Next Time For Sure (Happy New Year, Everyone!)

"I can't let this brother who spoke up for me suffer even the slightest bit of injustice!!"

This was Faker's only thought after his mindset and condition both returned to their peak.

No! Absolutely not!

And so, this grudge match began as desired.

Having returned to his peak, he was set to crush the unfamiliar professional player he was laning against, both in laning details and champion knowledge.

It was a shame he picked Ryze for this game. Faker regretted it. If he had known he needed to help his brother win this grudge match, he would have picked a stronger champion. This guy was too weak and too hard to solo kill right now! Moreover, his opponent picked Corki, an absolute top-tier champion in the current meta.

Even with his full effort, he only managed to force the opponent back to base. However, good news suddenly came from the top lane – a solo kill!

The brother who spoke up for him had actually solo-killed the guy who was so smug about being a professional player.

And this was just the beginning.

In the time that followed, the top lane saw continuous solo kills, fancy tower dives, agile enemy avoidance, and precise target acquisition!

Wave after wave of plays and kills astonished Faker, who repeatedly exclaimed, "Wow~!" "Wow~~" "Amazing! Amazing, amazing~!"

Interestingly, midway through, this brother, [MinnaaQAQ], typed a single word in the all chat: BUG?

Faker didn't understand, but after seeing the opposing top laner go completely berserk and interact wildly, he vaguely understood something and couldn't help but chuckle.

This was the first time he had smiled since his slip-up in the S7 World Championship finals, and it was a genuine, satisfying smile.

Whether it was for his own satisfaction or to help his brother [minnaaQAQ] feel good, he felt incredibly happy at that moment.

Later, when their jungler disconnected, it did cause quite a stir. Faker regretted his pick of the "Great Baldy" once again. If it caused his brother [minnaaQAQ] to lose the grudge match, he would be devastated. But as things stood, he could only try his best.

What happened next was an even more surprising, even astonishing, scene.

Camille, his brother [minnaaQAQ], suddenly exploded with power, as if they had developed a telepathic connection. Their synergy was even more incredible than when he played with Bengi. The tactics were dazzling and overwhelming, making him dizzy, yet incredibly strong. It was only because he had returned to his peak that he could keep up with his brother [minnaaQAQ]'s tempo.

As for those two professional players on the opposing team whose names he didn't remember?

Don't even joke about it, they couldn't keep up at all! It was as if they weren't even on the same level.

Under this intense, tight, and overwhelming offensive synergy, they won the grudge match 4v5!

Finally, at the very end, his brother [minnaaQAQ] typed in the all chat again, asking the opponent: "you pro?"

Faker burst out laughing again. Although the two professional players he didn't remember didn't respond after typing 'you pro', he could imagine how furious and embarrassed they were just by thinking about it.

So satisfying!

It felt so good!

He felt like the only time he'd ever felt this way was when he won a championship. Faker grinned widely, seemingly forgetting his recent troubles.

And so, the game ended, the grudge match was won, and he also broke his losing streak on this smurf account.

However, after everything was over, Faker's mind unexpectedly wavered, and an idea, which even he found incredible, began to form.

What if he asked his brother [minnaaQAQ] to duo queue with him?

Anyone familiar with him knew that he had three habits when playing ranked: first, he never used skins; second, he never duo queued; and third, he never spoke.

But today, just today, Faker didn't know why, but he suddenly had a strong urge to invite this exceptionally bold brother to duo queue.

By the time he came to his senses, he had already sent a friend request and politely sent a 'thank you'.

From their brief exchange, he could tell that his brother was also from China, so he used his passable English to communicate.

Ding!

After sending his second message explaining his reasons, Faker waited intently. Before long, [MinnaaQAQ] replied, also in English.

[MinnaaQAQ]: "It's nothing, just saw something unfair and spoke up. Besides, I already had a grudge with those idiots, so I just cursed them out of habit. You don't need to think too much about it."

After reading it, Faker translated a few words he didn't know using a browser and found himself with mixed feelings.

Instead of feeling relieved, he felt even more grateful. He even thought this person had a great personality and was very upright and honorable, saying things directly instead of hiding them.

Faker typed: "Regardless, thank you. Also, we played well together last game, want to duo queue?"

For the first time in his life, Faker sent a duo queue invitation to a stranger, a faint smile and anticipation on his face.

This was a level of treatment that even Bae Joon-sik and Lee Jae-wan, those brats, had never received.

Ding!

[MinnaaQAQ]: "Maybe next time."

"???"

Faker was utterly confused. Two seconds later, he realized he had been rejected! But he quickly recovered, thinking that his account's record was quite bad, and the other person didn't even know who he was, so rejection was normal, right?

After thinking for a moment, Faker didn't reveal his identity directly. Instead, he continued to persuade and entice: "Isn't it boring playing alone? Think back, how well did we cooperate in that 4v5 game? Wasn't it incredibly fun?"

[MinnaaQAQ]: "..."

Faker pondered the meaning of these six dots with confusion.

Soon, the other party replied again.

[MinnaaQAQ]: "I'm in a hurry to climb the ranks right now, sorry. Let's wait for the new season. I'll definitely carry you in the new season."

Faker's lips twitched involuntarily, his gaze lingering on the words "I'll definitely carry you this new season" for a long time.

So, the other party was worried he'd be a burden? This was really too aishibal!

This was Faker's first time interacting with someone like this since he started playing LOL, and he found himself at a loss for whether to laugh or cry.

But, in a hurry to climb ranks?

It was already the preseason. People rushing to climb ranks now could only be one of two types.

The first type was streamers, who wanted to climb ranks at this time to improve their hidden MMR, and then in the new season, they could compete for honors like 'Rank 1 Korean Server Challenger' to proudly display in their stream titles.

However, while streamers did value this, it couldn't really be described as very urgent.

The second type was professional players, or more accurately, free agent players who were looking for a job.

If they weren't this type of player, then as long as they had some competition experience, or were currently signed to a club, they could directly use their records and qualifications to find a new team, rather than relying on the most basic method of climbing the Korean server.

"So, does that mean he's very likely a free agent player?"

For some reason, the thought made Faker feel more energized. He quickly typed, continuing his invitation.