LPL didn't want me? I joined SKT instead!

The screens of the KT members turned black and white.

But this despair, intertwined with black and white, is, for SKT, a dazzling rainbow leading to the highest glory.

"One wave! One wave! SKT, with a massive horde of super minions and the newly acquired Baron Nashor buff, has stormed KT's high ground!" Miller's voice echoed across the commentary booth, carrying the shock and excitement of witnessing history. "No one on KT can stop this Vayne, who's like a killing machine! The Nexus's health is dropping rapidly!"

"boom--!"

As the enormous blue crystal in the center of the screen shattered into countless blue fragments, the entire Oriental Sports Center erupted in cheers loud enough to lift the dome.

"Congratulations to SKT! With an absolute advantage of 3-0, they cleanly swept KT Rolster, the team known as the 'Galactic Battleship'! They successfully secured the first ticket to the finals at the Bird's Nest in Beijing!" Wawa shouted hoarsely, his eyes even a little red.

Inside the competition room, Xiao Yan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

He took off his noise-canceling headphones, and instantly, the roaring sound of the stadium, mixed with shouts of "Xiao Yan" and "SKT," filled his ears.

"We won! We've made it to the finals!" Peanut jumped up from his chair excitedly and hugged Xiao Yan next to him.

Xiao Yan stood up and followed his teammates to the center of the stage.

When he shook hands with the KT players, he saw Deft's red eyes and Score's ashen face.

Esports is brutal; the winners have everything, while the losers can only leave the stage in despair.

"Bird's Nest, here I come," Xiao Yan silently recited in his heart.

A few days later, the late autumn in Shanghai brought a touch of coolness, but the temperature in the entire Chinese e-sports circle reached boiling point.

Today marks the start of another semifinal match of the S7 World Championship – LPL's last hope, RNG, will face off against LCK's formidable opponent, SSG.

Inside the hotel where SKT was staying, a spacious conference room had been temporarily converted into a viewing room. A promotional video for the upcoming match was playing on a huge projection screen.

Coach Kkoma sat in the front chair, holding his signature little notebook, looking serious. Faker, Xiao Yan, Peanut, Wolf, Huni, and others sat on the sofa behind them, surrounded by snacks and drinks, but everyone's eyes were glued to the screen.

"Who do you think will win?" Peanut asked casually, taking a sip of his cola.

"RNG's early game offensive rhythm was suffocating, and Mlxg's starvation-style jungle play made it easy for them to create openings in the current meta," Wolf said, stroking his chin. "But SSG... is too stable. Their vision control and late-game strategy are like those of an emotionless machine."

Faker adjusted his glasses, his gaze deep: "Let's see how the draft goes. In this Ardent Censer meta, the bot lane's laning and teamfight performance will determine the course of the game. Uzi's individual skill is beyond doubt, but Ruler is equally formidable."

Xiao Yan leaned back on the sofa, his gaze calmly fixed on Uzi's determined face on the screen. As a top-tier ADC, he knew Uzi's strength all too well. But in the extremely unbalanced meta of S7, sometimes individual skill couldn't completely compensate for a tactical disadvantage stemming from a limited champion pool.

"The match has begun." Kkoma tapped the table, signaling everyone to be quiet.

In the first game, RNG, playing on the blue side, immediately displayed the overwhelming momentum of playing at home.

During the draft phase, RNG decisively locked in Uzi's signature champion – Twitch, the Plague Rat. SSG, on the other hand, opted for their most proficient late-game defensive counter-attacking composition, with Ruler selecting Varus.

At the start of the match, Mlxg's Sejuani displayed an extremely aggressive desire to attack.

He completely abandoned his jungle development, ganked bot lane at level two, and forced Ruler to use Flash.

Then, at level six, he forcibly tower-dived and, with the help of Xiaohu's Galio ultimate, scored a 2-for-0 exchange in the bottom lane!

"RNG's early game tempo is suffocating!" On the commentary stage, Guan Zeyuan shouted excitedly, "Mlxg isn't farming at all, he's just buying a house in the bottom lane! Uzi's Twitch has secured two kills, RNG is taking off in the early game!"

Inside the spectator room, Peanut was dumbfounded: "Does this jungler not need to farm? He's a level behind the enemy Ambition, and he still dares to tower dive like that?"

"This is RNG's tactical system—the ultimate variation of 'four protect one'," Xiao Yan said calmly. "As long as Uzi is fed, it's worth it even if Mlxg is two levels behind."

As expected, Uzi, with his top-tier equipment, took over the game in the mid-game.

In the 25-minute dragon team fight, Uzi's Twitch activated his ultimate "Full Power" and, with the help of Janna's Ardent Censer buff, unleashed a barrage of attacks from the flank.

SSG's formation was instantly melted, and RNG executed a perfect 1-for-4 exchange, taking the Baron Nashor in the process.

In 30 minutes, RNG destroyed SSG's base and took the first game! 1:0!

"Beautiful!" The entire stadium erupted in cheers, and LPL fans saw hope for advancing to the finals.

However, the SKT players did not show much emotional reaction.

"SSG won't be defeated so easily." Kkoma was writing something in his notebook. "Next game, they will definitely change their strategy and limit Mlxg's entry."

In the second game, SSG came to the blue side.

This time, Ambition demonstrated his deep experience as a veteran. He picked Sejuani and planned an extremely meticulous jungle clearing and counter-ganking route in the early game. Mlxg's Jarvan IV tried to create opportunities several times, but Ambition accurately counter-ganked him each time.

"SSG's vision control is terrifying," Wolf said, frowning. "Look at the minimap, RNG's lower jungle is completely illuminated, and Mlxg's every move is under SSG's surveillance."

Without their jungler to create momentum, RNG fell into the kind of macro-management quagmire that SSG excelled at. Ruler picked Xayah this game and steadily pressured Uzi's Varus in lane. In the mid-game, SSG used CuVee's Kennen's split-pushing to constantly disrupt RNG's formation.

At 32 minutes, a team fight broke out at the Baron pit. CuVee's Kennen perfectly flanked, and his Thunderstrike stunned three RNG players. Ruler's Xayah safely dealt damage from the backline, securing a triple kill.

SSG won a game back, tying the score at 1-1!

"That's the resilience of Korean teams," Faker said softly. "They won't fall in the same place twice."

In the third game, the crucial battle for supremacy reached its climax.

RNG returned to their familiar blue side, and this time, they brought out their trump card – top laner Letme's Ornn and Uzi's Vayne!

The moment Vayne locked on, the entire audience went wild, and even the SKT members in the viewing room couldn't help but sit up straight.

"Oh? He chose Vayne?" Peanut glanced at Xiao Yan beside him. "Xiao Yan, is he paying tribute to you?"

Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes slightly: "Vaine is too weak in the laning phase in this version. Let's see if RNG can help her get through the early game."