The Road He Took

The system's skill points did not take effect immediately once allocated.

He still had to adapt to them himself. For example, if he put five skill points into [Mechanics],

Lin Heng would need to absorb those five points by playing more lane matchups and practicing his mechanics. Of course, the speed of that improvement was on an entirely different level from the improvement he gained through hard practice alone.

After allocating the points, he would feel himself improving incredibly quickly when he practiced.

If he put them into [Understanding] or [Awareness], watching more replays and analyzing things like ward placements and team compositions would help him absorb them faster.

Watching Lin Heng eat while looking eager to get started, Ning asked, at a loss for words:

"What's up? You got an itch?"

"I'm itching to get started." Lin Heng shoveled a large mouthful of rice into his mouth.

"What are you itching for? Hurry up and eat, and take care of yourself. Training that intensely is terrible for your health." Ning had clearly realized that Lin Heng was eager to get back to training.

"True. Winning matches and championships is important, but if health problems leave you unable to train, you've got your priorities backward." Uzi offered his advice as a veteran too.

"Mm... I... tonight... Solo..." Lin Heng mumbled through a mouthful of food.

"Come on, man, swallow your food before you talk." Ning was both put off and amused.

"I said, who wants to Solo me a few times tonight?" Lin Heng said after swallowing.

"??? Solo what???" Danny, who had been eating quietly beside them, suddenly turned around, looking completely baffled.

"Tsk, say the first letter, not the rest. Let's keep it civil for everyone," Rookie said with a laugh.

"Have TheShy and Uzi Solo you. Feels like those two are the only ones who could put up a fight," Ning said.

"Damn, you looking down on me?" Rookie said.

"Just watching his mechanics, I know I can't beat him. I'll say it straight," Ning said.

"Oh? I'm in. Want to play a couple?" Danny was immediately interested.

"Why don't we all give it a try?" Rookie said.

As they ate, the group made plans for a little post-dinner entertainment when they got back that evening.

But just as everyone was getting into it, Lin Heng's phone rang. He pulled it out and looked at it, and the smile on his face froze.

"What's wrong?" Uzi, who was closest to him, immediately noticed something was off and asked.

"It's nothing. You guys eat first. I'm going to take a call," Lin Heng said, forcing a smile.

Outside the restaurant, Lin Heng answered the phone.

"Dad."

"..."

The person on the other end was silent for about five seconds before speaking.

"Still in Shanghai?"

"Yeah," Lin Heng answered.

"Still playing games?"

"Yeah," Lin Heng answered.

"..."

The person on the other end fell silent for another five seconds.

"How long are you going to keep being stubborn?"

"I'm not being stubborn, Dad. This is the path I chose," Lin Heng said.

"What kind of path is playing games? What kind of path can playing games be?" The voice on the other end took on a note of anger.

"It's more than just playing games. I'm a professional player now!" Lin Heng's voice rose, somewhat beyond his control.

"Does being a professional player mean you're not playing games? What contribution can a professional player make to the country? How much money can you make in a month as a professional player right now?" His father fired off the questions.

"..."

This time, it was Lin Heng's turn to fall silent.

"It's been almost four years since you left home. You've already tried for four years. Aren't four years of your precious youth enough for you to squander?" The voice on the other end grew angrier.

"..."

Lin Heng remained silent. He was an outgoing person, but whenever he faced his father, his mouth seemed glued shut, unable to open at all.

"Come back to school. You really can't extend your leave of absence again this year. I'm begging you."

The anger left the voice on the other end, replaced by helplessness.

"Dad, I... I still haven't won a championship... That's my dream."

"..." This time, it was the person on the other end who fell silent again.

"Could you give me one more year? If I still haven't achieved any results this year, I'll definitely come back," Lin Heng said.

"Things don't always go the way we want. How did your dream end up being playing games? You got into Tsinghua at sixteen, and you've wasted your talent like this. If you hadn't gone off to play games, you might already be a graduate student at Tsinghua this year. Do you know how many people dream of that?"

The voice on the other end suddenly sounded a little weary.

Lin Heng couldn't bear to say another word either and simply remained silent.

Father and son fell silent again for about a minute. His father let out a deep sigh and said:

"Do you still have money?"

"Yes."

"Take care of yourself. Don't stay up so late."

Then his father hung up. Lin Heng sat on the steps outside for a long time without speaking, letting the cold January wind beat against his face.

There was a very funny meme online.

"The moment my dad dragged me out of the internet café back then, I knew no one could stop Faker."

But Lin Heng was different.

Ever since he first encountered the game at ten, he had often gone to his older brother's place to play on his computer.

His father would drag him away by the ear and beat him.

Then he started seeking out unlicensed internet cafés to play at.

His father would search the whole city for him, drag him away by the ear, and beat him.

But it was no use. If he couldn't play nearby, he would go farther away. No matter how many times his father dragged him out of an unlicensed internet café, he would put his information network to work and find a new one to play at.

His father had once been so angry that he cut off his allowance, but as in most families,

a doting mother spoils her child.

And Lin Heng was a thoroughgoing rascal.

Whenever Lin Heng wheedled his mother and told her he wasn't getting enough to eat at school, she would give him money.

But all that money ultimately went to unlicensed internet cafés.

Lin Heng took a lot of beatings over gaming. Whenever his friends asked him about it, he would say, "Let him be as fierce as he likes; a gentle breeze can't shake a mountain. No big deal. As long as my hands still work, I can climb the ranks."

But Lin Heng's academic ability left everyone dumbfounded. Even so, he got into Tsinghua University with outstanding grades.

But after arriving at university at sixteen, Lin Heng became unstoppable.

He was extremely talented at the game and was a legend in his dorm building.

Whenever he was matched against well-known esports players in ranked games, crowds of people who liked watching matches would come to his dorm room to watch.

Then, at seventeen, he received an invitation from Royal Never Give Up's second team because of his high rank.

He barely hesitated before choosing to take a leave of absence and go pro.

His father naturally disagreed and refused to sign no matter what.

But Lin Heng had never been particularly obedient, even as a child. He told his father outright that he would just drop out instead of taking a leave of absence.

His father couldn't change his mind and finally signed the leave application.

Lin Heng's academic adviser was a very open-minded young man. After trying repeatedly to persuade him otherwise and getting nowhere, he also helped Lin Heng arrange his leave of absence.

Applying for leave under the pretext of starting a business allowed the period to be extended for several years, and his adviser did everything he could each time it came up for renewal.

But professional esports was brutal.