LOL: I just turned 18, let me fight back and be reborn

Chapter 396 "Draining divine power"? You really dare!

"G~G~!"

Despite his reluctance, the Roaring Emperor, as the home commentator, still had to follow tradition and congratulate V5 when his team's base exploded.

"Wow, V5 is really too ethical!"

P shook his head with a hint of regret: "They managed to resist spawn-camping in the last wave, letting Aatrox and Sylas escape. Otherwise, I feel like we might have gotten another pentakill in the last wave!"

Niu Guli didn't seem happy either.

Both teams have their own friends, but he naturally hopes that HLE can win, after all, it is a team from his own region.

On the other hand, if he were to actually get a double pentakill while spawn-camping, especially on his own home turf, he couldn't even imagine how terrifying the public opinion would be!
Given the sheer dominance of this match, the post-match public opinion is likely already quite alarming.
Roaring Emperor shook his head repeatedly in frustration: "HLE is now down 0-2 and on the edge of a cliff. This team, which has last year's runner-up mid and top laners and champion jungler, is only one step away from saying goodbye to the World Championship!"

"Please, HLE, this match is crucial. You must get back into form quickly, at least we can't let V5 advance to the semifinals so easily!"

After the quarterfinals draw, a saying circulated in each competition area.

The lower bracket is "LPL's Siege of T1", while the upper bracket is "LCK's Stopping of V5" — LCK must stop this team on their way to an unprecedented "Golden Road" grand slam achievement!

Samsung had already made it to the semifinals, and even if no one really expected HLE to beat V5 today, they certainly hoped that HLE could at least get some credit and take a piece of the pie.

But who would have thought.

In today's quarterfinals, HLE seemed to have little hope in both games!
The HLE players on the field, amidst the screams of excitement ignited by the pentakill, were completely unable to hear the voices from the commentary booth on the high platform.

Even if they could hear it, the five of them had no interest in thinking about it.

As Canyon left, his eyes glazed over, he mechanically gulped down a can of cola. His round face reflected a meaningful inner turmoil—what exactly was I doing at HLE this year?!
Is this right!
He was mentally devastated by DK's crushing defeat to EDG in the quarterfinals last year, and felt that DK could no longer help him advance further, so he wanted to switch teams.

HLE lured him by signing DRX's second-best performing mid and top laners, even if the bot lane roster is slightly weaker, it should be enough to dominate in this meta where the bot lane is clearly less important.

Surprisingly, the two rookies in the bot lane didn't cause any problems. Instead, the top and mid laners became the biggest weak points!

It looks like he's about to be eliminated in the quarterfinals again!
In comparison, Canyon is not so bad.

Two rookies transferred from KT, a giant ship that had been sinking for many years, came to HLE, a team with a star-studded top, mid, and jungle lineup. They thought they could just sit back and relax, but their expressions were already showing some confusion.

As for the two above average, they could only be described as utterly dejected.

Kingen's Aatrox and Zeka's Sylas have been among the most confident champions from last year to this year.

However, they were brutally beaten by the opposing side!
Especially Kingen.

When he personally confronted Ye Bo, the shock he felt was indescribable!
Now, looking back carefully after the game...

He could naturally also notice what Niu Guli saw on the commentary stage during the match—the opposing Sword Demon was definitely not right!
Kingen glanced silently at Zeka's back, who was half a step ahead. The slight lingering resentment he had felt towards Zeka's performance in last year's finals completely vanished at that moment.

Bro, it's really not your fault!
HLE's head coach, Kim Jung-soo, greeted the players from the locker room. Seeing that the players were mentally unstable, he did not offer much comfort but simply stood in front of the backstage door with his arms crossed, watching the group of dejected people walk towards him.

The Busan venue is not very big, and the backstage area for the athletes was very crowded.

The post-match corridor is now teeming with people, stretching as far as the eye can see.

But this did not prevent Kim Jung-soo from hearing shouts in Chinese coming from the entrance of V5 not far away.

Having worked in the LPL for many years, although his Chinese isn't very good, he can still understand some of it.

"Holy crap, that's awesome! Master Ye, you're simply divine! I was watching that pentakill backstage and my chair almost flew off my chair! It was just too amazing!"

"Brother Chuan, these are my lyrics! These are my lyrics!"

"But you know what, maybe we should let Chuanzi go up and have some fun next time? I feel like he could do a good job!"

When Kim Jung-soo heard the last sentence, there seemed to be a hint of hope in his eyes, and also a hint of envy.

However, after closing the door and stepping into his own backstage area, he looked at the HLE members in front of him.

A fleeting, unreadable look crossed Kim Jung-soo's eyes—he believed that HLE's mid and top laners had completely betrayed his trust in these two matches, failing to deliver the expected results at all!

Simply put, he felt that all the players were "not good enough" — I'm going to V5, how could I be worse than that 'nobody'?
But to be honest...

Kim Jeong-soo's coaching career, apart from that one highlight in 18, can be described as "full of blemishes"!
He joined DWG in 19, was kicked out in early 20, and then DWG won the championship in 20.

In 20, he went to T1 and caused the infamous "palace intrigue incident", pushing Faker to the bench under the pretense that "the team atmosphere will be better when he is not there", which almost forced Faker out of T1!

Later, when Faker was brought up again, he boasted to the media, "It's all because I gave him a stern lecture. Faker gained new motivation from what I said and also understood his own position."

In 21, Kim Jeong-soo was kicked out again and slunk back to LPL to join BLG, a team known for its foolishness and wealth. As a result, he led the team to a ninth place finish in the playoffs, only to be eliminated in the first round!

The funniest one was last year's 22nd year. He joined DRX in January and was kicked out in June, not even lasting a season!

Then DRX became last year's runner-up.

If this career record were compared to other players' careers, it would be absolutely comparable to a year with a record of 0-15 in international competitions, being knocked out of the group stage by European and American teams in the round of 16, and the number one seed becoming a wildcard captive.
So why did Hanwha hire him as their coach this year?

That can only be because of the prestigious reputation of "18IG Head Coach"!
Clearly, even the top management of Hanwha thinks they are very similar to that IG team, which is why they want him to replicate that team's success.

Kim Jung-soo also sees this coaching opportunity as a great chance to wash away his shame.

However, neither Hanwha's top management nor Kim Jung-soo himself may have realized something.

Is it possible that some teams are strong, but it has nothing to do with the coach?

Of course, this is also because V5 was only established this year.

Otherwise, V5, whose coach is named 'nobody', is already the best example.

Kim Jung-soo turned off the TVs playing post-match highlights and began to share his thoughts.
"The MVP of this match still goes to YE's Ruined King. His performance was truly impeccable and perfect!" The Roaring Emperor on the commentary desk had already adjusted his state and smiled as he looked at the post-match replay.

From handling the early laning phase, to switching to the top lane and dominating the lane, to the stunning 1v2 comeback with the Broken Wings' aerial spin.

The director's highlight shot froze the moment when Blade of the Ruined King turned around and used his ultimate (R-Flash) and Aatrox used his ultimate (Q2).

Two flashes of golden light appeared, and the image of the Ruined King dodging the sword and drawing it from behind drew cheers from the crowd once again!

[It's truly a monster. Most players become unpredictable after winning a championship, their skills decline immediately afterward, and they eventually become mediocre. How come YE can get better and better every year?]

[Don't be so harsh. It's just that the sun has set, and Master Ye has forgotten that he's already a champion!] [You're right, but that's Master Ye for you—fighting his way from the Asian Games to the World Championship! He didn't even blink once!]

[He doesn't even blink; doesn't his eye get dry?]

Indeed, historically, no galactic battleship has ever taken off smoothly, except for V5, which seems to have a real chance of success. Could they have actually completed their golden journey this year?

[Is this the play I wanted to see? Hurry up and give us the pentakill!]

Meanwhile, V5's backend was also joyfully reviewing the footage.

"How about we let Chuan play a match?" Saint Gun Bro turned around and suggested again.

Although he is a two-time world champion top laner, Flandre had previously experienced a long period of decline and knew that it was not easy for a player to enter the World Championship once, and the opportunity was extremely rare.

After winning the previous game, they now have three match points.

Xun, who was standing to the side, naturally hoped that his good brother would have the opportunity to play.

After all, if V5 ultimately wins the championship, only substitutes who have played at least one game in the main tournament will be eligible for a championship skin; otherwise, they will only have an ID displayed on the trophy base.

But Xun didn't say anything; he just looked at Ye Bo beside him.

"It's alright, it's alright, I'm already full." Kitagawa stopped them himself, not wanting to put pressure on his teammates.

"I think so too!" Ye Bo interrupted him directly, giving him a trusting hug.

"Believe in yourself, Chuan! You can do it, and you have us with you!"

Kitagawa suddenly felt like he was about to drop some small pearls.

It's important to understand that this isn't a situation where he's forced to take the blame when he's down 0-2, but rather a situation where he's riding a 2-0 lead!

This is what you call truly "taking care of the substitutes".

Obviously, no one in this situation wouldn't want a chance to play—and for him to come to V5 this year, and even directly enter the World Championship, is like a dream compared to himself last year.

Deft didn't say anything, but quietly came closer and hugged him, creating a very warm scene.

"Oh, with Master Ye here, I feel so relieved, Chuanzi!" Beryl chuckled, revealing a secret from DRX's past: "You wouldn't believe it, but the two days after the finals, Jianyou (Zeka) was even dreaming about Master Ye's ID. He had absolutely no pressure in today's match!"

"And judging from Xingxun's performance last game, he'll probably be in a similar situation soon~"

After the break, both players returned to the stage.

However, the five members of HLE still showed no smiles on their faces, just like when they left the stage at the end of the second game, as if they had not adjusted at all.

Clearly, Kim Jeong-soo has no idea how to "train" the contestants or "give them motivational speeches."

While many LPL coaches are known for their motivational speeches, it's even worse if they can't deliver any motivational messages at all!
The more important the competition, the more crucial it is to have someone who can promptly adjust the team's mentality and performance.

Otherwise, it's easy to lose your composure, distort your performance, and falter in crucial matches of major tournaments.

Last year, DRX was able to achieve a remarkable comeback in the quarterfinals because Deft was always there to support the team. But this year, HLE doesn't have that kind of player.

The director, seemingly enjoying the spectacle, focused on the V5 players' seats for a few seconds to emphasize the substitution decision before switching the camera to the HLE players.

The five men looked visibly dejected, and none of them could even lift their heads.

Regardless of which side the audience was on, seeing the state of the HLE players, they could tell that the team had completely lost its morale!

The home crowd, South Korea, was naturally not impressed by this attitude.

[V5 is seriously underestimating HLE! Are they trying to give their substitutes a free skin game? They even substituted someone!]

[Holy crap! What does Hanwha mean by this? Have they lost their fighting spirit after falling behind by two sets?!]

[If you don't want to play, you don't have to. Can't you just give your spot to KT for Worlds? It's such a shame I wasted my time on BDD.]

To be honest, if I had picked my most confident hero in the last game and still gotten wrecked like that, I wouldn't have been in the mood to play games all day, let alone a professional player.

[Zeka! Cheer up! You still have the most confident Akali! Teach YE a game of Akali and prove yourself!]

[laughs, the person upstairs is such a tadpole. They must hate Zeka to death for kicking T1 out of the semifinals last year. Last game, I think Kingen was already taught a lesson by YE and had to take back his 'Sword Demon Power'. Are they hoping Zeka will die too?]

"It seems that Master Ye's five kills in the last game have already set him off with extraordinary momentum!" Wawa on the broadcasting station was beaming.

"In contrast, V5 now holds three match points and is just one step away from the semifinals! They don't need to feel any psychological pressure!"

"It's worth mentioning that V5 brought on Kitagawa, a substitute player who hasn't been seen in the game for a long time, which makes us wonder if they have some special preparations."

"BP is starting!"

At the very beginning of the draft phase, HLE showed some noticeable differences compared to the previous two games.

Both sides made quick progress in the first round of ban/pick in the first two games, as they knew each other well and each had several fixed ban slots.

HLE's actions were very strange—they hesitated for a long time before banning their first ban.

It's like they're struggling with something.

Those who remember the previous two draft picks will know that HLE, on the red side, banned Akali and Sylas in the first game because they knew V5 wouldn't ban these two heroes, so they wanted to keep them for themselves.

Since Sylas was already picked in the last game, Akali should be picked this game.

in this way.

After deliberating for so long over the first ban, it seems there's only one possibility.
The broadcast showed a view from the players' seats.

Kingen, standing next to him, was no longer the heroic figure he had shown in the previous two matches. He seemed to be slumped in his seat, as if he had been completely drained, and his eyes were devoid of any light.

Kim Jung-soo was standing behind Zeka, muttering to himself while holding a notebook.

Zeka's gaze gradually hardened.

"Zeka really dared to choose Akali!"

(End of this chapter)