CH 24

Jiang Min was originally idle, waiting for someone to choose, thinking that with a low profile and little fame, his unknown strength would surely be the last to be selected. Unexpectedly, he suddenly heard that Wan Guo had chosen him.

“So, please join Wan Guo’s team, Mr. L,” Jiang Min realized only after the host reminded him.

He quickly clicked on the blue side in the room and joined Wan Guo’s team.

Previously, due to Ying Ge’s victory in the solo battle against Wan Guo, he not only obtained the priority to choose players but also had the priority to choose sides.

Ying Ge chose the red side, so Wan Guo’s team naturally became the blue side.

The remaining selections were carried out according to the preferences of the two team captains, proceeding smoothly. The two of them had an unspoken understanding, each selecting two technical streamers, two professional players, and one female streamer for their respective teams.

Both of them were very confident in categorizing themselves as “technical streamers.”

As for whether the audience shared this view, opinions varied.

The “last pick” turned out to be a recently retired professional player who had only recently started streaming. Professional players usually start their careers at a very young age and often don’t go back to school after their early teens. The job opportunities after retirement are quite limited.

If a player is relatively famous and has earned enough money during their career, they can lead a relatively comfortable life, perhaps dabbling in side businesses and relying on their accumulated popularity to do live streams. However, this is the exception rather than the rule.

Most people only see the glamorous side of esports and think that these “gaming addicts” can easily earn millions or even tens of millions by playing games casually. However, they do not see the harsh realities of the industry.

Apart from the long hours of training and tight schedules that have led to many professional players suffering from health issues, there are also numerous young people dreaming of entering the professional gaming scene, but only a few make it to the top. Many are eliminated during their youth training or end up unable to achieve any significant results in their careers.

In this field, many strive for the top, and there are many teams, but there can only be one champion. The sweat and tears behind that championship are just as real as in any other sport.

Many retired professional players choose to become streamers after their careers, as their expertise lies in playing games. By showcasing their skills and developing a unique streaming style, they can make a living.

Players like Ying Ge, who have become top streamers on platforms after retiring, are typical examples.

In conclusion, not every player enjoys a glamorous life after retirement; many remain unknown. The professional player participating in the JJ Live WOC Friendship Tournament, Cool, had recently retired from the bottom-tier team BBG in the League of Legends.

Cool had spent most of his career in the second-tier league, which had much less exposure than the top-tier league, resulting in a small fan base. He was only bought by BBG last year and promoted to the top-tier league.

He had hoped to gain more exposure and achieve better results with BBG, but unfortunately, the team struggled to perform despite having strong players and ample resources. Cool, now over 25 years old and struggling with his form, decided to retire.

In the WOC professional league, there are players over 25 years old, but they must maintain top form to compete, and only a few manage to do so.

Cool retired and joined JJ Live as a full-time streamer. His participation in the WOC Friendship Tournament was an opportunity for exposure and to build a fan base.

Cool didn’t mind being the “last pick” and had developed a healthy mindset during his years as a professional player.

However, he was curious about JW’s new mid-laner. He had seen online speculation, with fans and clubs alike considering this player a newcomer. He wanted to see for himself what kind of newcomer could attract the attention of major clubs and secure a starting position in a powerhouse team like JW.

Cool, as the last one to be selected, joined the blue team with Jiang Min.

“Are both sides ready?” the host asked.

“OK, let’s start,” Ying Ge responded.

“GOGO!” Wan Guo sounded eager to begin.

In the JJ Live operation department, they were pleased to see the popularity of the participating streamers and the increasing number of viewers in the livestream rooms. The planning of this event had been a success.

The two team captains for this event were Ying Ge and Wan Guo, who were both top streamers on the platform.

In every livestream room, the topic of discussion was mostly JW’s new mid-laner.

【”Is this the first public appearance of JW’s new mid-laner?”】

【”I wonder if their skills are as good as they say online.”】

【”U1S1, the video on Weibo showed some promise.”】

【”Can one video really prove anything? Everyone has their moments.”】

【”To be honest, that play was good, but I think I can do it too.”】

【”It’s starting, it’s starting! Top 100 comments per minute!”】

The discussion in Wan Guo’s livestream room was buzzing.

He didn’t pay much attention to what the chat was discussing; he simply instructed his assistant to monitor the chat for any disruptive comments and promptly block them. He was fully focused on the upcoming match.

Although this tournament was for entertainment and friendly competition, he had no intention of losing. Nobody likes to lose, and Wan Guo, once a top player in the Chinese server, was no exception.

In his thirties, he couldn’t match the reaction speed of the young players participating in the event today, but he excelled due to his years of gaming experience and gradually developed awareness. As the team captain, his role depended on these qualities.

The match began.

They entered the banning phase.

Since this was a hastily assembled team, each person’s position in the team hadn’t been decided in advance. Therefore, during the hero selection phase, the participants needed to discuss who would take on which position.

As the team captain, Wan Guo usually preferred the 4th position during his live broadcasts. In this friendly match, he leaned towards playing as a versatile player roaming across different lanes, controlling the overall game. However, he decided to consult with his team members.

The red and blue teams each opened their voice chat rooms.

“So, what roles do you all want to play?” Wan Guo asked.

“I, uh, I’m not very good technically, so I’ll take the 5th position support. Please carry me, big brothers,” said the only girl in the team, Yao Ling, a well-known beauty streamer in the JJ Live WOC section, using her sweet voice.

【”Big brothers”? Yao Ling is probably going to call Wan Guo “Teacher” or “Uncle.”】

Wan Guo was often called “Teacher Wan” by his viewers because he liked to teach and provide commentary during his live broadcasts. However, sometimes his teaching didn’t go as planned.

The most classic example was when he played Time Traveler, used his ultimate ability “Time Freeze” to control four opponents, but due to poor vision, he didn’t notice them. Instead, he chased an unimportant support hero, claiming, “It’s all about awareness; I knew this support would come,” but ended up not getting any kills.

This scene was famously referred to as “Empty Big Play Better Than Big Play,” and he earned one of the annual “SkyBig” awards.

“Haha, Boss, the viewers are calling you ‘Uncle’!” Wan Guo’s assistant couldn’t help but laugh while reading the chat.

“Nonsense! You guys are the uncles and aunts! I’m still young!” Even before the match began, Wan Guo’s emotions were already high.

【”Today seems like a day where Wan Guo is going to roast people.”】

【”Wan Guo’s roasts are the best!”】

【”Rubbing my hands together in anticipation, how many times will Wan Guo roast people today?”】

【”Wan Guo, we’re young, and Yao Ling isn’t very skilled, so please be understanding!”】

“Alright, then you can take the 5th position,” Wan Guo responded to Yao Ling.

In the WOC (World of Champions) tournament, the 4th position is considered part of the support role, so they played as double support in the 4th and 5th positions.

Many beginners mistakenly believe that the support role is suitable for newcomers. However, it’s not the case. The support role requires the most awareness and experience. They need to maintain vision, protect the carries, provide crowd control during team fights, jungle control, and pressure the enemy carries, among other things. In reality, it’s not a position well-suited for rookies.

Yao Ling didn’t have strong technical skills and had a low ranking, relying on her appearance to become a popular streamer.

Wan Guo’s true thoughts were that he didn’t want her to play support, but since she had spoken up, and pushing her into another role might make her crumble under pressure, he agreed.

He could buy extra wards and focus on vision to compensate.

The others had no objections to Yao Ling taking the 5th position.

Apart from Jiang Min, there was another active professional player who played as the 3rd position. It was a natural choice for him.

That left Jiang Min and a former professional player who specialized in mid-lane heroes, now a streamer known as Cool.

Wan Guo voluntarily gave up the 1st position, saying, “I don’t want to play the 1st position. You two can decide who plays the 1st and 2nd positions. I’ll play the 4th position, is that okay with you?”

“No problem,” Cool replied, and then hesitantly said to Jiang Min, “Uh, bro, can I play mid?”

In many cases, mid-lane and 1st position heroes are interchangeable, so there wouldn’t be an issue with knowing how to play the heroes.

Cool’s request was simply because playing mid-lane made for more exciting content and increased viewership due to the 1v1 confrontations and higher entertainment value. As a relatively new and not very popular streamer, this move made sense.

【”Alright, then I’ll play the 1st position,”】 Jiang Min typed.

“By the way, why aren’t you using a microphone, High and Mighty?” Wan Guo asked. “Won’t it affect communication?”

【”It’s fine, I can hear you. My microphone is broken.”】 Jiang Min felt uncomfortable being called “High and Mighty.”

In the chat rooms of the participants on Wan Guo’s side, there was an explosion of messages.

The JW team’s facilities are top-notch, so how could there not be a spare microphone available if one was broken?

This is unbelievable!!!

—

“……” Wan Guo didn’t know how to respond for a moment.

While he wanted to take care of this child brought by Bai Yin, the reason given was something only a fool would believe!

However, although Wan Guo hadn’t formally entered the professional circle, he had been in the streaming industry for many years, and he had a good relationship with retired players like Ying Ge. He still knew a bit about what went on in the industry.

In such a situation, it was probably because JW hadn’t officially announced it yet and didn’t want to reveal the true identity of the new mid-laner in advance.

Among the ten participants in the interactive event tonight, the other nine were live streaming, but JW’s mid-laner wasn’t.

Could it be that they were still in the trial period without an official contract, so the club didn’t want to make it public yet?

After some thought, Wan Guo thought this possibility was quite likely.

So, it seemed like the club and Bai Yin had their eyes on this kid and were currently practicing teamwork with JW’s players. If the trial period went well, they would sign a contract and make an official announcement.

Since this was a player that Bai Yin had his eye on, and JW wanted to keep it a secret, Wan Guo decided to respect their wishes.

That’s how Wan Guo saw it.

“Well, maybe Mr. Ji has made some big investments recently, and JW is temporarily short on cash, hahaha!” Wan Guo joked.

In a sense, Wan Guo’s guess was half right.

Mr. Ji indeed made a significant investment, spending thirty million to acquire Jiang Min.

However, even if Mr. Ji spent 30 million, JW shouldn’t be short on money, at most he’d have to spend a considerable portion of the recently earned funds.

【”JW short on money? Pigs can fly!”】

【”Is this the previously rumored aloof guy in mid-lane? He doesn’t even use voice chat, how disrespectful to the veterans?”】

【”Let’s not jump to conclusions; maybe it’s a requirement from their team.”】

【”Let’s just enjoy the game; stop speculating.”】

The chat on Wan Guo’s side was still lively.

After a brief discussion, the positions for the blue team on Wan Guo’s side were as follows:

Jiang Min took the 1st position, Cool the 2nd, an active professional player the 3rd, Wan Guo the 4th, and Yao Ling the 5th.

Although it was a friendly match, both team captains seemed very serious.

After thorough communication with their team members, they selected the heroes for both sides in captain mode.

Jiang Min chose the 1st position hero, a powerful bruiser for this version. Perhaps because the others assumed that their team didn’t have a professional 1st position, they relaxed their guard and didn’t ban too many 1st position heroes, leaving this one open.

He was accompanied by Yao Ling’s Nature’s Prophet.

The first game began.

Jiang Min, controlling the bruiser, headed towards the bottom lane.

In WOC, there isn’t a fixed jungle role; jungle monsters are usually reserved for the carries to farm.

At the start of the game, before the minions spawn, the focus is on harassing each other to gain any advantage.

The downside of being a 1st position hero is that they’re typically not very strong in the early game and can be easily suppressed by the enemy support.

So, the role of the 5th position is crucial; they must ensure their team’s carry has a good early game.

However, this game had Jiang Min paired with Yao Ling, who claimed to be quite bad at the game. Jiang Min, who never watched female streamers, didn’t know if she was genuinely bad or just modest. In any case, considering the uncertainty of her skills, he decided to play it safe.

The all-black bruiser was followed by Nature’s Prophet with dazzling effects, sneaking into the nearby woods in the bottom lane.

“You can go in and harass them later; don’t worry, you have long reach,” Jiang Min typed to Yao Ling.

“Okay, little brother! No problem!” Yao Ling sweetly replied.

JW Base, WOC training room.

“Hey! Sugar God, you’re actually playing in the same lane as my dear Yao Ling?” Hao Qianyi shouted loudly in the training room as he watched JJ Live. It seemed he had discovered something extraordinary, breaking the silence that had filled the room.

“Hmm? Yeah,” Jiang Min took off one side of his headphones and responded.

“Oh, Yao Ling is kind-hearted and beautiful. You must take good care of her!” Hao Qianyi immediately wheeled his gaming chair over.

For many nights, he had fallen asleep watching Yao Ling’s livestream; she was his goddess!

“Yao Ling? Is that the WOC female streamer who’s been popular on JJ Live recently?” Silver Steamed Bun Wei Yafeng, hearing Hao Qianyi’s voice, was also drawn to the conversation.

“I’ve seen her livestream; she’s not very skilled… Oh, wait? Sugar God, you’re playing the 1st position, and she’s playing the 5th? A bruiser against a Nature’s Prophet? That’s not an easy matchup…” Wei Yabo chimed in, offering his analysis as a professional 1st position player.

The bruiser was a melee physical damage dealer for the 1st position, while Nature’s Prophet was often used as a 4th position hero, particularly for his long-range harassment against the enemy carry.

“Yeah, and the enemy’s 4th position is Ying Ge,” Hao Qianyi said while reaching into his snack bag and grabbing a piece of dried bread to munch on.

“When Ying Ge played professionally, he was known for his 4th position Nature’s Prophet. Sugar God, you have to be careful,” Wei Yafeng added.

“Well, if Yao Ling is playing the 5th position, you probably shouldn’t count on her to protect you, Sugar God,” Wei Yabo continued.

Hao Qianyi rolled his eyes, “What’s wrong with my dear Yao Ling! Maybe she has a talent for support!”

Wei Yafeng rolled his eyes in response, thinking that if she couldn’t excel in any other position, how could she be a good support?

At this moment, Coach Bai Yin returned to the room and saw all the players gathered around Jiang Min. He walked over and asked, “What are you all looking at?”

“Just watching that JJ Live event, this is just the first game! Sugar God is playing the 1st position this game, so we’re watching,” Hao Qianyi, his mouth full of snacks, mumbled.

“Oh, I’ll take a look too,” Bai Yin had been in WPL for many years and knew that Jiang Min’s 2nd position was exceptionally strong, but he rarely saw him play the 1st position.

In WOC, positions were quite flexible, and sometimes, the 1st and 2nd positions could switch roles to adapt to the situation.

Seeing the coach approach, the players instinctively made way for him to have a better view of the screen.

Assistant coach Xiao Nan and analyst Xiao Wu also joined the gathering.

Jiang Min felt embarrassed; it was just a casual game, did everyone really need to watch?

Since everyone had gathered to watch the match, it didn’t seem right for him to continue wearing headphones and ignore them. So, he decided to unplug his headphones and use the speakers instead.

Now, Yao Ling’s sweet voice, like strawberry cake, could be heard throughout the training room.

As soon as Bai Yin stood in place, he felt the presence of Yu Hao, who was sitting right next to Jiang Min, staring at the screen with an aura that was clearly off.

… After a moment of consideration, Bai Yin thought about it from another perspective. If he liked someone, and that person was playing in the same lane as a girl, flying together in a double-lane, he probably wouldn’t be happy either!

Unfortunately, Jiang Min seemed completely focused on the game and unaware of Yu Hao’s mood.

Concerned about his captain, Coach Bai was already thinking about how to subtly suggest to Jiang Min to go to another lane and separate from the girl. Otherwise, Yu Hao’s mental state might explode tonight!

As expected, Yao Ling turned out to be a girl who couldn’t hold her own in the game. Under the pressure from Ying Ge and the enemy’s active 3rd position player, she couldn’t protect Jiang Min’s farm at all.

Initially, Jiang Min had intended for Yao Ling to use her support skills to harass the enemy heroes. However, the opposing team had a Nature’s Prophet, and Yao Ling wasn’t skilled enough to effectively trade and engage. It didn’t take long before she gave away first blood.

The first kill went to Ying Ge’s Nature’s Prophet.

The opponents showed no mercy to the girl and even secured the first blood.

A melee bruiser against a ranged Nature’s Prophet was already an unfavorable matchup, and things got worse.

As the laning phase became more intense, Jiang Min had to admit that Yao Ling was hindering him.

In just ten minutes, Yao Ling had already given away three kills.

At this rate, Jiang Min wouldn’t be able to play properly.

【”Miss, you should roam the jungle and place wards.”】

He couldn’t help but ask Yao Ling to leave his lane.

“Okay! No problem, I’ll go now. You take care!” Yao Ling said before leaving the lane.

Jiang Min sighed in relief.

“Why are you telling Sugar God to be careful? She should be the one worried about her own safety!” Wei Yabo said, holding a snack bag that Hao Qianyi had left on the table.

“This is going to be tough; they’ve given the enemy too much early game advantage,” Wei Yafeng commented while chewing on another bag of snacks from Hao Qianyi.

“It’s not necessarily over; the bruiser is strong under pressure. Let’s see what Sugar God can do,” Coach Bai Yin said casually, taking some snacks from the “Gold and Silver Steamed Bun” brothers.

Everyone else also snacked away except for Jiang Min and Yu Hao.

And they were all eating Hao Qianyi’s snacks.

“Hey, can you guys have some shame? If you want snacks, can’t you buy your own? Why are you taking my stash?” Hao Qianyi complained.

“You greedy rat, we’ve been taking care of you all this time. What’s the problem with sharing some snacks?” Wei Yabo couldn’t help but retort.

“You…”

“Alright, alright, let’s watch the game. Sugar God is about to make a move,” Coach Bai stopped the kids’ immature quarrel.

Ying Ge was in the 4th position, and his Nature’s Prophet couldn’t stay in the bottom lane indefinitely. As a 4th position, he needed to roam, and at that moment, both the mid-lane and top-lane were struggling. So, he had to leave the bottom lane to gank.

This left Jiang Min’s 1st position alone in the bottom lane against the enemy’s 3rd position.

The Ocean Knight was slightly forward to last-hit a ranged creep, giving Jiang Min an opportunity.

The bruiser leaped in, used his second skill “Stomp” to stun the Ocean Knight in place, and then followed up with auto-attacks.

Being too close to the blue team’s tower, the Ocean Knight attempted to retreat toward his territory, but the bruiser relentlessly pursued.

The professional player controlling the Ocean Knight furrowed his brow. In the early game, they had pressured Jiang Min multiple times, sometimes even denying him farm, so where did this confidence come from for him to chase?

But he had forgotten that during the laning phase, Jiang Min had often gone missing, which meant he was farming in the jungle.

Jiang Min couldn’t hold the lane, but he hadn’t missed out on experience and gold.

The key to the early-mid game for a 1st position hero was one word: farm.

Seeing that Ying Ge’s Nature’s Prophet was in their jungle, the Ocean Knight headed toward their jungle as well.

The bruiser chased the Ocean Knight, unrelenting in his pursuit.

Leap, stomp, stun, auto-attacks.

Under this relentless cycle of attacks, the Ocean Knight, even if he fought back, couldn’t outlast the 1st position hero who had already farmed up.

Ying Ge noticed the situation and rushed over.

Before the Nature’s Prophet, the bruiser leaped again, stomped, stunned, activated his ultimate “Rampage,” dramatically increasing his attack speed and power. He jumped onto the land above the red team’s river, securing the kill on the low-health Ocean Knight.

However, his own health had been dangerously depleted in the process.

The Nature’s Prophet arrived and tried to shoot his third ability, “Wrath of Nature,” at the bruiser, but the bruiser dodged the skill with clever positioning and leaped into the river.

The river was elevated above the water, and for heroes without movement abilities, the only way to get down to the river was through specific paths.

As a result, Ying Ge watched helplessly as the nearly dead bruiser made an incredible escape.

“Beautiful!” JW’s 1st position player Wei Yafeng couldn’t help but praise.

“Wow wow wow! Sugar God is amazing!” Hao Qianyi, who was already a Sugar God superfan, waved his fists in excitement.

Coach Bai Yin smiled; it seemed like they could try the 1st and 2nd position swap strategy in the future.

The entire training room was immersed in a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere.

Except for Yu Hao.

Jiang Min, relying on his excellent farming ability and the efforts of his teammates, managed to delay the game until the late game, dealing tons of damage. He ultimately became an unstoppable force, easily eliminating the enemies one by one, leading his team to victory.

He stretched his somewhat stiff neck; this match had been quite exhausting.

He really didn’t want to team up with Yao Ling again in the next match.

“Sugar, sugar,” Yu Hao suddenly called out to him.

“Yeah?” Jiang Min turned around.

“Can you not team up with that girl in the next game?” Yu Hao’s tone sounded displeased.

Jiang Min interpreted his unhappiness as concern that the girl was holding him back, thinking that as good friends, they couldn’t bear to see her lagging behind.

“I don’t want to team up with her either, but someone on our team chose mid-lane,” Jiang Min said helplessly.

“You can communicate with your teammates,” Yu Hao said. He didn’t want to see Jiang Min team up with Yao Ling again. It would drive him crazy; he and Sugar rarely played together in duo lanes! Why did he have to team up with someone else, especially a girl, for this event?

“Uh…” Jiang Min felt a bit awkward.

Communicating with unfamiliar people was something he found quite troublesome.

“I’ll do it,” Yu Hao, seeing Jiang Min’s hesitation, leaned forward and directly typed in the team chat using Jiang Min’s keyboard.

【I’ll take mid lane next game, I’m playing Elementalist Mage Thief 6.】

Yu Hao was aware that all the team members were live streaming the match.

The Elementalist Mage was a unique hero in WOC, known for its high entertainment value and challenging gameplay. While not many players chose this hero, those who excelled at it were even rarer. Yet, many viewers enjoyed watching others play it.

Yu Hao used the psychology of most WOC players, hoping to put pressure on the team’s decision by appealing to the audience.

And it worked as expected.

Various live streams, including Wan Guo’s, were flooded with comments like, “Let him play mid! We want to see the Elementalist Mage!”

“Alright, let’s put him in mid, you don’t mind, Cool?” Wan Guo said.

This friendly match was essentially an event to attract viewers, so satisfying the audience’s desires was what he aimed to do.

“No problem, then I’ll go play 1,” Cool readily agreed. In the previous match, Cool’s performance in the mid lane had attracted many new viewers to his livestream. He had already achieved his goal for participating in this event.

【Can the Elementalist Mage still perform in this meta?】

【JW’s new mid laner is really strong as a position 1!】

【His snowballing and comeback abilities are impressive, but I wonder how his hero pool is.】

【This guy says he’s an Elementalist Mage 6? I only acknowledge Sugar God’s Elementalist Mage as a true 6.】

【Speaking of which, we haven’t heard from Sugar God in a while.】

【Yeah, where did Sugar God go?】

The barrage of comments in Wan Guo’s live stream continued.

After a short break, both teams moved on to the second game.

Jiang Min’s Elementalist Mage drifted toward the familiar mid lane.

Facing him in mid was Flow, the mid laner for AFK Gaming, one of the top League of Legends teams. Flow was a formidable player, to say the least.

Both Jiang Min and Flow had been active in the professional scene for a similar period of time, and they had faced each other numerous times over the years.

Based on Jiang Min’s performance in the previous game, Flow couldn’t afford to underestimate this new mid laner from JW. And of course, Jiang Min was fully focused on the match.

In his view, there was no such thing as a casual match. If it was a game, it should be played seriously.

As a result, what was supposed to be a friendly match with an element of entertainment turned into a professional-level laning phase between the two mid laners.

Flow played the traditional Temple Priest, a Light-element mage.

The Elementalist Mage was also a long-range mage.

Neither of them gave an inch in lane, constantly using their skills against each other.

In a 1v1 mid lane with no assistance from teammates, there were generally two scenarios. One was a “both of us farm and get stronger” mode, and the other was a “let’s both get poor together” mode, where neither player would focus on farming.

For Jiang Min and Flow, it was clearly the latter.

With the top and bottom lanes engaged in intense battles, no one paid attention to the “clash of the century” happening in the middle.

Jiang Min and Flow depleted each other’s mana and health to the limit, but neither could secure a kill.

So, they had no choice but to go back to base to replenish their health and mana before returning to the lane for another 1v1 showdown.

The duel between the two top mid laners left the other streamers who were commentating on the match for the event in disbelief.

“Am I seeing this right? JW’s new mid laner is actually on par with Flow?” one of the streamers commented directly.

Flow was indeed a prominent figure in the League of Legends scene, and he was well-known.

To join in on the fun, several streamers were co-commentating on the event via voice chat.

“In my opinion, this L guy might be even better than Flow. You have to understand that, due to the extended cooldowns of the Elementalist Mage’s abilities in this patch, it’s at a disadvantage compared to the Temple Priest,” another streamer added.

“Sure, you can eat your food as you please, but don’t speak recklessly; Flow has a lot of fans, and you might get flamed,” his companion kindly reminded.

“I’m just speaking the truth,” the streamer responded confidently. If he couldn’t speak the truth, what was the point?

On the AFK Gaming side, Flow had initially thought that tonight’s match was just a casual event, something to play for fun and be done with it.

Little did he know that he would encounter such a formidable mid laner.

This level of skill, game sense, and experience—was this really a newcomer?

Newcomers might have flashy moves and lightning-fast reactions, but game sense and experience were accumulated over time. This person didn’t look like a newcomer at all.

Doubt filled Flow’s mind.

Where did JW find this god-tier player?

This was undoubtedly the level of a top-tier mid laner.

Elementalist Mage, with impressive gameplay but recently emerging in JW’s roster, felt eerily familiar. After some contemplation, a thought flashed across Flow’s mind.

Could it be… that person?

He quickly called their team captain, Shu Lou, over. “Captain, captain, come and take a look. Is this Sugar God?”

Shu Lou, who had been sulking in his esports chair after missing out on his beloved sweet and sour spare ribs at the cafeteria in the afternoon, immediately jumped up at the mention of “Sugar God” and rushed over to Flow’s side.

“Who? Which one? This mid laner?” Shu Lou hurriedly asked.

“Yeah, it’s this Elementalist Mage. I have a feeling he’s quite familiar,” Flow said, opening the player information panel. “Look at his itemization and the way he chains his skills when laning against me. It’s so similar to Sugar God.”

“Wait a moment, let me ask,” Shu Lou said. Over the past few days, he had been concerned about Jiang Min and had sent a message inquiring about his well-being. Jiang Min had responded with polite words like “I’m fine, thanks for asking.”

Shu Lou received a reply from the other side but couldn’t shake off his worries.

Jiang Min was the right age and in good form, currently at his peak.

As long as Jiang Min hadn’t retired, everything should be fine. But Shu Lou still wanted to know where Jiang Min had gone.

Could this new mid laner for JW be him?

Just as Jiang Min had respawned and was on his way back to the fountain after being ganked by the opposing team, he received a WeChat message from Shu Lou.

【Ah Min, is JW’s new mid laner you?】

He glanced at the message.

Shu Lou and he had been former teammates who had won the WPL League championship together, and during their time in CC, Shu Lou had taken good care of him.

Jiang Min thought that maybe it wouldn’t hurt to secretly tell Shu Lou what was going on. Shu Lou, being the team’s fifth position player, was someone with a broad perspective and probably wouldn’t gossip.

However, at the moment, he didn’t have the time to reply.

The situation on the battlefield was extremely intense.

He had just respawned and teleported to the bottom lane to help his position 1 farm efficiently. He, along with his position 4 teammate Wan Guo, had just secured kills on the enemy positions 3 and 4.

With two kills in hand, they were feeling pretty good.

However, it didn’t take long before he found himself under pressure in the mid lane. The enemy team had gathered to gank him.

Flow, the enemy mid laner, led the charge, with their position 1 and position 5 supports following closely behind. The three of them sneaked through the river, looking to catch him.

Jiang Min wasn’t about to let them succeed easily.

The Elementalist Mage, in its base state, lacked mobility, so if someone lacked awareness, it could be easily caught.

But this hero was Jiang Min’s claim to fame.

In the WOC community, there was a saying: there were two types of Elementalist Mages, Sugar God’s Elementalist Mage and the rest.

Jiang Min had a clever trick up his sleeve—a pair of Jumping Boots, an item that allowed him to leap forward a short distance.

With a leap, the Elementalist Mage created some distance, landing on a narrow staircase on the riverbank. The three opponents followed closely behind.

The audience and Jiang Min’s position 1 and position 5 teammates all believed that the Elementalist Mage was doomed. Under the siege of three enemies, a squishy mage had no chance of survival.

However, only Flow felt that something was amiss.

He had a nagging feeling that the Elementalist Mage had intentionally led them here. Jiang Min could have easily run back to their own defensive tower through the wider part of the river, which was even closer and provided safety. There was no need for him to take this detour onto land.

Just as the three opponents were chasing the Elementalist Mage up the narrow staircase, the Elementalist Mage suddenly turned around!

In Frost form, using the second skill, Ice Wall, he froze all three opponents in place.

Then, in a flash, a Thunderstorm, an electric spell, struck the three opponents, instantly reducing their health by half.

As the Ice Wall was about to disappear and the three opponents were starting to regain control of their characters, the Elementalist Mage switched to Frost form again, cast the first skill, Ice Spikes, and lifted all three of them into the air.

In Flame form, with the third skill, Magma, the Elementalist Mage burned with flames, summoning a burst of molten lava from the ground.

The three opponents not only suffered damage but were also slowed down.

Finally, the Elementalist Mage returned to Thunderstorm form, unleashing a powerful ultimate, Thunderstorm, summoning lightning bolts from the sky that took down all three opponents.

Triple Kill!

Flow cursed his carelessness.

But seriously, could this guy be anyone other than Sugar God?

With the Elementalist Mage being so powerful despite the increased cooldowns in this patch, it made Flow wonder.

With another three kills, bringing his total to five, Jiang Min, sitting in JW’s base, was completely calm.

After buying his items, he found a moment to reply to Shu Lou’s WeChat message.

【Yeah, it’s me.】

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 ”