Fnatic's Invitation

A week later.

The UK.

Heathrow Airport.

Qin Feng pulled his suitcase along, feeling a little emotional as he followed the crowd out of the airport.

Once he reached the terminal entrance, he didn't hesitate. He climbed into a taxi and used his rusty English to tell the driver where he was going.

Qin Feng's second uncle lived in a villa in the suburbs. It had two floors and a tree-lined lawn out front, giving it a cozy feel.

When Qin Feng entered, his second uncle, Qin Long, and his aunt had just finished making dinner. They turned to him with warm smiles.

"Xiao Feng, it's been so many years. Look how much you've grown!"

"Your uncle almost didn't recognize you."

"When you were little, you used to cling to your uncle every day and beg him to play with you."

Qin Feng had barely set his suitcase aside when his second uncle pulled him into a bear hug.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you, Xiao Feng?"

"Good timing. You can see what I can do in the kitchen."

His aunt was a woman from Jiangnan in her forties. She looked gentle and kind, as if time had left no trace on her face.

After dinner.

His room had already been cleared out and tidied up.

A brand-new desktop computer sat quietly on the desk in the middle of the room.

"Xiao Feng, your parents told us about you, so we made sure to get you a new computer."

"They said you needed some kind of 240Hz monitor."

"We've hooked up the router and Ethernet cable for you, too."

"But the computer was only just assembled, so you'll have to download whatever you need yourself."

"You don't need to help at the restaurant this week. Take some time to get used to life here."

"You've had a long day, so get to bed early."

His aunt had just accompanied Qin Feng into the room and was already reminding him with thoughtful care.

"Okay. Thank you, Uncle and Aunt."

After turning on the computer and starting to download CSGO, Qin Feng stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

He thought of a professional CSGO player.

The UK's top AWPer, who had once bounced between Eps, Reg, BIG, Chaos, and MR.

Smooya.

He'd heard Smooya was frying fries at McDonald's every day now.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, warm sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains, leaving Qin Feng in a daze.

After a quick wash, he realized his uncle and aunt had already left.

All they'd left him was breakfast and a note.

"I made your breakfast ahead of time."

"If it's cold, remember to warm it up in the microwave."

Qin Feng couldn't help smiling.

He quickly ate the bacon and bread on the table, then went straight back to his room. He opened Faceit and registered Aether as his username.

He didn't want to waste a single second.

The easiest way to go pro overseas was to tear through all the professional players in FPL.

Ropz was the best example.

Qin Feng glanced at the system's available missions for the day.

[Get 30 headshot kills with the Scout Rifle.]

[Get 30 headshot kills with the Desert Eagle.]

Qin Feng wasn't at all impatient with the system's missions.

First, the daily optional missions gave him three or more free attribute points.

Second, the missions were mostly reasonable. The system wouldn't suddenly ask him to use some odd weapon like the R8 or Negev.

And so, starting at Faceit level 3, Qin Feng began his long daily mission grind.

Another month flew by.

The attribute points Qin Feng had earned from his daily missions had reached a hundred.

After building them up day by day, Qin Feng's attributes looked completely different from a month ago!

[Qin Feng]

[Professional ID: Aether]

[Age: 19]

[Team: None]

[Aim: 90 (S)]

[Movement: 84 (A+)]

[Game Sense: 95 (SS+)]

[Looks: Data Overflow]

[Specialties: Sniper Rifle Mastery (A), Pistol Mastery (B)]

[Skill: Killing Intent Perception]

[Available Missions Today: Get 8,000 headshot kills against bots; get a two-for-one with the AWP.]

Over the course of a month, Qin Feng's daily missions had raised his attributes to a terrifying level.

According to the system, an S-rank aim meant he was already at the level of a top-tier rifler.

He might not measure up to monsters like Spinx and b1t.

But he was more than good enough to take on Europe's second- and third-tier teams.

The only drawback was that once his aim reached 90, Qin Feng could no longer increase it with free attribute points.

To raise his aim any further, he would need to earn Dream Points at major tournaments such as IEM, PGL, and ESL.

The better Qin Feng performed in a match, the more Dream Points he would earn.

He could use the corresponding Dream Points to unlock the caps on his attributes.

Then, one day, just as Qin Feng was about to queue for another solo game, he noticed a friend request on Steam.

"Again?"

Normally, Qin Feng ignored friend requests.

Most requests from strangers on Steam were scams.

API hijacking, "add our team manager," and countless other schemes were everywhere.

But just as he was about to block the request, he noticed the applicant's avatar was a team logo.

"Is this because I've been tearing it up in FPL-C and made it into FPL?"

Qin Feng frowned, then accepted the request.

Soon, the Steam chat window blinked.

"Hi, Aether. I'm Samuelsson, coach of Fnatic. Have you ever considered going pro?"

Fnatic?

He'd expected that making it into FPL might bring trial offers from some professional teams, but he'd never imagined one of them would be Fnatic, who were about to compete in the European RMR Qualifier.

Hadn't they just signed poizon to replace their rookie, Banjo?

ESL ONE had just ended. Fnatic had been eliminated after losing 0–2 to Ence, but surely they weren't desperate enough to bring him in for a trial?

Even Zywoo, who had once shone so brightly, had spent two years on the French third-tier team aAa.

Though he hesitated, Qin Feng still didn't want to pass up the opportunity.

The 2022 Antwerp European RMR Qualifier was about to begin. If he missed this offer, he might end up like Sccc and have to switch careers and spend a few months as a commentator.

"I'm interested, but my English might not be very good," Qin Feng quickly replied to his new Steam friend.

On the other end, Fnatic coach Samuelsson looked at the chat window and gave a rueful smile.

They hadn't submitted their roster to the tournament organizers yet, but with the RMR so close, there were only a dozen or so days left.

The problem was, Peppzor was just too bad.

"Aether, are you the player who clutched a 1v5 in the Asian Major Qualifier?"

"Have you come to Europe?"

Samuelsson's eyes lit up as he read Qin Feng's reply.

Before contacting Qin Feng, he had already watched footage of more than a hundred players. Qin Feng's was the most unusual.

The first footage he watched was Qin Feng's performance in the Asian Major Qualifier.

Samuelsson's first reaction had been disbelief.

If it wasn't a cheat, then Qin Feng was an undisputed prodigy, on par with Zywoo and s1mple.

Then he'd soon noticed a new AWPer named Aether on Faceit.

His results were just as outrageous: he'd ripped through the competition all the way from FPL-C to FPL.

After reviewing footage from several recent matches, Samuelsson was certain that Faceit's Aether was the same Aether who had dominated the Asian Major Qualifier.

"Yes, I've come to Europe."

"The CS scene in China isn't great. I came to Europe hoping for better opportunities," Qin Feng replied honestly.

After all, if no team picked him up, he'd probably have to go fry fries at McDonald's with Smooya.

"The language barrier won't be much of a problem."

"As long as your aim is good enough, everything else can be worked out."

"Back then, Zywoo only knew how to say 'I don't know,' but he still tore through FPL."

"Besides, mezii has played against you on FPL and said your English is good enough for normal conversation."

"But poizon is still the team's main AWPer, so you'd have to be the secondary AWPer."

"And the best contract we can offer you right now is €250 a week."

"After the Major Qualifier, we'll draw up a new contract based on your performance."

"What do you think?"

At Fnatic's headquarters, Samuelsson sounded hesitant.

To a veteran team like Fnatic, a weekly salary of €250 was practically an insult.

But the RMR Qualifier was coming up. If Qin Feng didn't perform, the team's owner would probably kick him out immediately.

The team had already taken an interest in several players from Little Flames.

If the Major weren't so close, and Little Flames weren't only willing to sell their players as a package, why would Fnatic have turned to Qin Feng, who had virtually no experience at major tournaments?

Samuelsson wanted to take a gamble.

There had been so many dazzling young talents on the international scene lately.

What if he got lucky?

As he thought this, Qin Feng's reply appeared.

"No problem. I'm in."

"When can I go to Fnatic's training base?"

Samuelsson was also conflicted.

With poizon joining, the current roster might even make the Major with Peppzor still on it.

Was replacing him really the right choice?

But since he'd already contacted Qin Feng, Samuelsson had no intention of backing out.

"Okay. What size do you wear? We'll make you a Fnatic jersey."

"For the Major Qualifier in a few days, just borrow one of the team's jerseys for now."

"There are two British players on our team, and our base is in the UK. You should get here as soon as possible for a trial."

"We'll also need to practice utility together once you arrive."

After all that, Samuelsson felt a headache coming on.

There was barely ten days to build team chemistry. It was far too little time.

CSGO had a tradition of substitute players winning championships, but that only happened when the players and the team were strong enough.

Samuelsson was still mulling it over when his Steam chat blinked again.

"No problem. I'm in the UK now."

"I can get to the base this afternoon."

That afternoon.

"Aether?" Samuelsson asked curiously as he looked at the handsome young man before him.

"Yes, that's me," Qin Feng replied in halting English.

Samuelsson gave Qin Feng a warm hug.

"Luckily, all the players are here this afternoon. I can introduce you to them."

"We have a scrim at five. If it goes well, we'll sign the contract right afterward."

"You brought your own mouse and keyboard, right?"

"If you're all set, shall we go take a look around Fnatic's practice room?"

"Sure."

Qin Feng looked at the Fnatic facility before him, excitement stirring in his chest. He took a deep breath.

Then, with a determined expression, he stepped through the entrance to the club.

Normally, at three in the afternoon, the team would be practicing on the map.

But today, the club's training room was unusually quiet.

Everyone was waiting for the team's new player to arrive.

Soon, they spotted Samuelsson showing a young Huaguo player around the training room and explaining things in English.

When he saw mezii, poizon, ALEX, and KRIMZ already there, Samuelsson smiled and led Qin Feng straight into the room.

"I've always believed that the club can only improve by going international."

"Peppzor leaving doesn't mean the team's downfall. It marks a new beginning."

"This is Aether, the player I told you about earlier."

"mezii, you've run into him in FPL before, haven't you?"

"Aether's ace was made into a highlight reel. It's probably one of the most-viewed videos in the CSGO section on YouTube lately."

A smattering of applause broke out.

Though most people saw stickers and 'victory in defeat' as the face of Huaguo CS, mezii and the others still knew a little about Qin Feng's skill.

They'd watched footage of Qin Feng at the Major and in recent FPL matches. They thought the boy before them was more than a little better than Peppzor.

Samuelsson went on enthusiastically introducing Qin Feng to each of the players.

"This is poizon, our AWPer."

"This is ALEX, our in-game leader."

"This is mezii. He's from the same hometown as ALEX."

"This is KRIMZ. He's one of the team's veterans."

Qin Feng nodded. "Got it, coach."

Fnatic's players weren't exactly stars these days, but they were all seasoned veterans.

Qin Feng wasn't so unfamiliar with the scene that he wouldn't recognize them.

Under Samuelsson's guidance, Qin Feng got everything settled.

It was now 4:45.

There were fifteen minutes left before the team's scrim.

"Feng, our scrim starts in fifteen minutes."

"Our opponents are ITB—Into the Breach."

"They're not exactly a top team, but they'll be good practice for us to gel."

"As long as you don't have any major issues in the scrim, you'll join us at the Major," ALEX explained with a smile.

Qin Feng nodded and looked at the opposing team's logo on the platform. It resembled a Steel Helmet.

Smooya, the French fry AWP god, was currently ITB's AWPer.

Before long, all five ITB players had joined the room.

Qin Feng looked at their IDs.

ITB.smooya

ITB.Thomas

ITB.Adam9130

ITB.Cypher

ITB.dobbo

The match map was Inferno.

[ Ding! First time participating in an international team scrim. Dream Points gained: 100.]

[Perseverance and Effort 2.0 system upgraded to Perseverance and Effort 3.0]

[New feature: Point Draw (10 draws, 20% OFF)]

[New feature: Unlock Attribute Cap with Points]

As for which team he'd join, I looked through the rosters of every team in the HLTV top 100 before the Major.

Among the European teams using English as their lingua franca, Fnatic seemed to be the only likely choice for the protagonist.

But it was just a starting point to play at the Major, after all. (Laughs.)

The protagonist would most likely leave after the Major.

That's all!