Back to the Top [Esports]

(The bonus chapters are now up. Next up: I'll Wait as Long as It Takes for You to Build a Team) Ye Ran, a mid-laner who had just won the world championship, announced his retirement on the spot. With his championship ring in hand, he dusted himself off and went straight off to pursue the love of his life. Word was that the person he liked was a wealthy young man from the scene. Ye Ran had won the championship to confess his feelings, but after his high-profile declaration, the other guy didn't even give him the time of day. Ye Ran was mocked as “the Esports scene's legendary love-struck fool.” A laughingstock in the scene, Ye Ran scraped by for three years through livestreaming, until one day a famous club's jungler, who had just shot to the top of his livestream leaderboard, suddenly invited him to try out for the team. Ye Ran: “Send me a photo. Let me see.” The other guy actually sent one. The lighting in the photo was soft and suggestive. The person in it had just snapped a casual selfie, yet even the unflattering angle couldn't hide his striking features. A cool, alluring little beauty mark sat at the corner of his eye, and the partially revealed butterfly tattoo on his collarbone made a powerful impression. Even the simple act of lowering his eyes and slightly bending his hand was enough to make anyone's heart race and mouth go dry. XG jungler: Join our team. Name your terms. Fans: Dream on. He's completely love-struck. But Ye Ran shut down his livestream that very night and announced that he'd be XG's starting mid-laner. In the photo on XG's official account, he wore a radiant smile. Fans: ??? Everyone said no one could make Ye Ran forget that proud, aloof young master. Then XG's jungler, Lu Yan, showed up. He made Ye Ran take back his claim that he'd never compete again, dye his hair black, remove his tattoo, and return to the race for another world championship. Fans: !!! So the way to get over a love-struck fool is to start another romance! * In the three years Ye Ran was gone, domestic Esports fell into decline, with no promising new talent to carry the torch. The LPL entered its darkest hour. Everyone said the LPL's glory days were over and the future belonged to other regions, until that young man returned to the stage and proved to everyone with his skill: Who the true king of Esports was. #GoneForThreeYearsAndStillALegendUponHisReturn# #GuysWhoGetsItMyYouthHasComeAliveAgain# [Reader's guide] 1. The bottom has outrageous talent, which is described in plenty of over-the-top detail. At first he couldn't care less, but later he figures things out, returns to the pro scene, and makes a name for himself. 2. The story starts with a tryout invitation during a livestream, with some flashbacks woven in along the way. 3. The bottom isn't a love-struck fool in the conventional sense; he has an emotional void he needs to fill and is bold when it comes to love. 4. The setting is explained in detail, so you can follow along even if you don't play games. 5. The version of the game is the author's own. · · Coming soon: I'll Wait as Long as It Takes for You to Build a Team [Esports] Blurb: After his team placed 16th at Worlds, Bai Yu was blasted to his face by a hater during a live interview: “You're nothing but eye candy, completely useless! If you ever win a championship, I'll stick my head in a toilet and let you kick it around!” He smiled and didn't argue. After returning home, he made a few phone calls. “I'm putting together a team. Do you want in?” Then the Esports scene was rocked to its foundations. First, the number-one-ranked FMVP jungler didn't renew with his old team, and people suspected he'd found a new one. Then the prodigy AD everyone wanted was spotted at three in the morning, dragging a suitcase and cheerfully listening to music as he headed to a team base so dilapidated they had to put up a windbreak at the entrance. Next, the dominant top-laner who had achieved everything and retired to enjoy his golden years logged into his long-neglected account and began an intense rehabilitation program. Finally, the versatile mid-laner who had transferred to North America and sworn never to join another LPL team suddenly appeared at a domestic airport, walking lightly. The next day, news broke that he'd just paid a massive penalty for breaking his contract and was preparing to join a team back home. On top of that, a major investor, a famous manager, a star coach, a top-tier streamer, and all sorts of other industry figures began showing up one after another. Everyone was losing their minds. Who did this lousy team belong to? Bai Yu: Sorry, it's mine ^^ * When Bai Yu first debuted, the scene was filled with brilliant stars and endless glory. He himself was one of the players who became famous around the world. After reaching the peak, he watched his region decline and its legends fall, until the day came when he, too, was about to become a thing of the past. After giving it a lot of thought, he called them. “There won't be any salary at first, and we won't have any fans. If we lose later, it'll be humiliating too. Are you still in?” “Of course.” “I'm definitely in.” “It's just embarrassment. I've got thick skin.” “If you're building a team, I'm coming.” One person still hadn't answered. Bai Yu gripped his phone, listening to the steady breathing on the other end. The rookie who once hadn't even been qualified to share the stage with him had grown into a versatile king who struck fear into the hearts of everyone in the scene. A trace of embarrassment crept across Bai Yu's expectant expression. “What about you, Lu Sheng?” A soft laugh came through the phone. “Sure. One championship for one night together. You can sign me for as long as you want.” Bai Yu: ...? #ReunionAfterYearsApartAndAHiddenAmbition# A sensitive, self-doubting but actually formidable team captain bottom × A direct, take-action-first king top who never nags · · Coming soon: Rivalry [Esports] Blurb: (Feel free to bookmark it. It will definitely be written.) Lin Tian failed to qualify for Worlds three times. People in the scene mocked him for being an unorthodox player who didn't belong on the big stage. All three times, his dream of making Worlds was crushed by Lu Guiran, the scene's celebrated rising prodigy. Lu Guiran had received proper training since childhood and played a steady game. Next to him, Lin Tian was an unorthodox player riddled with weaknesses. The two were around the same age and debuted in the same year, so people inevitably compared them. When a reporter asked what he thought of the Esports dark horse Lin Tian, Lu Guiran didn't hold back: “He's still a long way behind real professionals.” Lin Tian remembered Lu Guiran because of that remark. He fought his way into the pro scene just so he could trash-talk him onstage: “I'm here to beat Lu Guiran!” He'd barely finished talking big when his team was eliminated in the first round of groups. He never even got to face Lu Guiran. And Lu Guiran, unsurprisingly, won the championship. Asked for his thoughts in an interview, he said again, “He's still a long way behind.” Lin Tian: ... In a foul mood, he went up to the rooftop to drink, slipped, and met his maker. When he woke up again, he had been reborn in the past. Lu Guiran, who would one day sweep up trophies across major tournaments, was still a child, while Lin Tian already had countless strategies and years of tournament experience under his belt! After losing for a lifetime, Lin Tian let his darker impulses take over. He immediately decided to transfer to Lu Guiran's school and fight him to the bitter end! Later, an unprecedented account appeared in the pro scene. It went on a long winning streak through Master rank, beat more than half the pros in solo queue, and played only two games a day. Its whereabouts were mysterious, like those of some detached master. The scene began speculating that it was an alternate account belonging to some big shot who was practicing. They secretly tried to find out who was behind it, but in the end discovered that the account belonged to an elementary school student who could only play two games a day because of the System's anti-addiction restrictions. The pros who lost to him: ??? So Esports really is doomed, huh? Theme: The greater your ability, the greater your responsibility. The more capable you are, the more you should shoulder the responsibilities that are yours.