LOL: Do I have to be a spinning top too?

The noise in the training room quickly subsided.

Zhou Xiang bent down to help him adjust the settings of his racing suit, his fingers typing rapidly:

"Trial account, all heroes."

Li Hu responded and his gaze fell on the client interface.

This was the first time he had ever worn an official competition uniform.

Compared to the usual ranked matches on the Rift, the interface is excessively clean. There are no pop-up GGs, no event entrances, and even the shop is tucked away in the most inconspicuous corner.

Zhou Xiang helped him enter the room password again.

The moment I entered the room, five IDs appeared on the other side at once, all of them with the prefix TES.C.

Top laner: TES.CAspire; Jungler: TES.Cnaiyou; Mid laner: TES.CWangxiao; ADC: TES.CJiaQi; Support: TES.CNiket.

It was none other than the starting five of TES's second team.

Li Hu glanced at it and had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

Aside from naiyou (jungle player) and JiaQi (AD player), he had no recollection of the other three names.

That's normal, though. TES.C's performance in LDL isn't bad, but what exactly is LDL?

It's an open secret among insiders... a notorious hotbed of match-fixing, a playground for gamblers, and domestic audiences simply don't buy it.

  

Unless you're a gambler, what respectable viewer would watch a second-tier league match?

In his previous life, he spent a whole year on the bench in LDL, barely making the roster a few times, let alone memorizing the IDs of his league opponents.

Like any sport, the spotlight always shines on the top stars.

LPL players can trend on social media for not bending over, while LDL players, even if they play well, only get noticed after being promoted to the main team.

He only watches LPL and LCK matches when he watches League of Legends.

As for why he remembered Cream and Jiaqi...

It's simply because both of them later made it to the LPL stage and even became starting members of TES.

However, their final fates were all different.

Cream, the jungler, was the starting jungler for NIP in 25 and returned to Top Esports in 26 to become the starting jungler for TES. However, his glory was short-lived as he was exposed for having a history of match-fixing.

This sparked considerable discussion across the internet, and overnight his reputation was ruined, and he disappeared without a trace.

AD Jiaqi is also quite interesting. In Season 16, he played the first stage of the competition for "Great Brother".

After his brother returned, he transferred to IG and joined Photic as IG's starting AD carry for the second stage of S16.

After a tiring stage, Nie Nie's team successfully brought him from the summit to Nirvana, so he can be considered a big shot.

As for the opposing top laner Aspire, Li Hu had never heard of him.

He probably played in the LDL for two years and then disappeared without a trace, without even making a splash.

Pulling himself back to reality, Li Hu glanced at the IDs of his four teammates, all of which were unfamiliar youth training numbers.

His own ID was TES.003, which was probably a tool account specifically prepared for trial players.

Zhou Xiang patted him on the shoulder, gesturing for him to put on his headphones.

The moment the headphones were put on, I could hear my teammates talking over the intercom.

"We lost to them last time because of that tower dive in the bottom lane that went wrong. We'll play it safe this time."

The one speaking was the jungler, and his voice sounded quite young.

"Wangxiao likes to push the lane, and the jungler often comes to mid. I will save my crowd control skills."

The mid-laner chimed in, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction.

"Okay, then let's play mid, jungle, and support this game."

The support staff also chimed in.

The group was having a lively discussion, reviewing how they lost last time and how they could win this time.

Li Hu listened, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He could sense their desire for victory.

This is normal.

That's how it is with youth training players—a group of seventeen or eighteen-year-olds crammed in front of a few computers.

They play ranked and training matches for more than ten hours every day, earning meager salaries while dreaming unattainable dreams.

He longs to one day be spotted by a team coach, step onto the stage of a top league, and become a superstar in the spotlight.

But reality is cruel; esports has always been a dog-eat-dog world.

Talented people reach their peak right from the start; they can dominate the LPL at eighteen and win the world championship at eighteen.

Those without talent will still be struggling in the quagmire of LDL even when they are 24 or 25 years old.

They waste their precious youth in dark, unseemly training rooms, dreaming unattainable dreams.

As it turns out, in competitive sports... having good talent means you can do whatever you want.

Why do almost every strong team in the World Cup have a black player? Isn't it because black players have exceptional athletic talent?

Mbappe, Dembele, Olisé...

Tell me, doesn't the Chinese national football team feel envious?

But what's the use of just being envious?

They're naturally dark-skinned and tough, yet they move incredibly fast on the court.

She was born with the ability to run under eleven seconds, something an average person would struggle to achieve even after a lifetime of training.

Talent overwhelms, that's just how unreasonable it is.

The same principle applies to League of Legends.

In other words, in this year's S12, DRX made an incredible comeback to win the championship, but anyone with eyes could see how terrifying those rookies from T1 were.

Top laner Zeus, jungler Oner, AD carry Gumayusi, and support Keria are all young, but their skills and awareness are frighteningly mature.

If it weren't for Kingen and Zeka's incredible performances with DRX this year, this championship should have belonged to T1.

Li Hu knew very well that this was just the beginning.

In the following S13, S14, and S15 seasons, this T1 team, led by Faker, will win three consecutive championships, truly establishing a new dynasty.

Most of the young people in LDL end up struggling in this quagmire, wasting a few years of their youth, and then quietly retiring to become game companions or boosters.

Being able to start in the LPL for a full season is already one in ten thousand.

Li Hu was well aware of the high failure rate on this path.

"General Tiger?"

A voice suddenly came through the headphones; it was their own AD.

Li Hu raised his eyes and heard a familiar tone in the other person's voice:

"I've played against you in ranked games before, and your Camille was really ruthless."

"Just do your best. With your skills, you'll definitely stay. Don't be nervous."

Thanks.

Li Hu smiled and said calmly, "I will."

At this moment, Zhou Xiang clapped his hands, and the noise in the training room instantly quieted down.

"Is everything ready?"

"First game of BO3, let's start the draft."

Zhou Xiang stepped back to the back row and whispered a few words to the youth training assistant coach next to him.

The youth training assistant coach nodded, walked behind Li Hu, and brought up the BP interface.

The training match has officially begun.

The 2022 version did not yet implement the Fearless Draft, so heroes that were selected could still be used in the next game. The drafting process was much simpler than it became later.

The blue team's second squad made the first move, immediately locking in the only true god-tier T0 jungler in the current version, Blade of the Ruined King, and firmly grasping the initiative in the jungle.

Li Hu's youth training assistant coach didn't hesitate and immediately picked Lucian + Nami as the strong bot lane combination, clearly intending to dominate the lane.

The opposing team immediately countered with a Sivir + Lulu wave clear and protection combo, which perfectly countered Luna. They didn't aim for kills in lane, but rather focused on stable farming and dragging out the mid-game.

Li Hu locked in Monkey as his jungler.

The assistant coach stood behind Li Hu and casually banned two meta-defining champions, while the fourth player picked Ahri for mid lane.

"The fifth-floor counter-position is reserved for the top laner."

The teaching assistant chose a very typical charge system:

The monkey initiates team fights to lock down enemies, the fox enters to cut down the carry, Luna in the bottom lane provides burst damage, and as long as the top laner holds their ground and doesn't collapse, a mid-game team fight can secure the win.

When it was the other team's turn, Taliyah mid laner cleared the wave and provided support, and the fifth-floor top laner immediately locked in Gwen.

As soon as the girl with scissors appeared, the youth training assistant coach frowned.

In Season 12, Gwen is a strong champion in lane and even stronger in team fights, especially in the charge-in system, where her ultimate can shred both the front and back lines.

With this lineup, if the top laner picks a standard tank or fighter, they'll easily get crushed in lane by Gwen and won't be of any use in team fights.

He leaned close to Li Hu's ear and asked in a low voice:

"I've briefly looked at your Rank stats. Gwen is a Tier 0 top laner this patch. In your champion pool... do you have any champions that can counter Gwen?"

"Camille or Aatrox are both fine, they can hold their own in lane."

Li Hu stared at Gwen's avatar on the screen, his fingertips tapping lightly on the mouse.

Camille? Aatrox?

That's so boring.

He came to the trial today, hoping to make a splash and secure a good contract, and also to test whether the second team's professional top laner's whip is strong enough.

Li Hu turned his head and said in a casual tone:

"Coach, I want to play with the dog head."

The moment those words left his mouth, a deathly silence fell behind him.

The youth training assistant coach was stunned for a full two seconds, thinking he had misheard:

"What did you say?"

"Dog head, Death in the Desert, Nasus."

Li Hu repeated it, his tone calm.

The teammates who were talking in the headset suddenly went silent and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Even Zhou Xiang, who was standing in the back row, took half a step forward and began to frown.

Dog head hitting Gwen?

Are you kidding me!

Gwen is widely recognized as one of the most devoted fathers of the dog.

A lane bully during the laning phase, with true damage from the Q skill and the ability to dodge skills with the W skill, and maximum split-pushing ability after level 6.

Nasus, a hero who's incredibly weak in the early game, is practically a sitting duck to Gwent, isn't he?

Forget about stacking Q, even farming safely under the tower is a problem. You could easily be four or five levels behind in fifteen minutes.

They directly cosplayed a top laner who made his teammates very comfortable and raised a powerful carry.

This is a professional training match, not a bronze-level game where you can easily beat newbies.

He doesn't even have this much game understanding. How did this kid manage to climb to third place in the Rift with an 81% win rate?

Did you stack up your Q by playing with dog heads?

"Dog head can't beat Gwen."

The youth training assistant coach's tone instantly turned cold:

"It's easy for the lane to get overwhelmed. Once Gwen gets fed, our frontline composition simply can't engage in team fights."

"Think about it again, Sett or Aatrox will both work."

"unnecessary."

Li Hu's tone was firm:

"To beat Gwent, Nasus is enough."

Are you sure?

The youth training assistant coach stared at him, his tone becoming more serious:

"Your training match data directly affects whether you can stay on the team."

"If we completely dominate this online game and the stats are too bad, then this trial will be canceled."

"You only get one chance, think it through carefully."

"I understand."

Li Hu nodded: "I'll choose the dog head."

The youth training assistant coach had no choice but to turn to look at Zhou Xiang beside him.

Zhou Xiang's lips twitched, and he felt it was absurd.

But he invited them, so it's unreasonable to prevent them from playing what they want to play.

He remained silent for two seconds, then finally nodded helplessly.

"Okay, you choose then."

The assistant coach sighed: "But let me make this clear from the start, if the data is really bad, this trial will end here."

The moment Nasus, the Grim Reaper, was locked down on the fifth floor.

The opposing team's second team burst out laughing on the spot.

"Am I seeing things? The fifth-floor contestant is choosing the dog head?"

The jungler, Cream, immediately broke into a laugh:

"Aspire, looks like you can go for the spinning top this game. I won't go top; I'll protect the bottom lane this game."

Top laner Aspire stared at the dog icon on the screen, equally beaming.

Gwen hitting a dog's head, isn't that like a father hitting his son?

Even if he were the starting top laner for LDL, any ordinary Challenger player could easily dominate Nasus and prevent him from gaining any experience.

"Don't worry, you don't need to come."

Aspire cracked her knuckles, her tone utterly dismissive: "I could take him down by myself."

"You dare to play dirty tricks in front of me? You really think scrims are just like ranked games?"

"Wait, I'll take down all their tower plates in ten minutes, and get to their high ground in twenty minutes."

He had already planned it out: apply pressure as soon as he went online, control the lane to prevent him from farming minions and stacking his Q, and try to get a solo kill.

No matter how skilled a random player is, once they enter the professional arena, they'll be treated like a spinning top and whipped around.

Li Hu leisurely adjusted his runes, choosing Grasp of the Undying as his mastery and Cookie Delivery and Time Warp Tonic as his secondary runes—a standard lane sustain and pressure-resistant build.

The game enters the loading screen, and the portraits of ten heroes light up one by one.

He could imagine how smug the opposing top laner was right now, and he could also guess how uncertain his coach and teammates were.

But no one knew that the golden illustration on the side of his vision had already begun to glow faintly.

[Counter-pick hero detected: Gwen the Spirit Doll]

[The Spinning Top's passive ability has been activated. When suppressed in a match, it will automatically absorb the opponent's understanding and operational experience.]

Li Hu looked at the dog head avatar on the screen and chuckled to himself.

Laugh, I'll make you understand in a moment.

When there are few people...

You call me Dog Head, Nasus won't care.

When there are many people...

Please respectfully refer to Him as the Desert Death God.