Chapter 82: MSI semifinals (3)

“Can TXG even stop KSante at this point?”

“ARK’s Lillia did get caught while soloing dragon, but KSante, who was split-pushing, has four items already.”

“Sure, Vayne can kill him if she focuses him. But the problem is, there’s also Aatrox.”

“If Aatrox goes on a rampage, everyone dies. Literally everyone. Vayne? Orianna? Ashe? Their heads will be smashed.”

[Kill Aatrox? Then it’s KSante time.]

[But if they focus KSante, Aatrox will flank and wipe them.]

[Vayne was a mispick.]

[Haha, who plays KSante mid?]

[Some people do, then they realize they lack the skill and shelve him.]

“Huh? TXG is heading towards Baron?”

“Are they forcing a fight? Even Vayne is there.”

“They’re saying, ‘You don’t have Smite because Lillia is dead,’ and going for it.”

“But can they finish it? Aphelios and Aatrox are still alive.”

[Are they serious?]

[Braindead play.]

[Vayne getting solo killed twice in the side lane probably tilted them.]

“Are you sure about this, TXG? Is this really the right call!?”

“Aphelios is starting to push with KSante tanking for him, and Aatrox is flanking behind the pit.”

“Uh… this doesn’t look good…”

[They’re getting choked out…]

[The hunt is on!]

[They’re all going to die if they don’t leave~]

“At this position, they’ll all get hit by Aphelios’ ultimate… but! Braum stepped forward and blocked it!”

“Losing Aphelios’ ult like that is a big loss!”

“TXG secures the Baron! And they’re engaging instead of retreating!”

“Orianna gives the ball to Maokai, who uses his ultimate and Twisted Advance!”

“KSante blocked Maokai’s ult from hitting Aphelios, but Lulu gets picked off.”

[This makes it a good fight for TXG.]

[Vayne is tumbling everywhere.]

[Free damage for Vayne?]

“Aatrox flanks and disrupts their formation, but with the ball, Vayne can kite him effectively.”

“This is why Orianna is so valuable. Even when behind, she can support her team. Giving the ball with her E grants a surprising amount of shielding and resistances, and her W provides movement speed.”

“Aatrox, without Flash, gets kited by Vayne and dies. This doesn’t look good for ARK.”

“Using Flash for the solo kill in the side lane earlier has come back to bite them. Can Para save them?”

“KSante has Flash and all his abilities, but…”

[TXG made the right call.]

[Maokai instantly flashed and killed Lulu.]

[If Lulu had survived, she could have kited with Aphelios and turned the fight.]

“And then, Para flanks and catches Vayne!”

“What just happened? We need to see the replay, but it looked like E, then Flash, W, R.”

“Vayne tries to kite, but it’s impossible against a fed KSante, especially without her ultimate. KSante uses his charged Q and finishes her off cleanly!”

“And here comes Lillia, running from afar.”

[Lesser is smiling.]

[Haha, even if I int, Para will carry, right?]

[Here to clean up the leftovers~]

“TXG can’t burst down KSante even though he’s at half health.”

“Lillia arrives and cleans up the rest!”

“They ace TXG!”

[It’s over.]

[Just push mid.]

[GG.]

[Please remove KSante’s ability to have his Q charged even after ulting. It’s impossible to counter.]

---

TXG’s strengths were their ranged top laners and their strong, self-sufficient bot lane.

Conversely, their weakness was their mid and jungle, the most crucial roles in professional play.

The reason they beat ARK on Day 1 was their hidden pocket pick and Park Jin-hwan’s blind pick tank.

But what if their ranged top strategy gets countered, and their mid and jungle get crushed?

There could only be one outcome.

[They’re coming to end the game.]

[They’re so strong. This is a major region team, the wall of the world.]

Looking around, Seino saw that most of the audience looked like they were about to cry.

Even though their journey wasn’t smooth, TXG had performed well against strong teams like VXG and PG, so many fans came to the arena with high hopes.

It was a home game, and they had even beaten their opponent once, albeit in a best-of-one.

‘Everyone came here with expectations.’

That’s the nature of watching sports live.

Even knowing the odds are stacked against them, they come to the arena hoping for an upset.

If their team loses, they get angry, but if they win, the memory stays with them, and they become lifelong fans.

That’s why so many people come to watch live matches.

[ARK is ready to drive a stake through TXG’s heart.]

[Even though they dominated the first game, is it really okay to end the series 3-0 in such a one-sided fashion?]

But among the spectators, there was someone celebrating ARK’s victory.

‘Is she that happy?’

Choi Eun-seo, clenching her fists discreetly, was expressing her joy.

They had defeated the team that beat them before, in a best-of-five series, securing a spot in the finals.

Normally, she would be jumping up and down, but in Seino’s eyes, Choi Eun-seo was unusually calm.

She was a fan of ARK, but also an esports fan in general.

Even in an international competition where seating wasn’t strictly divided by region, it wasn’t appropriate to celebrate too boisterously when the home team had lost.

The final score was 3-0.

ARK bowed first, and the audience applauded the victors.

Then, the TXG players stood in the center of the stage. Their expressions showed a mix of regret and relief.

The audience cheered and applauded them.

Seino, watching Choi Eun-seo cheer passionately for TXG, looked at her curiously.

“Something to say?”

“Oh, no, it’s just… I thought you only liked ARK.”

“Even though they lost, reaching this far is an achievement in itself. They deserve the applause, don’t you think?”

“That’s true, but…”

“I like anyone who shines. That’s why I like you too, Seino.”

“…Huh?”

---

‘Finally.’

The finals of an international competition.

I had been on this stage more than five times in my past life, but for some reason, it felt like the first time.

My teammates seemed to feel the same; everyone was buzzing with excitement.

“We’re one win away from the championship?”

“VXG will probably win tomorrow, right?”

“It’s not one win, it’s three.”

“Who am I? The god of engages.”

As the excitement in the waiting room reached fever pitch…

“Everyone, calm down.”

…the coach, returning from his interview, collapsed onto the sofa.

He took a sip of the energy drink that was one of the tournament’s main sponsors and said…

“…Ha, is this real?”

Silence fell over the room.

A moment later…

“Coach, you seem the most excited.”

“Agreed.”

“True.”

“You’re in no position to lecture us.”

He should be the most excited.

He was the coach of a newly formed team, a team built with his life savings.

And that team had won the LCK and reached the MSI finals.

‘Jackpot.’

In stock market terms, we had gone to the moon.

With the current popularity of esports and our performance, major corporations would be lining up for naming sponsorships or even to buy the team.

“Phew… you all played well.”

Since we only had one match per day in the bracket stage, we didn’t have to leave the waiting room immediately.

The coach and my teammates joked around, while I thought about tomorrow’s match.

“By the way, is anyone going to watch the match tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow’s match?”

“PG asked if we wanted to watch their match.”

It was common for the winning team to watch the next match in these tournaments.

‘It would be disastrous to lose momentum after a victory by having a bad scrim.’

Unless there was a long preparation period, hastily arranged scrims or strategy sessions could disrupt their flow.

“I’d like to go.”

Analyzing matches in the practice room was one thing, but watching live was different.

And as a League of Legends fan, I welcomed such opportunities.

Seeing my eagerness…

“Uh… I want to rest, but…”

“Hyung, you’ll just end up watching anime in the hotel anyway. Let’s just go.”

“I’m in.”

“Me too.”

Park Jin-hwan seemed reluctant to go.

But perhaps because he got solo killed in Game 3 and only survived thanks to Kim Do-jin’s relentless ganks, he agreed surprisingly easily.

So, the next day…

“…Wow, is that the team we beat?”

“Is VXG insane?”

“They’re monsters.”

“The CS difference in mid is 150?”

As if they had been hiding their true strength, VXG was crushing PG in the bracket stage.