League of Legends: League of Unknowns

They’d lost. D*mn it all, they’d lost again! And they’d lost even worse than last year! After the game had ended, Hao Yue of Team Revelation was unable to dredge up the right words to express his chagrin.

Bai Feng stared at his screen for a long while, appearing calmer and more collected by comparison.

To the side, Qing Ye sat slumped in his seat. He’d been hoping to turn things around this time, but they’d only ended up getting crushed even worse.

“Captain…” Qing Ye turned to Bai Feng.

Bai Feng shook his head, and quietly remarked, “They’re completely out of our league, now.”

Bai Feng was not as quick to temper as Hao Yue and Qing Ye, nor did he think that the two defeats they’d just suffered were the result of simple mistakes on their part.

He’d kept his cool this whole time, because in both games, he’d already known that losing was only a matter of time.

Last year, he’d believed that if only he’d had another five minutes to grow stronger, he could have saved his team with a spectacular comeback.

This year, the impression he’d received was that, even if he’d been allowed to wield his full power, they’d still have lost regardless.

It was alarming how much Team Skycrown had improved. Every one of their members, whether in terms of individual ability, teamwork, or tactical gameplay… they’d already surpassed Team Revelation in every aspect. Against an adversary like this, all you could do was admit defeat, and admire how far they’d come in one year!

***

“Hey, hey… Number One!” The Jungler of Team Beijing, Ping Feng, nudged the guy beside him.

As though jolted from a dream, Number One turned to him.

“Did you also get the feeling that this isn’t the same team that we fought, last time?” Ping Feng whispered.

It had been a terrifying sight to see. After sitting through both matches, Ping Feng was shivering with chills.

This team which had just beaten Team Revelation…’terrifying’ was the only word fit to describe them. They shared a level of teamwork that was positively alarming!

They’d been up against Team Revelation, one of the top four teams in the nation! But in the face of their onslaught, Team Revelation had been made to look like a bunch of clueless noobs!

Team Beijing was rather formidable as well, and they fully expected to get into the top four themselves.

And yet, without a second thought, Team Skycrown had taken down one of the top four in a 2-0 series—and with both games only lasting twenty-five minutes or less!

During the group stage of that tournament, Team Beijing’s game against Team Skycrown had taken more than forty minutes. That time, they’d seen nothing like these lightning-fast, meticulously co-ordinated tactics out of Skycrown.

Was this even the same team?

From Ping Feng’s point of view, the Skycrown they were seeing today was a completely different team from the one they’d faced that time!

Number One’s expression was grim.

The media had held an interview with them. Lots of people had been there to see the game in person. That day, Team Beijing had faced Team Skycrown’s original roster.

That time, why had both teams chosen to hold out until the late game, going well over forty minutes? If Skycrown had used these tactics on them during that series, it would have been GG in a hurry, no need to talk about the late game.

They’d been keeping their trump cards hidden!

Realization struck Number One: Team Skycrown had been holding back on purpose!

Now that he understood this, another chill ran through him.

They’d been deliberately foregoing their best techniques and strategies—and yet they’d still managed to overcome Team Beijing!

Impossible! It had to be impossible!

Number One shook his head vehemently. He was convinced that Team Skycrown had fought their very best that day. They couldn’t possibly have held anything back under those circumstances!

So Team Revelation had been eliminated. No matter—soon, Team Beijing would be facing Team Skycrown in the LPL again. Then, he’d show them what he’d been holding back as well!

***

“Looks like Team Skycrown has grown stronger and wiser over this past year. Congratulations on their latest victory!” Bao Jun exclaimed from the commentary desk.

Beside him, Xi Ling nodded. “It’s pretty incredible. I’m afraid to think about what sort of training they’ve been putting themselves through, to be able to take down Team Revelation so easily. Looks like things will be shaking up in the LPL this year. We might not even get the usual finals match between Sky and Daemons!”

Only Team Sky and Team Daemons would have been expected to pull off such a telling victory against Team Revelation. Team Skycrown’s spectacular performance earned a deafening round of applause and cheering from the crowd!

Yu Luocheng rose from his seat, and felt as though all the spotlights were being turned their way. This blinding light in the wake of victory… it was a familiar sensation.

This was only the beginning. This time last year, they’d dropped out of the running. Now they were here to make a triumphant return—and they’d be taking everyone down!

***

“Going all out, that’s how I like to play. Hahahaha!” Da Luo got up as music began to play on stage. He seemed giddy with delight.

“Too right!” Wu Sen nodded in fervent agreement.

Lin Dong and Zhou Yan grinned at each other, and then turned to look at Luocheng.

Luocheng demanded a lot from them. Calling him severe would not be overstating the point.

Any time they played a game which would be broadcast publicly, Luocheng strictly forbade them from using any of their key strategies.

To tell the honest truth, in all the games up till now, they’d been relying solely on their own individual abilities. They’d avoid taking supporting actions which could reveal their tactical style, even if it meant standing by and watching as their teammates were slain—for example, when Luocheng had to go up against Kassadin.

Normally, if Luocheng was being singled out to the point that Zhou Yan’s Olaf was insufficient back-up, then the champions from the other two lanes should also lend their aid. This meant that even if Luocheng got ganked and deleted, his four teammates would soon arrive in the Middle lane to finish off the enemy Mid and Jungler.

Unusual champion picks which led to compelling team compositions—these were also kept secret at any cost.

With all the LOL analysts out there these days, not to mention Team Skycrown not training in private the way other pro teams did, holding their training and challenge matches right there in the Demacia Café… They had to guard their secrets most jealously.

Despite these limitations, Luocheng absolutely did not allow them to be defeated. After all, the opponents they faced there had no pre-determined strategies of their own to speak of. If they could lose to other teams in terms of teamwork or individual skill, how could they hope to stand among the nation’s best?

Now that they were in the actual LPL tournament, the five players could throw off these fetters. Now was the time for them to put to use everything that they’d built up over this past year, and put on a glorious display for all the world to see!

They would show all the other teams in the LPL how the original members of Team Wings had made it all the way to the top of the world!

It had been three years since then, but in ‘League of Legends’ there were also no teams—in all the nation—who could hope to bar their advance!