IRAJAS Chapter 119

The score came to 2:1. DT has reached the match point.

The thrill of winning two rounds in a row made the team somewhat lose themselves. Even someone as introverted as Jiang Jin couldn’t help but enthusiastically engage with Lu Shi and the others.

Lin Lan didn’t participate in this excitement. He quietly sat in a corner, stretching his wrist. He continuously replayed the previous match in his mind, trying to put himself in Qi Mo’s perspective to guess his thoughts.

Xiao Shengjing handed him a glass of water and placed it by his side. “Why do you not seem very happy?”

Lin Lan took the glass, and hesitated for a moment before drinking, “Qi Mo isn’t someone who sits around waiting for defeat. I’m a bit worried about the next match.” He slightly lowered his head and looked at the glass in his hand, exposing his vulnerable neck in front of Xiao Shengjing, “This year is ENG’s strongest year, and also Qi Mo’s most explosive year. Although I understand him, I can’t figure him out. I don’t know what changes he will make in the next match.”

These were things Lin Lan would never say to others. He feared disrupting the team’s morale and often chose to bear it alone.

Outsiders only saw his glamorous side, not the burdens he hid behind it. He had always been carrying the team forward, and eventually, there were times when he felt overwhelmed.

A warm hand landed on his head, ruffling his hair, “This doesn’t seem like you at all. Winning or losing isn’t important, what’s important is giving your all. You just focus on your efforts and leave the rest to fate. Isn’t there a saying on the internet? It goes “If you give your all and still can’t get it, then it must be something that doesn’t belong to you”.”

Lin Lan widened his eyes, filled with disbelief, “Captain, are you teaching me to slack off?”

Xiao Shengjing suddenly laughed, “Do you need me to teach you how to slack off? Do you remember how lazy you were when you first joined DT? I was thinking then, how could there be such a relaxed player? It seemed like esports was the easiest and happiest thing for you. You had no burdens, so you could charge forward without hesitation. You and Qi Mo are completely different types of players. You don’t need to hold yourself to his standards. You have your strengths and he has his. Use your strengths to defeat him, enjoy the process, and enjoy the results. Isn’t that the essence of competition?”

Lin Lan was taken aback.

It seemed he remembered.

When he first joined DT, he was in a pressure-free competitive state, relaxed yet powerful. His aversion to matches disappeared completely. He even looked forward to the surprises each position would bring him and to what heights he could reach. Everything was moving in an unknown but positive direction. Unlike now, where he was tense and anxious about gains and losses…

The mid-lane position had given him too much pressure. Qi Mo, on the opposing side, had also given him a lot of pressure, making him increasingly resemble his old self from the real world.

But wasn’t this putting the cart before the horse?

The meaning of having a second chance is never to walk the same old path again.

Beside him, Xiao Shengjing withdrew his hand and spoke from the heart, “I used to care a lot about winning and losing. But after spending time with you, I realized that this is a team game. Having a group of like-minded teammates is far more important than anything else. Enjoying the match itself means you’re already halfway to winning.” As he spoke, he suddenly looked at him with a gentle gaze, vastly different from their first meeting. “Ever since you came to DT, every match has been an enjoyment for me, regardless of the outcome. As long as we give it our all, it’s worth it.”

Lin Lan’s pupils gradually widened. He didn’t understand why the captain had become so sentimental, but upon reflection, it made some sense.

He scratched his head, wanting to say something. But suddenly, he was called over by Shi Quan, whose first words were, “Relax a bit. Don’t get more and more tense as you play. You’re not in the right state.”

Lin Lan nodded and was about to say he was already relaxing, but Shi Quan pressed him down onto a bench, massaging his shoulders to help him relax while diverting his attention with his voice, “Don’t think about what Qi Mo might do. Just relax. You’re the player I trust the most in the team. If you relax, you’ll be unbeatable…”

In the regular season, Shi Quan had scolded him harshly, saying he was the player who worried the coach the most. How had he suddenly become the one the coach trusted the most?

Before Lin Lan could voice his little doubts, Coach Zhang beside him grabbed his hand and kept massaging it to help him relax, “Xiao Lin, we’re holding two match points. Everyone listen to me, don’t get nervous. At this moment, ENG is the most panicked. You mustn’t rush. Just relax, and you’ll win. Did you hear me?”

Everyone smiled and said they understood.

In truth, it was evident that the two coaches were the most nervous. Although they didn’t say it, their tension showed through their actions.

Even though this match was DT’s match point, if they lost, the next game would be a do-or-die situation for both teams. The pressure on DT would be far greater than on ENG.

The coaches didn’t want to create anxiety for the team, so they kept telling them to relax. Except for Xu Shengwei, who truly relaxed, the other four were all tense to varying degrees.

The difference between the champion and the runner-up is immense, and the glory gap is like a thousand miles.

Whether they rise to the top or fall into oblivion depends on these two matches. Now is the moment to decide their fate.

The match time was approaching, and both teams entered their preparation stages. The commentators on stage were excitedly analyzing the match situation. Even through the headphones, the intense atmosphere of the venue could be felt.

The right to choose sides for the fourth match was with ENG. In a rare move, they chose the blue side and banned Jarvan IV, Gragas, and Akali, picking LeBlanc first.

They were clearly targeting DT’s mid-jungle duo. If DT didn’t make their choices wisely, they could continue to be targeted.

After careful consideration, Shi Quan first secured Nocturne for Xiao Shengjing and then picked Kai’Sa for Xu Shengwei.

ENG quickly chose Sejuani for their jungler and Zilean for their support.

Their lineup was highly aggressive, and Qi Mo, deviating from his utility heroes from the previous three games, opted for a direct confrontation with Lin Lan.

In previous scrimmages, Lin Lan had taught Qi Mo everything he knew, and Qi Mo had mastered the technique of LeBlanc’s 0.2-second vanish. His bold choice indicated that he had perfected that move, which meant Lin Lan couldn’t pick Zed and had to choose another hero to face him.

Qi Mo’s change gave Lin Lan a significant jolt. For a moment, he forgot this was the crucial final match, and the hidden passion within him started to stir.

Lin Lan scrolled through the hero list, “Coach, I’ll pick Zoe.”

ENG was targeting the mid-jungle duo, and if DT didn’t pick Zoe now, she would definitely be banned in the next round. Shi Quan agreed almost without thinking, “Okay.”

Lin Lan picked Zoe, her playful and cute character model appearing on the screen, embodying Lin Lan’s unique sense of ease.

Qi Mo paused, sensing something slightly different about Lin Lan. But he quickly dismissed the feeling.

Although Zoe could slightly suppress his LeBlanc, he believed that his control over LeBlanc was superior to Lin Lan’s Zoe.

Because Zoe simply didn’t suit Lin Lan.

Both sides then proceeded to ban more champions, with ENG mainly targeting supports and DT focusing on ADCs.

In the end, ENG picked Kog’Maw for ADC and Sion for the top lane.

DT chose Ornn for the top lane and Braum for support.

As the game was about to start, the commentators analyzed the team compositions: “Both ENG and DT have made some interesting picks this game. However, it still feels like LeBlanc’s suppression will be stronger, especially since Kiner’s Zoe, to be honest, might not be as dominant as his assassin champions. In previous matches, he’s played Zoe four times with a win rate of only fifty-fifty…”

The commentators weren’t optimistic about Lin Lan’s Zoe, and the fans were even less so.

They all believed that Lin Lan’s assassins could determine the outcome of the match, whereas his Zoe… Well, although this version did get a bit of a buff, for Lin Lan, it seemed more like a placeholder pick.

As the game started and the champions came online, Qi Mo’s aggressiveness was immediately apparent. He used LeBlanc’s W to jump in and poke Lin Lan, quickly using a second W to return to his original position.

Lin Lan was inexplicably hit, which made him really angry. He was a petty person—if someone hit him, he would definitely hit back. As the minions arrived, he pretended to Q the minions, then shamelessly auto-attacked Qi Mo. After Q’ing the minions, he auto-attacked Qi Mo again.

Although Qi Mo reacted quickly and countered, Zoe’s auto-attack had a passive that enhanced her next basic attack after using a skill. The damage Lin Lan dealt was higher than what Qi Mo dealt to him.

Even more importantly, Zoe’s Q had two parts, meaning that for each Q cast, Lin Lan could land two enhanced auto-attacks. Just through auto-attacks, he could forcibly suppress Qi Mo.

Additionally, the auto-attacks triggered by the passive had no wind-up, making them instantaneous. In the time it took for Lin Lan to auto-attack Qi Mo twice, Qi Mo could only hit back once. This QAQA combo gave Lin Lan a significant health advantage over Qi Mo.

This is why Zoe is considered strong against LeBlanc.

Qi Mo suddenly didn’t dare to push forward anymore.

Lin Lan’s Zoe felt very different to him, completely unlike in their practice matches. He remembered that Lin Lan hated this kind of champion and always played poorly with it, even showing outright resistance…

In the game of League of Legends, when a player’s rhythm doesn’t match that of their champion, playing becomes extremely difficult and mistakes are common.

Players need to find champions that match their own rhythm to play well. Such champions often become their signature picks.

Typically, a player can only sync with 2-3 champions. Professional players, due to extensive training, can sync with 5-6 champions.

Lin Lan and Qi Mo are among the professional players with the most synchronized champions, but even they have only about 7-8 champions with which they can truly sync. Beyond this number, it becomes challenging to achieve synchronization.

Qi Mo’s synchronized champions are composite heroes that require multifaceted thinking, like Zed.

Lin Lan’s synchronized champions are those that rely on speed and agility, like Akali.

Zoe’s pace is much slower, which is very different from Lin Lan’s rhythm. This is why he has always struggled to play this champion well.

But just now, Qi Mo sensed a hint of synchronization in Lin Lan’s play.

It seemed that Lin Lan had somehow synchronized his rhythm with Zoe’s.

“I’m not trying to make you suffer; I just can’t help it.” The quirky line sounded as Zoe bounced around under Lin Lan’s control, his actions relaxed yet powerful.

This realization made Qi Mo’s hand tremble slightly. Lin Lan hit him with another QAQA combo, further confirming his suspicion.

What the hell…

How could Lin Lan have changed so much?

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