Chapter Twenty-Two: Five individuals can either be a scattered handful of sand or a sharpened, tempered blade.

While V5 was going all out in their preparations for the Demacia Cup finals, TES, having enjoyed an extra day of buffer after playing their semifinal match first, was busy analyzing V5’s lineup.

Just as V5 sought to prove themselves with a championship after their sixteen-game losing streak, TES held the exact same ambition this year.

They had brought in S9 FMVP jungler Tian. Of course, at this point, he was not yet the "concept god" known for his upbeat personality; he remained in his self-contained, introverted mode, and his champion pool was ridiculously shallow.

Furthermore, while sending 369 off to the "Redmi training camp," they had acquired the king of cost-effectiveness, Zoom, at a low price.

And for this Demacia Cup, they were fielding their full starting roster.

Top laner Zoom, a powerhouse for JDG in previous years, had begun a downward trend after leaving the team; this stint with TES was his final "low-light," a stock destined to hit its limit-down.

Jungler Tian, despite his obvious flaws and lack of awakening, was still a championship-caliber player.

Mid laner Knight, regardless of his past performances, remained one of the best LPL mid laners in recent years when it came to international play, and was virtually unbeatable in domestic skirmishes.

Bottom laner JKL, possessing both his "Yu Wenbo" and "Yu Wubo" aggressive modes, was the most high-traffic AD player in the LPL outside of Uzi—a player who, conceptually speaking, participated in 100% of team fights.

As for the support, Zhuo? Brother Zhuo generally disliked being evaluated by others, so we shall omit him.

This kind of lineup.

If current viewers were asked to evaluate it, they would say V5 had no idea how to win. Or perhaps it wasn't that they didn't know; they just needed Luo Ji to raise his hands in a sword-finger gesture, smile indifferently, and chant: "In my youth I knew the world was hard, yet I still wandered with my beloved. On the journey home, the cold wind bit like catkins; alone I walked, rising and falling in the arena. Through a thousand grinds and ten thousand strikes, my heart was forged into iron; exhausting every effort to forge a single blade. Now, pointing my sword toward the stage..."

Perhaps that would be enough to secure a victory.

But clearly, that was pure fantasy.

To beat TES, they had to solve one problem: how to defeat TES’s bottom lane.

Conversely.

At the TES club, the team was busy studying how to break through V5’s bottom lane as quickly as possible.

"Wait, are we ignoring the top lane?"

JKL suddenly spoke up, interrupting Crescent’s tactical briefing. For some reason, he had a feeling there was more to V5’s top lane than met the eye.

"Correct, there is no need to worry about it."

Crescent nodded and continued:

"Looking at the Demacia Cup, V5 is not a team that centers its play around the top half of the map. I admit their top laner has had some eye-catching performances in these past rounds, but they were all from a sacrificial position. That kind of cleverness and playstyle is inconsistent with tactics revolving around the top half. Even if it were possible, we can just leave it to Zoom to hold the line."

Hearing his coach's affirmation, Zoom rolled up his sleeves to flex his muscles, signaling that the top lane could be entirely entrusted to him.

The others remained silent, simply choosing to trust. After all, given Zoom's track record, it was indeed hard to believe there was any possibility of an upset.

Meanwhile.

Luo Ji, having just finished his stream, was dragged into the conference room by the others for a meeting.

In truth, Nofe and Zero didn't really want to hold this meeting. The players' nerves were already strained on the eve of the finals; the best thing to do was to let them adjust on their own.

But it was already late at night, and noticing that no one had left the training room, they decided to hold a short meeting to chat and help everyone relax.

Of course.

In reality, everyone understood exactly where the pressure was coming from.

Unlike the teams they faced before—who either put on an attitude of "whatever happens, happens," used a mix of starters and substitutes, or were like FPX, with one god carrying four burdens—TES was different.

It was a true "Galaxy Battleship."

Outside the arena at this moment, strictly speaking, not many people were optimistic about their team, even though their record and performance throughout the tournament had not been bad.

Because the gap was right there.

A full-strength TES, even if they were rusty after a holiday, possessed a foundation that could not be underestimated.

In contrast.

Their own weaknesses were even more obvious: lack of synergy, insufficient tactical depth, older veteran players, and inexperienced youngsters...

Having fought all the way to this point in the Demacia Cup, a runner-up finish was already worthy of the expectations for V5 since its founding, considering they had been together for less than a month.

But.

It wasn't enough.

It was far from enough.

Throughout the room, everyone had seen the effort put in by one another over the past few weeks. There was no single "must-win" reason; if one had to ask, perhaps there was only one.

They didn't want to lose.

This thirst for victory had been ignited by Luo Ji.

A pure and fervent soul, eyes that remained untainted from start to finish—these had successfully scorched everyone’s hearts over the past few weeks, allowing them to feel, for the first time in a long time, the passion for esports they had when they were young.

In the room.

Nofe scanned every face, his fingertips tapping lightly against the tactical board, producing a crisp sound.

"I won't say any more than is necessary."

"Every one of us came to this team with the intention of proving something to our past selves."

"We fought our way here not through the pity of others, but through our own efforts. TES is a hurdle in front of us, but once we pass this one, there will be many, many more in the future. The terrifying enemies in our eyes—if you extend the timeline, you realize they are actually nothing much."

Silence swelled amidst the hum of the air conditioner; fighting spirit spread through their shared silence.

It was 4:00 AM in Shanghai. They were like a group of soldiers about to step onto the battlefield, receiving the final inspection from their commander.

"Why do we train so hard?"

"For money? For fame? Or for some other trivial things? None of that matters. What matters is that esports itself is extremely pure: the winner takes all, and the weak are forced to retreat."

"I have held expectations for you from the beginning. Compared to many other teams, you have already begun to develop a team soul."

"Esports is a game for five people."

"Five people can be a scattered mess, or they can be a tempered, sharp blade."

...

The next day.

The day after Christmas, the match between V5 and TES officially began.

When a match reaches the finals, its popularity hits its peak. It wasn't just esports fans watching; even those who didn't usually follow the matches and only played "All Random All Mid" would click in to take a look during their free time, not to mention the various streamers who made a living off this.

[Today’s match is basically the Avengers versus the Akatsuki organization.]

[Don't ask, just know: thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; don't bully the young because they're poor.]

[The Pinduoduo Battleship versus the Galaxy Battleship. If V5 wins this, wouldn't TES's faces be slapped red?]

[V5 winning? That’s very difficult~ These lineups aren't even on the same level.]

It was TES, after all.

Ever since JKL joined the team through a transfer, they had maintained high popularity. In contrast, V5’s popularity was ridiculously low; a sixteen-game losing streak couldn't possibly cultivate any kind of fan base, and the few fans they had were likely there for Rookie and Karsa.

However, Luo Ji didn't mind.

He was just diligently memorizing the coach’s words, including some of the subconscious habits of Zoom that Nofe had identified. To him, some things had to be relearned.

Anyone who has traveled through time knows:

Even if you can go back to the past, you cannot possibly remember so many branches and details. It’s like a top-tier chess player; no matter how many times they review a game, they cannot remember every single variation calculated by an AI.

Besides.

Even if he was full of confidence in himself, he could not show disrespect to the veteran player on the other side.

In a sense, in competitive sports, not respecting your opponent is not respecting yourself.

You shouldn't have a heart that wants to bicker with people, but you must keep your opponent in your heart. That way, you will know what techniques they excel at, their weaknesses, their strengths, their secrets, their home address, their family phone number, their movement patterns, and when it’s convenient to sneak up behind them and knock them out.

These are all extremely important details (just kidding).

Under the guidance of data, the bus transporting them finally arrived at the venue. At this moment, the players stepping off the bus were somewhat sleepy.

On one hand, the inversion of their biological clocks caused by frantic all-nighters left them feeling mentally groggy.

On the other hand.

It’s hard to say what this group of players might have been doing in their rooms late at night.

To put it plainly.

Not every man is Cao Cao. In the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," what Cao Cao could get his hands on, many in reality can only get their hands on themselves.

"Are they really okay in this state?"

Not far from the players, manager Domo frowned and asked, feeling somewhat uncertain.

"It's fine, you're just worrying too much." Nofe rubbed his own equally prominent dark circles, his tone surprisingly calm. "If they were still full of energy before the match, that would actually mean they weren't in good form. Being like this is just right."

Although both their schedules and their appearance were very unhealthy.

But as professional players, the value lies in persistence, and the firm belief that as long as you persist, you can make a change.

If you don't believe it, you can try it yourself: just exercise less, watch more videos, drink sodas one after another, don't hold back when you want to "rush," and stay up as late as you can. Stick with it for three months, and you will discover a different version of yourself; keep at it, and you will see a miracle (just kidding).

"Wait, is that TES’s bus over there?"

"Let me see, it actually looks like it is..."

Perhaps it was luck, but they happened to arrive at the venue at the same time as TES. From far away, Luo Ji saw the motto "Strive without Regrets," which he had only seen on screens in his previous life.

Of course, he was mainly looking at JKL.

By the end of S11, JKL had already achieved a somewhat "divine physique"; from afar, his weight didn't seem much different from Zoom's. But after getting closer, he realized that his large head accounted for a significant portion of that.

It was, after all, before the match.

The players from both sides merely exchanged glances from a distance, greeted each other, and that was that. It was so calm that one couldn't tell there was any controversy at all. Luo Ji asked curiously:

"Strange, why are you all reacting this way?"

"What other reaction should we have?"

Everyone’s eyes turned toward him, making even Luo Ji feel a bit embarrassed, but he continued to ask: "According to the internet, TES is the black-hearted boss who fired Karsa; JKL is not only the predecessor of Rookie but also the target of Photic’s revenge. Why are you all so calm?"

"???"

After Luo Ji explained, the others responded with forced smiles: "Kid, stop reading so much of that nonsense. Changing teams in the esports scene is a very normal thing. Any talk of grudges or hatred is pure nonsense. If we really followed your logic, would we still be able to schedule scrims?"

"Even if we avoid scrims, what if we end up on the same team later?"

"Even if we don't end up on the same team, you still need to look out for each other after you retire. If your reputation is too bad, not many people will want to play with you."

Listening to their explanation, Luo Ji reaffirmed his thoughts.

As expected, this is what being a professional is.

Everyone is chasing their dreams while trying to make a living. If your emotional intelligence is truly too low, you won't last long in the professional scene. Of course, this only applies to skilled players. As all you readers who will surely be successful in the future know, when you become a powerhouse, you will find:

[Life is truly beautiful, and everyone you meet is a damn good person].

"Alright, since the match is right in front of us, we should start discussing our tactics for today."

After walking to the backstage lounge and setting down their gear, Nofe clapped his hands, drawing the attention of all the players once again.

"We must admit one fact: TES is strong, really strong."

"Precisely because of their strength, we must seize every point we can get. This, naturally, includes the biggest flaw of the TES coach (Crescent) himself."

"Generally speaking."

"In the first game of a Best-of-Five, he chooses to let the popular meta picks through to see if his team can handle them."

"If they can handle them, then it’s a 3:0 or 3:1 sweep for the whole series; if they can't, then he will make tactical adjustments."

"And that is our opportunity."

Why could he be so sure?

Because out of ten esports coaches in the professional scene, eight of them will start a BO5 this way when bullying weaker teams. Just like when they played FPX in the semifinals, Nofe also made this "mistake that all coaches make" in the second game.

To put it bluntly.

It’s relying on the fact that their champion pool is too good, thinking that losing one game doesn't matter, and that they can adjust their positioning later, or bring out the invincible "Red-Blue-Yellow," or call upon the legendary "Vish'dahl," and then everything will be fine~

Yes.

Even the entire LPL knows what TES’s [Vish'dahl] is; it’s nothing more than the Draven system centered around JKL. They’ve played this for so many years and it hasn't changed. In any case, in a critical game, it’s just a "determined look."

Listening to Coach Nofe's voice, Luo Ji immediately understood what he meant.

What are the popular picks in this meta?

Jinx and Aphelios in the bottom lane, one for each side; two fighters in the top lane going at each other. It mainly comes down to those two ADs in the bottom lane, while everything else depends on the mid-jungle game.

Of course.

There’s also the possibility that Crescent suddenly plays it safe and bans both ADs, forcing the pace of the game to speed up. That’s not impossible.

Just as he was wondering how he was going to chew through this old ox, Zoom, the next moment.

In his ear.

The coach’s instructions suddenly rang out.

Considering that everyone might not have experience in this area, here is an explanation of Coach Nofe’s tactical arrangement in a way that everyone can understand:

"Luo Meng."

"Ah? Here!"

"This game, your task is extremely important. What you need to do is come from the front, move to the objective point, fear no sentries, and be brave in your breakthrough. Listen to the commands, wait for the utility, call for the double-pull, and secure the first blood. Be the people’s good duelist, be the people’s good entry-fragger. Can you do it?"

"Report! I can!"