Ch.185180 – Endgame

“Yes, Professor Hwang. Thank you for your help. Yes, I’ll come visit you sometime when I have a chance.”

The Raon Clan leader had been bedridden with a heart attack for four years now.

Kim Seok-il, who had taken over as acting clan leader in his father’s place, slowly stroked his chin after finishing a phone call with Professor Hwangbo Hum, a distinguished scholar at the Cephiron Foundation.

‘Second grade? Elementary school…?’

Acting Clan Leader Kim Seok-il burst into laughter at Professor Hwang’s words, finding them absurd.

He let out a deep sigh, feeling deflated after having scoured various academies to recruit someone called NoName.

Exceptional magicians were like walking corporations just by their very existence.

The news article about a young theoretical magic scholar belonging to ‘Raon’ who paid 20 billion won in income tax last year was well-known.

However, like any clan, Raon was not a corporation but merely an association of individuals, and under tax law, they were treated as joint business operators working in a single business establishment.

Therefore, even if he found it distasteful as clan leader that income was being disclosed so freely, it wasn’t something he could interfere with. It was ultimately individual freedom.

In other words, each talent was incredibly precious from the clan’s perspective.

It was natural to be interested in someone who had mastered 5-circle magic, possessed extensive knowledge of pure academics, and even developed their own innate magic, regardless of age.

While other conservative clans might differ, Kim Seok-il firmly believed in his own judgment and decided to find NoName.

Since academy officials couldn’t speak due to their “oath,” he used his usual workaround.

He sought out people in ambiguous positions—those who belonged to the foundation but also didn’t.

His target was Professor Hwangbo Hum, a distinguished professor in Princeton University’s magic department who had served as an admissions officer at the Cephiron Foundation for the past three years.

And what he revealed was shocking.

‘If they’re in second grade at Cephiron Academy… they must be in the same class as my nephew…!’

His youngest sister’s son, that little snotty Kim Han-gyeol, should be in second grade of elementary school now.

It was definitely correct since he had personally given him a simple enchantment writer as a gift for his academy entrance celebration last spring.

Kim Seok-il counted numbers in his head. But the count didn’t make it past 8 before weakly trailing off.

“What was I doing at 8 years old? Probably just eating dirt.”

What he meant to keep as an inner thought escaped his lips.

But his voice wasn’t the only one in the study.

Twissy TV, channel 172.

[The “Just Used My Ultimate” team takes the second set too! The set score is now 2-0! CallMeTheBannedBoot is now backed against a wall! This is so unpredictable—is this really the finals? CallMeTheBannedBoot needs to recapture that overwhelming strength they showed throughout the tournament! They can’t just give up the third set so easily! One more loss and it’s over, OVER!]

Legacy of Legend—the game Kim Seok-il enjoyed so much in his youth that he’d skip school for it—had transformed and continued its legacy even in virtual reality.

The amateur tournament had an audience and energy that made it feel professional.

And the person causing him all this trouble was peacefully playing games there.

Logically, he should have dismissed Professor Hwang’s words as senile ramblings.

But when he heard the name of NoName’s adoptive father, Kim Seok-il couldn’t shake his uneasiness.

Cheon Kyu-jin. Birth name: Cheon Byong-ho.

The Yamim Noraim War, or the Fifth Middle Eastern War, that broke out in the early 2020s. Korea was one of the participating nations.

Young people these days might not know, but 30 years ago, there were several figures hailed as war heroes.

Most notably Cheon Cho-rong, the greatest genius of the 21st century, along with Park Tae-seok, Kim Woong, Gu On-yu, Cheon Byong-ho, and others.

Except for Ham Cho-rong, they were all forgotten names, but Kim Seok-il, having lived in the same era, knew how remarkable these people were.

He didn’t know why ghosts from the past were resurfacing now.

He put down his tea on the table and decided to focus on the squabbling between the young players.

[Ban-pick for the third set has begun! The red team hasn’t banned Asteria again. They seem to be deliberately baiting the pick, don’t they?]

[I think they should safely first-pick Rell… AAAAAAHHH! Asteria! Asteria is out again!]

[Umm… is this right? They’re basically saying “we weren’t wrong.” So the “Just Used My Ultimate” team is going with Zoe and Rell synergy for mid and jungle again.]

[The atmosphere seems similar to the previous match. Many viewers are expressing concern. But competitions are about proving yourself, right? Let’s hope they show us something good in the third set!]

[Everyone knows the ceiling of NoName’s Asteria by now. If she pops off in this third set, future ban-picks will become much easier.]

[The third match of the Downfall Tournament, brought to you by Letterbox and Twissy, starts right now!]

***

“Namei…”

“I just need to play better. Sia, just do what you normally do.”

“Okay! Let’s do our best till the end!”

After not letting Asteria through the entire tournament, they suddenly didn’t ban her in the finals and handed her to me.

And their strategy of bringing out Zoe, Rell, and even Nautilus for support to focus on marking me precisely targeted our team’s weakness.

“It would be a shame to come this far undefeated only to get 3-0’d in the finals.”

The enemy bottom duo taunted with childish provocations as part of their showmanship.

Certainly, a team with only one winning pattern has its limitations.

While Sia quietly gritted her teeth because we were at a disadvantage, I saw no reason to back down.

“Wouldn’t it be even more disappointing if you thought you had it in the bag but ended up losing 2-3?”

“Hohooo! NoName, you’re so cute! Even if you lose this match, don’t resent us too much. Let’s collab sometime. Or I have LCK tickets—want to go together next week?”

“Hey, stop targeting Namei! Stop talking to a kid and just go away, shoo shoo!”

Sia, who had chosen a short-statured champion, grabbed my leg and pulled me away from the enemy.

In 30 seconds, our voice channels would close and the real lane phase would begin.

I took a deep breath and asked myself.

Am I nervous?

Anyone would be nervous in this situation.

Then what matters isn’t emotions. What’s important is how much I can immerse myself in the game.

I need to imprint in every cell of my body that there’s nowhere left to retreat.

“If you’re asking me on a date, you should look for someone older than me.”

With those words, the voice channel closed, and a massive roar from the battlefield shook the ground.

Keep thinking and affirming constantly.

I am not NoName but Asteria.

From now on, all actions are limited to means of destroying the enemy fortress.

Six soldiers met in the middle of the plain and began an intense standoff.

I rolled my eyes incessantly, cramming all available information into my brain.

The distance between soldiers, the targets they were aiming for, the distance between enemy champions, the direction champions were heading, mana, health, movement speed, range, and even the look in their eyes.

“Phew…”

Before the breath escaping my lips could disperse, I gave Sia the call to engage.

I’d been too obsessively thinking about the enemy jungle with the mindset that I couldn’t die.

Now I’m thinking differently.

With the thought that the enemy is as imperfect as we are, I aggressively engaged from level 1.

The enemy sent a bewildered look.

This was a kind of chicken game where whoever stopped attacking first would be forced into an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position.

The enemy knew this too, so both our health bars kept getting chipped away.

“Your position is too deep!”

I reflected on Sia’s advice. In the previous match, I would have backed off at this point, but I kept pushing the lane forward.

It was time to take a gamble.

I pushed aggressively enough to make them think we had backup ready for a counter-gank if their jungler came.

I dodged the fortress’s laser beams to charge Selcore’s passive.

30%.

Not enough. I isolated myself in a dangerous position to lure the enemy outside their fortress.

What’s needed to win isn’t small, certain gains, but uncertain yet massive advantages.

Our teammates won’t wait for us to slowly accumulate small advantages. So I had to adapt to the team’s style.

“Why are you pressuring so hard…!”

The opponent made a mistake by backing into the space between the fortress and the stone wall. I couldn’t miss this chance.

“Sia, now!”

At this moment when the enemy’s movement was restricted, I broke through the fortress’s attacks to take their head.

I pointed the barrel of the “Star Destroyer” at the opponent.

My possession rate was over 90%, approaching 100%.

Calmly and steadily.

I landed three basic attacks—two on the support, one on the ADC—and just before reaching 100% possession rate, I laid down my W skill in their escape path.

Even a small error would allow the enemy to escape. This was a gamble bordering on recklessness.

But Asteria was originally a girl blinded by vengeance after losing her entire family.

Playing with nothing to lose was only natural.

[La Asteria Shuhata Filum]

A massive starlight poured down from the sky.

A strong wind brushed my cheeks and dust swirled around.

Even with limited vision, I clearly kept my prey in mind.

I collected the star fragments scattered around, lunged forward, and swung toward the enemy’s heart.

Always think about the future, not the present.

Me 5 seconds later,

Me 10 seconds later,

Me 1 minute later.

Constantly contemplating where my future self should be, I absorbed the shockwave that came from defeating the enemy.

Meanwhile, the enemy support escaped with a sliver of health.

Should I go in for another attack? The calculation was quick.

[Double Kill!]

The fortress’s 5-stack laser.

The heal spell that came back at the same time.

It took exactly 550 of my health, allowing me to survive.

[HP: 2/1025]

“Top, think about the jungler’s position now. Mid can reach the side bush in 6 seconds.”

No sooner had I given the order than the enemy jungler popped out at bottom.

It seemed they had eaten camps and were trying to help bottom, but after getting dived, they were now trying to make up for the loss.

They entered my range but didn’t use Smite. They definitely didn’t have their summoner spell.

“We can take them. Keep going in.”

“With this HP? Aaah, I don’t know!”

Sia’s health was 320 and mine was 19. The enemy’s health was 445. That means…

“It’s enough.”

If we land all our skills, we can take them down with exactly one cycle plus two basic attacks.

I’ll endure the thorns with my E shield as much as possible.

My health fluctuated precariously between 3 and 50.

I sensed killing intent from the enemy champion who had been silently taking hits.

If they just land one more hit…

Flash-

Coincidentally, as Sia used her skill, the opponent flashed toward me. The final hit didn’t connect.

“Hup!”

They would either slam the ground to the left or right with their Q skill.

Look into their eyes and read them as best you can.

I split time into fragments to predict where the next attack would come from.

And in that split second, I stopped moving and held my champion still.

Sharp thorns shot up from the ground, barely grazing past me.

“So predictable.”

I fired a mana bullet between the eyes of my stunned opponent.

[Triple Kill!]

***

-Asteria is playing insanely wellㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-I got goosebumps when they turned that gank around

-Still gonna let her through? Still gonna let her through? STILL GONNA LET HER THROUGH?

-Yeah, Asteria is free~~ Try Kali or Draven or whatever~

-There was a reason they were banning her, once she gets ahead you can’t stop herㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Should’ve popped off in top like in sets 1 and 2

-NoName pushed the lane so far up they had no choice but to gank

-Their teamfight vision is so good

The reason the “Just Used My Ultimate” team had no choice but to let NoName have Asteria.

“We shouldn’t have fought at level 1, that was a mistake.”

“If we just avoid that, we’ll be fine.”

They couldn’t win lane against any ranged carry except Asteria.

Moreover, since NoName is an Asteria main, letting her through makes ban-pick easier to handle.

So the 4th set began with only blue and red sides swapped.

“Why is Asteria so strong! This is an OP champion, why haven’t they nerfed it more!”

“No… no… wow, I’ve played LoL for over 10 years and I’ve never seen a tank die in 4 hits?”

[Asteria: 21/0/4]

In the end, Asteria was the problem again.

Final 5th set.

“Wait, Miroking is… Miroking is passing up Mirocell and choosing Tristana! It seems like a counter to Azir!”

“Wait a minute! Zoe? Zoe? So this is top Azir and mid Zoe! Wow, the ‘Just Used My Ultimate’ team is amazing! With their pro experience, they’re not falling behind in ban-pick at all! This complicates things.”

“With Rell appearing again, playing Asteria would be too difficult, right? It’ll be much tougher than sets 3 and 4.”

“The ADC options have gone down to the 4th and 5th pages, not much left. Asteria is still open. So the ‘Just Used My Ultimate’ team is… wait… Akshan? ADC Akshan! Wooooow!”

“This is basically saying ‘you can’t win lane!’ Three lanes with priority plus jungle Rell! Is there any ADC left that can beat Akshan?”

“The ‘Just Used My Ultimate’ team is declaring they’ll completely destroy Asteria if picked! So what will the ‘BannedBoot’ team’s final red side pick be?”

-If they pick Asteria, they’ll definitely lose

-You can’t win without lane priority in 3 lanes;;

-Even Tristana can’t beat Akshan

-Yeah, ADC Tristana is garbage

-Just ignore it and go Asteria with Heart of the Beast?

-Then the game will be over in 25 minutes like set 1ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-The comp isn’t good for Ezreal either

-If they took Azir, why didn’t they take Rell

-Who could have predicted they’d pick Zoe againㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-If they could just win one teamfight, this comp falls off late, but there’s nothing to help them survive early

-Taking ADC as 5th pick was a mistake, no flexibility

[11…]

[10…]

The countdown ticks below 10 seconds.

NoName’s final pick to conclude the long journey of the Downfall Tournament.

Some say they should pick Asteria to complete the 5-game series.

Others say they should reluctantly use ADC Tristana.

[2…]

[1…]

With 1 second remaining, NoName’s champion selection was something none of the hundreds of thousands of spectators could have predicted.

[Irelia]

“Huh? Irelia? Wait, so this is mid Irelia and ADC Tristana?”

“Yes, that seems to be the case. Since Azir is in top. But Miroking hasn’t played Irelia even once in scrims, so I’m not sure if this will work.”

-Miroking is terrible at Irelia, we’re screwed!

-A person who only plays tanks picking a blade championㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-What about Tristana?

-Actually, Tristana is something NoName learned while getting scolded in scrims

-LOLㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-We’re totally doomedㅅㅂ…

-This is what happens when you don’t have coaches to stop bad ban-picks

-No, it’s because the BannedBoot team has such a narrow champion pool

-Always losing in ban-pick ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-Why aren’t they swapping though?

-??

-????

“Wait a minute? It seems like no swap has occurred… I’m not sure if this is a spectator bug…”

“Whaaaat? Wait, could this be? ADC Irelia?”

“No, mid Tristana and ADC Irelia! The game seems to be proceeding like this!”

“Woooow… wooow… WOOOOOOOW! NoName is absolutely insane!”

“ADC Irelia against ADC Akshan in the final 5th set of the Downfall Tournament finals…!”

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Bottom lane ㅅㅂㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Why are mid laners going bottomㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Is this even allowed?

-This is gonna be so fun ㅅㅂ

“Whichever team wins this game, the MVP will definitely be from bottom lane! I dare to predict that!”

“I agree! Wow… NoName. This player is truly unpredictable. Come to think of it, I’m reminded of when they won the 1v1 against Paysauce in the Irelia vs. Fiora matchup.”

“Ah, that mad movie that set VTube on fire—everyone knows it! The 5th set is about to begin! Please give them a big round of applause!”