League of Legends: League of Unknowns

“I had not expected such a spectacular welcome. Thank you very much,” Asmodai expressed his gratitude to the members after he had walked in with Yang Ying and Xiao Jia.

Everyone finally got to see Asmodai’s appearance after the room was lit.

Asmodai was only in his twenties, his face was fair and clean. He looked decent and respectable, sporting a pair of spectacles.

Asmodai was popular not only because of his admirable in-game skills, but also due to his handsome outlook that had attracted a lot of female fans.

At first, a lot of the veteran gamers in the club were eager to ask Asmodai some game-related questions, but in the end, they were pushed aside and could only watch on as their idol was surrounded by the excited ladies.

The members from the Students’ Union had also arrived before the performance had started. They did not interrupt the welcoming party and only picked a spot to observe in silence.

Feifei was one of them. Puzzled, she sat quietly beside Luocheng.

“What do you want to ask?” Luocheng knew that Feifei was not a talker, so he opened his mouth first, seeing that she kept peeking at him with curiosity written all over her face.

“Who is he? He seems popular,” Feifei questioned.

“Asmodai. He is a professional LOL player,” Luocheng answered.

Asmodai!!!

Truth to be told, Luocheng wouldn’t believe it himself that Asmodai was indeed visiting his university’s E-Sports club. When he saw him walking in, all the past scenes of their final battle in Shanghai came gushing back to his mind.

Team DF and Team Wings were long-time bitter rivals in the old days, they were once the yardstick of MOBA supremacy in the country.

In Luocheng’s memory, Asmodai did not wear spectacles and he looked younger, less handsome then.

Two years later, Luocheng could tell that Asmodai’s temperament had completely transformed to the point that he almost couldn’t recognize him.

“LOL? Is it the game that you played the other day?” Feifei asked.

“Yeah,” Luocheng nodded.

“Why is someone willing to go professional for a video game?” Feifei asked again.

“Aren’t football and basketball also respective professional leagues?” Luocheng replied.

“Those are internationally acknowledged sports,” Feifei retorted.

“True, but twenty years ago, weren’t those sports also once regarded as useless hobbies, just like video games?” Luocheng countered.

Feifei opened her mouth slightly but couldn’t immediately find a valid point to rebut Luocheng’s words.

“But it’s still video game. It’s a made-up sport after all. Overplaying it is not good for your health, isn’t it?” Feifei finally found a reason.

“Those sportsmen needed proper rest after strenuous training too, right? Fundamentally, real sports and E-Sports are the same,” Luocheng said again.

Luocheng couldn’t explain it himself. In the past, when he came across such people who did not understand E-Sports, he would just laugh it off. However, Feifei’s eyes had triggered him to defend E-Sports. He wanted to persuade a girl like her, who only know about studies and good grades her entire life, to accept the E-Sports world.

“So you mean you have to face the computer all day after graduating? Staying home day and night playing only this game…” Feifei was equally stubborn. She had had a biased perception of this profession from the start and found it hard to accept their life choice.

Feifei vividly remembered how several of her cousins had dropped out of school due to video game addictions and to this day, they had no passion for work and cared only about their fictitious games. This was why her family had continually warned her to stay away from the influence of the internet.

Since the beginning of the semester, Luocheng had consistently skipped lectures, and every time during his absence, the lecturer would ask her to help him jot down the important notes.

Feifei could not comprehend why this person was willing to skip several essential syllabi in succession just because of a game. Was he not going to enrich himself in the university?

Some people didn’t even have adequate time to absorb the apparently bottomless knowledge, yet, some were willing to waste their time on a useless video game. Did these people really have the ability to establish and support a family in the future?

Since her dorm mates had discovered she had been escorted back by Luocheng once during the night, the girls had never stopped teasing her. The rumors intensified recently as Feifei had been tasked to help him take notes for class.

Feifei had actually had a good impression on Luocheng. She found him quite charming and had a good sense of humor like a boy-next-door. The only downside was his seemingly passive attitude.

“So, do you think this type of job is shameful?” Luocheng suddenly threw her that question.

“It’s not about that…”

“Then what?”

Feifei didn’t know how to respond.

Both of them were reduced to silence, their contrasting opinions were bound to clash at some point. Feifei was a cold and introverted individual, clearly the type that was dedicated and determined to excel in academics.

Contrastingly, Luocheng had entered the university only to fulfill his parents’ expectations. Simply put, he didn’t have the slightest interest in academic curriculums.

Luocheng had known Feifei for close to two months now. As classmates, they had chatted several times after class, but never once had they reached such a state where neither of them had anything else to say. In this context, the two of them were like strangers that had never crossed paths with each other, and the atmosphere between them was tensed and awkwardly quiet…

“Luocheng, why are you sitting over there? Come over here. Is the team you arranged ready to go? Let me first introduce you to a popular figure in LOL. You are very lucky. It’s not every day a newbie can meet a pro as soon as they join the club. If you behave well, maybe he is willing to take you as his apprentice!” Yang Ying walked over and realized Luocheng was seated beside a charming lady.

Luocheng stood up and approached Asmodai.

“Asmodai, this is our main SP, Luocheng.” Yang Ying dragged Luocheng to the front of Asmodai and introduced him. “Our schedule is to fight a team known as Skycrown later. My suggestion is to have you play the ADC position and take the bottom lane together with our support, Luocheng. That way, we will be able to witness the prowess of a world-class ADC!” Yang Ying said with a hearty laugh.

He nudged Luocheng’s shoulder and continued. “Luocheng, don’t be nervous. This is your first time assisting a pro player, please try not to be a drag…”

Yang Ying was so busy talking that he only came to realize Asmodai and Luocheng were staring into each other’s eyes a little later. Yang Ying stopped abruptly sensing the tension. Xiao Jia, Zheng Xia, and Jinbei were equally dumbstruck.

‘Did they know each other?’

“What’s wrong, Asmodai?” Xiao Jia came up and asked cautiously. He even stared at Luocheng accusingly, thinking that the newbie might have done something impolite that had annoyed their VIP guest. It took a lot of effort from him to get Asmodai to visit them, if this meeting was screwed up by Luocheng, he would not hesitate to kick Luocheng out of the E-Sports Club!

“Why are you here?” Finally, Asmodai broke the silence as he asked with a stern expression, as if he was interrogating Luocheng.

Just a while ago, he was still all smiles facing the club members that were full of adoration for him. However, as soon as he had seen Luocheng, his joy was replaced by shock.

He was surprised, happy, doubtful, and in disbelief, all at the same time. All these mixed emotions mashed into one single question—Why are you here!? Fighting Hawk, the man he had admired the most and been proud of, the man who had vanished completely from the E-Sports scene overnight.

‘Where has he been all these years? Why is the once imposing figure in MOBA not seen trending in LOL?’

‘His teammate, Blood Eagle, has reached my level now. But why has the renowned Fighting Hawk still refused to emerge?’

Asmodai had many questions to ask, but the most pressing one that he needed an answer to right now was what Fighting Hawk was doing in a University E-Sports Club.

“I am a student here,” Luocheng said with a bitter smile.

In light of Asmodai’s questioning eyes, Luocheng didn’t know how to explain himself.

“Student? You’re an undergraduate student?” Asmodai was baffled.

“I just got in not long ago.” Luocheng replied.

“My leader has been looking for you all this while. We veteran players have never stopped anticipating your reappearance, we always believed that you would make a comeback. This is unexpected…” Asmodai said.

The others in the room listened to their conversation closely and were left baffled.

Obviously, Asmodai knew Luocheng. But how, and why?

Luocheng was just a new recruit!

Moreover, it seemed that Hades from Team Daemons, the heart and soul of China E-Sports, was also looking for Luocheng. ‘Why did the best team in China, the one that had represented them to challenge the Los Angeles Tournament, have anything to do with Luocheng, an ordinary year 1 student?’

All of a sudden, everyone was struck speechless and they looked at both Luocheng and Asmodai in great confusion.

***

“Fight me.” Asmodai challenged him abruptly.

There was no point in talking, a game was all that he needed to see if Luocheng had really given up on E-Sports.

If someone like Fighting Hawk, who had stepped on the highest altar, also turned away from E-Sports, then Team Daemons would gladly take over Team Wings’ place and march on.

Even if LOL was to decline one day in the future, Team Daemons would never back down.

***

Asmodai’s emotions were inexplicably pumped.

‘Fighting Hawk, if you have decided as such, then pass on the baton. Let Team Daemons be the deserving vanguard of China’s MOBA!’

Asmodai appreciated Luocheng’s E-Sports honorable achievement at the international stage, nonetheless, he was equally disappointed over his decision to surrender it.

He may not be as gifted as the Fighting Hawk, but he had a heart that never says die.

‘Come, fight me! If you lose, hand over the reign of E-Sports to me!’