Chapter 195
CHAPTER 195
The experiences Seojun had gone through in his previous life—a life completely different from this world—
Those memories themselves were extraordinary.
An ordinary person could be reborn ten times and still not experience even one-tenth of what Seojun had gone through.
The same was true even for martial artists, unless they possessed heaven-defying luck and obtained some incredible opportunity.
The higher one's position in life, the greater one's talent, the less the world leaves them alone.
It wasn't always a good thing, but it inevitably meant encountering more, learning more, and developing a broader perspective.
Because of that—
There was no doubt that Seojun possessed an almost supernatural intuition.
The teams participating in Rio already knew who their opponents would be.
The groupings had been determined long ago, and the Group Stage would end today.
Of course—
Who they faced first was uncertain.
Who they would eventually face was not.
Naturally, the thing everyone had spent the most time preparing for over the last ten days was this Group Stage.
The teams in Group B seemed somewhat more focused on what would come afterward, but that was because Self-Inflicted Disaster, led by Kim Tae-rim, was widely viewed as a guaranteed loser.
Only one team would be eliminated.
And there was a team that clearly looked weaker than the rest.
Group A was different.
There, everyone was strong.
Strong team.
Strong team.
Strong team.
Not that anyone would openly admit such a thing, but if they wanted to avoid being eliminated from the broadcast, they had to give everything they had in every single game.
Perhaps even sacrificing their chances later on.
Which was why, on the very first day of practice, a conversation like this had taken place behind the scenes.
“I think we should focus on surviving first. Everyone agree?”
“Yes, Spoon.”
“That sounds right.”
Rather than planning for later, they intended to use every possible method to survive.
Of course, on that first day, they couldn't think much beyond the shocking news they had just received.
“What the hell? Why are we the only team without a pro player?”
“This is a little...”
“Are they all insane? How did they manage to recruit them?”
Their captain, Pillbug, removed his trademark round glasses—even though they were in virtual reality—and wiped them clean.
That was how flustered he was.
“The fans are exploding!”
“They're rioting!”
“What am I supposed to do about that...?”
“We're rioting too, Captain!”
“Give us a pro! Just One Bite deserves a pro too!”
Despite all the complaints, they hurriedly contacted every professional player they had even the slightest connection to.
“Hello.”
“Hello!”
Fortunately, Korean society was a group-oriented one.
When everyone else was doing something, the barrier to entry tended to drop.
The news that five teams had secured five professional players spread instantly.
And within a single day, they managed to find one as well.
“The pro player's name is Pebble.”
“He's an ADC like Spoon.”
“Perfect. We were planning to funnel resources into our ADC anyway.”
It was excellent news.
They spent the first broadcast getting acquainted.
Then, after the stream ended, they seriously discussed strategy.
“...First, I'll analyze the opposing teams. If you've gathered any data, that would make things easier.”
“Of course!”
Pebble handed them his messenger ID, received the files, and told them he'd see them tomorrow.
The next day—
“I have a question.”
“Yes?”
“How difficult is it to advance if we go one win and one loss?”
“Pro player... what are you talking about?”
“No matter how I look at it, I don't think we can beat that guy. Hahaha. Seriously, why is he even a streamer?”
- LOL.
- Hearing that from a pro is hilarious.
- Ever since he beat Taker, pro opinions hit differently.
- Honestly, objectively speaking, he was ridiculously good. People kept trying to downplay it, but eventually everyone realized he was basically pro level.
“If we go one win and one loss, then either Bull Lane's team has to go 0-2, or all three teams end up 1-1. It's not impossible.”
Still, giving up a game entirely made no sense.
Maybe Lemon's team could figure out a way to counter him.
Or maybe they would somehow lose to Bull Lane in a disaster scenario.
Fortunately, there was a solution.
After all—
A pro was a pro.
“Well, if you absolutely have to win at least one game, I think there is a way.”
“Oh?”
“That's exactly what we wanted to hear!”
“We trust you!”
After the broadcast ended that day, Pebble revealed the strategy.
“I think we're going to have to leave Epic open.”
And then—
From that day onward, Spoon's team entered intensive training.
[Alright! The entire bracket has been decided! The final match will be HeavyMental versus Self-Inflicted Disaster! Now then, shall we head into Match One?]
“Let's go.”
“They're telling us to hurry up and join the lobby.”
“Alright, let's end the stream here.”
Focus Mode.
Seojun adjusted his settings so he couldn't see chat or stream-related information.
(More precisely, it prevented streamers from looking at other streams.)
Then he launched League.
About a minute after entering the game, an invitation arrived.
They chatted with their teammates.
They chatted with the opposing team.
Soon enough, the game would begin.
[Hey everyone.]
[Let's have a fun game.]
[It won't be easy. We're a strong team too, after all.]
The conversation flowed casually.
There was no spectator delay.
Once the commentators were ready, the match would start immediately.
[Haha. Honestly, I have no idea what your team prepared, so it's kind of scary.]
Pillbug threw a light jab at them.
Ha Yoonho responded.
[Well, your team looks like you've prepared a lot too. I hope it works out for you. Our ace is kind of a demon, after all.]
[True enough. Huh? Is it starti—]
His words were cut off.
The game began.
There had been a warning beforehand.
A countdown announced the match would start in five seconds.
Everyone muted voice chat.
After all, strategies revealed during pick-and-ban could potentially be used in later games.
“It's starting.”
Wind Sword took a deep breath.
“Everyone, calm down.”
It wasn't just Wind Sword, the tournament rookie.
Everyone seemed nervous.
“So now we finally start making strategies, right?”
“AAAAAH! We should've gotten together and discussed things yesterday!”
Seojun reassured them.
“It's fine. We already know what they're going to ban. We'll just make some reasonable bans and crush them with raw power.”
They were on the red side.
That meant the opposing team banned first.
[Banned Hero – Camel, Apostle of Protection]
“Huh? A Camel ban?”
“They should've just banned Epic. If it were me, I'd instantly ban Epic at the start.”
At that moment, Seojun's intuition spoke up again.
The enemy was intentionally leaving Epic open.
“Oh...”
“So what should we ban? How about Sniper? One of Spoon's most-played heroes?”
Sniper was one of Spoon's signature champions and possessed extremely long attack range.
From Ha Yoonho's perspective, it wasn't a bad suggestion.
If the enemy picked it, its weak early game would make it easier to survive against.
If they picked it themselves, the long range would also help them endure lane pressure.
It was a perfectly reasonable idea.
Still, the fact that Wind Sword was actually asking showed how nervous he was.
Yoonho was about to suggest something else when Seojun spoke.
“Yes. Ban it.”
“Huh? Seojun?”
Ha Yoonho's pupils shook violently.
Like a sailor caught in a storm.
“Don't tell me this is another Spartan-style training session! Bullying us in an actual tournament isn't okay! We need to win this!”
Regardless, the nervous Wind Sword immediately banned Sniper the moment he heard Seojun's voice.
“It's fine. They'll probably leave Epic unbanned.”
“...What?”
[Banned Hero – Shadow Sorcerer Zey]
“Just watch. And Wind Sword?”
“Yes?”
“Ban Savior next. The second-longest-range hero.”
“Got it.”
The other teammates had no idea what was happening.
But they trusted him.
Seojun quietly waited for the enemy's final ban.
Unlike before, when they had instantly banned without hesitation, this time they took much longer.
Exactly.
They were confused.
Five seconds passed.
Twenty-five remained.
Seojun began explaining.
“Everyone, they're probably not going to ban Epic.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. And they probably planned to first-pick Sniper. Long range makes Epic easier to deal with.”
Range was likely only part of their plan.
They probably had other preparations too.
Ways to avoid getting caught.
Ways to survive.
Still, it was undeniable that long-range champions were generally more comfortable against Epic.
“But if they're targeting Epic, shouldn't you just pick Epic?”
“No!”
“If it's available, how do you resist?”
“That's true.”
“Which is why I'll be playing ADC.”
“What?”
“Moonho, go top. Wind Sword, since this is your first tournament, it'd be better if you stayed on your best role and played mid.”
“But what if all of this is just your delusion?”
Ten seconds.
Without anyone noticing, another fifteen seconds had passed.
The enemy still seemed unable to make up their minds.
Seojun could practically imagine them arguing frantically on the other side.
Five seconds.
“Delusion?”
“I'm fine with it!”
Ha Yoonho smiled in satisfaction.
Anywhere was better than laning directly against Spoon.
Three seconds.
Two.
One.
[Banned Hero – Abandoned Automaton Id]
“See?”
“Could they be leaving Epic open because they want to pick it themselves?”
Alpaca asked seriously.
“No.”
Seojun smiled.
“Our turn. Let's ban another long-range hero.”
He suddenly found himself wanting to see the viewers' reactions.
Even he was getting a little excited.
The enemy had chosen to challenge him head-on.
Then the enemy's first pick appeared.
Everyone exclaimed at once.
[JustOneBite – Twin Pistols Luke]
“They're basically begging me to pick Epic.”
He really wanted to see chat now.
- HOLY SHIT LOL
- THEY REALLY DIDN'T BAN IT?!
- SPOON! WAKE UP!
- THEY PICKED LUKE TOO?! LEGENDARY.
- STREAMER, PICK EPIC!
- Too bad they're not in the same lane.
- Ah, I see. They want to grow stronger first and then overcome their PTSD by facing Epic later!
- Luke scales pretty well after upgrades.
- ADC diff incoming.
[Sword God – Lumberjack Eric]
- LET'S GOOOOO.
- ACCEPT THE PROVOCATION.
- Time to stack that PTSD!
That was true.
Looking at things superficially, the same situation as before probably wouldn't happen again.
However—
Once the draft finished, everyone became confused.
- Huh???
- Income Gap doesn't have an ADC.
- What?
- Draft mistake?
- No way LOL. There are technically heroes that can ADC here.
- Eric?
- LOL. HE'S GOING DIRECTLY TO HIM.
- At least he has a support this time, so it shouldn't end like last time. Anyway, good luck, Spoon! LOL.
Seojun looked directly at Spoon, who had locked in Luke.
None of them cared about early invades.
Not the two ADCs.
Not even the supports.
“Haahaha. I kept wondering if you'd actually come bot lane. Didn't think you'd really do it. I'm kinda nervous now.”
Despite his words, Spoon showed no sign of actual fear or tension.
“I'm more surprised you left Epic open.”
Seojun shrugged.
“Really?”
Spoon grinned.
“In that case, Apostle of Destruction—come at me.”
Taking advantage of his superior range, Spoon stepped forward first.