Chapter Two: A Truly Qualified Top Laner Should Possess a Dark Heart and Rotten Lungs

At this very moment.

In another city within the country, Rookie was abruptly jolted awake by a barrage of messages early in the morning. Groggy and barely conscious, he answered a call; after a while, he hung up and followed the instructions from the other end to open a certain livestream. On the screen, Luo Ji was displaying the loading screen of the game.

“Seriously? You woke me up this early just to watch a newbie’s stream?” Rookie rubbed his eyes, exhaustion written all over his face as he questioned the caller.

“Your side’s short on people, right? I’ll recommend someone for you. He’s someone I’ve been nurturing, so you can trust him.” The vibrant voice from the other end belonged to Saint Gun Brother.

“What, you’re raising pigs? Besides, I already have a Korean import candidate.”

“You said it yourself, he’s a Korean import. How’s the team communication going to work? What about the average age? Are you aiming for the championship, or do you just want to earn a salary?”

Rookie suddenly fell silent.

The S12 transfer window was a turbulent one, with Rookie being the biggest sucker, tricked and left limping. Despite maintaining a decent form, he was backstabbed by IG during the transfer period and forced into the trading market. Fortunately, at that time, V5, after suffering sixteen consecutive defeats and being ridiculed from all sides, finally decided to overhaul their roster. It was like someone had finally pressed “cash out” after sixteen losses.

They not only picked up Rookie, the big fish, but also landed meta star Karsa.

Here’s the key point.

Rookie joined V5 with his entourage—not only did he bring coach Nofe, but he also managed to get IG’s management and the top laner Rich onboard. In his initial plan, the roster would be Rich + Karsa + himself, with the bottom lane likely being Xiao Yan (Photic) + PPGOD, and XLB as substitute. These were all options that V5 management had discussed with him.

The only uncertain piece was Rich, who was still in quarantine due to unforeseen circumstances and hadn’t started formal training yet. The lineup was almost set in stone, but Saint Gun Brother’s words shook things up.

But the significance wasn’t in the words themselves.

It was the man who spoke them—he had just realized his dream not long ago.

Rookie couldn’t help but shift his gaze to the livestream. On screen, he saw a young man with sharp brows and striking eyes, whose handsomeness was in no way inferior to his own.

Damn!

Even saying “in no way inferior” felt shameless. This guy was outrageously good-looking!

On the other side.

Unaware that he was already under scrutiny, Luo Ji had successfully entered the game and was standing in the jungle in a standard defensive position. Taking advantage of the downtime before minions spawned, and needing to entertain his audience, he continued chatting with the viewers:

“Brothers, I said I’d teach you some real tricks today.”

“Checking match history is lesson one, but it’s not hard. High-ranked players instinctively check their teammates’ and opponents’ histories, but relying solely on that is insufficient. Step two is establishing constructive investment.”

“What does that mean? We already saw the match history and know our jungler is the backbone of the team.”

“So the next step is to make sure the jungler knows that only we are worth his investment.”

With that, he started typing rapidly:

My Superpower is Super Ability (Rumble): “Jungle Dad, cover me. You take the kills, we split the waves 3:7.”

After sending the message, he placed his ward at the entrance of the blue side jungle.

Sweet talk alone isn’t enough; “protection fees” must be paid. Early vision wards are crucial for a top laner like Rumble, who dies easily to ganks. Even the notoriously stinky Graves couldn’t help but be impressed by this gesture.

Hmm, seems the weather warmed up a bit.

Xu Sheng, Breakthrough Star of Dump Garden (Graves): “1.”

Seeing Graves respond, Luo Ji’s face lit up with a triumphant smile.

Here’s the thing—even in normal ranked games, it’s easy for a Rumble to gain lane advantage, but it’s hard to dominate without getting ganked. You always need jungler protection.

This game’s bot lane is Ezreal + Yuumi, pure slackers.

So the jungler’s only viable routes are mid and top, unless he just farms or invades the enemy jungle. In any case, he needs someone to work with him.

By being proactive, Luo Ji immediately secured a place in Graves’ mind.

“Guys, don’t underestimate that simple reply from the enemy.”

“And don’t think I’m being humble. Put yourself in Graves’ shoes—when you’re jungling, do you care about the laner’s feelings when you steal their wave?”

“No, you don’t.”

“You’ll even wait for the side lane to die, then show up late, snagging both the kill and the wave—a double profit.”

“But by speaking up and proposing a distribution system, I make my cooperative stance clear. He’ll subconsciously see me as an ally, and when it comes to wave stealing, he’ll consider my feelings and leave me some resources that otherwise wouldn’t be mine.”

“This is the first step to our small profit.”

“What’s this called?”

“This is called reaching a preliminary consensus on quick synergy and resource distribution. Furthermore, we’ve exchanged broad and deep views on issues of mutual concern, like jungle territory, kill distribution, and activity zones, emphasizing the importance of a stable, predictable, and healthy top-jungle relationship for victory and peace in the Rift.”

Livestream viewers: ???

Bush, Gorman.

Are they still watching League of Legends? Isn’t this the morning slot, not the prime-time evening show?

This round, Luo Ji is facing Camille, and his runes are Conqueror—Camille’s mobility and ult are tricky, and Comet can miss, so Conqueror is more reliable.

Never underestimate any top laner—this is the most important lesson Luo Ji learned after being reborn.

***

In his previous life.

Before becoming a pro, he thought all top laners seemed silly, always botching plays and acting like natural-born chefs. But after turning pro, he realized these supposedly harmless top laners actually had hundreds of tricks up their sleeves—every move was calculated.

For a top laner, positioning and trading are everything.

Level one.

Camille looked ready to cross the minion line and force Rumble out of the experience zone.

Luo Ji ignored her, maintaining vertical distance until she approached, then calculated the range and initiated with E.

Harpoon, first shot lands.

The two meet—auto-attack trades, another auto, followed by Camille’s Q. He timed his E’s duration, waited for Camille’s passive shield to drop, then unleashed the second E.

Close enough, second E lands again.

Then he checked his E—just about to come off cooldown.

With a six-second cooldown, if you space it out, you can land three Es in one trade with only 0.5 seconds between casts.

After two Es hit, Camille was already at a disadvantage.

She failed to push him out of the experience zone and lost the trade; soon, Rumble’s third E, with its 850 range, fired again, ignoring her evasive maneuvers and striking Camille dead-on like a guided missile.

Success!

A flawless trade.

This is top lane.

Both sides are purposefully clashing—like a playboy meeting a femme fatale, or a blond rapper confronting a waiting bride. Everyone’s got their own agenda, but only one emerges victorious.

The mechanics are simple.

But even simple mechanics reveal a player’s attention to detail.

Outside the livestream.

Rookie felt more awake watching this scene.

Mechanics are just entry-level, not bonus points. What truly impressed him was Luo Ji’s willingness to communicate—a clear contrast with Rich. At least Luo Ji’s mouth never stopped.

Every team needs someone to liven up the atmosphere—a chatterbox.

He fell into contemplation.

[This Camille is playing without a brain, pure muscle memory.]
[Now Rumble hasn’t overheated yet, but Camille’s already seeing red.]
[Three Es landed at the start, I’ll bet you 50, this game’s mine.]
[Doesn’t matter, short legs only give a health advantage; a jungle gank still seals the deal.]

It’s already the end of S11.

Even a silver player who’s been watching since S7, from the early days to now, qualifies as... a seasoned silver—he understands a bit of the game.

Rumble’s biggest problem isn’t lane strength, but dying in lane.

Luo Ji wasn’t in a hurry to explain.

Before level three, Camille can bully Rumble, and with a jungler’s help, it’s dangerous—sometimes you have to play safe, like riding a bike to the mall, economize when needed.

Temporary patience leads to future explosions.

Just like brief restraint brings endless pleasure later.

Now?

He’d yield for now, avoiding the edge.

While backing off, Luo Ji explained to the viewers: “Don’t rush, guys—I’m just letting him have it for now. Once I hit level three, I’ll definitely go for a kill.”

“So what should we do now?”

“Watch the jungler.”

“Remember I said I’d teach you real tricks? Listen up and take notes. We see Graves is pathing from bottom to top, meaning he’s a map-control jungler.”

“You can’t force this type to gank; you need to guide him.”

As he spoke, his patience finally paid off—he reached level three.

And just then, Camille charged in again.

If she’d used all her abilities, it would be understandable, but she’d only used E to last-hit.

Luo Ji:?

Are top laners always this clueless in the morning?

She’s diving in when he’s level three?

He immediately spoke up—after Camille stunned him with Q, he recovered and counterattacked.

“Change of plans—let’s handle top first.”

“The time has come, today we raise the flag!”

***

“Done!”

Facing Camille’s AQ-W retreat, Luo Ji fired off Q and chased her down at half health, beating a three-quarters-health Camille.

Camille was stunned.

Rumble hadn’t appeared top in ages; this patch, he’s mostly played jungle, so few encounter true Rumble specialists. Plus, Rumble’s damage varies with temperature, so non-pros can’t accurately judge his damage—this is where Luo Ji distinguishes himself.

Camille miscalculated, but Luo Ji was precise.

Flash, auto.

As he attacked, he forced Camille’s flash.

A few steps forward—E off cooldown, fires again!

First Blood!

The first kill was his.

[???]
[Is this really the “Peak of Orphans”? I only see the first two words.]
[Misjudging damage leads to this—underestimating Rumble’s power. The national server doesn’t like Rumble because temperature control takes ages to master. In lane, do you stick to a steady 40 heat, or time a combo for 50 heat red zone? Maximizing damage always takes skill.]
[Really? I feel like the streamer just attacked and got the kill.]

A plain and honest solo kill left the viewers dumbfounded.

Just when they expected Luo Ji to start bragging, true to streamer tradition, the next moment, they saw Rumble, fresh from the kill, ignore the lane and run straight toward the river.

What?

“Here we go, the highlight,” Luo Ji’s voice rang out in the stream, immediately grabbing viewers’ attention.

“See, guys? Our jungler Graves, upon seeing us kill the enemy top, immediately turned to invade the enemy jungle.”

“Now, recalling is taboo.”

“If you recall, he dies, and all your early investment is wasted. He’ll even blame you for not backing him up.”

“But this moment!”

“I go, mid doesn’t—now the gap between top and mid opens. He’ll be even more convinced I’m his confidant, and if the junglers fight, I arrive while the enemy top doesn’t, further widening the rift in their top-jungle relationship.”

“Traitors and dogs, all trained in one go!”

Livestream viewers: ???

Sure enough.

When Graves saw Rumble, fresh from a solo kill, abandon the lane and rush to support his jungle invade, he was moved.

A good guy!

This top laner was definitely a good guy!

Solo kill to prove skill, jungle support to show vision—Rumble gave Graves courage, and the Graves player was now fearless, even planning to face-check the brush against the enemy jungle Lee Sin.

As expected, they ran straight into each other.

But not in the jungle—in the river. Camille knew she could bully Rumble pre-3, so she assumed she had lane priority and came to contest the upper river crab.

But top died.

That’s not the point—logically, Lee Sin should retreat, but there’s a trait in Chinese DNA: “Since I’m here, I might as well.”

So he nervously started fighting the river crab.

But unexpectedly, before he finished, he bumped straight into Graves.

Enemies meet—kings refuse to yield.

The two immediately scrapped, calling for their teammates. Lee Sin dared to contest because his mid-lane Emperor also had lane priority.

Once teammates arrive, you’re dead!

Yet...

Just as he was thinking this, Rumble, at yellow heat, appeared at the other end of the river, supporting faster than his own mid-laner.

Lee Sin player’s eyes widened.

Wait.

Are you the jungler, or is Graves?

You just killed my top, and now you’re here in the river.

Are you freaking teleporting?