Starting with Zaozi Ge, a dream lineup

Chapter 289 My Passion Is Saved for the Finals
The interviewer was not the male host who had been scared away by Li Luo last time. For the first time ever, the organizers arranged for a pretty young lady to conduct the interview.

Compared to the male host, the young lady was clearly a novice and it was her first time seeing such a massive and overwhelming scene. She seemed completely stunned.

Unlike backstage interviews, this kind of face-to-face interview, standing in front of the audience, is extremely demanding on one's skills.

"Hi!" Seeing the host's terrified expression, Li Luo couldn't help but laugh. Unexpectedly, the young lady showed an even more frightened look.

This man has now become someone no one at the League of Legends interview booth wants to interview. Heaven knows if they'll be embarrassed and become the background of a memorable scene if they go.

"Hello, I'm Kim Min-na, nice to meet you!" Before the director could even send the message, the young lady was so anxious that she didn't know what to say, so she quickly bowed.

Kim Min-na?
The girl hailed as the most beautiful host in LCK?

Li Luo was taken aback. Wasn't this person only joined LCK in 19? How come he's already out there doing business now? Did LCK send an intern host up here?

However, before he could speak, the backstage director announced that the interview had begun, and the senior member of the camera crew had already moved the camera over to focus on the two of them.

Once she got into work mode, Kim Min-na became noticeably more professional, flashing a girl group smile that could charm countless male fans, and enthusiastically addressed the camera:

"Welcome everyone to the interview for the first half of the semifinals of the 2018 World Championship. I'm your host, Kim Min-na. The player standing next to me is someone you're probably all familiar with; he's RNG's AD carry, U!Z!I! Welcome Uzi to the stage!"

After reading the opening remarks from the teleprompter in one breath, Kim Min-na breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, he didn't need to say much. When the camera turned on him, the cheers from the audience and the chat in the live stream exploded. At this moment, shouts of "Uzi" could be heard everywhere in the venue.

"Uzi!! Uzi!!"

"Go, Stain! I'll be watching the finals!! Look here, look here!"

As the cheers from the fans below the stage grew louder, the camera crew couldn't help but switch the focus, which happened to be on a female fan sitting in the audience.

No, no, it's okay, but when I looked, I was shocked.

The female fans in the audience were just as beautiful as Kim Min-na, who was being interviewed, and the moment she appeared on the big screen, the audience screamed.

Kim Min-na had anticipated that the scene would be very lively, but seeing so many people genuinely liking Uzi, coupled with his gentlemanly demeanor, she couldn't help but feel a little shaken by the impression her colleagues had given her.

He... doesn't seem that vicious, does he?

"Uzi, please say hello to everyone."

"Hello everyone, I'm Uzi, the ADC player for RNG!"

"Hi, it feels great that everyone has come all this way to support RNG. Thank you for your encouragement. Now, could you please give the young lady some space for the interview?"

Upon hearing this, the translator next to him was inwardly cursing, "Are you the host or is she the host?"

"Our Uzi seems to be very popular. Today, RNG won the game with an absolute advantage of 3 to 0 and successfully advanced to the finals. As the champion of last year's S7, RNG is very strong. In particular, Uzi's stable performance in the three games today was a feast for the eyes of all the viewers!"

Looking at the teleprompter, Kim Min-na was delighted and spoke faster and faster, giving Lee Lo no chance to react or speak.

The translator next to him echoed the sentiment, as if they had lost the battle simply because Li Luo said one word.

He praised Uzi for a full half minute without asking a single question, leaving the audience, who were hoping to see Uzi show off, completely bewildered.

"???"

"No way, has the LCK region changed its ways? You've sent a bootlicker up here?"

"Simp? Simp? Hey bro, can I borrow your phone to talk to you?"

"Driving on this terrible road is just ridiculous!"

"Wow, I've never seen anyone so scared of an interviewee on their own soil before. 666!"

The audience at the scene were fine, as they could see the two of them, but those watching the live stream in China could only stare at Kim Min-na as she mindlessly showered her with compliments, and many started criticizing her.

At first, Li Luo felt fine, but the more he listened, the more confused he became. It seemed like they were going to praise him and then quickly send him away.

She spoke for a full two and a half minutes. Seeing that the interview was already halfway over, Kim Min-na breathed a sigh of relief and quickly asked her first question of the day:
"Could Uzi tell us about your victory over Rw in the semifinals today, which secured your place in the S8 World Championship finals? Everyone knows that RNG was last year's World Championship winner, and they didn't disappoint this year. Uzi, were you very excited to have come this far?"

The question was very well-designed, but it also left no room for maneuver.

Looking at the countless expectant eyes below the stage, eyes that seemed to say, "You're the king of show-offs, hurry up and perform!" and then at Kim Min-na's terrified expression, as if afraid he'd mess up again, Li Luo decided, for the first time ever, to...
Be a good person!

Of course, he didn't have this idea just because he saw how beautiful Kim Min-na was.

LPL internal battle, hmm! No need for trash talk, that's all.

"I feel just as excited as the fans here. Of course, I know why you're excited, but I want to say this: please save your excitement for today and come back to hear my thoughts after the finals. Audience members, you say it!"

"OK!"

Before he could finish speaking, the fans who understood him erupted in thunderous cheers, with some even saying that it was perfectly fine and they were very satisfied.

Whether I'm confident or not in winning the championship, or how I feel after winning the semi-finals, to me, everything else is irrelevant except for the championship. I'll only talk about how I feel after winning the finals.

After the on-site translator deduced that there was no problem, he translated it into Korean and broadcast it through the loudspeaker.

Kim Min-na, who was waiting to be tortured, was visibly stunned when she heard the translator's words, but she quickly recovered and broke into a bright smile.

She is now 100% certain that this contestant is just exceptionally confident, not as arrogant and domineering as all her colleagues.

"Wow, Uzi looks so confident! I wish RNG all the best in winning the finals and successfully defending their championship!"

"???" Even as an LPL player, Li Luo was a little dumbfounded after hearing this.

You're an LCK host! Even though you're an intern and don't have any regional loyalty, aren't you afraid of being attacked by LCK's crazy fans if you're hoping RNG will win?

"Next question: In your first match today, we saw you use Ezreal to achieve a brilliant victory against overwhelming odds in the early game, and Rw's bot lane failed to put any pressure on you in all three games. Now that RNG has won the match and the qualifying spots in the upper bracket have been secured, which team would Uzi prefer to face in the finals?"

Li Luo didn't think too much about this question. After considering it for a moment, he said directly, "Actually, either team is fine. We, RNG, are not particularly afraid of either of them. But if we're talking about the team we'll face in the finals, it has to be SKT. After all, SKT once stopped our Royal Club from winning the championship in the finals. I think it's time for us to end their past glory!"

"???"

"End of Glory?"

As soon as the words "Ghost" were uttered, many LPL spectators at the scene couldn't help but stand up and raise their LPL team flags high.

So domineering!

A new king must step over the past kings to be a true king!

If it were any other player coming up today and spouting nonsense about ending SKT, these viewers would have scoffed. But now that it's Uzi, everyone strangely feels there's nothing wrong with it, and even thinks it's exactly how it should be.

Even without playing in the finals, RNG's undefeated record at this point is simply too impressive!

The fact that they were able to defeat their opponent 3-0 in the semifinals puts pressure on countless professional players who are watching the interview right now!

Inside the hotel, Skt, who didn't have a match, watched all three of RNG's games. Even during the interview segment, no one left. Everyone looked serious, including Bang and Wolf, who also showed fighting spirit and looked eager to finish.

To be honest, SKT and Royal Club are old rivals. Back when they were both at their peak, there was no fear between them.

But the key lies in--
That guy's peak period was insanely long!

From S3 to S8, a full five years, which professional player could maintain such a good performance five years after making it to the finals for the first time, and not lose a single game? It's like they're cheating.

"His understanding and mechanics of ADC champions are terrifying; this is completely unlike what a veteran player should be capable of!"

Kkoma watched the interview, and even though Kim Min-na was praising RNG, he didn't feel any aversion, because in fact, this RNG team now has the right to be arrogant.

This kind of arrogance is different from that of G2, FNC, and C9. He's not just talking big; he genuinely has the ability to win the finals.

"Then one last question, Uzi is a veteran in the League of Legends esports scene. What would you like to say to the players from the two teams that will be participating in the lower bracket competition?"

During the interview, many audience members burst into laughter when the host awkwardly used the term "senior," and Li Luo also laughed along with them.
"Haha, first of all, I want to say to Faker, I look forward to playing against you, keep it up, and I hope you can find your true self. Second, to FNC's ADC Rekkles, who is also a good friend of mine, I want to say, do your best, and see you in the finals!"

"Okay, let's look forward to the second half of the World Championship semifinals tomorrow. I believe that the main players of both teams have received encouragement from Uzi, and I also thank Uzi for accepting the interview!"

The interview concluded successfully, and after a group photo with the audience in the front row, all the audience members reluctantly said goodbye and left in an orderly manner.

Sometimes, the fan loyalty of esports players is even higher than that of celebrities. Of course, this loyalty varies depending on the player.

Fans who value appearance will immediately unfollow you if you gain weight or are proven to have a scandal.

Fans who appreciate skill will see their loyalty decrease significantly once someone becomes incompetent or retires.

Walking backstage, feeling the enthusiasm that the staff had been giving off, whether intentionally or unintentionally, along the way, I had just finished packing up when the other teammates who had been interviewed also came back.

After everyone had packed their things, they boarded the official bus and headed straight to the hotel.

Next, we should prepare for the final battle.

Although he spoke with great confidence and arrogance in the interview, Li Luo certainly cannot be as careless as he was in the interview when facing SKT, who have not yet revealed all their cards. Otherwise, he might really suffer a setback due to the pressure of playing at home.

The main reason for exposing SKT's weaknesses to Rekkles was to force FNC to reveal more of SKT's hidden strengths, or even to overwhelm them with unexpected moves, and ultimately eliminate SKT in the semifinals.

At the same time, on their way back to the hotel, the much-anticipated prediction segment of the official live stream finally arrived.

There were quite a few guests coming to make predictions today, probably because they benefited from the traffic from the semi-finals. Almost every guest who received an official invitation rushed over excitedly as soon as possible.

As the familiar music played, the guests appeared one after another, including the ever-present Poison Milk Guan Daxiao, Wawa Miller Hell Brothers, PDD, Shenchao, Wuwukai, Yin Yangren Cat, Remember Teacher, and Changmao, for a total of eight people.

Meanwhile, many fans who love the cafeteria also joined the live stream, looking forward to the antics of the group today.

This show brings out things that people only dare to say behind the scenes and in the comments section through official channels, which is why it's so popular.

Normally, if we have opinions about a team or a player's poor performance, we can only comment on it on forums. Now we can openly hear the official commentators say it on the screen, which is really great.

Of course, there's no fan culture here, no crazy fans attacking people, only memes, match previews, and hindsight analysis. It's a good place for viewers to vent their emotions.

As soon as he opened his mouth, Colonel Guan delivered a powerful statement that everyone wanted to hear:
"Skt, Fnc, come on, everyone, speak your mind, who do you think will win?"

"Need I say more? It's most likely Skt," Miller said with a wry smile.

"While I also want FNC to reach the finals, we need to be reasonable. In terms of raw strength, the two teams are not that far apart, but if we analyze it comprehensively, SKT is clearly superior. Considering SKT's performance in the quarterfinals and Wolf's appearance, the ceiling of this team is still unknown. It's just a matter of how many tricks FNC can pull out of SKT."

"I don't think so. FNC is pretty strong this year too. I still think Caps can outperform Faker in the game. After all, this version is too suitable for European and American teams. Once they gain an advantage with their prepared unconventional strategies, SKT might not be so lucky."

Longhair, who has always been a fan of Western culture, immediately retorted.

"Longhair is right. FNC is very strong this year, especially their mid-jungle and bot lane synergy. Even RNG is not as good in terms of stats. On the other hand, SKT has brought in Wolf. I wonder how well they've gelled together."

The doll joked, then abruptly changed the subject, saying something that all the audience loved to hear:
"Then let's ask 55kai, who has faced Faker before, to tell us how strong Faker really is this year!"

(End of this chapter)