League: What? A bunch of old men can win a championship?

"The last time the World Championship was held in North America was in 2016, and he won it all. This time, the king returns, and Faker will lead his young teammates to challenge for the championship trophy..."

"No one could have predicted DRX's performance in 2022. No matter where they went, there would have been doubts. But now they've reached the finals... For the legendary Deft, this World Championship is the most important event of his career. We all hope that Deft can continue to shine, rather than retire from the stage..."

"..."

March 6, 2022, Wuhan.

Lu Yingdong sat in front of his computer in his room, watching Faker and Deft take to the stage at Chase Center.

When DRX and T1 successfully met in the S12 finals, the phrase "Glory of Veterans" became the theme of the finals, and Riot Games naturally seized on this point to highlight it.

Lu Yingdong forcefully stuffed a mouthful of hot dry noodles into his mouth, but the noodles no longer tasted good.

They're all veterans, so why should he be stuck at home eating hot dry noodles?

Grass!

At this moment, voices from YY Voice could still be heard in the headphones.

"Wow, Deft, Faker!" Zz1tai's voice and tone were quite noticeable in the voice chat. "They're both 27 years old, right? They can still make it to the finals? That's unbelievable."

"That's really exaggerated." Another voice responded, this time from Uzi, "They're a year older than us, right? They still managed to make it to the finals, while we've been stuck at home for years."

Zz1tai and Uzi were among the earliest professional League of Legends players, both born in 1997, just like Lu Yingdong.

But they had already retired several years ago.

The two people on the screen were born in 96, and now they are meeting at the top.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yingdong immediately chuckled and said, "Don't be so sarcastic! I'm not a shut-in; I'm still active in the military!"

"Yes, yes, active." Zita immediately grinned, "An active player who hasn't played in eight years, ahahahahaha."

Upon hearing this, the viewers in the three's live stream also laughed, and the atmosphere in the chat became incredibly joyful.

What does Zz1tai know? DongShen is EDG's hidden nuclear weapon; he doesn't usually make a move.

Indeed, DongShen only stepped in when EDG was on the verge of defeat.

Why didn't DongShen play when EDG was defeated by DRX in a 4-1 comeback?

[TVXQ hasn't even gone to America, they're just at home eating hot dry noodles, how are they going to appear on screen? Hahahaha]

Lu Yingdong looked at the comments, took a sip of soy milk, and shook his head helplessly.

Lu Yingdong, an active professional player, ID: East, debuted in S5 and joined EDG as Pawn's substitute mid laner. Later in S6, he lost the competition for the starting position with the new mid laner Scout and continued to be a substitute.

Then he was substituted in S12...

In eight years, he has never played a single game in the LPL.

He was once relegated to play in LSPL and LDL. Although he performed quite well in the secondary leagues, the level of the secondary leagues was too low to be of any reference value.

At first, EDG people promised him a chance to play, but later they stopped promising him. Lu Yingdong didn't care and happily accepted reality.

Firstly, considering that his talent ceiling isn't particularly high, his playstyle is too aggressive, and his chances of winning a championship are slim, it's not bad that he managed to receive a salary from EDG for eight years without actually playing...

EDG treats its players well; they're not stingy with money. Even though they don't give him playing time, they still pay him a lot.

Secondly... his live streaming was actually pretty good...

This eight-year absence from the field has ironically given him some memes, such as "West Emperor's good brother East God," "Secret nuclear weapon," and "Eight years of honing his skills, he won the championship as soon as he stepped onto the field"—abstract phrases like these...

Memes and catchphrases create memorable moments, which naturally attract viewers.

Coupled with his striking good looks and decent social skills—frequently connecting with friends like Zz1tai and Uzi who have played together since the early days of the LPL—his livestream popularity is steadily rising...

Making money is enough; whether I play or not doesn't matter.

This was Lu Yingdong's original idea.

But when he saw Deft and Faker standing on the stage of Chase Center, enjoying the praise like stars around the moon, he felt a pang of sadness.

Is becoming a live streamer an active choice or a passive acceptance?

Seeing this, Zitai spoke up again: "Seriously, how come they're still so strong? I feel like they were already incredibly strong eight years ago, and they're still strong now. It really doesn't make sense!"

"It's just so-so, not as good as Zitai." Lu Yingdong said with a grin, "Why don't you report it again and make a comeback to go head-to-head with them? Crush them."

"You mean DRX?" Zz1tai replied directly, "With DongShen on the team, why would I need to make a comeback? If DongShen had gone to America, DRX wouldn't be a problem now, right? EDG should be the one facing T1 now! Lift the trophy, DongShen!"

"Are you trying to be disgusting?"

"Hahahaha!" Zita burst into laughter, then asked, "Hey, seriously, do you think you'll get a chance to play next season?"

Generally speaking, a normal person wouldn't ask this question. After all, Lu Yingdong is a mid-laner, while EDG's mid-laner Scout, as last year's FMVP, holds a prestigious position in EDG. Generally speaking, EDG wouldn't replace him no matter who they replace.

But as insiders, they had heard some rumors.

They knew that Scout and EDG didn't get along, and it was rumored that things were going to escalate to the point of a lawsuit, so Scout's departure from the team next season was inevitable.

If Scout leaves...

"There's definitely no chance." Because it involved classified information, Lu Yingdong could only deny it indirectly. "Scout is so strong, and I'm already a top-tier player. Even without Scout... EDG wouldn't even consider me."

Uzi then asked, "EDG doesn't want you, so are you going to retire?"

"Ding-dong." The sound of a newcomer entering the YY channel came through the earphone. Lu Yingdong glanced at it and then said with a smile, "Retire, then. When you retire, we'll put a flower plate in the back to hold your trophies."

"You son of a bitch!" Crystal, who had just entered the voice channel, immediately cursed, "You just got here and you're already attacking me?"

Crystal was also an early professional player. Because he did not win any honors during his active career, he could only put a flower pot on his bookshelf after retiring, which made him a little famous.

"Ha ha ha ha"

Lu Yingdong's live streams are always great. With just a few casual words from him, the chat in the live stream room surged. Amidst the cacophony of comments, the two teams, DRX and T1, took to the stage, ready to begin the final battle for the Summoner's Cup.

At that moment, YY rang again, and Letme entered the channel.

Letme is also a veteran. After retiring, he followed Zz1tai in live streaming and learned that kind of abstract performance, which attracted a lot of viewers.

Letme and Crystal are getting older and can't stay up all night, so they choose to sleep in and then watch the finals.

Today is a big reunion for the old Deng family.

Watching the draft phase, Letme rubbed his hands together and said, "It feels like there's not much going on today. Is Faker really going to win his fourth championship?"

Letme's stance is clear: he believes T1 will win.

Of course, Lu Yingdong thought so too.

It's quite surprising that Deft and DRX, as the fourth seeds from LCK, made it to the finals.

But that should be the end of it.

Judging from their current form, T1 is clearly in much better shape.

But things are always unpredictable.

Despite everyone's skepticism, the two sides battled to the fifth game. In a hellish situation where Xiao Lu Bu Varus stole three dragons, DRX displayed miraculous resilience and pulled through.

In the final battle against the Elder Dragon, knowing they were outmatched, T1 opted for a desperate gamble by teleporting to steal the enemy base.

DRX jungler Pyosik rushed back to the Elder Dragon pit when it was low on health and secured the crucial Elder Dragon with a Smite, but T1's mid and top laners had already pushed the minion wave onto DRX's high ground.

In this tense situation, Kingen's Elder Dragon Aatrox teleported back to defend, using the power of the Elder Dragon to first kill Faker, and then, with the help of Zeka who had returned to base, killed Zeus, thus securing the victory!

DRX won!

"Well... let's congratulate DRX! They defeated T1 3-2 to win the S12 World Championship!"

The Chase Center was now in a state of disbelief! This disbelief was mixed with doubt, pain, and of course, surprise!

From the qualifying rounds to the finals.

The base that was just one basic attack away from the quarterfinals.

The three dragons were stolen in the final.

Misfortune seemed to constantly loom over them, but they persevered through sheer resilience.

After shaking hands, the DRX members rushed to the center of the stage and raised the Summoner's Cup high.

The cheers from the sidelines began to surge, witnessing the dark horse's crowning.

In an interview after winning the trophy, Deft broke down in tears, saying, "The only thing I can do and the only thing I'm good at is League of Legends. If I can't succeed in what I do best, then I don't know what the meaning of my life is."

The group of people who had been chatting away all morning were somewhat moved by what they saw.

They are all retired or nearing retirement professional players, and the trophy that DRX is currently lifting is an honor that none of them have ever won.

Compared to ordinary viewers, they admired DRX's championship even more.

How awesome would it be if he could win in the final stage and take the championship?

Lu Yingdong also felt a pang of sadness.

Whose life isn't just about League of Legends?

Me too.

I've been playing this game every day since 2012.

From a teenage gamer who went to great lengths to get into internet cafes to play games despite his parents' attempts to catch him, to a "professional player" who has been sitting on the bench for eight years without ever playing a game.

It has been ten years since 2012.

What is the meaning of my life?

Just then, a voice suddenly entered my ears.

【Ding】

[Veteran Glory System successfully bound]

"What's that noise?"

Upon hearing the sound, Lu Yingdong first took off his headphones and looked around.

It was still his room, and the midday sun shone through the gaps in the drawn curtains, slightly dazzling.

But the sound didn't stop when he took off his headphones; it continued to come.

[Host attribute detection complete]

As soon as he finished speaking, a panel suddenly appeared in front of Lu Yingdong's eyes.

"..."

Host: Lu Yingdong

Age: 25

Operation: 67

Reaction: 67

Consciousness: 77

Laning phase: 81

Team fight: 71

[Note: In this data algorithm, 60 is the threshold for becoming a professional player.]

[Overall Rating: B. Due to age limitations, your attributes have declined from their peak, and you are now only at the entry-level for professional players. If nothing unexpected happens, retirement is your best option.]

The mission system is now unlocked!

Lu Yingdong looked at the data in front of him, rubbed his eyes, and then looked at the still-existing panel before finally confirming a fact.

It's been hung up.

After waiting patiently on the bench for eight years, Lu Yingdong finally got what he wanted.

There's nothing else to it, it's just talent.

For eight years, something called "talent" has been troubling him.

His reaction time wasn't fast enough, his operation wasn't stable enough, he was slow to learn new heroes, his concentration was insufficient, and his aggressive playstyle was a double-edged sword... all of these factors kept him out of the spotlight.

But now, everything is different.

[Winning a ranked match at Master rank or higher grants 10 points; winning an official match grants 50 points. 100 points increase an attribute by 1 point. For attributes above 80, every 200 points increases an attribute by 1 point; for attributes above 90, every 500 points increases an attribute by 1 point; for attributes above 95, every 1000 points increases an attribute by 1 point. The maximum attribute value is 99!]

With an excited heart and trembling hands, Lu Yingdong entered the mission system again.

Immediately afterwards, a whole host of other news came into view.

[New Player Quest: System Binding - Completed. Quest Rewards: 500 Points, 1 Peak Card!]

[Peak Card: When used on yourself or a teammate, it restores the target to peak condition for one hour. If the target is a teammate, the host also gains the same attributes (the higher of the original attributes and the current attributes). Can be redeemed in the system shop for 500 points.]

[New task has been released]

[Main task: As an eight-year veteran substitute, if you don't want to retire, you need to earn a starting position on the team.]

[Task Reward: System upgrade, team bonus module unlocked]

[Secondary Task: As a veteran, you need to work even harder than younger players to maintain your form. Complete 100 ranked matches in the next seven days!]

[Task Reward: 500 points]

Lu Yingdong stood up, walked to the window, and flung open the closed curtains, letting the midday sun shine unrestrainedly into every corner of the room, dispelling the winter chill of Jiangcheng.

His heart was filled with joy.

It's his turn to realize the meaning of his life.

Eight years in the making?

Hidden nuclear weapons?

I'll satisfy you!

After experiencing the joy, Lu Yingdong sat back down in front of the computer and put his headphones back on the table.

Just then, inquiries from several friends came through.

"Dong Shen, what's going on?" Zi Tai asked. "You suddenly made that 'what's going on?' and then slammed your headphones down. I thought a thief had broken into your house, so I rushed to your livestream. Turns out, all I saw was you drawing the curtains. Are you trying to trick me into spending data?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Lu Yingdong said cheerfully. "There was a strange noise just now, but then I realized I must have misheard it."

"OK." Without asking further questions, he continued, "Alright, now that the finals are over, how about a few solo matches?"

SOLO is a regular feature of their live streams, and they play it quite often.

"Huh?" Uzi yawned. "I'm so sleepy, why did I have to solo a hook? Going to sleep now. Bye-bye."

"OK, bye-bye." Zita didn't insist and said goodbye to Uz.

Meanwhile, Lu Yingdong received another message from his system.

【Drip drip! 】

[New Task Released]

[Secondary Task 2: Achieve a ten-game winning streak in the upcoming solo matches]

[Task Reward: 500 points]

Lu Yingdong raised an eyebrow when he saw the mission.

Isn't this a job that's coming in?

Ten consecutive wins? That's quite a difficult task.

Although Uzi has improved, the remaining players are not weak. Given his current level and form, achieving a ten-game winning streak is extremely difficult.

But thankfully, he had a cheat code.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Yingdong decided to use this SOLO opportunity to test the system's capabilities.

He opened the system interface and selected the Peak Card.

After selection, a list appears before your eyes; these are the targets you can choose.

A Peak Card can restore a person to their peak level. If a Peak Card is used on a teammate, the player will also gain the same attributes.

The list shows that the people he is currently connecting with are all considered his teammates.

What else is there to say?

Let me experience the attributes of a peak Uzi!

[Peak Card - Activated! Target: Uzi!]