Chapter 25

〈 Chapter 25 〉 This is a game.

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Akalin, who joined with Renekton, only watched from the sidelines from start to finish and fled the moment Kassadin bit. That was what a level 2 Akalin was. A spectator with no powerful crowd control and virtually no combat ability. It wasn't for nothing that he was called a late-game champion after level 6 and one core. Although Renekton and I had already used our spells, we couldn't catch Akalin, but since he was a champion with excellent survival skills, there was nothing to regret.

[ ] [ ] [ ]

Afterward, Cyan and Galion joined late, but they seemed to think the situation was already over and soon returned to their lanes. They were also spectators in a different sense. I then took the golems and wolves in the enemy jungle. I also deliberately left one wolf pup for Kassadin, as it was a trophy of our early engagement victory.

‘Kassadin wasn't seen until I took the golems and wolves. He must have headed to the bottom jungle.’

Even though it was a normal judgment, it felt a bit unexpected because the opponent was Yunji. Normally, I would have thought that Yunji might return to the top jungle instead.

‘Is it because of GuineaPig?’

The tamer of wild horses. While not as closely tied to the jungle as Rainbow, a mid-lane champion, GuineaPig could still play a similar role as a support. Therefore, at this point, it could be said that Kassadin only got one death and the jungle was split evenly. However, there was a significant fact hidden in this. The one death Kassadin just got wasn't just a one death.

‘A level 2 Kassadin without Blue Buff...’

Just imagining it made the jungling seem painful. In other words, Kassadin had completely messed up due to a reckless early judgment.

‘Even if it's Yunji, it won't be easy to recover.’

And snowballing is the process of widening and solidifying the gap that has been created.

‘So...’

I assessed the situation. Kassadin headed to the bottom path after dying, and I cleared the top jungle and took the top rock crab. The bottom lane seemed a bit tough, the mid-lane was even, and a dive lane was forming in the top lane. This was partly due to the Renekton-Elise combo, but also because Cyan had to be careful in the lane after losing the early top lane skirmish.

From now on, I could do as I pleased. I could follow Kassadin and harass him persistently after returning home, as I did with other opponents, or I could dive the top lane where the dive lane was forming.

I checked the bottom lane.

‘Hmm... I could go harass Yunji after returning home, but the bottom lane is concerning.’

If I went to the bottom path to harass Kassadin a bit more, the opposing Rell, who was leading the lane, might join. The current bottom lane lineup was no ordinary one.

[SCV BlackDog - Ziggs]

[SY GuineaPig - Rell]

No less than a Red Cup semifinalist ADC and a Red Cup champion support. With two world-class players, it wouldn't be easy to hold out, even for a top-tier user.

‘It's a relief that they haven't died.’

The fact that they were holding out in the lane without collapsing and giving up a bit of control already proved their skill.

‘I'll go to the top lane.’

I decided to play it by the book. I pinged.

[ ]

[Prisoner (Elise) targeted 3minTopChurch (Sion)]

[Prisoner (Elise) targeted 3minTopChurch (Sion)]

Renekton, who had been pushing the lane slowly, started to aggressively push the lane as if waiting for this moment. It was a typical top dive setup.

[Elise - Level 3]

[Renekton - Level 4]

[Sion - Level 4]

Normally, Sion should have fled without caring about the lane being pushed, given the early top lane skirmish loss and the formidable opponents, Elise and Renekton. Kassadin had also fled to the bottom path, so if he wanted to avoid death, he should have fled the lane at any cost.

But I knew Sion.

More precisely, I knew what kind of player was controlling Sion.

[3minTopChurch - Sion]

A top laner who decorated one side of my friend list. As his nickname suggests, 3minTopChurch was a typical top lane devotee who believed that the top lane was decided by the enemy and allied jungler within the first 3 minutes of every game.

[ ]

[Prisoner (Elise) targeted 3minTopChurch (Sion)]

As I revealed myself with the dive lane and in the bush, Sion struggled to avoid the hook. If the hook missed and Renekton took the tower aggro first, the dive would likely fail. So, I calmly approached Sion and aimed the hook.

‘I'll go first.’

Even without voice chat, Renekton seemed to understand and waited calmly. Whether he was a pro or not, he was indeed a top-tier player.

*Clang!*

After the hook hit.

As if in a picture, Renekton's enhanced W and skill combo followed.

Sion, being a tank, resisted roughly, but he was just a level 4 tank without any items.

It's not for nothing that the Elise-Renekton combo is called a standard combo.

As Sion's Q skill charged and was about to hit me.

I skillfully pulled the tower aggro with a web and calmly escaped.

*Enemy killed!*

Like Kassadin, Sion also temporarily resurrected after dying due to his passive.

Come to think of it, it was a tank combo.

However, unfortunately, Sion had taken the Exploit rune instead of the Frosty rune, so he couldn't use his passive as threateningly as our team's Sion did in the past. Sion's passive was now only useful for eating the remaining minions.

*Haha!*

Renekton's laughter echoed through the rift.

Renekton and I exchanged affectionate emotes and returned home together.

After returning home, I immediately bought a second-tier boot.

I needed to move as quickly as possible.

‘A dive lane is forming in the bottom lane.’

And Kassadin's path is the bottom path.

Combining these two pieces of information leads to a clear conclusion.

‘The enemy plans to dive the bottom lane.’

In League of Legends, there is a theory called the diagonal rule, which states that if your team gains an advantage on one side of the map, the other side will suffer, so you should be cautious. The current bottom dive is a perfect example of this diagonal rule.

...Recently, it has become a subject of ridicule as the "king diagonal" or something, but still.

At this moment, the diagonal rule was proven as Kassadin appeared in the bottom three-way bush.

[Kassadin - Level 3]

[Elise - Level 4]

The fact that Kassadin, a champion strong in the jungle, was a level lower than Elise, a ganking all-in jungler, directly showed how much Kassadin was behind.

Therefore, the upcoming bottom dive was extremely important.

If the bottom dive succeeds here, all the efforts to put Kassadin behind would be in vain.

[↓] [↓] [↓]

I pinged repeatedly.

I'm on my way, just hold on a bit.

‘Can they hold on?’

Normally, I would arrive just in time, but the variables were the enemy, including Yunji, BlackDog, and GuineaPig.

These were players with formidable careers, including two Red Cup champions and a semifinalist.

I couldn't afford to be complacent.

[ ] [ ] [ ]

Retreat pings were repeatedly sent.

The enemy Ziggs and Rell pushed in with the dive lane.

The retreat path was also blocked by Kassadin.

At the critical moment when Kassadin's W hit my teammates, Ezreal and Maokai.

*Whirr...*

The ward placed by my team in the bottom lane bush started to glow.

It was a teleport.

‘I didn’t expect them to go this far.’

There was no need to explain whose teleport it was.

There was only one laner on our team with a spare teleport.

[ ] [ ]

[qwdkmqwojfte (Renekton) targeted SCV BlackDog (Ziggs)]

[qwdkmqwojfte (Renekton) targeted SCV BlackDog (Ziggs)]

Renekton, armed with muscles, appeared with the teleport effect.

The top lane difference arrived.

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