LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

In the LCK, T1's playoff run was not smooth, as they were defeated by AF in the first round.

The good news is that T1 also has a chance to play in the gauntlet.

The LCK playoffs continued, and in the second round, GEN swept AF 3-0, with Ruler demonstrating his dominance in the bottom lane.

However, in the third round, GEN faced DRX.

Chovy relentlessly dominated BDD in the mid lane, while Deft and Ruler held their own in the bot lane.

DRX ultimately defeated GEN 3-2!

In the final match, DWG will face off against DRX!

Chovy and Showmaker have faced off many times before.

In the secondary league, Chovy was still with GRF at the time, and he never lost to DWG in dozens of matches.

Therefore, most people are optimistic about Chovy.

September has arrived, and the LCK finals have begun!

Su Mo received messages from Chovy and Showmaker, both of whom were asking for divine intervention and wanted Su Mo to predict who would win.

Su Mo chose to brush it off.

Since the LPL matches ended a long time ago, there's been a lull in the season, so many LPL viewers are watching LCK matches, leading to various online discussions and analyses of the two teams' historical records.

However, to everyone's surprise, the whole process was very easy!
DWG swept DRX 3-0 without any pressure and won the championship!
"No way? It's that simple? It feels like DRX is getting completely crushed."

"Where's Chovy? Help him out, he needs to be of some use!"

"Isn't this scripted? The difference in strength between the two sides isn't that big, is it?"

"Damn it, I have a feeling something's off with DWG this year. There's something wrong with these five guys!"

"Heh, let's not even talk about TES. Can DWG even beat SN and JDG? And you're already praising them?"

LPL fans are generally optimistic.

After all, TES won the MSI championship, and given LPL's dominant performance in recent years, there's no reason to think they can't beat LCK.

After the finals, the LCK gauntlet will continue.

T1 needs to compete for the third spot.

In the gauntlet, T1 avenged their loss to AF, winning 3-1.

However, in the finals, facing a stronger GEN team, T1 was defeated 3-0, and GEN secured the third spot.

#Faker and Mozi are confirmed not to participate in this year's World Championship

#Both Kings are absent from the World Championship, but thankfully there are still TES and JDG.
#The old era is finally over

#Welcome to the New Era!
With the absence of Su Mo and Faker, coupled with Clearlove's retirement, UZI failed to qualify for the World Championship.

This year's World Championship is seen by most people as a turning point.

The old legends have faded away; now it's time for newcomers to compete.

Following that, the official list of the top 20 players in S10 was released.

The number one spot belongs to none other than Left Hand!
I don't understand at all, after all, TES is the MSI champion and the LPL Summer Split champion.

Second place goes to Jackelove!

Placing TES's two carries in first and second place shows respect for the LPL region!
Third place, Chovy!

Although Chovy was swept by DWG in the Summer Split finals.

However, in many people's eyes, he is still the strongest mid laner, it's just that his teammates aren't very supportive.

Fourth place, Showmaker!

The mid-laner who won the LCK Summer Split is truly a legend.

Fifth place, Zoom!

The LPL Summer Split runner-up top laner deserved the title.

Sixth to tenth place: Casp, Kanavi, 369, Ruler, Canyon.

Su Mo felt that Caps was surrounded, as he was the only player who wasn't from the LCK or LPL.

However, this time, there was no TOP0. Many people were still expecting a TOP, but in the end, they found that there really wasn't one.

Over the next two weeks, teams from various regions began to travel to the LPL to prepare for the competition.

Su Mo lived her own quiet life, going to and from get off work every day and maintaining a regular schedule.

However, ever since Perkz started training in the LPL, he has been sending messages to Su Mo every day, wanting to meet him.

Su Mo couldn't stand the harassment any longer. Luckily, some "friends" from other regions had the same idea, so Su Mo thought he would invite them all out to meet and settle things once and for all.

At 3 PM, Su Mo finished his work at the company ahead of time and arrived at a hotel. At the hotel entrance, Su Mo met several young people.

"Brother Mozi!"

"Oh! Brother Mozi is here!"

Wow! Brother Mozi, you look so handsome now!

Perkz, Rekkles, Caps, and Jankos all gathered around to greet them.

Su Mo replied, "I just finished work and haven't changed my clothes yet."

"Come on, let's go inside first. You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

Everyone followed Su Mo inside, and Su Mo requested a private room.

After taking their seats, Perkz asked, "Brother Mozi, why did you suddenly retire? Was it because you were afraid of being crushed by me?"

Su Mo laughed and said, "Yes, you're so amazing, who isn't afraid of you?"

Perkz continued, "So, are you planning to become a boss in the future? Won't you find it boring?"

Rekkles, standing nearby, complained, "How could it be boring? I want to start my own company and become an entrepreneur. I'm still in the preparation stage."

Caps said, "It's a pity, I was hoping to have another match with Brother Mozi."

Perkz chimed in, "Yeah, even if you win the championship, it won't be complete without defeating Mozi head-on."

Su Mo smiled.

Perkz, with a serious expression, making it seem like he was really serious, continued:
"It's a pity that Faker didn't come this time either. None of my worthy opponents came. I don't really want this championship anymore."

"Hahaha..." Everyone was amused by Perkz, and even he himself couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Su Mo said, "Actually, G2's roster has been pretty good these past two years. With your current setup, even if you don't win the championship, you definitely have a chance to reach the semifinals. If you get a good group draw, you might even make it to the finals."

Perkz's eyes lit up: "Really? I think so too, Mozi-ge. Our thoughts are completely aligned, nice!"

Su Mo laughed and said, "You were just talking about winning the championship, and now you suddenly say that you have the same idea as me?"

Soon, the waiters started serving the dishes. Su Mo ate with everyone, took a group photo, and then parted ways.

As September drew to a close, the three representative teams from the LCK arrived in the LPL.

The first thing they released was a video of their departure, which they did right at the airport.

It only takes an hour to get here by plane.

Su Mo received a message from Chovy that afternoon:

"Mo, is it convenient for us to meet? I've arrived here, but I don't know where you are."

Su Mo was still thinking about when to find some time to meet with Chovy.

Just then, another message came through!

Showmaker: "Mo, we at DWG are your fans. They all want to meet you. Do you have time? You should be in this city too."

Su Mo had a sudden inspiration and decided to meet them together, which would be more convenient.

So Su and both sides agreed to meet the day after tomorrow afternoon.

Two days later, in the afternoon, Su Mo arrived at a park.

I looked around at the park entrance and noticed a tall guy in the crowd, Chovy!

At this moment, Chovy looked around, seemingly searching for someone, and checked his phone every now and then.

Su Mo walked over quickly, but upon getting closer, he discovered that Chovy wasn't alone; there was another person of similar age beside him, Doran!

Su Mo approached and greeted him, "Chovy."

Chovy turned around abruptly, overjoyed: "Player Mo!"

However, he was still trying his best to control his expression and avoid being too exaggerated. "He's my teammate, Doran, our team's starting top laner," Chovy introduced.

"Hello."

"Hello, player Mo."

Su Mo and Doran shook hands.

Seeing no one else from DRX around, Su Mo asked curiously, "Just the two of you? You two seem to get along quite well."

Upon hearing this, Chovy and Doran scratched their heads, seemingly a little embarrassed.

Chovy replied, "It's alright, it's just a matter of teamwork."

Su Mo was clearly not simple; they were probably brothers, part of a brotherhood alliance.

Just then, Su Mo's phone rang. He took it out and saw that it was a message from Showmaker asking for his exact location.

Su Mo then sent his location.

He added, "They've come too."

Su Mo had told Chovy that there were other people involved, so Chovy wasn't surprised.

However, he was stunned when he saw Showmaker walking over with the entire DWG team!
"Player Mo!"

"Showmaker".

Su Mo greeted and shook hands with the DWG members.

Immediately afterwards, the DWG members also noticed Chovy and Doran.

The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward!

After all, they had just faced each other in the finals, and Chovy lost badly.

Showmaker suddenly asked, "Mo, why did you suddenly retire? I find it strange. We had already started planning how to target you."

Su Mo replied, "That's perfect, it will save us a lot of effort."

Showmaker laughed: "Although it doesn't feel great, I have to say that without you, we have gained a lot of confidence."

Su Mo countered with a question: "Are you confident if we face TES or JDG?"

Showmaker was full of confidence: "Of course, we are no longer the DWG we used to be. You saw it, didn't you, our performance in the finals."

Su Mo nodded: "It is indeed quite impressive."

Chovy was displeased: "You only won once, and you think you're invincible? Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration, Showmaker?"

Showmaker shrugged: "Let's talk about it when DRX wins back."

"We paid so much tuition in the second division, now it's our turn."

Su Mo could tell that Showmaker had harbored a long-standing grudge against Chovy.

After being suppressed for so many years, they have finally found their chance to shine.

Just as Su Mo sensed the tension between the two was building up.

Suddenly, Canyon said, "Now is not the time for internal strife; our main opponent is the LPL."

Chovy relaxed as well: "That's true. We'll settle the score with you when we run into you again."

After they finished speaking, they subconsciously glanced at Su Mo.

The atmosphere was a little awkward.

Although Su Mo has retired, he is still a member of the LPL...

Faced with the loud conspiracy between the two sides, Su Mo laughed and said, "It's okay, don't be nervous, I don't care. Besides, everyone thinks the same way. LPL teams regard LCK as their main enemy, and you also regard LPL as your main enemy. It's an unspoken understanding."

"Come on, let me show you around and let you enjoy this rare moment of free time."

Su Mo led the two groups of people to stroll around, taking pictures and such. During the process, the two groups of people asked Su Mo questions about the version and the competition, wanting to collect information.

However, Su Mo declined, saying that he hadn't played any matches in a year and hadn't paid attention to these things.

That evening, Su Mo treated the LCK team to dinner, and then they parted ways.

However, the group photo was quickly posted online, and various messages spread like wildfire online.

#Shocking! DWG and DRX are both vying to offer Mozi a high salary to come out of retirement!

#FirstTime! Mozi may become the first Chinese player to join the LCK!
#Terrible! DWG and DRX both met with Mozi at the same time, there must be a conspiracy!

#Mystery! There must be a hidden story behind Mozi's retirement!
People these days are willing to write anything to get clicks.

According to their accounts, Su Mo retired because of a lack of money, because he was blocking the path of newcomers, and because he didn't get along with his teammates.

Then LCK saw this and chose to poach players.

The story they made up actually seemed pretty convincing.

Of course, neither Su Mo nor EDG made any statement.

What the other party wants is for you to come out and explain. Once you do, it's like giving them more traffic.

If they come out with a statement that their explanation is just a cover-up, then they're doomed.

As September drew to a close, S10 officially began.

First is the qualifying round.

As the fourth seed from the LPL, EDG needs to participate in the Play-In Stage to secure one of the four available spots in the main tournament.

However, Su Mo still has a lot of confidence in EDG in this regard.

After all, there were no other strong teams in the qualifying rounds.

Meanwhile, news of training matches by various teams became the focus of everyone's attention.

#Rumors circulate online that a certain LCK team has gone over twenty consecutive scrims without losing a single game.

#Rumors circulate that TES's performance in scrims has been explosive

#It's said that JDG stunned the other teams in scrims.
#SN's performance in scrims seems incredibly impressive; they might be a dark horse.
Various unverified messages circulated online.

Some accidents are fabricated to attract attention.

Of course, Su Mo has his own channels for obtaining information.

Zoom: "Holy crap, there's a really strong team in the LCK this year, Mozi, can you give me some advice?"

Su Mo: "Which team? You're not going to leak this, are you?"

Zoom: "Don't tell anyone else, it shouldn't be a big problem. DWG is absolutely crushing us. We didn't win a single game against them in three matches, we just couldn't hold on in lane."

Su Mo: "How's it feeling in the top lane? Are you able to hold your own in the laning phase?"

Zoom: "No, Nuguri plays fighters really well, my tank can't withstand it, and their jungler is very strong, I can't defend against his ganks."

Soon, other people contacted Su Mo.

369: "Brother Mozi, I need your help! LCK is really strong this year, especially their top laner."

Su Mo: "Aren't you going to think of a solution yourself?"

369: "I can't figure it out. I've already talked to Zoom, Aodi, and Bin. Apart from Chen Zebin bragging that he can fight, everyone else said they can't beat him."

Su Mo: "Just ask Chen Zebin how he fought, that'll be enough."

369: "I asked him, but he wouldn't tell me. He's just showing off. He's such a show-off."

Su Mo could only offer some advice to 369, but he knew that the effect would be minimal. To achieve the best in anything, one needs talent, and without that talent, the effect of hard work is limited.

Moreover, there's no time left now; it's impossible to completely change a player's playstyle and hero pool.

We can only take one step at a time.

Of course, just because things aren't going well doesn't mean you should show it.

When the four LPL teams were interviewed and spoke publicly, they all appeared quite optimistic.

After all, training matches cannot fully explain the situation.

As October approached, after a hard-fought battle, EDG emerged from the qualifying rounds. Although they didn't win first place in the qualifying rounds, they still made it into the main tournament.

Once the rankings for the qualifying rounds are determined, the group assignments are also finalized.

A: G2, SN, MCX, TL.

B: DWG, JDG, RGE, PSG
C: TSM, FNC, GEN, EDG
D: TES, DRX, FLY, UOL
After the groups were determined, a heated online discussion began about the possibility of their formation.

Not only the players, but also professional players who weren't competing, as well as commentators and hosts, all joined in. (End of Chapter)