[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 200

The matchup between Irelia and Jason is one where the melee champion has an early disadvantage against the ranged champion, but around level 6, Irelia gradually gains the upper hand.

In other words, for Jason, it’s all about how much of a lead he can establish over Irelia before hitting level 6, while for Irelia, as long as she hits level 6 without much trouble, she can take control and even find kill opportunities.

Hence, it’s quite common for teams to pick Jason first and then counter with Irelia as a last pick.

The ability to apply kill pressure when facing a champion like Jason is literally night and day.

‘But no matter how much that’s the case…’

The enemy has already invested heavily in the jungle, leading to my own considerable loss in time.

In the Nidalee vs. Jarvan matchup, once you start falling behind in growth, you could very well end up getting outright countered by Nidalee.

I check the top lane.

I’m not sure if I can catch him or not, but looking at the lane state, if I can eat the Golem and hit level 3, my chances would significantly improve.

Moreover, the biggest issue is that the enemy likely has a rough idea of my position by now.

In other words, going for a level 2 gank in the top lane isn’t ideal in terms of jungle growth or gank success rates.

‘Even if they know who I am… that just won’t work.’

A buff buff level 2 top gank?

Not a chance.

To put it bluntly, I need to firmly instill some discipline so they don’t say such ridiculous things again.

“Eating the Golem will get me to level 3, can’t we do that first?”

[“If you could, that would be great.”]

Phew…

I was anxious about what they might say, but unexpectedly, I received a rather mundane answer.

‘…No, that can’t be right.’

To be this happy over something so trivial.

Does this mean I’ve completely conceded control?

That definitely seems to be the case…

[“I’m pushing to match the lane.”]

“Uh, yeah!”

I found myself responding like Pavlov’s dog every time Seo Yeon-woo spoke.

“I’m on my way.”

[“Yes.”]

For a moment, I pushed away my unnecessary thoughts.

As the ganking time approached, my chaotic mind immediately focused on Jason in the top lane.

“Slowly.”

It seems Jason didn’t expect the gank through the Golem, as he gave up his position way too easily.

From here on, it’s a calm skill shot battle.

“Think about the enemy’s flash.”

[“Yes.”]

Now that I’ve caught him from behind, hitting level 3, there’s no need to use my spear first.

I follow up with auto attacks, waiting for Jason to use his flash first.

Irelia, riding on a minion, likewise sets up her E on the ground, patiently waiting.

Auto attack, auto attack, auto attack.

As I stubbornly refrain from using my skills while waiting for the perfect moment, Jason manages to escape within turret range.

Now Jason’s remaining health is down to about one bar.

If I land just one skill combo, he’ll drop dead.

‘Even so, he hasn’t used his flash…’

It seems like the enemy top is quite a seasoned player.

Jarvan’s spear combo is an incredibly easy skill to dodge.

A long time ago, it had so much leeway that you could throw it out carelessly and still hit, but after persistent nerfs, you really have to ‘land’ it to knock someone up.

A flash mind game.

If I dive in with my spear, Jason will likely flash to avoid it.

In doing so, I’d be the one who would lose my flash for stepping within turret range.

But…

‘Not a chance.’

To gain the upper hand in mind games, you mustn’t reveal the cards the opponent is waiting for.

What Jason is waiting for now is the flag.

So instead, I’ll serve him something else.

-Swhoosh!

A spear stabbed instead of the flag.

Simultaneously, the flag comes crashing down.

Not a spear combo, but a spear-poke combo.

-First Blood!

-You have slain an enemy!

With perfect damage calculation, Jason was taken down by the flag that came down on him.

Since it wasn’t a spear, I didn’t have to use my flash and just walked away after taking one turret hit.

[“Nice.”]

[“Oh, good good.”]

Baek Seong-an and Kim Jae-min chimed in, and surprisingly, even Kim Ji-hoon spoke up awkwardly.

[“…Nice.”]

Meanwhile, the top lane owner, Seo Yeon-woo, said…

[“Can you help me push the lane a bit?”]

“Uh, sure.”

Honestly, I thought she’d say something about me getting the kill… but surprisingly, the answer I heard was calm.

‘Well.’

After all, it would be a bit silly for Seo Yeon-woo, who isn’t a gold top laner, to complain about the jungler getting a kill.

Objectively speaking, it’s generally agreed that it’s good for the jungler to get the first kill in the early game.

‘Moreover, it’s not just anyone, it’s me.’

Though it feels a bit off to brag about it, when it comes to our team, OLZ, the jungle is undeniably the core.

If Seo Yeon-woo had said anything against me getting that kill, I definitely would’ve thought about giving her a piece of my mind… but…

‘I’ll let this one slide.’

Well, yeah.

It really is a pass.

For real.

Just as Jason used his recall teleport, I and Irelia hit the return button.

[❕] [❕] [❕]

Nidalee appeared in the bottom lane.

[Nidalee – Level 4]

As expected, she was getting ahead in growth compared to me.

Given that the enemy bottom combination isn’t bad for responding to ganks, our own bottom had to use spells as well.

[“She’s missing.”]

“Okay.”

The enemy AD carry just used her flash.

Initially, the laws of diagonals were in play, but considering the enemy gave up first blood, it was still a favorable situation for us.

After finishing my recall, I headed back down to the jungle.

‘Hmm.’

However, contrary to my expectations, the jungle monsters had respawned.

It seems that since it was her first camp, Nidalee prioritized her own growth over the purpose of actively counter-jungling.

In other words, it was a declaration that she’s confident she can carry without necessarily suppressing my growth.

‘That’s fine by me.’

So I slowly started clearing the jungle from the lower camps again.

Overall lane situation seems fine.

No, to be precise…

[“I got him.”]

As Seo Yeon-woo’s voice rang out softly, she secured a solo kill in the top lane.

-You have slain an enemy!

[“Oh.”]

[“Top is looking good.”]

“…Nice.”

Was she trying to prove that the investment in top lane was far from wasted?

Even though Seo Yeon-woo hadn’t even reached level 6 yet, she got a solo kill on Jason.

With Jason having burned his teleport, it was indeed a devastating death.

[“Top is done.”]

And it was just as she said.

The top was done.

With just one gank and the following solo kill.

And,

The influence of the top lane dominance didn’t stop there.

-Blue team has slain the Infernal Dragon!

Taking advantage of our top’s teleport being available, we easily claimed the first dragon.

From the enemy’s perspective, there was no way to ignore our top’s teleport.

-Blue team has slain the Rift Herald!

Soon after, we smoothly took the first Rift Herald as well.

With the top formation completely collapsed, the only thing the enemy could attempt was a steal, but the enemy Nidalee ended up dying while trying to do that.

-You have slain an enemy!

Starting a snowball effect based on top lane dominance, the laning phase was nearing its end.

-Bam!

-The red team’s turret has been destroyed!

With two Rift Heralds,

We smashed the mid first turret, which could be considered a key part of the enemy’s composition.

The enemy composition was not just typical; it was a classic poke composition.

Naturally, to maintain the character of their composition, they needed to establish a solid formation for poking.

But it’s not like we’d let them create an easy standoff with us.

[“How about Irelia pushing bottom?”]

[“Yes.”]

1-3-1.

The so-called orthodox operation.

Irelia is a high-risk, high-reward champion.

Every play could either lead to a super play or a throw, and she always has to walk a tightrope between the two.

Moreover, in this game, Irelia was given the role of a split pusher to break the enemy’s poke composition.

It’s a tough game considering Irelia already has a reputation as a one-trick pony in the laning phase.

Still, Seo Yeon-woo pulled it off.

“Two of the enemies are heading to bottom. Can you escape?”

[“Yes.”]

With her powerful presence as a split pusher, she fundamentally shut down the enemy’s poke composition and managed to break through Jason, who stood in her way.

-You have slain an enemy!

-Massacring!

She did her role as a carry in this game perfectly.

Given the situation, the enemy had no choice but to feel the heat beneath their feet.

But the enemy’s composition lacked a solid initiation.

Ultimately, unable to withstand the impatience, the enemy team grouped up to push mid while leaving the bottom lane exposed.

Irelia smashed the bottom lane,

And we held the mid.

-The red team’s inhibitor has been destroyed!

Once the bottom inhibitor fell, the enemy realized just how reckless their judgment had been and hurriedly attempted to return home.

However, our team composition was an initiation composition.

Naturally, we had no intention of letting the enemies go home without a fight.

-You have slain an enemy!

-Our ally has been slain!

-Enemy Double Kill!

-You have slain an enemy!

A 3:3 exchange.

The team fight was nearly a trade-off.

However, what mattered most is that in the midst of that, our ally Irelia had demolished all of the enemy’s twin turrets.

[“It’s done.”]

As Seo Yeon-woo murmured softly, the late-returning enemies rushed towards Irelia, while simultaneously, their nexus was destroyed.

[Victory]

Top lane carry.

The game was more than deserving of that title.

“Phew…”

The tension finally eases.

Game 1.

OLZ Victory.

Now, if we win just one more game, we’ll become the team advancing from Group A and proceed to the qualifiers.

Taking one step closer to the true path of a professional gamer.

“Nice!”

“Wow, we won like this.”

Baek Seong-an and Kim Jae-min cheered in turn, and soon after, Kim Ji-hoon showed a shy smile.

And then…

Seo Yeon-woo, who had been making a strange expression up to now, subtly shifted her gaze towards me.

“Sister.”

“…Huh?”

I felt a peculiar unease as I waited for Seo Yeon-woo’s next answer.

‘What is it? What is she going to say?’

Thump, thump—

My heart races.

No, it feels like it could explode.

Whether she knew how I felt or not, slowly Seo Yeon-woo parted her lips and said,

“I, um… did a good job?”

For some reason, her voice was laced with a strange amount of shyness.