Chapter 18: Team games and feedback

“Nice.”

“Seo-ha, your carry was insane. Seriously, crazy.”

“Han Byeo-ri, watching from above, must be happy too…”

“Are we really going to the main tournament?”

Cheers from the team members could be heard through the headsets.

They lost one game in the middle, going 2-1, but they won the final match and advanced to the main tournament.

[Seo-ha]

[This guy just carries so well]

[Honestly, I was nervous that we might get eliminated in the preliminaries, if you’re a Queen Seo-ha fan, press like LOL]

[Like]

[Like]

‘The second game was really close.’

The opposing top laner they met in the winner’s bracket was a 900-point Challenger, and he crushed Sheen from the laning phase.

To make matters worse, Pressure, who went top to help the lane, was counter-ganked and killed, and the game spiraled out of control before they could do anything.

Fortunately, they won the final match. If they had lost, it wouldn’t be about winning, it would have been about being eliminated in the preliminaries.

“Even though we advanced to the main tournament, shall we have a brief feedback session?”

As the atmosphere was starting to wind down, the jungler, Pressure, brought up the topic of feedback.

Perhaps he felt sorry that the top and jungle were heavily behind in the second game.

[Is Pressure really in a position to give feedback when he also played poorly?]

[Don’t you know Pressure’s personality LOL He’ll probably bring up his own mistakes]

[LOL That’s why Pressure is likable, he apologizes when he makes a mistake and doesn’t blame others]

‘It wouldn’t be bad.’

Since it was a hastily formed team, they needed to align their thoughts at least once.

“If you say so, we have to.”

“Not a bad idea.”

“Then let’s do it briefly.”

“I’m good with it too.”

Everyone agreed to the suggestion of the World Champion, and I expressed my approval as well.

“Then let’s start with the top lane matchup.”

“Why me first…”

“They say it’s better to get hit first.”

The feedback Pressure gave to Sheen was that he couldn’t grasp the timing.

Perhaps because of his habit of playing roaming-oriented Sheen, he would recall even when he should continue laning, resulting in losses.

It was true. It was a problem to break down without recalling, but in advantageous matchups, he needed to squeeze out the advantage.

[Uh oh… if you scold the old man like that, he’ll cry…]

[But Sheen’s champion pool is too old-fashioned, so it can’t be helped]

[But Sheen will probably be unbanned once]

[If Sheen is unbanned? Then it’s just the demon of roaming appearing]

[? The one who destroys games with roaming is our streamer]

[LOL]

“And bot, it’s good to pick carry champions. But since our mid is strong, we might need to tone it down a bit.”

The next feedback was for the bot lane, who insisted on picking champions that could carry too much.

“What, you want me to play a support champion?”

“Look at Fpot, he used to only play damage supports, but he’s been practicing Rakan and Nautilus.”

“But still, not a support champion. I have my pride.”

Eugene had a unique talent for hyper-carry ADCs, which was why he once had hack allegations.

The downside was that he often fell apart during the laning phase.

[Ah LOL If you’re going to play support, you wouldn’t have said you were a prince]

[Prin?ce? Let’s just agree on support]

[Prince (recording 15,000 damage with Kai’Sa)]

“Then let’s do this. If Jinx and Kai’Sa are banned, you pick Ashe.”

“That’s fine…”

[Are they really fighting for real LOL]

[It’s not Pressure, it’s just a mess?]

[Fpot quietly dissing all three of them is so funny LOL]

[Meanwhile, no one is saying anything to Para LOL]

[If you criticize her after she carried us on her back, you’re not human]

[Eugene’s notepad is on in real time LOL]

The 2-hour-long feedback, disguised as a discussion where they tore each other apart, was over.

It might look like a fight on the surface, but it was common in team games.

In my past life, there were times when we fought in the waiting room after a set.

‘It was even more surprising that we won that day after fighting.’

From my experience as a pro, some degree of conflict was necessary, as long as it wasn’t too intense.

“Then let’s meet on Tuesday.”

“Good work everyone, let’s go to the semifinals.”

“We have to.”

“I’ll carry on Tuesday.”

“By the way, Seo-ha.”

As the team members were leaving Discord one by one, Sheen called me with a cautious voice.

“The… the main tournament starts on Tuesday.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Can you participate?”

“Yes? Of course… actually, I can’t.”

Come to think of it, I was still a middle school student.

That meant I had to go to school on weekdays.

“Wait a minute. I have the announcement, so I’ll check the schedule.”

My usual schedule was school, academy, and LOL.

Tuesday was a day I didn’t go to the academy.

“It’s 7 PM on Tuesday, would that be possible?”

Usually, when school ended and I got home, it was around 5 PM, so it wasn’t a bad time.

“And if we win, the semifinals are on Friday at 8 PM. The finals are on Saturday at 6 PM offline.”

Friday at 8 PM was a bit tight, but if I rushed as soon as the academy ended, I could make it.

Saturday was free.

“I might be a little late on Friday, would that be okay?”

“Hmm… since Seo-ha is a student, I think about 30 minutes would be fine. I’ll talk to the organizers.”

“Then the time should be fine.”

“If you make it to the finals, can you do the offline match on Saturday?”

“Yes, where is it?”

“It’s at the stadium in Sangam.”

Sangam Stadium.

I had never been there because I only played at the LCK stadium in Jonggak, but it was the stadium used for the Star League before LOL came out.

I heard that it was currently used for FPS games and streamer tournaments like this.

“Saturday should be no problem.”

I hadn’t made it to the finals yet, but I was excited about the opportunity to go there.

‘If I make it to the finals, should I invite my parents?’

I thought my dad, who said he was crazy about the Star League, would like it if I invited him to Sangam Stadium.

As for my mom… well, I could tell her to go on a date with my dad.

****

“Sigh…”

The practice room balcony of ARK, a pro gaming team in the LCK’s minor league, CK, not the LCK.

A middle-aged man was chain-smoking there.

‘All the sponsor contracts are until this year… if we don’t get promoted this time.’

His name was Kim Han-sung, a former pro gamer and the owner and coach of ARK.

“I wish we hadn’t been first place.”

They achieved first place in the regular season and went to the promotion/relegation tournament first, but they lost.

But because they showed overwhelming form in the regular season, they lost the new players they had scouted to other teams.

“It’s money. Money is the problem.”

He sighed and took out his phone from his pocket.

On Kim Han-sung’s phone was VLL, specifically a match featuring a female player named Para.

[Ah~ Para, she does it again here!]

Even with a disadvantageous pick in the laning phase, she goes at least even.

If she has an advantageous pick, she pressures from the start and destroys the game with the jungler.

It’s easy to say, but to do this every game without making a single mistake is an incredible skill.

‘Her playstyle seems like it would fit our team well.’

Kim Han-sung was actively scouting players from internet broadcasts.

Other coaches and managers said it would lower the team’s dignity or that they couldn’t play team games, but he thought differently.

‘Because streaming has a low barrier to entry.’

There were many young streamers with sufficient potential.

But most of them didn’t even think about the path of a pro, or they started with streaming, which had a lower barrier to entry.

‘She’s 15?’

The age limit for the CK, the minor league, was 15. You had to be 16 to play.

It was December now, so if she played, she could play right from next year.

‘Rank 1 in solo queue… and her mechanics are monstrous.’

Kim Han-sung saw Para as a very attractive prospect.

There were probably other CK teams that were also eyeing her.

‘The problem is that she’s a girl…’

There had been female pros before, but most of them were just for show.

It was natural since there were no female users who reached Challenger in a lane other than support until Para appeared.

‘…putting a middle school girl in a dorm with only men?’

Even if Para’s parents allowed it, it was clear that they would be socially criticized.

Moreover, Para was also doing quite well as a streamer.

It was a difficult situation in many ways.

‘I should at least watch until the finals.’

There was no guarantee that a player who could replace Para wouldn’t emerge among them.

‘I’ll watch for now, and if she makes it to the finals, I’ll talk to her.’

This VLL was an off-season event match officially sponsored by the LCK.

Thanks to that, LCK and CK officials could receive invitation tickets.

For that reason, he was planning to go to the finals anyway.

If Para made it, he thought he should talk to her.