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

I've missed.

Faker's heart skipped a beat.

Undeterred, he peered into the closet, turned on his phone's flashlight, and rummaged through the pile of clothes.

No.

No.

Still no!

The mini Coke that he had bought for a "huge sum" (although it was on sale) and which he would only treat himself to a sip when he won a championship or was in a good mood, which should have been lying there quietly, had vanished into thin air!

Only an empty corner remained, as if silently mocking his naivety.

"Aish..."

Faker plopped down on the bed, his mind instantly flashing back to the scenes in the training room.

The familiar bottle of cola in Xiao Yan's hand...

Those familiar creases...

And then there's that excuse I made for saving face: "I don't like carbonated drinks"...

"ah!!!"

Faker covered his face in pain.

Not only did she watch helplessly as the robber drank her treasured "happy water," but she even denied her love for it in front of the robber!

He bought it by saving every penny!

A feeling called "heartache," mixed with the shame and anger of being mocked, instantly broke through Faker's calm defenses as the "Great Demon King."

……

In the training room.

Xiao Yan had just ambushed the enemy top laner in the bushes with Teemo and was about to type a taunt when a series of crisp system notifications suddenly rang in his mind.

【Ding! 】

[Strong emotional fluctuations detected from Lee Sang-hyeok (Faker)!]

[Emotional Assessment: Extreme regret, heartache, shame, and emotional breakdown!]

[Congratulations, host! You have successfully made "The Great Demon King" Faker break down!]

[Special Reward Obtained: S-Rank Passive Skill - "King of Last Hitting"!]

Xiao Yan paused, his hand holding the mouse pausing, his eyes instantly lighting up.

He immediately checked the skill descriptions.

[King of Last-Hit Kills (S-Rank Passive)]

Effect: As long as the attack power is sufficient to kill minions, the host's basic attacks will automatically correct for minor errors, ensuring a 100% success rate in last-hitting minions.

Description: A leaky knife? What is that? It's a desecration of money!

"Holy crap..."

Xiao Yan couldn't help but swear. Looking at the minion on the screen with just a sliver of health left, he subconsciously attacked it.

The sound of the gold coins bouncing was crisp and pleasant.

"That was a great deal! A bottle of cola for a god-tier passive ability!" Xiao Yan glanced back at the empty doorway and couldn't help but mentally give Faker a thumbs up. "Sang-hyeok hyung, you're such a good guy. Next time, I'll treat you to... oh no, I mean, your cola again!"

After two ranked matches, Xiao Yan stretched out a big yawn.

That "King of Last Hitting" passive is ridiculously useful. Even with a champion like Teemo whose projectiles are light and airy, last hitting feels as smooth as slicing butter. After two games, the opposing team was tormented by him, while his own CS (creep score) consistently stayed close to the top of the leaderboard.

In high spirits, Xiao Yan glanced at the time, got up, put on his coat, and strolled out of the training room humming a tune.

Ten minutes later, he returned, radiating the chill from outside.

He was carrying a plastic bag containing two 500ml bottles of Coca-Cola, with tempting droplets of chilled water still clinging to the bottles.

Xiao Yan returned to his seat, but instead of sitting down immediately, he took out the two bottles of cola and casually placed them on his desk.

But the placement of the mousepad was very deliberate—it wasn't placed next to the mousepad, but rather at the junction of his own desk and Faker's desk, less than ten centimeters away from Faker's mousepad.

After finishing all this, Xiao Yan took out a change of clothes from his bag, draped a towel over his shoulders, and shouted loudly at the empty training room:

"Oh dear, I'm a bit tired from playing. I'm going to take a hot shower to relax."

After saying that, he turned and walked into the bathroom without waiting for a response, leaving the two bottles of chilled soda standing alone on the table.

Not long after the bathroom door closed, Faker's bedroom door opened.

Lee Sang-hyeok walked out expressionlessly.

After some self-adjustment in his room (including but not limited to deep breathing, pounding his pillow, and silently repeating "I am the world champion, I don't care about newcomers" ten times), he finally calmed his bleeding heart that had been broken by the loss of his collectible Coke.

Now, he has returned to being the calm, rational, and emotionless SKT mid-laner, the Demon King.

"As long as I'm not embarrassed, it's him who's embarrassed."

Faker told himself this in his mind, then casually walked back to his seat and sat down, ready to start today's extra practice.

However, the moment he gripped the mouse, his peripheral vision was inevitably drawn to a splash of red beside him.

Those were two 500ml bottles of Coke.

The condensation on the bottle wall gathered into droplets, slowly sliding down and refracting an alluring sheen under the light. It was the perfect drinking temperature, just taken from the freezer.

Faker's fingers stiffened for a moment.

He subconsciously turned his head to look in the direction of the bathroom, where he could hear the sound of running water.

The training room was empty except for him and the two bottles of cola.

Faker looked away and forced himself to stare at the rune page on the screen.

"This is a trap," he warned himself. "This kid is definitely up to something again. He stole my mini bottle earlier, and now he's leaving two large ones here—is he trying to scare me?"

but……

I'm so thirsty.

The image of Xiao Yan drinking that mini bottle right in front of him flashed through his mind again, the sound of the bubbles bursting seemed like a demonic chant.

Faker's throat felt a little dry.

His gaze once again drifted uncontrollably to the two bottles of cola.

It was then that he noticed a yellow sticky note sandwiched between the two bottles of cola.

Faker hesitated for a moment, then reached out and picked up the sticky note with two fingers.

Above was Xiao Yan's flamboyant handwriting, with a line of Korean characters:

[One bottle represents the principal compensation, the other is interest on the emotional distress damages. Sang-hyeok, you're not losing out this time. —Xiao Yan]

Faker was stunned when he saw the note.

His previously tense lips suddenly twitched uncontrollably twice.

Principal? Interest?

That mini bottle is only 250 ml, but these two bottles together make 1000 ml! Isn't that interest rate a bit too high?

Faker looked at the two bottles of cola, the wariness and anger in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a complex expression.

This kid...

Although he has a terrible personality, is arrogant and conceited, and likes to steal other people's things... he doesn't seem to be completely hopeless.

Faker put down the sticky note, glanced at the closed bathroom door, and then at the Coke on the table.

Since it's compensation... I'll reluctantly accept it. After all, wasting food is bad behavior.

Faker reached out and pushed up his round-framed glasses, a glint of wisdom flashing in his eyes.

Then, with lightning speed—as if he were dodging a powerful attack on the field—he quickly reached out and grabbed one of the bottles of cola.