Believe me, I really am a professional League of Legends player.

Chapter 137 Are you here to play in the League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational? (6.2k views, please subscribe)
Li Fan quickly patted the factory manager who was slumped in his seat next to him.

"Hey Kai, there seems to be a Street Fighter V tournament going on next to this hotel. Would you like to come check it out with me?"

The factory manager didn't even bother to fully open his eyes, and waved his hand weakly: "I'm so tired I could collapse right now, I don't have time to watch any Street Fighter 5 matches with you, and I'm not interested in this game, it doesn't appeal to me."

"Could you please help me carry my luggage to the hotel later?"

"Okay, okay... I really can't take it anymore. Give me a bed now and I can sleep until tomorrow... Be careful and don't go too far. I'll send you the room number when I get to the room."

"Thanks, Brother Kai!" Li Fan immediately got up from his seat.

Then I greeted Abu.

Abu thought about it and realized that the hotel was right next to them, and they had brought security guards with them when they got off the plane, so there shouldn't be any problems.

That's right, Ed Zhu also arranged four security guards to protect the safety of the athletes in Brazil.

After all, there are still a lot of people robbing people on the street with guns, and they are mostly Asian.

In this situation, hiring a security team is essential; a wise person avoids dangerous situations.

However, in reality... armed robberies are extremely rare in places where competitions are held.

These Brazilian gangs are actually negotiable, and they also enjoy watching the games.

Therefore, it is not allowed for these hooligans to cause trouble when a competition is being held.

The saying goes, "Harmony brings wealth..."

This is why India couldn't host the Olympics, but Brazil was able to.

"Go ahead, go ahead... just have two bodyguards with you."

"Okay." Li Fan nodded. "I'll go take a look and be right back."

Li Fan waved without turning his head, and his figure had already run towards the competition area next to the hotel.

Abu shook his head helplessly and said to Quick Star, who also looked tired, "This kid... he really has a lot of energy."

Kuai Xing watched Li Fan's retreating figure and said, "That's why he performs so well on the field. He's not nervous at all before the match; he has a great mindset."

That's also... Abu nodded.

If it weren't for this, EDG wouldn't have come to Brazil.

As soon as Li Fan arrived at the arena, he began to peer inside, and the surrounding crowd made way for him.

There was no way around it; an Asian face, followed by two burly men carrying guns... everyone was a little nervous.

Moreover, there were more Asians at the scene, after all, there are more than five million Japanese in Brazil.

This is why there are many competitions for this type of fighting game in Brazil every year.

The two contestants on stage were engaged in a fierce battle, while on the screen, Ron and Jamie were fighting back and forth, eliciting gasps from the audience from time to time.

Li Fan judged that these two people were skilled compared to ordinary people, but there was still a considerable gap between them and professional players. However, the two of them were just right for a match, and it would be quite interesting to see them fight.

A Brazilian guy who looked like a staff member saw that Li Fan's face was unfamiliar and that he was Asian, so he asked enthusiastically in accented English, "Hey friend, where are you from? Are you also interested in Street Fighter? Want to sign up and give it a try? There are still spots available. This isn't an entertainment tournament; it's a tournament where you can accumulate CPT points. If you win, you might even have the opportunity to participate in Capcom's professional tournaments, because this is a tournament specifically for Brazil."

Li Fan couldn't help but admire himself; he had learned English to play CS, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to communicate with these people.

What are the requirements for registration?

"The top 3,000 in the world, or you can register by spending 20 US dollars, today is the first day of the qualifiers, and you can still register now."

This is also how the organizers maintain the competition's revenue by collecting registration fees.

After all, only 3,000 people worldwide have access to the free competition, but not everyone will fly over specifically to participate in regional competitions.

The main prize money isn't very high; even if you win the championship, you only get three thousand US dollars.

If you calculate it that way, you won't make much money on this trip.

Just take domestic flights as an example, the round-trip airfare alone would cost this much.

Not to mention expenses like accommodation...

Professional fighters only choose locations that are relatively close by; they generally won't go to places that are too far away. Alternatively, they might choose locations where the round-trip airfare isn't too expensive, and if they achieve a ranking, they can even make a small profit.

This is also why combat sports competitions are not very large in scale, with each event lasting only two to three days.

When Li Fan heard the young man mention that the top 3,000 in the world could register for free, he thought it was quite a coincidence.

I mainly played a few ranked games of Street Fighter V while I was at the base, and I had a winning streak. I didn't expect to climb to more than 5. I may have dropped now, but not by much.

"Then I'll sign up," Li Fan said with a smile to the young man. "I should be ranked within the top three thousand..."

"Huh?" The young man was obviously taken aback. He thought Li Fan was an ordinary player who came to visit and wanted to try it out, but he didn't expect him to be ranked.

He looked Li Fan up and down, and especially noticed the two silent security guards behind him, his attitude immediately becoming more serious.

"Okay, sir, please wait a moment!" The young man didn't dare to delay and quickly took out his tablet and brought up the registration system. "Could you please provide your game ID? I need to verify your ranking."

Li Fan gave his commonly used ID.

The young man quickly typed on the tablet, and the account information immediately popped up on the screen, with the ranking showing #2843.

We haven't knocked out hundreds of players in two days, but that's enough.

"Verified!" the deliveryman confirmed, then entered Li Fan's information into the player pool. When choosing a name, he still added the EDG club prefix.

"The first round of the qualifiers will begin soon. Your match information will be displayed on the big screen over there. Please pay attention."

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the matchup list for the contestants was refreshed on the large screen hanging next to him.

EDGUnreal appeared in a group, and his first opponent was a player named BR_Guile.

"So fast?" Li Fan was somewhat surprised, but more than that, he was eager to try.

He nodded to the young man to express his gratitude, and then walked towards the contestant preparation area.

Following the instructions, I arrived at the location of the next match and stretched my fingers.

This is my first time participating in an offline Street Fighter competition. After all, I've only been practicing Street Fighter for a short time, and to be honest, I'm not sure I can win against skilled opponents. I'm still quite excited about this kind of competition.

This competition would be even more interesting if several professional players participated.

"Consider it a warm-up before MSI."

Soon, BR_Guile, a local Brazilian guy, sat down next to Li Fan.

Looking at Li Fan's Asian face, his expression was also very serious.

After all, it's widely acknowledged that people in Asia are good at fighting games.

As the countdown on the screen ended, Li Fan locked onto "Karin," the character he had been practicing a lot recently.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian guy on the other side instantly picked Ken, who is extremely aggressive.

The first game begins.

Li Fan did not rush to attack, but instead controlled Karin to roam in the mid-range, cautiously probing with light punches and kicks.

This is very important in Street Fighter. You need to probe and guess what's going on. Rushing in directly usually doesn't work unless you can catch someone off guard and land a perfect combo...

But the opponent isn't stupid; they'll definitely defend, making it very difficult.

Just like the character he chose, the Brazilian guy Ken played an extremely aggressive style, constantly trying to use Hadouken to control the opponent, and then looking for an opportunity to rush forward and close in, wanting to unleash a flashy combo.

After several rounds of backhand exchanges, Li Fan had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

The opponent has a strong desire to attack, but their weaknesses are equally obvious. They especially like to suddenly rush forward and cancel their sprint in an attempt to catch the opponent off guard.

Having figured out the details, Li Fan no longer held back.

When Ken tried to close the distance again by canceling his dash with a light kick, Li Fan's Karin reacted extremely quickly. A precise Xia Gu command throw not only broke through the opponent's dash but also threw Ken behind her, causing considerable damage.

"Whoa!" A gasp of surprise rang out from the audience at this counterattack.

What a quick reaction!

Seizing the advantage, Li Fan immediately launched a swift and fierce offensive.

Karin unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks, combined with special techniques, upon Ken.

Li Fan gave his opponent no chance to breathe, displaying his powerful reaction speed and operational precision to the fullest.

The Brazilian guy was clearly stunned, and his game rhythm completely collapsed.

He tried to interrupt Li Fan's suppression with a rising dragon punch, but Li Fan had anticipated it and blocked it, followed by another set of punishing moves.

His health was rapidly reduced, and his mentality began to falter.

In the end, under Li Fan and Karin's smooth and powerful combo attack, Ken's health bar was completely depleted.

Li Fan won the first game easily.

The word "KO" flashed on the screen. Li Fan released the controller, his expression remaining calm.

The official controller isn't great, but it works.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian guy opposite him stared at the screen in disbelief, scratching his head, clearly not expecting his opponent to be so strong.

The second game begins.

After testing the waters in the first game, Li Fan had completely figured out the Brazilian guy's skills and tactics.

He knew that his opponent's mentality was already somewhat unbalanced, and they were eager to turn the tide. They were likely to play more aggressively, but that would also make it easier for them to expose their weaknesses.

Sure enough, right at the start of the match, Ken appeared even more impatient than in the previous game, trying to break Li Fan's rhythm with rapid pressure.

However, the reactions and actions of the two sides were not even in the same league.

Just as Ken lunged forward to make his move, Li Fan's Karin moved!

A precise mid-stance footwork hit Ken's forward lunge, resulting in a Counter Hit!

opportunity!

Lin danced like a butterfly flitting among flowers.

Counter Hit → Dash Cancel → Close-Range Heavy Punch → Kasumi Cancel → Heavy Punch No Moon → Stack Combo Count to Trigger CA! A Lonely Moon Pierces the Fang in an Instant!
A series of dazzling maneuvers were completed in the blink of an eye!
If you make even the slightest mistake, you won't be able to get it working.

Karin's figure drew a deadly arc in the air, and deadly sword energy and fists and feet poured down on Ken!
Ken's health bar evaporated at a visible speed, instantly reaching zero!
The whole process was breathtakingly fast; the Brazilian guy didn't even have time to make a single effective defensive or counter-attack move. He could only watch helplessly as his character was taken down in the center of the screen by a dazzling combo!

"PERFECT!"

A dazzling gold message appeared on the screen, announcing the end of the second game.

Everyone watching was stunned by the smooth and perfect combo.

Several seconds later, the audience erupted in gasps and applause that were more enthusiastic and shocked than ever before!

It was truly a spectacular game, arguably the smoothest one everyone has watched so far.

It was worth coming here to see the players ranked 3,000th; they certainly got to see some amazing scenes!

For those who came after them, it was a complete game-changer.

"Oh My God!"

"That's insane!"

"He took him down in one combo? He didn't even touch his opponent!"

"This reaction and combo precision... no wonder he's ranked in the top 3,000, he's just different from us ordinary players."

"Then this person will definitely advance."

"Indeed, there shouldn't be any major problem with advancing."

"Shouldn't Brolynho be the one to play?"

“Nemo is here, I feel like he should be the champion this year.”

"This is outrageous! Why are Japanese players coming to Brazil to compete for ranking points?"

"It's very simple. He can't win the championship domestically, so it's easier for him to win it in Brazil... That way, he can earn his own points."

"Is Unreal Engine the same?"

"Never heard of this person... Nobody in the fighting community knows him!"

The audience members below the stage had already started exchanging excited chatter, since the two they were discussing didn't need to play in the first day's qualifying rounds because of their historical match records.

After all, those ranked in the top 3,000 globally are generally well-known figures who have participated in competitions.

But after much discussion, no conclusion was reached.

We can only observe him in the next few matches. This suddenly appearing unfamiliar face still makes everyone very curious.

The Brazilian guy sitting opposite Li Fan was completely dumbfounded.

He took his hands off the joystick, staring dumbfounded at the word "PERFECT" on the screen and his empty health bar, utterly incredulous...

This is probably a scene he often plays in ranked matches, but he never expected to get brutally beaten up in an offline game.

In the end, it all turned into a powerless sigh, and he slumped back in his chair.

I never expected to run into someone so amazing.

He didn't even get a chance to touch Li Fan's Karin before he was instantly killed at full health!

Li Fan calmly put down the controller, picked up the bottled water next to him, and took a sip.

It felt as if the person who had just made such a brilliant move wasn't even themselves.

On the sidelines, Diego, a Brazilian fighting game journalist with a full beard, was excitedly looking through the footage he had just captured on his camera.

He captured Li Fan's focused expression as he unleashed that deadly combo, as well as the stunned expressions on the screen at the end, including PERFECT and his opponent's.

“Fantastic! This is absolutely the biggest discovery of the day!” Diego muttered to himself, extremely excited.

He has been covering Brazilian fighting events for many years and knows all kinds of top fighters very well, so he is certain that the Asian player in front of him is a completely new face with unfathomable strength.

"EDG... Isn't that the famous Chinese esports club? Aren't they here for the League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational? Why are they having players playing Street Fighter?" Diego wondered, quickly checking the information.

It turned out that Unreal Engine actually had a member on the EDG team.

This is a professional League of Legends player!

In Brazil, the League of Legends Pro League is incredibly popular. Although their performance has been lackluster, and they were eliminated in the Play-In Stage, they still have a deep love for the game...

There were a large audience, so information about the various players was available.

And these editors dream every day that world-class players will emerge in the Brazilian league and lead the Brazilian team to compete in the World Championship.

That's right, my wish is still very low... I just want to be able to participate in the World Championships, I'm not thinking about getting any ranking.

The fact that a mysterious player from a top League of Legends team has crossed over to participate in the CPT points tournament and displayed such terrifying strength is itself a highly newsworthy event!

It's predicted that this fighter named Unreal Alliance might become the biggest dark horse in this year's Brazilian fighting competition.

"Buddy, just you wait and see. As long as you perform as well in the next match, your name and the match video will appear on all the major fighting game forums as soon as today's competition ends!"

After easily crushing his first opponent, Li Fan felt he was in pretty good shape and sat down to wait for the next challenger.

The match schedule on the big screen kept updating.

Li Fan's opponents changed one after another, including challengers from Asia and Brazilian players who wanted to prove themselves on home soil.

They used a wide variety of characters, including Guile, Chun-Li, Zangief...

Besides using Karin, Li Fan would also switch to other characters, such as Ryu and Chun-Li, just to experience different combat fun, but the result was the same: a crushing defeat.

Perfect!
KO!
You Win!
Similar system notification sounds and on-screen text echoed repeatedly on Li Fan's battle stage.

Each match ended quickly; often, the opponent hadn't even fully entered the game before being overwhelmed by his fluid and powerful offensive.

Seventeen games!
From afternoon to evening, Li Fan defeated seventeen opponents in a row, and more than half of those matches were perfect victories!
This terrifying dominance completely ignited the atmosphere in the competition area.

Diego held his camera, his hand almost cramping from pressing the shutter button, but he didn't seem tired at all, his face full of smiles.

I have never seen such a dominant performance in a regional qualifier, especially from a player who has crossed over from League of Legends!

"God...he's a superman!" Diego muttered to himself as he filmed, already imagining the sensation his footage would cause in the fighting game community.

As Li Fan won one match after another, more and more spectators gathered around his machine.

At first, there were only a few people, but later they gathered in layers, almost completely surrounding the competition area.

Various discussions and exclamations of praise arose one after another.

"He won again!"

"This time it only took less than a minute!"

"Is that reaction speed even human? Actually, I feel his opponent is also very strong, but there's really nothing that can be done against someone like that."

"Who exactly is this EDGUnreal? I've never heard of such a person in the fighting game world!"

"I know the EDG club. I think it's the fighting game division of EDG. It's probably easier for them to get a spot here."

When Li Fan secured his qualification for tomorrow's main competition with a perfect record, he got up from his seat with satisfaction.

Diego, who had been waiting for a long time, rushed forward with a warm smile on his face.

"Unreal player! Congratulations on advancing to the main event with a perfect record! I'm Diego, a reporter from a local fighting game website. Could I have a few minutes of your time for a brief interview?"

Li Fan nodded: "That's fine."

Diego was thrilled to hear that the agreement had been granted.

"First of all, I found your information. You should be a League of Legends professional player for the Chinese EDG club. You're in Brazil to participate in MSI, right?"

"Yes."

EDG is one of the top-ranked clubs in China, so it's normal that he was able to find out about it.

"Wow!" Diego exclaimed, even though he already knew.

"So, why did you come to participate in this Street Fighter V competition? And... your performance is simply amazing, you don't seem like an amateur player at all."

"It's really just a hobby. We had just arrived at the hotel when we saw the lively Street Fighter competition next door, so we came over out of curiosity. I usually play Street Fighter to relax, so I thought I'd participate as a warm-up before the MSI competition. I'm also looking forward to exchanging ideas with top fighters."

“Relax and warm up…” Diego repeated the word, his expression somewhat subtle.

After all, it was the first time he had ever seen a Mid-Season Invitational player participate in a Street Fighter tournament to relax and warm up.

It sounds interesting, but it's also quite outrageous...

No wonder EDG has such a strong influence globally; their players are all incredibly talented.

"Your Street Fighter skills are so high, have you practiced specifically for this? Have you ever considered focusing on fighting games?"

"I did practice some techniques, about a week, but I don't have any plans to focus on fighting games yet. My main job is League of Legends, so my focus will definitely be there. Street Fighter is just a hobby for me."

"..."

“A hobby… developed in a week…” Diego was once again shocked by this answer.

To deliver such a dominant performance in the regional qualifiers of the CPT points tournament with such ease is simply enviable talent.

"So what are your goals for tomorrow's main event? You know, in the main event you might face well-known Brazilian and even world-renowned fighters like Brolynho and Nemo."

"My goal... is to do my best in every match. It's fun to play against top players. I'll just let the results take their course. After all, I'm mainly here to compete in MSI."

Diego quickly jotted down these notes, already having drafted the report in his mind.

MSI player EDG.Unreal crosses over to Street Fighter, dominating the qualifiers and advancing!

"Thank you so much for the interview. I wish you all the best in tomorrow's main event and the upcoming MSI!" Diego concluded the interview with satisfaction.

Li Fan nodded to him, and then, accompanied by two security guards, walked towards the hotel.

Diego acted quickly. After returning to his residence, he worked through the night to compile the carefully selected highlights of the match, photos from the scene, and the brief interview into an article, which he then published on Brazil's largest fighting game forum and his own website.

The article details how Li Fan, as a professional League of Legends player, demonstrated terrifying dominance in the Street Fighter V CPT qualifying tournament, easily defeating seventeen opponents to advance to the main event.

Diego emphasized the keywords Li Fan mentioned, such as "interest," "relaxation and warm-up," and "only practiced for a week," portraying Li Fan as a genius boy with unfathomable gaming talent.

Just as Diego predicted, the article quickly sparked heated discussions in the Brazilian fighting game community. Many local players were shocked by Li Fan's performance, especially after learning that he was a professional League of Legends player, which made them even more curious!

(End of this chapter)