely crushing any theories about the falsehood of the climb. But the most important clip was that of the game-defining 1v1 that happened between CN•HOOK2’s Yasuo and Orion’s Zed at Level 6. That clip managed to render all of the sceptical voices speechless. 

That single short clip was watched and rewatched thousands of times. Most people could not get over the epic nature of the duel between Yasuo and Zed. Comments repeatedly spoke of how it looked more like the climax of a martial arts movie than a gameplay clip! The sheer amount of skill displayed by both Midlaners was nothing short of mind-blowing either! For everyone watching the clip, that single duel was just as exciting as an exchange in the OGN Summer Finals. 

And at the end of that intense duel, it was CN•HOOK2’s Yasuo who defeated Orion’s Zed. There was no way that anyone in the Korean League sphere could refute that fact, and it shocked them damn near senseless. The idea of a Chinese player, one they’d never even heard of before, defeating Orion in terms of pure skill was one that never even crossed their minds until now. Orion was a King, and no one had heard of CN•HOOK2. And so, there was a single question that echoed through the Korean League Community. That question happened to be the same one that was being asked in China. Who exactly was the mysterious CN•HOOK2, and what was he planning to do next? 

And in due course, the news of CN•HOOK2’s climb and spectacular match against Orion made it all the way to the Warriors’ Gaming House in Seoul, Korea. Orion’s teammates read through all the discussion online and watched the clips that were floating around the forums with a little bit more interest than everyone else. One of their own had been involved, and had a first-hand experience playing against the mysterious CN•HOOK2. So they gathered as much information as they could online and talked amongst themselves for a while before finally walking over to Orion’s room to ask him about the game and CN•HOOK2. 

The first wave of questions revolved around the game itself and that Orion had lost. Orion’s teammates were concerned that something was going on with one of their star players, or if the defeat caused him to lose confidence in himself. Both outcomes were not good for the team as a whole. But Orion remained calm and steady in the face of those questions, which reassured his teammates. In fact, he was so composed that it was clear that being defeated in CN•HOOK2 had no effect on him at all. And since their concerns about Orion were squared away, the rest of the Warriors team started asking him about CN•HOOK2. That’s when Orion’s breezy nonchalance broke and he turned much more serious. 

Orion stood up and addressed his teammates, “Alright. Here’s my read on CN•HOOK2 from playing him. He’s really good, that much should already be obvious to you guys. As far as I can tell, he’s unquestionably a top level player in terms of both pure skill and mechanics. As far as his play style goes… he’s aggressive. Super aggressive, to the point where it’s oppressive. I found myself being pushed down by the amount of pressure from him. But…” Orion paused to gather his thoughts. What he wanted to say next wasn’t based on anything concrete he’d analysed or could state based on evidence. It was a feeling, something pure and simple in his bones. He looked his teammates in the eyes and continued, “Don’t ask me how or why, but… I don’t think he’s one of the Midlaners we know of in the LPL. I don’t think he’s even in the LPL!”

Over in the Fate Gaming House, Moon had gone through all the clips posted online and independently arrived at the same conclusion as Orion. Now, Moon was an Emperor. It was not an exaggeration to state that his perception and insight into the game, as well as his ability to read other players, was at the highest degree possible in Korea. And it was this insight that Moon used to analyse CN•HOOK2, despite not playing against him in a game during the climb. Moon had managed to pick up quite a few clues about CN•HOOK2 between the steam of the final game and the clips floating around online. And now, he was turning those insights over in his mind to see if he could figure out the bigger picture.

Let’s think about this… CN•HOOK2. I watched how he played against Orion, and his game was unique. First thing to note is that he’s from China, which means LPL. Except…the play style isn’t one that’s used by any of the current LPL Midlaners. Or any of the former ones that I’ve played against or seen footage from before. That means the only conclusion here is that CN•HOOK2 isn’t a professional player. He’s not in the LPL. If I’m not wrong about Orion, he’s figured that much out too. 

CN•HOOK2 isn’t in the LPL and he’s currently not a professional player. That… that’s a problem.

The second Moon pierced through some of the mystery surround CN•HOOK2, seeds of caution bloomed in his heart and his thoughts zoomed towards the big picture and the World stage. 

CN•HOOK2’s play style is something we haven’t seen before, and it’s one that poses a real threat to the current meta in the professional scene in a global sense. It’s got the potential to really shake things up… maybe even completely end Korean dominance. That is a problem!

These days, the entire professional esports industry around League of Legends had embraced a sort of global meta. The various regions all practised a particular style of game play, and the World stage was built around countering the region-specific play style. The Koreans embraced a style that was best described as controlled aggression. North America and Europe leaned into a much more conservative game that was heavily dependent on scaling and reaching end-game builds. China had originally started out with an aggressive style of play. But over the last few years, they’d pivoted to a more conservative and defensive style of play. One that dulled the original aggression considerably, and imitated the NA and EU flow.

This shift towards conservative, low risk gameplay was what led to the current dominance of the Korean region in League of Legends. It was absurdly easy for the Korean teams to deal with that overarching strategy, and they’d perfected the counter-plays during the previous seasons. It was this global meta that CN•HOOK2 had the potential to disrupt, as far as Moon saw things. And that was what dominated his thoughts. 

This all comes down to China. The current set of teams at the top of the LPL all abandoned an aggressive play style that could topple any of the Korean teams for whatever reason. If I had to guess, it’s because they gave up hope that someone could beat Rake and decided to focus more on profits for now. Not the most far-sighted plan, but one that’s been working towards Korea’s benefit.

But if more players like CN•HOOK2 start popping up… that’s going to be a problem. The LPL is going to become significantly more difficult to deal with. No. That’s wrong. They’re going to become exponentially more difficult to beat…

Right now, I haven’t even played against CN•HOOK2 in a game, but I already know that I don’t want to go up against him. Or another player like him. The silver lining here is where all of this started. At least CN•HOOK2 isn’t a professional player, which means there’s currently no chance of running into him in a game that matters. Nor is there any chance of his play style changing the current meta. But it is something that I need to keep an eye on. 

And there’s still one more question that needs to be figured out in all of this.  How it is even possible for someone like CN•HOOK2 to exist in this era of esports? Someone that good, yet completely unknown? This wasn’t a slowly gathering storm. There were no warning signs on the horizon. There was no CN•HOOK2… until he suddenly showed up. Who exactly is CN•HOOK2 and where did he come from?

The identity of CN•HOOK2 was the question at the heart of it all. For all his thoughts, Moon ended up joining the scores of people in the League of Legends community across Korea in China as he pondered the answer to that question. Unlike China, where a few knew the identity of CN•HOOK2, there was no one in Korea who could penetrate that mystery. With one notable exception.

And that single notable exception was currently sitting in the training room at the SSK Gaming House. It was late into the night, but there was still one man seated in front of a computer, alone in that training room. There was no tension in his shoulders or anxiety in his eyes. He wasn’t in the training room late at night because he needed to be there. He was there because he wanted to be there, and he radiated a calm confidence. Every cell and pore in his body oozed the supreme surety that came with being at the very peak. 

His demeanour was the natural state of the strong, the aura that came with being an apex predator. He needed no acknowledgment from anyone else to tell him that he was at the very peak, nor did he need to bleat his achievements out in order to be recognized. The relaxed arrogance that permeated every fiber of his being was one that was both earned and universally acknowledged as correct. 

This man, who sat alone in that training room, wore a metaphorically grand cape woven with awards, accolades, and accomplishments. He was hailed as the unquestionably best Midlaner in the entire world, known far and wide as the team captain of SSK, and revered as the God Emperor of the Four Emperors. 

He stood at the very apex of global esports as the conqueror who carved the bloody path to the current era of Korean dominance in Esports. And his name was Han ‘Rake’ Seho.

Right now, Rake was at a computer in the training room. His face was completely expressionless, an impenetrable fortress that betrayed none of his thoughts. The only thing that offered some clue as to what was going on in his mind was the video playing on the screen in front of him. A replay of a game from the Korean Challenger queue. More specifically, a replay of the game between CN•HOOK2 and Orion. 

This was not a game that held any real significance. It wasn’t a match between two professional teams at the top of any league, it had no bearing on the World Championships, and ultimately affected nothing beyond some silly regional rivalry. There was nothing in this game that should have been of value or interest to Han ‘Rake’ Seho. Doing something like this was a complete waste of time for him, especially considering the level he’d reached in League of Legends. On any other day, Rake would have played a ranked game of his own or gone to bed early instead of watching such a trivial game. And yet, Han Seho watched the game between CN•HOOK2 and Orion from start to finish.

This game stood out to Rake’s eyes for a simple reason. CN•HOOK2. It was a name rang with familiarity, and dredged up a memory from deep inside Rake’s mind. CN•HOOK2 was a handle that his mentor, and the first player who wore the mantle of Rake, Lee Dojae had spoken to him about. 

And now, because of that conversation, Rake knew who was playing behind CN•HOOK2. Another legend from the same era as Lee Dojae. Rake was curious about this player from a time before him, simply because this rival of his mentor had managed to attain even greater status and acclaim in global esports than he currently had.

But Rake wasn’t interested in what the legend behind CN•HOOK2 achieved in the previous era of esports. His interest was in seeing how a titan of that era played today. More than that, Rake wanted to measure himself against the top of the previous generation. So he clicked on the replay and watched with razor sharp eyes, taking in everything about the player behind CN•HOOK2.

And as he watched, his reason for watching changed. Something about the way that CN•HOOK2 played felt familiar to Rake. In his mind, he could see himself remembering counter-moves to CN•HOOK2’s Yasuo, like he’d played against CN•HOOK2 before. Somewhere deep in his mind, Rake knew that he’d seen this player before and that he’d played against him. 

By the time the game ended, Rake knew that the identity of CN•HOOK2 was not his mentor’s rival from a previous age. But his soul continued to scream out that he knew CN•HOOK2. Rake dug deep into his memories, through years and thousands of games, trying to find the answer that his heart told him was there. 

Then, all of a sudden and with no warning at all, Rake’s eyes widened! The normally tranquil waters of his emotions rippled with surprise. It’s him… ?

A few stars still twinkled bright in the night sky above Beijing, cutting through all of the lights and smog that cast a haze over the city. And on this night, they flickered over the skyscraper that housed the Chinese Esports Association. It was a monumental edifice, one that towered over the rest of the buildings in the area. A testament to the growth and newfound importance of Esports. But most of the building was dark. All of the staff that worked there had gone home for the night, so there was no light shining through any of the windows. Except for the very top floor. Light could still be seen through the windows of the office of the President.

Inside the office was Lin Songshi. The President of the Chinese Esports Association. He was still at his desk, looking through planning documents and proposals. He typed out a few final notes before saving the document. Then he picked up his pen to jot down a few quick notes. Once he was done, Lin Songshi put the pen down and slowly massaged his temples with his fingertips. The stress and weight of his responsibilities was evident on his shoulders. And the exhaustion was clearly visible on his face.

Lin Songshi was no stranger to the necessity of the long late nights in the office. In the last few years, it had turned into the norm rather than a rare occurrence. The authority and glory that came with the mantle of President of the Chinese Esports Associate also came with a heavy burden. Over the last two years, Chinese Esports burst to prominence and mainstream awareness and it continued to expand rapidly. Lin Songshi had no complaints about the momentum esports was building up, nor did he think the growth was something to be sad about. But it meant that he absolutely could not become complacent or start relaxing. His current mission and purpose was to make sure that any issues that popped up while the brand new esports industry continued to expand and mature were dealt with in a swift and thorough fashion. Lin Songshi dedicated his entire being to making sure that the foundation of Chinese Esports was solid, rather than being chained down and anchored by poor management and the resultant chronic issues. Even a single mistake could have repercussions down the line and send the whole thing tumbling down like a house of cards, and that was an outcome that Lin Songshi would not tolerate.

With that thought in his head, Lin Songshi got up from his seat and slowly walked over to the window. He clasped his hands behind his back and looked out at the twinkling city beyond, fighting back against the inky blackness of the night, with a stone face. One line of thought circling around in his mind over and over again. Not enough!

Lin Songshi was one of the first people in China who saw the potential involved in esports, and a pioneer in setting up the industry. He’d spent most of his life until now building the Chinese esports scene to where it was today, and built up an entire generation of players and organisations. But it still was not enough. In actuality, it was very far from being enough. 

There was a single dream, a hope, that captivated Lin Songshi and many others in the Chinese esports industry. This dream was the light that everyone involved in Chinese esports collectively ran towards. That hope was that the LPL would some day surpass North America, Europe, and even Korea to become the most respected and flourishing region in all of esports in the world! But this was a distant dream, and one that was not easily accomplished. Even after nurturing an entire generation and years of hard work, the LPL was still a minor player in the international scene.  

As he stood at that window, Lin Songshi tried to figure out what needed to be done to keep the LPL moving toward the grand dream. What do we need right now? Another generation of players? A group who can stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before them and reach for even greater heights? Or another player who can represent two generations at the same time? Someone who can rally the old guard and then push past them to show the new generation everything that could be possible?   

Lin Songshi considered the potential paths forward and his options, and searched for an answer in the dark horizon beyond the city. And then in the middle of this, he stopped himself and the look in his eyes changed. All of this aside, it isn’t like I’m not satisfied with the LPL’s current growth. It is beyond questioning that the LPL is on the right track. What we need right now, more than anything else, is for both the old generation of established players and the new emerging generation of players to work together to cement their place in esports! But that task… it goes without saying that the heavy lifting is going to fall on the next generation. 

As he thought about the next generation, Lin Songshi closed his eyes and lowered his head. Then, he slowly raised his head again and opened his eyes again to stare out the window. At the bustling city out in front of him. Then he raised his head up to look at the few stars twinkling in the sky, while his eyes flickered with a complicated expression. Thinking about the next generation pushed his thoughts back from the future to the present, to the development that rocked and exhilarated the entire Chinese esports industry. 

A player by the name of CN•HOOK2 had appeared to challenge the Korean server, and triumphed over them in what could only be described as a meteoric rise. CN•HOOK2 played through the night to make esports history. Right now, thousands of people online were trying to discover the identity of the player behind the handle of CN•HOOK2. From casual players to professional organisations to streamers and internet news outlets. Everyone wanted to figure out who CN•HOOK2 was, and several parties were absurdly motivated to be the first to find out. But up until now, no one had been able to come up with anything conclusive. It was all conjecture and theorycrafting. 

But Lin Songshi was not one of them. He happened to be one of the select few in all of China who knew the truth behind CN•HOOK2. 

After standing in front of the window for a long time, Lin Songshi finally decided what he wanted to do. He pulled out his phone and made a call. To a number he had not dialled in years. After a few rings, the call connected. 

The voice of a young man boomed from the phone, “Old Man Lin? What’s the call out of the blue? It’s 3AM for you, ain’t it? Why are you still awake? Is everything alright?”

Lin Songshi remained composed as he heard the voice on the other end of the line. He also completely ignored all of the questions and calmly asked, “That Hook2 account. It belongs to you. Am I wrong about that, One?”

There was silence on the other side as One froze up for a second. Then an awkward cough to break the tension. One finally replied shortly after, “Oh, yeah. Right on the money. Can’t pull one over on you, Old Man Lin.”

Lin Songshi nodded to himself and continued, “So the person playing on that account tonight was Lin Feng?”

One coughed again, “Yeah.”

Lin Songshi considered what to say next for a few seconds before asking, “Did you put him up to this?”

There was no hesitation from One as he replied, “Correct.” 

After that, the call faded into a tense silence for a long minute. Finally, Lin Songshi took a deep breath and asked, “Lin Feng deciding to come back, was that also your doing?” 

Once again, there was no hesitation in One’s reply, “Nope. I had nothing to do with that. I didn’t even know about it until he told me. Coming back was his choice. It was entirely his own.”

There was silence on the call again as Lin Songshi considered what he wanted to say. A moment later, he opened his mouth again and said, “I don’t want him to return.”

One paused for the first time since he picked up the call from Lin Songshi. Then he smiled. “Oh? You don’t want him back? Are you telling me this as the President of the Chinese Esports Association? Or are you saying you don’t want Lin Feng back in the game as his Uncle?”

Lin Songshi had no reply. This was the question currently raging in his mind. As the President of the Chinese Esports Association, he knew the accomplishments and potential of the legendary player Maple. He knew, better than almost anyone, how deep the well of Lin Feng’s potential was. As someone tasked with nurturing and paving the future of Chinese Esports, he had no reason to get in the way of Lin Feng’s return. In fact, it would solve the problem he’d been grappling with all night. If Lin Feng were to come back, despite being retired for years, it would give the scene the new blood it so desperately needed. More importantly, Lin Feng could be a bridge between the old generation and the new one. 

Lin Songshi was rock solid in his judgement that Lin Feng would become one of the key pillars of the next generation. Lin Feng’s achievements as CN•HOOK2 tonight, which had shocked players across Asia, was proof enough that he had it in him. 

One remained respectfully quiet as Lin Songshi pieced his thoughts together. But after a while, One rubbed his chin and spoke up, “It’s a real conundrum, ain’t it? As the President of the Chinese Esports Association, you know that an outstanding player like Lin Feng is exactly what the LPL needs to face this coming era. But as his Uncle, you probably want to see him focus on school. You want him to study hard for the college entrance exams, get into a good university so he can get a job, and then live a quiet and stable life. You don’t want him caught up in this dream that trapped so many other people. A dream that all of them have failed to grasp. But the real question is how you’re going to reconcile those two hats you wear, and which path you’re going to nudge Lin Feng down.”

When Lin Songshi remained quiet, One chuckled and continued, “From society’s point of view, a career in esports is hardly respectable. But when has that ever stopped any pro player from chasing their dream? The stage, the glory… to them, it’s all worth it. Ain’t that right?”

Lin Songshi’s fingers squeezed his phone. Eventually, he broke his silence with a bitter chuckle and said, “Yes. You’re right. This dilemma, it’s a tough nut to crack. You don’t know how much trouble it was four years ago, when I convinced Lin Feng’s parents to let him play. Or all the pain after that… It’s going to be a lot worse this time, One. Everyone still remembers what happened four years ago, and they’re going to be worried it’ll happen again. Now you’re telling me I have to convince Lin Feng’s parents again?”

One laughed. “Well, that’s family. What can you do? But Lin Feng is very different now. He’s not the same person that he was four years ago. Right now, he just needs time. Trust me, he’ll get even stronger. Didn’t you hear all the buzz about his climb up the Korean ladder tonight?”

Lin Songshi nodded. “I did. He even managed to beat Orion in his last game.”

“Exactly! That kid… he managed to surprise me with that. He’s progressing and growing faster than I predicted,” One replied. “As long as he keeps this up, it won’t be long before he can really succeed me.” 

Lin Songshi had a thought expression on his face. “He still has one huge obstacle in front of him, doesn’t he?”

One calmly laughed. “He does, but that works out for us. As long as Lin Feng has a powerful rival as a goal, it’ll motivate him to get better even faster. Push him further and further and draw out all of his potential. Besides, that kid over in Korea has probably already caught onto the fact that there’s thunder on the horizon.”

While Orion contemplated a future where he would face CN•HOOK2 as an LPL player and steeled himself to redeem the loss, all of the League enthusiasts and fans across China were more concerned with the short term. For them, all that mattered was that CN•HOOK2 had won! Everything else faded for them as they lost themselves in the joy of the moment. This entire night had been tense. So tense that all of them were afraid to hope. But CN•HOOK2 had persevered despite their doubts, and he’d made their wildest dream come true. That was all that they were thinking about. 

As soon as the Red Team’s Nexus was destroyed, all of the viewers on Lightless Heart’s stream rushed over to the Korean Challenger ladder page and started refreshing. They wanted to see the rankings the second it updated. And then it happened. They all saw it in the last minute before the ranked ladder reset. CN•HOOK2 was firmly and definitively in the Top 5.

In an interesting twist of fate, it was Orion who was originally at Rank 4. His loss in the last game made his rank drop. So not only was CN•HOOK2 in the Top 5, he managed to leapfrog over Orion into Rank 4! It was, quite literally, better than what all of the over a million viewers on Lightless’ hoped would happen. And they were ecstatic about it. 

「66666666666666666!」
「He’s number 4! Number 4!」
「The manman, HOOK2 ACTUALLY DID IT!」
「what a goooooooood! Hahaha!」
「internet brethren, pinch me! Tell me i’m not dreaming!」

Even Lightless Heart got caught up in the moment and excitement. He threw his fist up into the air and exclaimed, “HE DID IT GUYS!” As far as Lightless Heart went, this was more than about a number on a list. When this night started, he already held a deep respect for CN•HOOK2. But that respect was based on what he’d heard about the player behind CN•HOOK2 during a time when he wasn’t part of the professional scene. Watching CN•HOOK2 play and persevere through the night solidified Lightless Heart’s respect. Not only that, the admiration that Lightless Heart felt for CN•HOOK2 grew by several layers! 

“Fuck! He actually did it! That motherfucker actually pulled it off!” Read XIII cried out, unable to control the shock in his heart. He continued, “How many games has he even played tonight? WAIT-A-MINUTE! Didn’t he just get done playing in the Collegiate Cup Finals today? How? How, Fatty, HOW?! On top of all of that… he even managed to spank that son of a bitch Orion around! How can he be this much of a god already?!”

Tian Tian smiled at Read XIII’s reaction. “I told you! I knew that Lin Feng was going to win the whole time! But this isn’t even close to his peak. Lin Feng’s got a long road to travel before he’s really back.”

Read XIII crushed. “God damn! That wasn’t even his best? When he actually gets back to 100%, we’re all gonna be fucked. He’s gonna make us all look like soyboy cucks!”

Tian Tian’s eyes sparkled. He declared the truth he’d nurtured in his heart for a long time now to both Read XIII and the world, “Lin Feng is the strongest Midlaner in the world!”

Aurous was on the same wavelength as Read XIII over in the Team Rapids’ Gaming House. He looked at Shi Hang and frowned. “Maple’s already on Orion’s. When he comes back to the LPL… is there anyone who can stand in his way? No wonder Qiu Yijie lost to him. That kid isn’t human! If he gets any better than this, he’s going to be on the same plane as Moon, Phoenix, and Autumn!”

Shi Hang’s lips curved into a smile. “I’m not so sure about that. We’ll only really know once he steps up onto that stage and plays against them in a tournament setting. That said…” He turned his attention to the chat going crazy on the stream and his smiled widened, “He’s definitely become the main character and the hero of China’s whole League scene tonight.

Shi Hang called it perfectly. The name CN•HOOK2 was pretty much everywhere for the rest of the night and a few days afterwards. The epic climb up the Korean Challenger ladder and the final push in a single night turned into a legend that people continued talking about for a very long time. 

It was inevitable. CN•HOOK2 climbed up what was possibly the world’s most competitive ladder with a phenomenal, almost unbelievable, win rate. And on top of that, he’d gone up against and defeated a King in his final game! There was nothing else people wanted to talk about. CN•HOOK2 had actually achieved the dreamiest of fantasy runs that every League player nurtured deep in their hearts. 

Setting aside the nigh impossible achievement, the mystery surrounding CN•HOOK2 was another thing that propelled the discussion forward. No one knew who he was, or what he was planning to do. People across the forums speculated about how CN•HOOK2 was a brand new professional player making an entrance into the scene. Others believed that he was trying to prove his qualifications to enter the LPL with this climb on the Korean server. And there was another camp that accepted CN•HOOK2’s entry into the LPL as a foregone conclusion, and speculated about how there was now another potential King besides Daybreak Hermes. 

But it was all speculation. None of them had any answers. 

Fan Yuan, one of the three vice-presidents of the Beijing Esports Association, was sitting in a bar somewhere in the Chaoyang District of Beijing. He nursed the drink in his hand with a gloomy expression on his face. It was odd that someone connected to the Esports scene was sad on this particular night, when the rest of China was celebrating. But Fan Yuan was not caught up in the excitement, or even a little bit cheerful. Instead, he was ruminating on the loss that the team he put together, Team Beijing, suffered earlier in the afternoon. Not only had his team lost in the Finals of the Collegiate Cup, they were defeated 3-0 in a clean sweep by Team Shanghai. 

It was a complete and utter humiliation. Both for the team and for Fan Yuan personally. As he sat at the bar and thought about the smug look on Chu Fang’s face in the afternoon, the anger in his heart burned. Or it was actual heart burn. Fan Yuan suffered from acidity, and he hadn’t eaten much today. He hadn’t had much of an appetite. First because his team was playing in the Finals. And then because his team had lost in the Finals. 

Fan Yuan grimaced at the person sitting across from him. Zhou Weihe, another one of the vice-presidents of the Beijing Esports Association. Zhou Weihe couldn’t offer his colleague much besides sympathy and company. But he understood exactly how Fan Yuan was feeling right now. Zhou Weihe knew about the tension between Fan Yuan and Chu Fang. He was even one of the few people who knew the initial source of the conflict between the two. It was trivial, not even worth mentioning. But that tiny spark grew larger and larger over time, until it turned into the full-blown battle of today.

This little competition between the three branches of the Chinese Esports Association during the Collegiate Cup… this was supposed to be Fan Yuan’s chance at getting back and Chu Fang. With a healthy slap on top of that. But Fan Yuan was the one that got taught a lesson instead. Poor guy must be writhing in humiliation, Zhou Weihe thought and sighed.

What made it worse was that Fan Yuan had bragged to Chu Fang about how much better Team Beijing was before the Finals. And then Team Beijing suffered an embarrassing and utter defeat. 

Fan Yuan took another swig of his drink and slammed his glass down on the table. He looked up at Zhou Weihe with flushed cheeks and said, “Hey, we’ve been friends for a long time, right? Can you tell me why I’ve got such shitty luck!? I finally got a chance to show off in front of Chu Fang, to prove that I was better than him… I definitely had a team that was Collegiate Cup Champion material! But we still ended up losing so badly! Where did Chu Fang get those players! Why the hell was Team Shanghai so strong!?” 

Zhou Weihe remained silent. He recalled his conversation with Lin Songshi and the shocking truth that he had learned.

After a while, Zhou Weihe‘s eyes flickered. He opened his mouth, “Fan Yuan, the loss today… Well. You losing… there was nothing surprising about that. ”

Fan Yuan eyes popped open wide. Then they turned red. “What!? Now you’re going to make fun of me too!?” 

Zhou Weihe shook his head. “Listen to me. Team Beijing was good enough to win the championship. You’re not wrong about that. But Team Shanghai was definitely much better than Team Beijing. If there weren’t any confounding variables, Team Beijing would’ve won for sure. But Team Shanghai was absolutely the stronger team!”

Fan Yuan coldly chuckled. “Stronger? What? Are you talking about their Midlaner? Yeah, I won’t deny that. I never thought some nobody would actually be able to beat Yu Ping.” His voice contained a hint of self-mockery. Even though he said this, he still couldn’t believe that Lin Feng had carried his team to victory purely. He couldn’t believe that Lin Feng was that skilled. After all, if that were true, it meant Team Beijing never stood a chance in the first place.

Zhou Weihe shook his head. “You’re wrong. That Lin Feng isn’t a nobody. He’s much better than you could’ve ever imagined, and you probably already know of him and about him. You just don’t know that you know it yet.” 

Then Zhou Weihe leaned over and told Fan Yuan everything that he’d learned about Lin Feng. He told Fan Yuan exactly who Lin Feng was. Once he finished, a stunned silence fell over the table.

Fan Yuan was in a daze, his eyes flickering with disbelief as if he’d seen a ghost. “He, he’s… t-that kid… Oh my god…”

Zhou Weihe looked around the table, then quickly put his finger over his lips. He said with a serious expression, “This stays between us. The President doesn’t want any of this getting out.”

Fan Yuan immediately shut his mouth. At the same time, he felt a cold sweat run down his spine. He understood completely now. There was nothing odd about the fact that Team Beijing lost. Fan Yuan knew that against Lin Feng, Team Beijing never had a shot at winning.

Literally no one watching could have ever imagined that a single game in the solo queue could be this intense. Or nerve-wracking. But they all sat at the edge of their seats with spasms of unease following every heartbeat as they watched CN•HOOK2 try to bait out the Red Team from their base by rushing Baron. And when they saw the Red Team rushing out of their base, hooked on CN•HOOK2 gambit, the uneasy beating of their hearts turned into palpitations. 

The tension was thick. For the viewers. For the players in the game. Everyone involved across geographic and digital boundaries, united by this one moment in this one game, held their breaths. Time itself slowed down, with every frame and every second dragging on for an eternity. 

24 minutes and 30 seconds on the game timer, with 7 minutes and 30 seconds until the deadline for the Korean ladder. Blue Team’s relentless assault on Baron Nashor was starting to work. The monster’s health had fallen below 30%, and it looked as if they would succeed in taking it down. Meanwhile, the Red Team was rushing through the top half of their jungle in a desperate attempt to reach the Baron Pit before the monster fell. 

24 minutes and 40 seconds on the game timer, with 7 minutes and 20 seconds until the deadline for the Korean ladder. Red Team’s Champions had made it all the way to the River, and they were closing in on the Baron Pit. Both Red and Blue Team were locked in a desperate race against each other and time. The Blue Team’s attacks continued to whittle away at what little remained of Baron Nashor’s health. But the real question was if Red Team would get to the Baron Pit in time to stop Blue Team from bringing the Baron down.  

24 minutes and 45 seconds on the game timer, with 7 minutes and 15 seconds until the deadline for the Korean ladder. Red Team’s Gragas led the charge towards the Baron Pit. When he got close enough, he sent a barrel rolling forward to the Baron Pit. When it got close enough to Blue Team, he exploded it with another cast of Barrel Roll. Janna was right behind Gragas, and she followed up on the barrel with a Howling Gale! The rest of the Red Team was grouped up behind and around Janna. 

When Gragas’ barrel rolled into their vision, all five members of Blue Team immediately ceased their assault on Baron Nashor. They managed to back away right before the barrel exploded, avoiding all damage from it. Then they split apart and Janna’s Howling Gale passed through the gaps in their ranks. 

Sejuani charged out of the Baron Pit first with Arctic Assault and Flashed mid-charge. When she came out of the Flash, she was right in the middle of the Red Team!  She collided with three of their Champions and knocked them up into the air! 

Yasuo followed Sejuani out of the Baron Pit, and immediately dashed over to Gragas with Sweeping Blade. As he landed, his blade pierced into Gragas with a Steel Tempest! Winds coiled and roiled along the length of the blade as this second Steel Tempest landed on Gragas. The first stack of Steel Tempest was built up right before Red Team arrived at the Baron Pit, when Yasuo used the skill on Baron Nashor.

Gragas attempted to retaliate and hold Yasuo and Sejuani back. But before he could, he was hooked by a Death Sentence from Thresh. The Red Team was now completely exposed!

Yasuo rushed past the hooked Gragas and right into the heart of the Red Team. But just as he got there, he was enveloped in mottled yellow light as he Flashed forward right into the Red Team’s backline. When he arrived, he dashed to Jinx with Sweeping Blade. But mid-dash, Yasuo used Steel Tempest. The dash turned into a whirl of steel and wind, one that sent a point blank whirlwind at both Jinx and Janna. The whirlwind made contact and knocked both Champions up into the air!

Now that Janna and Jinx were up in the air, Yasuo could unleash his ultimate—Last Breath! He blinked over to the knocked up champions as they hurtled through the air and unleashed a flurry of slashes on both of them! Then he knocked them back down to the ground with a final downward slash, and landed gracefully beside them. A quick succession of auto attacks sliced through both Jinx and Janna’s throats. The wandering samurai took a brief second to appreciate the mournful flute-like noise as the last of the wind in their lungs escaped through the cuts he had made. 

《Double Kill!》

As the Announcer’s voice rang out, Yasuo’s moment of quiet contemplation ended. He readied his blade once more and dashed at Gragas with a Sweeping Blade. A quick combination of slashes and thrusts granted Gragas a quick and merciful death. 

《Triple Kill!》

Now that Gragas was down, Yasuo’s blade hungered for the blood of Zed. He looked for the ninja that had become his rival for much of the game, and found him far away. When the battle started, Zed immediately rushed Blue Team’s backline and went for Tristana with single-minded determination. It was obvious that Tristana escaping his claws earlier had enraged him. Zed Flashed right into Tristana and unleashed a lightning fast combination of all his skills, followed by an Ignite. It was more than the poor squishy Tristana could handle, and she blasted off into the afterlife. 

Yasuo and Zed glared at each other, across the battlefield littered with bodies and attacks flying back and forth that the river had become. But Yasuo had already cut down three of the Red Team’s Champions, while Zed had only managed to take out Tristana from the Blue Team. Zed understood that he was hopelessly outnumbered, and that he had no hope of winning this team fight. With one last look filled with pure murder at Yasuo, Zed disappeared into the Red Team’s Jungle. 

Yasuo hesitated for a brief moment as he decided if he would chase Zed into the jungle or not. And then Lulu intervened by casting Wide Growth on him. Yasuo grew in size and gained bonus health. That snapped Yasuo out of any thoughts of a reckless chase, and he turned his attention to the final enemy Champion from the Red Team left on the field. Rumble. 

All the fury Yasuo felt about Zed slipping through his fingers was unleashed on the hapless Rumble. He did not last long before slipping into the sweet embrace of death. 

《Quadra Kill!》

CN•HOOK2’s gambit had completely paid off! This team fight at the Baron Pit was an overwhelming victory for the Blue Team at 4-1. But far more important, the Red Team’s base was now exposed. Zed alone could not defend the entire base. 

The Blue Team abandoned their attempt to bring Baron Nashor down and immediately pushed down the Mid lane into Red Team’s base. They destroyed both the Inhibitor Tower and the Inhibitor in the Mid lane, which let super minions spawn in that lane. Defending would now become significantly harder for the Red Team. Then the Blue Team ran over to the Top lane and destroyed the Inhibitor tower in that lane!

27 minutes on the game timer, with 5 minutes left until the deadline for the Korean ladder. After destroying the Inhibitor Tower in the Top Lane, the Blue Team rolled back down to the Baron Pit in a serious attempt to bring Baron Nashor down. This time they were successful. With the Baron Buff secured, the Blue Team decided to make one final push into the Red Team’s base. 

Enough time had elapsed for all of the Red Team’s Champions to respawn, and another team fight broke out. This one went along the same lines as the team fight in the Baron Pit. Except the Blue Team managed to take out all five Champions on the Red Team in a 5-1 trade. 

《ACE!》

28 minutes on the game timer, with 4 minutes left until the deadline for the Korean ladder. Led by Yasuo, the Champions from Blue Team had destroyed the Red Team’s Inhibitor in the Top lane. Waves of minions led by a super minion were now streaming into the Red Team’s base from two lanes! The Blue Team had then managed to take out two of the Red Team’s Nexus Towers!

29 minutes on the game timer, with 3 minutes left until the deadline for the Korean ladder. The Blue Team destroyed the Red Team’s Nexus! 

VICTORY!

Lin Feng looked at the time as the victory crest floated up on his screen. Three minutes left! I did it! I finished the game in time! I kept my promise to One, and that’s all that matters right now…

Lin Feng didn’t need to check the Korean Challenger ladder to know that he’d accomplished the goal that he’d set out for tonight. Besides, he couldn’t even if he wanted to make sure. The second the game ended, all of Lin Feng’s strength and energy vanished completely. He slumped back in his chair, exhausted and utterly spent. But his face was locked into a satisfied smirk as his eyes closed. 

Before An Xin could even start to congratulate him on his victory, Lin Feng passed out in his seat. She looked at him with a gentle smile and pride in her eyes. Then she got up and walked over to him. An Xin ruffled his hair and softly spoke into his ear, “Good job. Now sleep. You deserve to rest. You worked hard, Lin Feng. You don’t know this, but One is going to be happy and proud when he hears about this. I’m happy too. I haven’t seen you like this in a long time…”

Seoul, Korea. The Warriors Gaming House. Orion’s head hung low as the red Defeat crest hung over his screen. As he contemplated the loss, his expression was inscrutable. 

I… lost. Obviously, it’s impossible for anyone to win every game in solo queue at the Challenger level. Especially on the Korean server. But… I completely lost when it came to the 1v1 in the Mid lane. CN•HOOK2 completely outplayed and defeated me.

Orion took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. By the time it ended, he was calm. Orion was a King and one of the top Korean players. A single loss in a solo queue game was not enough to make him tear his hair out and throw a fit. It stung, that was for sure. But it wasn’t enough to shake his confidence. 

With a cooler head, Orion replayed the previous game in his head and paused on pivotal moments as he studied CN•HOOK2. Hm… this could be a problem. CN•HOOK2 probably isn’t an LPL player right now because I’ve never seen or heard of anyone that plays like him. But he’s definitely got more than enough skill to match up with China’s best Midlaners right now. He’s also raw and unpolished… definitely not a professional player. Yet.

CN•HOOK2. I’ll remember him. If he enters the professional scene, then the OGN is going to have a truly formidable opponent to contend with. I lost today. But I know that I’m going to see him on a real stage one day. When that day comes, I’m going to be ready! I’m not going to hold back at all! CN•HOOK2 I’m going to take this win back from you when it matters more!

This wasn’t just empty bluster in an attempt to console himself. The truth was that Orion had not gone all out in this game. As a King, one who was ranked just below Moon and Rake, Orion was a significantly more dangerous opponent than he had let on during this game.

17 minutes on the game timer. The Dragon Pit. 

Both the Red and Blue teams gathered there for a team fight, feeling each other out. The tension was palpable. But neither team found an opening to engage. It turned into another deadlock, with both teams attempting to bait each other into breaking formation. 

Then, all of a sudden, it started. Blue Team’s Thresh found an opening. A blind spot behind the wall of the Dragon Pit that placed him within attack range of Jinx. Thresh made the decision to go for it and initiated the fight with a Death Sentence. His chain and sickle whirled through the air and wrapped around Jinx! But instead of pulling Jinx to him, Thresh used the skill again to pull himself towards Jinx and Janna. And when he landed in front of them, he knocked the bottom lane duo for the Red Team up with Flay! 

Yasuo was ready and waiting. The second that Jinx and Janna got knocked up by Thresh’s Flay, he blinked over to them with his ultimate—Last Breath! Then he unleashed a flurry of slashes on both Jinx and Janna before sending them flying back down to the ground with a mighty downward slash of his katana. And Lulu and Sejuani waited right below where Jinx and Janna were plummeting to the ground to receive them. They were soon joined by Thresh, who arrived just as Yasuo landed.  

Four Champions from Blue Team—Thresh, Yasuo, Sejuani, and Lulu—ganged up on the helpless Jinx and Janna. The combined and focused damage quickly killed Jinx first, and Janna followed her into death soon after.

While this was happening, Orion sent his Zed deep into the Blue Team’s backline to try and kill their AD-Carry, Tristana. Which is why Tristana could not join the assault against Jinx and Janna. She was too busy trying to escape from Zed. Once the other four Champions from Blue Team finished with Janna and Jinx, they started chasing after Zed in an attempt to rescue their comrade Tristana.

But before they got far, Gragas popped out of the brush in the river and barrelled straight into Thresh with a Body Slam. He followed up with an Explosive Cask and shredded what was left of Thresh’s health. The surprise ambush resulted in the death of Thresh. But the other three Champions from Blue Team pounced on Gragas and tore him to shreds. They achieved vengeance for Thresh. 

Still. Gragas, the Jungler from the Red Team, had accomplished what he set out to do. He delayed the rest of Blue Team long enough for Zed to continue pursuing Tristana. Unfortunately, the sacrificial play did not work out. Tristana managed to escape from Zed using a combination of her skills, Flash, and Heal. Zed found himself empty-handed and wallowing in impotent rage in the Mid lane.

At the end of it all, the team fight at the Dragon Pit boiled down to a 3-1 trade between the two teams. Thresh had valiantly lost his life, but his sacrifice allowed the Blue Team to take out Jinx, Janna and Gragas. Which also made it possible for the Blue Team to easily kill the now uncontested Dragon and secure the buff for themselves. The balance of the game had shifted. The scales were starting to tip towards the Blue Team.

The Warriors’ Gaming House in Seoul, Korea. Orion’s forehead dripped with cold sweat. He watched Tristana run to safety, well past the point where his Zed could reach her. Then he glanced over at Yasuo, clenching his mouse so tightly that the plastic creaked. This is a problem! That stupid Tristana slipped through my fingers. When the next fight rolls around, she’s probably going to get Quicksilver Sash from the shop. God dammit! Once she gets that item, we can’t lock her down with any crowd control skills. There’s also buffs and protection from her Support, Lulu, to deal with. Shit! Shit! Shit! Diving the backline and taking out Tristana is going to be significantly more difficult now. Fuck!  

Then there’s that Yasuo to worry about. Hook2. He’s getting fed hard and becoming a nightmare during team fights. This situation is spinning way out of control! All this because I was stupid enough to get tilted and lose my chill after that duel with Yasuo. 

With that thought, Orion’s mind replayed the memory of that fight. When it got to the point where Yasuo outplayed him, Orion felt a chill running down his spine. Be honest here, Orion! You underestimated this Hook2, whoever he is. You can tell yourself that it’s not your fault for underestimating him. You can tell yourself that you didn’t think there was anyone in China beyond Daybreak Hermes who could compete with you in terms of skill and mechanics. You can tell yourself that the whole thing was so far outside of what you expected that you can’t be blamed for it. But none of that matters. You let your guard down and underestimated your opponent, and you lost. That’s on you! 

Lin Feng, on the other hand, had far less on his mind. As his team’s advantage snowballed, he grew calmer and any distracting thoughts in his mind faded. He was completely focused on the game in front of him, and the way he played as Yasuo grew even more stable. With his newfound Zen state of mind, Lin Feng left no openings that his opponents could exploit. 

We’re ahead right now. But it’s not an overwhelming advantage and this is Korean Challenger. At this level of play, a turn-around is always possible. Especially considering I’m playing against Orion. He’s more than good enough to turn this whole game around from a small mistake. But time is running out… 

Wait! No! Yes. I’m running out of time. But that’s no reason to starting taking unnecessary risks and playing sloppy. Finishing the game quickly is important. But winning this game is necessary! 

With that thought, Lin Feng’s eyes flashed with a sharp light. I’m going to keep this going until victory is mine! 

Lightless Heart looked at his camera and spoke to all the people watching, “This has been one of the highest intensity games I’ve seen in a while! So much has happened and so quickly. It’s a lot to take in, so let’s do a quick recap of the state of the game right now! Just the highlights so you guys all have the same big picture overview that the players do. So at 19 minutes, the entire Blue Team grouped together and ran it down Mid lane. They took out the Red Team’s Outer Tower and then continued to push until the Inner Tower fell too. Then they split up.”

“Two minutes later, that’s 21 minutes on the game clock, Blue Team managed to take out the Red Inner Tower in the Top lane. At this point in the game, Red Team was pushed back onto a defensive footing. Blue Team managed to expose the inhibitors in both Top and Mid lanes. If either of those inhibitors falls, then Red Team is in some serious trouble.” 

“But Blue Team didn’t push forward to take one of those inhibitors. Instead, they fell back and went over to the Dragon Pit. Since Red Team was scrambling to make sure the Blue minion waves didn’t take out one of their inhibitors, it was basically uncontested. Blue Team managed to secure another Dragon at 23 minutes!” 

“ALL IN ALL, OUR HERO HOOK2 AND HIS TEAM HAVE A GIGANTIC LEAD!” Lightless screamed at the over-a-million viewers on his stream. “Right now! Well. Right now, Hook2 has pretty much won his last game of the night and secured his place in history. But…”

“He doesn’t have a lot of time left,” Shi Hang said, glancing at Aurous. They were still in the Team Rapids Gaming House, watching the stream. 

Aurous frowned and nodded in agreement. He pointed at his watch and said, “10 minutes. He’s gotta end the game in 10 minutes or he won’t make it. The ranked ladder will reset. If Orion or anyone else on the Red Team tries to drag this game out beyond 10 minutes, all of this will be for nothing. Even if he wins, it won’t count. ”

Shi Hang’s eyes flashed with a sharp light. “I know it. You know it. He definitely knows it. I’m sure he’s thinking about it right now, trying to figure out how to make use of every second he has left! If I know Lin Feng at all, then everything comes down to this next teamfight!”

23 minutes since the start of the game. Red Team started to pivot to a defensive strategy. They’d given up on maintaining control over most of their jungle and started setting up a perimeter of defensive wards around their base.

“Really? You didn’t think I’d notice that you’re stalling for time?” Lin Feng muttered as he narrowed his eyes. His gaze flickered with cold intensity for half a second as he ran through the options in his mind. Then he came to a decision and burst into action. He pinged on the pit where Baron Nashor had spawned. This location was similar to the Dragon Pit, but on the other side of the map towards Top lane. There, the powerful Baron Nashor waited for Champions to challenge and defeat him. 

As soon as he sent the ping, Lin Feng muttered, “Fine! You don’t want to come out? Well, I’ll just force you out!” 

Over in Taiwan, Read XIII had just gotten up and left to make some instant noodles. He was back five minutes later, just as Lin Feng dropped a ping on the Baron. Read XIII dropped his noodles and grabbed his headset. “WHAT THE FUCK?! Why is he trying to force Baron this early? This is beyond crazy aggressive! He’s baiting himself and his entire time into a pincer attack! They’ll be stuck with the Baron at their backs and Orion in front of them! What the fuck is he thinking, Fatty?”

“It’s the only choice!” Tian Tian replied in the QQ voice call. “If he doesn’t want to let the game drag out, the best way to force them out is by making a play for Baron! Orion’s team can’t just let them take Baron uncontested, because it’s game over if they do. They’re going to have to come out of their base and try to stop Lin Feng’s team. Which is what he wants. He’s trying to win the game with the next team fight!”

Read XIII was doubtful. “Red Team switched over to Scrying Orbs. They can see him. Which means… If Maple doesn’t actually start Baron, there’s no way they’ll come out. If this game drags out for another few minutes, it won’t count!”

Tian Tian remained unfazed. “It’s fine! Trust Lin Feng! He already knows all of this and he’s got a plan! I know he does!”

Red Team’s Jinx dropped a Scrying Orb down on the Baron Pit at 24 minutes. The Orb revealed all the Champions from the Blue Team. Locked in battle with Baron Nashor.

Orion’s eyelids twitched, a slight chill running through his spine. Well, I’ll be damned! Looks like Hook2 is way more decisive than I realized. Why do I keep underestimating him? Stupid! But now he’s left us with no choice at all. Even if he’s just baiting us, we have to go down and try to stop them. But this ain’t a risk-free gamble that he’s making, trying to force Baron this early! Hook2 thinks he’s Kaiji or something. It’s a stupid gamble to try and end the game faster! But this gamble’s going to cost you, Hook2! I’m going to use this opportunity to completely turn this game around!

Lin Feng’s plan was simple. He knew that pretending to start Baron wouldn’t work. The Red Team wouldn’t go for a bait that obvious. He also decided that the whole pageantry of the Baron objective was pointless. Setting up vision and clearing out wards wasted too much time, and that was the one thing he didn’t have enough of right now. Besides, there was no point in doing that. He already knew where all the Red Team Champions were, and he was doing this to bring them to him. So he wasn’t really concerned about a surprise ambush happening. Which meant there was only one real option here.

Lin Feng decided he would just go for it and start Baron for real. He sent his Yasuo right at the giant worm-like monster and started slashing into it. The rest of the Blue Team followed him. Because they were forcing this fight earlier in the game than it was meant to be done, they weren’t doing significant chunks of damage to Baron Nashor. It was slow going. But they also had Lulu’s protection and Sejuani tanking, so they also weren’t taking too much damage. 

With this approach, Baron Nashor’s health steadily declined. But Lin Feng didn’t actually care if they took down Baron or not. That wasn’t even remotely his concern. His focus was on the minimap on the bottom right corner of his screen. The Red Team’s Champions had popped up on one of his wards, and they were rushing towards the Baron Pit!

An Xin, who had been quietly watching the entire game, finally opened her mouth and softly said, “This is the last fight, right Lin Feng? Are you ready?” 

Lin Feng took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah. This is going to be the last fight.”

An Xin was more than aware that Lin Feng only answered the first part of her question. But she said nothing and continued to watch quietly. 

《An enemy has been slain!》

The announcer’s voice rang out, confirming that CN•HOOK2’s Yasuo had killed Orion’s Zed. But all of the viewers on Lightless Heart’s stream remained frozen in shock. Over a million people simply could not believe or understand what they had just seen. Everything that happened over the last three seconds in this duel between two Mid lane gods happened so quickly that no one could process the series of actions that had taken place. 

The fight had blown all of their minds. And it was important to remember that most of these viewers had seen many LPL games recently. Including the amazing clash between Hermes and AyDeeCee that had happened just earlier this afternoon. But none of those games could hold a candle to what they had just witnessed. This was a dance of move and counter-move, of action and reaction, all while standing on a razor’s edge. This was what a 1v1 between two Midlaners looked like at the highest level!

Slowly, almost tentatively at first, the chat on Lightless Heart’s stream stirred to life. The viewers registered their shock, admiration, confusion, and excitement over the fight. Then the flood gates broke and the chat roared to life. The people on the League of Legends forums, on the other hand, wasted no time putting up clips of the fight. There were already posts detailing the actions and decision-making that Orion and CN•HOOK2 went through during the whole thing. Long posts detailing analysis and comparisons to previous fights were already starting to go up. 

Lightless’ eyes were still wide open with undisguised shock and admiration. My god! I know I was looking forward to seeing what Hook2 could pull out in this fight… but… oh my god! I never thought his Yasuo would be this good! Or that he’d pull… whatever that was against Orion! 

“What. A. God!” Hermes exclaimed. He sucked in a cold breath of air. “I’ll tell you this, Nightsong. If I was playing Yasuo against Orion’s Zed there, it would not have gone that way at all. I would not have been able to kill Zed. Hook2 stomped all over Orion with nothing but pure mechanics! Now we know that Hook2 can go toe-to-toe with a King! That’s a confirmed fact now.”

“God  damn… did that really just happen…?” Aurous stared at the computer screen in complete shock. No words could describe the emotional storm raging through him right now. After a while, he finally calmed down. But he still couldn’t hide the tremor in his voice. Or the conflicting emotions in his heart. “Maple… he’s already this strong. When he returns to pro play, even Hermes will fold like a cheap deck of cards!”

Shi Hang smiled, “I don’t know about all that. It’s more that Lin Feng’s been pushed and backed into a corner harder than anything he’s dealt with in the last few years. He’s turned into a berserker. Actually! He’s turned into Tryndamere! Everything is being pulled out of him right now and he’s unstoppable for a short time. But he can’t keep this up consistently. Orion really does have terrible timing. Challenging Maple tonight, at the very end of the line. Idiot was basically begging to get his ass kicked!”

In Asssassins’ gaming house in Taiwan, Read XIII finally recovered from his shock. “Fucking hell! I knew it! Maple really is a freak!” he exclaimed, his entire body trembling with excitement. “Fuck fuck fuck! How the fuck is he so good! He’s been gone for 4 years. Then as soon as he comes back, he plays an insane number of games in a row in Korean Challenger and tops that off by shitting on a King! What is that about!? That’s not something a retired player should be able to do! Fuck! He’s getting way too good way too quickly!”

Tian Tian had a big wide grind on his face. He answered, “I TOLD YOU! No one can beat Lin Feng!”

Tian Tian was the only one who always believed in Lin Feng and was confident that he would come out on top. Even when everyone else doubted his chances in this game and lost hope. Tian Tian’s belief in Lin Feng didn’t stem from the fact that they were former teammates. No. It came from an unshakeable truth deep within Tian Tian’s heart that Lin Feng was always the strongest. In the face of that firm belief, nothing else mattered. Certainly not Orion. Or the Four Emperors. Or even Rake himself. Tian Tian knew that by the end of it all, Lin Feng would come out on top!

Back inside the hotel room in Beijing, Lin Feng decided to push out the minion wave after taking Zed down. His Yasuo took out two red minions with auto attacks, and then the next blue minion wave arrived. He watched as his minions pushed out all the way to the Red Outer Tower in the Mid lane, and then pulled his Yasuo back to the Blue Outer Tower. Then Lin Feng started to recall back to base. He only allowed himself to relax when his Yasuo was finally back in the safety of the Blue base, and exhaled a long pent up breath. 

An Xin smiled and gently put her hand on Lin Feng’s shoulders soothingly, “That was a great fight. You were amazing, Lin Feng!”

The praise meant the world to Lin Feng, and his face lit up with a tired smile. “It was something else. Fighting Orion was not easy, at all. He’s probably the strongest player I’ve gone up against since starting to come back. I had to go all out and then pull out something extra! If I made the tiniest mistake or I was just a touch too slow… I would’ve been killed. But I won, An Xin! I won!” 

An Xin smiled and patted his shoulder twice. Lin Feng finally relaxed enough to hear his own thoughts. I won! That’s all that matters here. Not just that fight, either. I’ve pretty much won this game. Lin Feng looked at Zed’s corpse in the Mid lane. From here on out, Orion isn’t a threat. Now it’s time to focus up and win this thing!

14 minutes from the start of the game, both Yasuo and Zed were back in the Mid lane and poking at each other. Orion was playing much more cautiously and all of his earlier confidence was gone. Gragas, the Red Team’s Jungler, decided to roam into the Mid lane for a gank. He hid in the bottom-side river brush until the right moment, and then Flashed forward and dashed into Yasuo with a Body Slam. The combo knocked Yasuo up into the air. But Gragas wasn’t done yet. He threw an Explosive Cask at the knocked up Yasuo and sent him flying back!

Orion was playing more carefully now, but that didn’t mean that he had completely given up. He sent his Zed in to follow up on Gragas’ attack, and Orion decided not to hold back at all. Zed went in with his ultimate—Death Mark! Four crimson Living Shadows converged onto Yasuo and left an ominous red mark over his head.

The situation looked dire for Yasuo. But he created some distance by dashing to a red minion behind him with a Sweeping Blade. But this was a tactical retreat, not a frantic one. Yasuo pulled back to create an opening. And Blue Team’s Sejuani and Thresh rushed into that opening when they arrived in the Mid lane seconds later. They were counter ganking!

Sejuani charged into Zed with an Arctic Assault and knocked him up into the air! Yasuo seized the opportunity presented by the knock up to unleash his ultimate—Last Breath! He blinked over to Zed who was still flying up into the air and unleashed a rapid flurry of attacks with his katana. And then finished the combo with a final downward slash that slammed Zed back to the ground. 

Before Zed could get back up, Thresh was already there and waiting with a Death Sentence. His chain and sickle wrapped around Zed to lock the battered ninja down and stun him. Yasuo gracefully landed down near Zed and immediately slashed out with an auto attack. Then he pierced Zed with a Steel Tempest that seamlessly comboed into an auto attack. Next came another Steel Tempest that critically injured the already wounded Zed. That was more damage than Zed could handle, and he fell lifelessly to the ground.

While Yasuo and Thresh teamed up to sever Zed’s connection to the mortal plane, Sejuani had not been idle. She’d been keeping Gragas busy and away from Zed. And once Zed died, Sejuani locked Gragas down with a Glacial Prison. Then Thresh, Yasuo, and Sejuani combined forces to beat Gragas to death. The final blow was delivered by Yasuo’s katana, giving him the kill.

《Double kill!》

The chat on Lightless’ stream erupted into waves of cheering, interspersed with comments about how Yasuo had finally become fed, how Orion had been killed twice in a row, and how CN•HOOK2’s victory was on the horizon. 

Over in Seoul, Moon was sitting in Fate’s Gaming House and watching Orion’s game dispassionately. Eventually, he sighed, shook his head and looked away. The outcome of this game was more than clear to his eyes. Orion’s tilted… 

Zed’s ultimate ability was Death Mark. As far as most players were concerned, this ability allowed Zed to dash to an enemy champion to place the eponymous death mark on them. Once the mark was placed, Zed had three seconds to deal as much damage as possible to the marked enemy champion. After the three seconds elapsed, the mark would trigger and deal a portion of the damage Zed had done to the enemy champion again. Simple. 

But Orion was not a player who could be clumped in with the ordinary masses. He was someone who understood that the most important part of Zed’s ultimate was the small effect that most other players ignored. At the moment of activation, Death Mark rendered Zed untargetable. What untargetable meant in practice was that any skill or attack launched at Zed that had yet to make contact before Death Mark was activated would not land on Zed once Death Mark was activated. That brief window of absolute invincibility was the most potent weapon in Zed’s Arsenal. 

And it was that window of invincibility that Orion used to allow his Zed to dodge the whirlwind that had flown off from Yasuo’s sword with the third cast of Steel Tempest. If that whirlwind had hit, Zed would’ve been knocked up and triggered the condition for Yasuo’s ultimate—Last Breath. That would’ve been the end of the fight. Yasuo would have hacked through Zed’s health and gained the upper hand. That was what all of Yasuo’s moves up until this point in the fight led toward. 

But Orion had mentally played out all of CN•HOOK2’s moves before they had happened, and prepared a counter-strategy in the middle of the fight that would decide this entire game. And then he executed it flawlessly, completely turning things around! With Death Mark, Orion’s Zed had not only broken Yasuo’s onslaught, he’d also positioned himself to bring the fight back to Yasuo. 

Lightless Heart’s stream chat was in complete disarray as more than a million viewers tried to express their frustration, disappointment, fear, and also begrudging respect for Orion. Pulling something like this off not only required skill beyond that of an ordinary gamer. It took an unshakeable mental state, iron will, and balls of steel. 

When it came to the professional players, the faces of Hermes, Nightsong, Read XIII, Tian Tian, Shi Hang, and Aurous all showed disappointment and sadness. All of them instinctively understood the situation better than the viewers, and it shattered the fantasy that had been building up deep in their hearts. The mechanics and reflexes required to perfectly time a Death Mark and dodge an almost point-blank whirlwind from Yasuo’s sword were extremely high. But for a King like Orion, this was a very low threshold to clear. They were all watching the game in real time, but Orion was playing the game several seconds ahead in his mind. 

In a single move, Orion had forced all of them to acknowledge that reality was a cruel mistress and that there was a clear difference between ordinary players and those who had risen to the point where they were named Kings. 

As the four crimson Living Shadows converged onto his Yasuo, Lin Feng’s eyes flickered with a sharp light. His hands on his mouse and keyboard never stopped moving. The whirlwind missing Zed did not phase him in the slightest. Lin Feng already predicted that would happen even before he had his Yasuo let the whirlwind loose. His eyes narrowed. This is fine, no big deal at all. I figured that’s what Zed would do. There’s no way it’d be this easy to outplay Orion. He’s probably sitting there smiling about how he managed to turn things around on my Yasuo. I lost the advantage, sure. But that doesn’t mean anything. Orion’s not the only one who can think a few steps ahead. This battle is far from over!

Yasuo dashed to a nearby Red Minion with Sweeping Blade as the four crimson Living Shadows started to converge on him. The Living Shadows followed him, and placed the death mark on him when he arrived at the minion. Then they dissipated, and Zed appeared right in front of Yasuo. His metal claws ripped into Yasuo with a basic attack. 

Yasuo stood his ground and retaliated with a powerful Steel Tempest. It pierced through Zed and wounded him critically!

Zed’s health was running low, but had not yet reached the point where Zed felt he was in danger. He stayed to slash at Yasuo with another basic attack. The death mark Zed had placed on Yasuo had not yet triggered, and Zed was trying to maximize his damage. Right as the attack ended, Zed lit Yasuo up with the unquenchable flames from Ignite! 

Orion smiled. He’d timed everything perfectly. The damage ticks from Ignite would also be added to the death mark when it triggered. His smile grew colder and more menacing. You’re dead! Done! Kaput! You’re already a goner! You just don’t know it yet! 

“The Ignite is out!” Lightless exclaimed. The million+ people in his stream gasped along with him.

Back in Shanghai, Su Xue was also nervously watching the stream and biting her thumb. Oh no, oh no, oh no! This is bad! Lin Feng is actually in danger now!

Lin Feng had his Yasuo slash out with a basic attack that connected with Zed. The instant the attack hit Zed, Lin Feng commanded his Yasuo to take a small step back to cancel out the rest of the attack. Then his Yasuo slashed out with another basic attack. 

Sweat ran down Lin Feng’s face. But the fire in his eyes continued to blaze brightly, and he showed no signs of slowing down at all. If anything, he was getting faster. This game, and this fight with Orion’s Zed, had fired him up from head to toe! He’d committed himself mind, body, and soul to this fight! I’m going to keep going until the end. Either I die or Zed dies, but I’m not stopping! Orion is ungodly strong. I haven’t played against someone who was this hard to beat until now. He’s so good that it’s making my skin tingle. But this is so exciting! The more I play against him, the more charged up I get! It’s like… I’ve been walking around chained and contained this whole time and right now they’re finally coming off! 

Being pushed to the very edge by Orion after playing so many games tonight forced Lin Feng to dig deep into himself to find a new strength. One that he wasn’t even sure he had. But he’d found it, and it pushed Lin Feng’s skills and mental state to a peak that he’d never experienced before. Right now, Lin Feng felt invincible. He felt like his old self, back when he was in his prime. And in this newfound state, Lin Feng knew that he could not lose! 

Lin Feng moved his Yasuo a small step to the side to evade a Razor Shuriken from Zed’s Living Shadow. But he couldn’t evade the one that was thrown by Zed at the same time. Yasuo’s health dropped from the hit, but Lin Feng still wasn’t worried or looking for an escape route. He had his Yasuo stab into Zed with another Steel Tempest. As the katana pierced Zed, winds gathered along the length of the blade and waited for the right moment to be released.

“Yasuo’s tornado is up again!’ Zed is backing off! Yasuo’s E is still on cooldown! He can’t dash in and knock Zed up!” Lightless frantically commented over the fight playing out in the Mid lane. “Yasuo’s dashing away to a minion! He’s putting some distance between him and Zed! He’s….!”

The million+ people in Lightless’ stream watched Yasuo whip back around to face Zed and lash out with a third Steel Tempest. One that sent the winds along the blade screaming out as a whirlwind that flew straight at Zed!

“Is it going to hit this time!?” Lightless cried out.

But then a dazzling mottled light wrapped around Zed and he disappeared. Zed had used Flash just before the whirlwind connected, allowing him to dodge the knock up at the very last second!

The viewers in the stream who were about to celebrate too early felt their cheers caught at the back of their throats. Their faces paled, and their expressions sunk. The words “Orion is too strong!” rolled through the chat on the stream. And the statement was not incorrect. This was the second whirlwind from Yasuo’s Steel Tempest that Orion had managed to dodge at the last second in one fight. A single thought ran through the collective mind of many of the viewers, is this the skill of a King?  Despair boiled throughout the stream chat. 

Zed reappeared a short distance away, and then immediately sent forth a Living Shadow towards Yasuo. Just as the Living Shadow reached Yasuo, Zed switched places with it. Then he went in to gouge Yasuo with a basic attack. 

But Lin Feng wasn’t even slightly fazed by the turn of events. He’d predicted that Orion would use Flash to dodge the whirlwind. And that Zed would immediately come back in to try and add more damage to the death mark counter. Lin Feng had his Yasuo dash away to another Red Minion with Sweeping Blade just as Zed started winding up for his basic attack. By the time Zed slashed out, Yasuo was already gone. Zed’s metal claws sliced through empty air. 

You think it’s over? Lin Feng thought as his eyes roared bright with his fighting spirit. Not even close! He had his Yasuo dash back to Zed with another Sweeping Blade, and then sliced into Zed with a basic attack that he chained into a Steel Tempest! Yasuo had landed another critical hit on Zed! 

But Orion didn’t care. His eyes lit up and his lips curled into a cruel smile. There’s only a second left before the death mark gets triggered. That’s more than enough time to get a little bit more damage in. Then you’re done! Hook2 will only be remembered as someone I beat down! Then he looked at the item he’d built out over the course of this game, the Ravenous Hydra. A giant axe that could be used to add 60% extra damage to a basic attack or ability. This is the perfect cherry to put on the death mark sundae! Orion activated the Ravenous Hydra, and had his Zed use Shadow Slash!

But before the Ravenous Hydra empowered Shadow Slash could make contact with Yasuo’s flesh, Lin Feng pressed down on the D Key. His Yasuo Flashed away before Zed’s attack could connect! Lin Feng had read Orion like an open book.　

“HE DOOOOOOOOOOOOOODGED IT!” Lightless cried out, completely losing his composure as a seasoned streamer and veteran professional player. Right now, Lightless Heart was the same as the rest of his viewers. Someone who loved League of Legends. And he reacted to it like he was a kid watching his idol playing the game. 

Hermes was also deeply moved.

Nightsong shot up from his seat in excitement. 

Aurous’ jaw slacked open.

Shi Hang started laughing loudly and exclaimed, “That’s Maple for you!”

Over in Korea, Orion’s pupils constricted as his eyes popped open in disbelief. All of his previous confidence flashed away from him, and it was replaced by a deep, icy fear that pricked into his bones. A fear he hadn’t ever felt before while playing League of Legends. 

After Flashing through Zed’s empowered Shadow Slash, Yasuo turned around. He used Sweeping Blade to dash to a red minion standing next to Zed, and unleashed the flames of Ignite upon Zed once he arrived. Then Yasuo stabbed out with a Steel Tempest that flowed into a basic attack, and stepped slightly to the side to cancel out the follow-through on the basic attack. Then he spun around with a second basic attack!

Before Yasuo could do anything else, the death mark looming over his head triggered. Three seconds had finally elapsed, and all the damage that the death mark had absorbed in these frantic three seconds was unleashed. By the time the death mark disappeared, Yasuo had 16 points of health left. He was literally inches away from death. 

But Yasuo remained standing, and there was nothing Zed could do about it anymore. He had collapsed lifelessly to the ground as the death mark unleashed its wave of damage over Yasuo. In this battle between the Winds and the Shadows, the Winds had come out on top. The deadlock in the Mid lane had been broken, and Yasuo was the victor! Lin Feng had triumphed over Orion!

《An enemy has been slain!》

“Orion’s gonna go in right now! I’m telling you, Fatty, he’s going to try something!” Read XIII screamed into his headset. He was still in the QQ call with Tian Tian, watching Lightless’ stream of CN•HOOK2’s final game from the Assassins’ Gaming House in Taiwan. 

Tian Tian nodded once before replying with a rare seriousness, “I see it. But I know Lin Feng. And knowing him… he’s probably planning on making a move too! Both Lin Feng and Orion have an opportunity here… The real question is who is going to grasp that chance first.”

Read XIII cleared his throat and grimaced. “Listen to me, Fatty. Assassions has gone up against Warriors plenty of times, I said that already, right? I’ve gone up against Orion enough times to understand him. He’s a rotten bastard and a prick. Out of all the Midlaners I’ve seen, he’s unique. Little shitter has a micropenis and he’s constantly overcompensating for it with aggression. That’s his personality and his playstyle. Just an aggressive asshat.”

The Mid lane was the shortest lane on Summoner’s Rift, and the one with the highest experience because it took less time for the minion waves to arrive. In high ELO games and in professional play, Midlaners almost never attempted taking down their counterparts alone. It was simply too risky. If something went wrong during the engage, or they went in too deep and got flanked by the Jungler who came in for a gank, recovering from that was nigh impossible. The only time a player would attempt to make such a reckless decision is if they had complete and utter confidence in their skills and mechanics. 

Orion was a unique Midlaner who possessed both the confidence and recklessness required to attempt a play like that. He was the only one in the current circle of World-class Midlaners would would consistently attempt to solo kill his lane opponent in an evenly matched situation. And shockingly enough, Orion’s success rate at the play was insanely high. He had honed his skills to the point where they compensated for the risk. 

The topic had come up in an interview with Orion. His reply was, “What? You think I’m being too aggressive? You wanna know why I play so recklessly? OH! You think it’s risky to go in like that, yes? Haha! Who told you it was risky? One of these analysts that sit around talking about what we do because they figured out they couldn’t play as good? Hahahaha! Listen! Apart from Rake, because he’s just a monster, there ain’t a single Midlaner I can’t win against! It’s not a risk when I know I can win, you feel me?”

That interview summed up everything that went on in Orion’s head during a game. If he decided to go in for the kill, it was because he knew he could get the kill. There was no risk in his mind. And he had justified his supreme confidence on multiple occasions. Even the Moon Emperor had been solo killed by Orion in the past on a few rare occasions. 

Tian Tian considered Read XIII’s assessment of Orion for a minute. Then he said, “I-hm. I-I’m not… What I mean is, I don’t know Orion that well. Definitely not as well as you know him. But I know Lin Feng! I believe in Lin Feng! He can take Orion. Back in his prime, when everyone knew the name Maple, Lin Feng wasn’t scared of anyone! He’d always go in for the kill and he’d always get it. Orion might be confident, but Lin Feng is more confident than him! I know this for a fact!”

“Alright, alright, Fatty. Simmer down. I know you believe in Lin Feng. If anyone’s got a shot at taking that arrogant son of a whore Orion down a few pegs, it’s Maple.” Read XIII took a deep breath and then continued, “Zed versus Yasuo. Ninja versus swordsman. Fuck, it’s like I’m watching an old school Japanese film!” He looked at the match-up in mid and muttered, “If those two really are about to go at it soon, we’re gonna be in for one fucking hell of a show!”　

“Tension is definitely building up to something,” Hermes said with a quick glance at Nightsong. “But it’s hard to say what’s going to happen… or who is going to come out on top. Both Zed and Yasuo have more than enough damage to kill each other, which makes this a question of skill. Which one of the two is the better player… that I don’t know. But…,” Hermes paused for a moment to look at Nightsong again. His eyes flickered with mixed emotions. “If I was playing this game right now, I’d give myself a 40% chance of beating Orion in this scenario. Less if he’s the one to make the first move and set the tone of the fight.”

Nightsong rubbed his eyes. “Well. Shit. Yup. Shit. I don’t know why we expected anything different from Orion. He’s an angry little dog. Constantly yipping and trying to prove he’s just as big as the other dogs. I’m actually surprised that he’s held back this long, especially after what happened at the start of the game. That should’ve gotten him all riled up. But for such a yippy little shitter, he’s not all bark and no bite. His laning and mechanics are really at the highest level. Man’s got a big dick and he wants the world to know it. You know what I’m really curious about, Herm? If these two really go at it, I wonder what choice Hook2 is going to make.”

Lin Feng was indeed at a fork in the road, and he needed to pick one of two possible paths. He watched Orion’s Zed and understood exactly what was happening. Lin Feng knew exactly what Orion wanted to do, he could read it in every move that Zed made. Orion wanted a fight. And Lin Feng had to decide if he was going to give Orion that fight, or if he was going to continue the deadlock in the Mid lane. Fight or wait for his Jungler to arrive for a gank. Fight or wait for the rest of his team to scale. Lin Feng continued to watch Zed as he considered the options. 

I could keep things even with Orion long enough for everyone else on my team to catch up. That’s not even that hard. But it’s slow. Too slow. Every second counts right now. I need to end this game quickly before the ranked ladder closes! That makes the choice very simple. Lin Feng took a deep breath and the fire in his eyes blazed with ferocity. Alright Orion! You want to see which of us is more skilled? That’s fine by me! Nothing would make me happier than making you regret this moment!　

11 minutes since the start of the game. Gragas was spotted in front of the Baron Pit, walking up the river. He was trying to gank Top, but his advance was discovered thanks to one of the wards that Blue Team had placed down. Lulu, the Top lane champion for Blue Team, immediately noticed and started backing away to safety. 

CN•HOOK2’s Yasuo immediately moved to the top side river brush in the Mid lane to drop another ward down, and cautiously started to move back into the lane to continue farming minions. 

It was precisely at this moment that Lightless Heart remembered that he was a streamer, and that there were more than a million viewers watching his stream right now. He cleared his throat quickly and started talking to his viewers. “That was a smart move by Yasuo right there. The ward that he just put down gives him enough vision to look out for Gragas, who could very realistically double back and gank Mid instead. At this level of play, everyone has phenomenal map awareness. Right now, Gragas is probably aware that Lulu is starting to back up. So he’s also aware that his gank was spotted by a ward somewhere and that it’s going to fail, and he’s starting to consider other options. If he goes down to Mid, Yasuo is in real trouble. Gragas has both Explosive Cask and Flash up right now. Even though CN•HOOK2’s Yasuo is a super mobile Champion, there’s a high probability of death with a successful gank from Gragas! But CN•HOOK2 considered all of that and put the ward do—” 

Lightless Heart immediately stopped talking. Just as Yasuo returned to the middle of the lane after placing the ward, Zed sent a Living Shadow out at him. Then Zed switched places with the Living Shadow to arrive right in front of Yasuo!

Lightless’ eyes flew open as he screamed, “IT’S STARTING! This is the big fight we’ve all been waiting for!” His chat was dead silent as everyone focused completely on the game.

Orion’s Zed went in immediately after switching places with the Living Shadow. He slashed into Yasuo with an auto attack. 

CN•HOOK2’s Yasuo didn’t back down. He retaliated with a swift Steel Tempest, and then chained that into a Sweeping Blade to dash to a Red Minion standing behind Zed. As soon as Yasuo reached the Red Minion, he threw up a Wind Wall behind him, right between him and Zed!

Just before Yasuo started dashing to the Red Minion with Sweeping Blade, Zed had started to cast Razor Shuriken. Right as Yasuo reached the Red Minion, both Zed and his Living Shadow threw out crimson red shurikens. But the Wind Wall that Yasuo had thrown up blocked the shuriken thrown by Zed, and Yasuo quickly sidestepped around the shuriken thrown by the Living Shadow. 

The chat in Lightless Heart’s stream erupted into cheers.

Orion’s pupils constricted in front of his monitor. Both his shurikens had been avoided! 

“That was beautiful!” Hermes cried out.   

“Yasuo can get the kill here!” Read XIII exclaimed in the QQ call with Tian Tian. 

After avoiding both of Zed’s shurikens, Yasuo dashed back to Zed with another Sweeping Blade! He had closed the gap between them before Zed could react, and stabbed out with Steel Tempest again. Yasuo blade pierced through Zed just as he started backing away with a critical hit! Zed’s health dropped precipitously as he ran away in an attempt to create some distance. At this point in the fight, Yasuo had the advantage with more health. 

Zed’s Living Shadow was still on cooldown, so his only option was to retreat on foot. Unfortunately, Yasuo was just a little bit faster and caught up to the fleeing Zed. Yasuo’s blade bit into Zed with a basic attack and then a second Steel Tempest. Winds gathered and raged along the length of Yasuo’s katana.

Zed kept retreating towards his Outer Tower, and Yasuo kept chasing him. Then Yasuo dashed to a Red Minion just in front of Zed with Sweeping Blade, completely cutting off Zed’s escape. Yasuo turned around to face Zed and slashed out with a third Steel Tempest! The winds that had gathered along the length of his katana flew out towards Zed as a whirlwind. 

The whirlwind howled and raced towards Zed. But just as it reached him, Zed disappeared! He had activated his ultimate ability—Death Mark. The whirlwind raced past where Zed used to be and then fell apart into a harmless breeze. Four blood red Living Shadows converged on Yasuo from the cardinal directions and left an ominous crimson mark on his body! 

“Orion managed to turn it around!” Lightless cried out, his face paling. “Yasuo can’t use his ultimate now. Orion’s seized the upper hand in this fight!”

“What’s this? It looks like Yasuo’s heading to the bot lane!” Lightless exclaimed.”I think he’s going in for the gank! This is going to be good, guys!”

There were over a million viewers watching Lightless Heart’s historic stream, and they sent the chat buzzing with excitement and anticipation. The clash between CN•HOOK2 and Orion, only minutes ago, still continued to drown them in fear and hopelessness. Because it was clear that there was no way to pull one over on a player of Orion’s caliber. That was the truth behind facing a King. Despite CN•HOOK2’s incredible skills and gameplay, none of the viewers believed that it was possible for him to gain any advantage at all against Orion in lane. 

They were absolutely convinced of this after watching CN•HOOK2 and Orion poke at each other over the last few minutes until Zed and Yasuo both hit Level 6. It was obvious that both players were absurdly skilled, and evenly matched. Yasuo and Zed ducked and weaved through the Midlane, trying to predict each other’s next move and timing their abilities to where their opponent might be. It was a breath-taking dance upon the edge of a knife. One slip meant certain death. 

Sitting on the edge of their seats, wondering when that one slip would happen, if it would happen, that was more than the viewers could handle. The thought of CN•HOOK2 making a slight mistake that Orion would capitalize on to deal a mortal blow wrapped cold tendrils of fear around their hearts. It wasn’t a great feeling, and they made their sentiments known in the chat. Sitting through more agonizing minutes of this that stretched onto eternity was torture for all of the viewers. 

And then the game changed. CN•HOOK2 decided to roam to the Bot lane, and relief washed over all of the viewers. As far as they were concerned, the opponents in the bottom lane were far easier for CN•HOOK2 to deal with than Orion. Which meant that was a lane where he could get ahead of Orion and break the stalemate in Mid lane.  

It wasn’t that the players in the bottom lane were bad. They were all skilled at League and climbed to the very top of Challenger on the Korean server. But all of the games CN•HOOK2 played this night showed the viewers that most of those players posed no threat to CN•HOOK2! The viewers also understood by this point that CN•HOOK2’s map awareness and roam-sense was impeccable. If he decided to roam to the Bot lane, it meant he knew there was an opportunity there. And now that he’d decided to avoid playing an indefinite stalemate with Orion, this game was now winnable! 

Lin Feng sent his Yasuo running down the river towards Bot lane. Then he pinged to let the AD-Carry and Support on his team know that he was coming in for the gank. Then he slowed his Yasuo’s pace as he waited for Thresh and Tristana to create an opening for the engage. 

When Tristana and Thresh saw the pings from Yasuo and understood that he was roaming down to Bot lane for a gank, they started making changes to draw the Champions from the opposing team into a trap. First they started controlling the minion wave. They slowed the pace of their auto attacks until they stopped doing any damage to the enemy minions. They waited until an enemy minion was about to die before they attacked it to get the last hit. This pushed the wave back from the center of the lane towards the Blue Outer Tower. And slowly pulled the enemy Jinx and Janna towards the Blue Team’s side of Bot lane. 

When the game timer hit 6:40, Yasuo arrived in the Bot lane. He positioned himself behind the Blue Outer Tower and waited for an opening. Thresh understood that he’d be the one starting the engage, and pinged on top of Jinx. Then Thresh used Dark Passage and tossed a lantern over to Yasuo. Touching the lantern would instantly pull Yasuo over to Thresh’s side. Without pausing to give Jinx and Janna time to react, Thresh Flashed right at Jinx and landed on top of her, initiating the fight with a Flay. He whipped his chain and sickle at Jinx in an attempt to knock her back further towards Blue Team’s side of the lane while also slowing her! And just as the attack animation for Flay started up, Yasuo grabbed the lantern that Thresh had thrown out earlier and was instantly pulled to his side. 

Jinx was no slouch though, and didn’t sit there waiting to die. She reacted just as quickly and Flashed backwards just as Thresh unleashed his Flay, which allowed her to avoid the attack completely! Then she turned around and started racing towards the Red Outer Tower, while simultaneously throwing out her Flame Chompers behind her. The Chompers would either ensnare Yasuo and Thresh as they chased after her, or force them to walk around the trap. Either way, they would buy her precious seconds to get away from her attackers. 

Janna, Jinx’s Support, also reacted quickly to the gank. She sent a Tornado flying out at Thresh and Yasuo with Howling Gale, hoping to delay their pursuit even longer. Then Janna used Zephyr to summon an air elemental and sent it flying out at Yasuo to apply a slow on him. 

As all of this happened, Lin Feng remained calm. He saw the Tornado from Janna howling towards his Yasuo, with the air elemental from Zephyr following quickly behind it. But to Lin Feng’s eyes, they moved slowly. Almost unbearably slowly. Lin Feng’s mouse flew across the table and his fingers blurred across the keyboard as he went into action. First, his Yasuo dashed to a nearby enemy minion with Sweeping Blade to completely avoid Janna’s Tornado. Next, his Yasuo’s blade slashed out horizontally to create a Wind Wall. The air elemental from Zephyr helplessly crashed into it and dissipated into a gentle breeze. Finally, he used another Sweeping Blade to dash towards Janna and stabbed at her with a Steel Tempest! 

Jinx, noticing that Janna was in mortal danger, turned around and fired a plasma shell at Yasuo with her shock pistol Zapper. The plasma round, in addition to doing damage, also applied a slow. If it hit, it would give Janna enough time to recover and get away from Yasuo.

Lin Feng saw the attack, and again it moved slowly for him. He watched the plasma round from Zapper move towards his Yasuo frame-by-frame. In the state he was in, Lin Feng had more than enough time to react. Which he did quite easily by having his Yasuo dash to a nearby enemy minion with Sweeping Blade. An enemy minion that was coincidentally very close to the Jinx!  

Yasuo used yet another Sweeping Blade to dash straight into Jinx! Then he slashed into the Jinx with a basic attack. Just as the basic attack ended, Yasuo pierced through Jinx quickly with a Steel Tempest and then slashed out yet again with a basic attack. And then, Yasuo finished the combo with another Steel Tempest. This was the third cast of Steel Tempest, so the winds gathered around Yasuo’s blade whirled out at Jinx, knocking her up into the air! 

This was the condition needed for Yasuo’s Ultimate—Last Breath! It could only be used on enemies who were knocked up. Just as Jinx hit the highest point of her aerial ascent, Yasuo blinked over to her with Last Breath. Then he unleashed strike after strike on the helpless Jinx, each one holding her airborne for a little bit longer. Finally, Yasuo finished the attack with a downward slash that sent Jinx flying back down to the ground. Before the Jinx could get up, Yasuo gracefully landed down right beside her and beheaded her with a final basic attack!

《You have slain an enemy!》

While Yasuo had been busy with Jinx, Thresh and Tristana had not sat idly by. Thresh had followed right behind Yasuo and locked the Janna down. This gave Tristana the time needed to burst Janna down and kill her. 

《An enemy has been slain!》

The chat on Lightless’ stream erupted into fervent cheers as all of the viewers celebrated! It was a beautiful play to watch, and they’d been awestruck by CN•HOOK2’s Yasuo. The positioning, the dashes with Sweeping Blade, the precise application of Steel Tempest to maximize the knockup, all of it had been beautiful to see. And to top it all off, the gank had helped Blue Team secure two kills! One of those kills went to CN•HOOK2’s Yasuo, which meant he had a small advantage that he could build into a snowball over Orion!  Just as they started to celebrate the fact that CN•HOOK2 had finally found a decisive edge over Orion in the chat, the announcer’s voice rang out again. 

《An ally has been slain!》

The chat went completely silent. 

Lin Feng quickly panned his camera over to the Top lane to see what happened. Lulu, the Top lane Champion for Blue Team, had just been killed. 

When Lin Feng decided to roam into the Bot lane with his Yasuo, Orion decided to take his Zed into the Top lane for a gank. From the look of things, Red Team’s Rumble and Zed had ganged up on her and forced her back all the way to the safety of her Outer Tower. Then Rumble and Zed decided to dive into the Tower’s range to kill her. And it was Orion’s Zed who had gotten the kill.  

Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. Orion’s got just as much map awareness as I do right now. As expected of a King. That roam into Top lane was smart. Let’s see… the only thing that’s changed now is that Rumble has a significant CS advantage in Top lane. I got a kill and Orion got a kill, so we’re still going to be roughly even in the Mid lane. Alright. That’s fine. Let’s keep this going a little bit longer. 

The next few minutes of gameplay would prove Lin Feng’s assessment completely correct. The Mid lane had turned into a complete stalemate. 

Yasuo and Zed were locked in a frantic dance in the center of the Mid lane, neither budging an inch as they continuously probed each other for openings that weren’t there. Both Champions poked at each other while simultaneously trying to bait the other into making a mistake. But that didn’t happen, and they slowly whittled down each other’s health. The pace in the Mid lane was frantic, with even the most minute of details becoming significant as CN•HOOK2 and Orion searched for that decisive moment that would break the stalemate they were caught in.

As the health of both of the Champions slowly dropped lower and lower, every clash and minor poked provoked greater tension. Every single person watching Lightless’ stream held their breaths as they stared at their screens, afraid to blink and miss the decisive moment. 

Then all of them noticed Red Team’s Gragas slowly creeping towards the Mid lane for a gank, and they tensed up further as they worried about CN•HOOK2’s Yasuo getting caught and killed. But before despair could completely grip the chat, Blue Team’s Sejuani also started roaming up into the Mid lane. The general atmosphere of the chat pulled a complete 180 as all of them turned hopeful that Sejuani would help CN•HOOK2 create an opening that would allow him to kill Orion’s Zed.  

As the chat alternated rapidly between hope and despair, between the best case scenario and the worst case one, fast enough to give themselves whiplash, Red Team’s Gragas stepped back from the Mid lane and back into his Jungle. Sejuani also couldn’t find an opportunity to enter and also went back into her own Jungle. Chat erupted into confusion as neither of the outcomes they were predicting played out.

Lightless Heart noticed the straight confusion afflicting his viewers and smiled. He decided to clear things up for them, “Guys! What are you even thinking here? Look at those two! You think Orion is a shit player who is hardstuck at bronze? The guy is a King! And CN•HOOK2 is just as good as Orion. When you get to the level these two guys are at, you can easily predict where the enemy jungler is going to gank from and you adjust for that. More importantly, Orion and CN•HOOK2 are watching each other extremely closely. Any slight change in behavior from either of them would be instantly noticed by the other. Neither of them can set up a gank without the other figuring it out. That’s why the two Junglers backed away. If Gragas had gone in, he would’ve died. The same thing applies to Sejuani. The smartest move in that situation was to back away instead of attempting to force a gank and failing. Especially given the fact that Yasuo and Zed are both extremely mobile Champions who are difficult to catch.” 

While Lightless Heart spoke to his viewers, Yasuo and Zed continued to poke at each other and farmed minions. The only time the frantic dance between the two Midlaners found a brief interlude was when they back away to place wards down. And then it started up again at the same intense pace. 

Yasuo and Zed’s creep scores slowly increased, with neither one pulling ahead of the other. Eventually, the game hit the 10 minute mark and both of them recalled back to base to heal up and buy items. Then they returned to the Mid lane again. Their deadlock continued to rage. 

More than a million viewers in Lightless Heart’s chat complained about how their nerves were fried from all the pressure and how they were soaked in sweat. They talked to each other about how they would’ve already tried to force an opening if they were in CN•HOOK2’s shoes. Or how they would’ve slipped up and gotten killed by now. All of them knew that maintaining a deadlock at this level of play for this long was well beyond an ordinary player. It took nerves of absolute steel, and none of them could pull it off. 

Lightless Heart noticed the conversation taking place in his stream chat, and his expression turned serious. “They’re not going to drag it out much longer, guys. Right now, both Yasuo and Zed have their Flashes and Ignites off cooldown. And they’ve got more than enough damage to kill each other. This is it. We’re about to see this deadlock break and find out who is going to win this game!”

There wasn’t a single person following CN•HOOK2’s climb tonight who knew why he popped up all of a sudden, or why CN•HOOK2 was grinding so hard. There were theories, all of which were wrong. Even the professional players following had no idea that the events on this night all started because of a challenge issued by a master to his disciple. They also had no idea that CN•HOOK2’s extraordinary determination was anchored by a promise between that same master and disciple.

And almost none of them had an idea of who this Master and Disciple were, or what their backgrounds were. If all the people following the climb on the forums and Lightless Heart’s stream knew the lore of this Master and Disciple and the history between them, they’d have fallen out of their chairs out of sheer shock. 

The Disciple was the former number one Midlaner in all of China back in Season 1. A legend at the time who was considered equal to Rake, and who had gone toe-to-toe with Rake all the way to the very end. The Master was one of the most decorated players in Chinese Esports and someone who had laid the foundation of the entire scene. Lin Feng and One. 

There was only one person who could get Lin Feng to push himself this far in an attempt to climb the Korean Challenger Ladder, and that person was One. 

And right now, One had flown all the way from Thailand to Los Angeles with Five to continue their honeymoon. It was Five who had checked the League forums on her phone and noticed all the ruckus about CN•HOOK2’s climb. She knew that Lin Feng was constantly on One’s mind, regardless of how aloof he pretended to be about the whole thing. Five also knew that One was definitely thinking about the challenge he’d given Lin Feng and wondering how it was going. That was her primary reason for checking the League forums for any news about Lin Feng, and then bringing it up to One. 

The second that Five brought up Lin Feng, One perked up immediately and moved a little closer to her so he could see her phone. Then he looked at Five and said, “Oh? He’s still trying to complete that little task? I thought he’d given up already. But it’s pretty late in China, ain’t it? He’s playing his last game?”

Five looked up at One with a knowing smile. It’s so cute how he pretends not to care. He thinks I don’t notice him trying to read my phone… She nodded and replied, “It’s very late in China right now. But your little student hasn’t stopped playing all night. He’s been on a roll too. Started out with a three game win streak, but that got broken. He rallied and went on a four game win streak after, and then got knocked out of it again. Lots of people on the forums lost hope around then, but then Lin Feng came back even stronger than before! But this is the last game of the night and the climb. If he wins this one, he’ll be in the Top Five.”

One’s lips curved into a smile. “Oh? So this is really the last game that he can play and the one game that he absolutely needs to win to beat my challenge? Hahahahaha! Kid is cutting it real close! Or maybe I’m just such a fantastic mentor who gave his student a perfect task.” 

Five glared at One for a few seconds before shaking her head in exasperation. “Well, the great and all-knowing One didn’t account for what’s happening right now.” Five held her phone up to One’s face before continuing, “Read that! It’s all they’re talking about on the Chinese League forums right now. He’s playing Orion in this last game!” 

One glanced through the posts on Five’s phone quickly. But he remained perfectly calm and shrugged his shoulders. Then he looked back at Five and casually replied, “Orion? That little dork from Korea? What’s the problem here? Why is everyone so surprised that Lin Feng is up against a King? This is a completely normal and expected turn of events. He’s supposed to be facing stronger and stronger opponents as he climbs higher on the Korean server. I would’ve found it strange if he didn’t run into a King on this climb. Now that’d be something to get all riled up about on the forums! I’d have been on the forums myself talking about how my idiot apprentice got unusually lucky.”

Five blinked slowly as she processed what One had said. Then she nodded once and stared right into One’s eyes. “You seem very confident that Lin Feng is going to win? You’re not worried about him at all? What if this goes wrong and it’s too much for him to handle? You remember what happened last time…”

As Five trailed off, One awkwardly coughed and answered before she could continue, “I remember, I remember. If he were up against Moon, I’d be a little worried. If it was Rake, I’d have been very worried. But right now? I’m chillin’ like a villain. He’s only up against Orion. I don’t think this is going to be a problem at all. ”

Five’s eyebrows flew up as her face fixed itself into an expression of shock and surprise. “What? Are you being serious right now? No bullshit? You really think that Lin Feng can win against Orion? This isn’t just you being an arrogant little turd? Be realistic about this! I know how amazing Lin Feng was in his prime and how much of a prodigy he is… but he’s only just started to come back. There’s no way he’s recovered enough of his old skill to be equal to a King yet! That’s just not pos—”

One put a hand on Five’s shoulder and shook his head. “Lin Feng is doing alright. He’s shaking a lot of the rust off and regaining the skill he had four years ago fast. He’s doing it faster than I thought he would, too. But he’s not at the point of being equal to a King. Yet.” 

Five opened her mouth to ask a question, and then closed it before any words could come out. She cleared her throat and then asked, “What? He’s not? What? Then why’d you just say…?”

One laughed. “Oh, that. Don’t stress the details. Just trust me. He’s definitely going to win this game.”

One gave Five a cocky smile. Then he looked out the window at the Los Angeles skyline, his eyes slowly becoming unfocused as he lost himself in his thoughts. 

Five’s right. This was a hard road that I had Lin Feng walk down. Breaking into the Top Five on the Korean Challenger rankings… that’s difficult enough to do normally. There’s millions of players who spend years trying to pull that off. But I made it even harder for Lin Feng by adding a deadline. But he can handle this. I know he can! 

The regular trash player can’t handle grinding out game after game of League. I doubt any of the current professional players could even handle playing this many games at the Challenger level in a row. But Lin Feng can do it. That’s what makes him special. He can play a tournament and then play game after game in a desperate climb while racing against time! Just like Five said, he’s always been a prodigy. The kid instinctively understands the mechanics and flow of the game in ways that most other people can’t. He’s never needed any help with that stuff. 

But something broke inside the kid’s head back then… That’s the first thing that we need to fix. He can get everything back on his own just by playing. But until he learns to become resilient against pressure, it’s not going to make a difference. We’ll just be playing out the past again. That’s what all of this is meant to do for Lin Feng! 

All of this pressure that Lin Feng is feeling right now, it’s an artificial recreation of what he felt back then. He’s racing against time while fighting against an opponent who matches him in skill. An opponent that he’s not quite sure that he can beat. All while trying not to let me down. It all comes down to this one game. Exactly like it did back then. This is the pressure that he needs to bring out his potential. This is the pressure he needs to feel and deal with to break that block in his head. 

And he’s tired right now too. There’s no way not to be after playing so many games in a row. But all of those games had a point. He’s gotten stronger after each one. This challenge was meant to forge Lin Feng into what he was always supposed to be. He’s been hammered and tempered with every single game, becoming stronger and stronger. By winning and losing, he’s learned that he can bounce back better. Right now, he’s exactly where he needs to be to realize his potential.

If I know anything about my blockhead of an apprentice, he’s at his peak state mentally right now. I’ve only seen him get this serious one time, and that was when he played against Rake all those years ago. Now that he’s there again, nothing is going to stop him! Definitely not that dork Orion. 

One’s eyes refocused and he grinned ear-to-ear as he continued to look out the window. The light of the morning sun warmed his face. Then he yelled out to the world, “That kid is my disciple. My apprentice! He’s going to shoulder the next era of Chinese Esports as my chosen successor! There’s no way he’s going to lose here!”

Five watched as One’s shoulders squared up and the old intensity blazed in his eyes. She felt her heart beat faster as One’s spirit roared to it’s former heights and felt the pressure of his aura pushing down on her. The room itself started to feel smaller as One’s larger-than-life charisma eclipsed it. That’s when Five understood that she wasn’t looking at One, her husband, anymore. She was looking at 001. The Legend who carved an era of Chinese Esports with his hands. She understood why he was so confident in Lin Feng. Because he was 001, and the disciple he had hand-picked and trained would not be defeated!

While One and Five talked, Lin Feng continued to play his final game of the night. His forehead had beads of sweat rolling down it, and the tension coiled and rolled through his body. It was clear that Lin Feng was finally starting to feel the weight of all the pressure bearing down on him, more so than he had in any of his previous game. The Lin Feng playing this game was not the normal happy-go-lucky Lin Feng that all his friends and teammates had come to know. This was a drastically different person, a Lin Feng who had not been seen in four long years.

This Lin Feng was awakened and brought out because of the opponent he was playing against. Orion was an opponent that Lin Feng couldn’t laugh away or recklessly believe he could beat easily. And Lin Feng absolutely needed to beat Orion and win this game! His eyes burned with the fierce intensity of his spirit and he could feel his blood pounding harder and harder against every artery and vein in his body. Lin Feng could feel the pressure of the game pushing down on him and he could feel his spirit rising to push back against that pressure, pushing back more and more until everything equalized into a single moment of perfect clarity. 

Lin Feng knew this feeling. He’d felt like this before, a very long time ago. His fingers tapped the keys with perfect timing and precision, without conscious thought. His hand moved the mouse in concert, directing his Yasuo right where the Champion needed to be. He acted and reacted without thought or hesitation. 

The pressure of the climb, of all the games that he played that night, the difficulty of facing Orion in this game, and his need to win, all of it hammered down on Lin Feng until it forced him to grow to a new level. He was on top of the world right now, and there was nothing that could bar his path!

Lin Feng’s evolution happened just as the game hit the six minute mark. Both Midlaners had hit level 6. But neither was willing to force a reckless engagement. They cautiously danced around each other until the minion wave had been cleared, and then slowly retreated back to their Outer Towers to recall back to their respective bases.

After healing up at the fountain and buying items, Lin Feng immediately rushed out of the base toward the Bot lane!