Chapter 55: Upset (4)

“Hello! Greetings from the analysis desk for Game 3.”

“After an incredibly close match, ARK has emerged victorious with a 2-1 score.”

[I almost lost my mind watching that.]

[Honestly, wasn’t that a preview of the finals?]

[Seriously, is this level of play for real?]

“Judging from the ARK players’ comms at the end, it was a match where no one knew the outcome until the very last moment, with everyone breathing a collective sigh of relief.”

“While ARK had several strong points in the early top-side skirmishes, YK’s carry machine also unleashed an incredible amount of damage from the bottom lane, driving the game all the way to the end.”

[Seriously, Lunami is a crazy composition.]

[It’s insane how K’Sante loses half his health from a single ultimate in mid.]

[But they overcame it, right?]

“So, shall we discuss the picks and bans?”

“First off, YK went for their standard, comfortable picks and bans, while ARK opted for a swap pick utilizing K’Sante.”

“In my opinion, this mid K’Sante played a crucial role. What are your thoughts?”

“The champion K’Sante requires a considerable level of proficiency. Unlike other lanes, mid lane has to deal with many different champions, making him a difficult pick to practice.”

[Mid laners have to play mages, weird joker picks, AND practice ADCs. They have so much to do lol.]

[Top laners play ranged champions too, you know?]

[Top lane is just Vayne top, Teemo top lol.]

[Anyone with fingers can play those.]

[Our team’s Vayne top always goes 0/3/0 though?]

“And yet, ARK’s top and mid showed a pretty decent level of proficiency, playing Akali top while flexing K’Sante mid.”

“Sure, the mid laner carried tremendously, but Caster also made some good plays in the top lane.”

“There were rumors that Caster had been practicing Akali in scrims and solo queue recently. But I never expected him to pull it out in such an important match.”

[Caster’s playing blade champions now.]

[A man who delivers when he sets his mind to it ㄷㄷ]

[He’s not just a one-trick tank anymore, it seems.]

“However, I believe the most crucial factor was Para’s K’Sante.”

“Seriously, is this player really only in their first year?”

“Since they debuted last year in the CK Summer Split, they haven’t even completed a full year yet.”

“And yet, this player can play carry champions, control mages, and tanks. Is there anything they can’t do?”

[The only thing Para can’t do >> Stop being pretty.]

[Ban these simps.]

[But it’s true, who’s prettier than Para?]

[No one lol.]

“That 3-for-1 outplay at the end was truly incredible.”

“Even watching the replay gives me chills. Blocking Lucian’s ultimate with a charged W, knocking him up with the stacked Q, then ulting, and finally, K’Sante’s All Out.”

[How does she survive for so long with only 10% health?]

[She’s disgustingly hard to kill.]

[Yeah, yeah, if you’re salty, just build tank items, but also play champions who deal true damage and max health percent damage lol.]

“So, let’s take a look at the Player of the Game!”

“As expected, it’s Para’s K’Sante.”

[Para the Great]

[Agreed.]

[Please make some normal champions.]

[Emperor Para]

[The Great Seo-ha]

“Everyone knows today was disappointing, right?”

“Look here, picking Tahm Kench for bot lane was fine, but you should have pressured more in the laning phase, don’t you know?”

Returning to the waiting room after the POG interview, I saw the coach and team members still in the middle of feedback.

“But they had a Lucian-Nami lane. If we had pushed out there, the game would’ve been over. Look here.”

At the coach’s words, the bot duo took the mouse and rewound the replay by 30 seconds.

“Seo-ha placed a ward in their red-side jungle, revealing their jungler coming down. If we pushed any further, we would’ve definitely died in the next wave.”

“Even so, you have to consider forcing them to use abilities while we reset the wave, especially with an Aphelios-Tahm Kench composition.”

“But still…”

“Their Lucian had Cleanse this time, while our Aphelios had Barrier. Even if they engaged, we could’ve easily absorbed the pressure. Tahm Kench also had Heal.”

“But if we bait out their spells and reset, what then? Lucian gets his ultimate and we just die.”

“That’s also true…”

The coach and players freely expressed their opinions. This kind of feedback was only possible thanks to the team members who, despite such an open atmosphere, never crossed the line, and the coach, a former pro player who still played hundreds of solo queue games, maintaining his Grandmaster rank.

“None of you are going to stop here, right? To climb higher, you need to see the bigger picture.”

“That’s true.”

“Coming from the top laner who felt the pressure from the opponent in Game 3, that’s rich.”

“I carried Game 3 though?”

“Still, everyone did well. Aphelios’s positioning in the late game was good, and Seo-ha’s K’Sante was great too.”

The coach called my name, and only then did the team’s attention turn to me.

Were they so caught up in the victory that they didn’t even notice me come in?

That’s a little hurtful…

As if sensing my thoughts, Kim Do-jin stepped forward and offered his fist.

“I never thought I’d beat YK during my pro career. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. We won because everyone played well.”

I bumped his fist and replied.

Finally, the other team members approached and started talking about today’s match.

“I out-CS’d Aoul by 50 in lane? Is this real life?”

“Honestly, I underperformed a bit in Game 3, but if you saw my combos in Game 2, you’d stop the hate.”

“Tahm Kench was a true crack pick in the end, right?”

‘Honestly, it wasn’t a perfect game…’

But a win is a win.

Now was the time to savor the joy of victory.

“Did everyone see my double kill in top lane earlier?”

.

.

.

“Para, I’ll really be cheering for you. Make sure you go all the way to the championship!”

“Thank you for your support. I’ll show you good results, so please keep cheering for me until the end.”

The fan meeting, which only happened because of our win, was taking place now. Except for the woman just now, only the last fan remained.

‘I wonder when I’ll be able to do this standing up.’

There were chairs for the players at the fan meeting venue, but most of it was conducted standing.

It was easier to sign autographs wherever the fans wanted or take pictures with them that way.

But for me…

‘I think I’ll need to be at least 165 cm tall…’

Even at 17 years old, my height was still only around 155 cm, and the tables used for the fan meeting were too high for me.

Surely, the tables were designed considering there were players in the 160 cm range, but 155 cm was just too harsh of an environment.

Out of frustration, I swung my legs back and forth.

‘…Let’s stay still.’

My legs swung in the air without ever touching the ground, so I stopped.

Just as I was wondering if I would ever grow to 165 cm, the last fan, who had just finished greeting Kim Do-jin, approached me.

“Hello… huh?”

“Are you not even going to say hi now that you’re doing well?”

It was Choi Eun-seo, whom I hadn’t seen much lately.

She hadn’t even been contacting me recently, so I didn’t expect her to be here today.

“You should’ve told me you were coming. I would’ve gotten you a ticket.”

“I didn’t tell you on purpose! It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“Really? You haven’t been contacting me lately.”

“Ah, that’s because I’ve been a little busy.”

Her energy seemed a bit lower than usual, and she didn’t look very well.

I cautiously asked if she was sick, but Choi Eun-seo replied that it was nothing.

“I want to get your autograph here!”

“Huh? Isn’t that…?”

“The uniform I won at the auction!”

“That one sold for a high price. You bought it?”

“I couldn’t let someone else have a middle school girl’s game-worn uniform.”

Choi Eun-seo said something strange and urged me to sign it.

“But there are already signatures all over it.”

“Not there, under the markings. Sign it inside.”

“Inside the clothes?”

“Yeah, I think that would look cooler.”

I didn’t understand her reasoning, but I did as she asked.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to come to the playoffs because I’m busy. I wanted to watch though.”

“High school is busy.”

“That’s true. Unlike someone, I’m an actual high school girl, so…”

As we exchanged lighthearted jokes, it was time to wrap things up. Choi Eun-seo seemed to notice too, and looked apologetic.

“Ah, have I been holding you up for too long?”

“Not really.”

“I’ll come to the finals, so make sure you get there.”

“Better start booking your tickets now.”

LCK finals tickets were notoriously known for going on sale before the final matchup was even decided.

Honestly, I didn’t understand why they did it that way, but it was a long-standing LCK tradition.

Since all teams that reach the playoffs have a certain level of fandom, maybe it was to profit from the cancellation fees if a team lost.

“Don’t worry about that.”

“Why?”

“I have somewhere else to get finals tickets from.”

“Really?”

Were there places that gave away finals tickets as event prizes even before the playoffs started?

I guess I didn’t know everything.

LoL Gallery

Title: ARK Secures 1st Place in the Regular Season

(LCK Spring Standings after 9 weeks)

Finally secured 1st place by crushing RG in the final match.

ARK automatically starts from Round 2 of the Playoffs.

ㄴ 15 wins and 1 loss is insane, right?

ㄴ The legendary lucky punch they got from a relegation-threatened team in the middle of the split lol.

ㄴ QG’s picks and bans were amazing back then; godly picks and bans, and the players’ performance was all good.

ㄴ Let’s go~

ㄴ Can you feel the difference in power?

ㄴ I’m the winner; I went to the fan meeting at Week 1… starting around Week 3, there were so many people.

ㄴ My high school girl, Solo Queue rank 1, VLL champion, CK champion, LCK regular season 1st place. No slander allowed.