Chapter 92: MSI Finals (9)

“VXG’s top-side trio is heading towards ARK’s jungle?”

“Could this be…?”

“Are they going for a counter-jungle at this timing? But they’re being awfully blatant about it…”

“This is an emergency! They’re trying to catch Para. ARK always positions Para there for vision control, and VXG, after ignoring it for four games, is finally going for the kill in Game 5!”

[Wow, insane strategy]
[Squidward planned this]
[If Para dies, it’s a disaster]

“Can she survive!?”

“Ah… since minions are about to arrive, Para decides to use Flash immediately rather than take more damage.”

“She survived, and it wasn’t enough damage to warrant a Teleport, but it’s a shame she lost Flash.”

“Honestly? This is disastrous for Yone. Pantheon already has guaranteed crowd control, and losing Flash is a huge blow.”

[Ah…]
[This is huge]
[Why is she standing there like an idiot?]
[Aren’t they defending against invades?]
[Honestly, Para seems to have let her guard down]
[How is she supposed to know when they’re coming without vision? Getting counter-jungled without information is how games explode]

“But it’s Para. I believe she’ll find a way.”

“We have to believe! This young girl is fighting to restore the LCK’s prestige. If we, the LCK fans, don’t believe in her, who will!?”

[If you’re Korean, let’s cheer for ARK]
[Para <<< definitely the best mid laner in Korea]
[They won the LCK by crushing everyone, and people are still arguing about best in Korea lol]
[Why is Para sweating so much?]
[Five games, plus the arena is hot, she’s bound to be sweating]

“Xin Zhao, after clearing blue buff… is heading straight to mid?”

“Ashe just used her hawk shot to reveal Taliyah’s location, giving Xin Zhao two options.”

“What are they?”

“He can either head straight to blue buff to counter-jungle and push Taliyah out, or he can gank mid…”

“It looks like he’s choosing the mid gank.”

“VXG’s core strategy, ‘Secure the blown Flash,’ is about to unfold…”

“If Para dies here, it could really be the end.”

“Para, can she see this coming?”

[Ah, she doesn’t know]
[At level 1, Yone can push, so she’s pushing forward]
[Yone does hit level 2 first]
[Ah, if Pantheon hits level 2 and uses his W, she’s dead]

“Pantheon hits level 2 and immediately Flashes!… What? What just happened?”

[????????]
[?]
[What did I just see?]
[What the…]

“I’ll explain briefly. Para used Yone’s E’s unstoppable effect to avoid Pantheon’s W, baiting out his Flash for free.”

“Wait, is that even possible?”

“If you don’t reactivate Yone’s E at the right time, you often end up getting locked down and killed while still in the E animation. But the player piloting Yone here is Para! She does this kind of thing in her sleep!”

[Truly the god of Yone]
[No way, is that real?]
[How did she do that?]

“To elaborate, most players use the target champions only setting to avoid accidentally casting spells on minions.”

“I see!”

“With that setting enabled, Pantheon probably flashed and spam-clicked his W on Yone. Para anticipated this, used her E forward, and spam-clicked to reactivate it.”

“Truly, ‘I’ll repay the losses I’ve caused!’ This means Yone’s Flash will come back up first!”

“In professional games, these small differences can snowball into victory. We’ll have to see how Para capitalizes on this opportunity.”

“Meanwhile, Lesser is finishing his counter-jungle!”

[This is huge]
[That was supposed to be a soul-crushing gank]
[Just dodged it lol]
[Haha, if she had Flash, that would’ve been a failed gank in mid]
[But wait, why are Para’s fingers so cold?]

“Dodged the mid gank!”

“That’s big! I’m clearing all of his blue side camps and getting out.”

Pantheon’s level 2 Flash gank in mid lane was practically guaranteed after I lost my Flash.

‘I couldn’t avoid it in my past life.’

But this time, I did. And not due to an opponent’s mistake, but through my own sheer skill.

‘This time is different.’

The conviction that I wouldn’t crumble like in my past life bloomed within me.

“Mid is even since we both didn’t die, play comfortably!”

“I think I can bully Gwen in top lane until our first items.”

“Bot lane is struggling a bit.”

Our champions scaled incredibly well; we just needed to reach two items safely. The enemy team, with Pantheon and Ashe, needed to snowball the game quickly by funneling resources into Gwen.

The opponents were on a tight timer this game. If things continued this way, our chances of winning were high.

However…

“Xin Zhao’s here!”

“Can we even save Aphelios? I think I’m dead.”

Xin Zhao boldly used his saved Flash to gank bot lane, resulting in a disastrous double kill for the enemy team. The loss was even more devastating since it occurred while they were trying to catch up on minions after canceling their recalls.

“Let’s play it slow, we have better scaling.”

“I kind of messed up there.”

“No, it’s my fault for calling to catch those minions without vision.”

The only saving grace was that we were ahead in the top lane. Park Jin-hwan, whose form had been improving since Game 3, was now toying with Gwen.

‘But…’

The fundamental matchup disadvantage remained. For now, K’Sante was winning due to his base stats, but once both champions had two items, he would be ripped apart like paper in a direct fight. We needed my and the bot lane’s power to spike before that happened. But…

“Ah, their bot lane is freezing the wave!”

“Can Taliyah come and break the freeze? We’ll die if we go out there alone.”

The deficit in the bot lane began to grow larger than expected.

[It’s a nail-biting match! No matter who wins, this will be remembered as one of the greatest MSI finals!]
[Starting with Para’s level 2 dodge, both teams are trading incredible plays back and forth!]

Choi Eun-seo rubbed her dry eyes, her gaze having been fixed on the screen for hours. Beside her, Seino sat with her hands clasped, completely absorbed in the game, as if she had forgotten to breathe. The surrounding crowd was in a similar state. It didn’t matter who won; they were all captivated by the unfolding match.

‘…Please.’

Usually, Choi Eun-seo would relish such a high-level match, grateful to witness it live. But today was different. She hadn’t realized until now, cheering for a team through five grueling games was detrimental to one’s health.

‘If they lose…’

Choi Eun-seo wasn’t one to give up on a team just because they lost a single match.

However…

‘I’m worried.’

She had witnessed Yoon Seo-ha’s obsession with the professional scene and her almost desperate yearning for victory. What would happen if Seo-ha, fueled by these desires, lost at such a crucial moment?

Through observing others, Choi Eun-seo had learned one thing: those capable of being consumed by something are always prepared to abandon it.

What if Seo-ha suddenly retired after losing the finals? What if she broke down? These thoughts cluttered her mind, but she reminded herself that wasn’t the important thing right now.

‘…Please win.’

The game had surpassed the 40-minute mark. I hadn’t been keeping track of time, but it was already 40 minutes in.

Currently, the dragon score was tied at 3-3, with the next dragon spawning in two minutes. The immediate objective was the newly respawned Baron.

“I’ll push bot lane.”

Figuring I’d quickly clear the side lane and join my team, I started pushing bot when…

“They’re engaging!”

The call came that the enemy team had started Baron. Gwen had just finished pushing bot lane and didn’t have Teleport, so she was seen walking towards Baron on a ward. Without Gwen, the enemy team’s Baron burst speed wasn’t exceptionally fast.

This suggested two possibilities:

‘Force a fight or just a feint.’

Either they would engage a teamfight with Gwen flanking, or they were trying to bait me into responding.

‘Then I’ll…’

I had to make a choice. Use my remaining Teleport or trust my team and continue pushing bot lane.

Teleporting would guarantee stopping Baron and potentially prevent casualties by showing my presence. The risk was that the enemy could simply disengage after baiting my Teleport, putting us at a disadvantage for the upcoming Elder Dragon fight in two minutes.

Continuing to push would allow me to destroy the bot lane inhibitor turret, hopefully while my team stalled or skirmished around Baron. If we successfully defended Baron and took the inhibitor turret, I could purchase Guardian Angel for the Elder Dragon fight.

The risk…

‘An ace.’

My team could be wiped out, losing Baron and the game.

‘What do I do…?’

The time to decide was upon me.