League of Legends: League of Unknowns

The hawk, soaring high above upon mighty wings, sees things with the sharpest vision.

In the skies, its superiority is uncontested. It can tear its opponents to shreds in an instant. It has the agility to slip through a fierce hail of bullets. It is skilled at toying with its prey. In all things, it is all-seeing and all-knowing!

Lin Dong stood quietly by Yu Luocheng’s side. He’d noticed the intensity in Luocheng’s eyes—like a hawk locking eyes with an enemy!

He was handling his mouse and keyboard with deft precision. To borrow the words of that MC from the international match: His wings were spread, ready to take to the sky and annihilate his rivals!

For some reason, when he saw Luocheng in such a state of focused determination, Lin Dong could feel his own heart beginning to race.

He’d assumed that university life would have robbed him of a professional player’s instincts, as a result of a growing indifference towards gaming.

Now he understood that Luocheng had just been keeping his true passions hidden, buried away deep down inside.

But when a world-class player appeared before him and issued him a challenge, there was no need for anyone to rouse him—he was already in full combat mode!

***

While Lin Dong sorted through these thoughts of his, Xiao Bei could hardly contain his excitement!

Xiao Bei was a village bumpkin who’d come to Shanghai to work at a regular job. He had no hobbies to speak of, nor was he particularly close to anyone. After a hard day’s work in his uncle’s store, the only amusement he could find was peering over the shoulders of the ‘Wings’ members as they played. At first, he’d had no idea what he was looking at, but slowly he’d progressed to playing the game himself.

Gaming was his one diversion, and he never tired of it. In his youthful heart, Yu Luocheng was someone he looked up to above all others. Thinking back to how he’d carried the hopes of China in a duel against the elite players of the United States, the sight of Luocheng’s triumphant smile had shaken Xiao Bei right to his core!

This ‘Shallow Dream’ had to be a world-class player herself, to have issued the challenge despite knowing he was F-Hawk. During the solo matches of the World Cyber Games, it had been a rule that only other international-level players were allowed to challenge F-Hawk.

It was a tremendous honor, demonstrating that Luocheng’s skills had received worldwide recognition. To this day, no other MOBA pro-gamer from China had been awarded this exclusive privilege!

He couldn’t wait… he couldn’t wait!

***

Xiao Bei and Lin Dong were trembling with anticipation, but Yang Qianqian remained deeply apprehensive.

She’d watched Yu Luocheng play in numerous matches now. Whenever he got serious, he exuded an aura like nothing else.

This time, something was different from before: Did he appear determined? Focused? No… it was a sensation that Qianqian couldn’t quite describe—but she was absolutely certain that it wasn’t the same as usual.

He was just looking at a computer screen. He was only playing a game. Why did it feel like he was standing at the precipice of a hellish battlefield, battle drums thundering deafeningly all around?

Da Luo called Luocheng ‘captain’. Lin Dong called him ‘boss’. They’d mentioned that they used to be in a team, together with him.

During the cyber café championship, she remembered that he’d seemed to be under some sort of prohibition, so that he’d refused to play.

She was officially going steady with him now, but Qianqian was coming to realize that she’d barely lifted a corner of the veil over this man’s identity.

“Lin Dong, Lin Dong…” she whispered, “Tell me about the team you all formed together, back then.”

Taken aback, Lin Dong replied, “You’ve never heard about it?” Since she was Luocheng’s girlfriend, Lin Dong had assumed that she was aware of his pro-gaming past.

Qianqian shook her head. Luocheng never talked about his past.

“Luocheng and Lin Dong were part of a team called ‘Wings’, which was affiliated with Sky Club,” Xiao Bei told her enthusiastically. “Back then, DOTA was all the rage, and Team Wings was at the head of the pack!” His eyes shone as he spoke, as though he shared in their former glory.

“Wings pro-gaming team? The one currently ranked second place in League of Legends?” Qianqian asked, startled.

She was acquainted with Sky Club. It was a pretty big name these days, owing to the success of their sponsored team in LOL. She’d even looked them up on Wikipedia before.

What surprised her was the knowledge that Luocheng had once fought in the name of one of the dominant powers in the pro-gaming scene!

“The prestige that Team Wings enjoys is mainly thanks to Luocheng. They couldn’t be where they are today, if not for him!” Xiao Bei declared with fervent conviction. “Luocheng led Team Wings all the way to international gaming tournaments, earning himself the highest honors in national pro-gaming history, and then those jackals in Sky Club—”

“Xiao Bei.” Lin Dong frowned, shaking his head at Xiao Bei. This fellow… Typically, he couldn’t even speak up in the presence of a pretty girl. Somehow, this topic had him all riled up, and it was like he just couldn’t shut his trap.

Although there was still more he wanted to say, Xiao Bei clapped his mouth shut and decided to digress. All the same, Qianqian was in shock after hearing this much. Xiao Bei had already said plenty!

Nowadays, there were professional LOL teams all over the place, all squabbling for a piece of the pie. However, there were only two teams deserving of being considered world-class: Team Wings, and Team Daemons.

Although Team Wings came behind Team Daemons, Sky Club possessed a trophy from an international tournament, which allowed them to command more prestige and fame than the group behind Team Daemons, Pandemonium Entertainment!

Even though Qianqian wasn’t that well-versed in the pro-gaming scene, she could appreciate what it meant to be number one: Attracting major sponsors and mainstream publicity!

And that trophy which was the source of their glory, virtually unattainable and practically unsurpassable… to think that it had been won by a team under Luocheng’s command!

Incredible! To Qianqian, this revelation was overwhelming!

Goodness… this was the same guy who’d just confessed to her, earlier today, and stolen away her first kiss…

She’d accepted him as her boyfriend, but now she was coming to understand what an imba boyfriend he really was!

No wonder… This explained that extended period of time when Qianqian had been at her aunt’s place, but had never been able to see Luocheng—it was because, at the time, he’d been competing in an international pro-gaming tournament!

If something like that had been happening today, during the heyday of ‘League of Legends’ and the rise of the pro-gaming scene… just how high up would he be, in this world?

So why was it that when Lin Dong invited him to join their team, he’d refused?

He was obviously good enough!

***

When Qianqian had managed to regain some of her composure, she made another hushed inquiry: “So who’s this Shallow Dream?”

“Probably some professional player who recently got recognized at the international level. I’m not clear on her identity yet,” Lin Dong replied.

“Then… then… between the two of them, who’s better?” This information was making Qianqian even more anxious.

“Hard to say…” Lin Dong muttered. “If his opponent is still active as a pro-gamer, and has been maintaining her skills at peak condition, then she shouldn’t be taken lightly. The boss hasn’t been formally trained in LOL, so he might not be able to keep up with her.”

“That’s…” Qianqian didn’t know what else to say. Her nerves were even more strained now than during the last game!

It was nothing less than a duel between two world-class players!