Chapter 32: Invincible Reward: Reflexes! There is Metaphysics in Competition

Kassadin is not exactly an unpopular champion in professional play, and he fits the pacing of this meta quite well. Yet, his pick rate in tournaments remains low. This is primarily because his developmental cycle is far too long, and he has relatively limited utility before he reaches his power spike. Simply put, once a team picks Kassadin, the overall tactical pace slows down to accommodate him, often resulting in a net loss rather than a gain.

However, that said, Kassadin is undeniably a champion capable of carrying. In the professional scene, there is even a saying that once Kassadin hits level 16, the opposing base automatically explodes. The reason casters Wawa and Miller were surprised was that they hadn't expected EDG to put all their eggs in Chen Yan’s basket during such a desperate situation.

Of course, they only kept these thoughts to themselves. On the surface, they didn't show it at all, instead following EDG’s draft choice by saying, "Kassadin is a fine pick. He matches up well against mages and has strong late-game carry potential."

"But RNG is no pushover; they will definitely find ways to restrict him."

"This game is starting to get interesting."

With the commentary from Wawa and Miller, the audience’s anticipation was heightened. Before the match even began, countless viewers were already engaged in heated discussions in the chat.

...

With Kassadin locked in, the team compositions for both sides were finalized.

RNG (Blue Side): Camille top, Gragas jungle, Ryze mid, Caitlyn bot, Karma support.
EDG (Red Side): Shen top, Sejuani jungle, Kassadin mid, Kalista bot, Thresh support.

In terms of laning, EDG is not particularly inferior to RNG, at least in theory. But that is only on paper. There is indeed a gap in individual skill between the EDG players and the RNG players. Therefore, the outcome of the match would depend entirely on how the players perform.

"Are you really good at Kassadin?"

Before leaving, NoFe asked Chen Yan, still sounding uncertain.

"..."

Chen Yan was speechless for a moment and replied with a hint of annoyance, "What do you think? My stream viewers all say my Kassadin is the best 'smurf' in the league, starting with twenty kills."

If Chen Yan hadn't said anything, it might have been better; after he finished, NoFe became even more worried. He was still sighing as he walked away. Chen Yan didn't pay it any mind; facts speak louder than words, and even if he bragged to the heavens now, NoFe wouldn't believe him anyway.

...

After the coaches left, the game entered the loading screen. Chen Yan checked Ryze’s runes and masteries: Stormraider's Surge, with Ghost and Flash for summoner spells. It is common for mid-laners in this meta to forgo Teleport; many players adjust their spells based on the opponent's champion, with Heal, Ghost, and Cleanse being frequent choices.

However, Xiaohu taking Ghost on Ryze was slightly unexpected for Chen Yan. He had assumed Ryze would take Teleport to split-push alongside Camille, but with Ghost, this Ryze is geared more toward support and team fighting. This was definitely good news, as EDG still struggles to deal with split-pushers.

Looking at himself, Chen Yan’s setup was quite conventional.
Mastery: Thunderlord's Decree.
Summoner Spells: Teleport, Flash.
The standard way to play Kassadin.

After glancing at the summoner spells of the rest of the RNG players, Chen Yan had a plan in mind.

"I can carry this game; don't drag me down."

"Heh, it's not certain who's dragging whom down yet."

The EDG players were quite resentful toward Chen Yan. Even if there was a gap between them and the RNG players, they felt they didn't deserve to be mocked like this. Chen Yan sensed this resentment but didn't care; this kind of negative energy was still better than having no fighting spirit at all.

As they spoke, the screen glowed, and the ten players appeared in their respective fountains.

The match begins!

At the same moment, a system prompt echoed in Chen Yan’s mind.

[Ding! System match task triggered.]
[Task Issued: Win the match with zero deaths.]
[Current Task Progress:]
[Deaths: 0/0]
[Status: In Progress]
[Reward: Reaction Speed]
[Reaction Speed: A slight improvement to the host's reaction time.]

Holy crap!

Hearing the reward, Chen Yan almost shouted out loud. As mentioned before, physical enhancement is the reward Chen Yan wants most. Reaction speed, in particular, provides a huge boost to professional players. Moreover, this is something that cannot be improved through training; it depends entirely on a player's innate talent.

But now, an opportunity to increase his reaction speed was right in front of him.

"I must complete this task!" Chen Yan’s eyes were firm.

If he had previously held a "winning or losing doesn't matter" attitude toward this match, his mindset had now completely changed. If there were any keen observers, they would have noticed that Chen Yan’s gaze had become incredibly determined. He only ever showed this expression when he took a match seriously.

It had been a long time since Chen Yan had been serious, simply because he hadn't felt any pressure. In fact, even Chen Yan didn't know where his current limits lay. Conservatively speaking, playing against someone like Faker wouldn't be a problem.

Returning his focus to the game, the fountain protection had worn off.

"Follow me, we’re invading their jungle," Chen Yan commanded in a low voice. "Meiko, take the lead."

His teammates felt that Chen Yan had changed—he had become unquestionable. Meiko instinctively maneuvered Thresh to the front. Clearlove was also a bit annoyed; this guy had just joined and was already seizing control of his team, which felt a bit disrespectful to a veteran. However, he followed along subconsciously—no matter what his feelings were, he would finish the game first.

"EDG is invading?"

At the caster desk, Wawa looked at the screen with surprise in his voice. EDG’s playstyle was usually conservative, so this kind of active invasion was quite rare.

"This is the change brought by Chen Yan’s inclusion. I remember the last time they played against OMG, it was the same," Miller said. He quite admired Chen Yan; there were few promising domestic rookies left, and although Chen Yan hadn't played many games, his performance was becoming increasingly eye-catching. Furthermore, they had long criticized EDG’s timid nature; if Chen Yan could change that, it would be an immense contribution.

"Look!"

"It looks like they’re about to clash. Let’s see if Meiko’s hook lands."

Suddenly, Miller’s voice rose in volume. Everyone stared intently at the screen.

The two teams happened to cross paths, and Meiko immediately threw a predictive hook, aiming for Gragas, who was in the lead. But Mlxg didn't react; he didn't adjust his positioning, and by chance, he dodged the Thresh hook.

"This..." Meiko was speechless. The chat couldn't help but laugh.

"Mlxg is playing at a whole other level."

"A bit of a shame," Wawa said. "That could have been a hook."

Miller smiled, "Nothing to be done about it, who could have guessed Gragas wouldn't move at all?"

Missing the hook didn't discourage Chen Yan. It was just an attempt; one couldn't expect a player to land every hook—even a script couldn't do that.

"Let's go."

Chen Yan decisively ordered his teammates to retreat back into their own jungle. A standard start.

After returning to his lane, Chen Yan stopped giving orders, returning command to Clearlove, and focused on laning. However, not long after reaching the lane and beginning to trade with Ryze, he heard the system sound for First Blood.

"First Blood."
"EDG, Clearlove7 kills RNG, Uzi."

Uzi was caught and killed?

Chen Yan’s expression suddenly turned strange. Something isn't right; there’s some kind of metaphysics at play in this match.