League of Legends: League of Unknowns

The exhibition hall was luxurious, the smooth marble floor reflecting the multicolored LED lights, and the upbeat music was enough to make your blood boil with excitement. The seats in the hall were not a lot, and the audience in attendance only came up to about a few hundred. This was not because the match was not popular, rather, it was because there were limited admissions. One person per seat, and there was no standing area. This made the place more spacious and clear as well as easier to manage.

For the live broadcast, GTV and Shanghai E-Sports were already on the major online platforms, and the match would be broadcasted through these platforms. In other words, apart from the hundreds in the hall, fans who loved LoL across the whole country would also be watching the match online through the internet.

Qiu Jingtai and Jiang Jiu only found out when they reached the entrance that they wouldn’t be able to enter the hall, and that there was no way to purchase a ticket. They were dumbfounded at this information and even with money, you wouldn’t be able to buy an admission ticket now.

Watching as others entered the hall one by one and girls who were dressed up in glamorous clothes, Qiu Jingtai and Jiang Jiu could only watch dejectedly without a word.

***

“Luocheng you asshole, where are you? Hurry up and come here!” Qiu Jingtai’s voice came through the phone in Yu Luocheng’s hand.

“What the hell, what happened?” Yu Luocheng replied, pulling the phone away from his ear slightly, his voice suspicious.

“We found a way to sneak in, hurry up or we’ll leave you behind,” Qiu Jingtai replied.

“It’s alright, you go on ahead,” Yu Luocheng said instead.

Ending the call, Yu Luocheng pressed the button for the elevator, heading up to the seventh floor. Walking toward the room that Lin Dong had told him about, he knocked on the door. The door was wrenched open quickly and the person who had answered the door in such a hurry was Xiao Bei.

“Yu Luocheng, you’re here!” Xiao Bei said happily.

“What are you guys doing here?” Yu Luocheng questioned.

“I don’t know either, Brother Dong called me here,” came the reply.

The office was a small one, akin to an observation room as there were mounds of cables inside, including internet cables, twisted together like snakes. There was a computer in the corner of the room and it was quite a good computer. A youth wearing a blue shirt was in the seat, looking as though he was in the midst of tinkering with something.

“It’s connected, Lin Dong really has talent,” The youth muttered. He lifted his head and frowned when he noticed Yu Luocheng. “And who is this?”

Before Xiao Bei could introduce him, the door opened once again and three guys walked in. One of them was wearing a baseball cap on his head. The same guy walked over quickly, a smile stretched upon his face as he opened his arms for a bear hug.

“Boss! Finally we get to see you!”

Yu Luocheng could only smile as he looked at the familiar face. The guy wearing a baseball cap was Lin Dong, and ever since he was a teenager, he had already displayed amazing talent in handling computers. He liked to experiment with the strangest things in regards to computers and technologies. He was also a top E-Sports player, a DOTA geek whose opponents couldn’t lay a finger on—Sky Swan.

“Let me introduce you, this is He Jin, CT pro-gaming team’s manager. He is also the leader of Team Shanghai, who’s placed in the top four in this time’s national cyber cafe competition.” Lin Dong pointed at the man beside him, who was a bit on the chubby side and looked to be in his thirties.

He Jin was smiling widely, his plump hands coming out in a hurry to shake.

“Hello, I’ve heard so much about you. Can’t believe I have the chance to meet you here.”

The young man in the blue shirt glanced at He Jin warily, and then at Yu Luocheng, wondering why He Jin would treat a student with such politeness.

“And this is?” The youth standing behind He Jin asked.

The youth was wearing a team uniform with sponsors logos, he had to be one of the members of Team Shanghai.

“Shenping, this was our leader in Team Wings,” Lin Dong replied.

Xiao Bei nodded eagerly. “You should know his ID, he was a DotA world-class master!”

“The leader of Team Wings? You don’t mean Fighting Hawk?!” Qiu Shenping exclaimed, his eyes focused on Yu Luocheng, looking carefully at him now.

“Yes, that one.” Xiao Bei was fast in replying, not letting Yu Luocheng get a word in.

Qiu Shenping was also quick to raise his hand for a handshake, his eagerness obvious on his face.

“I’ve seen the video of your match, I’m a big fan!” Qiu Shenping said. “Oh, let me introduce myself. I’m Qiu Shenping, one of the Challengers in the Korean server. I’m playing for the CT pro-gaming team now as the ADC.”

A Challenger?

This was the first time Yu Luocheng had heard someone speak of his title. Yu Luocheng had kept up with this, that instead of ranking points, it was now rank titles. The titles were Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Challenger.

Each server’s top fifty to hundred players were called Challengers, and those who could place within it were absolutely godlike players. It was said that the recent ranking system would be changed soon, but it seemed like the Korean server was faster and had already done so. To be able to obtain the Challenger title, this was a real accomplishment!

“Come now, I don’t even know how your Challenger title came about,” Lin Dong said bluntly. “Alright, it’s time for you to get going, the competition is about to start.”

Qiu Shenping’s face grimaced and he hurriedly bid Yu Luocheng farewell before leaving the room.

“Any problems?” The manager asked Lin Dong quietly.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lin Dong replied.

“Then I’ll head down first, I’ll come back later,” He Jin said. “I’m counting on you, bro.”

Patting Lin Dong’s shoulder, he too left the room in a hurry. The youth wearing the blue shirt also stood and followed He Jin.

***

In the elevator, the youth in the blue shirt still had doubt written all over his face. He eyed He Jin and asked, “Manager, who was that kid? Why do you and Steven respect him so much?”

“You just came into the scene so it’s understandable that you don’t know him. He is Fighting Hawk, and the team he led—Team Wings, was the only team in our country that was able to participate in the International DOTA Summit, and they even placed high up in the rankings.”

“I don’t get it.” The youth replied nonchalantly.

He Jin eyed the youth—Liu Zhangming, then he shook his head and didn’t bother to explain any further. Only the people who had walked the journey at that time would understand what the ID Fighting Hawk symbolized. He Jin was a businessman who had made money through E-Sports. He rarely admired any of the professional players, but in the international competition where they had played against the US National Team and Korean National Team, that match had made He Jin’s blood boil with excitement, and that match was really a fight for glory for all the Chinese people!

Liu Zhangming had not been in the E-Sports scene for long, hence, he wouldn’t know how badly the Chinese were being oppressed by the other countries in regards to the E-Sports scene. He wouldn’t be able to understand the brilliant implications of being able to enter an international competition.

“DOTA wasn’t perfect and it’s useless even if you can play well,” Liu Zhangming said.

He Jin nodded in agreement. “It’s true, such a strong team eventually retired. It would seem they had some complicated relationships with the other pro-gaming teams.”

As they spoke, they had reached the floor of the exhibition hall where the competition was being held. At this point, the players were still being introduced. They were on the stage and would soon be entering the participants’ rooms to await the final arrangements.