[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 161

Kim Ji-hoon shook his head.

“…I must have misheard.”

No matter how good the CS was, he didn’t think anyone could be so clueless as to throw a tantrum during a test.

Even if he had really heard it right, he had already missed the chance to say anything anyway.

And so, the game continued.

The game was flowing smoothly enough.

The top lane was holding its own, despite needing to manage his strength; the sheer size advantage made it easy to maintain a lead. Meanwhile, the bot lane was also pressuring effectively thanks to the OP duo of Lucian and Nami, along with Kim Ji-hoon’s performance.

Up to this point, there were no issues.

Yeah, up until here.

[“No.”]

[❗] [❗]

[“Ah.”]

[❕] [❕] [❕]

[“Please, no more of that.”]

[❔] [❔] [❔]

Each ping and every word drilled into Kim Ji-hoon’s ears.

Each one aimed to trigger the instincts of a challenger-level supporter.

Under normal circumstances, he would have brushed it off.

But that oddly youthful yet annoying voice was slowly chipping away at Kim Ji-hoon’s patience.

[“No, you should just come bot.”]

[“Bot.”]

[“Jungle.”]

[“Gank bot.”]

[“Ah…”]

You see what you know.

There’s a saying that applies perfectly here in Legends of League; if you can’t see, you won’t understand the play of those who can.

Just like now.

[“Why did you do that?”]

[“Hah.”]

[“No way!”]

Kim Ji-hoon could feel a slight crack forming in the mouse he was gripping.

Ah, it might be time to change it.

Of course, it wasn’t typical to replace a mouse just because it was cracked, but that didn’t matter to Kim Ji-hoon.

Well… that wasn’t the important thing right now.

Kim Ji-hoon was usually quiet.

He had a patience that was much deeper and wider than others, and when it came to responding, he always did so thoughtfully.

Even he couldn’t muster any patience for that brat’s continuing voice.

Slowly, he opened his mouth, which he had kept almost completely shut during the test.

“Cut it out.”

A brief remark.

Kim Ji-hoon’s presence wasn’t visible at the moment.

But his voice was heard.

The heavy tone resonated with an intimidating aura that sparked the survival instincts of a male.

Perhaps that was why.

The once lively voice chat, akin to the chaos of a neighborhood market, suddenly froze.

The top and jungle, who had been chattering away until now,


the mid who was seriously briefing game info,


the ADC who had been furiously pinging retreats.

Everyone came to a halt.

[“……”]

And silence settled in.

A very, very long silence.

*

The game went smoothly.

The Lucian & Nami combo.

This duo was already one of the fundamental combinations for bot lane.

However, despite being a fundamental combo, Lucian is often better utilized in the top or mid rather than in the bot lane, leading to him becoming more of a lane champion.

Of course, this was quite far from the game developers’ intention, but recently a patch changed Lucian’s passive.

Since then, the Lucian & Nami combo began to rise again.

Concussive Nami.

At first glance, one might think, “Hmm, is that really good?”

But the problem arose when Lucian’s passive was changed.

When Nami buffs Lucian, and Lucian uses auto attacks or skills, Nami’s Concussive procs.

In short, getting touched by Lucian buffed by Nami means you’re done for.

– The enemy has agreed to surrender with 5 votes in favor and none against.

Given the situation, it was only natural that the game ended quite smoothly.

Of course, while the bot lane was going fine, the top lane had also exploded hard.

‘But hey, it seems like Timid Person 190 got mad in the middle… or is it just me?’

It felt too weird to actually ask, so he let it slide, but things were definitely off.

‘After all, a Diamond ADC would get mad when babbling like that.’

It was a bit unexpected, though.

Timid Person 190 appeared fearsome, but in person, he had an incredibly gentle personality.

It was concerning, but unfortunately, there was no time to inquire further.

Time was tight, and they had to jump right into the next test.

‘After all, I’ll have to discuss it later when the test finishes… but overall, that first game with the OP duo went quite well.’

What separates amateurs from professional gamers?

In the past, team games and solo queue were entirely different, so responses like “lane swap” popped up.

But times have changed.

The gap between team games and solo queues has lessened, and a good pick in solo queue is often a good pick in competitions too.

Among amateurs, there are those who excel in their laning phase, even reaching the mastery level of a specific champion, making crazy superplays.

Yet they do not become pros.

Whether they didn’t or couldn’t, this was simply the way things were.

Then what is the reason for this?

With the gap between solo queue and team games diminished, the greatest difference between pros and amateurs now is the champion pool.

A pro must have a champion pool that allows them to adapt anytime, regardless of the meta changes.

Of course, some players continue to thrive with their unique signature picks, but that’s only because they haven’t faced the nerfs of retirement age yet.

Those who do not put in effort will fall behind.

The pro world is inherently harsh.

Anyway, this test served that purpose as well.

Though this day’s test wouldn’t show everything, they planned to focus on a few champions today.

Current meta OP champions.


Good champions in the current meta.


Champions capable of countering the current meta OP and good champions.


Signature champions that can be pulled out at any time, regardless of the meta.

During the remaining 5v5 test, he intended to see all those champions.

[Outlaw: I’m off.]

The test resumed once again.

*

Finally, all tests came to an end.

[Lucian]

[Jiksoo]

[Miss Fortune]

[Ezreal]

[Vayne]

During the five games of the 5v5 test, ShowMeTheAgal had played those champions.

‘There are champions that lack proficiency, but the basic game sense is pretty outstanding.’

Honestly, if you only looked at their physical prowess or dealing capability during fights, you’d believe they were a challenger.

Of course, the fact that they were stuck at Diamond said something about their deficiencies.

‘But… those are definitely coverable shortcomings.’

Legends of League is a team game.

Orders, major and minor judgments, map reading, recall timing, lane management, and so on…

What ShowMeTheAgal lacked right now were definitely abilities that could be filled by other team members.

‘This truly is the ADC I was looking for… but the problem is, they’re too childish.’

During the five 5v5 tests, ShowMeTheAgal unwittingly showed off a distinctly youthful side.

Beyond just whether they played well or not, they had a ridiculously strong will and personality that screamed “I’m a brat.”

Even though Timid Person 190 was showing some annoyance, he couldn’t openly point it out, but it was clear that they were pouting.

‘Now this so-called adult…’

Of course, in today’s world, being 20 doesn’t feel the same as it used to, but as a pro, that just won’t do.

A deep sigh escaped him out of frustration over such foolishness, but the current state of the team required someone like that.

[Outlaw: Thanks for your hard work. I’ll let you know the results within a week at the latest.]

[ShowMeTheAgal: Thanks.]

Hmm…

He said he would notify them in a week, but it’s better to make the decision now.

Letting time pass might erase the current impressions and lead to vague memories.

Of course, he would continue to monitor the tests of other applicants, but at least internally he had to decide whether this was an okay fit or not, so he could communicate it later.

‘This isn’t a decision I can make alone.’

Since there were quite a few ambiguous aspects, he summoned the team members in the chat room.

This was the first time he was gathering feedback after running the tests.

[Me: What do you think?]

[Getback: Hmm… They definitely play well, but honestly, it’s a style I wouldn’t want to play with.]

Getback, who had served as a supporter on the lane test with ShowMeTheAgal, had a negative reaction.

Given that Getback had experienced a “reasonable” level of gameplay as a pro, this young player must have been too much for him.

‘It was obvious from a distance… so in the lane it must have been something else entirely.’

[Me: What about the rest of you?]

[3 Min Top School Honorary Member: I think they’re fine. Their mechanics are good. Doesn’t seem like a Diamond level though.]

In contrast to Getback, who had played in the lane, 3 Min Top School Honorary Member, who directly faced ShowMeTheAgal, had a positive reaction.

Well, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that top and ADC are almost opposite positions in the game.

In extreme cases, they wouldn’t even meet until the game was over, so as long as the outcome was decent, the top wouldn’t have any issues.

‘In that case…’

Now it was down to the opinion of the supporter, Timid Person 190.

Since Timid Person 190 was practically an expert in bot lane, his opinion would likely determine the outcome.

No matter how much other teammates tried to persuade, if the supporter rejected it, there was nothing to be done.

[Timid Person 190: Um…]

All eyes turned toward Timid Person 190.