novelbest Chapter 209 : Season Finale (2)
Chapter 209 : Season Finale (2)
Season Finale (2)
Event match preparation time.
PerG-Day's team was waiting in the game lobby.
"Wow, I can't believe I'm actually playing a game with TierOne."
Genome spoke with a moved expression. Eclipse beside him also flashed a bright smile.
"It's a rare opportunity. I always look forward to battles with the strong."
Lee Gyeongbok laughed as he watched the two, then turned his head.
"Are you both alright?"
Unlike them, skullkim and Bakjapcho looked clearly nervous. At Lee Gyeongbok's words, the two flinched and let out awkward laughs.
"Ah, when I just heard about it, it didn't feel real..."
"To think we're really playing against TierOne—it's definitely nerve-racking."
Naturally, Lee Gyeongbok explained everything to the team as soon as the event match was decided.
At first, everyone was intrigued. But, unlike Genome and Eclipse who had plenty of streaming experience, these two couldn't shake off the pressure.
"To be honest, I'm worried I'll make a mistake."
"We are, after all, the weakest on the team..."
Watching the two shrink back, Lee Gyeongbok gave a faint smile.
"The opponents are pro gamers. Of course, there's a gap in skill—there's nothing to be done about that. But we can't just end it there, right?"
At his words, the two lifted their heads.
"What matters is what comes next: the question 'So, what should I do now?' has to come."
"So how do we do that?"
"Yes. What should we do? We can't immediately close the skill gap. Does that mean we should just give up? Is that what you two want?"
The two shook their heads.
Despite the difficulties, they knew this was an important opportunity.
"But like Purple said, there's nothing we can do right now, is there...?"
"No, there is."
"Huh?"
Lee Gyeongbok met their wide eyes, back and forth, as he spoke.
"You can ask for help."
"Help?"
"We're not a team for nothing, are we?"
Eclipse chimed in beside him. Lee Gyeongbok nodded as if to say that was exactly right.
"We're here to enjoy the game, aren't we? I'll go gank frequently. Let's take control of the lane together."
Both of their expressions relaxed noticeably. After all, it was Lee Gyeongbok himself watching their backs.
"Hey, and it's okay even if you die. Honestly, even dying is beneficial."
Genome added in a voice mixed with laughter.
"Honestly, what Smurf has ever died to TierOne before? You can use this as a story later on stream. And if you just happen to catch a kill opportunity? Oh, that's a huge win!"
The match itself was a big asset for streamers. Lee Gyeongbok chuckled and agreed.
"That's true, too. The key is whether you can actually enjoy it."
If he had fun, the viewers would too. Lee Gyeongbok's fundamental belief hadn't changed.
"You really do have a different mindset."
"Really, I'm learning so much."
Skullkim and Bakjapcho laughed as well.
"Let's go have some fun!"
Before they knew it, the preparation time had ended.
* * *
Wanggeom and the casters began the broadcast in excited voices.
"Alright! Thank you for the wait. The event match of a lifetime: PerG-Day versus TierOne! The showdown is just about to begin, right?"
"Yes, that's right! But as this is an event match, rather than best of three, it'll be just one set! One round, winner takes all."
"Pro gamer versus amateur—frankly, when you hear that, you expect it to end quickly, which is a shame, right? But this time, that amateur is in no way amateurish!"
Wanggeom nodded with enthusiasm.
"Exactly! The TierOne players definitely felt something's different after watching the finals."
"Of course. Especially with those highlight plays Purple showed us! I bet TierOne was impressed! That's why I think this ban-pick phase will heavily target Purple."
"Oh, you can't just let that go! Yami is a given, there's Master Lee who strategized the Solo Duke, and Diego, who pulled off that 1:5 solo fight at the end. After seeing all that, how could you not pay attention?"
Even as they spoke, the casters shook their heads in disbelief. The chat overwhelmingly agreed.
"In that case, barzan and Lagnel are left open. Lagnel is Elephant's main champ, right? TierOne doesn't really have a reason to ban it."
"So we might see a Barzan pick by Purple, or a Lagnel mirror match!"
"Yeah, on the other hand, PerG-Day's bans will probably focus on reinforcing their weaker lanes. Honestly, it feels weird to say this, but Purple actually has the upper hand in the jungle fight. Elephant has admitted as much, too."
"Exactly. So I doubt they'll focus bans on jungle, especially with Eclipse in top lane. I think they'll focus on mid and bot lane."
As they explained, the casters soon frowned.
"But here's where the difference between amateurs and pros becomes obvious. Even if TierOne uses their secondary champions, there's still a massive skill gap."
"This can't be helped! It's like the difference between a student majoring in a class and one taking it as an elective. There's just a gap in understanding!"
"But? Doesn't Purple play everything well?"
"Oh, that's a double major."
"Not even that—he's got a master's, a doctorate, and is teaching the class."
- LMAO that's totally Matjji
- The caster metaphors today are on another level lol
- Double major prof what do you mean LOLOL
- Professor Godple's class is just way too hard
- Practical labs are always the toughest classes lol
- For real, that's why you end up just auditing
With the viewers laughing along, the casters regained their composure and continued seriously.
"In any case, to get back to the point: PerG-Day's ban-pick isn't about the optimal choice. It's more about choosing the lesser evil and avoiding the worst."
"That's right. Their biggest weakness is the bot lane. Purple can at least support the mid lane up and down with ganking, but the bot lane is at much higher risk of a bloodbath."
"So Purple's performance will be doubly important! Using ganks to keep the gap narrow will be the key!"
- This is so relatable
- Golcho duo is good, just not crazy good
- Honestly, they've done well just not to be the weak link
- Gotta play extra safe this time
- Against TierOne, you're gonna die a lot, that's for sure
As preparations finished, both teams' ban-pick phases began. Then the casters gasped.
"Wow, look at this! TierOne seriously came in with a strategy!"
"This totally defies predictions!"
"They're focusing their bans on Eclipse! Guyen and even Kaiser Mode are off the table!"
PerG-Day's ban-pick went as expected, but TierOne didn't ban any of Lee Gyeongbok's champions.
"And the last card is Genome's Brandon!? That's unexpected—they've banned a sub!"
"Wow, I expected the event match to be a bit more casual, y'know, like ceremonial first pitches in baseball!"
"No way! They're dead serious! The moment I saw the bans, it was like my mind was electrified! This is a masterful ban-pick!"
"Could you walk us through it in a bit more detail?"
The casters rattled off the explanation in excited voices.
"TierOne is confident in their own abilities. Naturally—they're pros, after all, and are simply better than amateurs on average. But there's a wild card: Purple!"
"Exactly. So we expected a plan to handle that, with bans focused on Purple. But TierOne made a different judgment!"
"How is it different?"
"You can't control Purple! Even if you force Barzan or Lagnel, how much does his value really drop? That's the premise of their ban-pick!"
"Right! So instead, they targeted the top and mid lanes! Eclipse has never revealed a third champion before, right? Will he be ready? And as for DD, skill is a given—but card shuffling and luck play a bigger part!"
"Aha, so they've chosen a way to hit PerG-Day's team strength directly! But this leaves Yami open. We'll have to see if this was the right choice! Now for both teams' champion reveal!"
The casters groaned as they saw the champions.
"Oh, Eclipse chose Turinda. But the stats show he hasn't played it much."
"Seems he went for a champion with a greatsword at least. Honestly, Eclipse doesn't have a long Mystic track record. Looks like prepping a third champ was too much."
Eclipse's pick was 'Warlord' Turinda. As the casters guessed, it was a stop-gap choice.
"But Purple picked Yami! Perfect Yami is here again!"
"Elephant went for Lagnel. So PerG-Day looks like it has the upper hand in jungle. But that means Purple is carrying an even heavier load."
"TierOne is taking this completely seriously. They're not picking quirky champs at all. That's how highly respected PerG-Day is!"
Wanggeom cleared his throat lightly and said,
"I didn't expect a ha-ha funny match just because it's an event! The fierce competition makes my heart pound even more! What will the result be? Let's find out now!"
PerG-Day and TierOne.
CrazySmurf's final stage had begun.
* * *
The match proceeded surprisingly evenly.
'I'm glad Ecl held his own.'
Eclipse had chosen Turinda, a champion he wasn't familiar with, but held up thanks to the sword skills and physical ability he'd built up so far.
'Thanks to that, the balance is just barely holding.'
Because of this, Lee Gyeongbok could concentrate his efforts on the mid and bot lanes. Thanks to his ganking, those lanes weren't falling behind either.
'But the snowball is rolling.'
However, as time went on, the gap widened.
Eclipse, focusing on enduring in the top lane, couldn't secure much CS, and Lee Gyeongbok, busy protecting two lanes, couldn't do much jungling or counter-jungling.
"Whew, thank you boss! Man, of all times, my skill card draw was bad...!"
He had just rescued Genome in the mid lane again. Without time to reply, Lee Gyeongbok rushed down to the bot lane.
"Slow in 3 seconds. Just the Support."
Skullkim and Bakjapcho were being pushed hard. Lee Gyeongbok gave a quick order and weaved a fire-attribute hand sign.
But he soon changed his mind.
'Wait...!'
If he pressed for the kill opportunity, skullkim would die. So he formed a new hand sign.
A raging wave crashed over the opponents.
"Whoa...!"
"That speed is insane."
TierOne's bot duo were knocked back, their aim thrown off. They didn't hesitate to back off, leaving Skullkim behind with only a few hits left.
"Th-thank you!"
"Heal, please. Let's chase."
At Lee Gyeongbok's words, the two followed right after him. But it didn't last long.
A clear threat suddenly registered in Lee Gyeongbok's mind.
"Fall back!"
Right as he shouted, a black shadow descended on Skullkim. It was Elephant, backing up with Lagnel.
But that Claw was blocked by a shuriken.
'Their combos are on another level, as expected.'
The retreating bot duo had circled back, firing bullets and projectiles.
Of course, none of it hit Lee Gyeongbok. He twisted his body to dodge and formed a wood-attribute hand sign to bind them.
Elephant immediately stood in front of both to prepare for their attacks.
"Got them!"
"Finally...!"
Skullkim and Bakjapcho, startled, tried to dash forward again. But Lee Gyeongbok stood in their way.
"No, pull back. The mid laner is coming."
Even before he finished speaking, a ping appeared on the minimap.
The mid laner had left their lane as soon as the fight started, choosing to roam to back up.
[〉Mid MIA!]
[〉Whoa, when did they disappear?]
Came Genome's chat.
"Let's back out before we get flanked."
"Yes, yes!"
"How are they so fast..."
Skullkim and Bakjapcho blinked as if hypnotized.
While falling back, Lee Gyeongbok confirmed their opponents. They didn't chase recklessly.
'Pros really are different.'
A faint smile spread on his lips.
'This really is fun.'
Inviting TierOne had been the right call. Once again, Lee Gyeongbok felt satisfied with his decision.
The more difficult the match got, the more he enjoyed it.
'Still, if things keep going this way, we'll lose.'
TierOne played with the professionalism you'd expect.
They avoided risky plays on every lane, steadily accumulating advantages.
'If this drags on, it's bad news for us.'
The team was giving it their all, but overcoming the skill gap was tough. Lee Gyeongbok could only cover so much alone.
'To smash the snowball that's already rolling...'
He needed to shift the momentum.
The smile on Lee Gyeongbok's lips deepened.
'I'll have to cause an avalanche at least.'
The variable that could flip the game.
That could only come from himself.