LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 424
Preparation for the season is coming along nicely, and before we know it, the Spring Season opener is just a week away.
My teammates and I have been dedicating ourselves to practice without even a moment’s break, sacrificing our personal vacations.
“Thanks for your hard work, everyone.”
“Ugh, what a shame. I could’ve caught that.”
“Winning is what matters, after all.”
There have been many changes during this time.
I don’t know what kind of magic it was, but Kim Jae-min, who started hanging out with Kim Ji-hoon, managed to hit Challenger, while Baek Seong-an got demoted to Dia.
It seems that with the season about to kick off, Baek Seong-an has a lot more on his plate than just the game.
“Sniff, sniff. What’s that smell? Could it be the smell of a bug?”
“You’re gonna get in trouble.”
“Whoa, is that you, Hyung? I thought some bug sneaked into the dorm.”
“Come here.”
“No way.”
While it was amusing to see them play around, the fact remains that unlike the other teammates, Baek Seong-an truly had his work cut out for him.
‘…Should I find a separate coach or manager?’
Even though I had already been aware of that fact for quite a while, the reason I hadn’t sought out a coach or manager was, quite frankly, a matter of money.
Currently, our team is functioning on a shoestring budget, and our rookie teammates are receiving salaries close to the minimum wage.
As for my value… let’s just say it’s nonexistent.
With that alone, I was already feeling pretty strained, and I had no ability to pay a new person’s salary.
‘Besides… If the direction of the coach or manager doesn’t align with ours, it could actually tear the team apart.’
The biggest reason we’ve made it this far is that our diverse team members have managed to gel together relatively well.
And the biggest factor in that harmony has undeniably been Baek Seong-an, our team’s oldest and most experienced member.
Essentially, Baek Seong-an has been shouldering not only the role of our Mid Laner but also the duties of a manager and coach.
While I may be the outward focal point of the team, all my teammates know.
The true heart of our team is Baek Seong-an, our Mid Laner.
But is bringing in a new coach or manager the right way for our team?
Could it result in Baek Seong-an losing his own role and the team losing its direction?
I couldn’t dare to say for sure.
“Okay, everyone, gather around.”
Feedback sessions continued as usual.
“Yeon-woo, the opponent joined first, and the situation was already decided. You should have pushed top instead.”
“I felt that I made a mistake there too.”
“Yeah, it’s tough to make judgments in these situations, but it’s still necessary, you know that?”
“Yes, yes.”
Baek Seong-an looked at me.
“And I think our team’s ban/pick should indeed focus on the jungle. That’s our biggest weapon.”
“That might yield good win rates right now, but… will it work in the long term?”
“It won’t.”
Baek Seong-an’s words were filled with such confidence that I blinked in surprise.
“What then?”
“Our team should lessen your burden as well. But for now, it’s not possible. We need time.”
Needing time…
To put that differently, it meant that our team might eventually be able to lead with different strategies.
With that strange conviction, I smiled.
“I’ll trust you.”
“It’s not a matter of trust; it will happen.”
Baek Seong-an said that with a strange power, making me feel like it absolutely would happen.
“Hyung, what about me?”
Baek Seong-an said begrudgingly, looking at me with his bright eyes.
“Today, Jae-min did well. Looks like Challenger wasn’t just lucky?”
“Ahem, that was skill.”
“I’ll be watching.”
“You too, bug, get out of here.”
“I just stopped by for a bit.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Ugh, I don’t believe you.”
“Shut up.”
A brief exchange of banter passed between Baek Seong-an and Kim Jae-min, and then Baek Seong-an spoke up again.
“And about the ban/pick…”
Baek Seong-an added.
“Sorry, my champion pool is affecting the ban/pick. I realized the opponent couldn’t use Jason mid.”
“No, Jason usually goes top rather than mid… There’s nothing we can do about it.”
“If it’s unavoidable, that’s not good.”
“Huh?”
“We’re pros, right? Even if we can’t, we have to.”
Isn’t it strange?
Why Baek Seong-an’s words sounded a bit different from usual.
“I think we can end the feedback here for today. Let’s get to individual practice.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Thanks for your hard work, everyone. Jae-min, you come with me.”
Kim Ji-hoon’s words made Kim Jae-min’s face go pale.
“Oh, today too?”
“Today too?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
With that, Kim Ji-hoon and Kim Jae-min vanished into one corner of the practice room, and Baek Seong-an approached Seo Yeon-woo.
“Yeon-woo, I want to ask you about Jason’s details. Do you have time?”
“Ah, yes, yes.”
So, Baek Seong-an headed to a spot with Seo Yeon-woo, discussing Jason and other champions.
‘Come to think of it…’
Recently, Baek Seong-an has had a lot of AD champions like Jason and Tristana in his solo rank records.
The old Baek Seong-an would hardly use such champions at all, but lately, ADC champions have been going AP items often in the current meta, so practicing AD champions in mid was the play.
‘And that’s not all.’
Yune, Akali, Irelia, etc…
Champions that Baek Seong-an would never have used before were filling up his record.
I had been aware he was frequently playing such champions lately, but I didn’t know he was taking it this seriously.
The rapid drop in tier lately must also be due to that.
‘But if he can’t handle such picks properly, it could backfire.’
To prove that fact, not many players in LCKR can unhesitatingly pull out such picks.
Most players prioritize meta-appropriate, so-called good picks, or use champions like Azir, which, despite being difficult, have many advantages.
‘Lightening his burden…’
I couldn’t tell whether that attempt would succeed or fail, but for now, I decided to just watch quietly.
Watching is, in a way, a role that can be seen as that of the team owner.
*
It’s 3 AM.
Unless there are plans for the next day, it’s time to start winding down.
No matter how much Challenger queue solo rank may be in the early hours, 3 AM is a pretty late time.
The only ones left during these hours are pure devils.
Among those demons running solo ranks at this hour was Baek Seong-an, the proud Mid Laner of OLZ.
“Not sleeping?”
“Uh, just one more game.”
“You have appointments tomorrow morning.”
“It’s fine. I can sleep a little less.”
As the season opener draws closer, Baek Seong-an’s practice hours have been increasing accordingly.
Considering how much his workload has skyrocketed in preparation for the season, it’s not a normal situation.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yup. I’m fine.”
I wondered if he might get carried away like this, but nobody can stop a gamer in that state better than I can.
“Then I’ll play one more game too.”
“You should sleep. You need to manage your condition.”
“I’m fine.”
I sat back down and booted up the Legends of League client.
While in the queue, I casually glanced over at the screen next to me, where Baek Seong-an was playing.
[Sylas]
Baek Seong-an’s champion is Sylas.
He has unique strengths and dueling power, and also has high late-game value, but is not a favored pick in LCKR, a league where laning advantage is crucial due to his one weakness: poor laning phase.
Of course, if the meta changes and a patch comes through that raises Sylas’s power level even a bit, it’s a different story, but for now, that’s the situation.
[Tristana]
The opposing champion is Tristana.
However… the opposing ID looks strangely familiar.
[S2클라쑤]
On one hand, it could just be a strange nickname, but that name belongs to Tanis, the Mid Laner of SS Class, one of the teams in LCKR.
‘Tanis, huh…’
To put it bluntly, SS Class’s team record isn’t very good.
They are a lower-tier team in LCKR.
Actually, the bottom tier team.
That’s how they have been tethered in my memory since last season, and Tanis too was not a standout player.
‘However, every mid laner in LCKR is a monster in their own right.’
LCKR.
Even though they unfortunately lost to China at the Red Cup last year, LCKR holds a status akin to the motherland of Legends of League.
Just by staying in such a league and competing signifies that, in a way, they are already monsters.
While it may look like they’re stagnant from the outside, it’s actually impressive in itself.
In this moment, everyone is likely pushing themselves to improve and not resting on their laurels.
[Game found!]
[Accept / Decline]
“Whoa, that startled me.”
In a split second as I tried to hit accept, something strange happened.
-You have slain the enemy!
I have no idea how, but Baek Seong-an’s Sylas managed to solo kill Tanis’s Tristana.