After the opening ceremony, the group stage immediately followed.
First up was AFK against the strong European team, BUG.
The group stage format was a double round-robin, BO1, with one point awarded for a win and no points for a loss.
The two teams with the highest points in the group would advance to the knockout stage.
While JW was in the back preparing to enter their team’s lounge for a brief rest before their match, they encountered AFK, who was getting ready to take the stage.
When teams are away from home, those from the same region often come together.
In the past, when a team was eliminated in the knockout stage, they usually stayed in the city of the competition to help their regional teammates continue their journey by practicing together, and they might even strategize as a group.
Though only one team could win the championship, the honor belonged to the entire region.
As he passed by AFK, Yu Hao exchanged a glance with Shu Lou.
“Good luck,” he said simply.
For Shu Lou, that was enough.
They didn’t have high hopes for the match against BUG; they just hoped not to lose too badly, which was the consensus of the “despondent team.”
Jiang Min patted Shu Lou on the shoulder to encourage his old teammate.
“Sugar God, I’m so nervous!” Ring, the youngest member of AFK, cried out.
This time he was genuinely nervous, not the feigned anxiety from when he tricked Jiang Min into visiting their base.
Ring was a very young player, even a few months younger than Hao Qianyi, and he had never played in a World Championship before.
“It’s okay. Just think of them as random players. Let loose and play,” Jiang Min encouraged.
Ring looked like he was about to cry. “Wuwuwu, but they are last year’s runners-up, BUG! They’re so scary~”
“Come on, come on! If you don’t get out there soon, the staff will hurry you along,” Flow urged their 5 position.
“Wuwuwu, Sugar God, you must cheer for us from the sidelines!” Ring’s voice faded away as he walked off.
“Is Ring really going to be okay, looking that nervous?” Yu Hao asked Jiang Min, watching AFK leave.
Since they were from the same region, he hoped AFK would have a good start.
“It’ll be fine,” Jiang Min replied. “Although I don’t know him well, he’s someone who can lose himself once he gets into the game. As long as he gets into the flow, his emotions won’t affect him. With Shu Lou around, he’ll get into the right mindset quickly.”
As long as Shu Lou was sufficiently despondent, the others wouldn’t be able to match his energy, showing a more positive side toward the competition.
This has become a tradition for AFK, and Ring is no exception.
“If I were Ring, I’d be nervous too,” Hao Qianyi added from the side. “After all, it’s last year’s runner-up, BUG. I’ve heard their 3 position is quite troublesome.”
“Come on, you’re the one who always talks about being nervous but ends up the most relaxed and carefree once you’re on stage,” Wei Yabo replied.
Hao Qianyi scoffed, “I’m just trying to hide my own nervousness, okay?!”
Wei Yafeng sighed, “Yeah, every time we let the game voice chat out, as soon as you start talking, we can’t hear ourselves at all. People who don’t know would think JW is all about whoever has the loudest voice gets to be the commander.”
Hao Qianyi rolled his eyes.
———
The three commentators, known as the “golden duo” of WPL, arrived at the venue along with the WPL official team.
As with every station of the tournament, the global finals also set up commentary booths throughout the venue for commentators from various regions.
To highlight Z country’s characteristics, the commentators’ attire was thoughtfully chosen.
The two male commentators wore suits, but their ties were specially customized with Z country elements. It’s said that each of them brought dozens of ties to cope with the long schedule of the world finals.
Meanwhile, “Yidianhong” Ruby wore a red qipao adorned with intricate floral patterns, her long hair styled up and accessorized in a traditional Z country fashion. Like the two male commentators, she brought a suitcase filled with various qipaos to ensure she wouldn’t wear the same outfit when appearing at the commentary booth.
Rumor has it that her friend Yun Ning did the same.
“Hello, dear audience, I am Uncle Yuan, the official commentator for WPL,” Uncle Yuan greeted at the start. “Finally, the highly anticipated seventh WOC professional league global finals is kicking off in Los City, M country! Over the next few days, I will join my fellow commentators to accompany you through this annual grand event.”
“Hello, everyone, I’m commentator Lack.”
“Hello, everyone, I’m commentator Ruby.”
“As everyone knows, this time, WPL only has two teams entering the global finals: AFK and JW. What insights do you have on these two teams?” Uncle Yuan initiated the discussion.
In the venue, AFK and BUG, the two teams in the first group match, were already in the battle room preparing.
At this time, commentators usually chat to fill the time before the match begins.
“AFK is a team that excels at strategy; aside from their 5 position, Ring, the other players are not first-time world finalists, so their mentality should be stable,” Ruby said. “However, the draw isn’t too friendly for AFK. In the death group A, AFK’s first opponent is the European powerhouse BUG.”
“Indeed, BUG was last year’s runner-up at the finals, having lost to the defending champions NG after a grueling five-game series, so they must be eager to prove themselves. Based on this year’s performance, BUG seems to be in great shape,” Lack added. “Therefore, AFK’s first match in the group stage may not be easy.”
“NG has won the global finals championship for two consecutive years,” Uncle Yuan said. “Their momentum this season remains strong, and it’s uncertain whether this year’s finals will see NG continue their championship streak or if the trophy will go to someone else.”
After some analysis from the commentators, the match began.
Surprisingly, whether it was because BUG wasn’t quite adapted to the small patch changes before the finals or because AFK had been on a roll through the qualifiers and carried that momentum into the finals, AFK unexpectedly took the match easily.
The WPL team AFK achieved a strong start.
In the JW team’s rest area, they could hear the cheers from the AFK substitute players, coaching staff, and team personnel bursting through the wall.
“Wow! Amazing!” Hao Qianyi couldn’t help but applaud.
“Not bad, AFK’s teamwork is starting to show signs of a top-tier team,” JW’s coach Yan Junying rarely praised other teams.
Coach Chaos usually focused on finding flaws and breaking points in other teams when training his own.
“We need to step up our game,” Yu Hao said.
However, JW’s journey was extremely rocky.
Everyone initially thought Group C would be the easiest, and that JW’s advancement should be a sure thing.
Unexpectedly, JW lost three consecutive matches and found themselves at the bottom of the standings.
Online, domestic fans were in an uproar.
The official Weibo account manager, A Xin, was almost in tears reading the comments.
That’s how esports is—when you win, you get showered with praise, but when you lose, everyone jumps on you.
【What is JW doing? Spring Split champions?】
【You might as well pack your bags and go home, so embarrassing!】
【WCNM, playing like this and still taking up a WPL spot? Might as well let OVO have it!】
【What was Hao Qianyi thinking? Just throwing the games?】
【Sugar God is really dragging the team down.】
【Yu’s performance is still decent.】
【The 1 position is playing like SHI, just scraping by the whole time.】
In just a few days, the JW official Weibo was a disaster.
“Come on, guys, just win one match!” A Xin desperately pleaded in the training room prepared by the event organizers for each team.
Did JW’s players not want to win?
But as soon as they took the stage, it felt like they were out of control, unable to perform at their usual level.
Finally, after losing the third match, Coach Chaos couldn’t take it anymore.
“Come with me,” Yan Junying said, breaking the eerie silence in the training room that was filled only with the sounds of keyboards and mice. “Huh? Coach? Aren’t we supposed to train?” Hao Qianyi looked up.
“With you all playing like this, how can we train? Come on, let’s go,” Yan Junying said.
The players were baffled—what was going on with the coach?
Nevertheless, they obediently followed him.
At the hotel entrance, they happened to run into NG, who had just won four matches in a row and was brimming with confidence as two-time WOC global champions.
“Why are you staring? It’s not like the championship is yours,” Yan Junying said coldly.
“…” The players fell silent.
“Xiaoyu, where is the coach taking us?” Jiang Min asked, walking alongside Yu Hao at the back of the group.
“Not sure… just follow him,” Yu Hao replied.
After losing consecutive matches, he had done his best as the captain, but the team’s condition had not improved.
The key was, he couldn’t even pinpoint what the problem was.
The group followed Yan Junying to an internet café near the hotel.
The internet café had glass walls and was quite similar to those Yan Junying had seen back in his hometown, allowing a view inside from the outside.
It was just evening, and the internet café was starting to fill up.
One computer after another was running the WOC game interface.
The group looked through the window at the boys inside the café playing WOC, unsure of why Yan Junying had brought them here.
“Hey, I have to ask, why are you playing professionally?” Yan Junying lit a cigarette, took a puff, and asked.
“Um… because we’re good at the game?” Hao Qianyi replied tentatively.
“Wrong,” Yan Junying squinted and dismissed the answer.
“Uh… to get famous and make money?” This was the sentiment shared by the Wei brothers, Wei Yafeng and Wei Yabai. They had indeed thought that way when they accepted Yu Hao’s invitation to join JW.
“Also wrong,” Yan Junying shook his head.
“Then what is it, coach?” Hao Qianyi asked, confused.
“…Because you like it,” Jiang Min suddenly spoke up.
Looking at the boys in the café, he seemed to see his younger self.
It was the love for the game, combined with talent, that ultimately led him down the path of professionalism.
The team turned to look at Jiang Min, and Yan Junying did the same.
“…Exactly,” Yan Junying put down his cigarette. “It’s because you like it. Only because you enjoy and appreciate this game, relishing every moment and experience it offers, would you even consider making it your profession.”
He continued, “No professional player would ever try a game they have no interest in because that would make daily practice a torment. It’s because we love WOC that we all meet in this professional circle.”
The players listened attentively.
“No one wants to lose; everyone wants to win,” Yan Junying said. “But don’t forget, while the outcome is important, the process is even more crucial. Think about how you fell in love with this game in the first place. Remember the joy it brought you. Don’t treat competitions as a burden; your current problem is that you care too much about winning and losing.”
“…If you care too much about winning and losing, you’ll feel constrained, becoming hesitant and constantly fearing that one action, one decision will affect the match’s outcome,” Yan Junying looked at the young players. “But if you don’t fight until the last moment, who can guarantee the result? WOC has a rich history of comebacks, and that’s part of its charm.”
“I hope you don’t forget this: playing games is about having fun and enjoying yourself, not carrying the weight of pressure, placing winning and losing above everything else! Don’t abandon your original intentions!” After saying this, Yan Junying let out a sigh of relief.
“I’ve said what needed to be said; whether you can adjust depends on you… Honestly, you’ve been playing like SHI these past two days, not even hitting 30% of your usual training performance. Get yourselves sorted out.”
After Yan Junying finished, he left, considering it was close to the hotel, and that the kids were all adults who wouldn’t get lost.
Meanwhile, the JW players looked at the boys playing games in the internet café, lost in thought.
1You 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! ❤️ -TL: Ysiad
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