Chapter 41

〈 Chapter 41 〉 Are you okay?

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The situation is not good.

Not only did we suffer losses in the early 2v2 top lane skirmish, which could be said to determine the direction of the game, but the enemy Rengar, who can be considered the core of their picks, managed to secure a double kill.

Moreover, the player controlling Rengar is none other than EZ.

Despite not even qualifying for the Red Cup, EZ is always mentioned as one of the top candidates for the best top laner, known for his carry power and destructive presence.

Of course, many people counter this by saying, "If he was that good, he would have made it to the Red Cup," but the fact that such debates exist is itself a testament to EZ's value.

To the point where there's even a joke that EZ's username comes from the fact that all opponents feel easy to him.

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For a while, I stood still in the bush, and my teammates' pings hit me hard.

[Prisoner (Rek'Sai): sorry]

I had been standing still for a little over a minute.

Considering what it means to stand still for a minute in League of Legends, it was a significant loss.

‘Did it… get a little better?’

Whether it was because I steeled my resolve or managed to shake off the fear for a moment, the pain was slightly less than before.

But I still couldn't smile.

The situation was still the worst.

Not only did we lose the top lane skirmish, but our jungler was also temporarily absent, so the morale of my teammates must have hit rock bottom.

The only silver lining was that, despite the 1-minute gap, the growth difference between the junglers wasn't that significant because I got a kill in the previous top lane skirmish and Xin Zhao was caught.

‘…Well, the difference in the top lane is already a disaster, though.’

If it weren't for my mistake, we could have come out with a clean advantage, but now the top lane is the one that will suffer.

‘I'm sorry.’

To make up for my mistake, I headed towards the bottom jungle camp.

Let's summarize the situation.

The enemy top lane Rengar has become a monster.

The enemy jungler Xin Zhao is a bit behind.

In other words, the only option for the enemy Xin Zhao at this point is to ‘parasitize the top lane.’

The basic principle of jungling is not to force a win in a ‘disadvantaged lane’ but to figure out how to further crush a ‘dominant lane.’

The enemy jungler is well aware of this.

So, the choice I have is also clear.

‘Going to the top lane now would be foolish.’

While Rengar is a champion with relatively poor survival skills, our current top lane combination is Sett and Rek'Sai, both melee champions.

Although our team composition has quite powerful crowd control, it's fundamentally impossible to kite.

To target the enemy Rengar, I would have to approach the monster directly.

Even if I timed it well when Xin Zhao was absent, it would still be a 2v1 disadvantage.

‘The enemy Xin Zhao has options, but the probability of targeting the top lane is higher to avoid creating variables in the bottom lane skirmish.’

The game became surprisingly simple.

At this point, it's no longer about numbers.

It's a pure physical fight in a skirmish.

‘I’ll target the bottom lane.’

There's no time for leisurely jungle camping.

Unfortunately, this bottom lane gank has a time limit.

Solo laners, like the top lane Rengar and mid lane Rengar, have a so-called ‘killer combo.’

First, they use their ultimate to extinguish a fire, blocking the enemy's vision, then teleport to the top lane and use their ultimate again to join the fight.

The ‘ult + teleport + ult’ combo.

This combo, which makes the Rengar in the top lane suddenly appear in the bottom lane while the vision is blocked, is incredibly powerful.

This is why the game will inevitably become a time attack from now on.

‘Of course, the enemy Rengar can join the bottom lane skirmish before learning the ultimate, but a pre-level 6 Rengar isn't very threatening.’

Due to his inherent tankiness.

Moreover, if he joins, our top lane will be more relaxed, so it's not a bad thing no matter what.

After finishing my thoughts, I ate the Razorbeak and immediately tunneled over to the dragon side to avoid the enemy wards.

The moment I entered the enemy bottom jungle.

A familiar champion was hitting the wraiths.

It was Xin Zhao.

‘I thought he would go straight to cover the top lane… Did he predict my path?’

Or maybe he was just clearing the full camp.

‘Well, either way, this means the top lane is free from dive pressure. Not bad.’

I quickly tunneled in and stole the wraiths with Smite.

[ Xin Zhao – Level 4 ]

[ Rek'Sai – Level 4 ]

This closed the growth gap that had opened up for about a minute.

‘If I hadn't stolen it, the gap would have been two levels.’

Naturally, the Xin Zhao who had his wraiths stolen right in front of him immediately charged at me.

While the consensus is that Rek'Sai is advantageous after level 3 in a Xin Zhao vs. Rek'Sai matchup, the current meta has Xin Zhao at a high tier, so I can't be certain.

Even if Xin Zhao's current health, mana, and skill situation isn't good, I can't afford to be complacent.

Just before Xin Zhao's E skill hit.

­Boom!

With a slight difference, I airborne Xin Zhao just before his skill hit and immediately followed up with a combo.

Q Q Q E.

Xin Zhao resisted, but with his poor health, mana, and skill situation, and being caught off guard, he had no way to fight back.

In the end, Xin Zhao judged that this wouldn't end well and tried to escape.

However, unfortunately, I couldn't chase him all the way because the enemy bottom lane joined.

‘Good.’

I still smiled.

Because this effectively opened the bottom lane skirmish.

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­Enemy eliminated!

­Double kill!

­Massacre!

The bottom lane fight was successful.

Although it was a 3v3, the enemy Xin Zhao was practically out of the fight, and the synergy between our bottom lane players was fantastic.

However…

For every action, there is a reaction.

­Whoosh…

A flame erupted from the ward in the bottom bush.

The enemy Rengar had teleported in.

Our team had pushed in too deep, making it difficult to retreat.

­Allies are under attack!

­Enemy, double kill!

­Enemy is on a rampage!

The top lane disparity that we had experienced earlier was now reversed.

With our team retreating, the first dragon also went to the enemy.

It was the Ocean Dragon.

‘I’ll have to be satisfied with the kill trade.’

The game continued.

Our Sett, who had been struggling early on, got a bit of breathing room while the enemy Rengar teleported to the bottom lane.

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Due to the imbalance in the top lane, we had to give up the first Rift Herald.

Instead, we pushed the bottom turret.

Our ADC exploded in growth.

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With the snowball from the bottom turret, our team secured the second dragon.

It was the Wind Dragon.

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A large-scale team fight erupted over the third dragon, the Fire Dragon.

I had a chance to make a super play, but the sudden pain prevented me from doing so.

The result was that our team secured the dragon, but we lost 2 kills to the enemy's 3, and as a result, the mid turret was pushed.

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Our support, who was eating vision, was cut down by the enemy's ambush, and they secured Baron.

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We successfully ate the enemy who was advancing recklessly, believing in the Baron buff, and won the team fight 5-1.

We pushed the mid turret and secured the dragon.

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A dragon fight broke out.

If we secure this dragon, it will be our fourth.

Moreover, it's the Fire Dragon.

If we secure it, it would be no exaggeration to say that the game is ours.

The fight continued, and we narrowly lost the Smite battle due to the pain in my lower abdomen clouding my focus.

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We lost the dragon again.

The dragon situation is now 3-3.

Considering that the initial dragon difference was 1-3, it's fair to say we lost every Smite battle.

Perhaps due to the consecutive Smite battle losses.

Our mid laner, who had been silent until now, finally typed in the chat.

[qq7785dd55 (Twisted Fate): jg are you okay?]

At first glance, it might seem like he was blaming someone, but knowing that this player doesn't usually chat much, I took it as a sign of concern.

After all, GRS is a team that has always looked favorably upon me.

[Prisoner (Rek'Sai): okok no problem]

The game continued.

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We secured the fourth dragon.

The enemy had secured Baron in the meantime.

They were trying to trade.

The enemy, with Baron, advanced.

Our mid inhibitor was pushed.

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A Elder Dragon fight broke out.

We won the team fight, but unfortunately, we narrowly lost the Elder Dragon.

The enemy pushed the bottom inhibitor.

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After a grueling 50-minute battle, we finally destroyed the enemy Nexus.

[Victory]

“We won… daa…!”

Was it the relief of the tension easing, or was it because I had been holding on until now?

I felt my legs go weak.

[+14 LP]

[1806 LP]

1800 points.

I finally stepped into the unknown territory that no one had ever set foot in.

“...Ah.”

But the joy was short-lived.

I collapsed onto the desk.

The pain in my lower abdomen, which had been masked by adrenaline, started to return.

“Guh, huff...”

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.

‘Am I… going to die like this?’

Fear overwhelmed me.

I don't want to die, there are still so many things I want to do...

My vision blurred.

Was it because of the pain, or the fear of possibly dying soon, that tears started to flow uncontrollably?

I needed to move, to contact someone...

But my body was weak.

In the midst of this unfamiliar pain, I lost consciousness.

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