LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

The group stage of Group B has come to a close, with EDG leading the pack with a perfect 6-0 record.

However, they didn't have much time to celebrate, because the more tense and suffocating moment—the quarterfinals draw—was about to take place on the main stage in half an hour.

Half an hour later.

Inside the stadium of the sports center, the lights changed from a vibrant clash of red and blue to a dark gold.

In the center of the stage, four transparent glass tanks were lined up, each containing the first and second seed balls from the four groups.

The lottery ceremony has now officially begun.

Su Mo and his group were also extremely nervous in the lounge.

Of course, they are not afraid of encountering any formidable opponents, but rather of encountering their own LPL team, namely RNG, the only team to advance.

After all, it's not easy for everyone to get to the World Championship, and it wouldn't be good to send them back to the quarterfinals.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the draw ceremony for the knockout stage of the 2021 League of Legends World Championship!" Host Sjokz, dressed in a dark tuxedo, said solemnly, "To ensure the fairness of the draw, we have invited a special guest to assist us in completing this sacred task."

The stage lights came on, and a familiar figure walked onto the stage with a smile.

"Let's welcome Jankos, the jungler from G2 Esports!"

Although G2 unfortunately missed the World Championship this year, Jankos, the "master of pranks," remains as popular as ever.

He was wearing a handsome suit, but the smile on his face still carried his signature comedic charm.

"Hey everyone, I'm back again." Jankos took the microphone and joked, "Although I can't sit here as a player, it feels good to be able to decide your fate."

He also made a little joke, but none of the teams that made it to the quarterfinals could actually laugh.

In EDG's rest room, everyone sat around the big screen, especially Jiejie, who was sitting upright with his hands unconsciously clasped together.

"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous," Meiko said, but her eyes were fixed on the screen. "As long as we don't draw an internal battle, we can fight anyone."

The factory manager stood at the back, arms crossed, his face grave: "According to the principle of avoiding opponents within the same group, as the first place in Group B, we will only encounter the second place in Groups A, C, and D. Ideally, we would draw C9 or MAD, that would be the best draw."

Su Mo remained seated in the outermost gaming chair, even holding a can of iced cola in his hand. He gently pulled the tab, and the soft hissing sound was particularly clear in the quiet training room.

"Brother Mozi, you're really not worried at all." Scout glanced back at him and said with a wry smile.

"What's the panic? We're going to fight anyway." Su Mo tilted his head back and took a sip of water. "Besides, I think Jankos has always had good luck, so he should be able to give us a wildcard."

On the screen, Jankos had already reached his hand into the glass tank containing the No. 1 seed ball.

"First, we will draw the defending champions from the four halves of the bracket."

The first ball was taken out, and the slip of paper was unfolded—GEN.G.

The second one is DK.

The third one is T1.

The last one is naturally EDG.

The four number one seeds are placed in the four halves of the bracket.

EDG was placed in Pool 4 of the lower bracket.

“Next comes the most crucial draw of the opponents,” Sjokz said, raising his voice slightly. “Their fate will be decided at this moment.”

Jankos reached into another glass jar and stirred it vigorously a few times.

The first seed number two was drawn – C9.

According to the principle of avoiding teams in the same group, C9 could not go to Group A (the group where DK is located), and was ultimately assigned to the half of the bracket where GEN.G is located.

The second ball—MAD.

MAD was assigned to the half of the map where DK was located.

At this point, only two second seeds remained: RNG from the LPL and HLE from the LCK.

The remaining number one seeds are T1 and EDG.

The air seemed to freeze at this moment.

Inside the EDG training room, Jiejie clasped his hands together in prayer: "Please don't let it be RNG, please don't let it be RNG..."

If it's HLE, they'll have a relatively easier time fighting them.

But if it's RNG, that would be the LPL's last wish to see an internal battle.

On the screen, Jankos took out the third ball.

He seemed to sense the heaviness as well, and his movements slowed down a bit.

Unfold the note, and the black and gold team logo comes into view.

——HLE.

"HLE!" Miller slapped his forehead at the commentary booth. "Then they will automatically be placed in the half of the bracket where T1 is! So the last remaining matchup is now decided!"

Jiejie closed her eyes in pain, leaned back, and slumped into the chair: "What I feared most has come to pass."

On the screen, Jankos opened the last ball, which was definitely RNG's, and gave an awkward but polite smile, as if to say, "I can't help it."

The final matchup is set: EDG vs RNG.

"Sigh..." The factory manager sighed deeply, "The situation I least wanted to see has still happened. The first match of the quarterfinals is an internal battle among our LPL teams."

Abu's expression wasn't great either, but he quickly composed himself: "Alright! The result is in, there's no point in saying anything now. Even in this internal battle, we must give it our all. At least... we, the LPL, have secured a spot in the semifinals, haven't we?"

Su Mo looked at the RNG team logo on the screen, gently shook the can of cola in his hand, and sighed slightly.

It seems unlikely that LPL will sweep the championship and runner-up titles this year.

After the draw, there is a long and tedious off-season.

The weather in Reykjavik is getting colder, and fine snowflakes are often falling outside the window.

In preparation for this brutal internal battle, the entire EDG team has been training continuously and has not slacked off.

Besides Su Mo...

Of course, EDG is not currently scrimming with other LPL teams to avoid leaking their tactics.

Abu contacted LEC and LCS teams to ensure high-intensity training every day, even with time differences.

During training, Abu also leads everyone in analyzing RNG, their familiar old rival.

Time passed slowly like this.

Until the day before the match, Su Mo and his group went to a restaurant for dinner and happened to run into the RNG team.

Since it's a buffet, people will inevitably bump into each other.

This is the dining area that Riot Games arranged for all the top eight teams.

At this moment, the players from EDG and RNG unexpectedly met and each occupied a corner of the restaurant, clearly separated.

There was no smell of gunpowder in the air, but an awkward atmosphere permeated it.

Everyone was engrossed in eating, and the clinking of cutlery was particularly clear. Occasionally, their eyes would meet, but they would quickly look away, as if they were familiar strangers.

Just then, footsteps sounded, and RNG's top laner Xiaohu, carrying a tray, walked hesitantly to EDG's table. Behind him were jungler Wei and support Ming.

"Brother Mozi, do you mind if we sit here?" Xiao Hu scratched his head.

"Sit down, Tiger. This isn't my house, everyone can sit anywhere." Su Mo looked up and pointed to the empty seat next to him.

The RNG players pulled out chairs and sat down. The players from both teams finally broke the silence and started chatting casually.

“Jankos’s tactics are so dirty!” Ming was the first to speak up. He sighed, his face full of helplessness. “In the quarterfinals draw, they actually drew an internal battle for our LPL. I was almost cursing out loud when I was in the audience.”

“Who says otherwise!” Jiejie immediately found common ground. He put down his knife and fork. “I was thinking, as long as it’s not you guys, I’d be happy to hit anyone! But look what happened, what I feared most came to pass. After tomorrow’s game, one of our teams will definitely have to pack up and go home. It’s so frustrating.”

At the dining table, there was a chorus of sighs and lamentations.

These words expressed the sentiments of everyone.

They fought their way out of the LPL with the dream of bringing glory to their region, but they never expected that the first and most difficult hurdle on the road to the championship would be to eliminate their own brothers.

Xiao Hu took a sip of juice, his gaze falling on Su Mo, who sat calmly across from him, and said:

"To be honest, when I drew your name, my heart sank, and I felt... it was going to be a disaster."

He shook his head with a wry smile, "We were joking internally that this year it all depends on EDG. If you make it all the way to the finals and win the championship, and we manage to get second place, that would be a huge success for LPL. But now it seems... that's going to be difficult."

These words sound like a show of weakness, but they are more a sign of helplessness.

With Su Mo on the team, the dominance that EDG has displayed is most deeply felt by other teams in the LPL.

Xiaohu's words were a direct recognition of EDG's performance and, more importantly, of Su Mo's individual skill.

Upon hearing this, Wei and Xiaoming's eyes dimmed slightly.

They longed for victory, but the pressure they felt in the face of this insurmountable obstacle was immense.

"Tiger, don't say that," Meiko, as the captain, spoke first to comfort him. "The match hasn't even started yet, anything can happen in a best-of-five series. No one dares to underestimate your strength. Tomorrow, let's all give it our all; that's the greatest respect we can show each other."

"Exactly!" Jiejie chimed in. "Don't try to sweet-talk us! We won't hold back when we're on the field tomorrow! But after the match, no matter who wins or loses, supper is on me!"

These words brought smiles to the faces of everyone in RNG. Ming punched Jiejie lightly, saying, "That's exactly what I was waiting for!"

All eyes finally fell on Su Mo.

Su Mo put down his cutlery, looked at the faces before him that were both rivals and friends, and said:

"The runner-up position is not our goal, nor is it your goal. No one in the LPL is satisfied with just a runner-up finish. That's how the draw works; someone always has to leave early. But no matter who wins tomorrow, the winning team will carry the legacy of the other team and continue on."

He paused, picked up his juice glass, and said, "So, don't overthink it. Tomorrow, let's consider it a preview of the most exciting finals for the LPL region, presented to viewers worldwide. Let's rely on our skills on the field and leave no regrets. What do you say?"

Xiao Hu paused for a moment, then nodded heavily, his fighting spirit rekindled on his face.

He also raised his glass and clinked it against Su Mo's.

"Great! No regrets!"

boom!
The crisp sound of glasses clinking echoed through the restaurant, signaling the final battle before this LPL internal war.

The atmosphere became more relaxed in the latter half of the meal.

They even chatted about interesting stories from Iceland and complained about the "god-like" teammates they encountered in ranked games on the European server, seemingly forgetting the brutal showdown that was about to take place the next day.

Everyone was quite tactful and didn't discuss topics related to the team's matches or tactics.

After the meal, the two teams parted ways at the restaurant entrance.

"Good luck tomorrow." Xiao Hu raised his fist at Su Mo.

“Yes, you too.” Su Mo gently touched him.

After dinner, the EDG and RNG players returned to their respective training rooms to begin their final preparations.

However, what they didn't know was that while they were enjoying this moment of peace, the online world outside had already been thrown into turmoil by the upcoming LPL civil war.

The title of the pinned post in the Hupu esports section was already generating a lot of buzz.

Su Mo was currently looking at this post on her phone.

[S11 Quarterfinals Preview] Silent Strife Among Brothers: The Glory of the LPL Will Be Carried Forward by the Winner

The comment section below has already been filled with thousands of posts:

"Damn Jankos! That's some serious dirty trick!"

"I cried. They're both my children, it's painful to see either of them eliminated. RNG is my youth, EDG is my faith, why did you have to do this to me?"

"Stop arguing, Brother Mozi will bring the championship back."

"Let's have a rational discussion. Judging from their performance in the group stage, EDG has a huge advantage..."

"What's the point of discussing this? I've never seen anyone beat Brother Mozi..."

"Don't jinx it! Anything can happen in a best-of-five series! I believe in RNG's resilience! Gala, kill them!"

"..."

Su Mo smiled, then opened the forum and took another look.

Well, the Anti-Pressure Bar continues their consistent style:

Is it possible that whoever wins tomorrow will be the S11 World Champion?

"Is this a classic game being played out early? But to be fair, tomorrow's BO5 might be even more exciting than the finals later on."

"Then what else is there to say? Just say that EDG will be the champion again this year."

"Here's a suggestion for RNG: tomorrow all five of them should go to the top lane and play mahjong with Mozi, hold him back, and then the others will have a chance."

"Hilarious! Five people going to the top lane? Are you sure you're not going to give Brother Mozi a pentakill as a greeting gift?"

"..."

After glancing at the comments, Su Mo sighed again.

Yeah, I feel sorry for RNG.

……

The decisive battle took place the following day.

Outside the stadium in Reykjavik, a cold wind blew with snowflakes, but it did nothing to cool the intense heat inside.

When the EDG team arrived by bus, they found hundreds of LPL fans who had traveled from afar gathered at the entrance of the venue.

Some fans were wearing EDG's black and gold team jerseys, but were waving RNG support flags.

Some fans were wearing RNG jerseys, but had EDG team logo stickers on their faces...

The most eye-catching figure was a tall young man holding aloft a huge handwritten light board, half of which bore the EDG team logo and the other half the RNG team logo, with the words "LPL, Fighting!" written in bold red letters in the middle.

At this moment, the glory of the competition zone transcends the ownership of the club.

This weighty expectation, conveyed through the silent light sticks, reached the hearts of every team member.
Su Mo and his group also greeted the audience warmly. (End of Chapter)