LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

In the center of the brightly lit arena, the EDG players slowly took off their noise-cancelling headphones, sweat and excitement intertwined on their young faces.

They walked to the other side of the stage, and the figures of the DWG players looked a little dim in the shadow of loss.

The first one was Nuguri. He was like a puppet without a soul, expressionless, with empty eyes, and every muscle in his body was stiff. He mechanically stretched out his hand and gently shook hands with Su Mo who was walking in front.

Next up is jungler Canyon.

Su Mo smiled and stretched out his hand, Canyon also stretched out his hand, and their palms touched briefly.

Su Mo could clearly feel the reluctance and slight trembling coming from his hands. On Canyon's still young face, dissatisfaction and stubbornness were intertwined, and his lips were tightly pursed, as if silently announcing the next challenge.

Then it was the mid laner Showmaker. The talented mid laner's face was filled with deep regrets. He subconsciously shook his head slightly, his brows filled with regrets for some key operations and decisions in the game just now.

Su Mo took the initiative to step forward and stretched out his hand.

Showmaker shook his hand back vigorously. When their eyes met, he took a deep breath and said in clear Korean: "You played well, but next time we meet, I will win back."

His voice was not loud, but it was powerful.

Su Mo nodded appreciatively, a sincere smile on his face: "To be honest, I'm looking forward to it."

Showmaker's eyes suddenly became sharp and firm: "I will."

"Okay, I look forward to your performance." Su Mo patted Showmaker's shoulder gently, as if to encourage him, or as a response to the challenge.

This scene was keenly captured by the on-site director, and a close-up shot was projected onto the giant LED screen in the center of the venue, with every detail clearly visible.

In the commentary booth, Rita's voice sounded at the right time, with some emotion: "Brother Mozi seems to be encouraging Showmaker! I think Showmaker is a very respectable opponent. His strength is unquestionable, and he is still so young, so he has a promising future."

Under the lights at the scene, many spectators spontaneously shouted: "DWG! DWG! DWG!" The uniform shouts echoed in the venue, full of encouragement and respect for this young team.

However, this well-intentioned encouragement was like the last straw that broke the camel's back for Showmaker, who was already trying to remain calm. His nose felt sore, and his forced optimism instantly collapsed, and he lowered his head in shame. Su Mo could feel that an emotion called "let down" was enveloping him. Yes, as long as they won this game, LCK would be able to win the trophy, but they dimmed the countless expectant eyes.

Su Mo continued to move forward and shook hands with the DWG duo. ADC player Nuclear looked calm, without much excitement, while support player BeryL looked as if he was in a trance, with a wandering look in his eyes, as if his soul had already flown out of the arena, and he only thought of the words "It's finally over".

After shaking hands with everyone from DWG one by one, Su Mo brought his EDG teammates back to the center of the stage and bowed deeply to the thunderous audience.

The lights were focused, and the players of IG, FPX, and TOP also walked onto the stage from the player channel, with the LPL flag flying behind them, sharing the glory that belonged to the entire region.

Ning Wang came over and slapped Su Mo on the shoulder: "Great, EDG! You guys are amazing! I thought you were going to fail in the last game!"

The factory manager rolled his eyes when he heard this and said angrily, "Can't you hope for the best for us? Do you think we will lose? You really have no sense at all!"

Doinb was jumping around like a child, raising his hands and cheering: "We won! We won! We are the champions! LPL No. 1!"

Ning Wang held down his excitedly shaking shoulders and said with a sly smile, "Hey, Jin Gugu, didn't your FPX lose in the quarterfinals? Are you so happy about winning without doing anything?"

Doinb asked back, "But didn't IG win in the end? Same here!"

The other IG players held their foreheads helplessly and sighed in their hearts. They had nothing to do with the situation in the first place, but they were dragged into it by Ning Wang, this outspoken guy.

Jackeylove squeezed over from the crowd and looked at Su Mo with bright eyes: "Well done, EDG! You really have something."

Su Mo smiled back, "You're welcome. When we return to the LPL Summer Season, we will be tit-for-tat opponents. Are you IG ready?"

Jackeylove spread his hands exaggeratedly: "Alas, we just won the Intercontinental Championship, so don't mention this kind of sad and headache-inducing thing."

Meiko also came over and said to Jackeylove with a smile: "Wenboer, now that we are back in LPL, let's continue our real battle in the bottom lane. To be honest, it's quite interesting to play against you."

Su Mo suddenly interrupted and winked mischievously: "Hey, Tian Ye, why do I feel like you are quite interested in him? Do you two have any secrets?"

Meiko's cheeks turned red and she waved her hands quickly: "Inside story? I, I don't know what you are talking about! Don't talk nonsense!"

At this time, the host walked onto the stage holding a microphone, and his passionate voice spread throughout the audience through the speakers: "Ladies and gentlemen, after five thrilling matches, I now declare that the LPL region defeated the LCK region with a score of 3 to 2 and successfully defended the championship of this Asian Challenge Tournament!"

Amid thunderous applause, representatives of the four LPL teams were invited to the center of the stage, crowded together shoulder to shoulder, and jointly raised the championship trophy that symbolized glory under the golden rain and brilliant lights.

The award ceremony ended in great jubilation, and everyone was about to return to the lounge. As soon as they reached the backstage passage, they ran into the players from the four LCK teams who were about to leave.

In the crowd, Su Mo saw the familiar figure at a glance - Faker. Their eyes met in the air, Faker nodded slightly, took the initiative to walk over, and stretched out his hand:
"Congratulations, the final victory was won by you, LPL." His tone was calm, with a barely perceptible trace of fatigue.

Su Mo shook hands with him and replied modestly, "It was just luck. I almost lost."

Faker's mouth curled up into a meaningful smile: "Is it really just 'almost'?"

Before he finished speaking, a slightly thin figure nimbly walked through the crowd and quickly walked to Su Mo and Faker.

"Faker-senpai, are you familiar with player Mo?"

Su Mo turned around and saw Showmaker. At this moment, Showmaker's eyes brightened up again, and his face was more cheerful and energetic, as if the lost look just now was just a flash in the pan. After all, he was still young, and a loss would not easily break him down.

"Uh..." Faker seemed a little hesitant in the face of Showmaker's sudden question. It's not that they are very familiar with each other, but they have played against each other and met each other many times in international competitions over the years, so they have had some superficial exchanges.

Before Faker could finish his words, Showmaker turned to Su Mo and asked with shining eyes, "Player Mo, can you give me your contact information? I would like to ask you for more advice."

Su Mo took out his phone readily: "Of course no problem."

The two quickly exchanged contact information, and Showmaker showed a satisfied smile on his face.

Su Mo inadvertently felt that there seemed to be a figure watching him silently from the corner of his eye. He subconsciously turned his head to look - it was Chovy!

Chovy was standing not far away, looking at this side with complicated eyes, but he never moved. When Su Mo's eyes swept over, Chovy immediately looked away, pretending to observe the ceiling somewhere else, looking a little reserved. Su Mo understood in his heart that Chovy's personality seemed to be more introverted than Showmaker, who was obviously more open.

The LPL teammates were still waiting in front. Su Mo said to Faker and Showmaker, "If there's nothing else, I'll leave with the team first."

After saying that, he turned around and followed his teammates towards the locker room.

However, when he walked past Chovy, he keenly noticed that Chovy's lips moved slightly, and his eyes were full of hesitation, as if he wanted to say something but was embarrassed to speak.

Su Mo kept walking forward. Suddenly, there was a sound of hurried footsteps behind him. Chovy caught up with him and said in a stiff tone: "Give me a contact number."

Su Mo stopped and the other LPL players turned around curiously.

Chovy's tone was stiff and abrupt. If someone didn't know him, they would think he was some school thug extorting protection money. He was standing there with a hint of nervousness that was hard to detect. However, looking at his slightly reddened ears and evasive eyes, it was obvious that he was just shy and not good at expressing himself.

Su Mo smiled, took out his phone again, and exchanged contact information with Chovy. "Okay, if there's nothing else, I'll leave first."

Su Mo turned around and continued to move forward. Just as he took a step, Chovy's slightly stiff but relieved voice came from behind him: "Thank you."

The LPL crowd looked at each other in bewilderment, and then burst into good-natured laughter. This kid, though he looked tall and strong, was surprisingly introverted and innocent.

After walking a little further away, Meiko approached Su Mo and made a face, "Brother Mozi, what's going on? Tonight, you got two talented mid-lane fans from LCK?"

Su Mo laughed and said, "Not really, not really, it's just normal communication between players."

Meiko continued to joke: "That's not necessarily true. After all, you are the double champion who won two consecutive world championships, and your personal strength is abnormal. This treatment is almost catching up with Faker back then. Who wouldn't want to communicate with you and learn from your experience?"

At this time, EDG's manager Abu smiled and suggested: "We won the game, everyone is in a good mood, how about the four LPL teams go out for a meal together to celebrate?"

Ning Wang was the first to jump out and respond. He rubbed his stomach and shouted exaggeratedly, "Good! Good! I'm starving! I've been fighting for five games. It's been almost five hours since the start of the game. My stomach has been growling for a long time!"

Baolan on the side couldn't help but complain: "In these five hours, you spent at least four hours in the audience watching the game. It's not like you were asked to play. How hungry can you be?"

Ning Wang immediately retorted unconvincedly: "Hey, watching the game is also a way to consume brain power, do you understand? You think everyone is the same as you, watching it is the same as not watching it at all, we top players are all here to learn tactics and ideas from it!"

"Hahaha..." Everyone in LPL was amused by Ning Wang's "righteous" twisted logic. When these words came out of his mouth, it always felt like something was weird, yet full of joy.

A moment later, the LPL team came to the restaurant of the hotel where they were staying.

There were too many people, and even one big box couldn't accommodate them, so they had to split into several tables. As soon as Su Mo sat down, the players around him immediately started to make a scene, pushing and shoving each other, all wanting to sit next to this LPL's pillar of support. Su Mo didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and could only let them fight over it.

As the dishes were not yet served, a group photo session was inevitable. Everyone took out their mobile phones and consciously lined up next to Su Mo. Flashes of light flashed one after another, and the scene was comparable to a small fan meeting.

In fact, in the past two years, the LCK region has been frustrated in the international arena, and has not won any key championships such as the S League and MSI. But the other teams in the LPL, under the strong rule of Su Mo and EDG, have had an even worse life. Not to mention international competitions, they can't even touch the league championship trophy. So now, this intercontinental championship that was finally snatched back from the LCK is of great commemorative value and symbolic significance to the entire LPL.

The next day, the four LPL teams boarded the plane back to China with the glory of the championship. After a short break, the battle of the LPL Summer Season will continue.

Time flies, and the regular season of the summer season quickly came to an end. EDG made some lineup rotations and tactical adjustments during the regular season, and finally entered the playoffs with the fifth place in the standings. This means that they need to start from the first round of the playoffs and play an extra BO5.

At the LPL match, in the EDG exclusive lounge, the atmosphere was a little heavy as the battle was about to begin. Coach Abu crossed his arms and looked at his players, with a hint of "disappointment" in his tone: "If you guys had played a little harder in the regular season, we could have played one less BO5 and started directly from the second round. Now, we have to start from the beginning and we can't let down our guard in any game."

Su Mo leaned back on the sofa, with a relaxed smile on his face, and started to liven up the atmosphere: "It's okay, Bu Shen, just think of it as giving Jiejie more competition experience. Isn't our opponent in the first round today Snake? Oh no, it's renamed LNG now. It's just right, Jiejie can find Sofm to avenge the "one arrow revenge" of that year, right, Jiejie?"

When Jiejie first debuted, he suffered a lot facing Sofm's elusive and complicated jungle style, and was often fooled by him.

When Sofm's ID was mentioned, Su Mo keenly noticed that Jiejie's eyes suddenly became sharp. His usually immature face was now full of concentration and fighting spirit. He clenched his fist and said in a deep voice: "I will win this BO5 myself!"

"Good! This is exactly the kind of momentum we need!" Su Mo gave a thumbs up and praised, his eyes full of encouragement.

A moment later, as the on-site director prompted, the game was about to begin. Coach Abu led the starting five to the game room.

The factory manager stayed in the lounge and looked at Su Mo, who also did not appear, and raised his eyebrows: "Why, you kid, you are not going to wait until the fifth life-and-death game, and then go up to turn the tide, play the role of the savior, and pretend to be cool, right?"

Su Mo laughed when he heard this and spread his hands: "Mingkai, are you underestimating your teammates who you spend every day with? Or are you overestimating LNG? For this match, do you think we need to play to the fifth game?"

The fact is just as Su Mo expected. In the first game, EDG played quite smoothly. Although Su Mo did not play in person, after entering the playoffs, he and the coaching staff carefully prepared a lot of routines and tactics for every potential opponent in the playoffs. These reserves are more than enough to deal with LNG.

After easily winning the first game, the EDG players returned to the lounge with confidence and high morale on their faces.

However, LNG was no pushover. In the second game, they showed amazing resilience, especially the top laner, Riven. His Shen was like a god in the team battle. With several key precise cuts and extreme operations, he led the team to pull back a point and changed the score to a 1-1 tie. The atmosphere in the arena instantly became tense.

In the third game, EDG obviously learned their lesson and no longer gave Saint Spear any chance to carry the game. They started to target him closely from the BP stage, and launched several successful ganks around the top lane. Even if Saint Spear had three heads and six arms, he could not turn the tide. EDG won the third game steadily.

In the fourth game, EDG, holding the match point, was unstoppable. They established an advantage from the laning phase, and through continuous resource plundering and successful team battles, they snowballed and eventually ended the game without any danger.

3 to 1! EDG successfully advanced to the second round of the playoffs!

Their next opponent is the BLG team, which is known for its teamwork and operational capabilities. Although BLG does not have any star-studded superstar players, the players in each position have good strengths, and the team is highly cohesive, making it a tough nut to crack.

Su Mo and Abu teamed up again, carefully studied BLG's game videos, and developed detailed targeted tactics. In this round, Su Mo still chose to trust his teammates and sat on the bench to watch the game.

Although there were twists and turns during the game, EDG relied on superior individual abilities and the ingenious tactics arranged by Su Mo to eventually defeat BLG with a score of three to one and successfully advance to the third round, which is the semi-finals!
EDG’s opponent in the semi-finals is a new and powerful team that has emerged this season - TOP!

In the parking lot outside the LPL game venue, a luxury bus with the EDG team logo printed on it slowly drove in, slowed down, and stopped steadily. Then the door opened with a "swish".

"Okay, guys, take your equipment and get ready to get off the bus." Coach Abu stood up first and called out.

The EDG members got out of the car one by one and breathed in the slightly hot air outside the venue.

The team members gathered beside the bus and were about to line up to enter the competition venue. At this moment, Su Mo's ears moved and he heard another roar of an engine coming from far away. He subconsciously looked back and saw another bus coming towards him.

It was a bus with the team logo printed on it. On the orange-red main color, a team logo shaped like a futuristic warrior's helmet was particularly eye-catching - that was the logo of the TOP team.

"Oh, what a coincidence." Upon seeing this, the factory manager also stopped and looked at the other car with interest, as if he wanted to meet his old rival before the race and exchange some "pre-race trash talk".

Soon, TOP's team bus stopped not far in front of EDG, the door opened, and TOP's players filed out. The one walking in front was a young player with a slightly thin figure and a calm temperament. He lowered his head slightly and looked focused. He was TOP's core mid laner, Knight, also known as "Left Hand".

"Here comes the left hand!" Meiko nudged Scout next to him with his elbow and asked in a low voice, "How is it, little brother, do you feel the pressure?"

Scout glanced at Knight and calmly replied, "Not bad...but why do you all call him 'Left Hand'?"

Meiko shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know. I saw that they were all shouting in the live broadcast comments and on the forums. I guess... maybe it's because he's left-handed and uses a mouse?"

After TOP got off the bus, they naturally noticed the EDG team not far away. The coaches on both sides, Abu and TOP's White Crescent, smiled at each other, shook hands politely, and exchanged a few polite words.

While the coaches were talking, the players on both sides naturally moved closer.

The starting players of TOP all look very young and full of vigor. After all, they are new forces that have just fought their way up from the secondary league.

"Brother Mozi!" A clear voice sounded. Su Mo looked in the direction of the voice and saw a boy wearing black-framed glasses who looked not at all refined but rather honest and straightforward. It was TOP's starting top laner - 369.

"Oh, it's 369. I heard that you have been performing very well in the recent summer season." Su Mo greeted him with a smile.

"Hehe, it feels just so-so... well, it's just OK." 369 scratched his head and smiled innocently. There was a bit of youthful shyness on his face, but the complacency and pride in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows could not be concealed.

Su Mo's eyes passed over 369 and fell on Knight beside him. Knight remained silent, his eyes downcast, and he was not sure what he was thinking. He exuded a calmness that did not match his age, or introversion. Su Mo suddenly remembered that the personality of this "left hand" was somewhat similar to that of Chovy, the LCK mid laner he met in the Intercontinental Championship. They were both the type who were not talkative and introverted.

After a brief pre-match meeting, the two teams parted ways under the guidance of the staff and went to their own exclusive lounges for final preparations.

After entering EDG's lounge, Su Mo casually threw his backpack on the sofa, found a comfortable corner to sit down, took out his mobile phone and habitually refreshed the e-sports information to see what the latest trend was or the battle situation in other regions.

As a result, he was slightly surprised to find that the LCK summer playoffs had already reached the finals!
This time, the final matchup is between T1 and GRF!

Su Mo was watching intently when the factory manager's voice suddenly came from behind him, with a hint of curiosity: "Huh? T1? I remember that they played very badly in the regular season this season, stumbling all the way, but they still made it to the finals?"

Su Mo didn't need to turn around to know that it was the old man, the factory manager, who came over to peek at his phone screen again. He replied without turning his head: "T1 is a team that you can never underestimate based on its performance in the regular season. When you think it's not going to perform well, it can often give you a big 'surprise' in the playoffs, or even create a miracle."

Upon hearing this, the factory manager curled his lips, his face full of disapproval: "Really? Did you suffer a trauma from the beating they gave you back then, so you take them too seriously?"

Su Mo turned his head and looked at him with amusement: "I'm afraid of them? Mingkai, you really dare to say that. In the past in LPL, everyone was shaking and weak when it came to playing SKT. Who is the one with the shadow? I won't criticize him by name."

The two were bickering when Coach Abu clapped his hands and interrupted their chat: "Okay, okay, it's almost time, the starting players are ready to go on stage."

Su Mo waved to his teammates who were about to play and made a cheering gesture: "Brothers, come on! I'm cheering for you like crazy from below!"

This time, the starting lineup sent by EDG to face TOP is still: top laner Ray, jungler Jiejie, mid laner Scout, ADC Iboy, and support Meiko.

Su Mo and the factory director stayed in the lounge and watched the game on the big screen.

The players from both teams came on stage to the exciting music and the cheers of the audience. After debugging the equipment, they quickly entered the BP stage.

Since Su Mo is not on the field, EDG's mid-jungle synergy and bottom lane combination will undoubtedly become the focus of TOP's attack, and they will need to bear more ban pressure and tactical restrictions. Fortunately, after a long period of running-in and growth, EDG's current lineup, the players' individual abilities and team tacit understanding have been raised to a new level, and they are still able to deal with this kind of attack with ease.

The BP is over, the lineups of both teams are determined, and the game officially enters the loading screen.

The game started, during the laning phase, Su Mo and the factory manager focused their attention on the two key single lanes, top lane and mid lane.

In the top lane, TOP's 369 chose Renekton, the Desert Butcher, who was extremely strong in the early laning phase, while Ray got Aatrox, the Darkin Sword Demon, who had good recovery and late-stage growth. In the picture, 369's Crocodile played very aggressively. With the hero's characteristics and his own fierce operation, he seized an opportunity at only level 369, and a fierce "Red Rage WQAE" combo lowered Ray's Sword Demon's health, forcing the latter to retreat and temporarily give up a few last hits. However, 's own state was also consumed a lot. He calmly controlled the line of soldiers, slowly pushed them into the EDG tower, and chose to return to the city to replenish his state and equipment.

The factory manager touched his chin and commented: "I feel that this 369 is really something. He plays very proactively and dares to fight. There are no major problems with basic operations and laning details."

Su Mo nodded slightly, expressing his agreement: "Well, his basic skills are quite solid, and his laning style is also fierce enough. However..." He paused, a sharp look flashed in his eyes, "There is still room for improvement in the delicacy of his operation, especially in micro-operation and response in some extreme situations. It seems that there is a little shackle of talent, and the upper limit may not be too high."

Upon hearing this, the factory manager glanced at him in disbelief: "You can see this? You can diagnose talent through the screen? Impossible, you are bragging again."

Su Mo smiled noncommittally: "It's up to you whether you believe it or not."

The camera switches to the middle lane. TOP's "left hand" Knight uses LeBlanc, the Deceiver, against Zoe, one of Scout's signature heroes. The battle between the two top mid laners was full of sparks from the beginning. Both sides fought back and forth, consuming and testing each other, trying to seize the opponent's mistakes to kill, but both sides were very cautious and did a flawless defense. After several waves of confrontation, it was basically a 50-50 situation, and no one could gain much advantage, so they could only temporarily enter a stage of peaceful development.

The factory manager continued to comment: "The speed of Left Hand's improvement is indeed quite obvious. It has only been a short while, but he has become more and more calm and composed when laning against Scout. He doesn't seem to be at much of a disadvantage."

Su Mo replied: "Yes, this is a good thing. Our LPL can continue to produce talented young people like this, so that we can maintain long-term competitiveness and have successors."

The factory manager was stunned when he heard this, and looked at Su Mo with a strange expression: "There is a successor? What do you mean by this? Don't scare me, you are not... thinking about retiring again, are you?"

Su Mo was amused by him and waved his hands: "What are you thinking about? At least wait until I win the S-League three times in a row and build a real dynasty. You are thinking too far ahead."

The laning phase ended quickly with the two sides testing each other and minor frictions, and the game gradually entered the mid-term group stage. TOP and EDG launched several fierce team battles around neutral resources such as the Rift Herald and the Little Dragon, with both sides winning and losing, and the economy was basically the same, and there was never a big gap.

Just when the situation was in a stalemate and both sides were playing very cautiously, TOP's bottom lane ADC player LokeN, who was playing the well-developed bounty hunter Miss Fortune, stood out in a crucial dragon soul team battle. He avoided EDG's key control skills with his exquisite positioning, and then, under the cover of his teammates, he activated his ultimate skill "Barrage Time" at an extreme position, dealing devastating AOE damage that instantly melted EDG's front row heroes. TOP seized the opportunity and rushed forward, successfully winning this key team battle and taking down the big dragon.

Relying on the strong advancement of the Baron Buff, TOP played steadily and did not give EDG too many opportunities to turn the tables. It gradually eroded EDG's defensive towers and high ground, and finally won the game in one wave, winning the first place.

In the lounge, before the image of the TOP base crystal exploding on the big screen faded, the factory manager had already jumped up from his seat, eyes wide open, almost unable to believe his own judgment:

"No! How could LokeN steal our win? When I analyzed the game before the match, I thought he was just an ADC hanging out with the team!"

Su Mo seemed calm, tapping the tabletop rhythmically with his fingertips, and analyzed: "It is precisely because everyone thinks he is a 'slacker' and does not pay too much attention to him that he can inadvertently find an opportunity to complete a fatal blow. The truth is sometimes as simple as this, take the enemy by surprise and attack when they are unprepared."

The factory manager slapped his thigh in annoyance, his tone full of unwillingness: "This loss is too frustrating! In the entire team battle, was there no one to pay attention to this ADC? He was allowed to output so comfortably!"

Soon, the five starting players of EDG who had lost returned to the lounge with gloomy looks on their faces.

The air seemed to freeze. The team members' faces were filled with regret and unwillingness. They hung their heads and said nothing.

The defeat just now was like a huge rock pressing down on their hearts. (End of this chapter)