Chapter 50 Part 2

Yun Qi felt overwhelmed by the unexpected favor.

Words like these from Jiu Ke and Yu Jin struck deep.

Yu Jin gazed at him. “Back when I was a teenager, I met a top lane prodigy. All these years, I’ve never stopped imagining how great it would’ve been if he’d joined me. I’ve never had an easy match—it always feels like one against four. The weight of everyone’s expectations is crushing. KRO can afford a loss, but KRO with Eidis can’t. One slip-up, and I’d be drowned in backlash.”

Yu Jin’s face was a mask of conflicting emotions. He’d long understood his precarious position. All eyes were on the Grand Tournament now. Any mistake there, and the vitriol would pour in without mercy. Over the years, too many had grown resentful of his reign. He was every pro player’s nightmare. Even the fans had no real grounds to turn on him—they were just biding their time, waiting for a god to fall. When that happened, he’d end up worse off than some random civilian.

He’d seen it all coming.

The Mad One moniker he’d carried for so long had drawn endless scrutiny, from home and abroad.

“Everyone sees me as a god—they’ve built me up into one,” Yu Jin said with a sardonic laugh. “But there are plenty out there itching for my downfall, inside the industry and out.”

Yun Qi hated how rough Yu Jin’s road was. He was right: victory was expected, but defeat would unleash a storm of online abuse the likes of which Yun Qi knew all too well from the ugliest corners of the net. He worried for him.

“So, are you competing?” Yun Qi asked. The smart play would be for Yu Jin to retire permanently right now, cementing himself at an unbeatable peak. Plenty of esports stars chose that path to safeguard their legacy.

“Of course,” Yu Jin replied without a second’s hesitation. “Challenges are what make it fun. I’ve coasted too smoothly for too long—some pressure to light a fire under me sounds perfect. They want to see me crash and burn? I’ll turn KRO into the World Championship champs and slap some smug faces.”

Yun Qi got it. He stopped trying to dissuade him and nodded firmly instead. “Yeah. I’ll give it everything.”

Yu Jin smiled at him. “Don’t carry too much weight on your shoulders. This is my trial to face—I’ve got to cross it eventually.”

“Your fights are my fights, pressure and all,” Yun Qi said, his gaze burning with intensity. “I’ll hold down my lane for you solid. Those people won’t get the chance to rub it in.”

Yu Jin leaned back on the sofa, watching him—gazing, staring. He’d once been drawn to Yun Qi’s arrogance; that edge had softened now, but he still loved it. Even just looking at that face brought him a strange peace.

~~~

The next day, the Major Tournament Roster came out.

The drama around Yun Qi’s incident had blown over. Not wanting to drag KRO down, he’d kept a close eye on the internet chatter these past couple of days. It turned out the team’s Gateway Department was a force to be reckoned with—the offending content had been wiped clean. Today, Yun Qi pulled down his video exposing Lang Xian too.

He hoped that was it: a clean break, no more connections. Time to bury the hatchet with SK for good.

When Lao Xun read out the roster, the room buzzed with tension. Yi Yang had lost out to Liu Ying again, but he kept his cool in front of everyone. Liu Ying, ever gracious, spoke up. “For the Seoul match this time, let Yi Yang take it.”

“That’s Captain Yu’s call,” Lao Xun said. “If you really want to yield, hash it out with him. I’m just the messenger.”

Yi Yang shook his head. “No need. I don’t do handouts. Liu Ying earned it—he’s better. I’ll grind harder; my shot’ll come.”

Lao Xun beamed with approval. “Now that’s the right attitude. Kid’s finally growing up.”

Yi Yang waved him off. “Come on, old man, I’m not a sore loser. So, who’s top laner?”

Lao Xun glanced at Yun Qi and Jiu Ke. Both were on edge, listening intently, but the others were even more wound up. Picking Jiu Ke felt fitting, but it’d be a shame to sideline the hotshot rookie. Go with the rookie, though, and Jiu Ke—a KRO veteran—would look bad.

In the thick of the suspense, Lao Xun dropped the name: “Jiu Ke.”

Yun Qi’s heart skipped a beat.

Jiu Ke blinked in surprise at Lao Xun. “You sure you didn’t mix that up?”

Yi Yang, standing to the side, frowned and said, “No, Milk Cap is a bit stronger than Jiu Ke—that’s obvious to everyone. Why?”

Lao Xun glanced at Yun Qi, whose face had turned deathly pale. He knew that everyone here wanted to play, especially this newcomer who had trained so hard. If he lost his spot due to favoritism, he’d probably be heartbroken.

Liu Ying stood up as well and said, “Lao Xun, you didn’t announce it wrong, did you? The top laner is… Jiu Ke?”

Although Yi Yang was chatty, he was never careless about serious matters. He walked over, snatched the roster from Lao Xun’s hand, glanced at it, and said, “Liu Ying, Jiu Ke, Ziwu, Rong Rong, Chang Shu… Isn’t this still the same group?”

Lao Xun snatched the roster back and asked, “Is anyone dissatisfied?”

Ziwu rubbed his chin. He hadn’t seen Yun Qi’s face, but he knew the person behind the computer must look ghastly pale. He turned back and asked, “Is this Brother Jin’s decision?”

“Of course,” Lao Xun said. “Anyone else dissatisfied?”

Jiu Ke was an official member and a veteran one at that, so their teamwork was naturally seamless. But everyone had seen his one-on-one matches against Yun Qi, and in a strength-first environment like this, no one could possibly defend Jiu Ke under these circumstances. The roster made no sense.

The substitutes didn’t dare speak up, and even Jiu Ke himself couldn’t hold back. “Captain Yu’s decision doesn’t seem right. I think I need to talk to him.”

Lao Xun leaned on a chair and said, “You can’t see him. The captain isn’t here today. If anyone has objections, raise them now.”

Rong Rong muttered, “We’ve always gone by strength first, right, Lao Xun? Even newcomers can make the starting roster if they’re good enough. That rule shouldn’t be scrapped.”

“And this isn’t some domestic match where anyone can play. This is about national honor, and our team’s under the association’s watch. Holding back wouldn’t look good.”

Chang Shu couldn’t hold back either. “Lao Xun, Jiu Ke isn’t that kind of guy, and neither are we. You don’t need to play mind games with us. Milk Cap really is strong—no denying it.”

“Where’s Captain Yu?” Jiu Ke asked impatiently.

Lao Xun looked over each of their reactions one by one. He lowered his head, smiled at the roster in his hand, then turned and tossed it into the trash can. “Good. I didn’t misjudge you all. I thought some of you might let personal ties cloud your judgment, but you’re all true to KRO—real pros with backbone.”

Everyone was baffled.

Lao Xun said, “Now I’ll announce the real major tournament roster. For the Seoul match: Pan Feng, Rui Rui, Jiu Ke, Liu Ying, and Rong Rong.”

“For the Berlin match: Chang Shu, Rong Rong, Ziwu, Milk Cap, and Captain Yu.”

Rong Rong said, “I’m going to both?”

Lao Xun replied, “No choice—Captain Yu says you’re badass. Can you handle it? If not, someone else can go.”

The two matches weren’t at the same time, so playing both was feasible, but this year’s schedule differed from previous years. Rong Rong said, “I can handle it, but from the roster, the Seoul match seems less important than Berlin.”

Most importantly, Yu Jin was on the Berlin roster.

That said it all.

Lao Xun explained, “Know why? The EU server is the toughest to conquer, and the hardest to win. On the Asian server, we’re guaranteed top three, so we’ll go for first and secure second. Captain Yu and I agree: Liu Ying leads the Seoul team, and Pan Feng, Rui Rui, and the usual subs can step up. No shade on you—don’t think the Seoul match means you’re undervalued. The ‘fight for first, secure second’ mission is heavy. I’ve checked the recent data; you’re not far behind the mains and you’ve improved a ton. You can hold your own on the international server. This is your chance to shine—for KRO’s next generation. I hope you all get what Captain Yu and I mean.”

Pan Feng said, “We’re thrilled just to be official members playing matches. We don’t care if it’s Berlin or Seoul.”

“That’s the spirit,” Lao Xun said. “Of course, we have to admit the EU server is tougher, so we’re more cautious with those picks. But the Asian server championship and the EU server championship are both crucial to us—national honor. Everyone needs to take it seriously.”

Yi Yang pouted. “So I’m the only extra?”

Lao Xun smiled. “You’re not extra, of course.”

Yi Yang’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

Lao Xun said, “Captain Yu’s hand injury isn’t fully healed yet, so you’re drafted. If anything happens to him in Berlin, you’re up.”

Yi Yang nearly jumped out of his skin. “Holy shit! I’m Brother Jin’s sub?!”

Lao Xun laughed. “What’d you think? This spot was originally Liu Ying’s, but the Seoul match isn’t easy either—he has to lead.”

“Doesn’t matter! Being Brother Jin’s sub is huge! Official status doesn’t even matter anymore. Brother Jin’s the world’s best—I’m the sub for the world’s best! My value just tripled!”

“Cut the chatter,” Lao Xun said. “It’s not even certain you’ll get to play.”

Yi Yang kept chattering away, his exclamations filling the training room.

After hearing the starting roster, Yun Qi thought these two really knew how to make arrangements. The tension he’d been holding inside finally eased; Lao Xun had just been testing the team’s acceptance of him earlier.

Lao Xun circled the room and sidled up to Yun Qi while the others discussed things, bending down to whisper, “That’s all well and good to say, but the Berlin match really is more important than the Seoul one. The whole world will be watching, so the pressure on you will be immense. I wanted you to take the Seoul match, but Captain Yu insisted on putting you in Berlin. There was nothing I could do.”

“It’s a great arrangement,” Yun Qi said, looking up. “Deep down, I prefer playing Berlin anyway.”

“Ambitious, aren’t you?” Lao Xun teased.

Yun Qi ducked his head and smiled, lips pursed.

Lao Xun clapped him on the shoulder. “Give it your all. If you really break out there, you’ll be unstoppable.”