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

The two teams' gazes met in the air, as if invisible sparks were crackling.

The temperature in the entire lobby seemed to drop a few degrees, and even the waiters who were about to greet us subconsciously stopped in their tracks, too intimidated by the oppressive atmosphere to utter a sound.

However, to everyone's surprise, this suffocating standoff did not last long.

"Long time no see, senior." Faker said softly in Korean, in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"See you tomorrow, Sang-hyeok." Sect Leader Ahn nodded slightly, his voice low and hoarse, like two rusty iron swords gently rubbing together.

There was no pre-match trash talk or heated exchanges.

Faker turned around and waved to his teammates behind him: "Let's go, let's go eat."

Xiao Yan glanced at Ruler standing behind Sect Leader An. Ruler was staring at him with an extremely aggressive gaze. Xiao Yan's lips curled into a slight smile, and he returned the gesture with a confident grin. Then, hands in his pockets, he turned and followed the group.

He was never afraid to face those he had defeated.

Like two rivers that meet and then quickly separate, the two teams, guided by the waiters, headed to completely different private rooms at opposite ends of the restaurant.

That night, the SKT private room was unusually quiet during dinner.

Gone were the usual laughter and chatter; everyone was silently chewing their food, mentally rehearsing various tactics and scenarios that might arise tomorrow.

Coach Kkoma didn't say anything more about tactics. He simply picked up a glass of juice, drinking tea instead of alcohol, and said to everyone, "Get a good night's sleep tonight, and tomorrow, we'll take back what's ours."

……

the next day.

BJ, National Stadium, Bird's Nest.

As the first rays of sunlight fell upon this steel behemoth, the entire venue was already surrounded by a surging crowd.

Tens of thousands of League of Legends players from all over the world gathered here, and cheers and shouts in various languages ​​mingled together, creating a sound wave that could shake the heavens.

At 3 PM, the final battle of the S7 World Championship officially kicked off.

"Welcome to the final battle of the 2017 League of Legends World Championship!"

At the LPL official commentary booth, three veteran commentators, Haihai, Miller, and Changmao, were already in place, their voices trembling slightly with excitement.

"After a month of fierce battles, standing atop this Forbidden City are two legendary teams from the LCK region. One is SKT, aiming to establish an immortal dynasty with three consecutive championships! The other is SSG, who fought their way through the gauntlet and returned to the finals stage with the fire of revenge!" Miller loudly gave his opening remarks.

"Yes, although it's a pity that our LPL team didn't make it to the end, today's match was definitely a peak showdown representing the highest level of tactical awareness and individual skill in League of Legends today," Haihai continued. "Especially SKT's bot laner, Xiao Yan, this rookie player who has been like a god since entering the World Championship, what kind of dazzling plays will he make today? Let's wait and see!"

On the stage, dazzling lights flashed wildly.

Amidst deafening cheers from the audience, the ten starting players from SKT and SSG, along with their coaches, walked out of the tunnel one by one and stepped onto the stage that symbolized the highest honor.

Xiao Yan sat in front of his computer and put on his gaming headset, which had excellent sound insulation.

Instantly, the deafening noise from the outside world was largely shut out, replaced by the steady breathing of teammates in the headset and the referee's confirmation that the equipment was working properly.

He cracked his knuckles, making a crisp sound. His gaze became incredibly focused, like that of a peerless swordsman about to step into a life-or-death duel.

"Are you all ready?" Coach Kkoma's gentle yet powerful voice came through the headset.

"Ready." Faker's voice was as calm as ever.

"Let them see what we're made of!" Wolf shouted.

"The first match officially begins! Let's move on to the draft phase!"

The images on the big screen switched instantly, accompanied by that familiar, heavy sound effect, and the BP interface appeared before tens of millions of viewers around the world.

In the commentary booth, Miller quickly got into the swing of things: "Okay, in the first game, SSG is on the red side and has the last counter pick. SKT is on the blue side and has the right to pick the first hero."

"SSG's first three bans were incredibly decisive!" Longhair exclaimed rapidly, staring at the screen. "They banned Kalista, Tristana, and Xayah! My god, they're clearly targeting XiaoYan!"

"That's right!" Haihai analyzed. "Kalista is a must-ban for the red side in this version, without a doubt. But banning Tristana and Xayah completely prevents XiaoYan from picking heroes that have both mobility and strong self-protection capabilities, and can take over the game in the late game. SSG's intention is very clear: they want to force XiaoYan to pick traditional carry ADCs without mobility, such as Twitch, Kog'Maw, or Varus."

"In that case, Ambition will have a lot more room to maneuver in the jungle." Miller frowned. "If XiaoYan picks an AD carry without mobility, and Ambition chooses Sejuani or Jarvan IV, combined with SSG's suffocating vision control, SKT's bot lane will face unprecedented pressure."

Meanwhile, SKT's banners quickly responded.

"SKT banned Kennen, Master Yi, and Fiora in their first three picks!" Changmao exclaimed. "Three top laners! SKT is targeting CuVee!"

"Coach Kkoma's strategy is very clear." Haihai nodded. "CuVee's split-pushing ability is among the best in the entire World Championship. SKT directly banned these three heroes with extremely strong split-pushing abilities, which means very clearly: I'm not going to play any 4-1 split push with you; I'm going to force you to fight us in a head-on 5v5 team fight!"

On the BP bench, Coach Kkoma, holding a notebook, paced quietly behind Xiao Yan.

"Sang-hyeok, what should we pick first? Orianna or Ryze?" Kkoma asked.

"Ryze, please provide support quickly to protect the bot lane." Faker pushed up his glasses, his eyes fixed on the screen.

"Alright, lock Ryze!"

SKT's first floor, instantly locked in Ryze, the Rune Mage!

"SKT first picked Ryze, one of Faker's signature champions. In this version, he can deal sustained damage, and his ultimate, 'Warp,' is also very tactically significant in the late game," Miller said.

It was SSG's turn to pick. The red team's first and second picks, without hesitation, immediately locked in Malzahar and Sejuani!

A gasp of surprise erupted from the audience.

"Malzahar and Sejuani! SSG's mid-jungle duo is confirmed!" Changmao shouted. "This is the combination that Crown and Ambition are most confident in! Malzahar's ultimate provides absolute suppression, and Sejuani has a full range of crowd control. With these two heroes picked, SSG's tactical intentions are written all over their faces. They want to use an unstoppable chain of control to lock down SKT's core!"

"The pressure is on SKT." Haihai looked at the screen. "SSG's mid and jungle are incredibly effective at ganking AD carries without mobility skills. XiaoYan is facing a very difficult choice. The available AD carries are Twitch, Kog'Maw, and Varus. What should he pick?"