LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

For the RNG players, the mountain called "Mo" that had been weighing on their hearts was lifted by themselves at this moment.

The feeling of being suddenly pulled back from the abyss of despair instantly boosted the morale of the entire RNG team to its peak.

With firm steps, they stepped onto the stage once again.

But this time, everyone's eyes were filled with a desire for victory.

On the other side of the stage, Flandre, who was appointed to the position in a time of crisis, appeared much more composed.

He waved to the audience below the stage, his eyes calm, but his slightly pursed lips still revealed the unease in his heart at that moment.

He knew that in this match, he was not only fighting for EDG, but also for himself.

At EDG, he never worries about being benched, because Su Mo is a master of slacking off... If he can avoid playing, he probably won't want to play a single game.

"Alright, viewers! Both teams are ready! Let's move on to the draft phase of the second game!" Miller's voice on stage brought everyone's attention back to the match. "RNG is on the blue side, and EDG is on the red side!"

As soon as he finished speaking, both teams entered the draft phase.

"RNG has banned Tahm Kench on the first floor! They don't want to see Meiko's Tahm Kench again!" Wawa said. "Tahm Kench's protection of Viper in the last game was crucial!"

"EDG banned Jarvan IV on the first floor, preventing Wei from getting the most comfortable engage champion."

"RNG banned Vigus as their second pick! It seems Scout's performance in the last game left a deep impression on them!"

"EDG's second pick is... Kennen!" Guan Zeyuan's lips twitched when he saw this draft. "I can only say that EDG's coaching staff has a bit of a sense of humor. They banned their own ace."

The live stream chat erupted in laughter once again.

[This is outrageous! EDG: Even though my brother isn't playing, you can forget about touching his champions!]

[Abu: I predicted your prediction! I don't believe RNG would dare to let Kennen out!]

Ultimately, BP ended quickly.

RNG (Blue Side):

Top Lane: Graves
Jungler: Lee Sin
Mid Lane: Twisted Fate

Marksman: Jhin, the Virtuoso

Support: Nautilus, the Deep Sea Titan
Red team EDG:

Top Lane: Gragas the Barrel
Jungle: Xin Zhao, the Demacian General
Mid-lane: Ryze, the Rune Mage
Marksman: Miss Fortune the Bounty Hunter
Support: Leona, the Dawn Goddess

"The lineup is confirmed!" Miller summarized. "RNG has brought out their most familiar global support system! Lee Sin, Twisted Fate, and Nautilus—all three can create a crazy early game! Their goal is very clear: to catch EDG off guard!"

"EDG, on the other hand, has chosen a very solid teamfight lineup!" Wawa added, "Holy Gun's Gragas is both tanky and powerful, with a very high margin for error. Ryze and Miss Fortune's dual carries have devastating late-game damage output! This game depends on whether EDG can withstand RNG's onslaught in the first fifteen minutes!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"here we go."

Inside EDG's rest area, Su Mo took a bottle of cola from in front of the tactics board, unscrewed the cap, and leisurely leaned back in his gaming chair.

The tense expressions on the faces of Abu and the factory manager beside him contrasted sharply with his relaxed demeanor.

"RNG's lineup is clearly designed to gank top lane," Clearlove said, looking at the screen.

"Holy Gun's Gragas is alright, not easy to catch," Abu said. "It all depends on whether Jiejie can be saved."

Su Mo took a sip of cola, said nothing, and simply stared calmly at the screen.

Game start!
"RNG's level 1 team fight! They're here again!" Miller's voice suddenly rose, "Five players grouped up and invaded EDG's red side top jungle! And Ming's Nautilus flashed over the wall and accurately hooked Jiejie, who was attacking the red buff, with a Q skill!"

"First Blood!"

RNG secured the first blood just 40 seconds into the game!

"RNG played so decisively!" Wawa exclaimed. "They knew EDG might defend the top half of the map, so they directly used Flash to force an attack! Jiejie didn't expect this at all!"

Inside the break room, the factory manager clicked his tongue and shook his head: "Jiejie's position was too far out; he was careless."

Su Mo said calmly, "It's not his fault. RNG was determined to fight this time. They traded Flash for Flash, so he couldn't escape. But... Flandre is going to have a tough time."

As expected, after getting the red buff, Wei's Lee Sin had no intention of going back to his own jungle to farm. After reaching level two, he immediately coordinated with Graves, who had recalled to base and then teleported back to lane, to gank Flandre's Gragas!

Although Flandre used his E skill to knock Graves away, he was still hit by Wei's Lee Sin's Q kick, and with the combined damage from Graves, he was beaten to death in front of the tower.

"RNG's pace is too fast!" Miller exclaimed excitedly. "Within the first three minutes, both the top and jungle lanes have opened up the game! Flandre's laning phase is going to be a disaster!"

After a period of silence throughout the game, RNG fans finally erupted in deafening cheers.

Inside the lounge, Abu's expression was already rather grim. He glanced back at Su Mo, who was still leisurely sipping his cola, his lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing.

RNG completely controlled the pace of the game.

Wei's Lee Sin roamed every corner of the map like a ghost, putting immense pressure on all three lanes of EDG.

Within ten minutes, RNG had a 3,000 gold lead and had secured two dragons.

Saint Gun's top lane tower had already fallen.

"Holy Gun did his best this game," Su Mo said calmly, watching Holy Gun's Gragas solo farming under the tower. "RNG's targeting is too tight; it wouldn't matter who they were playing. Now it's up to Scout and Viper. If they can maintain their farm, we still have a chance in team fights."

The turning point of the game occurred at the 23rd minute.

With a huge advantage, RNG began to approach Baron Nashor's territory, attempting to force EDG into a team fight they were destined to lose by using Baron Nashor.

EDG had no choice but to bite the bullet and come to defend.

"RNG is going to take Baron!" Wawa's voice was filled with tension. "EDG has to come! This is their last chance!"

Just as both sides were trading vision near the Dragon Pit, Wei's Lee Sin seized an opportunity and, from a tricky angle, accurately hit Meiko, who was positioned too far forward, with a Q skill!

Without hesitation, he followed up with his second Q and then unleashed his R [Dragon Tail], kicking Meiko's Leona into the midst of RNG's team!
Meiko was instantly defeated!

"Meiko got instantly killed! EDG is about to collapse!"

However, just as RNG focused their fire on Leona, Flandre's Gragas used an E-flash from the flank to precisely knock up Gala and Cryin in RNG's backline!

Immediately afterwards, a perfectly predicted ultimate move, [Exploding Barrel], completely shattered RNG's formation!
Scout's Ryze seized this critical opportunity, activated his ultimate, and teleported directly to Gala's face, who had been blown back by the explosion, carrying Viper and Jiejie!

"EDG's counterattack!! It was so beautiful!!" Miller shouted.

Gala's Jhin didn't even have time to unleash his ultimate before being instantly killed by three EDG players focused fire!

RNG's formation was thrown into disarray. Xiaohu's Graves and Wei's Lee Sin were tightly entangled by Flandre's Gragas and unable to support the backline.

In the end, EDG achieved a miraculous team fight where they traded 1 for 4, at the cost of their support player's death!
"My God!!!" In the break room, Abu and the factory manager stood up from their chairs at the same time, excitedly waving their fists.

A smile also appeared on Su Mo's face.

He gently placed the empty Coke can on the table, making a soft thud.

"You played well," he said softly.

After winning this miraculous team fight, EDG took the Baron, erasing their early economic disadvantage and even gaining a 2,000 gold lead!

The situation was reversed in an instant!

With the Baron buff, EDG began to showcase their breathtaking operational capabilities.

RNG was forced into a series of defeats, with all three of their high ground towers in imminent danger.

Thirty minutes later, EDG, with a huge minion wave advantage, wiped out RNG in a team fight and then pushed down RNG's main crystal!

【VICTORY】

When the victory emblem lit up, Flandre excitedly took off his headphones and roared, releasing all the pressure that had been building up inside him for the entire game!
Meanwhile, RNG's match area was completely silent.

Xiao Hu leaned back in his chair, listless, his eyes vacant. They had clearly gained a huge advantage, yet they still lost... The feeling of losing a sure thing was even more painful than being crushed in the first game.

The chat in the live stream went wild once again.

[They flipped it! They actually flipped it! Is this the resilience of a champion?!]

[Holy Gun is awesome! That E-flash ultimate is the coolest Gragas in LPL history!]

[RNG's mentality has collapsed... How could they get turned around like this? How are they going to win the third game?]

[Stop talking, all I want to know right now is one thing... Brother Mozi, when are you finally going to play?!]

[Who says EDG can't function without Liezi?! Step forward!]

The five RNG players walked unusually slowly through the player passage leading to the rest area.

This time, the deathly silence and despair that followed the first game were gone. Instead, there was an even more tormenting emotion—unwillingness to accept defeat.

It felt as if a huge rock was lodged in each person's chest, so heavy that they could hardly breathe.

"So close...so close..." Wei buried his face in the towel, his voice muffled and filled with regret. If only his Lee Sin had performed better in that dragon fight, if only...

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in esports.

Xiao Hu leaned against the wall and gently punched the wall, making a dull thud.

He didn't speak, but his clenched fists, turning slightly white, said it all.

“Mine,” Gala whispered, “I should have used Mercury. I should have been able to control it when I got blown back by the barrels…”

"Stop talking," Ming interrupted him. "A loss is a loss. It's not just one person's fault; it's everyone's fault. We played better this game than the last. We gained the advantage, and we proved that even without Mo, we have a great chance to beat EDG! Isn't that enough?"

The entire lounge fell silent.

At this point, head coach Tabe said, "I know you're all feeling bad right now. It's upsetting to lose something you thought you had. But I want to ask you, are you feeling scared or angry?"

The team members didn't answer, but the look in their eyes gave the answer.

“Very good.” Tabe nodded in satisfaction. “In the last game, Flandre’s E-flash was a godlike play, a stroke of luck, and a testament to his individual skill. We lost to his one brilliant moment, but we won the first twenty minutes! We pushed EDG to the brink! This proves that our tactics are correct! Our playstyle is effective!”

He slammed the tactical board on the table with a loud thud, drawing everyone's attention.

"Why did they substitute Mo? Did they look down on us? No!" Tabe's voice suddenly rose. "It's because they're afraid too! They know that if Mo plays again and they lose, it will be a devastating blow to the morale of their entire team! So they'd rather let Saint Gunner take that pressure! Now, they're leading 2-0, they think they've got it in the bag, and they'll definitely relax!"

As soon as he said that, everyone's eyes turned to his face.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, and Xiao Hu couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Pfft, Coach, that's not how you comfort someone..."

Tabe coughed, realizing he might have gone a bit overboard, but pretended nothing was wrong and continued:

"No matter what, we've been pushed to the brink, we have nowhere to retreat! In the next game, forget that team fight, forget that damn Gragas! Just remember how we played in the first twenty minutes! Unleash all our anger and our unwillingness to give up! Let them see that RNG never gives up! Even if we lose, we'll lose with spirit!"

"Never give up!" Wei was the first to raise his head and weakly shouted.

"Never give up!" All the team members roared in unison, and the oppressive atmosphere in the rest room suddenly became somewhat lively.

Meanwhile, inside EDG's rest area, the atmosphere was jubilant.

"Holy Gun Bro is awesome!! That E-flash ultimate was so cool! I was so moved watching it from behind!" Jiejie hugged Holy Gun Bro's neck and jumped up and down excitedly.

Flandre's face was also beaming with excitement; this victory was of great significance to him personally.

"Well played," Abu said with a smile, handing everyone water. "You withstood the pressure and played with style. Very good, everyone played very well."

He turned to Su Mo, his tone teasing: "How about it, Brother Mo? You almost gave me a heart attack. It's your turn for the third round, right? Give the brothers a good finish, 3-0, let's go home and grab some late-night snacks."

All eyes were focused on Su Mo.

However, Su Mo shook his head again.

"No way," he said slowly. "We've already won, haven't we? Saint Gun is on fire right now, and he's got the momentum going. It wouldn't be appropriate to take him off now."

Abu chuckled: "You've gotten addicted to slacking off? This is match point!"

"It's precisely because it's match point that the pressure is on them," Su Mo explained calmly. "We still have a lot of room for error."

He glanced at Flandre, whose face was full of anticipation, and smiled: "Moreover, I also believe that Flandre can personally help us win the final victory in this match."

These words were well-reasoned and supported by evidence. They were both a tactical analysis and showed the utmost trust in his teammates, leaving Abu and Clearlove with no room for rebuttal.

“Alright,” Abu nodded, “Let’s let Flandre continue! Flandre, next game, play freely, don’t feel pressured!”

"Understood!" Saint Gun nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with determination.

When the player roster for the third game reappeared on the big screen, and Flandre's image was still listed as EDG's top laner, many viewers looked disappointed.

"Still not going?! Is Brother Mo really going to go all the way down?!"

"I'm impressed! I'm really impressed! EDG is dancing on a knife's edge!"

"RNG's chance! This is RNG's last chance! If they can't win this game, they might as well buy a plane ticket home!"

"..."

Amidst the discussion, both teams finally took to the field.

Soon, the draft phase of the third game began.

RNG, on the blue side, didn't hesitate and immediately banned Tahm Kench, Xin Zhao, and Miss Fortune in their first three picks, completely disrupting EDG's most comfortable system in the first two games.

EDG, on the other hand, continued to target RNG's mid and jungle by banning Ryze, Lee Sin, and Jarvan IV.

When it was time to pick, RNG's first pick instantly locked in Lucian!

"Lucian! Is RNG going to play a top-mid flex pick?!" Miller exclaimed.

Immediately afterwards, on the second and third floors, they spotted Nami and the Ruined King!
"Luna! It's the Luna combo!" Wawa instantly understood RNG's intention. "They're going to dominate the bot lane! Blade of the Ruined King is also one of Wei's strongest early-game champions!"

EDG chose Aphelios and Thresh to counter Luna's strong laning phase, while Jiejie picked Trundle for the jungle position.

In the second round of the draft, RNG banned Jayce and Kennen, further limiting Flandre's champion pool.

Ultimately, RNG locked in Galio for mid lane and Renekton for top lane on the fourth and fifth floors!

A lineup with explosive early-game combat power and maximum support capabilities!

"RNG's lineup is all about going all out in the first fifteen minutes!" Guan Zeyuan analyzed. "Rengar, Blade of the Ruined King, Galio, the top, mid, and jungle can coordinate at any time! Luna can also guarantee absolute lane control in the bot lane! They're telling EDG, this game, we're not going to play macro, we're going to fight!"

EDG's last two picks were Viktor for mid lane and Ornn for top lane.

A standard late-game teamfight lineup.

"Another clash between spear and shield!" Miller's voice was impassioned. "Let's see if RNG's sharp blade can pierce EDG's strongest barrier!"

Game start!
From the moment the five RNG players stepped out of the fountain, each of them carried a resolute aura on their faces.

They didn't invade or swap jungle camps; instead, they all logged in normally.

But from the moment the first wave of minions clashed, RNG's three lanes displayed unprecedented pressure!

In the bottom lane, Gala's Lucian and Ming's Nami started pressuring Viper and Meiko from level one, preventing them from even farming minions.

In the mid lane, Cryin's Galio used his Q skill's wave-pushing advantage to relentlessly press Scout's Viktor under the tower.

Meanwhile, Xiaohu's Crocodile started trading blows aggressively from level one!

"RNG is dominating across the board! Their fighting spirit is incredible!" (End of Chapter)