Rise

VICTORY

“Ha! Great game! I played that perfectly!” Lin Feng leaned back in his chair and laughed. Another win. The third in a row. Each next one more dominating than the last. He didn’t care what his teammates did. They could feed to their heart’s content for all he cared! He’d carry them and win the game anyway! Though it had to be said these games were only in Gold ELO. The opponents weren’t his match on their best day and his worst. It gave him the chance to ease back into it and start finding his form again. He played in mid lane and picked Champions like Lulu, Twisted Fate, and Viktor who were strong in the current meta.

This was the first time in four years that Lin Feng played on his own account. He felt the added pressure. These games were on his name. He couldn’t hide behind different Summoner names anymore. Every move was truly his now. But that didn’t bother him in the game. Not really. He played like he always did, comfortable and confident. He overwhelmed his lane opponents and forced them to hide behind their towers. It was all they could do, or they’d feed him and make it even worse for themselves. However, hiding behind their towers was not the answer either. Lin Feng would simply go somewhere else. There were three lanes and a big jungle. There were five players on each team. He could go after whoever he liked. So he pushed out his lane and started roaming around the map, showing up just at the right moment wherever he went. This was something called Awareness. To know when and where to be and exert the greatest impact on a game. It was one of, if not the greatest divider between professional players and people climbing the ranked ladder.

Awareness was far more important than game mechanics. There were plenty of very strong mechanical players in Master and Challenger. They were a dime a dozen. Some random players were even better than professional players in this regard. But their mechanics had no purpose if they didn’t know when and where to apply it. The awareness to follow up. The awareness to navigate a chaotic teamfight. The awareness to play the whole map to their advantage. This was the skill of a professional player.

There was an element of talent to awareness. But most was borne from hard work. That was what Lin Feng was focusing on right now, and also the reason he chose to play on the Korean server rather than on the Ionia server. The best way to hone awareness was through teamplay, something that was simply far more prevalent on the Korean server. Even in lower ranked games in Gold, players were actively looking to work together to win the game. His plan was simple. He’d climb his way up the ladder, each rank becoming a little more difficult to win, to work on his awareness. Then, by the time he reached the top of Challenger, he might even get the chance to test his progress against that guy. Against the Sovereign.

From as early as Season 1, Rake was considered the best professional League of Legends player. He was the Midlaner for SSK and Lin Feng’s ultimate target. But Rake didn’t just stand at the top of the professional scene, he also stood at the top of the Korean ranked ladder. In fact, he had three accounts up there. One was in first place, one in fourth and the last in tenth. He had to play consistently to keep these ranks, so it wouldn’t be strange for Lin Feng to run into him down the line. Lin Feng would face Rake again. The same guy who had beaten him four years ago and had led to him quitting the game. But the past was the past. Lin Feng didn’t think about that anymore. He looked up ahead. At the challenge in front of him. A dream that seemed almost impossible. But it was exactly this apparent impossibility that motivated him to fight!

Lin Feng pursed his lips together and blew out the air from his mouth. He looked at the end game lobby screen. Gold 2, 85 LP. He’d gained 34 LP for this last win. One more and he would be in his promo series for Gold 1. Another step towards his goal. He closed his eyes and slowly breathed in and then back out again. Then he started smiling and set up straight again. He placed his right hand on the mouse and his left on the keyboard. “Just you wait! I’ll climb up to Challenger and beat you!”

✹

Dirty clothes were strewn across the floor. Old Huang sat on a sweater in front of his computer. He had his League client open on the Korean server. His recording software was properly set up and he’d just tried a test run. Everything was good to go. He was on voice chat with Cup Noodles, the Master player he’d invited to help him make a video. “Yo, Cup, you ready?”