ATIBTF Chapter 80

“Coach?” Kaka glanced at the JW team behind Yan Junying, all dressed in black uniforms, surrounded by numerous staff members—a stark contrast to his own grassroots team.

When Kaka left the Z Country WPL region, JW’s WOC division hadn’t been established yet, so it was natural for him to find this team unfamiliar.

However, during his preparations for the global points competition in the Southeast Asian region, he had heard about JW winning the WPL Spring Championship, but he hadn’t heard that Chaos had become their coach.

It was also possible that he had been so focused on training that he hadn’t paid attention to external news.

“Ah, I’ve been so busy lately that I didn’t know you made a comeback…” Kaka’s tone was like that of an old friend, “But no matter what, I’m really glad to see you in the competition.”

Kaka’s Chinese was excellent, with barely any accent.

“Yeah,” Yan Junying nodded, “While I still have the drive, I want to give it my all before I get too old.”

Kaka smiled.

“I really admire you,” Yan Junying said sincerely, “I don’t have the guts and determination to form a team and compete like you.”

Kaka shrugged, “I never really expected to get this far myself, but… if we don’t get good results this season and still don’t find a sponsor, we’ll probably disband after this season… It’s a shame because these kids are pretty good…”

Kaka looked back at the young players he had nurtured, and an idea struck him: “Chaos, now that you’re a coach, if you’re interested, keep an eye on our players. The kids in Alpha are quite good, and if we disband, you might want to consider bringing some of them in.”

Yan Junying knew this was Kaka trying to secure a future for his players.

The esports environment in Southeast Asia couldn’t compare to that in Country Z. If they could play in the WPL, it would be a great opportunity for Southeast Asian players.

However, JW didn’t need to change players right now, and they had no plans to do so in the short term.

So, Yan Junying smiled slightly, “We’re not considering recruiting new players for now; our five are still young.”

Kaka and Yan Junying chatted for a bit longer until the event organizers informed the teams to prepare for the opening ceremony, and they returned to their respective teams.

“Coach, who was that?” Curious Hao Qianyi no longer felt the initial unfamiliarity with Yan Junying. After the recent period of intense training, he treated Chaos with a mix of respect during training and casualness during downtime.

“Oh, an old friend.” Yan Junying looked back at Kaka, who was now leading his team away, feeling a bit nostalgic.

Players of their generation were getting older; there weren’t many like Kaka who were still active on the front lines.

Those with better skills and luck were coaching various teams; some couldn’t even become head coaches and had to settle for assistant roles.

Many others, after retiring, turned to streaming or faded away, like he had once done.

Esports evolves quickly, just like this era.

Whether out of good wishes for an old friend or nostalgia for the days when players of their generation dominated the stage, Yan Junying hoped that Kaka could lead his Alpha team further.

———-

The opening ceremony of the WOC Global Points Competition’s R Country substation officially began.

Like other regional tournaments, after some opening performances, there was the “walk show” segment for the teams.

This was routine for established teams, but for “grassroots” teams with little experience in major events, it was a brand-new experience.

Alpha did fine, thanks to Kaka’s leadership, and avoided any major mistakes.

Another team, a secondary league team from the Australian region that had come through the qualifiers, went the wrong way despite having a rehearsal, and some players were so nervous they tripped over nothing.

Overall, though, the opening ceremony concluded smoothly amidst the enthusiastic audience.

Many spectators were attending a live esports event for the first time, especially one of this scale, and their faces were full of excitement.

“Dear, which country’s team is the one in black uniforms? They’re so handsome!” A girl from R Country asked her boyfriend.

The boyfriend didn’t seem to mind his girlfriend calling other guys handsome; instead, he responded with mild confusion, “Weren’t you listening to what the host just said?”

“Huh? I was too busy watching, and everyone around us was cheering, so I didn’t really hear anything,” the girl replied.

“Alright, that’s JW from Z Country,” the young man said.

“JW? Are they good?”

“They should be… pretty good, I guess. They were the Spring Champions of their region.”

“Wow, champions? Are there really people who are both so handsome and play esports so well?”

“…….” The young man was at a loss for words.

People used to think of esports players as sloppy internet-addicted teens.

But that was mainly because there was a lack of commercial operation and capital back then.

Now, with more professional leagues and clubs, and a better overall image of the players, they naturally look much better than before.

However, JW’s team members indeed have a relatively high average level of attractiveness, especially Yu Hao and Jiang Min, who, without even realizing it, had already gained a large number of fans in R Country just for their looks.

Since esports isn’t well developed in R Country and they don’t have a professional league, there were no direct invitations for teams from the substation.

However, because they were hosting the substation, R Country was given one entry slot for the competition.

This slot was decided through a preliminary qualifier held in R Country before the main event.

The team that earned this spot was called Team Hero, a newly established team formed by young people themselves, making it a grassroots team as well.

As the home team, Team Hero had a lot of support.

But they were quickly taught a harsh lesson in the group stage.

R Country’s goal in hosting the substation was to promote and develop esports, while the other teams from around the world came solely for the points.

To earn the points crucial for qualifying for this season’s world championships, all teams were giving it their all.

Even though many teams knew that R Country’s esports scene was underdeveloped and that their home teams were likely weaker, they didn’t expect them to be completely overwhelmed.

Team Hero quickly sealed their fate with a complete loss, ensuring they wouldn’t advance to the knockout stage.

It’s clear that R Country still has a long way to go in esports.

Meanwhile, JW, placed in a relatively weaker group, dominated their way through, even securing a flawless victory against a small team from Southeast Asia, and successfully advanced to the knockout stage as the top team in their group.

What followed was the real test.

In the first knockout round, in the quarterfinals, JW faced a formidable opponent from E Country, LQ.

“LQ’s position 1 player is very aggressive, which is quite different from the typical early-game farming style. This shows a player who’s very confident in their skills,” Yan Junying analyzed the opponent with his team before the match.

“In general, teams from E Country tend to play aggressively,” Yu Hao added to what Yan Junying was saying. “So should we go for a strategic, evasive playstyle or face them head-on?”

“We should definitely face them head-on! Who’s afraid of who?” Hao Qianyi was the first to speak, his reckless style perfectly aligned with JW’s usual approach.

“I think a strategic approach would be better,” Jiang Min, who had been mostly silent, finally spoke up.

As soon as he spoke, everyone else focused on him.

Yan Junying looked at him with interest.

He used to think that this kid had good mechanics and awareness, but the more he interacted with him, the more he realized how smart Jiang Min was.

If the team didn’t already have a stable captain and shot-caller in Yu Hao, Jiang Min could probably do a great job as both captain and shot-caller too.

“Huh? Why?” Hao Qianyi asked.

“If we go head-to-head, we’ll reveal too much of our individual skills,” Jiang Min said. “There are still a lot of matches left in the knockout stage, and we’ll be facing opponents we expect and those we don’t. If we expose too much in the first match, they’ll overanalyze us.”

“Exactly, keeping our strength hidden is also a part of our strategy,” Yu Hao agreed, never opposing Jiang Min’s insights.

“Besides,” Jiang Min continued with a slight smile, “isn’t it satisfying to take down a raging bull like a matador?”

Because of their reckless playstyle, the LQ team was famously nicknamed the “E Country Bulls.”

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

Who knew that Sugar God had a hint of a devious side?

———-

With the strategy set, it was time for the real battle.

On the day of the knockout match, the JW players gathered in the hotel lobby, fully geared up and ready to board the bus provided by the event organizers to head to the competition venue.

Apart from JW, another team from the WPL region, GEM, also made it to the knockout stage.

However, the MPP team had an unfortunate performance and was eliminated after losing a tiebreaker match to North America’s CM team in the group stage.

While waiting for the bus, a few familiar faces appeared in the lobby.

Besides the usual staff they often saw during the WPL regular season, there was also Yun Ning, dressed in a cheongsam with carefully applied makeup.

As the host sent by the WPL, she also had to work hard.

Since everyone was from the same region and heading to the same venue, the organizers decided to have the WPL crew and JW team share the same bus.

Jiang Min kept his head down, looking at his phone, occasionally glancing up at Yun Ning.

Sure enough, Yun Ning came over to greet the JW team and eventually walked up to Yu Hao.

“Good luck with the match today, Captain Yu,” Yun Ning said with a smile.

“Mm,” Yu Hao responded with his usual lack of expression.

At that moment, the bus arrived, and everyone began to board.

“Captain Yu, is Yun Ning chasing after you?” Hao Qianyi asked, full of gossip.

“…” Yu Hao didn’t respond, but his body noticeably stiffened.

“They say it’s tough for a guy to pursue a girl, but when a girl goes after a guy, it’s a breeze. I think the goddess Yun Ning is great; why don’t you just go for it?” Hao Qianyi suggested, having noticed Yun Ning’s attentiveness over the past few days.

Yu Hao knocked Hao Qianyi on the head. “Quit wasting your time on nonsense. Instead, why don’t you focus on figuring out how to go up against LQ’s No. 1 and No. 5 positions?”

With that, he pulled Jiang Min towards the bus.

Jiang Min followed half a step behind, watching Yu Hao’s back thoughtfully.

Meanwhile, Yu Hao’s heart was racing.

So, they say when a girl chases a guy, it’s easy. But what about when a guy chases a guy?

¹TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading! ❤️”

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  TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading! ❤️”