CH 42

Jiang Min and the Silver and Gold Steamed Bun Brothers returned to the training room.

With the club on break, the base instantly became much quieter.

Jiang Min logged into the “Mid Lane Veteran Driver” main account, browsed through some information, and waited for the Silver and Gold Steamed Bun Brothers to come online.

During this time, the fish in the pond were getting restless.

MPP team’s position 1, Lock, was the first to speak: [Sugar God~~ Can I join you for a game today?]

OVO team’s position 3, Fat Hotpot, chimed in: [Sugar God, today is a good day. I’ve observed the signs and it’s suitable for us to duo queue for climbing ranks!]

LM team’s position 5, Ballet, added: [Sugar God, looking for someone to carry! I’m a good listener, providing vision and healing as a high-quality support! Just give me a chance!]

Every time Jiang Min logged in, he could always count on receiving these enthusiastic messages from the fish in the pond.

Among them, one message caught Jiang Min’s attention.

AFK.Down: [Amin, it’s the offseason. How about grabbing a meal sometime?]

As former teammates, Shu Lou and Jiang Min had been long-time “meal buddies.”

Mid Lane Veteran Driver: [Sure]

AFK.Down: [Are you not going home during the break?]

Mid Lane Veteran Driver: [Yeah]

AFK.Down: [Coincidentally, I’m not planning to go home this year. How about the two of us sticking together for the New Year?]

Mid Lane Veteran Driver: [.]

After a game of rock-paper-scissors, the Silver and Gold Steamed Bun Brothers finally determined the winner through a best-of-five series.

The victorious Wei Yabo, as Jiang Min’s duo queue partner, would join him in aiming for first place on the national server. The defeated Wei Yafeng would have to solo queue.

Wei Yafeng bit a handkerchief that appeared out of nowhere, looking resentfully at Wei Yabo’s “Stop Pretending” account and Jiang Min’s “Mid Lane Veteran Driver” forming a team.

JW’s double carry team was ready to go.

Jiang Min politely declined the invitations from the fish in the pond, waiting for the game to start.

Ranked seventh on the national server, Jiang Min was not too far from reaching first place in terms of arena points. As long as there weren’t too many actors, he had confidence in reaching the top.

The game started.

The IDs of the ten participants in this match were revealed.

Jiang Min and Wei Yabo were on the red side, along with a professional player, Stone from GEM team, and two random players. The blue side, however, consisted entirely of professional players. Lock from MPP team in position 1, CC’s new mid-laner Blue in position 2, and three other players from the WPL league.

The moment Lock saw Jiang Min’s ID, he couldn’t sit still.

Little Lock: [Sugar God!!! Why are you duo queuing with someone else again? Don’t you love me anymore???] He sounded like an abandoned lover.

Mid Lane Veteran Driver: [….]

Stop Pretending: [We’re duo queuing with our mid-laner. Any problem?]

As both were position 1 players, Wei Yabai and Lock naturally didn’t get along well. It was an unspoken competition between the two position 1 players.

Lock: [Who are you?]

Wei Yabo knew Lock was just playing around. They frequently bumped into each other in the arena, and there was no way Lock didn’t know who he was.

Stop Pretending: [Just wait to be crushed by us, Little Lock!]

Lock: [Hmph, what makes you think you can be so arrogant if it weren’t for Sugar God?]

Jiang Min silently watched their childish banter. These professional players always gave off the impression of never growing up.

Although, age-wise, they were indeed quite young.

Even though Jiang Min was considered the “senior” in the WPL league, he wouldn’t turn 22 until the end of the year.

CC.Blue: [Hello, Sugar God.]

During ranked games, some players used the same ID as they did in competitions, with the official team-sponsored name attached. Players like Jiang Min and Wei Yabai, who were used to using their own IDs, had all sorts of creative changes to their names.

Mid Lane Veteran Driver: [.]

In MPP’s base, Little Lock was eager to share the news with everyone.

“Hey, hey, look at this! I’ve queued into a game against Sugar God and CC’s current mid-laner!” Lock called out to everyone in the base.

MPP had a few more days of break than JW, and both coaches and players were still at the base.

MPP’s coach, with years of experience working in the WPL, heard Lock’s words and walked over to him.

“Are you against Sugar God in this game?” the coach asked.

“Yeah!” Lock nodded.

“Observe Sugar God’s playstyle closely. I’ll also take notes behind you.”

“Huh? Is it necessary to take it so seriously for just a ranked game?” Lock naively questioned.

“Observe if you’re told to observe, don’t talk so much.” The coach pulled out a small notebook. “On one hand, we will definitely face JW in the next season, so it’s an opportunity to observe Sugar God’s condition. On the other hand, Sugar God can be said to be the mid-laner who has adapted best to this version that is unfriendly to mid-laners. Let’s learn from him… Oh, AA, come over and take a look together.”

AA is MPP’s position 2.

Once a mid-laner skilled in assassin-type heroes with impressive mechanics.

However, since this version shifted towards mid-laners being more utility-oriented, he seemed to struggle to adapt.

He often found himself out of sync with his teammates during matches.

AA was introverted but had his own thoughts. He had been troubled by his role for a long time.

It must be said that Symphony, the WOC production company, made significant changes in this season’s version, causing mid-laners worldwide to face considerable challenges.

Many professional mid-laners even had to switch to other positions because they couldn’t adapt.

“AA, take a look at this game.” MPP’s coach said, “This ‘Mid Lane Veteran Driver’ is Sugar God. This time, let’s observe from the perspective of being his opponents. Hopefully, it will be helpful to you.”

AA showcased his sharp skills in the game, and MPP invested quite a bit in acquiring him, so they wouldn’t give up on him unless absolutely necessary.

The MPP coach was confident that AA could make the adjustment.

“Okay.” AA obediently stood behind Lock.

“So… are you all here to watch me get beaten up by Sugar God?” Lock said weakly.

The MPP coach, frustrated, said, “It hasn’t even started yet, and you’re already chicken?!”

Lock, with an innocent face, replied, “It’s not that I’m chickening out. It’s Sugar God we’re talking about! The god of mid-lane in WPL! What if he dominates the mid-lane, and then I’m done for?”

MPP coach gave him a look. This burly guy from Northeast China seemed to lack vigor. “The opponent mid-laner is also a professional player. It’s not so easy to dominate.”

Lock shook his head. “The new mid-laner from CC that replaced him in the main team can’t compare to Sugar God! Seriously, I have to complain again. What was CC thinking, moving Sugar God to the second team and bringing this kid up.”

“The club has its considerations. Why bother yourself with it? Focus on this game, try to drag it out a bit longer, so I and AA can observe more.” The MPP coach said.

Lock mumbled, “How long we play isn’t something I can control…”

“If you lose within half an hour, you’ll have extra practice tonight! If you win, I’ll reward you by letting you skip one ranked game tomorrow.”

Lock’s eyes lit up. “Really!?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright! Then I must drag it out! I’m going for a late-game hero!” Without hesitation, he picked the typical late-game powerhouse, Furious Wrath of the Sky.

This hero, a spear-throwing member of the divine tribe, dealt more damage as his mana decreased.

However, without mana, he couldn’t use his escape ability, making him vulnerable to being burst down.

Therefore, he was a hero that required careful mana management and judgment.

Likewise, he could be used in both the position 1 and 2 roles.

The MPP coach covered his face. “Lock, you, as a position 1, should be picked last to avoid counterpicks. But you’re the first to lock in Furious Wrath of the Sky.”

Sure enough, the player in position 4 on the opposite side quickly locked in the Hellfire Mage, suggested by GEM’s position 5, Stone.

Little Lock was dumbfounded the moment this hero was picked.

Damn it! How did he forget about this hero when he was banning?

The Hellfire Mage was an avid mana consumer.

His first skill, Mana Burn, drained the mana of other heroes.

Furious Wrath of the Sky might have a burst of damage due to the mana drain, but after running out of mana, he, being a squishy hero, could easily be taken down by high burst damage heroes.

The player on the red side in position 3 chose the Dwarven Engineer to line up with him.

This hero used bombs as weapons, creating explosive damage.

Little Lock was on the verge of tears.

Damn it, the lineup on positions 3 and 4 on the opposite side counters him!

The player in position 5, who went with him, reluctantly chose the Holy Shield Wizard to provide solid support, a somewhat clunky support suitable for sticking with position 1, but in return, losing a lot of roaming ability.

Now, Little Lock’s pressure to control the tempo came down to the player in position 4.

Wei Yabo, upon seeing Lock lock in the position 1 hero so early, showed a mocking smile. “Hahaha, Little Lock, so audacious! Locking in Furious Wrath of the Sky so early! Aren’t you just waiting to get hammered?”

Jiang Min didn’t say anything but found Lock’s move quite puzzling.

“What’s Sugar God picking?” Wei Yabo asked.

“What role are you playing?”

“I… how about I pick Troll Warrior?” Wei Yabo showed his hero, informing his teammates of his intention.

The support from GEM, Stone, chose a hero that corresponded appropriately.

On the blue side, CC’s Blue picked the Death Sage, a traditional mage, a dark hero.

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Min locked in the Phantom Water Ghost.

In this match, aside from the players on both sides, there were many people watching.

This included some streamers who mainly relied on live broadcasting to watch the games.

“Wow, this game is definitely going to be exciting!” A streamer noticed this top-tier match and became exceptionally excited.

He immediately changed the title of his livestream to attract viewers.

【CC’s New and Old Mid-Laners Face Off! Is Sugar God’s Revenge Match?】

—–

Author’s Note: Sugar: Reaching the top of the national server? I don’t know if it’s possible…

Little Fish observes in secret (intently~).

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 ️”