“Should we just call it by farming the Baron?”
“What if we get stolen while hitting it?”
“I’ll mark it for you.”
“Aphelios’ weapon is pretty good.”
Game time: 25 minutes.
Although our team was leading overall, the opponent was holding a steady defense.
“First, let’s wipe out the wards at the back and then attack.”
I was also in agreement with the order to attack the Baron.
Anyway, our team’s minions were pressuring all three lines.
If we can avoid being recalled or getting stolen from the back, we definitely have a chance to try.
“Isn’t there any ward?”
Lee Yuchan scanned the area around the Baron with his red lens and responded after circling it.
“Then let’s hit it.”
“This will be hit by Aphelios and me, while Yune and Thresh mark it.”
The Baron’s health was quickly dropping due to the fast Baron-clearing speeds of Taliyah and Aphelios, aided by Aphelios’ weapons – Full Moon and Crescent Moon.
Once the enemy team confirmed the health status via a long-range ward, they seemed to realize our seriousness and waited no longer.
“I will watch this alone, so Thresh, don’t pull me quickly!”
“Alone?”
“Anyway, I can return with my E. Let’s save the lantern and mark Lisim.”
[Leap Beyond!]
From the side bush, I used my E skill to leap behind the enemy near the Baron’s nest.
The enemy skills to consider were:
“Chain, Transform, Ashe’s ultimate.”
But LeBlanc didn’t pay attention to me, and my focus was on the enemy bot duo.
[Cute Little Thing!]
The enemy Lulu tried to deter me with their Transform skill, but in front of them, a red rectangle had already appeared.
A signal that Yune’s ultimate casting was complete.
[Decide It!]
Regardless of whether it’s hit by control effects, Yune’s ultimate can be used, and even after getting transformed into a harmless creature, the skill was deployed.
I lifted the enemy bot duo into the air, by which time the transformation had already worn off.
“Bot duo down!”
“Can this just jump over Rysim?”
After grabbing the bot duo just in front of the enemy formation’s red side and returning with the expired E skill, the Baron’s current health was at 1600, so we had to avoid a dragon fight as much as possible.
“Managed to jump Rysim!”
In that situation, Thresh made an incredible play.
The Q skill flew towards Rysim, and with the E skill, it was sent outside the Baron’s nest, allowing us to secure Baron.
“Wow, nice one, Yuchan.”
“If Rysim had made it here, we’d have probably had it stolen.”
“But even if it was stolen, with my 10 Crescent Moons, I think we could have fought and won.”
“Will the opponent fight for you?”
…
[Victory for set 1 goes to ARK!]
After that, by winning two team fights, the game ended.
We returned to the waiting room amid cheers from commentators and the audience.
‘It looks like we can win without any trouble.’
Even though we had only finished the first set, I could feel the skill gap between our team and the opponents.
“Isn’t Dojin doing well?”
“Your line held up well, bro.”
“Seriously, every kind of support play was done.”
The team members all seemed fine…
However, there was one person whose demeanor seemed off—Jin Yuseong, who under normal circumstances should have been the happiest.
Even though bottom lane was slightly behind, it was due to a matchup problem, and the bot duo wasn’t doing that badly.
‘Why?’
Usually, he would be confident even if the bottom lane burst, claiming it to be a support problem, but did something seem off with him?
From past experience, people like him tend to ruin games often.
Approaching Jin Yuseong,
“Don’t worry too much.”
“Eh?”
“With me in mid, what is there to worry about?”
…
LCK is the dream stage for all professional players, both domestically and internationally.
However, there are merely 10 teams, and only 10 players per line get to compete.
Of course, including substitute players would increase the number, but given the relatively low occurrence of injuries or severe condition issues in esports, substitutes are few.
Only 10 people per line.
All professional players work hard to secure one of these spots.
‘I can win if I do well…’
Naturally, ARK’s marksman, Jin Yuseong, was determined to make his debut in the LCK.
For 3 years, his family sacrificed a great deal for him, which could be described as being at the bottom of the social ladder in positive terms.
This was the time it took for Jin Yuseong to join ARK’s second team.
Therefore, Jin Yuseong couldn’t view Yoon Seohwa positively.
Even if it were true that in professional gaming, skills matter most, he didn’t want to believe that someone who had been playing for less than a year could achieve what he worked 3 years for.
However, such feelings gradually diminished as they competed together in tournaments.
Initially, he thought Yoon Seohwa was chosen for her looks, but she quickly became the team’s ace.
Every time he looked at Yoon Seohwa, Jin Yuseong felt diminished.
And today,
‘Can I still be here? Do I even deserve to be?’
In the starkly different atmosphere and intensity from the CK league, Jin Yuseong questioned his professional career for the first time.
Even if he were to promote, would he really survive here?
Such thoughts plagued his mind even after the game had started, affecting his gameplay.
Jin Yuseong’s usual playstyle involved aggressively holding slightly unreasonable positions as a marksman to deal maximum damage.
While this could carry him through, it could also result in a hard throw.
He lacked the confidence to use such risky plays in a promotion match that he had staked his life on.
[Though ARK undeniably won the first set, their bottom-lane player, Plea, needs to be more confident.]
Even the voice from the analysis desk in the waiting room was unsettling, making his crumbling mentality even harder to control.
“Don’t worry too much.”
Looking up from his bowed head, he saw Yoon Seohwa.
The same neutral expression and red-rimmed eyes.
Jin Yuseong felt a bit pathetic for still thinking she looked beautiful in such a situation.
“Huh?”
His voice wavered as he was caught off-guard while responding.
Though he never entertained romantic feelings, recognizing her as a different tier, he felt embarrassed showing this side of himself in front of her.
But Yoon Seohwa paid no attention as she spoke.
“With me in mid, what is there to worry about?”
“What…?”
Such self-assuredness from a playstyle that might make others think ‘What the heck is this guy doing?’
‘Keep up the pace as you did in league.’
Anyway, we’ll win in the mid lane. Whether or not you fail, we’ll win.
This statement from Yoon Seohwa seemed as natural as common sense.
“But what if we lose? If mid collapses and I burst while playing like normal, then what?”
“Then we’ll lose, that’s all.”
With this absurd response, contrary to her sharp demeanor, Jin Yuseong burst into laughter.
Though the team’s eyes turned toward them, Jin Yuseong disregarded it and laughed even louder.
“Did you say that? Don’t regret it later.”
Even though this was a conversation with a younger female player, Jin Yuseong felt a great sense of ease.
‘Something about it feels like mentoring.’
To be precise, it reminded him of the advice he received from professional seniors during his trainee days.
“Finally showcasing the true strength of LCK! TH!”
“I thought they’d pass the 3 dragons smoothly, but they just captured 3 kills from a sudden ambush and secured the dragon too!”
“Do you think they can finish it?”
“While Para and Plea are still alive, what will they choose?”
“Judging that Baron isn’t necessary, TH is advancing to the mid lane!”
“This might be over.”
“Over.”
“Oh, well… Para, can you really deal with this? What are you supposed to do? ㅋㅋㅋ There’s a difference of 100 kills in CS between top lanes.”
“Oryun vs. Jason, that’s normal ㅈ.”
“ARK’s overzealous fans cut ㅋㅋ”
“Still, with the three cores of Azir and Jinx, they can block.”
“And yet TH’s team condition is simply too good, right?”
“Indeed. Once Bylex’ ultimate hits any of the two, we should consider them dead…”
“Right at that moment, Para, makes a decision!”
“Wow, 4-person ultimate!”
“Didn’t it get passed?”
“Wouldn’t it be normal to just clear the line?”
“If we get passed and Azir dies, it’s over anyway.”
“First, they managed to take away a good chunk of the enemy’s health before dying!”
“Will Plea be able to block it?”
“Arin’s Flash!”
“Wow, purified instantly!”
“0.1-reaction ㄷㄷ”
“All captured”
“Caught Arin with a sharp purification and securing a triple kill!”
“Chasing the remaining Syndra and Lulu!”
“Dissolve the enemy formation! But they evade with Flash!”
“That’s not just avoiding; they jumped forward!”
“Five kills this way!!”
“Raising the Ace, ARK!”
LOL Gallery
Title: Para’s 4-person Ultimate..JPG
(ARK’s inhibitors attacking TH champions were all flipped by Aazar’s ultimate before dealing damage and dying)
This truly bends the world line.
Jinx paved the path lol.
This isn’t the marksman doing well?
They usually try to clear the line and then the twins go down and lose to the Nexus’s continuous damage.
Yeah, the reason why they dive is because their playstyle is different.
LOL Gallery
Title: Plea’s 0.1-second Purify Reaction
(Jinx immediately triggers Get Excited to evade Arin’s charm flash)
This guy’s definitely top 2 marksman physically ㅋㅋㅋ
What does ARK even do?
Without Para, they’d just be at third place.
Para’s on a bus and fans are annoying.
This set was the marksman performing insanely well ㅋㅋㅋ
Yeah, it’s because of overzealous ARK fans that the Gall Cup exists.
*
LOL Gallery
Title: Para Legend ㅇㅇ
(The gif of Yoon Seohwa brushing her bangs after taking off her headset after the end of the second set.)
If watching her play and seeing her face are more useful than getting a Gall Cup, give it a thumbs up ㅋㅋㅋ
Okay.
Isn’t this what a human face should look like? Isn’t this AI?
She’s my wife.
Get out.
With such beauty, even if she holds anything, it’s like a pictorial; it’s strange that she doesn’t have sponsors.
! [End]
