Chapter 50: Start Lightly

Teleport is a spell with a significantly long casting time.

Naturally, the enemy team retreated calmly upon seeing the allied teleport.

Even if the situation had ended as it was, it would have still resulted in the allied teleport being burned. The enemy team deemed it unnecessary to overextend.

“The top lane, which had been steadily gaining an advantage, ended up losing out instead.”

Had the enemy top laner matched the teleport, the story might have been different, but they chose not to. From the moment the allied top laner initiated the teleport, the enemy top saw no need to engage in a fight.

Although this ultimately prevented the mid-laner from dying, it was still a bitter loss.

“At least it’s a small relief.”

The real problem was me.

When the enemy support joined the rotation, I couldn’t follow my original path towards the enemy’s blue jungle. I was forced to retreat.

This made my decision to cover the mid-lane a significant mistake.

“I guess I’ll just start with the bottom river crab.”

The moment I moved towards the lower river, the enemy Nautilus appeared nearby, as if pleased with their results.

When Nautilus first showed up, I thought Diana or Sylas might be nearby.

But that wasn’t the case.

The enemy top was diligently pushing the top wave.

Diana, after forcing me back, had gone into her blue-side jungle.

The enemy mid, Rainbow, returned to base after a heated exchange with MobyDick.

Their ADC was playing cautiously in a 1v2 situation after their support left.

In other words, Nautilus was completely alone.

“He’s brimming with confidence, isn’t he?”

Nautilus was bluffing, trying to annoy me as much as possible.

If I were any other jungler, Nautilus might have retreated after a bit of harassment. However, it seemed they were well aware of my recent formidability and were desperate to disrupt me in any way possible.

“He’s crossing the line.”

Even someone as mild-mannered and patient as I couldn’t ignore such interference.

“Maybe I should give him some room to take the bait.”

What I planned to do was simple.

Pretend I didn’t have Smite and weaken the river crab until it had just a sliver of health left.

[HP – 37]

A single ranged attack would finish it off.

If I lost it here, it would be a major setback.

Nautilus, aware of this, instinctively used his hook to secure the river crab.

“Good.”

Thwunk!

It felt slightly wasteful to use Smite on a mere 37-HP river crab, but it was far better than losing it.

And then…

Nautilus’s hook, aimed at the crab, instead landed on me, who stood right behind it. Normally, the hook pulls the target towards Nautilus, but this time, Nautilus was pulled toward me.

“Up close, it’s even better.”

Flames and harpoons welcomed Nautilus.

“Nice to meet you, buddy.”

In the current meta, Rumble’s full combo, especially with the Overheated auto-attacks mixed in, is too much for even a tanky champion like Nautilus to handle.

In mere moments, Nautilus, now charred, used Flash in a desperate attempt to escape. However, by then, the allied bot lane had already arrived to cut off his retreat.

“Now it’s your turn, guys.”

If they’ve been idling around, it’s time for them to earn their keep.

First Blood!

The allied ADC secured the kill.

Ideally, as the jungler, it would have been best for me to take the kill in the early game, but this wasn’t bad either.

Above all, it was essentially a free kill earned from Nautilus’s overextension, making it all the more satisfying.

“That’s what happens when you overdo it.”

From the perspective of a jungler, there’s nothing more annoying than an enemy support or laner hovering around unnecessarily.

However, if they cross a certain line, there’s always a price to pay.

For Rainbow and YunGi, it must have been utterly frustrating.

The cleanly executed jungle path that focused on strengthening the bot lane, starting with an early invade and leading to a well-coordinated mid-lane trade, was undone in an instant by a single throw from their support.

“But what can you do?”

This is solo queue.

The enemy support isn’t SY’s long-time partner, Guinea Pig.

No matter how high the rank in solo queue, it can never be the same as a team game.

“So, what now?”

The enemy jungler is currently on the top-side path.

And their support is dead.

[Prisoner (Rumble) is on the move]

As soon as I began moving bot-side, the enemy ADC must have sensed the dive coming. They abandoned both CS and experience and retreated all the way to the second turret.

Even this alone was already a significant gain, but I wasn’t satisfied yet.

“Losses must be compensated.”

I proceeded to invade the enemy’s bot-side jungle.

Just as YunGi drove me out of their blue-side jungle earlier, I drove him out of his red-side jungle.

Naturally, I didn’t forget to leave behind one small raptor.

With this, I fully recovered both the losses my top lane had suffered and my disrupted jungle path.

Moreover, the allied bot lane, which had been forced to play cautiously earlier and had fallen slightly behind in CS, made up for it while the enemy support was absent. On top of that, they even secured a kill, completely turning the situation around.

“Hmm?”

[!]

At the moment when everyone’s attention was focused on the bot lane, Rainbow and YunGi had already regrouped at the top side and swiftly took down Setu, our top laner.

Rainbow used his Teleport not for lane return but for a top-side roam.

– An ally has been slain!

Due to my earlier mid-lane cover, our top laner didn’t have their Teleport available, and no nearby ally could cover the lane.

Did the mid-lane, which was relatively freer, gain any advantage in return? Not really, as our Lucian’s summoner spell wasn’t Teleport.

We had suffered more losses than expected.

“As expected.”

They’re not planning to give up easily, are they?

However, unless my condition was as bad as it had been that day, I’m not the kind of player to let a favorable game slip away easily.

I turned my attention to the bot lane.

Despite being an ADC champion, Kalista’s late-game damage output expectations are honestly not very high.

Yet why do so many pro players still pick Kalista?

The reason is simple.

Kalista’s dominance during the laning phase is absolutely insane.

And the player using Kalista now is none other than BlackDog.

Alongside Longbow and MobyDick, he is considered one of the best ADCs in the world.

From this point on, my job was simple: to ride the wave of his destructive power and add just a little extra impact.

After recalling, I swept through the blue-side jungle path again and headed straight back to the bot lane.

[Prisoner (Rumble) is on the move]

[Prisoner (Rumble) is on the move]

Could they sense the smell of a fight?

Lucian, who held lane priority in mid, naturally began moving toward the bot lane as well.

[MobyDick1111 (Lucian) has targeted MAX KingGodEmperor (Aphelios)]

The positions closed in from all directions.

Sylas, who had been stuck under the mid turret, abandoned his lane and rushed toward the bot side, but it was already too late.

The four allied players surrounded the enemy bot lane and pounced on them while they were defenseless.

– An enemy has been slain!

– Double kill!

The situation was clear.

The game had snowballed.

From that point on, the enemy’s resistance was meaningless.

The balance of power had already tipped, and while Rainbow and YunGi tried to fight back, every subsequent skirmish ended in our favor.

Dragon, Rift Herald, mid outer turret, bot outer turret.

Dragon, Rift Herald, mid inner turret, top outer turret.

Dragon, Baron, mid inhibitor turret, inhibitor.

Everything flowed smoothly and naturally, like a well-oiled machine, as if the outcome had been predetermined from the start.

Though Rainbow and YunGi managed some impressive plays here and there, they were nothing more than fleeting moments.

The game was essentially decided.

– An enemy has been slain!

– Double kill!

– Dominator of the battlefield!

– Finisher!

There was no need to chip away at the top and bottom inhibitors. After winning the decisive team fight, we pushed straight through the twin turrets and destroyed the Nexus.

[Victory]

In hindsight, it might seem like an easy win, but I don’t think of it as a game where I completely overwhelmed Rainbow or YunGi with pure skill.

In reality, the game snowballed due to the enemy support’s throw. Moreover, as professional players, Rainbow and YunGi likely had a tight schedule to manage.

Naturally, their condition and focus couldn’t match mine, as it was my first game of the day.

After the game ended, I received a 1:1 message.

It was from Rainbow.

[SY Rainbow: Good game.]

[SY Rainbow: I have an event tomorrow, so ㅠㅠ]

[SY Rainbow: I’ll stop here for today.]

[Me: Alright.]

Despite the game slipping away due to their support’s mistake, Rainbow didn’t show any frustration.

As always, he was calm and composed.

“Should I play one more game?”

I intended to follow Rainbow’s schedule as best as I could, but playing just one game and stopping felt unsatisfying.

“Just one more.”

[Searching for a game…]

I queued up and, as usual, opened the community forum while waiting.

“Uh?”

I found myself frowning unconsciously.

A witch hunt was in full swing there.